What does Paul say is the law?s role in the saving process?

Well, I'll write it again, since it seems to have been missed.

The law has three basic purposes

THE MIRROR
1. It shows us we have sinned and we need a Savior.

This is what Romans 7:7 is talking about:
What shall we say then? Was the law the sin problem? God forbid. No, I would not have recognized sin, except by the law: for I would not have recognized lust, except the law said, Thou shalt not covet.

7:12 Wherefore the law [is] holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.
7:13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might be recognized as sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

And James 1:23-25 likens God's perfect law of liberty to a mirror.


There would be no need for salvation, if there was no law telling us we are sinners.
There would be no need for forgiveness if there was no law that was transgressed.

Paul is very emphatic that justification is by faith not by works of the law. (Justification, is is by faith!) He is also very emphatic that this justification does NOT do away with God's law. " God forbid" it is not done away, grace is given for God's law to be lived in our lives, written upon not only on stone tablets but also on our hearts (Romans 6:15-16, 2 Cor. 3:3) written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart.

God's law, His WORDS spoken and written by Him, is the instrument the Holy Spirit uses to bring us to conversion.


2. THE GUARDIAN

2. The second purpose of the law, it is to teach all people right from wrong and be a a guardian to society in general. It's principles, if accepted, restrain them from descending into corruption. This earth is like a theater, in which the righteousness of God's laws are shown against the terrible consequences that are the natural result of disregarding God's law.
Every person in tune with God will be convinced that God's law is not arbitrary or restrictive, but right, honest and good, holy and the only way to live in a happy, safe, and peaceful society.

It's this concept of the law that we find in 1 Timothy 1:8-9 But we know that the law [is] good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers.
And guess what? We all have sinned. We all need God's law. The law was not given to restrain righteousness but to put a restraint on sinful society in general, a society from which God calls us to flee.



3. THE PROMISE AND TESTER OF THE SPIRITS

The third purpose of the law:
The moral life of the believer in Christ, is shaped by the WORD, Christ's moral law (the ten commandments). The commands that are restrictive to people following the sinful values of the world, are not considered restrictive to those in Christ, indeed they become promises to those in Christ.
" Whatever is to be done at His command may be accomplished in His strength. All His biddings are enablings." {COL 333.1}
God's commandments are as a shield, to shied us--
People (and it's quite prevalent in today's society) who say God's TEN WORDS, the commandments are no longer important usually want salvation without obedience to one or more of those commandments.
Also, sadly true, there are numerous people, in society and religious groups, which claim many things as coming from the "spirit". They are very much into "spirit" based worship.
But is it the true Holy Spirit? How can we know? In order to know truth we can't go by feeling. No, we need to know the WORDS of truth recorded in scripture for our benefit. The Holy Spirit does not work against the WORD of truth, He works through the WORD, He leads us into all truth, including all the "ten WORDS, we call ten commandments, glorifying Christ Who spoke the WORD. (See John 15-16)
Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this
WORD, it is because there is no light in them.
A lot of people will be deceived in the end by religious leaders who claim to be "spirit led". People will be deceived "because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." 2 Thess 2:10.
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
THe Holy Spirit who leads into all truth will NEVER contradict the WORD of God which is truth.
Hereby we must test the spirits.

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy WORD is truth.

Lesson TEN
The Way the Truth and the Life!

In the study of the Gospel according to John, we have now come to several chapters recording Jesus last instructions to His disciples.

Chapter 13 has the story of the foot washing.
The job of a servant -- washing dirty, dusty feet before engaging in a social or religious gathering -- but on this occasion, there was no servant.

The disciples were rather often found in discussions and arguments (when Jesus supposedly wasn't listening) which usually centered on "which one of us will get the leading position", who will be the greatest?
So none of them were inclined to get down and wash anyone's feet.

But Jesus --
1:3 The One Who created all things, without Him nothing was made , that was made.
13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things in His hands and that He had come from God and was going to God.
He had a full consciousness of His divinity;

Those, hands, when one really thinks about it, were the hands of God! They upheld all things! This was the One Who created all things! Those hand actually formed the first human being out of the dust, and breathed the breath of life, and the first human came to life, in full vigor and maturity. Every human being that ever lived was sustained by the power of life within the owner of those hands!
God the Father had place "all things" in His hands.

How could those hands do menial servant work? But He did it with a heart full of love for these men, who followed Him, imperfect as they were. Even the feet of Judas, whose feet would take him down a dark path that very night. What love! Amazing love, That love is for each one of us. A cleansing love. A humbling love!




The ordinance [foot washing] preceding the Lord's Supper is to clear away these misunderstandings, to bring man out of his selfishness, down from his stilts of self-exaltation, to the humility of heart that will lead him to serve his brother. {1MCP 277.1}