The Purpose of Law

Our theme for “2020” is “Seeing Spiritually.”

If you just look at current events you may lose hope.

But if you understand the scripture you will know that we were told that things would get worse before they get better.

Last week we read that most of the world is in denial about the truth of God.

How do people come out of denial? They need to see the consequences of their own actions.

Much of what we see playing out today is the natural consequence of a secular world-view.

Our current series is looking at Paul’s letter to the Romans.

The Apostle Paul is writing to the church in the most powerful city in the world whom he had hoped to visit and still intends to do so.

If you think that Bible writers didn’t understand what we go through today, think again.

Rome was a hotbed of political controversy.

In 49 AD, the Emperor Claudius had all of the Jews expelled from Rome.

The reason that was given was that they were causing disturbances.

The roman historian Suetonius, tells us that this was at the incitement of one called “Chrestus.”

Jews were no longer able to gather and worship because of an executive order.

Many of them chose to leave the city before something worse were to happen.

During the next five years, until the death of Claudius, the churches would have been made up of mostly Gentile believers.

It seems that by the time Paul was writing, some Jews were starting to find their way back to Rome and this was causing a division among believers.

Does a church of both Jews and Gentiles go back to worshipping the way they had done when they were mostly Jews?

Jewish worship centers around the Torah, the Law which was given to Moses.

Should Gentile Christians continue to revere the Torah the way Jews would?

Should they be circumcised and keep all of the sacred traditions of Israel?

In order to answer these questions, Paul started with the most basic question: What does it mean to believe?

Over the next few weeks we are going to look at Romans chapters 1-8.

Then later this fall we are going to look at the second half of the book (ch 9-16) and we will ask the next question: What does it mean to belong?

Today’s message is called “The Purpose of Law.”

Our country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles and because of that we have a strong value for the rule of law.

Without laws we would not function for very long as a society.

We expect citizens to keep the laws of our country, even our leaders are not above the law and can be reprimanded or prosecuted for breaking the law.

You might be surprised to learn that in ancient times, and in many parts of the world today, this is not the case.

Many societies are governed by power and influence more than laws.

Sure they have laws, but enforcement is arbitrary. If you know the right people, you can get away with most anything.

If you follow the news these days it might seem that our society is headed down that path.

Some have even suggested abolishing the police, believing them to all be corrupt.

Another thing that you may not have seen on the news is that world-wide pedophile rings are being exposed and among their clients are many of our politicians and business leaders.

As Protestant Evangelicals we may seem to participate in “law-bashing” when we say that we are not under the law but under grace.

But I would like to clarify by saying that, as a Christian, you cannot really understand grace until you understand and fully appreciate the purpose of the Law.

"What does it mean to believe?"

The Law teaches us about right and wrong, it exposes our sinful nature so that we can turn to a holy God for help.

The purpose of conscience

Romans 2:12–16 ESV

12 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 righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

The law is designed to shape your conscience.

So whether it is the Ten Commandments written on tablets of stone, The Torah on a scroll, the Old Testament on paper or your digital Bible on Faithlife.com; all of these things are external.

The Word of God, aka the Law, will not do you any good until it becomes internal.

What is the sense of having a book if you never read it?

What is the purpose of having a code to live by if you don’t do it?

Having the Bible doesn’t make a difference unless it changes your behavior.

We said last week that faith is not really faith unless it changes you.

Some people treat the Bible as if it were a good luck charm. Just rub it once in a while.

Some people are really good at studying the Bible, memorizing it, even arguing about it, but if it doesn’t produce the character of Christ then it isn’t really helpful, is it?

Paul called out his own people for practicing hypocrisy with regard to the Law.

Romans 2:17–24 ESV

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

Unless the law changes you, you have not received the benefit of having the law.

The purpose of the law is refine your sense of right and wrong.

It is to teach you about the character of God, what God considers to be pleasing or abhorrent.

It is the character of God, who is the ultimate good, that defines for us what is good and right and pleasing.

Conscience can also be shaped by nature.

Most of what the Law teaches us should be common sense.

You don’t have to be educated to understand the Ten Commandments. For example:

Hillbilly Ten Commandments

1. Ain’t but One God.

2. Honor yer Ma and Pa.

3. No tellin’ tales or gossipin’.

4. Git yer hide ta Sunday meetin’.

5. Ain’t notin’ come before the Lord.

6. No foolin’ with another fellers gal.

7. No killin’, sept fer critters.

8. Quit yer foul mouthin.

9. No swipin’ yer kin folks stuff.

10. Don’t be hankerin’ fer it neither.

Just as we said last week that there is much about God that we can learn from creation, there is much about the law, ethics and morality that we can know just from being humans created in God’s image.

Matthew 7:12 ESV

12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

What Jesus is saying is not entirely new. Examples of “the golden rule” are found throughout ancient history and ancient civilizations.

It’s also called “the law of reciprocity.”

The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary Golden Rule

Tzu Kung’s question—“Is there any one word that can serve as a principle for the conduct of life?”—Confucius is reputed to have answered: “Perhaps the word ‘reciprocity’; do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you” (Analects 15.23)

We might like to think that we have an exclusive source of truth and light. But there are different kinds of revelation.

Theologians call what can be known about God from nature and from conscience apart from the Law- “General Revelation.’

The Law given to Moses and the inspired Word of God are “Special Revelation.”

The idea that some people and people groups seem to have an innate knowledge of God such that they are already seeking God and receive the gospel with joy when they first hear it is called “Common Grace.”

The point is that God is actively working to draw people to himself long before we reach them with our evangelism.

