Romans 7-1 - The Role of the Law#
Romans 7-1 The Role of the Law
(JP Text Group - beloved organization)
Let us pray together:
Loving Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you for preparing this wonderful time of sharing! During this time, we receive your supply together; your words are filled with power and are the strength of our lives. You also show grace to every brother and sister who seeks you. Let us know you more deeply, grant us wisdom, and help us apply your words in our lives. We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
Romans 7:7-13:
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law, sin was dead.
I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.
The topic of sharing: The Role of the Law
Someone once said, “God, if you hadn’t placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, how could Adam have had the opportunity to sin? We wouldn’t have to suffer so much today.” The tree of the knowledge of good and evil can also be seen as a shadow of the law.
Beside it, there was actually another tree, called the tree of life, which can also be referred to as grace, because it is freely given. Apart from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, everything else is called grace, because you can receive and enjoy it without relying on any of your actions. However, after eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you must begin to bear the corresponding responsibilities; you no longer receive from God but need to strive and work hard to obtain, which is the difference between the two trees: one is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the other is the tree of life.
Indeed, it was God who placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden. Is this tree evil? Today, we want to take this opportunity to share with brothers and sisters what the purpose of the law really is. Is the law truly evil? Just as some say, “Is the devil created by God?” This point is very important; if you understand what is shared today, you will know whether the law is evil. If you understand that the law is not evil, you will also understand that the devil is not created by God. This question will naturally be resolved.
Let’s briefly describe what the function and role of the law are. First, think about whether the law is sin or evil? Of course, it is understandable that the devil is evil, but is he created by God? The law is given by God; it is not given by the devil. According to the explanation of the law in Romans, it sounds very correct because the law causes us to die, the law condemns us, and we are not under the law, so it seems that the law is very evil.
Let’s take a simple look at what the role of the law really is. In summary, the law judges people and condemns them. Romans 2:12 says, “For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law.”
One function of the law is to condemn and judge. The law cannot bring people close to God, because under the law, when people cannot keep the whole law, they cannot approach God; God cannot be with sin. Another point is that the law cannot justify people.
The Bible specifically mentions in Romans 3:20, “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”
The role of the law is not to save people, but to provide evidence to make people aware of their sin.
Romans 3:21 also says, “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference.”
Do you see it? There is something outside the law, and that is the righteousness of God. Because you cannot find righteousness within the law, you can find the righteousness of God outside the law. You cannot find life in the law because no one can keep the whole law; breaking one law means death. But outside the law, there is the righteousness of God, and He can grant you life.
People under the law focus on themselves. When a person has a little achievement, it is easy to boast about these achievements and think of themselves as righteous. This creates two illusions. The first is that people feel they have kept all the law, just like the Pharisee who would say, “I have kept all these laws.” And the Pharisee does not feel he has any sin. He thinks he is doing very well. In fact, they have lowered the standard of the law.
Once, Jesus told us about the prayers of two men: one was a Pharisee standing at the street corner, and the other was a tax collector. These two people are obviously different; one thinks, “I am very, very good.” The other says, “Lord, I am truly unworthy; I do not even dare to lift my hand to call upon you.” Those who rely on achievements will boast about themselves, or those who feel they cannot do anything will feel inferior, completely lacking confidence. This is the two types of people produced under the law: the self-righteous and the self-deprecating.
Those who are justified by the law cannot inherit the promises of God. To inherit the promises of God through the law, one is not qualified. Here, I will explain a question: Why did Moses not enter the Promised Land? There are many reasons, and today we will say one of them is because he represents the law.
Just as the Bible often mentions that Elijah represents the prophets. And Jesus Christ is grace and truth. Every time Moses is mentioned, people will refer to the law of Moses because the law was given through Moses. So since Moses conveyed the law, he was also someone who had to keep the law. The result is that even such a devout person as Moses could not keep the law, and therefore could not enter the Promised Land, so he died in the wilderness. This also illustrates that those who rely on the law cannot inherit the promises of God.
The second generation of Israelites in the wilderness did not say they were doing very well or that they did not violate the law; they were still similar to the first generation, but it was God’s grace that was upon them, so this group entered. It was because of God’s grace and mercy.
