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Master Life
Lesson Four
Is The Law Life Or Death To Me?
Imagine this scene for a moment. You are standing in a dark room looking out the window. Suddenly, a police car screeches into the driveway, lights flashing. How do you feel? How you feel depends on whether you are the homeowner who called the police or the robber who has just been caught! The police in the driveway are the same either way. The difference is whether you are a law keeper or a law breaker.
Is the Law life or death to me? That depends entirely on which side of the Law I am. If I am in the lake of sin, the Law is death to me. It keeps me from reaching the other side. On the other hand, if I am in the beautiful, sinless country, the law is life to me, for it prevents me from entering the lake of sin.
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"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days..." [Deut. 30:15-20]
If we boil this scripture down, what does it mean? Obey the Law, and you will have life and blessing; disobey the Law, and you will have death and cursing. It is all wrapped up in obedience or disobedience to the Law.
Shall we go to the New Testament for some confirmation?
"And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said to him, "What is your reading of it?" So he answered and said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind." and, "your neighbour as yourself." And He said to him, "You have answered rightly, do this, and you shall live." [Luke 10:25-28, NKJV]
The lawyer wanted to know about eternal life. Jesus turned him to the Law. The lawyer responded with the very core of the Law - love God and love your neighbour. What was the reply of Jesus? "Do this, and you shall live." If the lawyer kept the law, the law would be life to him.
"Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter life, keep the commandments." [Matt. 19:16-17, NKJV]
Again, look very carefully at what Jesus said, "If you want to enter life, keep the commandments." The Law is life to me if I keep it!
Now we run into a BIG problem. None of us [no, not one] can possibly keep the law. On the first count, we were all born in the lake of sin. That's where we started, without hope of ever seeing that beautiful land on the other side. And on the second count, James 2:10 rather bluntly points out: "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." If I break one little law one time, that is still enough for the law to be death to me.
In sin, I am running away from God, life, and law. I am running toward Satan, death, and lawlessness. Now, if I repent, by coming to Jesus as Lord and Saviour, where am I going? Remember, repent means to turn around. I am going toward God, life, and law. Here's a question to think about: Can I have a close relationship with God if I am running from or trying to escape His law?
Many Christians are taught that the opposite of law is grace [we'll cover this in detail in a later lesson], but that is not true. The opposite of law is lawlessness. How many Christians would rage against God's law if they really understood the alternative - total lawlessness, which leads to Satan's playground of complete chaos and destruction?
If we are going to master life, the broken law must be dwelt with. We cannot ignore it. Somehow, we have to move from being lawbreakers to being lawkeepers. We have to get on the right side of the law! The good news of the gospel is that through the free gift of Jesus Christ, made possible through the voluntary shedding of His blood on the cross, we can indeed make that switch. [If you haven't done this yet, read Introduction to Life or take the course Reality Check.] In Christ, we stand before God as law keepers, and the law becomes life to us. God's law hasn't gone away, but now, through Christ, we are on the right side of it!
The Beauty Of The Law
God has thrown us the life line of His law, not to save us from sin, but to pull us from the swirling, murky waters of our own creation and enable us to master life. Yet some view this life line as a whip to beat other Christians into submission. These legalistic, want-to-be dictators have given God's law a bad name [and have much to answer for]. Many are in terror of the law because of them. Still others view this life line as a ratty, old, rotting cord, maybe useful in times past, but hardly any good today. They, too, have given the law a bad name and have much to answer for.
The Bible views the law as a thing of beauty. True, the law is not an end in itself. It is designed to reveal and glorify Christ and to instruct His people, but it is also an object of beauty. I know this is a new idea to some. God has created many beautiful things: trees, mountains, valleys, lakes, animals, marriages, families, etc. The law is one of the beautiful things. It's necessity as the way of mastering life in no way detracts from its attractiveness when properly understood.
So for a few minutes, we are going to rest in a lush, green meadow with a softly flowing stream and consider the beauty of the law. We could spend many pleasurable hours in this peaceful valley filled with the goodness of God, but we won't. I will point out a few of the many aspects of the beauty of God's law for your consideration and meditation. Then you can take it from there and spend as much time relaxing in this wonderland as you desire.
A Delight And A Joy
"Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live, for Your law is my delight." [Ps. 119:77]
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seats of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night." [Ps. 1:1-2]
Is the law a delight? What a novel concept! It certainly goes against much of modern Christianity. [Of course, we are in good company because Jesus stood against much of the contemporary religion of His day.]
