Article 19. The Threefold Function Of The Law Series

THE THREEFOLD FUNCTION OF THE LAW OF GOD

LAW IS A PHENOMENON THAT APPLIES TO ALL DIMENSIONS OF OUR LIVES: PHYSICAL LAWS OF NATURE- POSITIVE LAWS OF SOCIETY - IMPERATIVES OF HUMAN MORALITY - AND EVEN DIVINE LAWS OF REVELATION.

THESE LAWS ALL HAVE FIXED FUNCTIONS WHICH INTERACT WITH ALL OUR LIVES – TO LOSE THE LAWS OF GRAVITY OR TO DISEMBARK FROM THE LAWS OF HUMAN MORALITY TO NEGATE THE LAWS FOUND IN DIVINE REVELATION WOULD BRING US INTO UTTER DISORDER AND ULTIMATE DESTRUCTION. THESE LAWS ARE CONSTANT THEY HAVE FUNCTION AND PURPOSE TO OUR EVERY DAY LIVING.

YOU MIGHT BE THINKING THE LAW OF GOD HAS NO JURISDICTION OVER MY LIFE, MAYBE YOUR A NON BELIEVER AND YOU THINK GODS LAW SERVES NO FUNCTION TO YOU (THINK AGAIN). MAYBE YOUR A BELIEVER AND YOU THINK THAT THE LAW HAS NO PURPOSE IN YOUR LIFE BECAUSE CHRIST FULFILLED THE LAW (THINK AGAIN) JESUS HIMSELF LAID GREAT EMPHASIS UPON THE LAW OF GOD......

• MATT 5:17-19. NOT TO ABOLISH BUT TO FULFIL THE LAW (THE WORKS OF THE LAW) CHRIST FULFILLED THE WORKS OF THE LAW – WE ARE NOT SAVED THROUGH A COVENANT OF WORKS - WE COULD NEVER DO IT – CHRIST HAS DONE IT THIS IS WHAT HE HAS FULFILLED. AS A RESULT WE ARE CALLED TO LIVE IN OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW AS IT REVEALS THE WILL OF GOD FOR US 1JHN5:3.

ROM 8:4 THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW SHOULD BE FULFILLED IN OUR LIVES AS WE LIVE BY THE SPIRIT. ROM 13:9. WE ARE HELD RESPONSIBLE TO KEEP THE LAW .

JAMES .2: 8 - 11 THOSE WHO TRANSGRESS THE LAW JUST ON ONE POINT IS A TRANSGRESSOR OF ALL THE LAW .

1JHN 3:4, 5:3. JOHN DEFINES SIN AS LAWLESSNESS (BREAKING LAW) AND SAYS IF WE LOVE GOD WE WILL KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS.

THE LAWS. ARE FOUND IN THE (TORAH – 5 BOOKS OF OT ) AND CAN BE SPLIT INTO THREE AREAS:

A) CEREMONIAL LAW: PRIESTHOOD – SACRIFICAL ( CONTAINED SYMBOLIC RITES AND CEREMONIES WHICH POINTED TO SOMETHING GREATER – CHRIST THE LAMB OF GOD) WHO FULFILLED AND ABOLISHED THESE OT LAWS. COL 2:14 -17 - EPH 2:14 -16 THE CEREMONIAL LAW IS OBSELATE.

B) CIVIL/JUDICIAL LAW: THESE EXPIRED WHEN THEY CEASED TO BE A NATION - NOT BINDING UPON US TODAY AS THEY WERE PARTICULAR LAWS TO THE NATION ISRAEL AT THAT TIME. YET THE UNDERLYING VALUES OF JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS CONTINUE TO BE APPLICABLE TO ALL NATIONS AND CAN BE FOUND DEEPLY EMBEDEAD IN CIVIL LAWS OF MOST SOCIETIES. 1COR 9:8-10

C) THE MORAL LAW: GIVEN AT MOUNT SINAI IN THE FORM OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (DEUT 10:4) THE MORAL LAW CONSISTS OF OUR DUTY TO GOD(1-4) AND OUR DUTY TO ONE ANOTHER (6-10) IT IS THIS LAW THAT EVER CALLS EVERYONE TO OBEDIENCE – IT’S A UNIVERSAL LAW FOR ALL WHETHER BELIEVER OR NOT - THIS IS THE LAW CHRIST FULFILLED AND CALLS US TO FOLLOW IN HIS FOOT STEPS – IT HAS NOT BEEN ABOLISHED – IN KEEPING WE ACTUALLY SHOW OUR LOVE FOR GOD AND OUR LOVE FOR OUR NEIGHBOR. THE TWO GREATEST COMMANDMENTS

TODAY I WANT TO UNPACK THE THREE MAIN FUNCTIONS OF THE LAW OF GOD.... HOW IT WORKS STILL TODAY IN OUR LIVES WHOEVER YOU ARE THIS IS WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE…..

1ST USE OF THE LAW : A NATURAL FUNCTION. GEN 2:17 - ROM 2:14-15.

• HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHERE HUMAN BEINGS HAVE GOT THEIR INBUILT AWARENESS OF THE DIVINE, THE DEEP SENSE OF MORALITY THE UNIVERSAL UNDERSTANDING OF JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS BEING WORKED OUT IN THE WORLD FROM?

• IT APPEARS TO BE INTRINSIC IN ALL HUMANS…… DESPITE THE FLAWS…. IF WE HAVE JUST EVOLVED - WE ARE JUST ANOTHER ANIMAL…. HOW WOULD PEOPLE EVER MANAGE TO CO- EXIST TOGETHER IF WE HAD EVOLVED.

THE ORIGINS – A UNIVERSAL LAW

I WANT TO SAY FROM WIN THE BEGINNING GOD GAVE ADAM A UNIVERSAL LAW WHICH WAS WRITTEN IN HIS HEART , THIS LAW HAD SPECIFIC INSTRUCTION GEN:2:17 BY THIS INSTRUCTION ALL HUMANITY WAS BOUND TO TOTAL PERPETUAL OBEDIENCE ROM10:5 THE FULFILLMENT OF WHICH WAS ETERNAL LIFE THE REJECTION OF WHICH IS ETERNAL DEATH. ADAM WAS ENDUED WITH POWER TO KEEP IT – YET SADLY HE FAILED.

AFTER THE FALL THE MORAL LAW WAS DELIVERED BY GOD TO MOSES ON MOUNT SINAI UPON TWO STONE TABLETS (10 COMMANDMENTS) . THIS MORAL LAW CONSISTS OF OUR DUTY TO GOD(1-4) AND OUR DUTY TO ONE ANOTHER (6-10) (DEUT 10:4) THAT SAME LAW WHICH WAS WRITTEN UPON THE HEART OF ADAM AND THEN GIVEN TO MOSES IN THE FORM OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IS WRITTEN ON EVERY HUMAN HEART .DESPITE OUR FALLEN NATURE AND ENABLES US TO CO-EXIST AND FUNCTION.

• ROM 2:14-15. MUST READ