Last week, in Written on the Heart, Part 5, we saw that God’s choice of lifestyle for us is demonstrated in Jesus. But do we reflect Jesus and learn His lifestyle?
A simple story of fulfilling the law is driving down the road to the shop. If I hold a license, and keep to the rules imposed for drivers, I fulfill the law. What the law demands it gets.
My perfect driving does not do away with the law; and the law always imposes a penalty even if I break it after a dozen times of a perfect record. So if I swerve to the wrong side of the road to avoid hitting a child and end upside-down, the law will judge my lawbreaking, not the consequences I may suffer.
I may have to live in a wheelchair for the rest of my life but that is a consequence, not a penalty.
We may suffer difficult, sad, or tragic consequences because we break a law, even if it is broken inadvertently, but the penalty for breaking the law is separate to consequences. Broken law automatically condemns and penalty must be paid.
God clearly said that any departure from His commandments was death. “You will die…” He said to Adam and Eve because the very first law is “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)
Tragically, in the Garden, Adam and Eve listened to another voice above the voice of God and they believed a voice other than God’s. They knew they had broken the law and incurred the eternal death penalty because of the law written on their hearts.
But, right in there, the grace of God is also heard in the law. The Lord included grace when He wrote the law of his heart on stone, too, Exodus 20:6: “shewing mercy unto thousands [of generations] of them that love me and keep my commandments.”
He demonstrated His grace in the slaying of a sacrifice to cover Adam and Eve in the Garden. They suffered the consequences of breaking the law, and yes, the whole of humanity suffers the consequences.
Meanwhile, by grace, the Lamb that was promised would take the penalty so that all who believe in Him will be resurrected from eternal death to eternal life. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world…” (John 1:36).
He has dealt with your law breaking. You must not confuse the penalty for law breaking with the consequence of law breaking because soon He will descend from heaven with the voice of the archangel and the “dead in Christ shall rise first…” (1st Thessalonians 4:16). Remember, He said because “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10). We can all live abundantly inside the law!
Would you share a prayer with me, please? “Father, Your love in the gift of forgiveness lights the steps of Your law that leads to union with our Saviour. Thank You for abundant light that lights us home. Help us to walk in that light! Amen.”
Elizabeth Price
But is walking in His light something God desires of us? Please join us next week for Written on the Heart, Part 7.
(To access the entire “Written on the Heart” mini-series, please click here.)