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Why Have God's Law?

Galatians 3:19-20
Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one. (NIVUK)

The Law given to Moses was temporary. It could never make bad people good; or nice people perfect. Although the Jews claimed that God loved them because they loved His Law, the problem was that none of them could ever keep it – and therefore they were excluded from fellowship with God. So, what was the point of the Law? It defined sin and made it clearly punishable. Christ is the Saviour who redeems us from the punishment of sin: but first, sin and its punishment had to be defined. Romans 3:20 says, “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.”
 
So the Law had to come before the Saviour; but the promise of salvation through Christ had to come before the Law, otherwise the Law would have been inescapable! God entrusted the fulfilment of the Law to Jesus as the Mediator. He mediated between law-breaking humanity and God … and yet the man Christ Jesus is also fully God. So God became His own mediator in accepting the punishment for every broken law. This shows that God is indeed just. He never blurred the edges between holiness and sin, but He fully defined both in the Law, and brought them together (mediated) in the crucified body of Jesus.
 
This is greater mercy and grace than we can ever grasp, but those who trust in Jesus live with hope and joy because of it. Our sin in never minimised in God’s eyes; Christ suffered for all of it. But neither should God’s grace be minimised in our eyes; our experience of His love is totally dependent on it. This is the message of hope which is desperately needed throughout this broken world. If we know it, we have an obligation to live in the good of it and share it with others. A good way of doing that is to ask your friends and colleagues to watch www.crosscheck.org.uk and share your personal testimony with them.

Prayer 
God of grace and mercy. Thank You for clearly defining the line between sin and holiness, and for allowing Your Son to mediate on my behalf. I repent of my habit of blurring the edges of right and wrong and ask that You show me my sin, so that I may confess it to You and receive Your mercy, grace and fresh hope for the future. Please also help me to share this wonderful message with my friends and colleagues. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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© Dr Paul Adams