Sunday, October 3, 2010

The Purpose of the Law

A human being under sin had not been allowed to recognize the Lord God directly until Jesus came down on the earth because the Lord is God and perfect being in His holiness and completeness. That was a reason why God gave His Law to the people of the Israelite. A man who is under sin dies when he sees God because God is Holy. So, God let His people have the Law which He Himself made through His Word. God’s perfection and Holiness, therefore, are revealed in the Law. The Law reflects God’s attribute.

Then, the question “What is the Law? And what is the function of the Law?” is brought up. Basically, the Law is God’s Word. The will and commandment of God toward the Israelite are included in the Law. Although the Israelite was being led by God, the people of God did not know who God is, and what kind of life God wants His people to live on. That was the very first reason why God gave the Law to His people. By reading the Law, the Israelite could know who God is, how to live and what to do in God.

Let us think further concerning this. Certainly, the fact that God gave the Law to His people has nothing to do with the matter of salvation. God did not allow His people to be saved by keeping the Law. God has already known that humans under sin cannot keep the Law completely. The purpose of giving the Law and commanding through the Law were to make His people have exact knowledge of identity on God. In addition, God wanted His people to know that there is no other god who can be powerful all over the world like the Lord God. The Israelite was given the Law from God, and through the blessings the Israelite receives, all nations came to know that God of the Israelite is the true and almighty Lord. Deuteronomy 4:1-14 tells us God of the Word, especially, in verse 10, God indicates the purpose of the Word, “Assemble the people before me to hear my Words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.” God wants His people to know that the salvation, ultimately, is in the hand of God. And God who gave the Law to His people will be their God for good.

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