You may have asked yourself, “Why must I follow laws, rules, and regulations? I just want to do what I want and be left alone. But then, if you think about it, most people would do whatever they wanted, which included a plethora of crimes, if we didn’t have laws or boundaries. Most of us have seen this happen on the news or in person. Chaos, riots, and destruction break out when the law breaks down, especially when no one is enforcing the law. This is because our sinful nature directs us toward doing what is wrong instead of right. So we all have to conclude that no good things come to a nation that becomes lawless.
Let’s take a child, for example. When left to their own devices, they do what they should not do. They run toward traffic or a hot burner, not knowing they could be severely injured. They can be selfish and abusive to others, causing other children and parents all kinds of hurt, pain, and sorrow. If left in their own ways, they can become involved in all sorts of harmful and criminal behaviors once they are teenagers. Nothing good comes to the child or the community if they are not corrected and taught to be reasonable, kind, and considerate of others.
The type of behavior that results from allowing us to do anything we wish is called lawlessness. We all tend to go down that road if not hemmed in by boundaries because we all have a sinful nature that loves selfishness, greed, pride, and arrogance. In other words, it’s all about me. If there are no standards to live by, a law that keeps peace in check, this world spirals out of control. Sin and crime become the norm, eventually leading to a nation’s suffering and poverty.
Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that He(Jesus) appeared in order to take away sins, and in Him, there is no sin. No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him. 1 John 3:4-6
God has given every one of us a standard to live by, His Law, the Ten Commandments. It has been described as a schoolmaster that we may live in such a way that will keep us out of trouble. Instead of doing wrong, it instructs us to do what is right, keeping us from harm. So, to help all of us to live at peace with one another. God is showing us the right way to live, which keeps the peace and pleases God with our behavior. Good things come to those who follow the law, and good things come to those who obey God’s commandments. They are not intended to harm by way of restriction but to protect, guard, keep us safe, and bring us closer to God.
Wherefore the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Galatians 3:24
God’s Law is like a mirror showing you right from wrong, as highway signs guide you to the correct destination or warn you of a dead end or a cliff at the end of a road. Through God’s Law and your understanding of how often you have disobeyed Him, I hope you can see that you have lied, stolen, held lust, hate, and disrespect in your heart against others, and committed many crimes against man and God. By looking at God’s Law, you can see yourself in truth, like looking in a mirror that shows the imperfections of your face.
You may not know it, but God has written His Law on your heart. However, you may have ignored it. God has given each of us a conscience. which is a small voice within that says, “Don’t do that; that is wrong!” God’s way of telling us that it is wrong to lie, steal, hate others, covet, and so many more things God detests.
Paul said, “Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness.” Romans 7:7-8
Jesus Christ came to be your perfect sacrifice to save you from your sins and disobedience to God’s Law. He is the one who never sinned. Instead, He suffered and died on the cross to pay the price, the debt of sin you owe to God because of your sinful life.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. John 3:16-17
Jesus Christ is God’s Son; because He was a perfect and pure sacrifice, He could pay the debt God’s wrath demanded due to the record of your life of sinful behavior. Jesus died and rose again so that you may be given the opportunity to be forgiven. He loves you so much that even though you are a lawbreaker, Jesus Christ came to pay the great price for your redemption.
The sacrifice of Jesus and the spilling of His blood and giving up His life provided an actual payment for your sins. But if you don’t accept this great gift He is offering you, salvation, you will have to pay for your sins in a place of punishment God calls Hell, a place of fire, torture, and unending pain, with no rest. We all deserve it because we are all sinners. But I am telling you all this today so you don’t have to go to Hell and suffer eternal torment. God doesn’t want you to go there, either.
Are you starting to understand why we need laws and why you need to obey God’s Law? These boundaries are in place to protect you. God’s Law intends to show you that you are not good but sinful and need a Savior. Your Savior is Jesus Christ, who takes away the world’s sins. But only if you believe in Him, repent, and turn from your sinful ways to follow and obey His commandments. He offers you mercy and grace if you are willing to believe in Him by faith.
For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
We all seek love, affection, satisfaction, peace, and approval. Jesus Christ is the source of all these things you desire. So now, I urge you to look into the Law of the Lord and see how you measure up. Understand that you need His forgiveness because of your sins. He can cleanse you from your sins and heal you from all the pain, wounds, and suffering you have endured.
He will heal you and give you a new heart and mind so you can do what is right and not wander off into lawlessness, keeping you out of trouble and Hell. What is even greater than healing your wounds, drying the tears of the suffering of pain, and a life of rejection and tragedy? God offers you Heaven, love, joy, and peace as a reward for your obedience and humility.
Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while and the coming one will come and will not delay, but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” Hebrews 10:35-38
Put your faith in Jesus Christ today. Ask Him to forgive your sins, repent, which means to turn from your sinful ways, and obey His Law. He promises that He will find you if you seek Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Then He will accept you and forgive your sins when you repent with a genuine and humble heart to obey His Law instead of being a lawbreaker. God’s Law is restrictive by definition. However, His love, mercy, and grace for you have no boundaries because His love is boundless. So believe in Jesus and receive His forgiveness and an eternal reward in Heaven today.
Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith; rather, “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:7-14
The Soul Sower 