If we "died to the law" (v. 19) and are alive in Christ — how do we live for Him without the law? That is, what guides us? Are we completely free from the law? Paul does say later in Galatians, "you are not under the law (οὐκ ἐστὲ ὑπὸ νόμον)" — so we don't have to obey the law? Is that the point of dying to the law and not being under the law?
C. K. Barrett, in his commentary on 1 Corinthians wrote the following about 1 Cor. 9:21, "This is one of the most difficult sentences in the epistle, and also one of the most important,…" The HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible) gets at the idea quite well: "not being without God's law but within Christ's law." Through Christ, we live within Christ's law. We are free to obey — there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. We have the Spirit dwelling in us enabling us to walk in obedience. We don't try to measure up because we can't — that measuring up comes through simple faith in Jesus Christ (a simple truth greatly misunderstood and our hearts strongly resists).
Therefore… 1. Obey God's Word because you have been completely justified by faith in Christ and graciously saved by Him. 2. You are alive in Christ Jesus and in the power of the Spirit, obey God's commandments. 3. When you sin, repent and know you have forgiveness in Christ because Jesus paid the penalty for all your sins. 4. Always ponder and meditate on what Christ has done for you so that you can say with Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
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Dr. Mark Herzer has been the pastor of Christ Covenant Presbyterian Church (P.C.A.) in Warminster, PA since 1997. Before this, he was ordained to labor as an Assistant Pastor of Korean United Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia (1992-1995). He received his M.A.R. and Ph. D....