Church Series-The Church's Relationship to the Mosaic Law-The Three-Fold Purpose of the Law
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday January 17, 2017
The Church Series: The Church’s Relationship to the Mosaic Law-The Three-Fold Purpose of the Law
Lesson # 32
One of the great controversies that have plagued the church for centuries, in fact from its very inception is that of the Mosaic Law.
This study will deal with the Mosaic Law in relation to the church and will answer the question, “is the church required to keep the commands and prohibitions of the Mosaic Law” and thus “is the life of the church governed by the Mosaic Law?”
We have noted that the “Law of Moses” or “Mosaic Law” was given to the nation of Israel according to Romans 9:1-5.
We also noted the indivisible and conditional nature of the Mosaic Law.
Tonight, we will study the three-fold purpose of the Mosaic Law.
In the study of the Bible, there are three specific purposes that surface in the proper use of the Mosaic Law.
First of all, in a general sense, the Mosaic Law was given to provide a standard of righteousness (Deuteronomy 4:8; Psalm 19:7-9) and in the process, it revealed the righteousness, holiness, and goodness of God (Deut. 4:8; Lev. 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7; Rom. 7:12-14).
The Law given at Mount Sinai to Israel was to reveal a holy God and to demonstrate the reality of an infinite gulf that separated man from Him.
Secondly, the Law was given to identify sin and reveal man’s sin and bankrupt condition as guilty before God (Rom. 3:19f; 7:7-8; 5:20; Gal. 3:19).
As J. Hampton Keathley Jr. states, “Like the blood-alcohol test is designed to prove men are drunk, so the Law is designed to prove men are sinners, under the wrath of God.”
In the book of Romans, Paul taught extensively on the purpose of the Law.
He taught that the law in the form of the entire Old Testament canon was given, not as the way of deliverance, but actually condemned the human race (3:19).
Romans 3:19 Now, we know for certain that whatever the Law says, it speaks for the benefit of those under the jurisdiction of the Law in order that each and every mouth may be silenced and in addition all the unsaved inhabitants of the cosmic system may be demonstrated as guilty in the judgment of God. (My translation)
The law makes the sinner aware of sin in their life (3:20).
Romans 3:20 Because each and every member of sinful humanity will never be justified in His judgment by means of actions produced by obedience to the Law for through the Law there does come about an awareness of the sin nature. (My translation)
The introduction of the Law increased the transgression of Adam in the sense that the Law exposed man’s sinful nature to disobey the revealed will of God and in fact stimulated man’s sinful nature to disobey the revealed will of God.
Romans 5:20 Now, the Law was an addendum in order that the transgression might increase but where personal sin increased, grace infinitely abounded. (My translation)
The apostle Paul teaches in Romans 4:15 that the purpose of the Law was to bring about wrath but where there is no law, there is no violation.
Romans 4:15 For, the Law, as an eternal spiritual truth, produces righteous indignation but where there is, at any time, the total absence of the Law, neither, is there, as an eternal spiritual truth, violation. (My translation)
No one will ever be justified by obedience to the law because of the presence of the sin nature (3:20).
Romans 3:20 Because each and every member of sinful humanity will never be justified in His judgment by means of actions produced by obedience to the Law for through the Law there does come about an awareness of the sin nature. (My translation)
God’s holy Law reveals to man just who and what he is, namely, sinful and separated from God by an infinite gulf that he is unable to bridge in his own human strength.
Lastly, the Law was given to shut man up to faith, i.e., to exclude the works of the Law (or any system of works) as a system of merit for either salvation or sanctification and thereby lead him to Christ as the only means of righteousness (Galatians 3:19-20, 20-24; 1 Timothy 1:8-9; Romans 3:21-24).
In Romans 3:21-26, Paul teaches that a person is justified as a gift of God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ and by not keeping the Law.
