877. The Law of Stone Tablets Was Not Based on Faith - So Why Was It Given?

Once upon a time, God made a covenant with a guy named Abraham. It would be based upon a promise God made to him, and by believing that promise, it was counted as righteousness to Abraham. His justification was not based upon anything he did, but by what he believed in regard to the word God spoke to him. Several hundred years later, God made a covenant with a nation known as Israel, which would be based upon the Jewish people and their ability to obey a law of 613 commandments (works). They failed, but this would not annul the promise regarding the covenant God made with Abraham.

So why was the law given? Paul gives us at least a partial clue in Galatians 3. The law was in place as a guardian for those who were under it … but only until the promised Seed should come (Jesus). That old law was not of faith (Galatians 3:12), but when Christ arrived, faith came. Once faith made the scene, the Jewish people would no longer be under the old guard (the law of works). The promise made to Abraham came to fruition with a new and better covenant established through Jesus Christ after His death and resurrection. This new and everlasting covenant would annul/cancel/set aside the failed and faulty covenant made with Israel. This would open the door for all people to come together as one in Christ.



   
Get the book