We can bring clarity to what God is already doing by adding special revelation to the general revelation that they may have.

Using the Law or Special Revelation to declare superiority over someone is missing the pint entirely.

Your conscience shows what is in your heart.

Romans 2:23 NLT

23 You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.

When you have eliminated every other sin from your life, you will still have the sin of pride.

Pride blinds us to the true condition of our hearts before God.

An attuned conscience will help you to discern, not only right from wrong, but to know your own heart and motives as well.

You should learn to recognize not only what might be harmful to others, but also what is dishonoring to God and to others (and to yourself).

The purpose of religious tradition and practice

Romans 2:25–29 ESV

25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

Go through the motions until the motions go through you.

It is popular for some Christians to bash religion. “I’m not religious, I just love the Lord!”

While I believe they are trying to make the same point that I am trying to make, there is also a point where a person becomes proud of what they are not and are therefore no better than those who are proud of what they are.

Some people say that religion is “just going through the motions.”

A person who criticizes Catholics for saying the same prayer over and over again won’t go a day without “Our Daily Bread.”

We may have abandoned old religious rituals and routines, but we create new ones.

Religious rituals and routines aren’t the problem. The problem is when the things that are supposed to lead us to God become an end in themselves.

Spiritual disciplines build spiritual muscles.

For Evangelicals and Charismatics like us, a minimal requirement of spiritual discipline might be to read the Bible and pray every day.

But what if your devotions are boring? Should you still do them?

I like to tell people, “go through the motions until the motions go through you.”

The point is not whether or not you feel like you are getting something out of it. The point is that you are honoring God by spending that time with Him.

The same is true of worship. Is your worship for you or is it for Him?

Labels are only helpful if they tell you what’s inside.

Paul talks about circumcision only being of value if you actually keep the law.

Circumcision represents religious identity.

It was the sign that God gave to Abraham that every male in his house was to be circumcised.

Other tribes had distinguishing tattoos or had their heads shaved a particular way to show where they belonged.

God gave Abraham a distinguishing mark that was very personal and private.

Only under the most intimate circumstances would anyone know whether or not you have it.

Your Christianity is like that too. It doesn’t matter so much what you display on the outside. It’s who you are on the inside that counts.

What would you think of the car that cut you off had a Christian bumper sticker, or the person who behaved rudely toward you was wearing a Christian t-shirt? Do you tip your waitress after you witnessed to her?

By all means display your faith for all to see! Just make sure that what is on the outside is consistent with what is on the inside.

Sometimes it may be good for people to see you struggle, but also to see how you persevere and overcome.

Religion should be a path to knowing God, not a substitute for knowing God.

It’s not about being perfect; it’s about the journey.

The word that the New Testament writers used which is most often translated as perfection doesn’t mean flawless, it means that you know where you are going and you are on track to get there.

Religious culture in America has been known for maintaining the false illusion that Christians have it all together.

It’s ironic that today people wear masks to church. The truth is that we’ve been wearing masks to church for a long time!

Paul’s harshest words were for his own people who made their faith about keeping traditions and keeping up appearances but missing the heart of God in the process.

The person who has always done everything right is at a disadvantage to the person who has tried and failed.

The person who has never failed might be tempted to think that they don’t need God.

The person who knows they are guilty, broken and at the mercy of God knows that they live by God’s power and not their own.

The purpose of God’s law

Romans 3:19–20 ESV

19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

The law is there to show you what you can’t do.

The purpose of the law in the Old Testament is to show us that we are incapable of keeping the law on our own.

The part that I skipped over is Paul citing seven different scriptures, mostly from the Psalms, which reinforce the existence of a sinful human nature.

The law in this case is the whole of scripture.

Paul is saying that scripture is telling us that we can’t do what scripture tells us to do.

Our sinful human nature wants to be independent of God.

Our sinful human nature is prideful and boastful.

Our sinful human nature thinks that we can be good enough on our own, we just need to try a little harder.

Our sinful human nature would rather do things our way than God’s way.

Our sinful human nature things that God’s law is just a bunch of rules that are designed to spoil our fun.

Our sinful human nature only pretends to care about other people so that we can use them to get our own way.

To that the law of God says, enough!

Your sinful human nature is exposed.

Your heart and your motives are seen for what they are - selfish.

You can’t measure up to God’s holy standard.

But you are about to see what good really is...

The law lays the foundation for salvation by grace.

Paul says that through the law came the knowledge of sin, but grace and forgiveness come only through Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

If you are here this morning and would say that have tried and you can’t live the Christian life, I would say that you are absolutely right, but if you will receive it, you can do by God’s strength and power what you have not been able to do on your own.

Next week we are going to talk about grace, but you can’t receive grace until you give up trying to do things on your own.

The law is not bad, it’s good. Without it we wouldn’t even know what sin is.

But now that you know about sin, you are also in a position to receive the good news of a savior.

The first step to receiving Jesus as your saviour is to admit your need of Him.

Simply confess to God that you are broken, that you can’t change your own heart.

Jesus went to the cross for you. Your sinful nature was nailed to the cross with Him and you were raised to new life with Him.

Your goal now is to live by the the power of His Spirit in you.

The Spirit will accomplish what the law could not, that you would live in a way that pleases God.

Questions for reflection:

What is your attitude toward law? Do you see value in having laws? Do you buck against the rules? What does your posture toward the law say about your own heart?

How is your conscience? Do you grieve when you see things around you that are against God’s law? Do you mourn for you own sin, even the sin of apathy?

How do you practice faith? What disciplines to you use to strengthen yourself spiritually? Have you learned to allow God’s Spirit to do through you what you cannot do in yourself?