The Purpose of the Law (Torah)

So what is the purpose of the Old Testament law? The law reveals God’s righteous character, but it can’t make us righteous (Gal. 2:21). The law is a tutor to teach us about the Savior, but it can’t save us (3:24). The law detects spiritual death, but it can’t make us alive (v. 21). We can think of it this way: Imagine the Old Testament law is like a mirror, which, according to the apostle James, is exactly what it’s like (1:23–25). What’s the purpose of a mirror? When we look in a mirror, we can see the dirt on our faces. (And these days, my mirror also reveals a lot more wrinkles and gray hair!) The mirror shows us what needs to be cleaned, but it can’t remove any of the dirt.