Holy Law
Scripture Reading — Romans 7:7-13
So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.
If it weren’t for speed limits, I might not realize I was going too fast until I lost control on a curve in the road. Speed limits and signs—and the people who help us observe them—are all good, even if I try to get away with breaking them.
But not all laws are precautionary. For example, a basic law of nature says that poison will kill me. That means it would be both foolish and deadly to take poison and hope I could get away with “breaking the law.”
Paul wants us to understand the law of God in a similar way.
It’s not the law that causes death; the poison of disobedience does. The law simply identifies the issue. You might still say that the law of nature works death in me if I drink poison. But the simple truth is that the law of God helps me to see what the issues are, and to understand why disobeying them causes problems.
I don’t know the effect of every poison. I don’t understand the reason behind every speed limit. But I accept the place of God’s law. It’s why I’m a follower of Jesus. Both in law and in Christ, God always intends for my best.
Heavenly Father, sometimes your law feels like a burden on my freedom. Help me to better understand its holiness. Guide me to live in its goodness. Through Jesus, my Lord, Amen.
About the author — Henry Kranenburg
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