It is almost impossible to rely on keeping the law to inherit the promises of God. The law provokes wrath, because the law accuses and condemns people. The Bible in Romans 4 tells us that the law provokes wrath; where there is no law, there is no transgression. The law can reveal a person’s sin; when God sees sin, His wrath is revealed. He cannot turn a blind eye to sin; He must judge sin. Therefore, the law provokes God’s wrath.
Also, the law increases sin.
The more complete the law, the more it reveals the sins people commit. When there are fewer laws, people do not see too many sins. After the prohibition of drunk driving, the number of crimes increased significantly, and there are often people committing crimes. Before this law existed, people did not feel that the crime rate would increase much; it is not that there were no crimes, but there were no laws to define their sins. When the law appears, sin increases.
So the Bible says that the law was added so that transgression might abound, but where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. Here it tells us that the law increases sin. If our country has ten thousand laws, it means that all ten thousand need to be obeyed, representing that these ten thousand are all increasing sins. If a few years later it becomes twenty thousand, it means that sin has increased again. Therefore, the law must continue to increase; this is the role and effect of the law.
Another point is that the law enslaves and binds people. The law does not give people freedom; rather, the law binds you. It tells you what you cannot do, what you cannot do, and what the consequences are. Regardless of which country, the law will tell you not to do this or that. Moreover, the law also provokes people to sin. This means that when we are still in the flesh, there are evil desires, and through the law, evil desires are activated within our members. We have shared about this before.
The above is a brief overview of the role of the law; of course, there are many other roles, but this is just a simple summary. This is the role of the law and its effect. If the law places the burden of sin on people, they cannot bear it and will only fall under the curse.
Is it because it is of no benefit to you that it is evil?
The Bible clearly tells us through Paul that although the law is like this, the law is absolutely not sin. Certainly not; the law is not evil.
Since the law is not evil, not sin, then what is its role? The law of God reveals the fact of sin. As we mentioned earlier, it will find your evidence and reflect the real you. Without the law, people will still sin, but they do not know what sins they have committed. Just like after Adam sinned, even without the Ten Commandments, he would still sin, but he would not know what sins he committed. If there were no law, people would not think these are sins. But in fact, these behaviors are wrong. For example, stealing, killing, etc. Without the law, there is no righteous standard. Some may say, “But isn’t there conscience?” Indeed, there is conscience, but each person’s standard of conscience is different.
Let me give you an example. In Genesis, the first murder case in human history, Cain killed his brother Abel. He felt no guilt and did not say he could not sleep at night. When God found him, He reminded him that the blood of his brother Abel cried out from the ground. At that moment, Cain became afraid, so God said to him, “You shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth.” Cain was afraid and said, “If you drive me out, others will kill me.” Because there was no law, you could kill others, and others could kill you. Moreover, there was no legal responsibility.
At that time, without the law, people did not feel their actions were wrong because there was no standard. The Bible mentions that before the law, I was alive. Because there was no condemnation, people felt alive. You see, Cain killed someone, and God did not immediately put him to death because there was no law at that time.
When people see the fact of sin, how do they know it is sin? Through the law. When the law tells them, “You have sinned by killing today, and you must bear the consequences of sin, which is death,” people begin to fear because they are afraid of legal punishment and realize they are sinners. If this law had been issued from the beginning, God would have said, “Besides not eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you also cannot kill.”
Then when Cain did this, he would have had fear in his heart. He might not have easily done such things. Because at that time, there was no such law, he did not realize that he had committed a crime by doing this. When the law appears, people will have reservations about what they have done. This indeed restrains some people’s behavior. It has a positive effect on world order.
To put it in a more relatable way, today there are many murderers. After killing someone, they do not act as if it is nothing; they eat, drink, and sleep. The law will pursue them for the crimes they have committed because they have violated the law.
Therefore, the awareness of sin is necessary. At least it can let people know that there are some things that cannot be done. Without the law, people wander in ignorance, not knowing what is right and what is wrong. Just as mentioned earlier, everyone’s conscience is different; what you think is bad, another person may think is quite good.
