Paul points out that the law was given to the Jews that that is the ten commandments (Romans 2:17-27). This is so because he is focusing on their moral issues. And the Gentiles have the law within their conscious which bears witness to them when they do wrong that they are wrong:
“They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them (Romans 2:15, NIV).
Two group of people with the element of the law with them. However, both of them face the same standards below:
What the Law does
- The law shows us our sins: “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 (Romans 3:20, NIV).”
The Jews cannot claim to be righteous before God through the works of the law or by doing what the law requires because all have sinned against God (Romans 3:23). Even the Gentiles cannot work out for their justification before God. Doing good is not the way of gaining eternal life or being right with God.
- The law shows us the need for the Savior: “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify (Romans 3:21, NIV).”
Both the work of the law in the Jews and the law in the conscious of the Gentiles shows that people have sinned against God and they need the Savior to save them from the wrath of God which is made clear in their condemnation seen in their conscious (for the Gentiles) and written in the Scripture and seen in their conscious (for the Jews).
Until we know the details around our wrong doing we cannot see the need for being saved or asking for mercy from God. We need the law to convict us and condemn us for our wrong doing and God has done just that to help us know our offence. The Holy Spirit is here to use the word of God to convict the world of sin.
- It will be difficulty to understand the doctrine of justification and its implications because the idea of the righteousness of Christ accounted to the sinner by faith can be grasped well within the framework of the law operating as the convicting and condemning one.
Thus why in the teachings of Paul, you will find that justification is addressed along side the subject of the law.
The problem we can have when we exclude the law in our lives
When people do not have an objective moral law, they tend to see themselves as good people because their view of what is good is based on the subjective goodness. Either comparing oneself to the next person or those in prison and bad people in the street who do well-known evil acts etc.
Self-righteousness is common is this kind of the world. And the message of people being “good” destroys them. I am glad of how Christians have stood for the gospel showing how sinful we are in fighting the idea of us being good. We have propagated that only one is good that is God.
This looks insane to the world for someone to pursue, because someone may ask, what good is it for you to teach that you are not good? ” You need to motivate yourself, see the good in you.” This is what the world is propagating. However, Paul says, “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature (Romans 7:18, NIV).”
The good that the Christians depend on for their justification is that which Christ is. And that which God wrought in them in their sanctification is the good the Christian delights in. A nonbeliever also cannot find any good if he is to look for it within himself.
