The purpose of the law is to give the knowledge of sin and to convict all mankind as guilty before God.
The law is not given to save or justify anyone. It reveals man's sinful bent, makes everyone guilty, and shows that by the deeds of the law no flesh can be justified. Les Feldick emphasizes that the law only condemns; it cannot save.
Romans 3:19-20 — These verses directly state that the law makes the whole world guilty and that by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Romans 3:19-20 declares that the law speaks to those under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. It then states, "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 the law's purpose is not justification but the exposure of sin. Romans 5:20 adds, "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound." The law made sin more evident and showed it for what it truly is. In Romans 7, the commandment is called holy, just, and good, but it was used by sin to show the lawbreaker the prospect of death. The Scripture consistently presents the law as that which gives the knowledge of sin, making man aware of his guilt and his need for God's remedy.
Les teaches that the law has only one purpose in Scripture: to give the knowledge of sin. The Ten Commandments showed the old Adam how he really operated — bent toward idolatry, thievery, envy, and every thing the law prohibits. The law never was intended to save, polish, or cover sin. Les points to Romans 3:19-20 to show that the law makes all the world guilty and that by the deeds of the law no flesh can be justified. He reminds his students that the law entered 1,500 years after Abraham (or 2,500 years after Adam) so that the offense might abound — not to cause more sin, but to make people understand how sinful they were. Les applies this to Saul of Tarsus, showing how even a highly religious person was untouched by law until the Holy Spirit woke him and convicted him, showing him he was a lawbreaker with only one prospect: death.
The law did not cause people to sin more, but it caused people to understand how sinful they were. As Les explains, we are not sinners because we break the law; we break the law because we are sinners. The law entered so that the offense might abound, meaning it might be seen for what it really is.
The law was given to do nothing but condemn; it had nothing in it to save. Therefore, by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in God's sight. The only purpose of the law was to condemn mankind and show that he was not fit for God's heaven.
The law shows man his sin by revealing how old Adam operates. It reveals that man is bent to take God's name in vain, worship idols, be envious, and want to thieve. The law was intended to show man his sin, not to cover it over or polish his life.
Law Convicts, Not Covers
Les shows how the law convicted Saul rather than covering over his sin, making him realize his only prospect was death.
Law's Only Purpose: Knowledge of Sin
Les explains that the Ten Commandments simply revealed how the old Adam operates, showing man his inherent sinfulness.
All the World Guilty
Les emphasizes that the law makes everyone guilty and that no flesh can be justified by keeping it.
The Law Only Condemns
Les stresses that the law's only purpose was to condemn, not to save, and that by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Defining the Law
Les clarifies that when Paul speaks of the law, he means the moral Ten Commandments, and explains why keeping them cannot justify.
The Law Entered
Les explains that the law entered so that the offense might abound, making sin visible and undeniable.
Law Shows Sinfulness
Les clarifies that the law did not cause people to sin more; it caused them to understand how sinful they were.
Law's One Purpose
Les asks and answers why the law entered, showing it was not to control sin but to show the offense.
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 verse shows the law's purpose of making the whole 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 is the key answer: the law gives knowledge of sin and cannot justify.
Romans 5:20: Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
The law entered to make sin more evident, showing the offense for what it is.
Romans 7:11: For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.
Shows sin using the law to work death, not that the law itself is evil.
The main purpose of the law is to give the knowledge of sin and to make everyone guilty before God. It is not given to save or justify anyone, but to show man his sinfulness.
The law did not cause people to sin more, but it caused them to understand how sinful they were. It entered so that the offense might abound, meaning it made sin visible and undeniable.
No. By the deeds of the law no flesh can be justified before God. The law was given to do nothing but condemn; it has nothing in it to save.
Watch the Teaching: Why the Law Can't Save You — Romans 7:5-14 Explained