The Law Is Perfect But Insufficient
There is no better standard for morality and justice than the Ten Commandments. It has been the basis of Judeo-Christian ethics and fundamental in establishing a just and moral society. From these Ten Commandments, that serve as the foundation for all relationships, another 600+ secondary laws were given to the people of Israel to establish boundaries, provide protection and give identity as the people of God. By keeping the law, Israel was to a light to the nations, but they failed miserably. Even though the law was perfect, the people of Israel were not. They were just as “fallen”, in their nature, as the nations around them.
The New Testament shows us that there was a purpose for the law, and that is that it was a “tutor” that would bring us to Christ. (Gal. 3:24) As a tutor, what are the lessons to be learned from the law? The first lesson the law teaches us is that we are all sinners. The law is holy, righteous and good. So good, in fact, that each one sees where they have fallen short. The law reveals our incapacity to fulfill it in every point. And by breaking one law, we become lawbreakers. In James 2:10, it says: “For the one who obeys the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” Sin is revealed as the common malady of all of mankind. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) The Law is insufficient in saving man from sin but does reveal his need for a Savior.
Another lesson to be learned from the law is that there is a Lawgiver. It shows that God’s ways and thoughts are higher than man’s. The Law is not the consensus or reflection of what man has determined to be true and right. If it were so, then the law would change according to the mores of the time. The Law is eternal. It is God’s will for man. It is the will of God to be expressed on earth as it is in Heaven. Sinful man cannot fulfill the Law, because the Law is Holy, but sinless man can. Jesus, with no sin nature, came from Heaven to earth to fulfill the law. He did this by means of the Law above all laws; the Law of Love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
The Law, as a basis for all morality, demands consequences to one’s actions. Because all have sinned, then all are condemned. The Scriptures say: “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” And again, it says: “There is no righteous, no not one.” (Rom. 3:10) Paul writes to the Galatians that the consequence of eternal damnation is the curse of the law. (Gal. 3:13) For the law to be fulfilled, and the curse cancelled, sin had to be eradicated. By taking away sin, then man could be holy once again and could live according to the will of God. The Law needed to be fulfilled. Sin needed to be condemned and a price paid for man to be redeemed from the consequence, (curse), of sin.
Jesus took all of man’s sin upon Himself and suffered the consequence; death on the cross. The purpose of the cross was to bring us to the end of our sufficiency; to take us from works to grace. Instead of striving to be righteous, by faith, we receive the righteousness of God in Christ. (II Cor. 5:21) The curse was nailed to the cross and, by placing our faith in the work of Christ on the cross, we can be saved. The law continues to condemn those do not receive Christ as their Savior, but Jesus saves, to the uttermost, those who receive salvation by faith.
Scriptures to meditate on:
John 3:16; Gal. 3:11-14, 24; Rom. 3:10, 23; 4:13; 7:7, 12; 13:8; Heb. 7:25