THE PURPOSE OF

THE LAW
hr"ATh; tc;[]

Justin Singleton



“AS I WORKED PAST SOME OF THE BARRIERS

(MUCH LIKE LEARNING TO READ
SHAKESPEARE), I CAME TO FEEL A NEED TO
READ, BECAUSE OF WHAT IT WAS TEACHING
ME. EVENTUALLY I FOUND MYSELF WANTING
TO READ THOSE THIRTY-NINE BOOKS, WHICH
WERE SATISFYING IN ME SOME HUNGER THAT
NOTHING ELSE HAD – NOT EVEN, I MUST SAY,
THE NEW TESTAMENT. THEY TAUGHT ME
ABOUT LIFE WITH GOD: NOT HOW IT IS
SUPPOSED TO WORK, BUT HOW IT ACTUALLY
DOES WORK.” – PHILIP YANCEY1



1
Yancey, Philip. The Bible Jesus Read. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999, pp20-21.

2
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ……………………………...... 4

Word: How the New Testament

views the Old …………………………….. 5

Logic: Why the Old Testament Must

be Valid Today …………………………… 9

History: How the Church has viewed

the Old Testament ………………………... 13

Weak: What the Law was never

Meant to Do ………………………………. 18

Experience: The Law Written on

Your Heart ………………………………... 22

CUPSA: How I Apply the Law in

My Life …………………………………… 26

Purpose: What the Law Means to Me ……... 30

3
 INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Man is autonomous; man is his own god. That is the thinking of so many in our world
today. Men and women around this globe live their lives, not as if there is ‘no tomorrow,’
but as if tomorrow has already come … and gone. Rules are dismissed; authorities are
disobeyed. The very word ‘law’ is a negative term to which many will laugh.

You may be thinking that I am speaking of the great world of sinful and unreligious man,
but I am not. I am speaking of the realm of the church. While I am not saying that all
church-goers today are of this evil brood, I am saying that a great many of Christians
today misunderstand the Law of God. The Biblical phrase is often quoted ‘we are not
under law, but under grace.’ This has been used as a license to sin. Is this what God was
doing when He sent His Son?

This study is intended not to convince you that Christians should run off to Israel and
demand a temple be built so that we can offer our sacrifices, but instead is to propose the
idea that our eternal God is unchanging. God never meant for His law to be flushed, but it
is in itself a reflection of the very character of the one who spoke it. The Law of God is
universal, it is binding upon all people of all times, we need simply to understand it so
that we may apply it in our lives today, i.e., we must find the Purpose of God’s Law to
ourselves.

In this study we will view the Old Testament through the eyes of Jesus and the Apostles
(Chapter 1) and then see how the same Spirit of the New Testament was the author of the
Old (Chapter 2). We will find that the Old Testament has been a part of the standard for
Christian living from the very beginning of the Church until today (Chapter 3). We will
answer the question why Christ needed to come to fulfill the Old Testament (Chapter 4)
and find that the Holy Spirit has written the precepts of God upon our hearts (Chapter 5).
In the last two chapters we will understand how to apply the statutes of God in our lives
(Chapter 6) and realize the purpose of law to the believer (Chapter 7). May God bless you
on your journey!

4
 WORD:
HOW THE NEW TESTAMENT VIEWS THE OLD
It is often mistaken that the New Testament disavows the Old, that it somehow replaces it
or abrogates it. This couldn’t be further from the truth. On the contrary, Jesus and the
Apostles taught that the Old Testament is our standard of living.

The Old Testament through the Eyes of New Testament Writers

KJV
2 Timothy 3.16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of
God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Paul tells us that all Scripture is given by God. While he is referring to both New and Old
Testament Scriptures, the only Scriptures written at that time were the Jewish Scriptures.
He says that these Jewish Scriptures are profitable for doctrine in the New Testament, but
not only that, but to reprove and correct the sinner and to show them the path of
righteousness so that the ‘man of God’ can be brought to a spiritual perfection. In fact the
two verses before, speaking to Timothy, state:

KJV
2 Timothy 3:14-15 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast
been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 And that from a child thou
hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through
faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Paul was telling Timothy that the same ‘Holy Scriptures’ that he learned as a child (the
Old Testament) are able to make him wise and bring him to salvation through Jesus.
Beyond this Paul tells the Corinthians:

NASB
1 Corinthians 7:19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but
what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.

Although certain applications of God’s law has changed from time to time, as seen
throughout the Old and New Testament, God’s principles are always true and existing.
Paul here tells the Corinthian believers that what is truly important is God’s word.

5
The writer of Hebrews tells us that the law has a significant place in the lives of new
covenant believers. He says:

NIV
Hebrews 8:8-10 But God found fault with the people and said: "The time is coming,
declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the
house of Judah. 9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I
took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to
my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. 10 This is the covenant I
will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in
their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my
people.

God found fault with the first people, the Israelites, and made a new covenant. Through
Jesus Christ this new covenant was realized and now those living in the new covenant
have the very laws of the Old Covenant in their hearts. The question could be asked, if
God has done away with the old law, then why would He place that same law into the
hearts of His children?

 “In the New Covenant, God does not do away with

the law. Rather, God empowers us by His Spirit to
2
live in harmony with His law.” – Dr. Allan Brown

John in his Revelation tells us even more concerning the keeping of the Law. He tells us
that those who persevered the great tribulation were those who kept the law and faith.
John writes:

NASB
Revelation 14:12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the
commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven,
saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'" "Yes," says the
Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them."

