WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO

“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:3,4).

 

It is necessary for every Christian to understand the part that the divine Law plays in God’s great plan for mankind.  There are things that the Law can and does do in the lives of the citizens of the world, and there are things that it cannot do.  Oddly enough, one of those things that the Law cannot do is to make men more righteous.  It isn’t because of any flaw in the Law itself for the Law is “holy, and just, and good” (Romans 7:12), but the problem lies with man because the human flesh has an inherent weakness that renders him incapable of keeping all of the Law no matter how willing he may be to do so.  “Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the Law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20).  “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the Law: for by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified” (Galatians 2:16). 

 

The problem with the flesh started a long time ago.  In the beginning of time, the first man and first woman failed to keep one basic command that God gave them, and that failure had serious consequences for all of Adam and Eve’s descendant’s right down to us.  Satan, through the serpent, made the forbidden fruit seem irresistible, and the man and the woman both partook of what God said not to.  In a world where only one command existed, man still managed to transgress that one command.  The result was that death, condemnation, and guilt came upon man because of his sin.  This carnal, fallen nature was passed on to every generation afterward just like other characteristics and traits are passed down from generation to generation in a family.  The sin nature is present in every individual that is born into the world, and that sin nature causes us to commit individual sins.  We are born a sinner before we ever grow to make bad choices in our lives.

 

The one thing that the Law does do really well is to teach us that we can’t keep the Law by any act of will or determination on our part!  “Wherefore the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24).  The purpose of the Law is to convince us that we are hopeless sinners who are in need of a Savior.  The more that we determine to keep God’s commandments, the more we find ourselves failing to do what our mind and conscience tells us is right.  The Apostle Paul understood how real the struggle was.  He said, “For the good that I would [wish to do] I do not: but the evil which I would not [wish to do], that I do” (Romans 7:19).  Paul discovered a force working in him for evil whenever he wanted to do what was good (Romans 7:21).  The realization that he was bound by his fallen nature caused him to make this declaration: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will [the willingness] is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” (Romans 7:18).  Each of us must come to that place in our lives where we cry out in desperation, as Paul did, and say, “O wretched man that I am!  Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24).  Until then we will not be ready to look to the one place where we can find true deliverance and peace for our poor lost souls.  Jesus Christ is the Way, He is the Truth, and He is the Life!  The Law can only point out our need, but it can’t give us life or righteousness – only Jesus can do that.  “…For if there had been a Law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the Law.  But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe” (Galatians 3:21,22).

 

Not long after I was converted to Christianity, the Holy Spirit made me conscious of a habit in my life that was injurious to me and to my witness before others.  God had wonderfully delivered me from many things the night that I gave my heart and life over to the Savior, but this was something that I did not initially see as wrong.  As the Lord gently shed His light on this thing, I became determined to lay it aside for the kingdom of God’s sake.  After all that God had done for me, this seemed like a very small thing indeed.  So, I quit this habit and went on my way, very happy in the Lord for my dedication and sacrifice.  About a day later, however, I began to be sorely tempted to return to my habit.  I resisted as best I could, but in the end I fell to the temptation.  Feeling very guilty and helpless, I went before the Lord and confessed my unfaithfulness saying something like, “O, Lord, I’m sorry for my sin and my lack of strength.  Forgive me, please.  Maybe I was not resolute enough before.  This time I give my habit to you once and for all!”  It wasn’t as long as the first time before I had fallen again.  So, back to the Lord I went in repentance.  I went back and forth like this a few more times before I finally got discouraged and quit trying.  Needless to say, I felt very much like a failure as a Christian, but I knew that Jesus was the answer – I just needed to figure it out I thought. 

 

A few nights later, my wife and I went to a Full Gospel Business Men’s meeting that was being held at a smorgasbord that was owned by a friend who was also a leader of that group.  After we had eaten and were waiting for the meeting to begin, the Lord began speaking to my heart about what I had been experiencing.  I realized then, as the Lord ministered to me, that I had been looking at things all wrong.  I thought that I had the power to change things in my life that weren’t right.  Having begun my walk in the Spirit, I unconsciously thought that I could now be made perfect by the flesh (Galatians 2:3).  So I prayed right there at my table and told the Lord how sorry I was for thinking that I had power to change even the smallest thing in my life.  I said, “Forgive me, Lord, for getting in your way.  Deliver me from this habit, and I will give You all the glory as You deserve.”  In 54 years I have never been tempted again since that night.  I discovered that the Lord was not just my Savior, but He was also my Deliverer as well.

 

The thing that the Lord taught me through my experience was a valuable principle that I could apply to every battle that I would face the rest of my life.  The lesson is this: the battle is never mine, it is the Lord’s (2Chronicles 20:15).  Some battles we may struggle through until we realize the truth of this and finally let go and let God have His way.  Others are easier, and by faith we just let God work His grace in our lives.  One thing is clear, however: we will never gain the victory over ourselves until we learn to surrender ourselves to God and to His will.  Many who are called Christians are like the Israelites that Paul describes in chapter ten of Romans.  “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.  For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.” (Romans 10:2-4).  Anything that I do through strength of will, or mere zeal for God, will always produce pride and arrogance in me.  What I can’t do for myself, but must lean on Christ to do by faith in His finished work, will produce humility in me.  This is probably why some of the smallest things in life can give us the most trouble.  Peter was called to be a pillar of the church, and at one point he told the Lord that even if everyone else would deny Him, he, Peter, never would.  He ended up doing that very thing - not once, or twice, but three times!  You can believe this was a great lesson for Peter and one that humbled him for the rest of his life; but it is a valuable lesson for us as well.

 

No matter how strong the power of the Law is to establish God’s standard of righteousness for the world, the best that it can do is bring condemnation upon all of us.  Only coupled with strong judicial penalties for breaking those laws can they provide a deterrent to man.  Even then, there are many who fall prey to the corruption that is in the world and the lust that is part their own nature.  What the Law can’t do, however, God can.  He sent His own Son into the world in the likeness of sinful flesh and condemned sin in the flesh.  Now, by faith, God’s righteousness can be fulfilled in us as we walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.  We find that the grace of God is not just sufficient for our redemption through the blood of Jesus, but it is also mighty to deliver us from the power of sin by His cross. 

 

Paul reminds us, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians2:8-10).  We humans are conditioned to think we have to work for everything, and we take great pride in the works of our hands and what we make of ourselves through the power of our own will.  Our strength and our will have limits, however, and will always fail us.  Our salvation is a gift of God’s grace.  We are His workmanship!  His creation!  His strength will never fail us if we believe and follow His Son.  We have been created in Christ Jesus, therefore we are new creatures in Christ; old things are passed away (old methods, old formulas), behold, all things are become new!  Instead of trying to put the new wine in old wineskins only to watch them burst and the wine lost, God has made us new wineskins that can hold the new wine of His Spirit and not burst.  The beauty of it is that we have been created unto good works.  The very works that God ordained from the beginning that we should walk in, we now can fulfill by the power of Christ working in us.  Now it is no longer I that live, but Christ Who lives in me; now it is no longer I that work, but Christ Who works in me.  It is indeed a glorious Gospel that has been delivered to mankind!  Having begun our walk in the Spirit, we must never be content to seek perfection by the works of the flesh (Galatians 3:3).  We can forever have confidence that He Who has begun a good work in us will continue to perform it until the day that Jesus returns to claim His own (Philippians 1:6). 

 

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2).