The law is not to be a cobweb collector. It is not a dry, dusty thing to be forgotten about in some dark, neglected corner. Nor is the law intended simply for instruction. It is a pleasure, a delight. It teaches us about our glorious Lord and His ways, and that is fantastic. Notice the author of Psalm 1 enjoyed it so much that he meditated on it day and night. As you read the rest of Psalm 1, you will find it brought him great stability and permanent success.
"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." [Pr. 29:18]
How many times have we heard the first part of this verse as a missionary appeal? Although it does have applications in that area, that is not the prime message. The last part of this verse is ignored - if it is read at all. [That may be dividing the Word, but not rightly dividing the Word!]
What is this verse teaching when taken in context? The law is designed to make us happy and joyful! It is where there is no vision OF THE LAW, the people perish. When the law is abandoned, people will live in all kinds of harmful, depressing, lawless ways. Inevitably, disaster overtakes them.
Isn't that precisely what is happening today? People - including many Christians - have abandoned or are ignorant of the law, and disaster is fast overtaking them. Our personal life, our church life, and certainly our national life are in shambles - and we don't know why! We have forsaken God's Life Line, the law, and therefore we have forsaken the God of the law. The only way to reverse this trend is to repent and return to Christ and His law. The law must become our joy and delight.
The Law Is Perfect
"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." [Ps. 19:7, NKJV]
"Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good." [Rom. 7:12, NKJV]
"But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully." [1 Tim. 1:8, NKJV]
If the law is a work of God, then it must be perfect. God only does perfection! There are no flaws in the law. With God as the Author, there can be no flaws, or God Himself is not perfect.
That does not mean there are no flaws in our interpretation of the law. If the law doesn't make sense in a specific situation, we may be misinterpreting or misapplying it. Or maybe we're looking at the law from a humanistic perspective rather than God's, and are unwilling to accept or apply it as God has given it. But whatever the reason, we must begin with the fact that the law of God is perfect. It is I who am imperfect. Working from that premise of humility, the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth.
Wisdom
"Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Your precepts." [Ps. 119:97-100, NKJV]
When the law becomes our meditation, we have the wisdom of God in dealing with the situations of life. We can see and avoid the traps set for us by our enemies. We understand the principles which make for success. We will have supernatural wisdom [because we are mediating on the ways of God] that will guide us throughout all of life's ups and downs.
"Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'" [Deut. 4:5-6, NKJV]
The law of God is not just for our personal benefit or for the benefit of the church. It is to be extended to our nation and to every country. When a nation follows the law of God, it will be a wise and understanding nation, and its citizens will be blessed. Sin brings embarrassment and destruction to a nation. Many of Canada's policies and the way the government dispenses money to ungodly causes are a shame to our country.
This has brought us back to the Great Commission.
"Make disciples of all nations." [Matt. 28:19]
The Old and New Testaments stand in unity to declare the purpose and design of God for the world.
Truth
"Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth." [Ps. 119:142]
Some Christians argue that the law is outdated. The Word of God plainly states that the law is truth. Does truth change or become outdated? No. Two plus two will always equal four. Gravity will always be gravity. Murder will always be murder. And the law will always be true. Truth is not a fashion to go in and out of style. It will remain the same throughout all the ages of humanity.
A Lamp And A Light
"For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light; reproofs of instruction are the ways of life." [Pr. 6:23, NKJV]
Part of the beauty of the law is that it shows us the way God wants us to walk. He could have left us in the dark. He did not have to shine His law on our path, but He did. In that way, the law becomes an expression of God's grace. He wanted us to know how life works and where it is dangerous for us to be. It was totally an act of love and grace for God to throw us the Life Line of His law to keep us from self-destruction.
Valuable
"The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of shekels of gold and silver." [Ps. 119:72]
The law of God is priceless. We need to place such a value on it that we would not trade it for anything. Too many Christians have had this treasure stolen from them through misunderstanding the purpose of the law. The law is not to be a museum piece but an active part of our daily lives. Don't be robbed!
If you want a picture of the beauty of the law, read and meditate on Psalm 119. God, through David, spent the longest chapter in the Bible raving about the wonders of the law. It must be important.
In lesson 5, we will examine What The Law Is And Is Not. Much confusion arises because Christians either try to use the law where it doesn't belong or else claim it has no legitimate function today. We will answer and balance both sides of the issue.
Master Life Assignments
Note: These assignments are written from the assumption that the student has completed the Feed Yourself Course. Some of the assignments may not make sense if you have not taken that course.
1. Read through Ps. 119 and make a list of everything it tells you about the law of God.
2. Memorize Ps. 119:6-16
Return to Lessons.
For more information about Glenn Davis, see our About Glenn page or visit Glenn Davis Books.
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