The Old Testament through the Eyes of Jesus

If it isn’t enough to listen to the words of the inspired teachers and apostles, the very
words of Jesus tell us that the Old Testament is still valid. First and foremost are the
words of Christ that He has not come to abolish the law:

2
Brown, Allan. Not Under Law, But Under Grace. “Romans and Galatians” BI 340, God’s Bible School
and College. Summer 06, 2006, p14.

6
NASB
Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I
did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth
pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is
accomplished.”

Jesus tells us with amazing authority that the Law and the Prophets (a common name for
the Old Testament) was not abolished or done away with by His coming. Instead, Jesus
came to fulfill, to bring to pass, this law. Perhaps Paul was reminded of this teaching
when He spoke to Timothy (in one of the passages above) about the law making him wise
to salvation through Christ. Jesus stated that not a single stroke of the pen will pass from
the law.

To further that thought, on a certain occasion Jesus was answering His critics who
wanted to stone Him for calling Himself God. He playfully told them that the judges of
old wore titled ‘gods’ and then said these stunning words …

KJV
John 10:35b ... scripture cannot be broken

But it isn’t the teachings of Jesus that speak so much, but His deeds. In dealing with
others He often quoted the Old Testament to prove who He is. In the Gospel of John we
see Jesus using the law to prove that He is the Messiah.

KJV
John 8:17-18 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I
am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

Here Jesus uses the law, claiming its validity. In another place Jesus was confronted by a
group of Pharisees (a group of religious Jews) who thought that the disciples of Jesus
were breaking the Sabbath. We read:

7
NASB
Matthew 12:2-7 But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, "Look, Your
disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath." 3 But He said to them, "Have you not
read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, 4 how he entered
the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat
nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? 5 "Or have you not read in the Law, that
on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent? 6 "But I say
to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 "But if you had known what this
means, 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,' you would not have
condemned the innocent.

Jesus here quotes the Old Testament, using it to prove to the Pharisees that what the
disciples had done (picking grain on the Sabbath) was not a violation of Sabbath law.
Notice Jesus never suggests that the Sabbath law is done away with, but instead He tells
us that what David did in need of food or even the work of the priests during the Sabbath
(and very hard work it was), was not sinful. In fact, Jesus was proving to these Pharisees
that they misunderstand the law. He quoted Hosea 6.6 to prove the innocence of His
followers. Jesus could have quoted Deuteronomy 23.25 which states that a man can pluck
corn while traveling (which is what the group was doing).

NIV
Luke 11:42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue
and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You
should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”

The most blatantly obvious words of Christ concerning the law were when Jesus
confronted the Pharisees who had tithed, according to the law, but would not give to the
poor (verse 43) or perform Justice and the love of God. Jesus pronounces ‘woe’ upon
them, meaning ‘how horrible you are.’ Christ tells them, yes you are to tithe according
to the law but you must also practice the others!

Conclusion

The New Testament does not destroy the Old, but is simply a continuation of it. God is
unchanging; what He speaks is eternal and His eternal words are meant to be a part of our
lives. The New Testament writers, even Jesus Himself, who kept the law perfectly, tells
us that the law of God, both Old and New Testament laws, are God’s standard of holiness
for us today. From the laws of the Sabbath to the laws of tithing, all of God’s laws apply
to our lives.

8
 LOGIC:
WHY THE OLD TESTAMENT MUST
BE VALID TODAY
Although many pastors have successfully sheltered their parishioners from the harm of
many types of ‘anti-law,’ or antinomian, preachers that does not mean that they do not
exist. As a matter of fact, antinomian tendencies can be seen in many speakers today. The
idea that the Old Testament, its laws specifically, are outdated seems to be, in at least
some sense, the mainstream idea found in the church.

In his book, By This Standard, Greg Bahnsen lists four types of antinomianism. He lists
licentious (wicked/shameless) antinomianism to which he writes, “[This is] the most
serious form of antinomianism [which] maintains that since we have been saved by grace,
apart from the works of the law, we have been set free from the need to observe any
moral code whatsoever.”3

Also he lists Spiritual4 and Dispensational5 antinomianism. The first rejects any written
law and emphasizes the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The second allows for written
standards, but denies the Old Testament laws as valid to today’s life.

His final classification is what he calls latent antinomians; this school endorses the Old
Testament as valid for life, but tends to use a “smorgasbord approach”6 or the “pick and
choose method.”7 Can this be how God wants us to view His law?

 The proper way to determine how God’s law applies to

our lives will be discussed in Chapter 6, but stay tuned!

Our God is the Unchanging God

The most important character of God for men to understand is what we call the
immutability of God, or the unchanging character of God. If God changed what He
thinks and how He acted, then we would have no way of knowing how to please Him, we
would constantly be failing God, never being able to make Him smile. Worse still, what
if God decided to change the plan of salvation? How horrible that would be. Of course
we can think of all of these incredible illustrations of God changing, but the simple fact
of the matter is that God Himself tells us that He does not change.

3
Bahnsen, Greg. By This Standard. Tyler: Institute for Christian Economics, 1985, p298.
4
Ibid, p299.
5
Ibid, 299-300.
6
Ibid, p301.
7
Brown, Allan. Not Under Law, But Under Grace. “Romans and Galatians” BI 340, God’s Bible School
and College. Summer 06, 2006, p19.

9
KJV
Malachi 3:6a For I am the LORD, I change not …

We should be thankful that God is the unchanging God. He does not change His plans or
His ideas of right and wrong. He does not as James shows us, change like the shifting
shadows:

NIV
James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father
of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

NASB
Psalm 33:10-11 The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the
plans of the peoples. 11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart
from generation to generation.

