THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
I bought a new car several years ago, and it drove perfectly. Now it’s fully paid for, and I’d like to keep driving it. Recently, it kept losing power and I thought I had major transmission problems. I attempted to diagnose the problem and even fix it myself, but that didn’t work out so well. After narrowly avoiding two accidents on the freeway, I took it to my mechanic. He found the problem: two small computer modules had gone bad (and cost $900 to fix!). Although I wanted to fix the problem myself, there was no way I could restore the car to its original operating standards by myself.
I have an owner’s manual that tells me what “standard operation” looks like; in other words, how my car is supposed to perform. God also has a standard by which we are to operate: perfect obedience to Him. Adam and Eve lived perfectly for a short time, but then sin entered the picture; now we just can’t live up to God’s standard.
We can’t fix our sin problem. We’re broken and we need help.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Deuteronomy 5:32-33
32 “Be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or the left. 33 Follow the whole instruction the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live, prosper, and have a long life in the land you will possess.
Years ago when I was a student pastor, I took a group of students to summer camp along the Brazos River in central Texas. I gave the students specific instructions about hiking and established a clear standard of behavior for the week: stay on the trails! To venture off the trail could expose them to poison ivy and— worse!—several varieties of snakes. I instructed them to stay on the trails clearly marked for hiking. To do so would ensure them a safe and enjoyable time.
God clearly wanted the Hebrews to enjoy His blessings, so He established a standard for how they should live in relationship to Him. He did not play hide-and-seek with His will; He gave them the law and made it very clear how He wanted them to live. “Be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you.”
I am thankful God has given us the complete revelation of His Word so that we can clearly know His will. The Bible shows us how we can live and operate according to His standards. “You are not to turn aside to the right or the left” applies just as much to us today as it did to the Israelites. He wants us to stay on the narrow path that leads to blessing and salvation.
So many of us know the Lord’s instructions. We have Bibles. We have pastors who teach God’s Word to us. We have Bible study leaders who help us explore God’s Word. Yet, even with all our knowledge, we don’t seem to be able to stay on the path. We turn to the right and left, ignore boundaries set by God, and wind up hurting others and ourselves in the process. We’re unable to live up to God’s holy standard.
Earlier in Deuteronomy 5, the Israelites had experienced a great encounter with God. God spoke the Ten Commandments to them. Out of fear, they asked Moses to go before God on their behalf, but they promised to do whatever God told him. “For who out of all mankind has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the fire, as we have, and lived? Go near and listen to everything the LORD our God says. Then you can tell us everything the LORD our God tells you; we will listen and obey” (vv. 26-27).
Verbal commitments are commendable, but do they impress the Lord? The Israelites promised to listen and obey, but the proof of their love, reverence, and awe of the living God would be in how they lived.
Galatians 3:10-12
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed. 11 Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith. 12 But the law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them.
We’ve probably all been “fair weather fans” at one time or another. Born and raised in Texas, I am a fan of several Texas sports teams, including one professional football team that is known by the lone star on the players’ helmets. We have really high hopes for our team at the beginning of a season. We post images or comments in social media to show our support. We engage in playful banter with friends who cheer for other teams. But as the season goes by and losses accumulate, we realize our team isn’t invincible. When we realize they’ve been eliminated from post-season play, we lose heart. Disappointment sets in. We aren’t raving fans like we were at the beginning of the season.
Something similar can happen in a spiritual sense. Remember the Israelites’ excitement at Mt. Sinai? Moses had received the law and God had carved the Ten Commandments onto stone tablets. The standard of the law was perfection, but the people thought they were ready. “We will listen and obey” (Deut. 5:27). Everyone was hopeful and the people promised God they would do right.
It didn’t take long to realize it wasn’t going to be “a winning season.” As much as the people wanted to obey God, they couldn’t live up to the law’s standard, which was perfection. The law not only tells us how to live, but it tells us we are sinners.
Sinner. That’s a hard label for some people to accept. At best, people often try to mask their sinful behavior by pointing out the things in their lives they consider good. But according to this passage, we are only good if we “do everything written in the book of the law” (Gal. 3:10).
The law was designed to do more than tell us how to live. God intended it to show us the futility of thinking we are good enough to earn His favor. The law points us to the fact that we cannot live the kind of life we were intended to live—a life of perfect obedience. So if we can’t attain to the standard, what hope do we have? We live by faith in Jesus Christ, the One who lived the perfect standard for us. We will look further into this wonderful solution in the next session, but for the moment, let’s consider how the law points out our sinful imperfection while pointing us to seek the One who is perfect.