A few years ago, there was news about a murderer who killed 21 people. When the police finally caught him, he said, “I saw those people suffering in this world; I am freeing them. They do not have to suffer so much in this world.” This is his standard of conscience; he committed such a wrong act but still thinks he is right.
So do not rely on conscience to judge right and wrong; that is unreliable. Because everyone’s standard of conscience is different, but after God’s law is given, this standard is fixed. Everyone uses this as a standard and constraint, so it is no longer about doing whatever one wants. Therefore, the law reveals the existence of sin and tells you that there is indeed sin in the world. The law makes people aware of sin, knowing the reality of sin and God’s standard of righteousness.
For example, the law tells you that covetousness is wrong. If the law does not tell you, you would not know, “Oh, covetousness is bad; what consequences might it bring? It might lead to murder; it might lead to theft. These are all results, but if the law had told you from the beginning not to covet, you would have restrained yourself from further developments. So the law tells you not to be covetous, and you know that covetousness is wrong because after the law is given, you have an accurate standard to know which things cannot be done and which things God hates.
In short, the law tells people God’s standard, God’s will, and how to please God.
How can one please God? By keeping the whole law, not breaking a single one. If you keep them all, you can be accepted by God, but people repeatedly try and find that the law ultimately reveals people’s sins, making us truly know, “We are sinners.” Because you can never go through life without lying, you can never go through life without hating; the law is very clear about this. Jesus also explained to us, “Hating someone is the same as killing.”
In this way, each of us falls under the judgment of the law, unable to fulfill all of God’s will, unable to keep all of God’s law; you are in opposition to God, falling short of God’s glory, and not being accepted by God. This is why in the Old Testament, people did not dare to come before God.
Especially after the Ten Commandments were given in Exodus 20, the people saw God and stayed far away because they knew, “They cannot keep these commandments; they cannot meet God’s standard. Therefore, they dare not see God; if they do, they will surely die.” No one can directly see God’s face because everyone has sinned. Therefore, the law reveals the evil nature of man. If it were not for the law, we would not know what kind of people we are.
The first role of the law is to reveal the fact of sin.
Without the law, you would not know how much you hate people; without the law, you would not know that you could commit so many sins; the purpose of the law is to show people their sins and correct their behavior. When God gives this standard to people, it means that after you sin, you should quickly repent, quickly confess, and quickly adjust yourself to save yourself.
Without God’s law, we would not know we need salvation. Because people continuously try to keep the law, keep it, keep it, and finally find that they cannot keep it, the ultimate outcome is still death; there is no way out in the law, and they seek other paths of blessing.
The second point is in verse 8, where sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law, sin was dead.
We share the second point: The law gives sin an opportunity to act.
That is to say, sin uses the commandment to bring forth all kinds of evil. As we mentioned earlier, sin takes the opportunity; what does it take the opportunity from? It takes the opportunity when the law comes, and then all kinds of evil are activated in people’s hearts, just like the engine of a machine is started and begins to move forward at high speed. However, sin cannot be activated without the commandment; it cannot be manifested.
The law is not sin because there is no sin in the commandment, just as God created the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; the tree itself is not sinful; it is just a law. Just like God gives the law, the law itself has no sin; it is absolutely just, absolutely holy, and absolutely good. As long as you keep it, it will grant you blessings.
Is the devil created by God? No. Everything created by God is good. If you read Genesis chapter 1 carefully, you will understand that after God created everything, it was all good. This includes the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It is not that God created everything good and then said to Adam and Eve, “Something is still missing.” He hurriedly added a tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He did not create that tree and then let it bear fruit, saying, “You two watch out; I created this tree to prevent you from eating it.” No, everything was created before they were there, and He said, “This is all good.”
But the devil is not created by God. To go back, God created angels; we know that God created all angels, created Adam, and created the world, but God did not create the devil. The devil is a fallen angel. That is to say, he was originally an angel but later became an angel that opposes God’s word, so he is called the devil.
The original meaning of the devil is the adversary. He became an angel that opposes God. We also call him a fallen angel. This fall is not created by God. Just like Adam and Eve eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the heart that ate is not given by God. As long as it is created by God, it is good. Or rather, as long as it is given by God, it is good.
