The Purpose of the Law 6d4139

The Purpose of the Law | Romans 3:19-20 | Ian Goodman If we misunderstand the purpose of the law, we are in danger of becoming like the person with a serious illness who takes the wrong medicine and makes their condition worse. If we look at our spiritual sickness and think “the law is the medicine” we will not get better but in fact be made worse, since “by works of the law no one shall be justified, for by the law comes knowledge of sin.” A key question that must be asked, however, is this: what law exactly does Paul have in mind. There are those who would argue that Paul is only talking about the ceremonial law, not the moral law when he says “the works of the law cannot justify.” Is this true? So much rests on this question, for if only the ceremonial law is meant then we perhaps still should go to the rest of the law to be justified. I am pleased to say that it is certainly not true. It is plain from the context that Paul has in mind far more than merely the ceremonial law, for he writes “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world may be held able to God.” Is this the function of the ceremonial law, or the moral law? Clearly it is the moral law! And how could it be that “through the law comes knowledge of sin” if the law in mind is merely ceremonial? It would seem that Paul here is identifying the whole law as the means of making people able and giving them a knowledge of sin. But what of the purpose of this law? What’s it for? If not to justify then what? Paul has already said it: to give a knowledge of sin, that we may have a knowledge of our need for the Saviour. The law is like a mirror. By looking in the mirror we see the mud on our face, but don’t then use the mirror to wash the mud off, we go to Christ! 5e131q