Right then a well-dressed and obviously wealthy man approached the distraught young lady and told her he was actually her father and would pay the fine in full and also cover the bond needed to get her out of jail for life because he loved her. Immediately she recognized the voice as that of a famous trillionnaire. She couldn’t believe he was claiming her as his child! Rejoicing and weeping, she gratefully embraced him, thanking him for his unbelievably amazing and gracious gift. There was NO WAY she could possibly repay him - they both knew that!
Suddenly it hit her - she was FREE! She could hardly believe it! Now I can go take whatever I want, she gleefully shouted to everyone within hearing. In fact, she ran up and down the street, inviting people to come into Macy’s and take whatever they wanted. My father will pay for it ALL. “He has unlimited wealth and Amazing Grace! He has such love I KNOW he’ll cover it all” she yelled. She couldn’t contain her excitement and zeal to spread the Good News! No one paid any attention to the hurt and sadness on the trillionaire’s face.
And to top it all, the United States did away with those and all other laws. After all, the trillionnaire could now pay for everyone and anyone to disobey them, so why have them? The law wasn’t needed anymore. There was now no definition of crime, so there were no criminals. The law was done away with. The penalties weren’t penalties anymore because there was no law anymore to disobey. There was no more stifling law, no more sin and disobedience and no more crimes. No more legal system. Oh, the Freedom was intoxicating! What an Awesome Father!
And everyone lived happily ever after....
Many people say "The Law was abolished at the cross". Does that even make sense? 1) Why would someone DIE for a law that's not even important enough to keep around?
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3) How would we know what sin is without the Law to show us?
4) GRACE would not be necessary if there was no LAW.
5) The Law is a transcript of God's own character. Nothing can be taken from it - we can't pick and choose which of the 10 commandments to keep and which to throw away.
6) The 10 commandments were written by the finger of God Himself.
7) The 10 commandments are universal - NOT just for the Jews. That would be silly.
8) Jesus "fulfilled" the Law to make a way for us to have eternal life - now we do away with it? That is in effect rejecting the herculian effort of heaven to save us.
9) God makes provision to help us keep the law. He gives us grace, power, the Holy Spirit, His word, and His example. We aren't left destitute and helpless.
10) Obedience isn't optional. Don't confuse it with "good works". Good works are to help people around us get to know God and all the glory goes to HIM, not ourselves. Therefore good works are not for merit - we're here to help others, people!
11) Yes, obedience isn't optional, but frail and sinful natured that we are, we slip, we sin, we fail, we fall. In God's amazing grace He pardons those who confess their weakness - but He then lifts us up and says "Go, and sin no more". Remember, sin separates us from God no matter how you look at it. We must not cherish ANY sin and expect God to wink at it and forgive an unrepentant sinner. We're given this probationary time to perfect the characters we're given through trial, testing and tribulation. All of this "work" is through humbly submitting ourselves to God's rulership in every area of our lives.
In the end, ALL our righteousness is as filthy rags - because it's always tainted with self, so the righteousness WE have, is actually Christ's! CHRIST OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS! "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establsh the law" Rom 3:31. Christ is the embodiment of the Law. Amen - and that's my sermon for the day!
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