A law is designed with three parts: a command, an obligation, and a sanction. (McClain, 1991, p. 11). God pronounced death on the cross as a fair penalty for transgressing the law of God. Sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). Christ came to settle our debt with the law.
sanction [def]: a threatened penalty for disobeying a law or rule. A coercive measure to enforce a law.
The Redemption of the Cross
Jesus’ primary purpose was to redeem sinners (lawbreakers). He paid for our transgressions and redeemed our souls from destruction. Everyone must come in contact with the cross to walk with God. Jesus said to take up your cross daily, then you can follow Him (Luke 9:23). It’s important to note that He redeemed us from the law, not Himself.
He was born in righteousness, and the Bible points out that He kept the law perfectly, every minute detail (Matt. 5:18). He is the only person who has ever upheld the law perfectly. Jesus lived faultless for all mankind, who are born as lawbreakers, sinners apart from God. Galatians 4:4-5 says He was born under the law to redeem those who were under the law. Redeem means to release from debt or to repurchase the freedom of something bound. The Scripture makes the truth unmistakable in the number of times it says we are not under the law but under grace. The true magnitude of grace and why we must be redeemed from the law is evident as we take a closer look at the law.
The Nature of the Law
The character of God is the essence of the law. It expresses His standards, His views, and His values. God is a holy God, a perfect God, and a Supreme Judge without faults. The law of God weighs outward actions and the intent or spirit behind actions. In Matthew 5, Jesus spent several verses showing the Jews how high God’s law truly is, saying that God views the thoughts of adultery to be sin, not just the act. The law is holy, righteous, good, and spiritual (Rom. 7:12,14). Once you understand the immovable, impossibly high standard of the law, you may wonder why it was given to mankind in the first place.
The Law’s Connection to Sin
Romans 7:7a ESV
What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin…
The law of God has been in place since the beginning, in the Garden of Eden. We know this because Romans 4:15 says that “… where there is no law there is no transgression.” and again in Rom. 5:13, which says that “sin is not counted where there is no law.” Adam broke the command of God and he was condemned as a sinner (lawbreaker). Since he represented all of mankind, everyone born through his lineage was also born as a sinner, shapen in iniquity [lawlessness] (Ps. 51:5).
Did you know that the strength of sin is the law? (1 Cor. 15:56) Read about it: The Law of God (and our deliverance from it)
The law’s purpose is to show men the many offenses they committed before God. The law’s goal is to draw you to Christ. Paul tells us that Christ is the end of the law for believers (Rom. 10:4).
Romans 5:20 NLT
God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.
The Sanction of the Law is the Cross
All laws have proper penalties (or sanctions) to command the appropriate respect for the law. For example, the least serious crimes like traffic violations, littering, etc., result in a fine without jail time or a criminal record. In the case of first-degree murder, however, the courts pronounce life imprisonment or worse. The more significant and grave a law is, the higher the penalty is for breaking that law.
The penalty for sin is death. (Remember, sin is breaking God’s law!) First, spiritual death [separation from God], then also eternal death. The penalty of physical death through Adam’s sin has also entered the world. We are born into this world spiritually dead, under the penalty of the law, and it takes the work of Christ to bring us again to life. It is why we must be born again. But every sin requires the cross to redeem us. Taking this literally, it means every evil thought, white lie, prideful look, attitude, and every work of the flesh, no matter how small in our eyes, God deems its appropriate punishment to be death. Do you see how imperative it is to understand the law? It’s showing us how God sees sin.
Our Need for Grace
Luke 18:27 TPT
Jesus responded, “What appears humanly impossible is more than possible with God. For God can do what man cannot.”
Though keeping God’s holy law is impossible, there’s a fault in human nature that believes in himself. We may not declare that God is incorrect, but our actions can speak otherwise. God has made it plain that He does not accept the righteousness that comes from human effort (Phil. 3:9); He calls it filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). The Bible says that righteous people live by faith (Rom. 1:17) and that the law isn’t aimed for a righteous man (1 Tim. 1:9). Why not? A righteous man is dependent on Christ for his righteous standing with God. The law is holy, righteous, good, and spiritual (Rom. 7:12,14), yet grace is a higher concept than law. Grace is Christ abiding in you and you in Him (John 15:4), thereby bringing the fruit of righteousness (Rom.7:4) and glory to God (John 15:8).
Romans 3:31 NLT
Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
A spiritual Christian who lives by faith is God’s norm. Though carnality is familiar ground for many of us, it cannot be in the kingdom of God. Now that we see sin through God’s law, we should also see that salvation under the law can never be possible. Human effort can never reflect God’s character perfectly, nor can the standard of the law be lowered. God must keep the law inflexible. If God diminished His character, we could not place our trust in Him so completely. Yet, He remains eternally righteous, holy, and unblameable —a Just Judge.
Psalm 89:14a ESV
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne
Conclusion
The pure gospel kept untainted is powerful and glorious. It needs no additional work nor input from earthly beings. God has not only gone above and beyond to save us; He completed the work of salvation well before any of us were born. Indeed you can see why Paul says that by grace, we are saved and it is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8). Through careful study, prayer, and striving, we should labor to enter the rest of Christ (Matt. 11:28-29; Heb. 4:10-11). Gain an understanding of the law, and you’ll see the necessity of your position in grace. Gain an understanding of grace, and you’ll thank God for “the liberty which Christ has made us free” (Gal. 5:1)!
Reference
McClain, A. J. (1991). Law and Grace.
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