ROM 3:31

"DO WE THEN MAKE VOID THE LAW THROUGH FAITH? GOD FORBID: YEA, WE ESTABLISH THE LAW."

Many have argued that Paul here is trying to saw that law was no longer needed because of faith now, as though faith was a new thing. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, he is actually saying the opposite. The Law was needed and IS CHRIST. Let me explain:

My favorite commentator says here, "that this scripture proclaims in effect that Christ is the Subject of the Law in all of its Rites and Ceremonies (Lk 24:44; Col. 2:14-17; Heb Chapts 8-10)."

I suggest we all take a look at those scriptures in light of this, it really opens up our understanding when making that reference while studying.

The Temple Type of Christ:

Swaggart also reminds us that everything that God introduced to Moses in Law was meant to be a type of Christ...meaning, it was meant to teach us about Christ, even in the temple sacrificial system. All of these items in the tabernacle in the wilderness were to show Christ, to explain who He is and what He would be for us. The Brazen Altar was a type of the Cross of Christ, where a live Lamb (Lamb of God) was sacrificed for sin, the Brazen Laver was a type of the Word of God which is Christ, the Word of Life, and the Table of Shewbread was Jesus, the Bread of Life. Let me remind the reader of when Christ told his followers, I am the Bread of Life, He was speaking the only language that the Jews knew, temple and sacrifice. I am the Light of the World, (The Golden Candlestick). It's beautiful how the Lord has arranged and put all of this so perfectly together to be the perfect picture of Christ for us to see. He was and is and will always be, the same yesterday, today and forever.


i like also what Barnes says, he rewords the questions here: "Do we then make void the law. Do we render it vain and useless; do we destroy its moral obligation; ...by no means!"

Something that we need to realize about the Moral Law, is that when God sent the Ten Commandments, He never gave man the means by which to keep it. Meaning, He knew that we couldn't keep these ten laws. There are only ten, but if we offend in one, we have offended in all points and are accounted as guilty of all ten. God accepts only perfection. A perfection only achieved by Christ. Thus, "under the New Covenant Christ becomes our Strength, & actually lives this Moral Life through us (Gal 2:20)." (Swaggart commentary on romans)

We also should mention that there is NOTHING that we can add to the finished work of Christ. This means that when He hung on the Cross and said, "It is finished," He was in fact saying, "I have fulfilled in every point what man could not." Hence His very own words in Matt 5:17, "I am come not to destroy the law or the prophets (meaning prophesies of Him), but to fulfill."

Romans 13:14 says, "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof."

He has already done the work & overcome the enemy, which is why He said that He has made our enemies our footstool. He did this at Calvary. The only act the Believer has been given the ability to perform is to rest in Him and what He did for us on that Sacred Tree covered in His Sinless blood.

"YEA, WE ESTABLISH THE LAW" (back to the scripture):

Barnes says that by the doctrine of justification by faith, (meaning, we are justified to God by faith in Christ and what He did at the Cross), we prove the need for the Moral Law to be fulfilled. Put more simply, by us evidencing faith in what Christ did for us, men are treated by God as righteous, even though we are NOT righteous, thus "establishing the law," showing we had need for a FULFILLER of the LAW we couldn't keep on our own, without what HE DID."