What does the human race keep doing with the dead Law?
The human race keeps pulling the dead Law back out of the grave. Though the Law was taken away, nailed to His cross, and crucified with Him, becoming a dead system, people continually return to it and to legalism. Paul asks why go back to that weak and beggarly stuff that has been done away with.
Les explains from Colossians 2:13–14 that the Law’s handwriting of ordinances was against us and contrary to us, but God blotted it out, took it out of the way, and nailed it to His cross. Les says He took the Law, all its demands, and all of legalism, jerked it away, and nailed it to His cross. As He hung there and was crucified for the sins of the world, the Law was crucified with Him. It is now a dead system, yet the human race is constantly pulling it back out of the grave. Les compares this to fooling with something that has been dead for a while—it is not pretty. That is how we must feel about legalism: it is like trying to bring something back that has been dead, and there is nothing beautiful about it. Paul is trying to hammer home the question, why go back to that weak and beggarly stuff that has been done away with? It has been crucified and is dead. Les then points to Romans 7:4, where believers are said to have become dead to the Law.
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;