Precisely, that is exactly what sin is. No one - aside from Jesus - has ever been able to fully lead their lives in complete compliance with the law. Which is why we needed Jesus.
You could live your life and live to be 90 not breaking any of the laws - impossible but for example sake let's roll with it - and then on your 91'st birthday, accidentally look at a young woman lustfully, boom. You don't get to go into heaven.
But, as those before Jesus were purified NOT by their requirements to fulfill their law, but by their faith, so are we called. Our payment, and the payment of those before Christ, was faith in Christ - and ultimately God. Placing faith in his ways, to eat from the tree of life (God's judgement) and not from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (man's judgement).
Jesus tells us to go and sin no more, which the bible says that sinning, is breaking the law. Also, it has shown in many verses that since we are absolutely unable to uphold the entirety of the law, considering breaking one law is breaking the whole law, that our faith is what justifies us. But, trying to obey, is how we show our salvation.
I used to believe, very heavily, in the not having to follow the law type doctrines, but with it, there are so many inconsistencies within scripture. Matthew 7:22-23, which if you look at the original greek for iniquity, it literally means lawlessness, or one who is without law (either for will, or for ignorance).
I could go on, but you get my point. Faith in God, is loving God. We show our faith, by believing in him. But how do we believe? Not with just our mouth, with our actions.
James 2:15-17
15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what
does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
This is why Jesus says this in Matthew 15:8
Saying we have faith, is one thing, actually showing it by our actions is another. You will never be worthy enough to merit yourself salvation. Having faith in God is what will merit that. That is how - like Abraham - you get righteousness. By admitting you're not enough, and that you need his grace, his kindness, and his mercy. By submitting to him, and
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
Without thinking of it from - the law is the receipt and sign of my salvation, not the currency with which I purchase it (because no man can purchase it, God already has) - type of perspective, verses like this make no sense. How are you to acknowledge him? How are you to obey him? If we aren't to follow the law, how do we obey God? Is it a pull inwardly? Is it to not sin? But without the law, how are we to know sin? How are we to avoid it?
7 Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact,
it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”[
a] 8 But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. 9 At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, 10 and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead.
11 Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. 12 But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.
Long post, but it's a topic I feel is jumped over today. We have become a people of hardened hearts. Even Jesus tells us that he who loves him should keep his commandments. John 14:21, John 14:31
John 14:31 Is more important. For this topic anyway. The way he says, the world will know, because as His Father gave him the commandment, he will do it, thereby showing the world his love for God based on his actions.
