This blog is a follow-up to my Galatians 3 blog (“Covenant: Law OR Promise”). The reason I’m writing it is because I want to distill that blog into one simple foundational concept. That concept will revolve around the used and abused phrase ‘WORKS OF THE LAW’ found in the Apostle Paul’s writings. First, I’m going to state my thesis and then explain it. Following that, we will look at the verses that mention “works of the law” and consider them in light of my ‘theory’. As always, my goal is to use COMMON SENSE when interpreting the Bible, and to SIMPLIFY this subject. Please note that this topic has been unduly complicated over the course of many generations (millennia, in fact!) by the so-called experts.
First let me ask you… what do YOU think “works of the law” means? What do YOU think they are? Think about it for a minute before you read on…
Here’s what I think:
THE APOSTLE PAUL’S “WORKS OF THE LAW” IS
THE INESCAPABLE OBLIGATION OF ISRAELI CITIZENS
TO OBEY THE MOSIAC LAW
UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MOSAIC COVENANT
SO THAT THE NATION OF ISRAEL CAN BE BLESSED BY GOD.
(THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE IS DISOBEYING THE MOSAIC LAW.)
Now let’s dissect that statement by starting at the beginning. The starting point of this concept is COVENANT. We’re talking about the MOSAIC Covenant, which is a CONDITIONAL covenant. We know that from history and I’ve addressed this in previous blogs. The Biblical scholars agree on this. The main feature of a conditional covenant is the BLESSINGS and CURSES aspect. After all, the reason the public officials of a vassal state enter into this kind of covenant agreement is because they want to be blessed by the other, greater party (authority).
The scholars also agree that the way a nation receives the blessings in a conditional covenant is by obeying the stipulations of that covenant. Conversely, the nation receives the curses by disobeying the stipulations. Scholars also agree that the stipulations are the laws of that covenant. In the case of the Mosaic Covenant, the MOSAIC LAW constitutes the stipulations. Remember, there is a distinction between the Mosaic COVENANT and the Mosaic LAWS. Those are the simple background facts.
You will find this covenant idea well documented in Deuteronomy 28-31. The book of Joshua also records the historical event when the nation of Israel actually proclaimed the blessings and curses upon themselves by participating in an attestation ceremony while standing on Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerazim (Joshua 8:33, cf. Deuteronomy 11:29). You will also see this theme of blessings and curses throughout the OT, especially in the Prophets. For example, Israel’s ultimate curse came down upon them when YHWH sent foreign armies to slaughter them and destroy their nation, taking the best and the brightest as captives to a foreign land (722BC & 586BC). The point is, this is a really well-documented LEGAL PROCEDURE that actually occurred during Israel’s history. There is no denying it.
The reasoning behind my definition of “works of the law” is this: Since the Mosaic covenant is a conditional covenant predicated on obedience, then the logical conclusion is, WORKS OF THE LAW = COVENANT OBEDIENCE. In other words:
WORKS OF THE LAW WERE UNAVOIDABLE
UNDER THE MOSAIC COVENANT.
That means the nation of Israel’s PRIMARY FOCUS was forcing all citizens to obey the Mosaic law. Why? Because their blessings were completely dependent on their obedience to it. The only alternative to obedience was disobedience. So what would Paul call disobeying the Mosaic law in NT terms? Let’s use the same phrase as above, only change the last word: WORKS OF INIQUITY. Pretty simple, right?
So, you have WORKS OF THE LAW versus WORKS OF INIQUITY, opposite sides of the same coin of this conditional covenant. And let’s not forget that this obedience or disobedience could NOT exist outside of a national system of law enforcement. In other words, the Mosaic covenant could not exist unless it was part of a governmental system. And in all of human history, the only nation we know of that enforced the Mosaic law was ancient Israel.
So, the above facts naturally lead to the simple idea that WORKS OF THE LAW = OBEDIENCE TO THE STIPULATIONS OF THE MOSAIC COVENANT. In other words, it was a foregone conclusion that a citizen of ancient Israel must live his life performing works of the law (unless he was willfully rebellious, stupid, or wanted to risk getting in trouble with the government!).
