Even though God gave laws to follow, trying to keep those laws won’t keep you from sinning. Those laws just highlighted your sins to you. Knowing mankind would need a better way to become pure, God sent Jesus to cover and wash our sins away. Apart from being covered by the work of Jesus, no one is good enough to share in God’s divine greatness.
Romans 7:6-8 The Passion Translation
6 But now that we have been fully released from the power of the law, we are dead to what once controlled us. And our lives are no longer motivated by the obsolete way of following the written code, so that now we may serve God by living in the freshness of a new life in the power of the Holy Spirit. 7 So, what shall we say about all this? Am I suggesting that the law is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that gave us the clear definition of sin. For example, when the law said, “Do not covet,” it became the catalyst to see how wrong it was for me to crave what belongs to someone else. 8 It was through God’s commandment that sin was awakened in me and built its base of operation within me to stir up every kind of wrong desire. For in the absence of the law, sin hides dormant.
Hebrews 9:11-14 Living Bible
11 He came as High Priest of this better system that we now have. He went into that greater, perfect tabernacle in heaven, not made by men nor part of this world, 12 and once for all took blood into that inner room, the Holy of Holies, and sprinkled it on the mercy seat; but it was not the blood of goats and calves. No, he took his own blood, and with it he, by himself, made sure of our eternal salvation. 13 And if under the old system the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of young cows could cleanse men’s bodies from sin, 14 just think how much more surely the blood of Christ will transform our lives and hearts. His sacrifice frees us from the worry of having to obey the old rules and makes us want to serve the living God. For by the help of the eternal Holy Spirit, Christ willingly gave himself to God to die for our sins—he being perfect, without a single sin or fault.
People put on the covering of Jesus when they accept Jesus as their saviour. Following laws and rules couldn’t save anyone. In order to be saved, those who died before Jesus died for them, must accept the sacrifice of Jesus for themselves. Other than those who lived in faith, when do those who died before Jesus, have an opportunity to accept Jesus? Is being humanly good able to save anyone? What brings salvation, knowing there is a God, or knowing Jesus as your saviour?