THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW

The purpose of a stop sign is to tell people to stop their car.  It sits in silent judgment.  It does not reward, for the purpose of the law is not to reward, only to punish.  No one after having stopped their car at a stop sign has had a brass band leap out and play a song for them honoring them for stopping.  People are not given a day's wage in reward for stopping at a stop sign.  There is no reward for obeying the law, because that is not the function of the law.  But people have lost a days wage in traffic tickets for not stopping!  That is the function of the law, to judge, and to prescribe a penalty.  The law was not madeto reward.

"For the law was given by Moses,but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."

John 1:17 

In future publication of this page, a picture of a stop sign will be printed in this space.  The caption will read:

THE LAW SITS IN SILENT JUDGMENT.  IT NEVER REWARDS, IT ONLY JUDGES.

In a similar way, the Old Testament laws of God were never intended to impart eternal life.  It never had the purpose of rewarding those who obeyed it.  The purpose of God's law as given in the Old Testament then was to proclaim condemnation upon mankind that they might seek through Christ the salvation that the law could never provide.

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God.  Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

                           Romans 3:19-20

Therefore the law was our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

                             Galatians 3:24