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Why We Need God’s Law Edited by Massimo Lorenzini[1]
I. Five Characteristics of Our Culture
1. No Truth – Postmodernism says “no absolute truth.” Modernism, beginning with the Enlightenment was a search for truth. Postmodernism gave up on the search believing that either objective truth doesn’t exist or if it does we cannot discover it because of our own subjective interpretations of the facts. 2. No Standard – Moral Relativism says there is no universal standard for right and wrong. Chaos and randomness created the universe and so there is correspondingly no order in the realm of ethics. “To each his own” is the common idea and to think there is a universal standard of ethics is considered an outrageous powerplay. 3. No Rules – Personal Freedom says everyone is free to do “what’s right for them.” “Do what you like,” “Whatever floats your boat,” and other common expressions describe this idea. 4. No Judge – Humanistic Atheism says there’s no authority, no one is in charge of the universe, there’s no consequences outside of the immediate cause and effect outworking of my actions. 5. No Meaning/Purpose – Nihilism is the end product of such a set of beliefs. Against this backdrop, the Christian message comes in and says: 1. There is truth and God has revealed it in nature and in Scripture and when the unbeliever encounters it he recognizes it but willingly suppresses it because of his rebellion and depravity (Ps 19:1-6; Rom 1:18-20). The willful rejection of truth, which stems from a rejection of God, marks the unbeliever as a fool (Rom 1:21-22; Prov 9:10, Ps 14:1). 2. There is a standard—the perfect righteousness of God (Matt 5:48). 3. There are rules that have been given to us by God in our consciences and in God’s Word (Rom 2:14-15). 4. There is a Judge and we must all give an account to Him for our faithfulness to His will (John 5:28-29; Rev 20:11-12). 5. There is meaning and purpose in life—the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all people. Everything God does has the ultimate purpose of creating praise to His glory (Eph 1:6,12,14). And we are never happier than when we are delighting in God’s glory. You can think of God’s glory as “the beauty of His manifold perfections” (John Piper). The answer to question #1 in the Westminster Catechism is, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” You cannot ultimately be happy if you do not live for God’s glory. Illustration: God sits on the treasury of happiness and if you want it you must receive it from Him. God will not allow you to remain happy outside of His will for you. So to summarize the Christian ethic, we could say it like this: The Good Life
In contrast to this Christian ideal, the opposite ethical standard would look something like this: The Evil Life
II. Why the Law?
What does this have to do with the purpose of God’s Law? God was very gracious to give us His Law. His Law has the purpose of teaching us what it means to love God and neighbor which forms the basis for ethics—the study of right and wrong. It also shows us our sinfulness because we fail to love God and neighbor as we ought and so it drives us to the Savior. People in Western culture need to be instructed in the Law of God in order to deliver them from the lies of Postmodernism and prepare them to hear the Gospel. The Law of God forms the basis for the biblical worldview and provides the necessary foundation for the Gospel to be intelligible. Galatians 3:19-24 provides us with an understanding of God’s purpose for the Law. 19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith (Gal 3:19-24).[2] Salvation is and always has been by grace through faith. Habakkuk 2:4 states that, “the just shall live by faith” (cited by Paul in Rom 1:17). Genesis 15:6 tells us that, “Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (cited by Paul in Rom 4:3). Question: If salvation is
by faith, then why did God give the Law? Why 1,500 years of Law before Christ
and the Gospel? Abraham had faith, so what was the need for adding the Law
which came 500 years after Abraham? “Why the law then?” (Gal 3:19a, NASB). To demonstrate the universal need for the Savior by revealing human sinfulness. Yes, Abraham had faith, but the rest of the world didn’t and didn’t see any need to. God gave Abraham the promise of blessing but he didn’t give him the Law. The Law in Relation to the Past, the Future, and the Present 1. In Relation to the Past the Law was Addition v. 19 says, “It was added.” The Mosaic Covenant (MC) didn’t set aside the covenant with Abraham, v. 17. Why the MC? Because the Abrahamic Covenant (AC) lacked a universal emphasis on man’s sinfulness. Abraham is always the Old Testament (OT) example of salvation in the New Testament (NT), not Moses, vv. 5-9. Abrahamic Covenant Mosaic
Covenant
Blessing Cursing Promise Threat The rest of the OT is
blessing/cursing to show us that we deserve cursing for violating His Law, but
God is gracious in promising blessing in the Gospel. The Law and the MC reached it’s apex in the crucifixion of Christ—cursing, vv. 10-14. The pinnacle of the AC
comes in the resurrection of Christ from the dead—we receive life and blessing
through our union with Christ. Abrahamic Covenant Mosaic Covenant
Repentance and faith came together in Christ’s preaching of the Kingdom in Mark 1:15: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” 2. In Relation to the Future the Law is Insertion v. 19, “It was added until.” The Law had a temporary function of supervising God’s people and preparing them for the Messianic kingdom. Ps. 110:4 – The Messianic era would usher in a new priesthood. There was a promise of a New Covenant with a new Priesthood and a new Law (See Heb 7:11-19). When Jesus came, the ceremonies and rituals were over along with the Levitical priesthood and the Theocracy of Israel. 3. In Relation to the Present the Law is Instruction 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith (Gal 3:21-24). The OT Law was given to Israel: He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and His judgments to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any nation; And as for His judgments, they have not known them. Praise the Lord! (Ps 147:19-20). Israel was blessed “because to them were committed the oracles of God (Rom 3:2b). But as Christians we can learn from what God taught them: For whatever things were written before [in the OT] were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope (Rom 15:4). Now all these things happened to them [OT Israel] as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come (1 Cor 10:11). So the Law in the present functions as instruction to us to show us our sin (v. 19, “added because of transgressions”). We need the Law of God today to teach us what sin is. And this teaching function is absolutely foundational to biblical evangelism today. For without a knowledge of the Law we cannot have an accurate knowledge of sin. And without a biblical knowledge of sin we cannot rightly understand the Gospel and our need for a Savior. The Law serving to define sin is taught in the following Scriptures: Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4, “sin is transgression of the law,” KJV). 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. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin (Rom 3:19-20). 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” (Rom 7:7). So the Law:
That’s the Gospel and we cannot understand the Gospel without the Law of God. |
