We often think of the Law as simply the Ten Commandments, but it actually consisted of 613 statutes and commandments covering all aspects of Israel's conduct in the Land during Bible times. Its 248 mandatory laws and 365 laws of prohibition, spanned not only the moral law, e.g. the Ten Commandments, but also basic directives required for the civil, religious, and international administration of ancient Israel's government under God. For this reason, it is impossible to translate all of its precepts to modern times, because some of its provisions were unique to the Land of Israel with its geographical features, and to the Levitical system with the Temple, both of which ceased to exist when the nation was destroyed in the first century.

The Law was strict and uncompromising. While adherence to it could  enable the forgiveness of temporal sins, any willful disobedience of its provisions carried severe penalties, including death. Perhaps the character of the Law is best summed up by Moses' warning to the Hebrews at Mt. Sinai, prior to their entrance into the Land.

Israel's record of failure with respect to the Law is well documented through the Old Testament, for it ultimately became the reason for their expulsion from the Promised Land. Even the length of their 70 year Babylonian Exile may be related to their repeated violation of one of the Levitical provisions of the Law as indicated by the following text.

Like Moses, Jesus had a very high regard for the Law. In the Sermon on the Mount, He indicated that He had not come to destroy it but to fulfill it, that it would remain in effect even to the present time, and that obedience to its provisions would be a measure of one's "righteousness".

Indeed, when a lawyer tested Jesus with the question, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?", then proceeded to associate obedience of the Law with his question, Jesus seemed to affirm that strict adherence to God's Law could be related to one's eternal standing.

Any conclusion that would tie eternal life to obedience of the Law should certainly solicit a hearty "amen" from those who hold that we must still obey the Law today in order to be right with God, however the next few verses of Jesus' remarks in the Sermon on the Mount will add some thought-provoking stipulations that ought to be most troubling to such a conclusion, because they indicate that true obedience to the Law requires conformity not only in body but also in mind.

If we seriously contemplate the implications of such stipulations, we will probably all agree that no one is completely free from guilt under the Law, for while some may not have actually committed physical actions in violation of its commandments, all certainly have thought in some of the wrong ways indicated by the above admonitions. This prompts us to ask the question: "Since the Law remains in effect today, just how fully must we meet the provisions of the Law to please God"?

The answer to the previous question is contained in the New Testament Church Letters written by Paul, but in order to clearly understand his argument it is useful to break it down into the following steps.

• No one meets all of the provisions of the Law

• Failure to meet the provisions of the Law is counted as "sin", and will result in death.

• If we attempt to be made right, i.e. justified, in God's eyes by obeying the Law, God's response will always be to Judge us.

In the previous Scriptures, we have the testimonies of Moses, Jesus, and Paul, regarding the nature of God's Law, so let's compare them.

As set down through Moses, the precepts of the Law were certainly strict and its standards high. Moreover, the historic evidence confirms that ancient Israel was unable to overcome the burden that it imposed, causing them eventually to be expelled from the Promised Land.

Jesus clarified the full standards imposed by the Law by elevating it still higher when He emphasized that its precepts embody not only what we do, but also how we think. Yet He related obedience of the Law with righteousness, and even acknowledged in His dialogue with the lawyer that the lawyer's association of the Law with eternal life was fundamentally correct.

However, Paul emphatically declared that no one is free from guilt under the Law, and that fact will always bring about our death and God's Judgement. In fact, his final remark in the above Galatians' text adds that the only way we can be made right with God, thus the only way to get to Heaven, is by faith apart from the Law.

• Can the statements by Moses, Jesus, and Paul regarding the Law be reconciled?

Up to this point, we have reviewed a few key Scriptures concerning the Law, but without giving much attention to the nature of the God who created it, or to the underlying reason for its existence. 

1. With regard to the nature of the God who created it:

Notice that the Law is set forth in a way that seems designed first to identify, then punish offenders. If you will review the Ten Commandments, it will become apparent that they are generally conveyed in a negative tone, devoid of a sense of personal concern by the God who created them. Likewise, the Deuteronomy Scripture quoted seems to set the stage for Israel's later failure, as though it were a foregone conclusion that they would fail to measure up. 

Even Jesus who came to demonstrate God's love had few words of encouragement when it came to the Law. While He opined that obedience of the Law was a measure of righteousness, He then added that it better be greater than that of the Pharisees. This is of precious little comfort to us, because the Pharisees had dedicated their lives to obeying the Law. If that was insufficient, what chance do we have?

Of course, if the Law is as perfect as the God who created it, we could explain the negative sense in which it has been communicated to us. Since God is perfect and we are not, it is evident that a perfect Law would present a set of standards impossibly high. In that case, it would be most appropriate to present them in a negative sense, because our failure to meet its provisions would be guaranteed. Thus the Law would simply forecast our failure, surely no reason for a good word of optimism from a God who does not compromise with disobedience.

By the same token, Jesus' seeming agreement with the lawyer could be explained. The lawyer made a big mistake when he "tested" Jesus, because he incorrectly approached the matter of eternal life from the perspective of the Law. If that is the perfect standard against which God establishes our guilt as Paul indicates, then it would certainly be the wrong standard to use in a dialog with the Savior concerning how to gain eternal life. By this reasoning, Jesus' seeming affirmation of the Law in relation to eternal life should be understood theoretically rather than practically. That is to say, the Law could give us eternal life if we fully obey it, and this is exactly what Jesus said. Unfortunately, just trying to obey it isn't good enough. Perhaps this also explains why the lawyer oddly tried to justify himself, causing Jesus to offer the parable of the "Good Samaritan". The  lawyer knew, just as we know, that we do not always do what we know to be right, and he being a legal expert knew that he fell well short of the standard he had just quoted.

2. With regard to the underlying reason for its existence:

If the Law is actually as perfect as God Himself, we have a logical basis upon which to proffer a reason for its existence. It would not be for the purpose of justifying us, but rather for the purpose of convicting us. Therefore, its underlying purpose would be to show us how woefully short we come in our attempts to measure up to God's perfect righteousness. By this means, it could become the incentive for us to ask God,  "is there another way?", whereupon He could lovingly respond, "yes, it is by faith in my Son who I have sent to be the Savior of the world!"

See what Paul concludes concerning the Law:

Surely, these Scriptures can now provide us with a convincing argument to explain just how the Law fits into God's eternal Plan for mankind.

If we try to use obedience of the Law as our basis for getting to Heaven, we will fail. Indeed, such an attempt would pervert the very purpose of the Law, for it is intended to be the "yardstick", not the "bridge", measuring how far short we fall of God's perfect standard. We need God's perfect "bridge" to span the infinite chasm between our inadequate performance and His perfect standards.

Surely, if we will avail ourselves of His way by faith in the work of His Son, we will not be forced to stand before the Creator of the Universe on that day, feebly trying to justify why we should be allowed entrance into Heaven on the basis of our "righteousness" rather than His.

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