What is the purpose of God's law today?
When we think of the law of God, the first thing that should come to mind is love—God's love for us as fallen sinners, directing us to love Him, enjoy Him, and glorify Him. God's law is a gracious gift to us, and it has three primary uses.
- First, the law functions as a teacher by showing us God's perfect righteousness and our unrighteousness and sin, and it shows our danger of God's judgment, leading us, by God's grace, in repentance and faith to Jesus Christ who fulfilled all the righteous demands of God's law (Rom. 3:20; 4:15; Gal. 3:19–24).
- Second, the law functions to restrain evil in all realms of society, preserving humanity and, thus, serving God's overall plan of redemption for His covenant people (Deut. 19:16–21; 1 Tim. 1:8–11).
- Third, the law functions as a guide to righteous living for all men, and it directs us as God's beloved children by teaching us what pleases our heavenly Father and fulfills the law of Christ (1 Cor. 9:21; 1 Thess. 4:1–8). Author:Sproul