However, after being given, some evil began to tempt people to oppose God. As we mentioned earlier, the devil means the adversary. The law itself is good, holy, just, and good, but when the adversary begins to use the law, making people fall under the judgment of the law, we see that “the law is unfair to me.” In fact, it is people who violate the law, break the law; the law does not specifically seek out people; it is people who violate it, putting themselves under the law, so the law must reveal justice.
This is why today we say that Romans emphasizes many times that because you are not under the law but under grace, sin shall not have dominion over you.
That is to say, do not put yourself under the law; under the law, the law will definitely reveal people’s sins. It is that simple. Do not touch it; do not deliberately violate it because you are not under it but under grace. What does being under grace mean? It is like God saying to Adam, “You can freely eat from all the trees, as long as you do not touch the law.” Under the law, sin is an engine. The law ignites sin. Sin activates within you, and in the end, you fall under the law.
Without the law, sin does not have such a great opportunity to act. Just like the serpent tempted Eve. How did the serpent tempt Eve? At that time, there was only one law: do not eat. There was no prohibition against killing.
If one day Adam felt unwell and accidentally stepped on a rabbit, Adam would not die because he did not violate the law. Or if he was in a bad mood and beat an animal, injuring it, that would not count as violating the law. The only law was that as long as you do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you do not commit a crime.
The devil understands the law very well; he knows how to tempt Adam. Everything else does not count as a crime; only by tempting them to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil do they commit a crime. The devil wants to oppose this one law given by God and then tempts Eve, saying, “Go ahead and eat; look how good this fruit looks, better than the others. If you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
The devil deceives her like this, describing it very well. This is equivalent to the law giving sin an opportunity to act. The more Eve looked at it, the better it seemed, “This is really so beautiful; if I eat it, I can stay young forever and be like God, knowing good and evil. How wonderful!”
The more she thought about it, the more her desires were drawn out. Her evil desires within her body were activated by this law. She clearly knew she should not do it, but she did it anyway because at that moment, the desire was too strong. It was like the engine’s fire had been ignited, and its power was very strong. But if there were no law, sin would be dead.
People can see their true condition through the law. Last time in the sermon, we mentioned this: Why did God not stop it? When the law was stirred within Eve, and she was about to reach out to take the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God could have run out, taken a bamboo stick, and slapped her arm, making it swell like a club, and from then on, God would look at her coldly and say, “I told you not to be disobedient.”
I believe that from then on, Eve would never dare to reach out to eat again. But what kind of consequence would this produce? The devil would win; from then on, doubt and suspicion would forever exist in Adam and Eve’s hearts, saying, “God is a tyrant; what the devil said is right. He just does not want me to eat; that is the best.” So God did not stop them. Because God never fails. He knows that even if you eat, He still has a way to make you victorious because God never fails.
We see our true condition through the law. Through this event, we see that God is right, and Eve’s choice is wrong because after she ate, she did not become God; she did not become like God. Instead, she lost all the glory that God had originally given her. Through the law, we can also see our true condition, which is that we are sinners. If we want to be accepted by God and receive eternal life, we can never achieve it by ourselves. Therefore, the law is not evil; it is good; it can tell you that you indeed need salvation, and you indeed need God’s grace.
Galatians 3:24 tells us that the law is our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
When we know we cannot keep the law, the law says, “I am now your tutor. You know your inability; I will take you to a place.” The law brings us to Christ. When we see Jesus, we will say, “Lord, I have finally found you! I no longer have to keep the law; I really cannot keep it. Please save me.” Jesus says, “Okay, come here; I will keep it for you.”
You find that Jesus is really good. From then on, I do not have to keep the law because He kept it for me. It turns out that the law is not as evil as I imagined. It ultimately brought me to Jesus, made me realize my inability, and made me realize I am a sinner in need of salvation. Let me understand that I truly need Jesus Christ. This is our second point of sharing.
The third point: The law reveals the facts of condemnation and death.
