The law was to point people to the Cross, to their need of atonement and Redemption. No wonder, then, that the Israelites trembled before the law, because the law showed them just how sinful and fallen they were.

God doesn’t reveal how He communicated the eternal principles of His law to humanity before Mount Sinai, but the evidence is clear and substantial that the giving of the law on Sinai was not the world’s initial exposure to its precepts.

From the start, the principles of the Ten Commandments were given to humanity out of the Lord’s love for people. The law has always been intended to be a blessing. You obey the law, and you are greatly protected from the ravages of sin; you disobey, and you face the inevitable consequences of transgression. This is true of God’s law and laws of your government.

The Apostle Paul explains how the law is inseparably tied to the gospel, that it is the law that shows us just how sinful and fallen we are. It is the law that points us to the Savior — Jesus Christ.

Watch this week’s Scriptural Pursuit to understand why and how the Law of God is really God’s character.