For I through the law am dead to the law
- The apostle further replies to the objection against the doctrine of justification, being a licentious one, from the end of his, and other believers, being dead to the law.
- Paul owns he was dead to the law, not in the sense as to not regard it as a rule of walk and conversation, but to not seek for life and righteousness by it, nor to fear its accusations, charges, menaces, curses, and condemnation.
- He was dead to the moral law as in the hands of Moses, but not as in the hands of Christ.
- He was dead to it as a covenant of works, though not as a rule of action, and to the ceremonial law, the observance of it, and much more as necessary to justification and salvation.
- That is, either through the law or doctrine of Christ.
- The Hebrew word signifies properly doctrine, and sometimes evangelical doctrine, the Gospel of Christ;
- See Isaiah 2:3 and then the sense is, that the apostle was taught by the doctrine of grace not to seek for pardon, righteousness, acceptance, life, and salvation, by the works of the law, but in Christ; by the doctrine of the Gospel, which says, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.
- Paul became dead to the law, which says, do this and live: or through the books of the law, and the prophets.
- The writings of the Old Testament, are sometimes called the law.
- Paul learned that righteousness and forgiveness of sins were only to be expected from Christ, and not the works of the law.
- Righteousness and forgiveness of sins, though manifested without the law, yet are witnessed to by the law and prophets.
- The principle of grace formed in his soul, he became dead to the power and influence of the law of works.
- He was no longer under the bondage of that, but under grace, as a governing principle in his soul.
- The word law, used twice here, may signify one and the same law of works.
- The meaning maybe, either that through Christ's fulfilling the law in his stead, assuming a holy human nature the law required, and yielding perfect obedience to it, and submitting to the penalty of it, he became dead to it.
- He became dead to the law through the body of Christ, see Romans 7:4 and through what he did and suffered in his body to fulfil it;
- Or he became dead to the law through the use, experience, and knowledge of the law, when being convinced of sin by it, and seeing the spirituality of it, all his hopes of life were struck dead, and he entirely despaired of ever being justified by it.
- Now the end of his being dead to the law, delivered from it, and being directed to Christ for righteousness, was he says:
that I might live unto God;
- That I might not live in sin, in the violation of the law, in neglect and defiance of it, or to himself, or to the lusts of men, but to the will of God revealed in his word, and to his honour and glory;
- Therefore it most clearly follows, that though believers are dead to the law, and seek to be justified by Christ alone, yet they do not continue, nor do they desire to continue in sin,
- Believers do not indulge themselves in a vicious course of living, but look upon themselves as under the greater obligation to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.
