Sometimes after we have discovered the sheer joy of salvation by grace we have a tendency to think the law, since it is not good for salvation, has become an unnecessary artifact of our past life. But, not so fast. The law is a glorious fence built on the edge of a cliff. To violate God’s law is a very quick, very fatal (Can there be something not so fatal?) fall to the rocks below.
Jeremiah 21:8 says, “This is what the LORD says: ‘See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.’” Just as a nation cannot exist without laws neither can individuals. God’s laws are designed to safely guide us through menacing traps. If we live by the sword we die by the sword. (David was an exception.) There are reasons why God, like every good parent, tells us not to do some things. When a child is very young and asks, “Why?”, it is proper to say, “Because I said so.” But once a child begins to understand logical thought, “Because I said so” is a bad answer. Just as God said to Isaiah, “Come now let us reason together.” We should take the “Why” opportunities to help both the child and ourselves to understand. In most everything except the Ten Commandments if our child has good reasons for doing so, we should be open to change, giving them the lesson that talking about things is beneficial and works both ways.
Secular laws are made for the benefit of citizens of our secular government and God’s laws are for the benefit of citizens of God’s government. Good laws are the way to life. Just because we are saved by grace is no reason to start doing stupid things and go down the road to death. The law is a glorious fence.
Spring Of Life