Know the Law; Justified by Faith

The law does nothing to make us good. Just knowing the law is not going to do anything for you.

“¹⁶yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” – Galatians 2:16 (ESV)

As I read this verse and the commentary, I was reminded that just knowing the law does not bring us closer to God. It is our faith that does. We are not justified by the law, it is by our faith.

My NIV commentary for verse 16 says: “The law: (1) guards us from sin by giving us standards for behavior; (2) convicts us of sin, leaving us the opportunity to ask for God’s forgiveness; (3) drives us to trust in the sufficiency of Christ, because we can never keep the Ten Commandments perfectly.”

Notice that the commentary does not indicate that knowledge of the law does anything for us. It does show how the law provides a framework for our behaviors.

We are justified by our faith in Jesus Christ and not simply by our knowledge of the law. I like to say that the rules/laws are there to keep the honest people honest. The laws of the Old Testament are in place to give us guidance, and we should know them. The real test is in keeping them, not for the purpose of justification, but as a guide to more Christ like actions.

When you look at the law, do you believe that you are great, simply because you follow it? Are you taking away changes in behavior to drive you? Do you know the law, are you trying to use it for your justification?