A study of Romans 8:4 (NIV)

In continuing from yesterday evening's start of a study of Romans 8, I'll be continuing my reflections on further passages in this chapter tonight.
Again, I'm writing these reflections down as a means of actively engaging the scripture instead of passively running my eyes over the text. Comments are appreciated, further elaboration, clarification or correction on my writing even more so. :]
By the way, I think I had a lot of different thoughts going through my mind yesterday. Since writing yesterday's entry, I realize that I wandered off several times from my main point and never came back to it. I was too caught up on the law for some reason. Hopefully I'll be able to stay on point tonight!

Verse 4: in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
 The righteous requirements of the law. First of all, what's it mean to be righteous? Here's one definition of it.
To be righteous would mean to be right, to be found in the right, to do what is right. I was only listing out thoughts as they came to mind and I've got to say, that's all I've got. To have right standing with God is only to be had by following his commandments, and Christian are to understand that they have the status of righteousness. Now, I'm about to go on a long tangent about the law, but I hope I can come back to what I am really addressing presently about this verse. We'll see.


The verse states "righteous requirements of the law." Well, again Paul's addressing the law (which is the law of God, not general law). The requirements of the law being that a person would have to fulfill it in its entirety (for, to break one law would be equivalent to breaking all of it since, in the end, a lawbreaker is a lawbreaker), and not just for one day, but for every day that a person lives. There are many laws, on top of the famous Ten Commandments; there are all the animal sacrifices that were offered on behalf of our sin, and another for the sin of others, and then another for the nation and so on and so forth. But acknowledging that God is who he is, he is pretty smart and knows that human beings being sinful and all, can not follow the law and he didn't give humans the law just to poke his righteous finger in our faces and say, "Ha-ha!"
I think he gave humans the law at all so that they can put their faith in Jesus. Simple as that. He is the savior, and he saves people from eternal spiritual death when they realize there is a standard for righteousness and they don't meet it and can admit that they need someone else to step in for them. So Jesus, having come in human form, lived life in perfect righteousness (in complete obedience to God's commandments) and then took the full punishment for the sins of those who would believe. And I explain this basically because in understanding why God revealed the law and why Jesus took on human form, it becomes clearer that the commandment of God that Christians are to follow in order to be ascribed righteousness is to believe in the Christ, the savior, to believe in Jesus. The only way for a sinner like me can become righteous is by trading in my sinfulness for the righteousness that Christ gives me when I put my faith in him.


With no transition, I move back to the verse.
"...in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us." Jesus taking on flesh and becoming like sinful man so that sin would be punished in the flesh. What's interesting is what happens as a result of having the law fulfilled in us by Christ, which is to have a new nature. Basically, that I am not living in the endless death cycle of sinning, sinning against and being sinned against, but that I am now enabled to live free from that because someone stopped the wheel from spinning long ago. I am instead guided by the Spirit of God who compels me to desire what is right.


I am beginning to ramble. I am forced to stop here and now. My mind is tired, but I still have so much to do.
Lord help me, not to despair but to look to your word for the truth I need to be founded on so that I'm not left feeling insecure and fragile every time something hard hits.