What Is the Law of God?

We tend to call it by many names: a mistake, an accident, a weakness, or even a temptation. But what is sin?

There are three main words used in the Bible that are often misunderstood: sin, transgression, and iniquity. These words are very similar but not identical in meaning. So, what are sin, transgression, and iniquity? Let’s define them:

Transgression – This word is similar to the term “trespass.” It means crossing a boundary. God has set boundaries for our moral behavior, and when we disobey, we cross over those boundaries.

Sin – This word also refers to breaking the law. However, the difference between transgression and sin is that transgression is always an intentional act of unrighteousness, while sin can be either intentional or unintentional.

Iniquity – This word is often associated with wickedness, which implies something twisted. Iniquity isn’t just an action—it is a state of being. Both sin and transgression acknowledge that a law has been broken, but iniquity does not.

All transgression and iniquity are forms of sin. It seems straightforward, doesn’t it? Sin is unrighteousness—it is failing to meet the standard of God’s holiness. Many people use the definition “missing the mark,” which certainly applies here.

The Law Never Changes

It seems easy to know what sin is, but when iniquity enters the picture, things become wicked (twisted). Wrong suddenly seems right, and good suddenly seems evil. We lose sight of the difference.

Have you ever wondered why we have laws? Think of what would happen without them. If we were given no declaration of right and wrong, we would have to decide for ourselves.

Because of our fallen nature, we might call good evil and evil good. We would fall into a state of chaos where everything depended on how we felt—not on truth, which is absolute.

The law is truth. It is absolute. The law is the anchor that holds us firm, telling us what is good and what is not. Therefore, the law is good. It brings order to our world of uncertainty. It says, “Thou shalt not,” and it doesn’t change based on who reads it.

The law never changes.

The reason the law never changes is that it was given by the God who never changes. In our world today, people seem to have forgotten this truth. Many believe the law is written by us and can, therefore, be changed by us. That may be true for the laws of the land, but the law of God will never change.

A common belief is that Jesus did away with the law, but this is not the case. In fact, Jesus is the one who gave us the law in the first place. This truth can be understood by recognizing the nature of the Trinity.

Verses that state Moses gave the law are often misunderstood. Moses received the law from God and then delivered it to the people. This is why the Bible says the law came by Moses—it was delivered by him but not created by him.

The Ten Commandments

The law is the word of God, which includes the Ten Commandments. The word of God will not pass away, does not change, and reveals to us what is right and what is wrong.

Most people know at least a little about the Ten Commandments, but not many realize that these commands can be seen as headings with subtext. The headings are as follows:

The Ten Commandments:

• Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
• Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
• Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
• Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
• Honour thy father and thy mother.
• Thou shalt not kill.
• Thou shalt not commit adultery.
• Thou shalt not steal.
• Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
• Thou shalt not covet.

Beneath these commandments, we find 613 additional laws in the Bible that fall under their authority. These include specific instructions, such as not mixing wool and linen cloth, as well as circumcision.

You cannot separate love and the commandments. Without love, the commandments would not exist, and without the commandments, love would have no solid meaning. What many call “love” today is often what the law calls lust. It is our iniquity that twists the true meaning of love.

Notice in verse 40, Jesus tells us that all the law and the prophets hang on love. The law actually has a hierarchy. Some commands take precedence over others. While it may be tempting to believe that all are equal, the Bible does not teach this.

The Bible does tell us that breaking one law means we have broken all of the law. This is another way of saying that it doesn’t matter whether the sin seems big or small—breaking the law is still breaking the law.

However, in multiple places in Scripture, we read that certain sins are greater than others. For example, Jesus told Pilate that his sin was not as great as the sin of the one who handed Him over (John 19:11). So, yes, there is a hierarchy within the law.

The Hierarchy of the Law

An easy way to understand the hierarchy of the law is to consider a sign that says, “Stay off the grass.” Now, imagine someone in the middle of the field having a heart attack. Would paramedics be breaking the law if they walked on the grass to help them?

In this case, the priority is to save a life. The law of love for human life overrules the law against walking on the grass. Therefore, they have not truly broken the law, as the greater law overrides the lesser one.

This principle is why some people in the Bible accused Jesus of sin. They saw Him perform miracles on the Sabbath and accused Him of violating that law. However, Jesus explained that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. The greater law of love overruled the law of Sabbath rest.

This is the proper way to discern what is and is not lawful.

The Spirit of the Law – Legalism vs. Grace

The Bible teaches that the law is spiritual and spiritually discerned. This means there is more to the law than what meets the eye. It also means that those who are carnally minded will struggle to understand it. They will also reject it.

