Follow the law? The Jews promised to do what all the law said, and they failed miserably. Only Jesus followed it perfectly. No other man who ever walked this earth did that...although I've met some people who think they are living as perfectly as did Jesus.
[Rom 2:12-15] 12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and
as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; 13 (
For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. 14 For
when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and [their] thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another
As we can see from these verses, the law written in our hearts is more powerful than the letter of the law that kills.
[2 Cor. 3:6] Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit:
for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
None of us can be doers of the law, so what good does it do for us to even try to "follow" the law, for if we place ourselves under the law, and offend in even one point, such a one is guilty of all the law. Why go back into that bondage of death and destruction?
Is the not the Mighty Hand of God not powerful enough, in the law He writes in our hearts, to keep us from being guilty of the law? Yes. The law was fulfilled in Christ, and with our having been buried with Him and raised back up into newness of life, we are dead to the letter of the law, no longer under its curse.
I'm not saying it's wrong to study the law, for it is perfect, but daring to think that we can please the Lord by trying to obey the letter of the law when we can't keep it perfectly? Has God now lowered His standard for "following" the law? Jesus said all the law and the prophets are fulfilled in two things:
[Mat 22:37-40] 37 Jesus said unto him,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second [is] like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Love is the foundational power, written into our hearts, by which we obey the law, for any violation of any of the laws is first and foremost a violation of that one thing to which Jesus pointed, which is love for God and love for others as we love ourselves. Therefore we have no reason to go back to ordinances and law, but to abide in Christ in the newness of our rebirth in Christ and by Him. Love is what pleases the Lord, not following the letter of what we have passed beyond in our death, burial and resurrection in and by Christ Jesus.
Everyone has the freedom to go back to trying to please God by following the letter of the law, but not me. No sir.
[Gal 5:1-4] 1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you,
whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
This gives us ample reason to understand that trying to keep the law to allegedly "please" the Lord, it will only end in utter failure and defeat. We can't keep the law for our justification, so we certainly can't keep the law to any extent that we would please the Lord.
MM