“Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham. Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.”
Galatians 3:19-22 NLT
The law was a tricky thing. Its usage for the safety of the Jewish nation was undeniable. Through the law, introduced by Moses, they were able to understand who they were as a people. They could understand God’s holiness and what it meant to be righteous. They could govern themselves through history and avoid falling to the annals of time as a society. The law positively perpetuated, maintained, and defined Judaism. It made sense that Paul became a Pharisee, as they had a high view of the law. This is why Paul vehemently attacked Jesus’ followers. Jesus taught adherence to the character of God and relational solidarity, rather than the letter of the law and legal justification. Yet, on the road to Damascus, Paul was forced to acknowledge that following the law, alone, had led him astray. As man makes all things into idols, for all the benefits it had brought, the law of Moses had been mistaken for God himself. However, its purpose was always to point to God and not to itself. The law is good when it is understood as a parameter to keep men in line with God’s character and to reconcile men and God together. Apart from this, the law is tantamount to a bully with impossible demands. This was never its intended application.
JOSH McGARY. COM 