LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
THE LAW – OUR TEACHER AND GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS
A RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO DR. DEVIN HUDSON
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
COURSE NBST 522-D02
LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
BY
DENISE L. BURNETT
LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA
SUNDAY, MAY 4, 2008
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………...…………..i
VIEW OF THE LAW ……………………………………… ……………………...1
PURPOSE OF THE LAW……………. …………………………………………....2
TO WHOM THE LAW APPLIED ………………………………………………...3
PEDAGOGUE…………………………. ……………………………………….....4
BEING “UNDER THE LAW”……… …………………………………………….6
CURSE OF THE LAW…………. …………………………………………………7
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE LAW….…………………………………………….8
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH …………………………………………………..10
A NEW LAW ………………………………………………………..……………12
CONCLUSION… …………………………………………………………………13
BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………….14
INTRODUCTION
After Paul’s conversion, he came to realize the inadequacy of the Law with regard to salvation, and came to view it as God’s way to show us His righteousness and to teach us our need for Jesus and the work of the cross. Specifically, Paul introduces us to the concept of the pedagogue and the curse of the law in Galatians, and the distinctiveness of the righteousness of the law and the righteousness of faith in Romans.
VIEW OF THE LAW
In order to understand this radical change of perspective on Paul’s part with respect to the Law, we must first try to understand what Paul’s original perspective on the law was. In traditional Jewish culture, every Jew aspired to follow the rules of the Law. To them, God’s privileged covenant people, the keeping of this Law was equivalent to actually doing the will of God.1 Paul himself was very zealous for the Law by his own admission in Acts 22:3 where he says: "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.” (NASB) The...