Jesus never abolished Himself, i.e., the Law of Righteousness, He simply came into this world through a body prepared, cf. Psalm 40 and became Himself in the Flesh so we could justifiably be guilty before both God and Man.

There are only two ways to Heaven. I lost out on the one way thanks to Adam, my oldest father. That does not leave me much hope in myself and now the Good News is really good news seeing the only other way to Heaven for me and you is through Christ and His Cross. It’s kinda a death way for me to be alive in Him dwelling in paradise forever!

1Co 15:21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
1Co 15:24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

Man alive, there is no other way out of this mess I find myself and you living in these days!

Michael
Eureka, Ca

Good stuff. I think the concept of Imputation has lost a lot of ground in the modern day Evangelical movement. I go to an Episcopal Church, so we read the same readings this week. As I was sitting there I read through the book of Hosea, from chapter 5 to about chapter 10 and I noticed the surrounding context was a stinging rebuke from God about the wickedness and idolatry of His people. I would assume that the Pharisees either had that section of Hosea that Jesus quoted memorized or they went back and looked it up. What they would find is a God that demanded obedience from the heart to all his commandments. Jesus was accusing them of sin by quoting that little verse from Hosea. Its as if Jesus were saying “Don’t you remember your own scriptures and what God said about our people (the Jewish people) back then? Do you think anything has changed?”

Therefore, Jesus was saying that all have sinned. This is a proposition that most people would accept, but if the solution is anything but the Imputation of a foreign and forensic Righteousness, then it is not the Gospel. Much of the Evangelical Church is Semi-Pelagian, meaning that God does his part in providing Love, The sacrifice of Jesus and the Holy Spirit and I must do my part in being faithful, repenting of all known sins, and loving my neighbor.

Jesus did not abolish the original way of being right with God (Obeying and Keeping the Law perfectly) instead He fulfilled it in his sinless life and subtitutionary death. And by virtue of His resurrection and Ascension he is able to give the gift of Righteousness to all who trust in Him.

Thank you for the helpful law and gospel comments on Romans 4:22. Isn’t it a tragedy that Adam and Eve in trying to become equal to God became less than human? The religions in the world continue to serve up a dismal recipe for restoration–commit again the sin of Adam and Eve in their ascent to God. That ascent led to descent not to mention the indecent. Because of that descent Jesus must descend to the lower depths upon the cross to cross out our sin and restore us through His righeousness. It is that latter gift we need to be truly human and not merely a old adam slave of the elemental teachings of the world. The most productive tree on the face of the earth remains the dead stump tree of Jesse’s greater Son and Lord, Jesus. God be praised!

all the best,

Peter,
California, Missouri