Romans 3:28-31

“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is He the God of the Jews only? And not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God, who shall justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith.

Do we then make void the law through faith? It is not so! Rather we establish the law.”

When asked what was the greatest commandment in the law, Jesus replied that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord God with all one’s heart, soul, strength, and mind and that the second commandment was to love one’s neighbour as oneself. He then said that all the Law and the prophets ‘hung upon’ these two commandments.

It is not possible to love God without believing that He is, Who He is, and what He has said. If we know God, and trust Him because of Who He is, we cannot help but love Him. So if indeed we trust God, we have fulfilled the Spirit of the Law. Our faith is the goal and purpose of the Law, which was given to show how men have strayed from God and His righteous standard of living.

The Law was a tool for conviction of sin; it reveals our true selves to ourselves, and shows us how lost we truly are. Without mercy, we are bound to conviction as criminals, condemned to die as treasonous rebels against our Sovereign. When we rely alone on the mercy of God, Who has promised to redeem those who receive and trust Christ, we affirm ourselves as the Law confirms: guilty and without appeal to our own goodness, dependant upon Him Who has sole power and authority to judge, and upon His payment of our debt for our crimes.