God's law is "good and just and holy" (Rom 7:12), but it was never meant to help man live right or to help man in any way. God gave the law as a specific ministry. It was the ministry of death and condemnation (2 Cor 3:7-9). Through the law came guilt (Rom 3:19) and bondage (Gal 4:24-25).
Through the law, sin was imputed sin to man (Rom 5:13), and through the law, sin abounded (Rom 5:20)
The law is against us and contrary to us (Col 2:14), and the law is enmity with us (Eph 2:15).
"But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died." (Rom 7:8-9)
All of this was the ministry of the law. All of this is the reason the law was given. God never intended the law to be something through which man could actually find life or righteousness. Actually, it was exactly the opposite of that!
Let me repeat - the law is not bad or evil. It is good and just and holy. However, all it can do is to produce is guilt, condemnation, bondage and death. That is the law's purpose. Always has been, always will be. God didn't give the law to help man in any way. That was never the purpose of the law.
Now that we are in Christ, we have no relationship with the law. The Gentiles (most of us) never even had a relationship with the law in the first place. Now that we are in Christ, by grace through faith (having never been under the law), we don't suddenly begin to apply the law to our lives, or to help us live. And as for Jews, they were told they had to die to the law in order to be "married" (joined) to Christ. They weren't told to die to it, and then to bring it back up for help with living. Life in Christ - whether for Jew or Gentile - is lived apart from law, but rather "by grace through faith." Our life in Christ is lived through the fact that we died and we no longer live, but Christ now lives in us (Gal 2:19-21).
The law is not evil. But it simply can never provide help for living, nor help with life or righteousness or godliness or any such thing.
Abraham and all those who were counted as righteous before the law lived by faith. God had given them no laws to live by, because laws were (and are) not necessary for people who lived by faith. When the law came, it never helped anybody live righteously. (It was never meant to do that). In fact, as the previous verses show, when the law entered things only got worse. When the law came, guilt and condemnation entered. Death and bondage entered. This is exactly what God had planned and purposed with the law.
But before the law came, people lived by faith. They lived lives of faith, apart from the law, and that is how we live now. The difference now - and it's a wonderful, awesome difference - is that not only are we free from the ministry of death and condemnation and guilt and bondage (the law), but we have the actual life of Jesus Christ living in us! We need no law to live by faith. In fact, Paul said "the law is not of faith" (Gal 3:12).
The law is not of faith. We live by faith, and those who live by faith have no need of law. Again, the law produces exactly the opposite of what faith produces.
Through the law, sin was imputed sin to man (Rom 5:13), and through the law, sin abounded (Rom 5:20)
The law is against us and contrary to us (Col 2:14), and the law is enmity with us (Eph 2:15).
"But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died." (Rom 7:8-9)
All of this was the ministry of the law. All of this is the reason the law was given. God never intended the law to be something through which man could actually find life or righteousness. Actually, it was exactly the opposite of that!
Let me repeat - the law is not bad or evil. It is good and just and holy. However, all it can do is to produce is guilt, condemnation, bondage and death. That is the law's purpose. Always has been, always will be. God didn't give the law to help man in any way. That was never the purpose of the law.
Now that we are in Christ, we have no relationship with the law. The Gentiles (most of us) never even had a relationship with the law in the first place. Now that we are in Christ, by grace through faith (having never been under the law), we don't suddenly begin to apply the law to our lives, or to help us live. And as for Jews, they were told they had to die to the law in order to be "married" (joined) to Christ. They weren't told to die to it, and then to bring it back up for help with living. Life in Christ - whether for Jew or Gentile - is lived apart from law, but rather "by grace through faith." Our life in Christ is lived through the fact that we died and we no longer live, but Christ now lives in us (Gal 2:19-21).
The law is not evil. But it simply can never provide help for living, nor help with life or righteousness or godliness or any such thing.
Abraham and all those who were counted as righteous before the law lived by faith. God had given them no laws to live by, because laws were (and are) not necessary for people who lived by faith. When the law came, it never helped anybody live righteously. (It was never meant to do that). In fact, as the previous verses show, when the law entered things only got worse. When the law came, guilt and condemnation entered. Death and bondage entered. This is exactly what God had planned and purposed with the law.
But before the law came, people lived by faith. They lived lives of faith, apart from the law, and that is how we live now. The difference now - and it's a wonderful, awesome difference - is that not only are we free from the ministry of death and condemnation and guilt and bondage (the law), but we have the actual life of Jesus Christ living in us! We need no law to live by faith. In fact, Paul said "the law is not of faith" (Gal 3:12).
The law is not of faith. We live by faith, and those who live by faith have no need of law. Again, the law produces exactly the opposite of what faith produces.
Great post on the law. Thanks for sharing love your writing.
ReplyDeleteCris
Thanks Cris. :)
ReplyDeleteIs the 10 commandments Part of the law? I believe so and give Scripture to support your answer. Thanks
ReplyDeleteYep.
ReplyDelete