The Purpose of the Law
“The law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.”
(Galatians 3:24, NIV)
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“What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the seed to whom the promise referred had come... Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. 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. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.” (Galatians 3:19a, 21-25 NIV)
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I recently completed lecturing and facilitation of a month-long introduction to Christian ethics for Advanced Certificate students in Church Ministry at Cape Town Biblical College, a distance learning extension of Northwest University in Potchefstroom, where I have served as a part time lecturer and online facilitator in Practical Theology, Spiritual Formation, and Ethics throughout this year. In some sense, the “Ethics” focus of this lecturing position has been a stretch given my educational background and teaching experience so far,given my background in spiritual formation, which involves the holistic integration of developmental theology, psychology, leadership development, and personal transformation unto maturity in Christ.
As the saying goes, “Those who fail to learn, teach!” While the naturally-born teacher inside me bristles with offence at this cliché, there is a measure of truth to it, as is the case with most trite sayings. I have learned (relearned, refreshed, thought through in depth for the first time, etc.) more about the nature of the law, the role of the Holy Spirit, the heart of flesh open for transformation within the New Covenant, and the deeply inherent need for a fresh perspective on ethics, obedience, and the purpose of the law to emerge today. When I consider the rampant sense of lawlessness that seems to be on the increase throughout many cultures across our globe today, this desire for a fresh hearing for ‘the good of obedience’ and ‘the necessity for holiness’ only grows inside of me. I am aware of my own hypocrisy as I type this, knowing that I often see the speck of dust in my wife or neighbour’s eye, unwilling (and unaware!) of the giant redwood plank jutting out grotesquely from my own eye socket. I have so much to learn, to own up to, to acknowledge, and to transform within my own heart, that it often feels like I am just beginning the journey of following Jesus,instead of almost 24 years down the journey’s road. Put crudely: I still suck at loving my neighbour, starting with those closest to me (Hello Maxie and Mia!).
And so I board this train of thought with a simple query echoing the words of Paul to the Galatians 3: What is the purpose of the law itself, especially given our lawless hearts (even if redeemed by Christ as mine has been decades earlier)? I have many thoughts that answer this question, but let me close by allowing Paul, and perhaps the Living Word of God in the text, to speak for itself as a starting place:
“The law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.” (Gal 3:24, NIV)
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