Paul could not hide who he was or who he had been from anyone. They all knew his story, how he was so zealous for the law that he stood by as other religious leaders, just as zealous as he, stoned Stephen to death. They also knew the changed Paul, who was obedient but still not perfect. When Paul said he was at war in his body between wanting to do good and instead doing evil, he was not mouthing empty words. Confessing that he found it impossible to stop sinning no matter how hard he tried was not the crux of the matter. Paul knew that even though he had a ministry of apostleship to the developing Christian churches, he was no different from anyone. All have sinned, that is a given. But there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Now, that is something new.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 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. - Rom. 8:1-4 NIV
We can be overcomers, not through our own efforts, but because of the Holy Spirit. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. (Rom. 8:14-16 NIV)
Paul knew what he was talking about. The one who had so zealously pursued the law was now sent to deliver a message to the Gentiles that they could obtain by faith what the Jews had not obtained by works.
What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the “stumbling stone.” As it is written:
“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame. - Rom. 9:30-33 NIV
Righteousness can be obtained, not by zealous pursuit of the law, but by zealous pursuit of the One who came to set us free from the law of sin and death.
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