There is probably no greater
area of confusion among the multitude of those who claim to be the
followers of Christ than the purpose, function, and nature
of the law as given by the Lord to the sons of men. When one
mentions the law among most who would fancy themselves as being
Bible scholars and students of one type or another, their mind
is usually drawn to consider what have come to be called the
Ten Commandments. Now it is indeed true that the
commandments given to Moses are surely the law in a codified
form. Yet it is necessary to a proper
understanding of the law that we do not define the law as simply
and exclusively those decrees which were given to Moses on
Mount Sinai. Most especially that we do not
limit it to the Ten Commandments. For the Lord gave to Moses a
much more detailed and comprehensive expanse of directives than these
ten. The Lord clearly revealed the
far-reaching expanse of the law of the kingdom of God, which
more plainly manifests the utter impossibility of any man to find
a place of comfort in his supposed ability to keep the law. The
codified form of the law was only given to the house of Israel,
yet it is clear from the scriptures that all men, Jew and Gentile
alike, have transgressed the law of God, and thereby must
be judged as sinners under the law's condemnation of death.
So we can be sure that the definition of sin is not simply the breaking
of the Mosaic Law. For all men are judged sinners
whether they have ever heard or seen the law given to Moses.
Paul sets forth this argument quite clearly saying, Death reigned
from Adam to Moses. Sin is never laid to one's account
apart from a broken law. Before the Mosaic Law was ever
given, Adam was under condemnation along with all of his posterity.
Thus we can be certain that the law did not come into existence
on Mount Sinai, but is a principle which is operable from the very
beginning. Thus we see that the law is a principle which men
have rebelled against from the very beginning and which can
do nothing to aid men except bring them into condemnation,
regardless of their good intentions and the glib directives of religious
men to instruct other religious men on how to be obedient to
the precepts of the law. We see the effects of the unveiling
of the law to righteous men in the illustration of the rich
young ruler who boasted of having kept the law from his youth.
When the Lord revealed the law to him, he went away sorrowing. So we might ask, what is the
purpose of the law? Simply put, its main purpose
is to reveal sin. Paul said, is the law sin? God
forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but
by the law. We might also ask, what is the
function of the law? Again, in simple terms, we might
say its function is to set the stage for repentance. A man will
not repent until he has shown the heinous nature of sin and
the one against whom all crimes are committed. The Spirit of
God uses the law to convince and convict His people of their
sin, as He manifests their inability to measure up to the lofty standards
which God demands. Only a fool can look at the law
of God and consider himself in good standing with a holy God. Then we ask, what is the nature
of the law? Once more, in simple terms, the
nature of the law is spiritual. Paul said, for we know that the
law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. It comes as no
shock to us that carnal religious men look at the law as a rule
of life or a checklist to define holiness. It is with these things
in mind that Paul writes to the Galatians of the work of God's
grace to satisfy the law in every jot and tittle for his children
through the redemptive work of Christ in their behalf. If he
has made them free, then they are free indeed. He says that
he is dead to the law, which means that the law has no power
to rule over him nor to condemn him, even as a man who is laid
in his grave in the cemetery is not subject to the laws of
this world. He said, I am crucified with
Christ. Christ has fulfilled the law
in the behalf of his elect. He did so by obeying every precept
of the law fully and imputing his righteousness to them. as
he took upon himself the sin debt owed by each one. He now
dwells in the sons of God, and they walk in him by faith, not
the law, which is not of faith. Are you a law keeper?