Title: Embracing God's Law: A Devotional Journey
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Week 6 – Day 1 – Gods’ Law
Scripture: Romans 5:20 “No one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather , through the law we become conscious of our sin.”
Reflection:
Before we delve into this weeks topic we need to draw some useful distinctions in the way we see the word L A W.
I reflect on the writings of Dr Tim Jennings a board certified psychiatrist and President of Come And Reason Ministries in the USA.
When we mention the word LAW what other words come to mind? Judgement, condemnation, enforcement, judge and jury? If this was your response then you were quite naturally looking at the word through the “Imperial Law Lens.”
But what LAW was discovered when Sir Isaac Newton was hit on the head by an apple falling from a tree he was sitting under? It was the LAW of gravity. This law; like the LAWs of physics and health are natural or DESIGN LAWS.
Dr Jennings focuses us on a new perspective of the LAW and the very nature of God in posing these questions in several books on the subject such as my favourite “The God Shaped Heart.”
We could ask therefore how each of these lenses testifies to the true nature of God and His character. Does the Imperial Law definition support our already understood notion that God is a loving Father, or does it paint a picture of Him as being a punishing dictator?
If Gods’ laws are design laws, then the Ten Commandments are like the first page in the manual of your new car which states; “If you operate this vehicle in accordance to these ten basic operating principles, you will obtain the longest life and the best performance from this car.”
How is that for an interesting concept and how would that effect your view of salvation? Would it matter which way you look at the LAW so long as your motive and intent are based on “others centred love?”
This is where you start to contemplate the true character of God and in this my friends you are in for a treat. Welcome to the challenge of the faith journey.
Lets go back to Romans 3:20 again. Paul writes in this verse that you are not made righteous because you strictly keep the law but by the way you apply it in every day life. When you constantly judge and condemn others for their inadequacies in keeping the law, are you yourself reflecting the loving nature of God or are you doing God’s job and not God’s work? It must therefore convict us or define sin in our life.
We are not meant to convict others in the penal sense by their keeping of the law but more so to convict them in the healing sense because we love them.
Keeping God’s law as a design law rather than an imperial law I suspect makes very little difference to the outcome if the law is applied with LOVE. If they are obeyed in love then the only difference is the burden you feel in keeping them either way.
If we could apply these definitions we would have fewer prisons with fewer prisoners.
QUESTIONS.
- Do you see God’s law as a burden or a joy?
- Are you ready to live in harmony with God by following His plan for a good and eternal life?
- Can you think of ways to help you abide in Gods laws daily?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Papa God, thank You for the gift of Your law. Father I confess that I have sinned and fallen short of your glory. But I thank you that, despite the fact that I have just sinned, you see me as righteous in your sight. I don’t feel like I deserve this gift but I accept it because You promised it. Father cover me in your amazing grace and help me to see me as you see me so that I will stop punishing myself as unforgivable when your sacrifice has washed my sins away. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Graham Hood
