A full weekend of physical labor but thank You Father for the ability to do what I did. My body was complaining some last night but today I’m doing well! Thank You for Your continued blessings!
Romans 3:20-21 (<<click here to read the passage)
Have you seen the videos where someone stands at a chalkboard and in one fell swoop draws a perfect circle? (Click here to see it!) It’s amazing! I know I couldn’t do it. I have seen skilled artists painting names on the glass of doors and drawing seemingly perfectly straight lines. I know I couldn’t do it. The thing is if those drawings were meticulously scrutinized, are they truly perfect? I would think it would be nigh impossible to be perfect…don’t you?
This verse from Romans 3:20 states,
For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. NLT
A lot of us sure seem to have our act all together when it comes to living upright before the Lord and the world. But if our ways were to be meticulously scrutinized against the Law, I think we would be found wanting. Actually, I know we would be found wanting. We cannot in our own efforts of diligently, carefully, painstakingly following the Law do so. It is not possible. Only one person ever did…Jesus.
The Law is a compass to the circle or a ruler to the line we have drawn. Our errors and our shortcomings are highlighted by true examples of straight lines or perfectly round circles. That’s what the Law accomplishes for us, it simply shows us how sinful we are.
But you may ask, then why have the Law at all? If we can never master it, why did God give it to us? Without it, we could not comprehend what sin is. The Law clearly spells out what sin entails. And we might shun admitting it, but the Law is a gift. If we did not have it to point out our sin, we might be tempted to argue that we are pretty good people. Goodness, we do that enough already don’t we? How many times have we exclaimed, “I’m not that bad!”
Again, the Law is the compass and ruler that shows just how crooked or out of line we are spiritually. God’s Law is the rule of right which proceeds from his own immaculate holiness.
The Law cannot save us but in showing us our sinful depravity, it points us to a path to righteousness that is available [independently and completely] apart from the Law… v21b…but Paul’s details on that will have to wait until next time!
Oct 31st, 2022, Mon, 12:30 pm
