The law was given to Israel alone, but its condemning power reaches every human being - Jew and Gentile alike.
Romans 3:19-20 shows that while the law speaks to those under it, its purpose is that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. Les Feldick teaches that the law was never intended to save anyone; it was given to Israel, but it reaches out to every last human being to condemn and to bring the knowledge of sin.
Romans 3:19 — This verse directly answers the question by showing the law speaks to those under it, yet its purpose is to make all the world guilty before God.
Romans 3:20 — This verse completes the answer by showing the law's role is not to justify anyone but to bring the knowledge of sin.
Romans 3:19-20 is the central passage. The apostle Paul writes, "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." This shows that the law was addressed to those under it, yet the result extends beyond Israel to the whole world. The same passage declares that no flesh is justified by the deeds of the law - the law's purpose is to bring the knowledge of sin.
Les Feldick consistently teaches that only Israel - the Jewish nation - was literally under the law. God gave Israel the law on tables of stone and placed them in a position of special responsibility. The Gentiles were never under the law, and God did not expect the Gentiles to keep the law or practice the temple worship connected to it.
Les Feldick explains that the Jew - the nation of Israel - was the only group of people literally under the law. God gave Israel the Ten Commandments on tables of stone, and this placed them under special responsibility. The Gentiles were never under the law, and God did not expect the Gentiles to keep the law or practice temple worship.
Although Israel was the only nation under the law, Paul says the law's power did not stop with Israel. Romans 3:19 says that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. Les emphasizes that the law reached out to every last human being - Jew and Gentile - not to save anyone, but to condemn.
Les teaches that after the Ten Commandments, God gave Israel the whole system of law, including civil laws about compensation and neighbor relations. When reading Paul, the student should determine whether 'law' refers to the whole system - Ten Commandments, worship, and civil law - or only to the Ten Commandments. Whether speaking of the system or the moral law, Les emphasizes the law was never given to save.
Israel Under the Law
Les identifies the Jew/nation of Israel as the people under the law and explains that this placed Israel in a position of special responsibility before God.
The Law's Reach Beyond Israel
Les teaches that although only Israel was under the law, the law's purpose was to stop every mouth and make the whole world guilty before God, since by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified.
The Moral Law Reaches Everyone
Les explains that the moral law - the Ten Commandments - did not stop with the Jew; it reached every human being, not to save, but to condemn and show guilt.
Israel Alone Under the Law
Les emphasizes that Israel was the only people literally under the law, yet the phrase 'that every mouth may be stopped' brings the whole human race into the picture.
Jew and Gentile Condemned
Les shows that even though the law was given to Israel, it applied also to Gentiles as well as Jews, condemning things like stealing and taking God's name in vain for all people.
Civil Law Given to Israel
Les explains that the whole system of law included civil laws - such as compensation when a bull damaged a neighbor's grain - showing the system was directed to Israel's society.
The Law's Control Over the Human Race
Les concludes that the law was specifically given to those under it, yet Paul says in the same breath that all the world might be brought under its guilt, so the law still has control over the whole human race.
How to Interpret 'Law' in Romans
Les advises readers to determine whether Paul means the whole system of law - Ten Commandments, worship, and civil law - or just the Ten Commandments, since the text usually reveals the meaning.
Romans 3:19: Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
This is the key verse Paul uses to show that while the law was addressed to Israel, its design was to make all the world guilty.
Romans 3:20: Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
This verse explains that no one is justified by keeping the law; the law's purpose is to give the knowledge of sin.
According to Les Feldick, Gentiles were never under the law as a system, yet the law's purpose was to make the whole world guilty before God. Romans 3:19 says every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty. So the law does not save or govern Gentiles, but it does bring them under the knowledge of sin.
No. Les teaches that the law was never intended to save a Jew, and it couldn't save anyone. Romans 3:20 says by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified; the law only brings the knowledge of sin.
It means the nation of Israel was given the Ten Commandments and the whole system of law, making them uniquely responsible before God. Les explains that the Gentiles never had that relationship to the law, though its condemning effect reached them as well.
Watch the Teaching: Why the Law Can't Save You — Romans 3:19-20 Explained