It is hard for us, mere humans, to think of God not changing. We live in a changing
world. Every year we see the world “die” and be “reborn.” We see our children grow, our
pets die, and our cars fall apart. Everything changes in our world, even our plans for the
future.

We can think through the next fifteen years, but when it comes to actually working that
plan out, something within it will change probably fifteen times. What is so great about
the Creator is that His plans do not change. Yes He works with our failures and perhaps
we may seem to mess everything up, but he can see the future and knows exactly how to
plan things. Thank goodness for that, because if God relied on me for His plans to come
about, I’m afraid His plans would never come true.

The Unchanging Holiness of God

The fact that God is immutable is comforting, but that wouldn’t be so unless we knew
also that God is holy, and that He is.

NASB
Leviticus 11:44a For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore,
and be holy, for I am holy.

10
In one of the most famous passages (or at least should be) in the Old Testament, God
commanded His children to be holy. The holiness He required for His people was not just
any ‘holiness’ as other nations might claim (pagan nations who worshipped nature), but
was a holiness after God’s holiness. He said, “Be Holy, for I am Holy!”

In the heights of Heaven God’s holiness is sung about, while in the depths of the earth,
God’s holiness is sought. This can be seen in two Scriptures:

KJV
Isaiah 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of
hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

KJV
Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall
see the Lord:

It is the Holy character of God that makes His immutability worthy of praise, for if god
was a wicked god, as of those of the Romans and Greeks, then we would desire God to
change. But since His is Holy, Righteous and True, then we know that we can trust God
in whatever He says.

The Unchanging Law

NIV
2 Peter 1:21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from
God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

It was the Holy, Immutable God who authored the Scriptures of old. It was the
Unchanging and Pure God who commanded every law ever uttered. Men did not right
these laws, if they did we could stop this study right now, for we know that man is flawed
and his law changes. But the fact the same Holy Spirit who urges us to walk after Himself
is the same Holy Spirit who authored every pen-stroke of the Old Testament.

 “We have seen … that God’s holy character, of which

the law is the transcript, is unchanging and beyond
challenge; accordingly God’s holy law cannot be altered
8
today or brought into criticism by men’s traditions.”

8
Bahnsen, Greg. By This Standard. Tyler: Institute for Christian Economics, 1985, p62.

11
NASB
1 John 5:1-3 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever
loves the Father loves the child born of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children
of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God,
that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

Bahnsen writes concerning the Spirit, “If living by the Spirit indicates that salvation must
bring sanctification [growth in holiness], then it means that salvation produces a life of
glad obedience to God’s law.”9

This is the life of the Spirit driven Christian. It is not to look for a loop-hole in the law, as
the Pharisees tried, but to love God with our heart, all of our heart, which in turn leads us
to holiness which in turn must lead us to the law of God.

Conclusion

NASB
Luke 16:17 “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke
of a letter of the Law to fail.”

We thank you Father for being an Immutable, Holy God. Because of His unchanging
holiness, we can trust that God’s word is forever binding.

9
Bahnsen, Greg. By This Standard. Tyler: Institute for Christian Economics, 1985, p65.

12
 HISTORY:
HOW THE CHURCH HAS VIEWED
THE OLD TESTAMENT
“What is essentially new is essentially false.” That is what a good friend of mine taught
me not too long ago, and is a good standard to live by. Actually, it is the standard used by
all theologians from the conception of the church. It was used by Jesus to prove His own
coming; it was used by Paul and the other apostles to prove that Jesus was the Messiah. It
was used all through history to ensure that the doctrines of God were not corrupted.

Any ‘new’ idea that we come across today should be squared to this standard. There is an
idea today prevalent in the United States that says that Jesus is not God, the third person
of the Trinity. Instead, they teach that Jesus is a created being, not much higher than we
are. This is a ‘new’ idea so we must place it into the context of history. What we find is
that all throughout history men have stood up for the authority of God’s Word and the
divinity of Christ. Men like Athanasius who stood as if amongst wolves and said,
“Though the whole world be against me, I will stand on the word of God.”

What we need today, is to come together as the men of old and stand for the word of
God, whatever that word may say.

They Were Bereans

It is amazing how we learn truths sometimes. In the case of Acts 17, we actually learn
truth from the unsaved.

NIV
Acts 17:10-12 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to
Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Bereans were of
more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great
eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12
Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many
Greek men.

The Bereans were a very noble people, at least these were. Why were they noble? It is
because they didn’t just accept what Paul said, but they put it to the test. They tested the
‘new’ truth to the ‘old’ truths they already stood firm upon, the Old Testament, the
teachers of the past. Throughout history God’s truth has never changed, even at the
coming of Jesus. Does much of God’s truth change in the years after Jesus? No, not any
of it.

13
We today must be Bereans as well. We must test all truth through the network of truth.
Compare it to Scripture, compare it to logic, compare it to history and compare it to
experience. Here we will learn what history has said about the Old Testament.

The Early Church

To understand the purpose of the law in our lives, we must put the law to the test. We
must search and see what the theologians through the history of the church have always
believed. What we will find, is that from Paul’s view to Wesley’s view, the validity of
Old Testament law has stayed the same.

Didache 4.13 thou shalt not abandon the commandments of the Lord, but shalt guard that
which thou hast received, neither adding thereto nor taking therefrom; 10

“The Didache is also called the ‘Teaching of the Twelve Apostles.’ It was possibly
written around 65 - 80 A.D. and is supposed to be what the twelve apostles taught to the
Gentiles concerning life and death, church order, fasting, baptism, prayer, etc.”11
Although the Didache is not inspired Scripture, it gives us a good idea of what the early
church taught. Here they taught that the commandments of the Lord should not be
abandoned or changed.

