Did Moses Think the Law Was Keepable for Sinners

It’s a fair question: Did Moses really think sinners could keep God’s law perfectly? Was he under the impression that fallen people, left to themselves, could fulfill every command in the Mosaic law and thereby secure righteousness? Reading Deuteronomy 30:11–14, it might seem so. After all, Moses says, “This commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you.” But when read alongside the broader narrative of Scripture and especially when viewed through the lens of the New Testament something much deeper comes into focus.

To grasp the intent behind Moses’s words, we need to zoom out and look at the sweeping picture presented in the Pentateuch. What emerges is not a contradiction between the law and faith, but rather a layered and intentional distinction. Moses, like Abraham before him, understood something essential: the law, while holy and good, could not ultimately save.

Law-Keeping and the Problem of Perfection

The Mosaic law outlined God's expectations, clearly requiring obedience. Yet embedded within that system was the sacrificial structure a glaring signpost indicating that failure to keep the law was inevitable. Leviticus 17:11 highlights this reality: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls.” The very fact that sacrifices were necessary reveals God's provision for human shortcomings.

Fast forward to the New Testament, and Galatians 5:3 affirms the impossibility of being justified through law-keeping: “Every man who accepts circumcision is obligated to keep the whole law.” And we know from Paul's argument that no one save Christ ever managed such perfection.

Two Types of Obedience

But the necessity of obedience doesn’t disappear. Instead, Scripture presents two distinct ways obedience is required:

• Law-Keeping as the Basis of Salvation: This approach, held up as a standard but never realistically achievable, demands perfect adherence to the law to gain righteousness. The sacrificial system underscores its impossibility.

• Obedience as the Evidence of Salvation by Faith: This is the path Moses, Abraham, and the New Testament writers highlight. Obedience here is not the foundation of one's standing before God, but rather its fruit. It is the response of a heart transformed by faith.

Abraham’s Example: Righteousness by Faith

Genesis sets the stage with Abraham, long before the Mosaic law was given. Genesis 15:6 famously states, “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” Paul leans heavily on this in Romans 4 and Galatians 3, emphasizing that Abraham’s righteousness came not through works, but through faith.

Interestingly, Genesis also links Abraham’s faith to obedience. In Genesis 26:5, God says, “because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” Here, obedience is presented as the confirmation not the cause of Abraham’s righteousness.

Deuteronomy’s Echo of Faith

Returning to Deuteronomy 30, we find this same pattern. Verses 11–14 declare the law is “not too hard,” yet just five verses earlier, Moses points to the ultimate solution: “The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Deuteronomy 30:6). This is a prophecy of the new covenant, later expanded in Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36, where God promises to transform hearts by His Spirit, making real obedience possible not as law-keeping perfection, but as Spirit-enabled love flowing from faith.

Paul picks up on this in Romans 10:6–8, quoting Deuteronomy 30 to explain righteousness by faith. He contrasts it with Romans 10:5, where the standard of law-keeping righteousness is laid out: “The person who does the commandments shall live by them.” Paul’s point is unmistakable. Deuteronomy, far from being anti-Christological, anticipates the gospel by pointing beyond the law to a righteousness grounded in faith.

Moses wasn’t deceived about human ability. Rather, he was a herald of God’s covenantal pattern: obedience matters, but it flows from faith. The Pentateuch Genesis through Deuteronomy tells this story in layers:

• Genesis: Righteousness by faith, confirmed by obedience.

• Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers: The law, with its sacrificial system revealing humanity’s inability to achieve righteousness through works.

• Deuteronomy: A return to faith, emphasizing inner heart transformation and the nearness of God's word.

This isn’t an Old vs. New Testament tension. It’s one continuous revelation leading to Christ.

Deuteronomy 30’s vision of heart circumcision finds fulfillment in Jesus. His death inaugurates the new covenant, secured by His blood (Luke 22:20). This covenant doesn't nullify the law but fulfills it (Matthew 5:17), transforming obedience from a crushing requirement into a joyful outflow of faith, empowered by the Spirit.

In summary, Moses didn’t suggest sinners could flawlessly keep the law. Instead, he pointed to the same gospel thread running through all Scripture: righteousness has always come by faith, confirmed by obedience born not of self-effort, but of God's sovereign work in the heart.

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