If God aimed to justify all of humanity through faith, why institute the law?
The law’s purpose was to humble humanity, stripping away self-reliance. When one places faith in oneself, faith in Jesus becomes incompatible. God, through an oath in Isaiah, outlines His plans.
Isaiah 45:22-25 (LSV) Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth, “” For I [am] God, and there is none else. 23 I have sworn by Myself, “” A word has gone out from My mouth in righteousness, “” And it does not return, “” That to Me, every knee bows, every tongue swears. 24 Only in YHWH, one has said, “” Do I have righteousness and strength, “” He comes to Him, “” And all those displeased with Him are ashamed. 25 In YHWH are all the seed of Israel justified, “” And they boast themselves.”
God makes an oath that everyone who comes to him will take an oath saying that only in God do I have righteousness and strength. The phrase is ambiguous in the Hebrew and it is sometimes interpreted as “In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength” (BSB), and sometimes as “The LORD is the source of all my righteousness and strength” (NLT).
It seems God desires us to realize for ourselves that we are not righteous and that only by trusting in God’s kindness do we have any chance at living at peace with him. This is a far cry from the Israelites self-confidence at the time God gave the law.
Exodus 19:7-8 (WEB) Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which Yahweh commanded him. 8 All the people answered together, and said, “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do.”
God had no confidence in Israel, but on the very day he gave the law he promised they wouldn’t be able to keep it and had Moses write a song about how in the end, Israel would prove unfaithful.
Deuteronomy 31:16-21 (WEB) Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. This people will rise up and play the prostitute after the strange gods of the land where they go to be among them, and will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come on them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Haven’t these evils come on us because our God is not among us?’ 18 I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.
19 “Now therefore write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. 20 For when I have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant. 21 It will happen, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this song will testify before them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants; for I know their ways and what they are doing today, before I have brought them into the land which I promised them.”
When man has faith in his ability to be righteous he does not need faith in the righteousness Jesus provides. The law was given to show us that in Christ alone is righteousness.
Luke 18:9-14 (WEB) He also spoke this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others. 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men, extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Paul says that God gave the law, not to justify man, but to show him his sins so he would be accountable to God.
Romans 3:19-20 (NLT) Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
In life, we have two paths through which we can relate to God. One is by our own merits, efforts, performance, and how well-behaved we are at keeping God’s commands. The other is by humbling ourselves, realizing we cannot keep his law, no matter how hard we might try, coming to God in need of mercy and discovering that he has provided a way through Christ for us to be at peace with him.
James 4:6 (WEB) “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”Proverbs 3:34
Isaiah 53:11 (NLT) When he [Jesus Christ] sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.
Romans 3:21-30 (WEB) But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified by the law and the prophets; 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe. For there is no distinction, 23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; 24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice, through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance; 26 to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time; that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus.
27 Where then is the boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28 We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Isn’t he the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since indeed there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith, and the uncircumcised through faith.
Romans 5:1-2 (WEB) Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; 2 through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand.
Romans 9:30-32 (NLT) What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. 31 But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. 32 Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him.
Philippians 3:9 (WEB) and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith
When the law was given it did not come without a blessing. Those who kept God’s commands were promised earthly prosperity, abundance, protection, favor, deliverance, peace, etc (Deuteronomy 28:1-14).
Being at peace with God through faith also comes with a blessing.
Genesis 22:18 (WEB) All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring [Jesus Christ], because you have obeyed my voice.
Isaiah 54:9-10 (NLT) “Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth, so now I swear that I will never again be angry and punish you. 10 For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the Lord, who has mercy on you.
Galatians 3:8-9 (WEB) The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.”Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham.
Galatians 3:23-29 (WEB) But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, confined for the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24 So that the law has become our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring and heirs according to promise.
God wants us to relate to him by faith and not by trusting our performance. I encourage you to let go of faith in yourself and in your ability to please God, and put your faith in Christ who is perfectly pleasing to God and paid the price for many to be made righteous. In doing so, you will be able to always say with confidence, “Only in YHWH do I have righteousness and strength!”