What is the purpose of God’s Law? Why would He give mankind rules, ordinances, precepts, and laws to obey? Why would He command that we follow and live by them to find that we fall so short? Do we have to obey all of them, or do our best?
God said, “You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. You shall, therefore, keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 18:4-5
It is good that you try to obey them the best you can and do what He has commanded. But if you fail to follow and obey His rules and laws, God says you will be in big trouble. He even says if you break His Law, He will punish you. That really sounds harsh.
This is what the Bible says, “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heartache.
And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you. Leviticus 26:14-17
The Lord’s rebuke to the lawbreaker is harsh. But for a reason. A father wants a child to obey him so they don’t get hurt. So, God gives you rules and boundaries to protect you from harm and the deadly traps of the devil. He calls everyone to follow His ways for our good. But it doesn’t take long to realize that no one on earth can perfectly obey them. Because everyone sins and everyone has lied, stolen, and had hateful, lustful, and covetous thoughts, not to mention all the incredible wickedness on the earth right now.
As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together, they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Romans 3:10-18
So if everyone sins, no one is righteous, and not one person can keep the Law, why even have a Law that people will break anyway? There has to be more to it. Well, yes, there is more to it. There are good reasons and purposes for God’s Law.
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.” Why, then, the law? It was added because of transgressions, Galatians 3:11-12,19
God gave the Law to prove that it was impossible to keep the Law. He reveals to everyone that no one can obey His rules because we are all sinners. In this way, you can see that since “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” everyone needs a savior, a redeemer, someone who can keep the Law perfectly. That person could do something about your dire situation. He could do what you are unable to do.
However, because those who do wrong are lawbreakers, lawbreakers will be judged guilty, and God will punish the guilty. The unfortunate truth is He will sentence all sinners and all lawbreakers to His prison called Hell. A horrible place of punishment.
In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, Luke 13:28
Please listen to me. I do not want you to go there, and I have great news. God made the Law to make it impossible for you to save yourself. We have learned that. But He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to come and live on the earth for 33 years and never once broke the Law. He came to be the sacrifice to pay for your sins and take your punishment.
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. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because He has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:16-18
Jesus took your punishment on the cross. He paid the price to redeem you from Hell and the penalty of sin. He took the entire Wrath of God upon Himself for you. Yes, He did that for you because He loves you so much. He does not want you to go to Hell. But He wants you to be forgiven and go to Heaven to be with Him forever.
And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34
“And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He thus fulfilled. Repent, therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,” Acts 3:17-20
Do you see now that the Law shows you that you have sinned and broken God’s commands? Do you see you can not save yourself? But the Lord provided a way for forgiveness, to cleanse you of your sins. He promises you eternal life if you will just turn and repent of your sins, which means turning away from your wicked ways and lifestyle.
But the Lord provided a way for forgiveness, to cleanse you of your sins. He promises you eternal life if you turn and repent of your sins, which means turning away from your wicked ways and lifestyle. Jesus has walked into the courtroom of Heaven and has declared that He wants to pay the debt you owe to God because of your life of sin.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Romans 3:23-24
When will you repent of your sins and turn to Jesus? When will you forsake your old ways and follow and obey Him? He loves you and has given you one more day, another chance to repent.
Please turn to God today; there is not much time left. Jesus will return soon not to forgive sins but to punish the wicked and lawbreakers. But you still have time. What will it profit you if you gain all you can get on this earth if you lose your soul for all eternity? Don’t wait; turn to Jesus today.
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? Mark 8:35-37
The Soul Sower 