What do you think of when you hear the word law?
Maybe it’s a stone tablet with unattainable rules engraved on its face. Maybe it’s the speed limit sign that always seems too slow. Maybe it’s a judge deciding a criminal’s jail sentence for breaking society’s rules of order.
We often see the law as a negative thing. Even when we study the Old Testament we see a list of harsh rules with immediate consequences when broken. The strange thing is that Scripture actually points to the fact that the law is something we should delight in and cherish (James 1:25).
Listen to David's words in Psalm 119:
"Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day."
"Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law."
"Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight."
Wondrous? Delight? These are never words that I would associate with the rules and standards of the law.
We may find little insight in Psalm 19:7...
"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;"
It seems that the principles and commands found it God's law were intended to bring liberty and an abundant life. Why then do we tend to think of the law in a negative way?
The bad news isn’t the law but the fact that our depraved hearts simply can’t and won't keep it perfectly. It points to our need of a Savior to perfectly delight in God’s law on our behalf.
"....and by Him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses."
Through Christ, we can enjoy the peace and joy that comes from perfectly following God's law. Because he faithfully followed the letter of the law, we can say with Paul, "For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being..." (Rom. 7:22).
If you have placed your trust in the finished work of Christ for you, then when God looks at you He sees a joyful (perfect) rule-follower! That, my friends, is a wondrous thought!
Maybe it’s a stone tablet with unattainable rules engraved on its face. Maybe it’s the speed limit sign that always seems too slow. Maybe it’s a judge deciding a criminal’s jail sentence for breaking society’s rules of order.
We often see the law as a negative thing. Even when we study the Old Testament we see a list of harsh rules with immediate consequences when broken. The strange thing is that Scripture actually points to the fact that the law is something we should delight in and cherish (James 1:25).
Listen to David's words in Psalm 119:
"Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day."
"Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law."
"Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight."
Wondrous? Delight? These are never words that I would associate with the rules and standards of the law.
We may find little insight in Psalm 19:7...
"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;"
It seems that the principles and commands found it God's law were intended to bring liberty and an abundant life. Why then do we tend to think of the law in a negative way?
The bad news isn’t the law but the fact that our depraved hearts simply can’t and won't keep it perfectly. It points to our need of a Savior to perfectly delight in God’s law on our behalf.
"....and by Him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses."
Through Christ, we can enjoy the peace and joy that comes from perfectly following God's law. Because he faithfully followed the letter of the law, we can say with Paul, "For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being..." (Rom. 7:22).
If you have placed your trust in the finished work of Christ for you, then when God looks at you He sees a joyful (perfect) rule-follower! That, my friends, is a wondrous thought!