The Law of the Lord is Perfect
I was thinking about our legal system in America. (slide 1)
I looked up some information that I thought would set the stage for our sermon today. Here are some of the “Statutes at Large” 123 volumes, which make up all the laws passed by Congress. My question was: How many laws do we have? The answer is: no one knows for sure. Some of the new laws change the old ones, but not always. Counting them is really hard. Lawyers have to specialize because none of them knows all of the laws either.
(slide 2) This set of volumes should help. It constitutes what is called the “United States Code” and it gathers the laws into categories, 51 to be exact, and it should make it possible to know how many laws we have, but again, and this comes from the government web site: no one knows for sure exactly how many laws we have.
(slide 3) So I thought I would make is simpler by just going to one category to see how many laws are under that category. I selected on that many of us need to know something about. Tax laws. If you think the Bible is complex, try reading and understanding our United States Tax code. And if you think your Bible is thick (mine has 1048 pages) listen to this: our 2013 tax code is over four million words. That’s 73,954 pages of tax laws.
And here’s the clincher… (slide 4) Ignorance of the law… is no Excuse!
The Week Magazine, Dec. 19, 2014, page 18 has an article stating this: Legal scholars say that "more than 70% of American adults have committed a crime that could lead to imprisonment."
(blank slide 5)
American legislation has lost its way. Our judges differ on what is "Constitutional and Unconstitutional" regarding such matters as the meaning of marriage. What happens when the foundations and authority basis for our laws become confused?
Is there any such thing as a perfect legal system?
Yes. The Law of the Lord is perfect. The word of God is true. The Scriptures are God breathed. We have a solid place to stand. God has given us a book that we can base our lives on and know what is perfect and true and right and just... and eternally so.
The Bible. The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119, and the middle and shortest chapter is Psalm 117. The middle chapter of the Old Testament is Job 29 and the middle chapter of the New Testament is Romans 13. The middle verse of the Bible is Psalm 118:8. The middle verse of the Old Testament is 2 Chronicles 20:17, and the middle verse of the New Testament is Acts 17:17.
The Bible consists of law, history, poetry, proverbs, prophecy, gospels, letters and other literary genre.
Let’s look at some scriptures that tell us some positive things about God’s law.
(slide 6) Psalms 1
(slide 7) Psalms 19
(slide 8) Matthew 5
(slide 9) Romans 3:31, Romans 7:12, Galatians 5:14
(slide 10) 1 Timothy 1:8-10
Now let's explore this...
Is it God’s law that saves us? Is it not instead God’s grace? Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 2:21
When God gave Israel the law through Moses, did they always keep it? What happened to them when they failed to obey the law? They were punished! But if they repented, they were forgiven! Ezekiel 18:21-23.
When Jesus gave us “the law of Christ” do we always keep it? (Galatians 6:2, 1 Corinthians 9:21) What happens to Christians when we fail to obey the law of Christ? We are disciplined! But if we repent and confess our sins we are forgiven! James 5:16, 1 John 1:9.
Can a Christian leave the faith and be cut off from the grace of God? Yes. Galatians 5:4. Or we can go on sinning willfully and lose the benefit of the sacrifice of Christ. Hebrews 10:26-31.
Paul wrote to the Romans and Galatians and said, “Sin shall not be your master because you are not under law but under grace.” Romans 6:14-15
What then, shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!!! Sin is lawlessness! Being saved by grace does not reduce our need for the law to guide us, it removes the sting of death that the law must administer and places that sting on our representative, Jesus Christ. But we who have received God's grace also receive God's gift of new life in Christ and freedom from sin. To go on sinning willfully or to run to the law in self-righteousness are heads and tails of the same selfish coin.
Living by grace does not mean living lawlessly. Living by law means depending on that law to save us. Living in Christ means this:
"I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ, lives in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loves me and gave Himself for me." I do not nullify the grace of God, for if a law could be given that would bring salvation, Christ died for nothing. Galatians 2:20-21.
Forgiveness and mercy are given because of God’s grace. That has always been true, Old Testament and New. God has always dealt with us by means of grace. Think of king David and his sin with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah her husband. How was David saved? By law? No, but by grace.
God’s law can show me perfection, but it can’t impart perfection. Christ’s law can show me perfection, but again, law, by nature, does not impart perfection, (unless, of course, there is a "law of grace") only grace working through us by the Holy Spirit can perfect us in Christ. Look at Hebrews 10:14. Not by His law, but by His sacrifice did Jesus perfect those who are being sanctified in Him.
God’s grace gives me more than instructions, God’s grace gives me righteousness and justification through faith in Jesus Christ. God gave Israel the law and then God gave them sacrifices to observe for the forgiveness of sin, for uncleanness and breaking the law.
We still need God’s law! We are not under the Old Testament covenant. In fact, none of us here are of Jewish heritage. We are all a bunch of Gentiles who have been brought near to God by the covenant of Christ in His sacrifice on the cross for us. We share in that covenant, not by keeping the law, but by keeping the faith! We don’t need to run to the law for salvation, but to run to the cross of Christ. But we do need to study and know the law of God, revere His commandments and meditate on His will and ways so that we can become more like Him. Nevertheless, John reminds us in John 1:17, the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ!
We are called and redeemed by God’s grace. We are saved and declared righteous by God’s grace. No one is saved by the law, never has been, never will be. God’s grace was the saving power from the very beginning. It was not REVEALED until Jesus came and died for us. But that same grace from the cross that saves you and me works backward to save all those under the Old Covenant who trusted God and kept the faith. Abraham was saved by grace through faith too.
Why then do we need the law? 2 Timothy 3:15-17. What scriptures did Timothy learn from childhood? What were they able to do for him now as a minister of the gospel in Ephesus?
We need the Old Testament. Because in it we see where we came from and what we are. We learn of the character of God, and how He has worked throughout human history to bring salvation to all nations. We see God’s heart, just as in Jesus Christ God’s character is revealed. Remember, Jesus kept the law! He’s the first and only one to do so! Jesus also established a new covenant, not on stone as the 10 commandments were, but in our hearts. Jesus is building the church, purchased by His own blood, redeemed by His body as a sacrifice, called to holy living and righteousness, empowered by the very Spirit of God, destined to rule the universe with Him forever in glory as a bride with her groom.
The law of the Lord is perfect, but we are broken. Jesus came to call, not the righteous, but sinners. Mark 2:17 He kept the law and has authority to impart His perfection to any who will answer His call and follow Him faithfully. If today, you have not received His saving grace, He calls you to trust Him, turn from sin, confess His name, Jesus Christ, as your Lord, be buried with Him in baptism for the forgiveness of sin, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in you.
Praise God! He has given us a perfect law! And because we can't keep it, He has given us a perfect Savior!