Romans 3:21a teaches that the righteousness of God as revealed by the Person and Work of Jesus Christ is manifested through the communication of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:21b teaches that the righteousness of God as revealed by the Person and Work of Jesus Christ and the gospel, which offers the gift of God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ were attested to by the Old Testament Scriptures.
Romans 3:21 But now, independently of seeking to be justified by obedience to the Law, the righteousness originating from God is being manifested at the present time while simultaneously being attested to by the Law and the Prophets. (Author’s translation)
Romans 3:22 teaches that the righteousness of God can be received by anyone whether Jew or Gentile, through faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:22 Namely, the righteousness originating from God through faith in Jesus who is the Christ for the benefit of each and every person who does believe for there is, as an eternal spiritual truth, absolutely no distinction. (Author’s translation)
Romans 3:23 teaches that the reason why anyone, whether Jew or Gentile can receive the gift of righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ and be declared justified by God is that both groups have sinned.
Thus, they are always failing to measure up to the glory of God, who is Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:23 For each and every person has sinned consequently, they are always failing to measure up to the glory originating from God. (Author’s translation)
Romans 3:24a teaches that justification is based upon God’s grace.
Romans 3:24b teaches that justification is made possible by means of the work of redemption that was accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the cross.
Romans 3:24 with the result that they might, as an eternal spiritual truth, be undeservedly justified based upon His grace by means of the redemption, which is by means of the death of Christ who is Jesus. (Author’s translation)
Romans 3:25a teaches that God the Father offered publicly at the cross of Calvary His Son Jesus Christ to sinful mankind as a propitiatory gift.
Romans 3:25b teaches that the death of Jesus Christ on the cross demonstrated the righteousness of God.
Romans 3:25 Whom God the Father offered publicly as a propitiatory gift through faith by means of His blood in order to demonstrate His righteousness because of the deliberate and temporary suspension of judgment of the sins, which have taken place in the past on the basis of the tolerance originating from the character and nature of God the Father. (Author’s translation)
Romans 3:26 teaches the communication of the gospel during the church age demonstrates the righteousness of God.
Romans 3:26 Correspondingly, in relation to the demonstration of His righteousness during this present distinct period of history, that He Himself is, as an eternal spiritual truth, inherently righteous, even while justifying anyone by means of faith in Jesus. (Author’s translation)
In Romans 3:27, Paul teaches that the law or the principle of faith in Jesus Christ in order to be justified before God excludes human merit and pride.
Romans 3:27 Under what conditions then, is there at any time pride and boasting? It has, as an eternal spiritual truth, been excluded! By what kind of principle? By means of actions produced by obedience to the Law? Absolutely not! But rather by means of the principle, which is faith. (Author’s translation)
Then, in Romans 3:28, he teaches that justification is by means of faith in Jesus Christ, independently of actions produced by obedience to the Law.
Romans 3:28 Because we are always of the firm conviction that a person is, as an eternal spiritual truth, justified by means of faith independently of actions produced by obedience to the Law. (Author’s translation)
In Romans 3:29, Paul teaches that God is not the God of the Jews only but also the God of the Gentiles as well.
Romans 3:29 Or, is God, as an eternal spiritual truth, in authority over the Jews only? Is He, as an eternal spiritual truth, unequivocally not in authority over the Gentiles also? Absolutely! Also, over the Gentiles. (Author’s translation)
In Romans 3:30, Paul writes that there is one and the same God for both Jew and Gentile and who therefore has only one means of justifying both groups, namely, faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:30 If, in fact-and let us assume that it’s true for the sake of argument, there is, as an eternal spiritual truth, one and the same God, who will certainly, as an eternal spiritual truth, justify the circumcision by means of faith as a source and the uncircumcision by means of faith. (Author’s translation)
In Romans 3:31, Paul teaches that faith in Jesus Christ upholds the Law rather than rendering it useless.
Romans 3:31 Are we then attempting to render useless at the present time the Law by means of faith? Absolutely not! On the contrary, we do uphold the Law. (Author’s translation)