Didache 13.3 Thou shalt, therefore, take the firstfruits of every produce of the wine-press
and threshing-floor, of oxen and sheep, and shalt give it to the prophets, for they are your
chief priests12

In the early church, they continued to use the laws reference to tithing in order to provide
for Pastors. Paul taught this when he said:

NKJ
1 Timothy 5:18 For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads
out the grain," and, "The laborer is worthy of his wages."

10
Translated by Charles H. Hoole. http://www.carm.org/misc/didache.htm
11
Ibid
12
Ibid

14
It was the teachings of the Apostles that carried into history. Those who loved and feared
God made sure that what was taught at the beginning carried through to last in the ages to
come, they even gave their lives for the teachings. As a matter of fact, what the early
church taught can even be seen in Scripture itself.

NKJ
Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in
the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

It was this steadfast continuous teaching that gives us what we love today. In circa
(around) AD200 we hear the words of Mathetes in his letter to Diognetus. The following
words are given under the title: These Things are Worthy to Be Known and Believed.

Then the fear of the law is chanted, and the grace of the prophets is known, and the faith
of the gospels is established, and the tradition of the Apostles is preserved, and the grace
of the Church exults; which grace if you grieve not, you shall know those things which
the Word teaches, by whom He wills, and when He pleases.13

A hundred and some years after the apostles, the tradition of the apostles was preserved,
primarily through the New Testament. But with the faith of the gospel and traditions of
the apostles and the grace of the church came also the fear of the law and the grace of the
prophets. Clement, writing to the Corinthians spoke of the law written upon the hearts of
believers:

1 Clement 2.8 Being adorned with a most virtuous and honorable life, ye performed all
your duties in the fear of Him. The commandments and the ordinances of the Lord were
written on the tablets of your hearts.14

In the early stages of the church, the law was loved and cherished. The Old Testament
was the still the primary Scriptures and everything was put through them to be tested.

As a matter of fact, as the New Testament was being tested and the Scriptures threatened
by heretics, it was the Old Testament that gave evidence to which epistles and gospels
were combined into the new.

13
The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/ANF-01/anf01-08.htm#P733_138047
14
First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians Translated by J.B. Lightfoot. Adapt. and mod. (c) 1990.
ATHENA DATA PRODUCTS. http://www.carm.org/lost/1clement.htm

15
In c. AD 170, am man by the name of Melito wrote to his brother Onesimus and gave
him a listing of the Old Testament. He gave him this list and extracts because his brother
had a yearning to know who God was. Melito writes:

Melito to his brother Onesimus, greeting! Since you have often, in your zeal for the
Word, expressed a wish to have extracts made from the Law and the Prophets concerning
the Saviour, and concerning our entire Faith, and have also desired to have an accurate
statement of the ancient books, as regards their number and their order, I have
endeavored to perform the task, knowing your zeal for the faith, and your desire to gain
information in regard to the Word, and knowing that you, in your yearning after God,
esteem these things above all else, struggling to attain eternal salvation. Accordingly
when I went to the East and reached the place where these things were preached and
done, I learned accurately the books of the Old Testament, and I send them to you as
written below.15

Later Writings and Their Love for the Law

Athanasius should be the hero of all in our world today. He was one man who raised the
alarm against when the heretics attacked the truth of Scripture. The distorted the word
and changed the teachings, dragging others deep into the clutches. When it seemed that
no one could stop them, Athanasius stood up and held his ground. Speaking through his
love for Scriptures he said:

These are the fountains of salvation, that he who thirsts may be satisfied with the living
words they contain. In these alone the teaching of godliness is proclaimed. Let no one
add to these; let nothing be taken away from them. For concerning these the Lord put to
shame the Sadducees, and said, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures. And he reproved
the Jews, saying, Search the Scriptures, for these are they that testify of me.16

Athenasius called the Old Testament Scriptures the fountain of salvation. When the
Arians tried to do away with Jewish Scriptures, Athanasius wouldn’t allow it. He inspired
the later councils and writers to stand firm even when the waves are tall.

15
Melito (about A.D. 170). http://www.bible-researcher.com/melito.html
16
From his Thirty-ninth Festal Epistle. (Easter Letter) in 367 Athanasius (trans by Metzger).
http://www.bible-researcher.com/athanasius.html

16
Years later we find the reformed church and their statement on sin:

Westminster Larger Catechism 1.24 What is sin? A. Sin is any want of conformity
unto, or transgression of, any law of God, given as a rule to the reasonable creature.17

The purpose of God’s law (a later chapter in this study) goes far beyond the simple idea
of showing us sin though. That it did, and quite well, but I think Wesley hit on something
when he said:

The commandment - That is, every branch of the law. Is holy, and just, and good - It
springs from, and partakes of, the holy nature of God; it is every way just and right in
itself; it is designed wholly for the good of man.18

That good of man, which Deuteronomy claims for itself, doesn’t mean that we throw it
aside, but that we embrace it. When we embrace the law of God, we are embracing God
Himself. We are taking into our lives knowledge of the very character of Him who
created us and accepted us into His kingdom. Adam Clarke taught us all when he wrote:

“The Law, which is to regulate the whole of the outward conduct, is holy; and the
Commandment, Thou shalt not covet, which is to regulate the heart, is not less so. All is
excellent and pure; but it neither pardons sin nor purifies the heart; and it is because it is
holy, just, and good, that it condemns transgressors to death.”19

Conclusion

The law of God has always been held in the highest regard. It wasn’t until within the last
couple hundred years that theologians have begun to overlook the Old Testament. History
holds that it is our standard for living, from cover to cover; the New Testament holds the
same. It is time that we take a look a little deeper into the law and the prophets and come
closer to understanding the God who has revealed Himself to us.

