Is God’s Law Good for Life?

THE LAW CAN’T SAVE

As we have been studying the 10 Commandments over the past few months I’m sure we all have been reflecting a lot on the “Law,” or the “Word of God,” or his “rules.”

I would guess that most of us cringe a little when we think about rules in general. We are haunted by the rules of the past… rules we had as kids at home growing up; rules at school as a teenager; even rules (or expected responsibilities) as an adult or parent. We don’t like rules because we don’t like being told what to do, especially when it goes against our own desires. Our desires are strong. Our desires drive us emotionally, mentally and physically. We want what we want, and we typically want that self gratification quickly, or else we get irritated and frustrated.

What would our world look like if we all just simply followed the 10 Commandments? If there was no murder, no adultery, no lying, and no theft? I’d say things would be trending up!

The Harsh Reality

But the harsh reality is that it still wouldn’t be enough. Matthew 5:20 says, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” The Pharisees and religious leaders were some of the best at keeping the law and knew the law inside out, and that still wasn’t enough. 

Basically, Jesus tells the people listening to his Sermon on the Mount that unless they are perfect (in both their heart and in their actions), they can’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Can any of us be perfect? We can strive to be perfect all we want, but it’s just not possible. And if our salvation is tied up in obeying a set of rules, then we’re just like the Pharisees who will be blown away like the chaff in the wind (Ps.1:4; Matt. 3:12).

Like Pastor Carter pointed out in the Foundation sermon series, the law is like a mirror. It reveals our sin and how much we’ve fallen short of “the rules.” 

GOD’S LAW IS BEAUTIFUL

But if you think of it that way, then God’s law is beautiful. The law was given to us for our good. The law was meant to help us stay out of trouble by showing us where we go wrong, not to keep us from enjoying life! We don’t have some dictator from above cracking a whip at us to obey. 

I used to think that’s how this life as a Christian worked. I wanted to do things I wasn’t allowed to, and those desires were stronger than I could bear. What was this freedom that was talked about so much in the New Testament? I felt like a slave to the law but ultimately I was a slave to my sin. I wanted control.

The good news is, we can’t earn our salvation through the law. So if you feel like you are drowning trying to follow all the rules, stop. For those of us in Christ, there is nothing we can do to earn more of God’s love, and nothing we can do to make him love us any less. 

The law is not intended to be the means by which anyone gets right with God. It’s by his grace alone that He has chosen each and every one of us who are in Him today to be his adopted son and daughter, an heir to the Kingdom. You don’t earn the right to be a child, you’re chosen to be. 

God’s Love For His Children

God loves his children so much he attempted to set up the world in a way where we could thrive and live life to the full. Think back to the simplicity of life in the Garden of Eden. It was God and man in perfect harmony and community. There was one rule to follow: don’t try to be God. God knew that if we tried to be something we were not, it would lead to our destruction and separation from him. 

But because we’re made in God’s image we’re longing for that perfect communion with God again. We crave it, we need it, but following rules won’t get us there. Without rules though, we will continue to try to be God every chance we get. The rules are a guide that lead us away from sin and lead us onto the right path. 

When we completely surrender to God’s guidance, it changes the way that we look at the law. You desire to follow because you desire to be closer to the one who created you, whose image you bear.

What once seemed so restrictive actually brings so much joy and freedom. And the beauty is that there is freedom from the law through Jesus. Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live. He died the death we deserved and he defeated sin and death on the cross so we could live eternally with him forever. Now, because of Christ, God sees us as He sees Jesus. We get his righteousness and his holiness implanted upon us. Our sins of scarlet are now white as snow. The death meant for us, Jesus put in the grave. 

LOVE GOD’S LAW 

Because of what Jesus has done, I hope to speak about the Law one day like David in Psalm 119. There are eight different Hebrew words used to refer to God’s Word in Psalm 119 and they are used a total of 178 times in all 176 verses of the Psalm. David references The Law 178 times in Psalm 119! That’s wild. Does it seem a bit redundant? Is it even necessary?

Psalm 119 is not the psalmist telling me how much I should love God’s word. Instead it’s the psalmist telling all of us how much he has come to love God’s word. It’s a prayer of praise for the sweetness, value, and delight of God’s word.

It’s something that once you “taste and see”, you can’t ignore. 

• God’s Word reveals who God is.
• God’s Word is how God speaks to us.
• God’s Word guides us and teaches us. 
• God’s Word tells us how much our Heavenly Father deeply loves us.
• God’s Word reveals our sin.
• God’s Word helps us not to sin.
• God’s Word gives freedom from the past.
• God’s Word gives us hope for the future.
• God’s Word gives life..
• God’s Word gives peace.
• God’s Word is where we find freedom.
• God’s Word will bring us delight.
• God’s Word sustains us.
• God’s Word is something we need daily, like food or water–it’s nourishment for our soul.

Ultimately, because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross, we are empowered by his Spirit to live with gratitude, in sacrifice, and in total devotion to the Word of God. 

The more we know God’s law, the more we know Him, the closer we get to Him, the more we’ll be like Him, the more we’ll live in His will, and the more effective we’ll be in sharing the greatest story ever told, the Good News of Jesus Christ.

See how I love your precepts; 

preserve my life, Lord, in accordance with your love.

All your words are true:

all your righteous laws are eternal.

Psalm 119: 159-160