¹⁴ For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; ¹⁵ for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.

Unrelenting, exhaustive, precisely drawn, carefully laid out—Paul’s logical, theological argument contends from all sides. Now, he shows the absurdity and contradictory nature of insisting on a presumed Jewish exclusive requirement of the Law for being right with God. If the Law is required and without it there is no possibility of being right with God, then it would be better, ironically, not to have the Law at all! If a person holds on to the Law as being required, then it is that very same Law that disqualifies him. This is self-defeating, like someone under trial not only arguing for the admissibility of all the evidence but insisting on the most convicting evidence against himself that will find him guilty. Imagine a defendant calling for a witness assumed to be friendly only to find the witness turning out to be hostile. Insistence on the Law is tantamount to insistence on a guilty judgment. The Law brings God’s wrath!

Some may weakly argue contrary to this conclusion, but only those who have not followed Paul’s impeccable argument to this point. For he has already demonstrated that all, including those who hold to the Law, “fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). No amount of human effort will merit a “Law-abiding” Jew any standing with God. This was true for Abraham and for David; who among all lesser Jews could then stand before God?

Further, if the Law were required (necessary) and provided a possible way to gain right standing before God (sufficient), then faith would be neither necessary nor sufficient. But that would require nullifying everything we know about Abraham as recorded in the Jewish record. If that were the case, then his faith would be absolutely worthless, and the promises God made to him and his descendants because of his faith would be rendered void and without any merit whatsoever. One cannot separate Abraham in any way or in the smallest iota from all subsequent Jewish history and theology.

God’s dealings with Abraham are a very big deal to being Jewish. Since the patriarch’s faith and the promise of God took place long before the Law of Moses came on the scene, then falling short of the Law’s standards does not disqualify the person who is justified by faith. Coming to God through faith apart from the Law does not violate the Law, because whatever else the Law might mean, it cannot make anyone right with God.

Lord, since You made me right through faith I want to live by Your standards.