for righteousness to everyone who believes.
END
Telos (tel'-os);
Word Origin: Greek, Noun Neuter, Strong #:
5056
termination, the limit at which a thing
ceases to be (always of the end of some act
or state, but not of the end of a period of
time)
LAW
Nomos (nom'-os); Noun Masculine, Strong
#: 3551
anything established, anything received by
usage, a custom, a law, a command
Looking into scripture, what emerges is the
simple fact that it's all about Jesus. It
seems that this is what Paul was teaching
under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.
Look at the Strongs greek, above. Then
look at the Easton Bible Dictionary below.
Romans 10:4
Justification
a forensic term, opposed to condemnation.
As regards its nature, it is the judicial
act of God, by which he pardons all the
sins of those who believe in Christ, and
accounts, accepts, and treats them as
righteous in the eye of the law, i.e., as
conformed to all its demands. In addition
to the pardon (q.v.) of sin, justification
declares that all the claims of the law are
satisfied in respect of the justified. It
is the act of a judge and not of a
sovereign. The law is not relaxed or set
aside, but is declared to be fulfilled in
the strictest sense; and so the person
justified is declared to be entitled to all
the advantages and rewards arising from
perfect obedience to the law (Romans 5:1-
10). EBD
Another way to put it is to say that we
are found guilty under the law, and Jesus
took upon himself to pay the penalty for
sin. In fact, he's the only one who ever
could pay in full. Here's the parable.
It's a passage about forgiveness. Only G-d
who is represented by the king in this
parable, has the authority to forgive those
who have broken his law.
Mt 18:23 Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is
like a certain king, who wanted to
reconcile accounts with his servants.
24 When he had begun to reconcile, one was
brought to him who owed him ten thousand
talents.
25 But because he couldn`t pay, his lord
commanded him to be sold, with his wife,
his children, and all that he had, and
payment to be made.
26 The servant therefore fell down and
kneeled before him, saying, `Lord, have
patience with me, and I will repay you
all.`
27 The lord of that servant, being moved
with compassion, released him, and forgave
him the debt.
This is the concept that emerged from the
Protestant Reformation, and the thing that
inspired Martin Luther. It's the
realization that the law is so exacting
that no human effort can ever hope to
satisfy its demands. Because it demands
perfection. It points to Jesus, because
Jesus was perfect -- a lamb without spot or
blemish.
Ex 12:5 Your LAMB shall be without blemish,
a male of the first year: ye shall take it
out from the sheep, or from the goats:
The Hebrew scripture is an historic account
of G-d revealing himself to men, and more.
The entire Hebrew scripture is a symbolic
description of Christ Jesus. Once that
is seen, the whole plan of salvation
emerges from its pages. Then, to see that
it was a series of historic events that
played out over thousands of years, there
rises an awareness of the fact that over
all recorded history, G-d has been
designing a mosaic of salvation fulfilled
in Jesus. The resurrection being the final
act in the unfolding drama of redemption.
It's just like one of those pictures, a
mosaic. If you look at the little pieces
that make up the picture, they don't seem
to fit into any particular order. Each
piece by itself doesn't look like much at
all. But as you stand back and look at the
whole picture, you see the design. It's
the same method that's expressed in the art
style known as Pointillism.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointillism
That's one reason that I am bothered by
the modern secular agenda. They just don't
get it. They can't see the absolute genius
of the design that stares them straight in
the face. They possess a misguided faith.
And the intriguing aspect of that is that
faith either permits you to see what's
out in the open or it prevents you from
seeing what's out in the open. The secular
agenda is a miserably uninformed doctrine.
So, we have the offer of justification by
faith. It's the only thing that we are
capable of, since we have no chance of
ever being able to achieve the perfection
that's required under the law. It's way
out of reach. It's meant to be that way.
Rom 9:30 What will we say then? That the
Gentiles, who didn`t follow after
righteousness, attained to righteousness,
even the righteousness which is of faith;
31 but Israel, following after a law of
righteousness, didn`t arrive at the law of
righteousness.
32 Why? Because they didn`t seek it by
faith, but as it were by works of the law.
They stumbled over the stumbling stone;
33 even as it is written, "Behold, I lay in
Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of
offense. And no one who believes in him
will be put to shame."
The apostle Paul was a Jew. He wrote the
passage above about his own experience of
Judaism. That the law of Moses was not
able to produce righteousness. Then he
was shown that the only hope of perfection
is attained by faith.
Rom 4:3 For what does the scripture say? "
ABRAHAM believed G-d, and it was accounted
to him for righteousness."
From today's title, the whole is greater
than the sum of the parts. There is design
and there is purpose in the universe and
it's staring you in the face. Don't fall
for the myth that it's anything else. It's
all about Jesus. The Jesus Bus is heading
that way.
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