Thoughts on the Law (Rom. 3:19-31).

Thoughts on the Law

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.

Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law. – Romans 3:19-31

The Purpose of the Law

Why? Why would we follow any law? Perhaps this is a question that is not asked often enough. People go around, following or breaking laws, rarely with the question as to why they do this. The explanation of today is simply confusing, as we are all just “animals”, having won the battle of dominance.

However, a bigger question remains: Why would a Christian follow the Law of God? After all, we are all saved once for all time, and our debt is paid. Christ has fulfilled the Law, and now He lives in me. And I don’t stand before God in and of my own works, but of Christ’s. So, why would we follow the Law completely?

Many get the purpose of the Law mixed up. Many seem to assume that it is here for us to prove how good we can be. For us to follow as best we can, and then Christ will make up for the rest. Or, perhaps as the Catholics have done, use it to make a system in which those who follow the Law better than the others are higher ranking. However, the purpose of the Law, as Paul points out here in this text of Scripture, is to point out the sin in us. To show how truly evil mankind is. To, in a sense, condemn us. For instance, take Israel: They happily said that they would follow the Law of God willingly. Yet, they (the chosen people of God) broke every part of the Law, many countless times. Go back to even Adam and Eve. God gave them a single law, and they broke it, and as it seems, they did so rather quickly. (Though the time is unknown, so this is merely a guess.)

So, the Law only shows the size of our debt to God, and how useless it is for us to try and pay this debt ourselves. The Law makes the mouths of men dumb, and shows our accountability to God. We cannot possibly pay this debt, much less think that we can keep even a single law for our whole lifetime. All of those who think that they can in fact pay this debt, and base their salvation on this, will face judgment. “But… why?” the modern person would ask. “How could a loving God condemn someone for trying to fulfill His Law?” Alas, that is simply a twisted question. It is not evil to try and follow the Law (nay, we try to follow all of it (more on this later)), but to base our salvation upon our ability to follow the Law is what condemns us. Thus, Paul shows the true purpose of the Law. It is not to show how good we are, nor some other human being, nor does it give us a chance at salvation, but rather, it brings the knowledge of how evil we really are. How we only deserve judgment. The Old Testament is enough to prove that mankind cannot pay the price, no matter how certain they are. Even people such as Paul could not. In fact, if one reads all of Romans, they find that Paul was just as bad as anybody. “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Rom. 7:24).

He makes it clear again in Romans 7: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet” (Rom. 7:7). And, as so many forget what Paul quoted, “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10; Ps. 14:3).

Thus, the Law pulls away the cover and shows how sinful mankind truly is, and how we cannot pay the debt we owe God. What then? Are we then condemned and have no hope in this? This would seem to be the response most of the world would give. But alas, with all of these truths, it all pointed towards something else. Or rather, Someone else.

The Righteousness of God

The Law points towards Christ. Hopefully, this does not come as a surprise to the Church. Though, to the “modern church” it seems to be an idea that is evil. This is where so many fall away from the Truth. They want the “good news”, yet hate the idea that there is bad news. But how is it that we know the good news without any bad news? And too, people think that the good news is that God wants me to have trillions of dollars and a carefree life. If people fall away here, there is no way the rest of their “religion” is correct. But anyway, back the point. The Law points towards Christ. Not only this, but it shows His righteousness. It proves God’s perfection. Consistency. Love. It puts our dependency entirely and undoubtedly upon Him, and Him alone.

Not only did the Law point towards Him, but as Paul mentions, the Prophets pointed towards Him as well. Really, everything seemed to point towards Him. The entire sacrificial system certainly did, as did the Law and the Prophets. So, obviously things are beginning to contradict the modern idea of Jesus. Most assume that He was an all-around nice guy, who loved everybody, and came to die to fill in the cracks of our debt that we didn’t have time to fill (though we certainly could have had we not died).  But if the Law and the Prophets pointed towards Christ, things would seem that He had a much bigger purpose on this earth. And of course, He did. The sacrifices could not save us (see Heb. 10:4), and the Prophets spoke of the One who could save us. Who could the price, which the blood of animals could not do. The Law, Prophets, sacrificial system and even our own failure, all pointed towards the righteousness of God. The righteousness of Christ. Righteous blood which could pay the price. And how many people forget this? How many people claim that they believe this, and then go on living their “normal lives”? Or fall into despair? Become angry at the world, and hate everything? Even the modern Church has left this Truth behind, seeming to have thought that, once it is dealt with, they never have to return to it. Yet, this is the very foundation of our hope. The fact that we are depraved, helpless, and ignorant even, of the Truth. Yet, God sent His only Son to pay this price. This massive debt. All have fallen short of the line which was the price of our debt. We have all fallen short (or “missed the mark”) of God’s glory, and are not worthy. Yet, God sent the One “Who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth” (1 Pet. 2:22). The perfect One was sent to die for the imperfect people. The Righteous for the unrighteous. The Unblemished for the “people of unclean lips.”  This can never be repeated too many times.

