Why "The Law" Is Important

If you're following the reading plan, we have just finished the section of it known as the 'Pentateuch.' These are the first five books of the Bible, the part dealing with Moses and the part Jews call the 'Torah' (lit. "Law"). These books can be really dry if it is the first time you've read them and often seem arbitrary to the modern reader. But if 2 Tim. 3:16 is to be taken seriously, then we can assume there is some importance to them. Of course a deeper look would surely reveal theological truths, etc. about these laws. One such principle is that the laws were set in place to set Israel apart from other Ancient Near Eastern cultures.

If you've been struggling with these books I'd like to propose one principle that should shed some light on the issue. In Romans 7:7, Paul says that "I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, 'Do not covet.'" In this whole chapter, Paul explains that the law was brought for us to see that we cannot live up to God's law. This is an important realization to come to if we are to fully grasp the magnitude of Jesus' sacrifice for us.