Now let’s take a quick look at all the NT verses containing the phrase ‘works of the law’. I recommend that you read them in context on your own. Let’s see if my simple theory fits into these passages:
…because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20)
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. (Romans 3:28)
…nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. (Galatians 2:16)
This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? (Galatians 3:2)
So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? (Galatians 3:5)
For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.” (Galatians 3:10)
Let’s examine these verses one at a time:
…because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20)
One question that begs to be asked is, WHY? Why does the ‘knowledge of sin’ come from ‘works of the law’? And why can ‘justification’ never come from ‘works of the law’? According to what I showed in my Galatians 3 blog, we know why. It’s because God ‘justifies’ every ‘believer’ through the ABRAHAMIC covenant instead of through the MOSAIC covenant. FAITH means Abrahamic covenant. ‘Justified by faith’ means justified through the Abrahamic covenant. And since works of the law are inescapable for those living under the Mosaic covenant (which is the government of ancient Israel), it is very easy to see how ‘the knowledge of sin’ occurs. It comes about by law enforcement. So, if you break the law, the cops give you a citation. If you harm someone and refuse to repent and make restitution, then the law forces you to. This is common knowledge. So Paul says it as simply as he possibly can in terms of everyone’s everyday reality. Incidentally, “the knowledge of sin” transpires in every human government. Ancient Israel was no exception. Paul is talking about the basic facts of life here. No big deal!
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. (Romans 3:28)
Same answer as above. The conditional covenant was not designed by God to justify anyone. As we saw in my previous blogs, God designed it to constrain Israel so He could guarantee that Messiah would come out of their midst (Galatians 3:19). Paul is merely stating another very simple concept that matches reality!
…nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. (Galatians 2:16)
Just another statement repeating the exact same thing, except in this statement Paul includes leaders in the ‘church’. He probably did that because the leaders were ‘Jews’ from 2nd Temple Israel. And they, of all people, should know what’s needed, because as public leaders they needed to be ‘perfect’ in the law. Yet, even though they may have been ‘perfect’ in the law, they still needed faith to be justified.
So in the above verse there is no need for any additional interpretation other than to refer back to the previous two verses and comments. Are you noticing how many times Paul says the same thing over and over again in his letters? Do you wonder why? To me it seems like Paul is almost ready to go on a rant. How many times does he have to say it before people get it? Really… how many times and in how many different ways? So if Paul has to hammer home this idea everywhere he goes, imagine much of a problem it was for him and everyone else involved? See what I’m getting at?
This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? (Galatians 3:2)
Same thing. Only this time Paul’s focus is on how these believers RECEIVED the Holy Spirit. It was NOT by obeying the Mosaic law (becoming a citizen of Israel and obeying all the laws of the land). Instead, it was by believing in God’s promised to ‘bless’ to the world in the Abrahamic covenant. Obviously Paul must have explained this to the recipients, so they had to have understood it all. In that way they could make an informed decision as to whether or not to believe and receive. This is certainly not like today’s Evangelical’s Jesus fire insurance policy that they peddle like a panacea. The recipients had to be well informed on the meaning of these things before they made their decision about it. Another way to write that verse is this:
This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the becoming a citizen of Israel in good standing, or by hearing what we taught you, which you believed to be true? (Galatians 3:2)
Note that the presence of God’s Spirit with them was proof positive that they had received the same blessings as the Jews who believed, yet without having to become Israeli citizens.
So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? (Galatians 3:5)
Same thing again, but by use of a different PROOF. The tangible evidence of Paul’s point is the MIRACLES they experienced after having received the Spirit. And they received the Spirit BY FAITH, not BY CITIZENSHIP (in Israel). Like Paul says elsewhere, the evidence is the power of God’s Spirit:
For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power. (1 Corinthians 4:20)
It’s all about the PROOF evidenced by the POWER of God’s Spirit at work among them by bringing them BLESSINGS. One has to wonder WHERE God’s Spirit-wrought BLESSINGS are in the Christian churches today?! I would love to know, wouldn’t you?
For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.” (Galatians 3:10)
Once again, this turns out to be very simple. Let me explain it in terms of everyday reality: The SYSTEM within which works of the law functions, is government law enforcement (and in this particular case, Israel). We all know that being on the receiving end of law enforcement is bad news. That’s what Paul means by CURSE. So, if you are a citizen of Israel, the only thing you can expect from your citizenship if you break the law is trouble. But at what point would the Israeli government give you blessings? Just like all human governments, unless they are robbing from the ‘haves’ and redistributing to the ‘have nots’ (evil socialism), the answer is NEVER. Governments don’t bestow blessings because that is not what they are designed to do. I discussed this in a previous blog. You can read about the true purpose of government in Frederick Bastiat’s, The Law.
