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}

LESSON ELEVEN
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

How does the apostle refer to God the Father?


THE LOVE OF GOD AND OF CHRIST
John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..
God did not send His Son to condemn the world but to save the world through Him.

It is interesting to compare this verse with other verses:
Galatians 2:20 I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us
Eph. 5:25 Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
2 Thess. 2:16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given [us] everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
John 16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me,

So we see BOTH loved and gave, it was an act of ultimate Divine love from both the Father and the Son, giving so immeasurably much, that we might have life!
We must believe that the Father Himself, loves us; we must take Christ at His word, believe that He came to represent the Father, and that the Father, Himself, is our friend, and that His desire is that we should not perish, or He would never have given His Son to die our sacrifice.

"The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave themselves to the working out of the plan of redemption. {RH, May 2, 1912 par. 3}

THE JUDGE
John 5:22 The Father judges no one but has entrusted all judgment to the Son that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
John 5:30 Jesus says, I don't do anything of Myself, as I hear, I judge; and My Judgments is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
Again, they work in perfect harmony.
God the Father is not some ruthless judge, eager to crush the sinner, while Christ is begging for Him to show mercy. "The Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment unto the Son. . . . And has given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man." Christ accepted humanity and lived on this earth a pure, sanctified life. He is the Lamb slain, suppling the only means by which mankind can be saved, at a great cost. For this reason He has received the appointment of judge. He who occupies the position of judge is God manifest in the flesh.
The very One who gave His precious life for them, who by His grace moved their hearts to repentance, who awakened them to their need of repentance, and greatly desires to receive them into the joy of salvation, it is He who is the judge!

He is their defense. His righteousness covers all who love, trust and live for Him. He alone is the judge of their righteousness, for He created them, and at infinite cost to Himself redeemed them. He knows who are His.
Romans 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
The judgment will be conducted in accordance with the rules God has laid down, He is the Ancient of Days, before Whom Christ presents the names of all who are redeemed through His power and blood. (see Rev. 3:5) God the Father and Son never work in opposition to each other. They work as one, together, in perfect unity and purpose. Love and judgment are combined in perfect righteousness.

THE TEACHINGS
John 6:45 And they shall all be taught by God. Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.
John 7:16 Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.
John 5:38 You do not have His word abiding in you, because you do not believe the One whom He sent.

Had they understood and believed the Words of God in scripture, Christ's Words would have been familiar and recognized as the truth from God.
We need to familiarize ourselves with the words of scripture. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to lead us into all the truth in God's word, and open our minds in the knowledge of the truth in God's Word. Without it we cannot discern the net of deceptions, and will walk into them as readily as the Jews in Christ's day, who could not see God the Father in Jesus, or hear the words, or see the works of God in scripture repeated by Jesus.