Sunday, August 25th 2019  |  Galatians 2:20-3:5

Getting your “I” put out!

By virtue of his incorporation into Christ (cf. v. 17) and so into Christ’s death, Paul’s existence in relation to the Law has been decisively severed, the Law has ceased to have any claim on him (cf. Rom. 7:4, 6). But since the vicarious death of Christ for sinners was exacted by the law (cf. Gal. 3:13) and was ‘first an affirmation of [the Law’s] verdict,’ Paul’s death to the law through participation in Christ’s death can be said to be ‘through [Gr. instrumental dia] the Law.” This death ‘through the Law … to the Law’ means not only that the Law is a dead-end way of righteousness, but also that the believer is set free from the dominion of the Law (under which there is transgression, Rom. 4:15) for a life now lived by Someone Else!