Your comment makes no sense. There was no law to keep in the sense of the 10 commandments.
If I don't make sense, how does this make sense? "No law to keep in the sense of the 10 commandments?" The 10 Commandments were, in fact, laws!
Abraham obeyed God, doing as God commanded. That is much different from obeying the written code. You should read the whole of Galatians. Hopefully that will clear up your misunderstanding.
I've read Galatians many times. Abraham's obedience to God was exactly the same thing as Israel's obedience to the Law of Moses. It was an opportunity to live by the word of God, and in so doing demonstrate faithfulness to God.
Yes, there was that difference that Abraham had no written code. And yet he still had the requirement of circumcision, right? It really is the same thing as existed under the Law of Moses.
As I said, the problem with the Law was not some inherent disability men had when confronted with written regulations. No, it was the fact the Law contained within it the very prohibition from the Tree of Life that Man's 1st Sin had. It was a constant reminder, even as they faithfully kept the Law, that they were disqualified from the Tree of Life, up until the time Christ bore their sins on his own tree.
And that is the difference between dead religion and a living relationship with out heavenly Father. Dead religion needs rules and regulations because there is no communication with the Living God.
Rules and regulations do not prevent people from hearing God! But yes, they can be delivered to Israel, who in turn can obey those rules and regulations without true faithfulness. I get that part of your message.
I just think it's important to note that God gave rules and regulations under the Law not to show that they couldn't keep those rules and regulations, but rather, to show that they couldn't earn eternal life by keeping them. It constantly showed or exposed their sin nature, which disqualified them from Eternal Life.
Those who know their God hear from Him and are led by the Spirit. Abraham did not need laws on tablets of stone. He was God's friend. Lord Jesus is the friend of sinners. We do well to seek to befriend the Lord Jesus. And yes, when we are truly His friend, we will obey Him.
The tablets of stone were very useful at the time, and did not prevent Israel from getting God's word internally as well. That is, the purpose of the Law was not to prevent Israel from hearing God internally. Rather, these things enhanced their ability to hear internally--it just reminded them that they need legal redemption through Christ.
Rom 3.What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.
It's a shame that in one fell swoop you've disqualified and disrespected the entirety of Psalm 119. There, David sang the praises of the Law of God with every verse! He would hardly do that if it was useless. You either reject David and the entire OT Scriptures, or you are plainly misinterpreting Galatians and Paul's theology!
But I've heard this many times from Christians, who quote it and don't fully understand it. They have trouble putting the two testaments together. We aren't under the Law not because it wasn't good, nor because we weren't Israel. Rather, we are not under the Law any longer because Christ has already provided the legal redemption the Law indicated was necessary for Eternal Salvation.
The Law was "useless" only in terms of providing Eternal Salvation. It was not useless in preparing for it to come when Jesus died on the cross. Moral living was as necessary then as it is now, even though Christ has already died for our sin.
What does "dying to the Law" mean? It means that we acknowledge that our morality is insufficient apart from Christ's redemption. We require submission to his perfect righteousness, and not to any other system, which would be inadequate.
How can I obey the law if I'm dead to it? If I am speeding, crash my car and die, who would bother to give me a ticket? How would they enforce it?
I've never said anybody is still under the Law! Once Christ died, then we could die with him so that we may also rise with him. He was our ticket past the condemnation of the Law. He sustained our righteous works through death simply by our casting our lot with him.
The new covenant is new because it is new. The Law is of the old. There is now the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Learn to live in that law and watch your life be transformed. The only thing that the OT law does is bring death. You may like to exist in death. No thanks. I know the difference. I much prefer life.
You must not understand my points. I've *never* said anybody is still under the Law! What I've said is that when the Law was in effect people were able to live by it. That's what God Himself said!
Deut 32.47 They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.