While the law has value in its literal and legal sense, it is the spirit of the law that truly matters. For example, the commandment not to muzzle the ox that treads the field is not just about oxen. It shows us a principle that people doing the work should benefit from it. This is one instance where the Bible explains the deeper, spiritual meaning of the law.

There are many parts of the law that are not understood by the common person because they approach it with a carnal mind. Most people lack a true understanding of what the laws mean and why they are inherently good.

Like any legal system, understanding the law requires guidance. In the biblical sense, this comes from being well-versed in Scripture. Without this foundation, many people misunderstand or misinterpret the law. This is especially true for those who are carnally minded. But ultimately we need the Spirit of Christ to help us discern it.

Some even believe the law to be unjust, but their misunderstanding stems from their own perspective. What they think the law says is often incorrect. This shows our need for an objective, unchanging law—one that remains good and true, even when we fail to comprehend it.

The law serves two primary purposes:

• It reveals what is right and wrong.
• It shows us that we have all sinned.

No one, apart from Jesus, has ever kept the whole law. This means that we are all guilty and subject to the judgment of God, the righteous Judge.

When Christians point out sin, it is crucial to remember our own guilt. As Christians, we must always keep this in mind when addressing sin in others. Our goal is not to convict the world of sin—that is God’s job. Our job is to point people to the Savior.

When we declare what the Bible says about sin, we are often met with anger or defensiveness. It’s common for people to respond by pointing out our sins in an attempt to deflect attention from their own.

This is why it’s so important to approach these conversations lovingly, with humility and grace. When the spotlight is turned on us, we should not feel the need to defend ourselves. Instead, we should lead by example, acknowledging our own sin and emphasizing our shared need for Jesus.

The reality is that we are not the standard—the Word of God is. Pointing out someone else’s sins does not erase our own guilt, just as their sins do not erase ours.

We are all guilty, and we all need to acknowledge that guilt. This is the point of the law—to show us our need for a Savior.

There is a common saying, “Only God can judge me.” Typically, verses like Matthew 7:1 are used to justify that saying. But why would the Bible also say we are to judge all things in other verses?

It’s because Matthew 7:1 isn’t the end of the statement. Verse 2 tells us that the judgment we use will be used to judge us. Verse 3 tells us that we should therefore consider our own sin when we make judgments. So, in Matthew, it isn’t telling us not to judge at all. It is telling us that if we are going to judge, we need to do so with mercy and love.

Are We Under the Law

Remember that I said earlier the law will not be done away with? It is very much still in effect today. But the question is not if it is in effect. The question is: Who does it affect, and how?

In the book of Acts, chapter 15, we find the story of those who taught that, to be saved, we must be circumcised according to the law. The problem was not just the issue of circumcision, though. It was this: Do we have to keep the law to be saved?

This is the same issue we deal with when we ask if there are certain laws Christians still have to follow. We do not get to pick and choose what we want to obey—the law is the law. At the same time, we need to understand the purpose of the law and who it applies to.

There is a time for every human to die and then to be judged. The law is for both Jew and Gentile. The Jews have the benefit of having the law written in stone. The Gentiles have the law written in their hearts. No one can say they didn’t know the law.

People That Have Never Heard

This also answers the question about what happens to people who never hear about Jesus. The Bible says that what can be known about God is clearly visible through creation. No one can claim ignorance of the law, nor can they claim ignorance of God.

In every nation, whether or not they have heard of Jesus, there are those who worship Him. They may do so in ignorance, but they know there is a God who will judge and have mercy.

At one time, God overlooked the ignorance of these people. He had mercy on those who didn’t know any better. This applies to all who never heard of Him or were not mentally capable of understanding.

But when you do hear and understand, you are held accountable for that knowledge. Since God doesn’t want people to worship in ignorance, He commands the gospel to be told to all. He wants us to know Him.

The Purpose of the Law

No one is saved from the judge by doing what is in the law. We are only found to be unrighteous because we are human and will inevitably break the law. If we could somehow keep the law perfectly, there would be no need for faith in Jesus. But obviously, we cannot be saved by keeping the law due to our weakness.

Now let us consider the point of the matter:

That is the true purpose of the law. It shows us we have a choice to make. We can either try to be justified by our works and attempt to gain salvation through our ability to keep the law (which we will fail at), or we can come to God and ask for mercy.

Those who ask for mercy are the ones who fall in love with God. As Jesus taught, he who is forgiven much loves much. These are the ones who bear the fruits of righteousness. They are the ones who will proclaim His name, even at the cost of their lives. They are the ones who will live forever with Him.

Those that do not have another fate. We will talk about that as we continue our studies.

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