How we are then justified before God

I cannot help but wonder how many will stand before God, in and of themselves, their own works, and their own reasoning. What will they say? When they say “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” and He says “I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.” Yet, as Christ said before this, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 7:21-23). Alas, how this defines so many people these days. TV alone shows how many are twisting the Truth, performing miracles in the name of God, and speaking of their prophecies of how and when the world will end, forgetting that no one knows the day nor the hour (Matt. 24:36). When we stand before God, what shall we stand with? Our works? “Good” deeds. The works and deeds of some other human being? Our ability to keep the Law? It cannot be our works, as Paul says “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” And we cannot even stand with Christ before God, as it were, because we can’t even help. It is Christ who stands before God for us. We are justified before God through Christ, contrary to popular belief. So, how can we brag about ourselves? How can we brag about our ability to keep the Law? So very many people go on TV, stages and hills, to proclaim how they have done this, and that, and so many other things. The modern age likes to flaunt its ignorance in so many ways. Companies are telling people to be creative, special, wonderful, and just all around perfect, in and of themselves. They say that we must “Be the best you can be”, not knowing that the best I can be, in and of myself, is as dung before the Almighty I Am. If someone like “Saint Paul” is a wretched man without Christ, and is the “Chief of sinners”, how can any of us be any better? Thus, there are only two positions in which we can stand when before God. In Christ, or by myself, left to the garbage of my own works. Those who stand by themselves face rightful judgment, while those who stand in Christ stand not of their own works, but in the righteousness of Christ. So, really, it is God standing for me before Himself. The price is paid in full. And, unlike those who stand by themselves, worrying if they are good enough in this life, we know that we stand before God in the perfection of His Son. So, how can we fear? Doubt? If we could truly lose our salvation, then the work of Christ was not endless. It was not, really, of Christ, because “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). As is His work (Heb. 10:10). Thus, we stand before God having faith in the work of Christ. This is the importance of faith. Many will say “Have faith!” or “Believe!”, and I often wonder, “In what? In who?” People are so willing to have faith in something or someone, yet, if called to have faith that the work of Christ has paid, in full, their debt, they will laugh, and mock, and blaspheme the One who we speak of. Alas, as is what Christ warned, they will hate Him, thus they hate us.

If we stand in Christ, then the question comes, “Who can stand before God in Christ?” There is no difference between men. All men are truly created equal. All of us are sinners, deserving of eternal hell alone. And, from our perspective, any man can come to God, while we are still alive. So, if we are all the same before God, how then can we brag? How can we claim to be better than another? Really, when the saved go to the unsaved and start telling them that they are evil people and that we are better than they, they seem to have forgotten Who it is that has saved them. We are not better than other people because of ourselves? The only thing that sets us apart from other people is the fact that Christ lives in me. It is nothing of myself. We’d be just as bad, if not worse, than other people in this world, had we not heard the Truth (and believed, thanks to the Holy Spirit).

So, what then shall we do with the Law? Does it only show how bad we are? Does it only point towards Christ? Do we “nullify” (or make invalid) the Law? Nay, we “establish” it in our hearts and minds. As Christ told the rich young ruler, we follow Christ. This man kept the Law, yet didn’t follow Christ. He was not able to drop all he had and follow the One who could save Him. Yet, in following Christ, we do keep the Law. As it says in the Psalms, “I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart” (Ps. 40:8). We follow the Law because we are saved. We do go works because we are saved. Paul makes this very clear here in the third chapter of Romans. “By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.” In fact, Paul makes it very clear, as well as many others, including Christ Himself. What did Christ say to do? The rich young ruler wasn’t saved by the fact that he kept the Law (which is quite impressive). He ran off weeping because he didn’t want to sell all he owned and follow Christ. To give up all of the useless things that this world had to offer, and follow Christ. We are saved only by Christ, who has paid the price in full. Thus, we ask “Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law And keep it with all my heart” (Ps. 119:34).

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. – Romans 5:6-11