What Does it Mean to "Keep The Law"?

"No one could ever keep the law; that's why we need Jesus."

"The law is impossible for us to obey."

I've heard statements like this over and over again. Consistently reflecting the same idea: Jesus came to keep the law because we never could. 

Growing up in a Southern Baptist tradition this message was drilled into me pretty early on. And honestly, throughout my adult life, I have encountered this idea in other church traditions and various aspects of my seminary education. The assumption that "no one could ever keep the law" appears to be ingrained into our teachings of Scripture.

About five years ago, I came across a passage in Deuteronomy that stopped me in my tracks. It didn't fit the narrative I had always been taught. 

Each chapter of Deuteronomy unfolds as Moses meticulously and painstakingly explained the law to the people of Israel. Just before the end of the book, Moses wrote these words, which, to me, were completely unexpected.

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, 'Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?' Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, 'Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?' No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

Deuteronomy 30:11–14

I was shocked to read these verses. I had no idea they existed in the canon of Scripture. The law is not too difficult? It is not beyond our reach? What? 

I've sat uncomfortably with this passage for years because it completely contradicted the long-held belief that keeping the law was an impossibility. And it has ultimately led me to question if we have misunderstood what it means to "keep the law"?

Before I address that question, it's important to consider what is at stake if we insist the law cannot be kept.

What would it mean if God commanded impossibilities? 

If God gave his people a law that was impossible to obey, then we inherently make a claim about His character. A just God does not hold people accountable to a standard they could never keep. If obedience were truly out of reach, then judgment would be unjust. 

This conjures up an image of a stern and unyielding God who issues demands that are forever unattainable, implying that God entered into a covenant with His people without providing them with the means to be faithful...at least not until Jesus came. It is no wonder, then, that so many perceive the "Old Testament God" as distinct and different from the compassionate and merciful God revealed in the New Testament, that is embodied in Jesus.

These implications are not small. They are central to how we understand God and call into question His goodness, justice, integrity, and love.

Another consideration is that this perspective diminishes the gravity of our sin. When we believe the law is impossible to follow, the problem becomes the law and not our sin. It turns the law into the antagonist of the story instead of highlighting our sin, the brokenness of our hearts and defiance against God. 

The law is not our enemy, sin is. Jesus did not come to save us from the law. He came to save us from our sins. 

So what about our understanding of what it means to "keep the law"? The biggest issue here is that we have equated "keeping the law" with "never sinning." I believe this comes, in part, from interpreting verses in Romans, where Paul said, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23) and "there is none righteous no, not one" (Rom 3:10).

These are true statements. But in the context of teaching what it means to "keep the law," they are misapplied absolutes. To say that all have sinned and that no one is righteous is not the same thing as saying that no one can keep the law. 

The law itself leaves room for human failure. It offers provisions for sin, guiding us in repentance and reconciliation. If "keeping the law" meant never sinning, then these aspects of the law would be worthless. But they are central to God's revelation to Israel. The law anticipates our sins and failures, teaching us how to return to a right relationship with God and others.

Even the Bible describes several individuals as being blameless and having observed all of God's commands...people like Enoch, Noah, Job, and later in the New Testament, Zechariah and Elizabeth.

To say that everyone sins is a fact of history, but it is not a statement of a perpetual inability to obey God. We must recognize that "keeping the law" does not mean living a sinless life. God never asked for moral perfection, He asked for covenant faithfulness.We can choose obedience, we can choose life, we can choose to return to Him.

Now, I know you're thinking, doesn't this perspective subvert the mission of Jesus? If we say that people can keep the law, doesn't that make Jesus unnecessary? 

No, not at all. 

Jesus remains the perfect fulfillment of the law, not because no one else could obey it, but because he satisfied the demands in a way no one else could.  

Jesus is without sin. He never had to return to God because he never strayed from God. He is God. And because Jesus never sinned, He was able to offer a sacrifice that accomplished the requirements of the law. While the law provided a way to address sin, it could not remove our guilt or cleanse our conscience (Heb 10:2). Jesus brought those provisions to completion in their entirety and gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit, who transforms our obligation into internal conviction and renews our hearts from within. Humanity could never do that. 

Even if we strive to live in covenant faithfulness, we are fallen, and we will still sin. That is why His work is central to our salvation. 

God's laws are good. They are not too difficult or beyond our reach. His standard has not changed and is not unattainable.

God never expected a fallen humanity to be flawless, but He has always invited us to be faithful. 

Reflection Questions:

• How have you typically understood the phrase “keep the law”? What beliefs influenced this interpretation?

• In what ways has your understanding of the law shaped your perception of God’s character?

• How does Deuteronomy 30:11–14 challenge, support, or expand your view of what God expects from His people?

• In what areas of your life might God be inviting you to pursue faithfulness, not perfection, and what would obedience look like in that area?