14 Bible Verses about Law, Purpose Of

"To what purpose then was the law?" it was added as a check to transgressors, till the offspring should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels with the intervention of a mediator.

so that the law was our school-master to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law: that every one may be silenc'd, and all the world plead guilty before God. for by the observation of the law no one shall be justified in his sight, since it is the law that takes cognizance of sin.

God having sent his own son invested with a body like that of sinful men, as a sacrifice for sin, thereby destroyed its power; which the law could not effect, human nature being in such a corrupted state. so that the moral obligations of the law might be fulfilled by us, in living according to the spiritual, and not the carnal tenor thereof:

for he that violates but one precept of the whole law, is as obnoxious to punishment, as if he had broke thro' all the rest.

Is the law then opposite to the promises? by no means. for if there had been a law given, which could have given life, certainly justification should have been by the law.

Do we then conclude, that the law is the cause of sin? by no means; but I should not have had such a notion of sin, had it not been for the law: for I should not have known concupiscence was a sin, unless the law had said, "thou shalt not covet."

yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in him, and not by the works of the law, by which there is no justification.

but they that rest themselves upon the works of the law, are obnoxious to the curse: for it is written, " cursed is every one, who continueth not in all things, which are written in the book of the law, to do them:" but that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, is evident: for, " the just shall live by faith."

for we conclude, that a man is justified by faith, without observing the legal rites.

I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if justification be by the law, Christ died to no purpose.

for the end of the law was to bring men to Christ, that every one who believeth, might be justified.

who also hath enabled me to be a minister of the new covenant, not of the literal sense, but of the spiritual meaning: it is the letter that denounces death, but the spirit gives life. now if the law engraven on stone, the letter of whose sanction is death, was delivered with such glory, that the children of Israel could not steadily behold the face of Moses, for the glory of his countenance, tho' it was transient; shall not the ministration of the spirit be more glorious?read more.
for if the ministration of condemnation was illustrious, the ministration of righteousness will be much more glorious. since that which distinguished the first had no glory, when compared to that of the other, which far excell'd it. if that which was only temporary was glorious, much more shall that which is permanent be glorious. Having then such an opinion of my ministry, I use great plainness of speech. and do not act as Moses did, who threw a veil over his face so as to hinder the children of Israel from perceiving the end of that which was to cease: besides, their minds were greatly prejudiced: for that very veil would still have obstructed the understanding of the old testament, unless it had been taken away by Christ. nevertheless, when Moses is read, the veil upon their mind continues unto this day: but when their mind shall turn to the Lord, that veil too shall be taken away. for the spiritual meaning of the law centers in him, and the spirit of the law is gospel-liberty: but as we lay aside the veil, the divine light gradually informs the mind, according as we attend to that spiritual sense, which points out the Lord.

wherefore the law is holy; and the commandment holy, and just, and good.