Is compliance with the Law impossible?

[McCulloch]

Following the Law is just obeying the various dictates and commandments given by God for humans to obey, so why is it that Christians claim that all humans must have broken the Law.

Questions for debate:

1. Is compliance with the Law impossible?
2. Why is it impossible to believe that a human (other than Jesus himself) who could be
   blameless as to the righteousness which is in the Law?

[PC1]

If someone were to claim that they had lived a life that honoured God by keeping the Law and that they had never broken that Law, in fact, that they were completely blameless with respect to the Law, how would a Christian respond?

I see nothing in the Bible which precludes such obedience.

Romans 3:20-21
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.


Romans 7:5-6
For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. 6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.


Romans 7:9-10
Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.



Well those verses would at the least seem to hint at the impossibility of such a thing. While I don't think its possible to fully obey the law, I'll try to answer the question anyways. I would say that such a person has therefore overcome sin. Of course, fundamental Christian theology would say such a task is impossible.

[McCulloch]

Well those verses would at the least seem to hint at the impossibility of such a thing. While I don't think its possible to fully obey the law, I'll try to answer the question anyways. I would say that such a person has therefore overcome sin. Of course, fundamental Christian theology would say such a task is impossible.

So then what did Paul mean by describing himself as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless?

[PC1]

Well those verses would at the least seem to hint at the impossibility of such a thing. While I don't think its possible to fully obey the law, I'll try to answer the question anyways. I would say that such a person has therefore overcome sin. Of course, fundamental Christian theology would say such a task is impossible.

So then what did Paul mean by describing himself as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless?

Could I see the passage for that one please?

[McCulloch]

Could I see the passage for that one please?

I cited it in post number 17 of this thread.

[atdcross]

Do you consider the Lord's command to love thy neighbor to be part of this "law" that you refer to?

Jesus' own words to the contrary notwithstanding, no, I do not consider the command to love one's neighbors to be part of the law. Do you? Did the epistle writers?

Please note, Jesus' command here is part of the law, cf. Lev 19:18. As such Jesus' listeners and followers did obviously saw his command given here as Law or Torah.

[MagusYanam]

Sorry - double post.

[MagusYanam]

Following the Law is just obeying the various dictates and commandments given by God for humans to obey, so why is it that Christians claim that all humans must have broken the Law.

Questions for debate:

1. Is compliance with the Law impossible?
2. Why is it impossible to believe that a human (other than Jesus himself) who could be blameless as to the righteousness which is in the Law?

If someone were to claim that they had lived a life that honoured God by keeping the Law and that they had never broken that Law, in fact, that they were completely blameless with respect to the Law, how would a Christian respond?

I see nothing in the Bible which precludes such obedience.

1. Is compliance with the Law impossible?

Sorry - I'll probably be addressing this question somewhat indirectly, and with another question.

Suppose here for a moment that you are God. You want the beings that you create to reflect you in some real sense, so you make a set of laws for your created beings - if they follow them, they are rewarded, but if they do not follow them, then they are punished. If they follow the law, what have you proven to yourself, as God? Are they able to reflect you in some real, actual sense, or could they simply be following the law to avoid being punished? How do you tell? Is 'compliance' from your creations with a pre-established Law all you really want, as a (let's say loving and omniscient) God?

2. Why is it impossible to believe that a human other than Jesus can be blameless with regard to the Law?

I realise that I'll probably be treading on the toes of some Christians as well with this, but why should we be looking at this in terms of 'blame' and 'blamelessness'? The Law must have some importance - it wouldn't be in our tradition otherwise! Undoubtedly, they seem to work to some degree with regard to how human beings interact with each other, and with God. Why not take it a level deeper, examine the motivations that people have for following the Law (if so they do)? Do their attitudes reflect some kind of reflex response to punishment that they've internalised? Do they reflect some kind of superiority complex? Do they reflect a genuine commitment?

I think that these questions generally tend to be more interesting, and they are ones with which people who identify with Christianity should be intimately concerned, since following the Law is supposed to draw from a relationship with a personal God.