As we mentioned earlier, the law reveals that people are sinful; you are a sinner, and the law also provides us with a third thing: it tells you that condemnation is real, and death is also real. What does this mean? Those who do not know the law or do not care about the law feel they are alive. They do not know the law and are unaware of sin; even if they do not know they are sinners, they still have to face death.
Some may say, “I do not know how Adam eating from that tree has anything to do with me, so I do not have to die.” But he will still die. This tells us that death is a fact, and condemnation is also a fact. Even if everyone does not know that Adam sinned, they will still die; this is something people know from birth. No one teaches them, “Child, do you know that one day you will die?” But they will know they will die.
This is what the law tells you: this condemnation has become a fact, and death has also become a fact. It is just that people do not know it is because they have violated God’s will. It is because my ancestors sinned that I am a sinner. But people know they will surely die. This means that if you prophesy to others and tell them that there is one prophecy in this world that is 100% correct, it is that you will definitely die.
Condemnation is a fact, and death is also a fact. When people do not know they have sinned, when there is no law, people do not have the guilt of condemnation, do not have the awareness of condemnation, and do not feel that what they are doing is wrong because there is no law telling them it is wrong. This is what verse 9 mentions: “I was alive once without the law.” Then it says, “I was alive, and I was doing well because there was no law telling us.” But when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. When the commandment came, “You shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not do this, you shall not do that,” you find that it is over; I am doomed because I cannot keep it. Therefore, the commandment that was supposed to bring life now brings death to me because sin takes the opportunity, using the commandment to entice me and kill me.
This is why everyone knows, “Everyone cannot escape death.” Because condemnation is a fact. This is the law, which has already told people in their hearts that no matter whether you believe in Jesus today, this has already become a fact; condemnation is a fact, and death is a fact. But if there is no law, you do not know you are a sinner, do not know you are unclean, do not know you fall short of God’s glory, do not know you are not accepted by God.
When people violate the law, it makes you very keenly aware of the existence of sin. After the law appears, if you violate it, it will give you a sense of condemnation, a sense of guilt, and you feel you must be punished. If in our country, after killing someone, he lives in fear every day because he knows he cannot escape the judgment of the law, the sense of guilt in his heart, and the condemnation of his conscience follow him like a shadow. Others do not know, but he will definitely have some awareness; he will carry a kind of fear, and every day he may avoid seeing the police on the street, even though that police officer does not know who he is or that he has committed a crime. But his inner condemnation will always exist; this is the condemnation brought by the law.
For those of us under grace, the law cannot condemn you anymore today. Why? It is not because you have not sinned. It is because the punishment has already fallen on Jesus. But those who do not understand the law do not know; they think it is fine, “I am doing well; this thing is nothing.” This is called ignorance.
We are clearly alive; even if you sin, God does not condemn you today, does not let you die, because Jesus has already died for your sins. This is what makes you not have a sense of guilt, not have a sense of shame, not be afraid, and not fear the law punishing you again. Because someone has paid this price for you.
You, who are under grace, should recognize this and not avoid saying, “I believe in Jesus, so I am under grace, so I will not sin again; it does not matter if I sin.” This is wrong; this is obviously problematic. You will still sin, and you know that committing this sin will also bring the punishment and judgment of the law. But the punishment is not on you; it is on Jesus.
So do not bear this sense of guilt anymore. When you understand that today you have sinned again, and Jesus once again bears this sin for you, you will love Jesus even more. You will say, “It turns out I am such a worthless person, but you love me so much.” The power of this love, the power of this forgiveness, will make you no longer sin.
Because the law makes our souls die; when you face the law, you feel hopeless, thinking to yourself, “It’s over; there is no hope at all.” It will destroy your confidence and destroy your peace. But Jesus Christ says, “Give all this to me; I died for you. I will give you my peace.”
The establishment of the law is not to bring life to people but to judge. If you can keep the whole law, you can obtain life, but no one can keep it. Because you cannot keep it, it will definitely condemn you and reveal your true condition, showing that you are indeed a corrupt sinner, declaring that you will surely die.
