Romans 3:20 – Someone asked me recently what the purpose of the OT law (specifically the 10 Commandments) was, Well, here we learn that it was not for justification. God did not give the law to prove how righteous we were. If anything, it was the opposite, he gave the law to show us just how far we are from him.
This is a concept that was always a little hard for me as I read Romans before. It seemed a bit harsh of God to make up laws to prove us failures. But perhaps the law was not something ‘made up’ by God for any purpose, it sprung from who He was. He didn’t ‘make it up’ as we might think but instead simply recorded who He was and how He lived. By doing so, He illuminated the stark difference between He and us.
Romans 3:21-24 – On the surface the it appears that the law is a means to get to know God – God expect you to do this and that and avoid these and those if you would be like Him and follow Him. Instead of leading us to Him, it just becomes quickly clear, however, that we are not capable of following that road.
But wait – God, now that it is plain to all of humanity that we cannot be like him, has given us, not a way to be righteous, but given us righteousness. It’s not that Jesus offers us a way to be Godly he just offers us the Godliness. It’s like those get rich quick schemes “Here’s an easy way to millions!” except that God, thorough our faith in Jesus, just says “Here’s millions!” How cool is that?
1 Cor 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;
1 Cor 15:57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. – It is written that “the power of sin is the law” and seems to imply that if we are “law conscience”, we will be venerable to sin. Hence, we ought to be “Jesus conscience” rather than “law conscience”.
My general understanding is that the Law is because God is, and we aren’t. It is the dictionary of which ways we don’t do what God wants us to do. WE were created to love God, and love each other. THe Ten Commandments show us what it is to do just that. When we don’t obey, there the law is. When we obey, the law isn’t. Now I’m not even sure that I am making sense…