Focus

Romans 3 shows a contrast between a focus on sin, or keeping the law, resulting in a knowledge of sin vs. a focus on God's revealed righteousness through Jesus resulting in knowing God and the truth about Him. What we focus on will result in intimacy with either sin or with God. This chapter is in the context of God on trial and His need to be justified. Repeatedly it is mentioned that evidence is being put forward of the truth about His character.

If we focus on keeping the law as righteousness we become intimate with sin and witness against God in His trial, bearing witness that He is a liar. In so doing however, it is exposed that I am the liar and God is not, ultimately exposing the truth about Him.

Verse 26 is the verdict of the trial – God is just and He justifies all those who choose to witness truthfully about both Him and themselves in His trial.

Faith is both produced and put to use by focusing on Jesus and the truth about God. By doing so we end up verifying the truth of the law (v. 31). But it is not by focusing on the law that we establish it. We have to focus on the truth about God's character as revealed in Jesus to establish the law.

Romans 7 and James 1. If I believe the lie that I can keep the law, then I am ripe for sin to use the law, the condemnation of my failure or the pride of my supposed success, to produce sin in me. James is more detailed. I am enticed, lured by the beauty of righteousness through perfectionism and the craving to have it now (lust) and have people think highly of me. If the lie in me responds to sin hiding in the clothing of LAW righteousness, sexual intercourse/intimacy/adultery will take place and sin will be conceived in me (produced in me). When sin matures – grows up – it bears the fruit of death/separation from life and the source of life.

Rom. 7:8 Apart from the law sin is dead. If I am disabused of the lie that I can be perfect by keeping the law, if I let Jesus take my focus off the law, then sin can't hide under those deceptive clothes and becomes powerless/dead in my life.