“Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.” -Romans 3:31
It is the same old story, the same accusations made against Christ–that he was trying to abolish the law. Jesus said to the Jews, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17).
Paul uses the word katargeo (overthrow) which means to cause something to lose its power or effectiveness, to invalidate, or make powerless in a legal sense. Righteousness by faith in Christ does not nullify the efficacy of the law. It must be remembered that the Law was never meant to produce righteousness by works.
What then? In reality, the law is confirmed and established through faith in Christ, inasmuch as it was given to the Jews for this reason. The law, by showing man his iniquity points men to Christ. As Paul says later in this very letter, “…if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet”” (Romans 7:7).
It would be like complaining the that salted oats did not quench your horse’s thirst. They were never meant to. The oats were salted to make the horse drink the water. Though this is not a perfect analogy—for the Law wasn’t meant to make us sin but to show us our sinfulness—it gives us a better understanding of its purpose.
Perhaps the mirror is a better example. The mirror only reveals the broccoli stuck in our teeth, it can’t remove it. But now having seen how gross the broccoli looks stuck in our teeth, we reach for our toothbrush. The Law is the mirror and the toothbrush is Christ.
Paul continues, “…I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet. But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good” (Romans 7:8–12).