Now let’s reflect back on the COVENANT for defining this term ‘curse’ because that’s what Paul does in the second part of that verse. Remember the blessings and curses part of the conditional covenant? Remember what we said about the only two options available to citizens while living under a conditional covenant…Blessings OR Curses? Remember we said blessings come ONLY through obedience, and curses come through disobedience? Remember that God destroyed Israel THREE TIMES during their lifespan for disobeying His law? Therein you have your answer to the above verse and the word curse. When you break the law you get ‘law enforced’. And when the whole nation breaks God’s law ‘by law,’ then GOD destroys them. So, law enforcement coming down on you by your government, or ‘law enforcement’ coming down on your nation (Israel) by God, is a CURSE that comes from living under a conditional covenant.
But let’s not forget that ALL human governments work this way. The primary difference between ancient Israel and all other human governments throughout history is this: GOD and GOD’S LAW were the basis of Authority and Law Enforcement in Israel’s government. No other government throughout human history can claim that. We discussed this in a previous blog. Other than that, everything else between ancient Israel and all other human governments is pretty much the same. To reiterate, from the last part of verse 10 above, here is the material evidence proving all of this:
…for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.” (Galatians 3:10b)
“For it is written” is a reference to the Mosaic law in the OT. In this statement Paul is reminding his readers of the COVENANT CURSES that come upon the nation as a result of their disobedience to God’s law (the Mosaic law). Paul’s proof is a direct quote out of Deuteronomy 27:26, which is part of a covenant attestation ceremony:
‘Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
So now we have addressed all the verses in the NT containing the phrase ‘works of the law’. We can see how they become simple to interpret when viewed in terms of the CONDITIONAL COVENANT known as the MOSAIC COVENANT. Note that the Mosaic COVENANT is quite different from the Mosaic LAW. This strikes at the heart of the controversy that Evangelicals have perpetuated for many generations. It also simplifies a very confusing subject.
Just for the sake of contrast, let me make one point about the notion of Law vs. Grace (an Evangelical theological fantasy). The Apostle Paul says that faith establishes the law. We saw in my Galatians 3 blog that Paul’s reason for concluding this is the fact that the Mosaic covenant (the law) was separate from and could not influence the Abrahamic covenant (faith). I briefly commented in that blog the reason for that is they are separate agreements.
Basically I said that faith (the Abrahamic covenant) brought Israel into existence. And that nation came into existence under the governance of the Mosaic covenant. Since Paul considers the Abrahamic covenant faith in this context, he’s effectively saying that the Abrahamic covenant established the Mosaic covenant (the law). That is, FAITH ESTABLISHES THE LAW (Romans 3:31). This is a (in other words, their laws violate God’s law)whole new way of looking at these Pauline words, albeit in terms of COVENANTS instead of LAWS plus Evangelical fantasies based on a reinterpretation of Martin Luther’s idea of ‘justification by faith alone.’ Which itself, was a knee-jerk reaction to the Catholic protection racket known as Indulgences. Moreover, Evangelicals consider ‘works of the law’ a BAD thing according to their ‘theory,’ because they consider them contrary to Jesus’ redemption.
Based on our examination thus far, I think it’s safe to say that ‘works of the law’ was just a normal part of daily life for every citizen of ancient Israel. When it wasn’t, they were asking for trouble from ‘the law’. In fact, considering the principle at work here, ‘works of the law’ is just a normal part of ANY citizen’s daily life because if they want to break the law, they’re asking for trouble from the police. The only conclusion I can draw from this discussion is:
THERE IS NOTHING BAD ABOUT ‘WORKS OF THE LAW’
INSTEAD
‘WORKS OF THE LAW’ WAS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF DAILY LIVING.
So that’s what I wanted to say about ‘works of the law’. I hope you can see its simplicity in Paul’s writings. If you can’t yet, then you may want to de-program yourself from Evangelical theology and revisit these concepts when your mind is clear (when you come to God as a child!). And when those lying voices from your past are not interfering with your analytical thought process.
See you in the next blog!
(A big thanks goes out to my good friend Jim for editing this blog for grammar and content!)
Reality Bible 