Law or Faith

Chuckle: At the first session of a class on salvation, the minister asked, "What must we do before we can expect forgiveness from sin?" One of the men in attendance raised his hand and said, "sin?"

Quote: "Faith is a living and unshakable confidence, a belief in the grace of God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake." --Martin Luther

"Clearly no one is justified (made right) before God by (trying to keep) the law, because, 'The righteous will live by faith'" (Galatians 3:11 NIV). "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith" (Ephesians 2:8 NIV).

The Old Testament Law was given by God to His people to protect them by giving them a standard to live by and to reveal their sins. The law governed their relationships with God and one another. However, when it came to making people righteous before God, it fell terribly short -- the law definitely has its limitations.

Our traffic laws are for our safety by preventing accidents and making for the smooth flow of vehicles on our streets and highways, but they have their limitations. Assume you are approaching an intersection where the law says you legally have the right-of-way, but you see another car failing to stop. You realize that merely obeying the law will not save you from danger. What should you do? Obviously, the law cannot protect you in this situation and you should take action that will keep you safe -- allow the unlawful vehicle to proceed. Just because an action is lawful doesn't always mean that it's the sensible and safe thing to do. You could be lawful and be very dead or seriously injured.

Likewise, God's laws are for our good and protection; however, even God's law has limitations. Obeying the law as a standard for moral and spiritual conduct is the wise thing to do, but the law cannot save you and justify you before God. We can never earn our way into God's favor by obeying a set of rules and being a "good" person. However, our passages tell us that it's only by God's grace and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that we are made right with God. It's only the righteousness of Christ that covers our sins and makes us right before God who will keep us safe during our earthly journey and throughout eternity. The law cannot justify and save -- it only can condemn.

"A plumb line can only prove that a crooked wall is crooked. No matter how you use it, a plumb line can't make a crooked wall straight. The law was God's plumb line, designed to show all people that they are crooked and sinful. It was never intended to make us straight or righteous -- and, indeed, it never could." "The righteous will live by faith."

Love, Jerry & Dotse