At the same time, it also tells you that you indeed need a Savior, and that person must be someone who has never sinned, someone who has kept the whole law; He can save you, and that person is only Jesus Christ. This is what the Bible mentions: there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Because He has not sinned, He has kept the whole law, and He is willing to die for you, willing to pay the price for your sins. So today, you represent Christ living on earth.
In this way, you will understand, “It turns out the law is indeed holy; it turns out the law is indeed just; it turns out the law is indeed good.” There is no sin in the law; it is like a mirror. You are what you are, and it reflects what you are. If you see a cow in the mirror, then the one standing in front of the mirror must be a cow. Since you are a sinner, when you stand before the law, it will definitely show that you are a sinner. When Jesus Christ stands before the law, it shows that He is a righteous person.
Verse 13 says, “Has then what is good become death to me?” Here it refers to the law, asking if the law causes me to die. Certainly not! It is sin that causes me to die.
Brothers and sisters, do you understand now? It is sin that causes you to die, not the law that causes you to die. So what is the difference between these two? These two are clearly separate things. You cannot say the law is sin, and sin is the law; that is not right. The law is good, but sin is evil.
In John 3:16, it says that God loves the world. This world refers to people, but God hates sin. Do you understand now? One is people, and the other is sin. God has never said, “I hate the law.” No, because the law is holy, just, and good, but God hates sin. Why? Because sin uses the law to tempt people and kill. This is the role of the law.
When people examine God’s law, they will realize their true situation, realize their true corruption, and understand that they indeed have to face judgment and death. They know they need God’s salvation, so the law is not evil; the law is good.
In verse 11, we just mentioned that sin, taking opportunity by the law, entices people and kills them.
The law reveals the deceitfulness of sin, which is that sin uses the law to deceive us. How does it deceive us? It makes you feel as if it is very good. Returning to the example of Eve, at that time, the devil was evil, right? You can think that he is tempting Eve to sin. So when the devil tempted Eve at that time, what did he say?
“Go ahead and eat; look how good this fruit looks, better than the others. If you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” At that time, why didn’t Eve ask the devil, “Why don’t you eat? Try one!” So at that moment, she was tempted, and no matter what others said, she felt it was indeed like that; the more she looked, the better it seemed, and finally, she could not resist.
Just like today, many traps set by scams make many people feel this is a good thing, beneficial to themselves. Even if the people around them advise them not to enter, they still insist on believing this is good. Only when they fail do they realize it is wrong. By then, they have already paid the price, which is a pity.
So many people are deceived by sin and will ultimately fall under the judgment of the law. The law reveals people’s sins, making them feel discouraged, helpless, and hopeless because sin deceives people into thinking that the law can bring benefits to people. Therefore, when people continuously violate the law, they will know they can never reach God’s righteousness, can never please God, and can never keep the whole law.
At that time, people will feel inferior and condemned, “I am just this kind of person; I am born a failure. No matter how hard I try, I will never succeed in my life.” Do you see it? At first, the devil tempts you, saying, “It’s okay; go ahead, go ahead; you definitely do not have to fall under the judgment of the law. It’s fine; look, you just did this once, but after you do it, he immediately slaps you and says, “This is you; you hypocritical person.” He immediately starts to condemn you. So this is what happens when people realize they have been deceived; the devil constantly attacks people, making them feel discouraged and hopeless.
For example, in life, you happen to encounter that person you often hate. That person sees you and starts to mumble and curse you. The sin within you begins to activate through the law, “Curse him; why is he cursing you for no reason? You did not offend him; you do not have to let him go. Even if you are a Christian, you should defend your dignity.” You finally cannot help but curse back, and the two of you get into a fight, both suffering losses.
When you return home, the devil begins to condemn you, “You are still a Christian; what does the Bible say? It says you should love your enemies. Are you loving your enemies today? Look at your behavior today; look at your character; do you still deserve to be called a Christian? Don’t go to church; God will not want someone like you.”
You feel condemned and very discouraged. You say, “Yes, why did I do such a thing?” At this moment, the devil tells you, “You, don’t pray; God will not listen to your prayers. Don’t expect God to forgive you; you have done such a thing; what else can you do? Don’t go to church; God will not forgive you. You are not the kind of person who will go to heaven; those who enter the kingdom of heaven are all very holy people; do you deserve it?”
