Hebrews 7:18-19

Hebrews 7:18-19

The Law cannot make us perfect

Unsurprisingly, the apostle Paul wrestled with the complexities of the Law, for he was a Jew who was intent on keeping its rules and regulation as accurately as was possible. He found that “the very commandment that was intended to bring life, actually brought death.” Paul blames sin for deceiving him and for using the commandments to put him to death! He writes, in Romans 7:12, “So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.” The system of the Law, put in place by the Lord God was brilliant, it had no defects, but it could not keep men and women perfect, instead it served only to point out our imperfections. No ordinary human being can keep God’s Law because we are all sinful people, however, we needed the Law to show us our sinfulness and our weaknesses. The Law, as given to Moses, is a black and white set of regulations, it shows us what is good and the standard that God expects and what we have to do to approach Him, but is also makes us aware of how weak and sinful we are and in so doing it does not tell us how to keep its demands except by being perfect! There is no Old Testament Scripture that shows us how to please God perfectly, all we can do is to try harder! And when we fail, there is no solution, the sacrifices and offerings made under the Law could not atone for all sins, in fact they were only useful for unintentional sins, there was no offering that would cover sins committed with intent. Those who lived under that Law, died with no assurance that they were fit for God’s presence, which is why they all believed that their destiny was Sheol or Hades. Even for the most devout Jews there was little hope of resurrection and heavenly glory. That is why the Law is weak and useless. In fact, we should feel pity for those devout men and women who sought to conscientiously do everything they could to please the Lord by keeping His rules and regulations.  God bless them, they died with no hope at all! Is that what Paul refers to when he states that “all Israel with be saved?” Romans 11:26. They had no means of salvation, but they still believed, if God is a God of justice will He not save those true Israelites who strived so earnestly to please Him? If we are saved from our sins without the Law, why should the Lord not save Israel from the sins they committed with it? 

Jesus Christ came to give us a better hope, which can bring us near to God. Firstly, all our sins can be forgiven, be they unintentional or deliberate, they are all covered by the blood of God’s perfect Lamb. Secondly, we may put our faith in the promise that having received Christ, we will reign with Him, and our salvation is not just for this world but will cover us for the ages to come! Indeed, this is a better hope and because of Jesus we may now draw near to God. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

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