The Law's Purpose: Leading Us to Grace in Christ
Summary
In the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verse 17, we find a profound distinction between the law given through Moses and the grace and truth that came through Jesus Christ. This distinction is crucial for understanding the benefits and blessings of Christian salvation. The law, often misunderstood, was never intended as a means of salvation. Instead, it serves to reveal the character of God and the sinfulness of humanity. Many, especially those of us who are Evangelical Christians, tend to dismiss the law, thinking that with Christ's coming, it is no longer needed. However, this is a misunderstanding. The law is not obsolete; it is essential for understanding our need for grace.
The law was given to show us the demands of God and to reveal the exceeding sinfulness of sin. It is through the law that we understand our inability to meet God's standards on our own. The Jews of the Old Testament, and many today, mistakenly believed that by observing the law, they could achieve righteousness. This is a fundamental error. The law was never meant to justify; it was meant to convict and to lead us to Christ. It acts as a schoolmaster, bringing us to the realization of our need for a Savior.
The law's purpose is not to save but to show the impossibility of salvation through human effort. It highlights our weaknesses and our need for divine intervention. The law demands perfection, which we cannot achieve due to our sinful nature. It leaves us helpless, pointing us to the grace available through Jesus Christ. The law, therefore, is not against the promises of God but works in harmony with them to bring us to faith in Christ.
Understanding the law's true purpose helps us appreciate the grace and truth that Jesus brings. It is not about dismissing the law but using it rightly to lead us to the grace found in Christ. The law convicts us of sin, shuts us up to our own righteousness, and drives us to the Savior. In this way, it fulfills its role as a guide to Christ, who alone can save us.
Key Takeaways:
- The law was never intended as a means of salvation but to reveal God's character and our sinfulness, leading us to appreciate the grace found in Jesus Christ. [07:25]
- Misunderstanding the law leads to the error of self-righteousness, where individuals believe they can achieve salvation through their own efforts, ignoring the necessity of grace. [09:16]
- The law's demands are perfect and unattainable by human effort, highlighting our need for a Savior and pointing us to the grace available through Jesus Christ. [22:33]
- The law serves as a schoolmaster, convicting us of sin and leading us to Christ, emphasizing the importance of repentance and the realization of our helplessness without divine intervention. [39:18]
- Properly understanding and using the law helps us appreciate the preeminence of Christ and the grace He offers, rather than dismissing the law as irrelevant. [44:17]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:12] - Introduction to John 1:17
- [00:34] - The Importance of Understanding the Law
- [01:12] - Misunderstandings About the Law
- [02:01] - The Role of Repentance
- [02:46] - The Law Reveals God's Character
- [03:38] - The Exceeding Sinfulness of Sin
- [04:46] - Why God Gave the Law
- [06:42] - Misapplication of the Law
- [07:25] - The Law and Grace Relationship
- [09:16] - The Error of Self-Righteousness
- [13:18] - The Law as a Guide to Christ
- [22:33] - The Law's Demands and Human Weakness
- [39:18] - The Law as a Schoolmaster
- [44:17] - Using the Law Rightly
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- John 1:17
- Romans 3:20-22
- Galatians 3:23-24
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Observation Questions:
1. What distinction does John 1:17 make between the law and what Jesus Christ brought? How does this distinction help us understand the purpose of the law? [00:12]
2. According to the sermon, what was the primary misunderstanding of the Jews regarding the law, and how did it affect their view of salvation? [08:30]
3. How does the sermon describe the role of the law as a "schoolmaster"? What is its purpose in leading us to Christ? [39:18]
4. In Romans 3:20-22, what does Paul say about the law's ability to justify us before God? How does this align with the sermon's message? [14:37]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the sermon explain the relationship between the law and grace? Why is it important not to dismiss the law entirely? [44:17]
2. What does the sermon suggest is the danger of misunderstanding the law's purpose? How might this lead to self-righteousness? [09:16]
3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the law highlights our need for a Savior? How does this understanding impact our view of grace? [22:33]
4. How does the sermon use Galatians 3:23-24 to illustrate the law's role in bringing us to faith in Christ? What does it mean to be "shut up unto the faith"? [42:19]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you might have relied on your own efforts to achieve righteousness. How can you shift your focus to rely more on the grace of Jesus Christ? [09:16]
2. The sermon emphasizes the importance of understanding the law's true purpose. How can you deepen your understanding of God's law in a way that leads you to appreciate His grace more fully? [44:17]
3. Consider the role of repentance in your spiritual journey. How does recognizing your inability to fulfill the law on your own lead you to a deeper repentance and reliance on Christ? [02:01]
4. How can you use the law as a guide to Christ in your daily life, rather than seeing it as a burden or a means of self-justification? [39:18]
5. Identify an area in your life where you might be misunderstanding or misapplying the law. How can you seek clarity and guidance to align your understanding with the message of grace? [06:42]
6. The sermon suggests that the law convicts us of sin and drives us to the Savior. How can you allow this conviction to transform your relationship with Jesus and others? [39:18]
7. How can you encourage others in your community to see the law as a tool that leads to Christ, rather than a set of rules to be followed for salvation? [45:27]
Devotional
Day 1: The Law Reveals Our Need for Grace
The law given through Moses was never intended as a means of salvation but as a revelation of God's character and our sinfulness. It serves to highlight the gap between God's holiness and our human frailty, pointing us to the grace found in Jesus Christ. By understanding the law's true purpose, we can appreciate the profound need for grace and the salvation offered through Christ. The law is not obsolete; it is a vital tool that leads us to recognize our need for a Savior. [07:25]
"For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:20, ESV)
Reflection: In what ways have you relied on your own efforts to achieve righteousness? How can you shift your focus to embrace the grace offered through Jesus today?