Do you see it?
The devil always tempts people to sin with the law, and on the other hand, condemns people, making them feel defeated, feel worthless, and feel hopeless. It makes people feel that God is far away from them, unreachable. If you have such feelings, you have been deceived by the devil.
The law ultimately is to lead you to Jesus Christ. Because quirky thoughts and ungodly thoughts will trap people in sin, making them step by step fall into despair, forever bound by sin. The law is not evil; sin is evil.
The law is holy, just, and good. What is holiness? We always feel that holiness is related to behavior; holiness means being separated. God chose the people of Israel; it is God who separated them from the world. God chose you and calls you righteous, separating you from sinners, so you can be called a holy person.
This has nothing to do with your behavior; it is not that we strive to become holy people. You can never strive to become holy. This holiness is a status given to you by God, separating you from the world, filling you with purity, dignity, and the glory of God. All of this is given to you by God; it is grace given freely.
The law is upright, just, fair, and equal; the law treats people according to what they deserve. You must remember that you are a righteous person; the law gives you what righteousness should give you. But sin is different; even if you do right, it will still slander you, “You did not do well enough. You are far behind; look at what others have done; what is there to boast about?” But the law is not like this; the law rewards you if you truly obey it.
Deuteronomy 28 mentions that if you obey all the commandments and statutes of the Lord, then the following blessings will pursue you. That is correct. The path to the kingdom of heaven actually has two ways: the first is through Jesus Christ. The second is by keeping the whole law. If you can achieve either of these, it is fine. If you can keep the whole law, you can also enter the kingdom of heaven.
But because no one can keep the whole law, now you can only rely on faith in Jesus Christ. Only He has kept the whole law; He has kept it all, so the blessings mentioned in the law are already upon Christ, and Jesus, because of your faith, gives these blessings to you.
When you believe in Jesus and the work He accomplished on the cross, Jesus has kept the whole law, which means you have kept the whole law. Therefore, the law is good; it shows people how to live. When people do not achieve it, the law will remind them and reveal their sins, pointing out that you need a Savior. The law tells people their true nature in the clearest way, telling them they need external help to obtain salvation.
Like a person who has fallen into the water, if you cannot swim and cannot climb up, the law within you tells you that you must need an external force to help you, to save you. When you cannot save yourself under the law, you need Jesus Christ to save you. Therefore, the law reveals evil, reveals the wickedness of man. But today, Jesus Christ wants to save you because He is the grace revealed outside the law.
The purpose of issuing the law is to make people aware of sin, to let people know the existence of sin and the consequences of sin. Today, if you believe, how can you escape this death, this sin, and this law? Only through Jesus Christ. If you focus on the law today, putting your eyes on sin all day, you will ultimately bear the fruit of death.
But if you focus on Jesus Christ, He has completely kept the law; He has completely overcome sin; He has completely overcome death; He is no longer condemned. So when you look to Him, you will know, “It turns out the ultimate purpose of the law is to tell me that because I cannot, I call out to the One who can do all things. He will surely grant me grace.”
Every day in life, you also need this. Do not look at your inability; turn your eyes to Jesus Christ because He can. He can save you from evil, from all your inability, from all your failures, and from all your discouragement.
Galatians 3:24, the law is our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Today, do not rely on the law to be justified and blessed. People cannot please God by relying on the law; they cannot overcome sin through the law. Since you have already been brought to Jesus Christ, you must rely on the power of Christ because He can. He can help you overcome sin; He can lead you into eternal life; He can lead you to victory every day. The law brings you before the Lord Jesus, making you justified by faith; do not return to the law to rely on yourself!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise your grace! We know that everything you created is good; the law is not sin, but the law makes us aware of sin, knowing that we cannot do it and need a capable Redeemer to save us. When I look to Jesus Christ, He will make me abundant. Because He is my Lord, He is my Savior. He knows everything about me. I am justified by faith. Today, I do not live for myself, but Christ lives in me; as He is, so am I in this world.
Thank you for giving me this message, letting me know how to rely on you in life! Thank you and praise the Lord; all glory belongs to you! We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!