This estimate of the Law, so obnoxious to the Judaistic mind, the Apostle made good by an apjieal to experience as well as to Scripture and sacred history. His demonstration is given more especially in the Epistles to the Galatians and the Romans. In the latter he starts from experience, which shows that not only the heathen who live without the Law but even the people of the Law themselves are all held fast under the power of sin. The Jews glory in the Law with their li[)S, but, when their conscience is appealed to, they have to con- fess that their deeds are little better than those of the heathen (Ro P^ 2=^). Next he shows from Scripture, from the Torah, which speaks to tlie Jews in 2)articular, that they, equally with all mankind, ai'e guilty before God (S**"^" ; cf. Gal 2^") . moreover, the OT plainly declares that by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified (Ro 3-", Gal 2i« = Ps 143- ; the Avords ' by the works of the law ' were added by St. Paul himself, but are quite in accord- ance with the sense). Finally, on the lines of sacred history, he deduces the impossibility of justification by the works of the Law from the fact that God has now manifested a new species of righteousness apart from the Law, viz. the right- eousness that is through faith in Jesus Christ, who has been set forth in His blood as a IXaffT-qpiov (Ro 32i(. 25)^ i.e. an expiation, or a propitiation (Luther: Gnadenstuhl, 'throne of grace'), and has rendered satisfaction to the Law (Gal 3^* ; cf. 4^). This new mode of righteousness, moreover, was fore- shown by the Law and the Prophets, as is argued in greater detail in Ro 4, where St. Paul discusses the grand ]n-ecedent of Abraham ; for Abraham, the father of (:lod's people, was justified not by works but by faith, and while as yet uncircumcised, in order that he should be the father of all who have faith (4i-i^). Besides the case of Abraham, St. Paul appeals specially to the prophetic utterance of Hab 2^ (Ro V\ Gal 3^ : ' The just sliall live by faith '). In Gal. likewise he attaches great import- ance to the pattern of Abraham. Here he repre- sents the Law as a secondary institution in com- parison with the Promise. In man the Promise presupposes faith only, and may be compared to a testament, which could not be invalidated by a posi- tive decree such as the Law delivered 430 years later (Gal 315-18). In the section of Rom. (9-11) which deals with the rejection of Israel, he returns again to the biblical arguments for the righteousness of faith, which excludes justification by the Law (10^""). But the decisive proof of his contention that the Law is incapable of justifying sinners lies for St. Paul in the Death of Christ prodaimed in the gospel (Gal '2^^--^ ; cf. Ro 3'-"-). It is his absolute con- viction that, if righteousness could be secured by the Law, then Cliristdied for nought (v.-^ ; cf. Ro lO^"^-). Nor is the synthesis of the two kinds of righteous- ness a possible conception. The Law is no more based itpon faith (Gal 3'-) than the grace of Jesus Christ (Ro 5^'^) is based upon works (Ro 11^ : ' if by grace, fihen no more of works ; otherwise, grace is no more grace').
How does it come about, then, that the ab- stractly possible righteousness by the works of the Law (Ro 2^^) is impossible in the sphere of actual- ity? Or, otherwise, why is man incapable of ful- filling the Law ? The answer is given in the Apostle's idea of the carnal constitution of man, which is antagonistic to the spiritual character of the Law (7'''). Man, by reason of his carnal nature, is sold into the servitude of sin, for the mind of the fiesh is hostile to God, and cannot become subject to His (spiritual) Law. No doubt the Law
of God includes commandments which, because of their external character, may quite well be obeyed by the ' flesh ' (Gal 3^ ; cf. 4^"), but its most distinct- ive requirement, the law of love, is repufrnant to the flesh. For Avith St. Paul the term ' flesh ' (cdpf ) is by no means restricted to the sensuous corporeal aspect of human nature — as if the principle of sin were rooted in man's physical constitution (cf. Gal 5'^^-) ; on the contrary, the flesh penetrates even to his inmost soul, so that we may speak also of a ' mind of the flesh ' (Col 2'8). Tlie ' works of the flesh,' accordingly, embrace not only sins of sensuality, but also sins of the seltish will (Gal 5'"'^^), and hence, in a passage immediately pre- ceding this, St. Paul contrasts brotherly love with the misuse of liberty as an occasion to the flesh (5^^*"). Even in the regenerate man, the Christian, the flesh maintains its [jower so persistently (S"''-'*) that he cannot conquer sin by the Law, but can triumph over it only bj- the Spirit of God (Ro
If, however, the Law does not bring salvation to man, and was not designed to do so, what is its real function ? The most comprehensive answer to this question is given in Ko 3'-"'' : ' through the law comes the knowledge of sin.' The answer is defined more concretely in a number of kindred statements (cf. 4i' o^'^'--" T^'-f-, 1 Co 15°*, Gal 3'^). The Law not only serves to make sin known as sin, and to condemn the sins of men, but it re- solves ill-doing into aggravated sin, giving it the character of trespass against the commandments of (iod : ' where there is no law, neither is there transgression' (lio 4^^), 'and therefore sin is not imputed ' (5'*). But the actual operation of the Law in thus resolving sin into positive transgres- sion and guilt must, according to the teleology of the Apostle, have been the Divine purpose of the Law (Gal 3'^ : tCjv irapa^daioov X'lP"') ' ^^ order to bring forth the conscious transgressions as such ' ; cf. Ro 5-'' : ' that the Fall might be increased ' ; 7^* : ' that sin might be shown to be sin ').