17
Westminster Confession of Faith, (drawn up in England 1643-1647)
18
John Wesley Commentary on Romans 7.12
19
Adam Clarke Commentary on Rom 7.12

17
 WEAK:
WHAT THE LAW WAS NEVER
MEANT TO DO
A lot of misunderstanding concerning the law stems from the idea that the Old Testament
saints were saved through it. We call this a ‘works’ type salvation, where all they had to
do was to keep the law and then they would be saved. If these men and women couldn’t
keep the law, then they must perform ‘good acts’ or ‘good deeds’ to fix the wrong they
had done. These good acts were carried out by ‘making’ sacrifices as the law prescribed.
While this is the thinking of many today, even outside the church world, it was and is
untrue.

If the Bible teaches anything at all it is the fact that all sin separates us from God and that
no matter how hard we try, nothing that we can do could ever entice God to not punish
our sin. In fact, if it were up to us to find our own salvation (to be saved from the great
punishment our sins deserve), then it would be utterly hopeless for all mankind.

The Great Schoolmaster

NASB
Galatians 3:24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that
we may be justified by faith.

Throughout all of history God has been trying to show us what must eventually come to
pass. When Adam and Eve received their respective curses, God gave them hope and told
them that someone will come one day who will save the children of Adam. Throughout
the law of Moses and in the Prophets we see glimpses of Jesus. The Old Testament was
meant to point us to the future, to train us as a schoolmaster or a tutor.

NIV
Hebrews 10:1a The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming-- not the
realities themselves…

They are quite a few fairy tales out there that tell of different worlds that are simply
shadows of this, or vise versa. In a way, that is what the Old Testament was to the New.
It was merely a shadow or a reflection of what Jesus would one day come to do for us all
on the cross.

18
The Law Can Not Bring Justification

NASB
Romans 3:20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight;
for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

Salvation and Justification does not come by keeping the law. Many of the Pharisees
thought this, but the law never taught it. It was not intended to give salvation to men. But
what about the sacrifices, didn’t these save the Old Testament saints?

NIV
Hebrews 10:1,4 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming-- not
the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated
endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. … because it is
impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

The sacrifices performed by the those godly men of old were never intended to actually
deliver freedom, but were intended to teach the world that blood must be shed. Although
the priesthood, sacrifices, altars, and dwelling places of God gradually changed all
throughout the Old Testament, the glue that stuck them all together was the fact that
blood had to be spilled. The sinners of old were brought to salvation by looking forward
to Christ’s blood by their faith in the promises of God.

NIV
Galatians 3:5-8 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because
you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard? 6 Consider Abraham: "He
believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." 7 Understand, then, that those
who believe are children of Abraham. 8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the
Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be
blessed through you."

The Law Could Never Break the Power of Sin

The Law never could bring justification, but neither could it release man from the power
that sin had over him because of Adam. When Adam fell into transgression, he brought
all of his children under the curse of sin. This gave power over our lives to sin and
selfishness.

19
NASB
Romans 8:3-4 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh,
God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He
condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us,
who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Why didn’t the law have the strength to break sin’s control? Because that wasn’t its
purpose, instead the law was meant to show us what sin is.

 “The law could show what was right, but the faulty
character of the sinner prevented the right from being
performed. In the face of this failing, the law was
helpless to amend the situation. However, God did
condemn sin and destroy its dreadful power by sending
20
His own Son to save sinners.” – Greg Bahnsen

KJV
Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his
sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

NIV
Romans 6:6, 14-15 For we know that our old self was crucified with [Jesus] so that
the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- … 14
For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. 15
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!

Because of the work of Christ on the cross, we have been freed from the power that sin
once had on us. Because we are no longer under that curse of sin (that held us tight in its
evil clutches) but under grace, we now have the power, through the Holy Spirit of course,
to follow our Holy Father and live how He wants us to live. Or as Gresham Machen says,
“The Gospel does not abrogate God’s law, but it makes men love it with all their
hearts.”21

20
Bahnsen, Greg. By This Standard. Tyler: Institute for Christian Economics, 1985, p185
21
Machen, Gresham J. qtd in Bahnsen, Greg. By This Standard. Tyler: Institute for Christian Economics,
1985, p43-44.

20
The Law Could Never Truly make Anything Perfect

It was not in the law’s place to bring perfection. The law teaches us the character of God,
who is perfect and teaches us what is right and wrong, which declares perfection, but it
does not make one perfect.

KJV
Hebrews 7:19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope
did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

KJV
Hebrews 7:11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it
the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise
after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

As we said in the beginning, the law is weak. If it brought about perfection, then why
would we need Jesus? We wouldn’t need Jesus if the law performed this feat. But the fact
of the matter is that the law did not … but Jesus did.

Speaking to those Hebrews who came to Christ but forgot their past, the Hebrew writer
says:

KJV
Hebrews 5:12; 6:1 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that
one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become
such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. …Therefore leaving the principles of
the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of
repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God

Why should these Christian Jews have been teachers? Because they knew the Old
Testament, they grew up with the foundational teachings. Now it is time for them to build
upon these principles, to stop working on the foundation of the house, and to build the
walls and roof. It is time for them to go on to perfection that Christ allows us to reach.

Conclusion

Was the law meant to save us, free us or make us perfect? No, that was the place of
Christ. The law leads us to Christ, and when we get there, we accept His love and power
into our lives which saves us, frees us from sins power and empowers us to live our lives
for the God who gave us so much. Let us live for the one who died for us.

