Many of the Apostolic references to divine Law refer to divine approval, to being declared righteous or placed in a position of no condemnation from God. Many Protestant Christian commentators (though not all), agree that no one is declared righteous by means of them trying to obey or keep the written codes of divine Law. Paul states the position of Christians succinctly in his letter to the Christians in Galatia. ‘Therefore, as many as exist from out of works and actions of Law exist under a curse. Because it is written, ‘Cursed, everyone who is not remaining within everything written in the book of the Law, constructing them. 11 Because now it is clearly evident that no one is judicially approved in the presence of God within the sphere of divine Law, because ‘The judicially approved will live from out of faithful confident persuasion’. 12 But the Law is not from out of confident persuasion, on the contrary, the one constructing these things will live by them. 13 The Messiah buys us up completely from out of the curse of the Law, having become a curse on behalf of us, because it is written, ‘Everyone hanging on a tree is accursed’, 14 in order that Abraham’s blessing comes to the Gentiles within Jesus the Messiah, so that we receive the promise - the Breath [pneuma] - through entrusting to the point of obedience’, (Galatians 3 v 10 – 14a).
Covenant Law says, ‘Do this and you will live’. That is the arrangement for those under the Sinai Covenant - ‘we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those within the Law’, (Romans 3 v 19), to Jews. ‘The hearers of the Law are not judicially approved alongside God, but the doers of Law will be declared judicially approved’, (Romans 2 v 13). But no one successfully obeys or keeps all of the Law. Rather, ‘The judicially approved will live from out of faithful confident persuasion’, (verse 11 above).
Paul contrasts doing the written codes of the Law with ‘faith’ and the Breath. These are two different means of obtaining divine approval. But he says that no one successfully enacts the written codes of divine law, so that instead, divine approval comes from faith, from entrustment to the point of obedience. In these last days, the Messiah and his atoning death at Calvary has been revealed and it is Jesus who is the focus of this faith or persuasion. The fruit and evidence of this entrustment is that it is carried across from within – from ‘inside the cup’ into godly speech and behaviour as Christians co-work with the Breath of God.
This is the situation according to Paul - ‘Therefore, in front of Him all flesh will absolutely not be judicially approved from out of energy and work of Law, because by means of Law is full knowledge of self forfeiture and no share or portion. 21 But now apart and separate from Law, God’s judicial approval is being made clear and apparent, testified and borne witness to by the Law and the Prophets - 22 judicial approval by means of entrustment, penetrating toward all those entrusting Jesus the Messiah’, (Romans 3 v 20 – 22b). Paul states a conclusion on this matter a little later. ‘Because if those from out of Law are allotted heirs, [then] persuasion to the point of obedience is made void, is nullified, and the announced promise rendered entirely idle. 15 Because Law is working down settled anger’, (Romans 4 v 14, 15a). These two means of judicial approval are in many ways mutually exclusive. When it comes to divine law, the written codes are bringing down settled anger, whereas the arrangement of judicial approval by means of faith exists beside Covenant Law, in the sense that it does not abolish or dissolve divine Law, but brings it to completion and with it, divine judicial approval.
