The law of God is good; Paul said so in Rom. 7:12. David wrote that the law of God, the Word of God, is perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant, pure, and sure. The effect of the law is to revive the soul, make wise the simple, give joy to the heart, give light to the eyes, to endure forever with us, to be desired more than gold or honey, to warn the servants of God, and to produce a great reward for those who keep it (Ps. 19:7-11).

But the first experience that we have with the law of God is terrifying. The law will show us what sin is, and tell us that we are law-breakers who stand condemned by a holy God who considers violation of his law as cosmic treason. Paul wrote that the law became death to him when it showed him how sinful sin really was, and that he was in reality a slave to sin. He says that he never would have known sin without the law (Rom. 7:7-20). Initially the law, by showing us our sin and inability to please God, leads us to Christ (Gal. 3:24). It is precisely because we are sinners that we need the law; Paul says it was made for ungodly sinful people, just like us (1 Tim. 1:8-10).

The law shows us our sin, and by the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, we face our helpless state and flee to Christ for justification and salvation. The law can teach us that we are sinners, but the law cannot forgive us of our sins, for if it could have done so, Jesus died in vain (Gal. 2:21, 3:21). God could have spared himself the trouble and his Son the horrible suffering of the cross by just giving man a law and having him keep it. But sin renders us incapable of law-keeping (1 Cor. 2;14, Rom. 8:7-8), and requires a righteousness from "outside our selves" if we would find acceptance before the holy God (Rom. 1:16-17).

The law cannot justify, but there is another thing the law cannot do in the life of one justified through faith in Jesus, it cannot condemn. Now, certainly, the law condemns those who stand only on the basis of their own righteousness, but the Christian is in Christ. God looks upon his Son and accepts him, thus he accepts all those who are in him. In him is found redemption and the forgiveness of sins (Eph. 1:7). For this reason, the law can never condemn one who is in Christ (Rom. 8:1).

But what is the purpose of the law for the Christian if can neither justify him nor condemn him? Why should he study and seek to follow the law of God? There are three very good reasons for us to be obedient, never perfectly, for the flesh will never allow that, but, at least, persistently, to GodÌs law:

First, the law is a reflection of our sin. We need to be reminded continually that we fail to measure up to the standard of GodÌs full demands. We shall then be kept humble, and we shall come again and again to Christ to seek his mercy and grace in living our Christian lives (Heb. 4:16).

Second, the law is a restraint on our behavior. With God's laws and principles fixed firmly in our minds, we shall know what is right and wrong, and our consciences will be in tune with truth. The law will hold us back from doing sins that our flesh would like to do.  We shall never succeed in always choosing what is right, but God's law, working in conjunction with the Spirit, will restrain us from much evil, and over the course of our lifetimes, God will make us more and more into the image of his Son (2 Cor. 3:16, Rom. 8:29, 1 Thess. 4:3, 5:23-24).

Third, the law of God reveals to us what God's will for our lives is. How would we otherwise know how we should live? How should we know the choices God wants us to make? We need guidance, and God, through his perfect and inspired word delivered to us in Holy Scripture, provides the law that is the roadmap for our journey through life.

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