21
 EXPERIENCE:
THE LAW WRITTEN ON
YOUR HEART
A small child once asked, “Daddy, if Jesus is in my heart and my belly hurts, does Jesus
hurt too?” While we can all smile and say how cute that is, this young child made a
profound statement, Jesus lives inside us!

The Holy Spirit dwells within all believers. He resides within our hearts, and thus makes
us holy. Not because of anything we have done, but because Jesus Himself is holy and
because the ‘Word’ lives within us, so does the law.

The New Covenant

The people of Israel as a nation failed the Lord their God, they turned from Him and were
adulterous in that they followed after other gods. Jeremiah tells us that because of this,
the day will come when He will make a New Covenant with His own, a covenant where
God’s word is written within His children.

NASB
Jeremiah 31:31-33 "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will
make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the
covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them
out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to
them," declares the LORD. 33 "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house
of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on
their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Because the covenant had been broken, the Lord had to make a new one. The Hebrew
writer explains (8.8-10) that this promise had come true through Jesus Christ. The New
Covenant is alive in those who believe in Jesus Christ.

 “The New Covenant is the same covenant made with

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David, but with some new
additions. It is a renewed covenant. Both the Old
Covenant and the New Covenant reflect the same basic
root – God’s Law.” – Dr. Allan Brown

Paul writing to the Corinthians gave us an example of this New Covenant. Speaking to
his converts he said:

22
NIV
2 Corinthians 3:3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our
ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone
but on tablets of human hearts.

Paul in Romans describes this New Covenant by illustrating an olive tree. The root is
God and His word. Originally His covenant was with the Jewish people so that through
them the world would be blessed. But because of their disbelief, God removed those
branches that did not bear fruit, made a New Covenant, and grafted in those who would
believe.

NASB
Romans 11:17-18 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a
wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of
the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant,
remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.

The New Covenant is offered not just to those born into the family of Jacob, but is open
to all men, women and children who will put there trust in God. Those who accept Christ
are placed under this New Covenant. Glory be to God!

 “The difference, therefore, between the old and the new covenants
consists in this, that in the old the law was laid before the people that
they might accept it and follow it, receiving it into their hearts, as the
copy of what God not merely required of men, but offered and
vouchsafed to them for their happiness; while in the new it is put within,
implanted into the heart and soul by the Spirit of God, and becomes
the animating life-principle.” – Johann (C.F.) Keil & Franz Delitzsch

Evidence of the Law

When one has the law written on his or her heart, as the Hebrews did when they placed it
there or as we do in the New Covenant, then that law shows itself to us. Even the gentiles
placed parts of God’s law into their hearts and can be seen by their actions.

23
NASB
Romans 2:12-15 For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without
the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; 13 for it is not
the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.
14
For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law,
these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show the work of the
Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts
alternately accusing or else defending them

It is the conscience of those gentiles that evidenced the law that they placed into their
hearts. If that law was not there, then there would be no accusation or defense.

The Apostle Paul boasted in that his conscience evidenced that his conduct was pure, he
said:

NIV
2 Corinthians 1:12 Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have
conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness
and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but
according to God's grace.

The apostle didn’t simply keep his conscience clear, but pressed others to do the same.
Each of us who believe in Christ, who has the law written in our hearts, knows that that
law is there. Many times in our lives when confronted with certain failures the first
response we make is an excuse. We do not like to be told that we are wrong or do wrong.
We try to make excuses for the sins that we commit. Just like the gentiles spoken of
above we try to defend our beliefs. Of course, not every defense means that the person is
sinning, that is not what I am saying. I am saying simply that when you feel yourself
making an excuse for sin, that in itself is evidence that God’s laws are written on your
heart.

Of course, sometimes because of continuing sin we block out the Spirit’s tugging and
even our very own consciences. Like a finger that has lost feeling after a horrible burn, so
we allow our consciences to become seared.

NIV
1 Timothy 4:1-2 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the
faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come
through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

24
It should always be our most valiant effort not to sear our consciences, but in love to
follow after Christ. To allow Him to throw our sin in our faces so that we can feel the
pain and turn from those sins, before it becomes too late for our consciences.

NASB
Titus 1:15 To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and
unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.

Transformation By the Law

Grafted into this covenant relationship, where the Law of God is written on our hearts,
means that we must become transformed into the men and women that God wills us to
be.

KJV
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,
will of God.

KJV
Colossians 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after
the image of him that created him

How are our minds renewed? Our minds are renewed in knowledge after the image of
Christ. We find this image of Christ in the Word of God. The Law transforms us into who
Christ is.

Conclusion

What is it that we should do with our lives? Do we neglect the law, hide it away
somewhere and ignore the tug of the Law written in our hearts? Do we allow ourselves to
fall into the depths of antinomianism? Do we abolish the law, doing away with its
holiness? No, may it never be. We press forward in our love of God, in our commitment
to Him and Him alone. We empty our hearts of all of us and ask for all of Him.

25
 CUPSA:
HOW I APPLY THE LAW IN
MY LIFE
It is not enough to say that the Old Testament applies to our lives. Many times a speaker
or Sunday School teacher will explain to the listeners that ‘things apply to you!’ Often
though, we never learn how that truth applies. Instead we leave knowing that it applies,
but never really understanding how it changes our lives.

Even more still, it is not enough to know how it changes our lives, but we must also learn
how to apply other truths. We can study the food laws and learn of holiness, but how
does that truth help us explain sacrifices? What we need is a method, that method is what
we call the CUPSA (pronounced coop-sa) method of interpretation.

