The Purpose of the Law....

You’ve probably read in my blog entries about the purpose of the 10 Commandments. I will usually ask others what the purpose is? They usually answer to help us live, guidelines for us to live, or rules to live by. All are common answers among the masses. The real purpose of the 10 Commandments is recited here by Jesus in John chapter 9: “to show those who think they see that they are blind.” You see the purpose isn’t for us to keep them, that’s impossible. The purpose is to show us that we are sinners. We are under God’s judgement. We are doomed. Once we have that perspective, it makes us open to hearing the Gospel. It prepares our hearts for Jesus. It allows our pride to run its course and open our eyes to the truth. The 10 Commandments show us we are sinners in need of a Savior. It prepares the way to salvation. When Jesus was speaking, He knew the hearts of the religious leaders were blind to His words, yet they claimed they could see. Their guilt was acknowledged publicly, and of course they didn’t like it. If they had been blind, they wouldn’t be guilty. Pride in oneself will always lead to spiritual blindness. It’s the number one ingredient in religiosity.

39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment–to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard Him and asked, “Are You saying we’re blind?”41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.” John 9:39-41