HAVE YOU EVER HAD TO SLIP ON SOMEONE ELSE’S SHOES
? IF SO, YOU
know what it’s like to wear something that’s not made for you. At first glance, the shoes may appear similar to any of your own. But they simply don’t match the dimensions of your foot.
In the same way, we’re informed that the law of Moses is indeed for someone—but it’s not
a good fit for New Testament believers. Paul wrote to Timothy:
We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous
but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious…And it is for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
1 TIMOTHY
1:8-11, italics added
What purpose does the law serve? Paul says that it is exclusively for un
believers. Under the Old, God recognized two kinds of people—Jews and Gentiles. Today, he recognizes two different groups—believers and unbelievers. In the Old Testament, the law was only for Jews. Today, the law speaks to only one group, namely, unbelievers.
So if you’re a Christian, what place should the law have in your life?
SHUT
UP
!
The law has one
intended audience—unbelievers.
The law has one intended audience—unbelievers. But what is the law saying to them? And what is the typical response when the law speaks? The best way to summarize the law’s message is by using an expression that was forbidden in my home as I was growing up: “Shut up!” My mother never tolerated that phrase. But this is precisely what the law says to the unbeliever. In fact, the whole world is silenced by the law:
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
ROMANS
3:19-20
Sometimes people aren’t listening. If you want their attention, you have to shout. Through the law, God shouts that he demands no less than perfection. When we see the standard, we have no choice but to “shut up.” Our mouths are silenced. We’re not empowered to try harder. Nor are we safe just giving up and making a go at it without righteousness. We’re caught in a predicament. And without intervention, we’d remain in a bewildered state.
Like Adam and Eve, we become conscious of our nakedness before God. But there’s no covering on earth that will hide our unrighteousness. The law exposes our addiction to sin and our need for Christ
:
Why the Law then?…But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
GALATIANS
3:19, 22 NASB
Once in a while, I have the privilege of speaking to prison inmates about the gospel. Some of the men are under life sentences. They’ll be locked up until they die. As I enter these prisons, and the heavy metal doors close behind me, I imagine what it’d be like to be incarcerated. (I’ve even imagined a mistake with the paperwork that leaves me trapped inside!)
Being held prisoner, locked up indefinitely, is not generally seen as desirable. But this is precisely how Paul describes life under the law. It’s like being locked up as a prisoner:
Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.
GALATIANS
3:23-24 NIV
Being under the
law is like being
in prison.
Being under the law is like being in prison. You’re constantly reminded that you’re guilty and awaiting your sentence. The law doesn’t encourage us, nor does it build us up. With its perfect standard, it only tears down our pride. It shows us that we’ll never succeed. As Paul says, the law has been “put in charge to lead us to Christ.” How does it lead us to Christ? By showing us our spiritual death and our need for new life.
DRIVERS
EXCELLENCE
AWARD
As a teenager, I accrued many violations in my pursuit of speed on America’s highways. I seldom struggled with the most common
temptations that teens deal with. But for some reason, the allure of a speeding automobile always seemed to get the better of me.
For a few years, I was constantly receiving warnings and speeding tickets. I was even once charged with reckless driving due to excessive speed. Of course, there were times when I would feel remorse for my actions—and I’d slow down for a while. But nothing really curbed my addiction to speed.
But imagine, as I make my way to school one morning, driving at the legal speed limit, I notice the familiar flashing blue lights in my rearview mirror. So I pull over to the side of the road and watch as the police officer exits his patrol car and motions for me to roll down my window.
But strangely, the officer has a friendly smile on his face this time. Let’s say he approaches my window with a gleam in his eye and says, “Mr. Farley, I just wanted to say thank you for driving at a safe speed. You’re a good man. The state of Virginia appreciates your efforts to keep our highways safe. This morning, I want to award you the Virginia Drivers Excellence Award. This award includes a certificate redeemable for merchandise at any Division of Motor Vehicles office. Congratulations.” Then he hands me the certificate and says, “You have a great day!”
Legalism will never
produce love.
Wow! I would be stunned, wouldn’t you? Of course you would, because episodes like this don’t find their way into our lives very often. In fact, I doubt if anything like this has ever happened. I’ve never heard of a police officer pulling someone over in order to compliment them on their good driving.
For some reason, the law only gives us its attention when we are in the wrong.
Similarly, the law of Moses only points out where we’ve fallen short. Looking for love and encouragement? You’ll never find them in the law. This is why the strictest legalist you know can
fabricate an appearance of morality. But legalism will never produce love. Living under a law mentality is like being a slave to a most demanding taskmaster. There’s always more to do. And you’ll never
do enough to please him. James teaches, “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all
of it” (James 2:10, italics added).
PASS OR
FAIL
Keeping 1 percent or 99 percent of the law is one and the same. Imagine a person who’s able to abide by most of the law. Let’s say they only struggle occasionally with one tiny regulation. But whether we obey none of the law or most of the law, we’re still cursed under it. As the apostle Paul states, “All who rely on observing the law are under a curse,
for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything
written in the Book of the Law’” (Galatians 3:10, italics added).
How can Paul be so extreme in his view? We know that Paul (formerly Saul) was a man who tried to obey every aspect of the law. Speaking of himself to the Philippians, he even writes, “…as for righteousness based on the law, [I was found] faultless” (Philippians 3:6).
Those around Paul may have thought he was blameless. But Paul knew better. He was acquainted with the failure that all of us find when we try to obey the law. Speaking of his failure, Paul writes:
I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting.
ROMANS
7:7-8
Law is an
all-or-nothing
proposition.
Law is an all-or-nothing proposition. Either you comply with every ounce of the law, or you’re cursed. There’s no other option. Do we have a right to pick and choose from the law? Or have we been awarded the luxury of mixing a portion of the law with Christ? Paul warns that if we add even a pinch of law to our life in Christ, he’ll be of no value to us:
Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.
GALATIANS
5:2-3, italics added
It’s preposterous for Christians to adopt portions of the law of Moses as our guide for living. We’re presuming that God grades on a curve. But the law is completely incompatible with our attempt to “do our best.” Law is a pass-or-fail system.
And one strike means you’re out.