C – Character of God

When God speaks, He speaks living words. His words feed us and carry us. Jesus told us
that:

NIV
Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but
on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

NASB
2 Peter 1:21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men
moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

His truths are always true, not because He is God and He gets to say what it right and
wrong, but because every word He speaks is an explanation of His very character. God
cares and loves humanity, which is why He sent His Son to the Cross. He extends His
salvation to all men, that is why the Gospel is given to all.

NKJ
Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice,
A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.

26
When we find a law, any command in Scripture either in Old or New Testament, we must
immediately recognize that this law is spoken directly from the nature of who God is, i.e.,
all laws are derived by the Character of God.

UP – Universal Principle

The Bible is full of commands, although that seems almost negative to say. These
commands are not God’s attempt to be a cosmic kill-joy, but are truths that find their
origin in God’s eternal character. From His character he issues forth Universal Principles.

Universal Principles are universal in that they apply to all people of all ages of every
culture. We find universal principles all throughout both the Old and New Testaments.
Probably the most famous UPs are the Ten Commandments.

NKJ
Exodus 20:13-15 " You shall not murder. 14 " You shall not commit adultery. 15 " You
shall not steal.”

These are basic universal principles. These apply to every man, woman and child on
earth. In every culture, killing adultery and stealing are sins. While the individual
governments may allow such crimes, God’s word stands above those manmade laws.
God’s principles are forever binding.

NASB
Deuteronomy 22:5 "A woman shall not wear man's clothing, nor shall a man put on
a woman's clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your
God.

Some laws of Scripture are a little harder to place. This passage above is often
overlooked in today’s society, but nonetheless is still a valid UP. God declares that any
man who dresses as a woman, or woman who dresses as a man, is an abomination. It is
sinful in every culture, every time period of history or future, to every person.

SA – Specific Application

There are two types of specific applications, those that apply only to those in the past and
those that apply to us today. Either one can be seen in Scripture. For example the
universal principle that we are to love God with everything we are and have found in
Deuteronomy 6 is followed by several specific applications.

27
NIV
Deuteronomy 6:9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

In Israel’s day God commanded them to write His laws on the doorframes of their houses
and gates. He wanted them to always be reminded of His law.

NIV
Deuteronomy 6:7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at
home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

This is a command that we teach that we are to love God with all we are and have, yet it
is still valid in our days. We are to teach our children, can this be done when we sit in the
home? Yes it can. Can it be done when we walk along the road? Yes it can. Can we teach
them when they go to bed and wake up? Yes we can! The UP behind this command
(teach your children God’s law) is explained by using specific instances as to how we are
to carry this out.

This is not the only way to follow out these commands, they are just specific instances in
which we can and must follow. We can also place Scripture on our walls (perhaps
framed) or teach our children when we are riding in a car. The point is, sometimes we can
make other applications to the Ups of the Law. Sometimes we have no choice but to
make other applications. Perhaps the best way to show this point is to give you a rather
odd command.

NASB
Deuteronomy 22:6-7 "If you happen to come upon a bird's nest along the way, in
any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the mother sitting on the young
or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young; 7 you shall certainly let the
mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, in order that it may be well with you
and that you may prolong your days.

God specifically told the Israelites that if they are traveling and are hungry (perhaps it is
breakfast time and an omelet sounds wonderful) then they must leave the mother, but can
take the eggs (for their omelet). Isn’t this just one of those laws that we can throw aside?
The answer is a resounding no. None of God’s laws should be taken lightly.

28
  “Everything in Scripture relates first of all to God and
includes something of importance He wishes to teach
us about Himself, and how he thinks. The implications
of this foundational premise is that when we read the
Old Testament, we must remember that God is
22
speaking to us.” – Dr. Allan Brown

In this instance we must look back up the chart and determine why it is that God
commands this. In this statute we discover that God does not want to take the mother, but
why not? It is because if you take the mother, how could more eggs be made? They can
not. If everyone were to take the eggs out of the egg farms and kill the chickens too, then
eventually … no more eggs. The UP behind this application is that God wants us to
maintain this world and its resources (and you thought only the liberal cared for the
earth). Why, because the very character of God is that He loves us and has given this
world to us, he wants to see it last so that we can as well.

Conclusion/Putting It Together

Putting it together is a lot easier than it looks. When you come across a law (remember
either New or Old Testament) the first thing you must do is decide, “Is this a UP or an
SA?” If it is a specific application that applies to you, then problem solved. If it is not,
then you determine what the principle behind the precept is. Only then can you really get
a glimpse into the mind of God, and in your love for Him can apply that truth to your
own life.

Lets give one more example, the sacrificial system. Why would God command this?
Because, as we know today, without the shedding of blood no sins can be forgiven. The
sacrifices were specific applications of the universal principle that blood must be shed.
We can not atone for our own sins, we must look to Jesus for that. Character of God: He
loves us so much that He wanted the curse to end. Back done the ladder now, how do we
specifically apply this law to our lives? We do so, by accepting the blood that Jesus shed
in our place.

Do the sacrifices still apply today? Without a doubt they do, for without them we could
never find that holy love relationship with the creator of the world.

22
Brown, Allan. Not Under Law, But Under Grace. “Romans and Galatians” BI 340, God’s Bible School
and College. Summer 06, 2006, p20.

29
 PURPOSE:
WHAT THE LAW MEANS TO ME
There is a story of a man who had a picture painted of himself. As time progressed, that
picture became a portrait of his soul. What he saw was different than the face in the
mirror; the picture was much darker and uglier. It showed this man not what he wanted to
see, but what reality saw. It showed him himself as he really was. Unfortunately this story
ended rather sadly. Instead of seeing his flaws and asking God to remold his life, he
instead in a fit of rage stabbed the portrait and ended his own.

