his death, which paid the debt of the Law, that the new law and new covenant went into effect. Remember, shedding of blood was the only way the disobedience of sin could be forgiven, which ultimately leads to righteousness.”
He raised his book to read.
“Romans 5:19—For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
“Animal sacrifice was performed for the sins of an individual man, but Jesus died for all the sins of every believer, past, present, and future. Sin entered the world through one man, Adam, and sin left the world through one man, Jesus.
“The Mosaic Law and covenant was like Adam’s Law and covenant in that it was based on obedience. In effect, if you could obey everything God laid out in his law, the Law of Moses, you would be found righteous, and granted the right to live eternally with God.
“Romans 10:5—Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: “The man who does these things will live by them.”
Joshua expanded on the idea for emphasis of its importance.
“At the time of Moses, those men had to obey every line of the Law, and if they could do this they would live forever with God. Strict adherence to every tiny aspect of the Law was necessary for righteous fulfillment of that law.”
He paused to take a drink but was serious with his next question, “So… tell me, John, what is the problem with the law of Moses?”
I was ready for him with this one, “The problem with the Law, Joshua, is that no man, except Jesus, can follow every aspect of God’s law. Hence, we all become sinners.”
He quoted from the Bible with confirmation of my answer.
“Romans 3:23—for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
I grabbed a cookie and returned to my seat before he delivered the next question with authority.
“Then, we have a very big problem, don’t we? Why would a God who loves you, calls you his child, and wants you to be with him in Heaven, give you a law that you could not obey? Would you do this to your children?”
“No!” my reply was an emotional knee-jerk response.
“Would you ask your children to do something you knew they could not do and then say that was the only way they could come live with you?”
“No!”
“Is that the action of a loving Father?” He kept pushing.
“No!”
“You are correct! Therefore, the purpose of the law of Moses could not have been to get God’s people to Heaven. There had to be a different reason for God to give them the Law!” He looked directly at me asking, “What was God’s reason for establishing this law?”
He set his black marker in the tray at the base of the whiteboard and began to walk away. I reacted without thinking.
“Whoa! You can’t leave me hanging! Where do you think you’re going?”
He turned back at me and smiled saying, “Why… to get us some more lemonade. The rest of this can be a lot to swallow. You will need more to drink if you are going to wash down such a hot topic.”
Chapter 3
Heritage
His question was perplexing as I recalled his words in exact detail.
“Therefore, the purpose of the Law of Moses could not have been to get God’s people to Heaven. There had to be a different reason for God to give them the Law! What was God’s reason for establishing this law?”
I sat in moderate confusion.
Following every aspect of the Law was their ticket to Heaven, but they didn’t have the ability to do this?
This was a spiritual conundrum, and I had no good answer. I restated his question as he approached with full glasses in hand.
“Okay, Joshua, if the Law was not going to lead them to Heaven, what was the purpose of the Law?”
He smiled and set the sweating glasses on the table between us. He began writing on the board as he recited the verse.
“Romans 3:20—Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.”
Needless to say, I was quite surprised. I had read most of the Bible in my life but could not understand how this seemed so straightforward in meaning.
How had I missed this concept all of these years?
“The purpose of God’s law is to show me that I am a sinner?” I stated with questioning confirmation. “Is it really that simple?”
He turned to me with a smile and said, “Yes, John, simple…but not easy. You see, God’s law shows you that if you continue to do certain things that break his law, you are sinning. And this rule applies to every law that God has ever established with mankind. In the pre-saved state, the law of God makes you aware of the fact that if something does not change in your life, you cannot attain the closest possible relationship with him. Do you recall, when we spoke earlier about the meetings at Alcoholics Anonymous?”
I turned in my chair to face him and said, “Yes, I do.”
“And what is the first thing they all stand up and say at every meeting?”
“I am an alcoholic!” I recalled learning the answer while doing my Psychology rotations in medical school. We were required to observe these meetings to discover the mental aspects behind the problem these patients face.
“In essence, Joshua, they are stating the following;
“I recognize that I have a problem, I am an alcoholic.
“I need help to solve my problem.
“I cannot do this alone!”
Joshua nodded in agreement before asking, “Does this sound familiar?”
I sat back in my chair before I spoke, “Are you referring to the spiritual problem we have been discussing?”
“Absolutely! The purpose of God’s law is to show you that you are a sinner, because you simply do not have the ability to keep his law. You see, in the pre-saved spiritual era of your life, you need to stand up and say;
“I recognize that I have a problem, I am a sinner.
“I need help to solve my problem.
“I cannot do this alone!
“During this early phase of your spiritual life, it is important that you realize you have a very big problem, which you cannot solve on your own. No matter how hard you try with your physical actions, you will not get into Heaven without help. Fortunately, you are not alone. God has provided a sanctifying rescue through faith in Christ. The solution to your problem is believing in Jesus!”
He wrote on the board as he spoke, “The capability of the Law was not to lead them to Heaven. The purpose of the Law was to lead them to Jesus!”
“Very cool, Joshua,” I said with recognition.
“Very cool, indeed! Please understand, that according to the law of Moses, sins were forgiven through the shedding of blood. Something, or someone, had to die for their sins. His name was ‘Jesus’.”
He opened his book to the exact page and began to read as he wrote.
“Galatians 3:23-25—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