The Law: Understanding it’s purpose is the Purpose.

Scripture Read: 1 Timothy 1:8-11 But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, ⁹ realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers ¹⁰ and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, ¹¹ according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.

Application: Here is a clear light into the reason for the Law. The Law is good, but how could someone have used it unlawfully? This was the problem Jesus encountered and the church continues to encounter. The Law tells us to be separated from sin and those that would try and lead us into sin. It did not mean to completely separate from sinners – their the ones we need to encourage toward God. When Jesus walked the earth, the religious leaders had perverted the Law into a set of beliefs that were meant to be steps toward sinless perfection and heaven. Jesus ate with sinners and was confronted by these same leaders. Lk 15:1-2 & Matt 9:10-11. It still goes on today through “Churchianity”. That is never what the Law was intended for! The Law is not for the righteous person. Why? The righteous person does not need the Law due to the fact that they are already living righteously. The Law was given to point sinners to the standard that they needed to have if they were to please and be accepted by their Creator. It takes a humble person to assess and apply the purpose of the Law. Sadly, many of us arrogantly put ourselves above the Law. The people Jesus spoke to were not used to that kind of preaching so they were shocked. When the truth hits you in the head you can respond one of two ways; humbly say, “Wow, I need that.” or arrogantly, believe that you don’t need the truth and continue living the way you have chosen.  This is why there was such a dichotomy from those who heard what Jesus said as He preached the Sermon on the Mount and why it was so shocking to the people:

Matthew 5:20 (NASB95) “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

They must have thought “IMPOSSIBLE!!” and that was the very point of the Law. It was never made to make people righteous. It was made to show people how far they were off, that in turn would drive them to God asking how can they meet that standard. God in turn would guide them to see that they could not, so He must do it for them. That is exactly what Christ did with His life, death and resurrection. Trying to make our selves righteous through works is not a Pharisaical problem, or a Jewish problem – it is a prideful human problem. The Law should be used by all of us today – not as the path to heaven because that path will end before we make the connection to the eternal. No matter how righteous you are, in the end, the path of the Law will always stop short of eternal life. Does it matter if you miss heaven by a mile or only by 13 inches? Either way you still miss it! Like a trapeze swinger when you miss the bar ~ you miss and fall. We should use the Law to continually see the standard of God and realize how much we need Him working in our life on a daily basis to live in a way that glorifies Him. That’s the difference of understanding the work of salvation. Those that use the Law as a path toward heaven will find themselves falling short. Those that see the Law as their teacher on what is sin will move into a relationship with God through Christ and will immediately already be in the eternal. They may still be in an earthly body, but God sees them perfect and sinless in Christ. From that vantage point they now will endeavor to live holy, not to get to heaven, but because they are going to heaven!

Meditation Questions: Do you live good, so God will love you or because God loves you. Do you think you get close to living up to God’s standards? What are God’s standards? If God’s Word states no one is righteous, what does that really mean? Why is it important that we know the Law? What is the difference of the Law and grace? If it were possible for us to keep the Law and save ourselves, what would that say about God as a Father? Why did Jesus have to die?