The law, as we said before, was never intended to save man’s soul, but that doesn’t leave
it purposeless. The law serves as a window that looks deep into our souls and shows us
the flaws that have filled in the hole in our lives. But beyond this, the law gives us
wisdom to know how to please God, it reveals our savior, it shows us the way of faith.
The law encourages faith and obedience, shows us how to be blessed and how to grow
closer to God. It is the law that condemns us to an eternity in Hell. The law of God is a
strong law that must be feared as much as it is loved.

The Law Condemns Us

NKJ
Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are
under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty
before God.

The law kills us, but not as if it is evil and a murderer, for it isn’t God’s fault that we
hated Him, it was His holiness that demands a verdict. The law not only points out that
what we did was wrong, but witnesses against us in court and therefore sentences us to
Hell. That of course is the bad news, but the good news is that we are ‘no longer under
law, but under grace.’ What does that means?

 “When Paul declares that those who have repented of their

sin and put their faith in Christ as their sole means of
salvation are no longer under the Law, but under grace, Paul
is speaking only of [this] purpose of God’s law – the design
of God’s Law to bring a sense of guilt and condemnation
23
for willful sin.” – Dr. Allan Brown

23
Brown, Allan. Not Under Law, But Under Grace. “Romans and Galatians” BI 340, God’s Bible School
and College. Summer 06, 2006, p7.

30
KJV
Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a
curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

Christ Jesus rescued us, he redeemed us by paying an equal price. He has set us free from
the curse of the law (condemnation) so that the apostle could write that we are no longer
‘under law, but under grace.’ Now that we are no longer ‘under law,’ that is the
condemnation of the law, we are free to follow after Christ and allow His character and
word to transform us into His image.

The Law Declares the Character of God and Reveals His Glory
24

The statutes of a people or government tell you just who those people are government
really are. In the same light, when we see God’s law we have a glimpse of his character.

KJV
Psalm 119:12,68 Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. … Thou art
good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.

Psalm 119 is a wonderful Psalm. I suggest that you take the 119 challenge. Read the
entire chapter and try to figure out which verses do not mention the law of God. There are
only a few, but I will give away the challenge. Throughout Psalm 119 David shows us
who God is. He calls Him good and righteous and holy and so on. God’s law shows us
who He is.

The Law Declares God’s Demand for Us
25

NIV
Joshua 1:7-8 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my
servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be
successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth;
meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.
Then you will be prosperous and successful.

24
Bahnsen, Greg. By This Standard. Tyler: Institute for Christian Economics, 1985, p192.
25
Ibid, p193.

31
God’s demand for us is that we be holy as He is holy. He wants us to follow His character
(which is seen through His commands). Only when we bring His word into our lives can
we truly be prosperous in the literal sense of the word.

The Law Teaches us how to be Blessed and Happy
26

NKJ
Psalm 119:1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the LORD!

The blessed man is he who thrives upon the word of God. The Old Testament is filled
with instances of blessing and cursing. It was those who followed the Lord who were
blessed, all others were cursed.

 “Since the law sets down the pattern of God’s

holiness for our lives, since the law was our
obligation from the beginning, and since it is
precisely the violation of the law which brought
about the death of Jesus Christ for sinners, it
stands to reason that those delivered from sin’s
guilt and bondage should now desire to follow
the previously spurned law.” – Greg Bahnsen27

The Law Tells us What Sin Is

KJV
1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the
transgression of the law.

Sin is the breaking of the law. Any breaking of this law, whether intentional or
unintentional, is sin. The Old Testament revealed to us this fact, not to curse us, but to
help us to keep from being cursed.

26
Brown, Allan. Not Under Law, But Under Grace. “Romans and Galatians” BI 340, God’s Bible School
and College. Summer 06, 2006, p6.
27
Bahnsen, Greg. By This Standard. Tyler: Institute for Christian Economics, 1985, p197.

32
The Law exposes Sin in Our Lives and Convicts of Sin

NKJ
Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I
would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known
covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet."

The law tells us what sin is, but then it points to our sin. It convicts us and tells us that we
have hurt our God. It does this so that we can fix the problems and learn to please our
beloved.

The Law Leads Us to Christ

NASB
Galatians 3:24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that
we may be justified by faith.

The entire law and prophets (the Old Testament) leads us to the savior of the world. Jesus
on the road to Emmaus told of how the entire Old Testament pointed to the onw who
would come, the Messiah.

The Law Guides the Sanctification of the Believer

NASB
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 "Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from
you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve
the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the LORD'S
commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?

Our love for God, our desire to please Him, is the Law itself showing that it is truly
written on the tablets of our hearts. When you love the Lord your God with all of your
heart, then every word and deed that comes from that love will be holy, not violating the
Law. Not because God overlooks it, but because what you say and do will be in
conformity to His law. Of course, we are always finding ourselves in need of more of
Him. When we come across these moments, it is our choice to continue to follow or run
away. This is the essence of sanctification, continually growing closer to God. The law of
God helps to guide us in that journey.
Conclusion

33
The Holy Scriptures are immutable, they never change. The eternal God who wrote them
is the same eternal God of today. The Holy Spirit who indwells the believer is the author
of the Jewish Old Testament law. Yes we know that a few specific applications have
changed for our culture and time, but the principles behind the law, ever law, serve a
purpose. These purposes we have outlined and studied. But it isn’t the idea that ‘since
God wrote them we had better do them,’ but it’s because of the love that He has us was
so great, that we should now dedicate our lives to pleasing Him. My love for God pushes
me to make Him feel loved.

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