The Law

The Law (Rom. 3:1-4, 19-31) The purpose of the law 1. Deterrence: the law may restrain evil (1 Tim. 1:8-11) 2. Awareness: the law makes us conscious/aware of our sin and therefore our spiritual need (Rom. 3:20, 5:13, 7:7, 2 Cor. 5:21, Gal. 3:23) All sin and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:9, 19 & 23, James 3:2, Ecc. 7:20, Ps. 130:3, 143:2, 1 John 1:8) The phrase "glory of God" here probably refers to the fact that God made all humans in his image, with a certain kind of glory, and yet none of us have lived up to that glory we were designed to reflect. In fact, the present tense of the verb "fall short" here suggests that we all still fall short of that glory, even after we trust in Christ. Therefore, none have the right to boast (or judge) (Ezek. 16:63, Rom. 2:1, 3:26) 3. Direction: The law points us away from sin and towards Jesus (Matt. 5:17, Gal. 3:19-24, Heb. 10:1) God’s perfect justice requires payment for all sin (Rom. 3:25) All have the opportunity to be redeemed/found righteous/justified by faith in the atoning/propitiatory sacrifice of Jesus Christ, an opportunity freely provided through God’s grace (Rom. 3:24 & 28, 10:4, Eph. 2:8,9, Acts 13:39 Gal. 2:16, 4:4-5, John 6:37) Who needs laws/rules? Those who lack understanding, like children. Once you understand why to do or not do something, you don’t need law/rules to direct your behavior. (Rom. 2:15, 1 Cor. 13:912, Ps. 37:31, 40:8, Heb. 10:16 quoting Jer. 31:33) Whatever is not of faith is sin (Rom. 14:23)