Day 2: The Danger of Self-Righteousness
Misunderstanding the law can lead to the error of self-righteousness, where individuals believe they can achieve salvation through their own efforts. This mindset ignores the necessity of grace and the impossibility of meeting God's standards on our own. The law was never meant to justify us but to convict us of our need for divine intervention. Recognizing this helps us avoid the trap of self-righteousness and embrace the grace that only Christ can provide. [09:16]
"For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.'" (Galatians 3:10, ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt self-sufficient in your spiritual journey. How can you remind yourself of your dependence on God's grace today?
Day 3: The Law's Demands Highlight Our Need for a Savior
The law's demands are perfect and unattainable by human effort, underscoring our need for a Savior. It reveals our weaknesses and the impossibility of achieving righteousness on our own, pointing us to the grace available through Jesus Christ. By acknowledging our limitations, we can fully appreciate the salvation that Christ offers and the grace that empowers us to live according to God's will. [22:33]
"For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it." (James 2:10, ESV)
Reflection: Identify an area in your life where you feel you fall short of God's standards. How can you invite Jesus into this area to experience His grace and strength?
Day 4: The Law as a Schoolmaster Leading to Christ
The law serves as a schoolmaster, convicting us of sin and leading us to Christ. It emphasizes the importance of repentance and the realization of our helplessness without divine intervention. By understanding the law's role, we can see it as a guide that brings us to the foot of the cross, where we find forgiveness and new life in Christ. [39:18]
"So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith." (Galatians 3:24, ESV)
Reflection: Consider how the law has acted as a guide in your spiritual journey. How can you use this understanding to deepen your relationship with Christ today?
Day 5: Using the Law Rightly to Appreciate Christ's Preeminence
Properly understanding and using the law helps us appreciate the preeminence of Christ and the grace He offers. Rather than dismissing the law as irrelevant, we can see it as a tool that leads us to the grace found in Jesus. The law convicts us of sin and drives us to the Savior, fulfilling its role as a guide to Christ, who alone can save us. [44:17]
"Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law." (Romans 3:31, ESV)
Reflection: How can you use your understanding of the law to deepen your appreciation for Christ's sacrifice? What steps can you take today to live in the grace He provides?
Quotes
We have seen, I think quite clearly, that it is our failure to understand the function of the law and to experience the work of the law in us and upon us that accounts in very large measure for our failure to thank God and to praise him as we ought for all that he has done for us by grace in and through his only begotten son our Lord and savior. [00:60:71]
The law is given in order that we may know something about the being and the character of God. God was revealing himself when he gave the law in this explicit form to the children of Israel. Not only that, he was reminding them of the law that he had originally placed in the heart of men. [00:168:68]
The law was never given as a possible way of Salvation. Now there I put it in the form of an assertion or a principle. The law was never given to be a possible way of Salvation. Now there you see at once we face to face with this Cardinal error of which the Jews were guilty. [00:459:59]
All people who think that they can make themselves Christian are guilty of this same error. All people, in other words, who think that a Christian is to be defined as a man who lives a good life or a man who does a lot of good or a man who sacrifices himself for the sake of others, they're all guilty of this particular error. [00:523:03]
The law was never given as a possible means of Salvation. We must once and forever get rid of the idea that God is it where through the law was trying an experiment, for that is what it really comes to according to that view, that God said various things to the children of Israel. [00:805:51]
The law was given in order to show that nobody ever could be saved along that line. That's the right way. So I come to my third and last principle and put it like this. I needn't keep you. Why was the law then given? What is the real fundamental object which God had in mind in giving the law? [01:2312:04]
The law was given that we might know our utter and complete helplessness, hopelessness, and our ultimate complete inability, total inability. The difficulty with all of us is that we'll never admit we can't do things. The reason why a man doesn't believe in Christ and accept his salvation is that he still thinks that he can do it himself. [01:2387:11]
The law you see when it does its work properly in me makes me desperate, makes me see my utter hopelessness. It makes me cry out saying, not the labors of my hands can fulfill thy laws demands. Could my Zeal know respit no, could my tears forever flow, all for sin could not atone, thou must save and thou alone. [01:2469:83]
The law was our school Master to bring us to Christ and the law is still the school Master to bring us to Christ. And I assert again that no man ever truly comes to Christ except he be brought by this school master. I don't understand a conversion and a regeneration that says I know nothing about repentance. [01:2605:68]
The law is our school Master to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. That's why it was given. That is the inspired account of the cause of the giving of the law there. Therefore, we must never dismiss the law. Don't misinterpret John 1:17. Don't kick the law out. It's not meant to be. [01:2653:35]
The right reaction to the error of the Jews and to all who are trying to justify themselves by their works and by their actions is not to depreciate or to condemn or to dismiss the law. What is it then? It is to use the law rightly. It is to use the law properly. [01:2690:35]
The law is good if a man use it lawfully. These people, as he were trying to bring the law back, Paul says no, you're doing it in the wrong way. The law is good if a man use it lawfully, knowing this, that the law is not made for unrighteous men but for the Lawless and disobedient. [01:2757:20]
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