"My old self has been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me.
So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me.
I do not treat the grace of God
as meaningless.
For if keeping the law could make us right with God,
then there was no need for Christ to die."
Galatians 2:20-22 NLT
Rules. I am bound by dozens of regulations each day. Laws about when and where I can park, how fast I can drive, how slow is too slow, how loud I can play music in my home, when I can mow my lawn, what kind of fence I can build and where I can place it, how I walk my dogs and that I must clean up after them, how to care for my pets, how to care for my children. . . the list goes on and on. It can be overwhelming.
If I think about the number and complexity of God's laws, it can crush me. There are ceremonial laws that point to the need for redemption from sin. These laws specified every detail of sacrifices that were necessary to atone for the sin of God's people. Then there were laws regarding the priesthood, temple, music, feasts, circumcision, ritual washings and so on.
There were also moral laws that are based on the character of God. They are summarized in the Ten Commandments and include spiritual laws, laws regarding justice, righteousness, truth, faithfulness, and purity.
Finally, God instituted judicial laws which applies the various commandments to different situations. It is the application of the moral law.
What does God expect from me regarding these laws? Do they save me? Can I get to heaven by following these laws?
Just
God is a just God. When He laid down the law, He expected that I would follow them. His very first law was a simple commandment to stay away from a certain fruit from a specific tree that grew in the center of the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve violated that law, God's sense of justice demanded punitive action and they were kicked out of the garden.
He expects perfect adherence to all of His law, otherwise He wouldn't have given the law. Following His law is how His people reflect His character. He said, "You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy." (Leviticus 19:2 NLT)
A good judge does not overlook violations of the law. His job is to uphold the law and dish out disciplinary action. If he lets a killer go free because of his merciful heart, there would be public outcry and the judge would be removed from the bench.
In the same way, God cannot deny His just side. He is merciful and gracious to the core, but He cannot ignore His own sense of justice, hence the need for blood sacrifice. God reveals this in Leviticus 17:11 when He says, "I have given (blood) to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life." God's justice demands disciplinary action for my disobedience.
God is a just God who expects perfect obedience to His law. Disobedience requires disciplinary action in the form of sacrifice.
Holy
As a child, I remember wanting to please my parents by acting according to their expectations. I never wanted to disappoint them and often thought of them before I acted in a foolish way. I knew they would be dissatisfied with my actions.
In the same way, I want to please God. I desire to do things His way. The problem is, no matter how hard I try and how dedicated I am to following His law, I always fall short.
The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 3:23 that ". . .everyone has sinned. We all fall short of God's glorious standard."
David understood my depravity when he wrote, " The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one." (Psalm 14:2-3)
I may think I am pretty good according to my own standards or compared to others, but I am judged by God's standard, not my own. The prophet Isaiah said, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9)
If I have any hope of a connection to God either here or in eternity, I must meet His standard. I must be holy because He is holy. The prophet Habukkuk reminds me that, "(God's) eyes are too pure to look on evil; (He) cannot tolerate wrong." (1:13)
Like it or not, my failings are evil in God's eyes and my sin results in a broken relationship with my Creator. I am His enemy because of my shortcomings.
Love
When my daughters were young, there were times when my heart would swell with such love for them that I thought it would burst! I would do anything for them.
As much as I love those four young ladies, God loves me abundantly more. He created me so that I could have a relationship with Him. Back when things were as He first created them to be, He walked in the garden with His children.
He desires nothing more than for me to commune with Him throughout my day, intimately sharing my thoughts, struggles and dreams. He wants to be a part of my life. The problem is that His sense of justice and holiness prevent my access to Him.
As a solution to this problem of my sin, He gave His only Son as the final and perfect atoning sacrifice required by His just nature, covering all my shortcomings with His blood so that I appear perfect in the eyes of God, thus satisfying His holiness.
"God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ dies for us." (Romans 5:8) There is no greater act of love than Jesus' giving of His life so that I can enjoy a relationship with Him. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
My relationship with God is restored through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ and my entrance into heaven assured.
If I was able to follow God's law, thus satisfying His just and holy nature, there would be no need for God to have sent Jesus as my Savior. The fact that He sent Jesus is all the evidence I need that I am unable to reach God's standard on my own. I need a Savior.
As Paul said in Romans 7:21-25, "When I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord." (NLT)
Thank you, Lord, for making a way for me to grow closer to You here on earth, and to live with you for all of eternity.
As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will remember that I am saved by grace and not by works.
How do I hold others to a standard that I cannot even meet?
When do I forget the sacrifice God made and try to earn God's love with my actions?
