God’s law helps to curb our behavior and provide direction, but its main purpose is to expose sin. Romans 7:7 says: “I would not have come to know sin except through the law.” Law can be thought of as a gauge of sorts, because it sets the standard of God’s righteousness against our own self-centered motivations and desires. But what’s sad is that God’s law has been misinterpreted as a means by which a person might earn his own righteousness.

From the very beginning God had something far different in mind; law was to be a guidepost to His gift of life. Law was never intended to be a vehicle to bring us into right standing with God, because ultimately He wanted to freely impart His own righteousness—and thus His life—to man. Make no mistake: any attempt to earn our own righteousness merely results in pitting us head-on against God’s plan.