Herman Ridderbos in his work on Paul, an outline of his theology remarks concerning Judaism’s commitment to the law as a means for their salvation,
“But all this does not alter one matter, namely, that Judaism knew no other way of salvation than that of the law, and that it saw even the mercy and the forgiving love of God as lying precisely in the fact that they enable the sinner once more to build for his eternal future on the ground of the law. The idea that man should have to renounce the law for the source of his moral strength and for his righteousness before God contradicts at its very core the Jewish doctrine concerning the object of the law and the inner connection between law and sin. Just this is the privilege of Israel above the gentiles, that in the law it has received the means of life.”
This Judaic understanding of law would then immediately put them on a collision course with Christ who does by the law what the law itself, nor those with the law can do for themselves.
Romans 7:4 Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.
To this day, unbelieving Judaism finds this the fundamental issue. Saying to themselves, we have the Law, we don’t need anything else. For unbelieving gentiles it is even worse, for they don’t even have the law which is given to lead to Christ.
Both sides, indeed all humanity must find the solution in Christ for there’s no other means to the Father except His Son.
The need then is, mankind always did need a seeking God to search us out. The Law is no friend to save. No, Christ alone is our only friend and one more suitable than our closest brother.
Soli Deo Gloria
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