Unraveling the Mysteries, Part 2: Remember Your Goal – Proper Use of the Law - Pastor Pete

Closer to Christ

Many of us grew up with a healthy amount of fear when it came to our fathers or other male leaders, principals and police officers, for example. Certainly, there was benefit in this fear. We put ourselves and others in danger of great harm when we choose to break the rules. In the same way, it is healthy to fear God. His law is real, not just a suggestion. Yet, the Bible says that the law is “not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels.” What does that mean? The law is meant to terrorize the ungodly. And when we or other Christians are acting in an ungodly way, the law also becomes mirror in which we see the ugly reality of our sin. But the law was not intended to make people (or children) better members of God’s household. God does not want us to live in fear, but to act “in love, from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincerity of faith.” The devil, the world and our sinful nature encourage us to use the law in ways that work against God’s design, i.e. as a shortcut to change people’s behaviors, using God’s law to convict others and exonerate ourselves (ignore the part of the law that convicts us). And there are many other way God’s law is misused. Today we want to allow God’s Word to remind us of the true purpose and proper use of God’s law that we, our families and our church may reap the benefits of drawing closer to God’s design.