The law (the 10 commandments) was not given to save people by following it. It was given to:
- Show us what is right and wrong morally.
- Paul says in Romans 7:7 that he would not have known what coveting was unless there was a law that said, “You shall not covet.”
- Galatians 3:19.
- Hold us all accountable (make us guilty) before God.
- Galatians 3:22.
- Romans 3:19.
- As a just and fair God, He has to have something to judge us by if we don’t place our faith in Christ for salvation. And if we don’t believe in Christ for salvation, then He will justly judge our actions by the law, and we will receive fair punishment in hell for all eternity.
- Point us to Christ for salvation.
- Galatians 3:24-25.
- The law says, “Man, you’re guilty of breaking me and are condemned. You better believe in Christ to get those sins forgiven, or else you’re going to hell.”
On a side note: If the law were to be the means to be saved, it would have to be followed perfectly, never once broken in your entire life. (Galatians 3:10)
Timeline of events:
- First, God promised to Adam and Eve that a Messiah (their Savior) would come through their Seed. (Genesis 3:15)
- Second, God promised again to Abraham that all the nations would be saved through faith in the Seed (Christ) that was to come through his lineage. (Galatians 3:5-9)
- 430 years later, God gave the law. It doesn’t override the original two promises of salvation by faith in the Messiah (Savior). (Galatians 3:15-18)
- Around 1500 years after the law was given, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, fulfilled God’s original promise of sending a Messiah through the lineage of Abraham, that all who believe in His death, burial and resurrection would be saved.
God didn’t give the law 430 years after His promise of salvation by faith and say, “Ok, scratch that. I change My mind. Salvation is no longer by faith in the Messiah (Christ) that is to come through Abraham’s lineage, but is now through following the law perfectly.” Salvation was originally and always has been by faith, and the law was implemented later for the three reasons mentioned first in this note. (Galatians 3:15-18)
Truthfully, man has always known that God would provide a Savior for man for their sin, all the way back to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:15). Before the Messiah came, faith in God and His plan of redemption through a Messiah is what saved before the resurrection. After Christ’s resurrection, faith in Jesus Christ (the now known Messiah) saves now.
God, who cannot lie, originally promised Adam and Eve that they would be saved through their offspring, and was again promised to Abraham that through his lineage the Messiah would come, and all who place their faith in Him would be saved. The law was only given to: (1) Show us what is right and wrong morally (2) Hold us all accountable (make us guilty) before God (3) Point us to faith in Christ for salvation.