Ends of the law

[laronius]

2 Nephi 2: 7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.

Justice is essentially enforcing consequences of choices, blessings for obedience and punishment for disobedience. Is that was is meant by the ends of the law or is that only the means to an end with the ends of the law being something beyond that?

[Vort]

Ends = purposes. That is: To what ends is the law given? Those ends (purposes) are "the ends of the law".

[Carborendum]

Ends = Results/goals/requirements

Jesus answered the requirement of the law to punish those who sin.  Thus "He offereth himself a sacrifice for sin."

But this needs to be informed by some interesting word play is between the Spanish & English.

English: Atonement               Spanish: expiación  (And we have the English word: expiation.)

Atonement originally came from the words at-one-ment.  And it meant that people were being reconciled after some offense was healed.  But because of religious usage of the word, it has come to refer to the payment that facilitates the reconciliation.

Expiation refers to the payment of a penalty.  

While we revere and worship Jesus for the payment of the penalty (the requirements of the law), the resulting reconciliation with God is what we can look forward to (the results/goals).

[laronius]

23 hours ago, Carborendum said:

Ends = Results/goals/requirements

Jesus answered the requirement of the law to punish those who sin.  Thus "He offereth himself a sacrifice for sin."

But this needs to be informed by some interesting word play is between the Spanish & English.

English: Atonement               Spanish: expiación  (And we have the English word: expiation.)

Atonement originally came from the words at-one-ment.  And it meant that people were being reconciled after some offense was healed.  But because of religious usage of the word, it has come to refer to the payment that facilitates the reconciliation.

Expiation refers to the payment of a penalty.  

While we revere and worship Jesus for the payment of the penalty (the requirements of the law), the resulting reconciliation with God is what we can look forward to (the results/goals).

This is along the lines of what I was thinking it might be referring to. Technically there generally isn't a real punishment for disobedience, just withheld blessings. So if the law exists to make those blessings available then it's intent would be salvation, to whatever degree we are willing to qualify for.

[Anddenex]

On 6/10/2023 at 12:54 PM, laronius said:

Justice is essentially enforcing consequences of choices, blessings for obedience and punishment for disobedience. Is that was is meant by the ends of the law or is that only the means to an end with the ends of the law being something beyond that?

As a result of the Fall we are -- all -- lost and fallen, and will in turn be subject to and answer the ends of the law. The first law of heaven is obedience. The second law is sacrifice.

The law of sacrifice (the Lord, Jesus Christ's Atonement) was given due to the law of obedience being rejected/broken. Because we have broken the first law (obedience) we must answer its ends -- physical and spiritual death.

The Atonement (the law of sacrifice) is the only measure -- outside of ourselves -- that can properly answer the ends of the law (physical and spiritual death) if we have broken the first law of obedience.

The ends of the law is the natural order of justice and mercy. Without the ends of the law there can be no justice or mercy. In that light, it appears there are two ends of the law. The one where people will answer for their own sins (so to speak -- 1000 years as in scripture), and the ends of the law through the Atonement. I would then agree (I would also add mercy) is essentially blessing for obedience and punishment for disobedience.