Law

God’s Law, summarized in the Ten Commandments, reflects God’s perfect expectations for us. Any infraction is a serious offense to God punishable by eternal death. See Hell.

Many view the law as a way to gain God’s favor. However, earning favor by good behavior is impossible because we would have to keep his commandments perfectly. Instead, God gave his law as a mirror to show us our sins (Romans 3:20).

A common misconception is that the law mentioned in the New Testament is a reference to Old Testament laws, which no longer apply. However, a closer study of the context reveals references to the moral law (summarized by the Ten Commandments), which still apply today (compare. Romans 7:1—8:4).

When we fully recognize our sin and the punishment we deserve, we put our trust solely in Jesus—the only one who kept the commandments perfectly (Romans 10:4).