I was raised being told that it is impossible to keep the law of God, and therefore we needed the cross, and the sacrifice of Jesus. I was told all my life that it was the hopelessness of keeping the law perfectly. It made salvation by faith necessary.
Does the Bible anywhere say that we can never keep the law? Not in the Old Testament. Here is a verse in the KJV,
(Deu 30:11 KJV) For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
The NASB represents an alternate translation found in several versions,
(Deu 30:11 NAS77) "For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach.The issue is not that it is impossible. The point, even with the Old Testament, is that keeping the law will not earn your salvation. That is not the result of keeping the law. The law was designed to make your life better, and to make the life in your community better. It was a national standard. It did not deliver salvation.
So no, the point was not that you could not keep the law. The point was keeping the law would not do you any good in eternity. Through the entire Bible salvation is offered as an act of God and what He expected of us was faith and obedience. What Jesus did was replace the blood sacrifice of animals with His perfect blood and made access to eternal life available to all.
homo unius libri
Good point. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteEven a broken clock it right twice a day.
DeleteGrace and peace.