Galatians 3:19a, 24-25
19a Why then was the law given? It was added for the sake of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. ............................. 24 The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith. 25 But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,
Earlier in Galatians 3, Paul pointed out that the law can’t give us the Holy Spirit, it can’t bring us into a right relationship with God, and it can’t save us; it can only pronounce our condemnation. (See vv. 10- 12.) Paul then proposed: If the law can’t do these things, “why then was the law given?”
Paul gave one single reason: the law “was added for the sake of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made could come.” The law convicted people of sin from the time it was given through the coming of Christ. For centuries after God gave the law at Mt. Sinai, the law instructed people they were unable to live up to God’s standard. The law faithfully taught that message to generations until Christ came. At that time a message of justification by faith in Jesus Christ, was proclaimed.
Few of us have been in prison, but we have all been imprisoned. Trying to live by the law imprisoned us. “We were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed” (v. 23). Paul described the law as “our guardian.” In Paul’s culture, a guardian was more than a nanny; he was more like a drill sergeant who kept those under his charge under control.
Then came Christ, who lived the only perfect life and kept every part of the law. He fulfilled the law perfectly. (See Matt. 5:17.) The law ruled over us “until Christ” (Gal. 3:24). He kept the law we couldn’t, and by faith His perfect righteousness becomes ours! A life of failure can be replaced with a life of faith.
LIVE IT OUT
The story doesn’t stop with the truth that we are unable to live up to God’s holy standard. But what will you do with this truth?
- Seek forgiveness. Admit to God your sin and failures. At your absolute best, you’re still a sinner, so confess any and all sins. Thank Him for His grace and forgiveness in Christ.
- Stop trying. Evaluate your life for any actions you might think make you right before God. Self-righteousness might feel good, but it’s an illusion. You can only stand strong when you stand in Christ. Choose to rest in Christ and trust Him.
- Start encouraging. Encourage others to trust Christ instead of following a lot of rules or rituals to gain God’s favor. Help them see Christ has fulfilled the law for them, and they need only to trust Him.
My car needed repair, but I could not do anything except trust my car in the hands of someone who could actually fix it. That’s our story. We’re broken and we need to trust our lives in the hands of Christ, the only one who can “fix” us.
Hope to see you on Sunday!
In His Love,
David & Susan
Teacher's Notes
WHY ARE WE HERE?
- God’s creation was orderly, with purpose, and according to His plan. We happen to be God’s treasured creation - created in His own image and likeness. And we are here to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives and to live in fellowship with Him through repentance and faith.
- But in last week’s lesson, we ruined a perfect relationship with God through our sin. And that’s why we’re in the mess we are in now. By prideful rebellion Adam and Eve broke God’s one law that He gave them in paradise. Was it because Adam/Eve ate an apple? Was it because Adam listened to his wife? Was it because of a snake? Was it a God Complex? Was it their Free Will? Was it because of Prideful Rebellion?
- Why Can't We Fix It?
It's Like It Never Happened
Adam and Eve probably wished they could have called ServePro after their SIN.
God also has a standard by which we are to operate: perfect obedience to Him. Adam and Eve lived perfectly for a short time, but then sin entered the picture; now we just can’t live up to God’s standard. We can’t fix our sin problem. We’re broken and we need help. Many of us seek to improve our lives and hope to make the world a better place. We think a certain way of living – an ideal standard – will get us there. But try as we may, we usually fail to live up to the ideal. We discover some things are easier said than done. Paul said in Romans 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do. 20And if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.…
Are we saved by what we do or by what Christ has done for us? It’s a question of faith versus works; grace versus the Law of Moses. The very heart of the gospel is at stake in the answer.
I. God Established a Standard for Us to Live in Relationship to Him Deuteronomy 5:32-33
32 “Be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or the left. 33 Follow the whole instruction the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live, prosper, and have a long life in the land you will possess.
a) God’s standard is clear. (Deut. 5:32-33) God loved His people so He provided a series of laws that would protect and guide them in their daily affairs, personal relationships, and reverence for God. These laws that we know as the Ten Commandments have become the basis for all civilizations. Keeping them enables people to live rightly with God and with one another. Once given, God instructed His people to be careful to live in accordance with each law and to focus intently on each one as the standard and guide for life. The people were to obey them completely. In return, God would give them an abundant, fruitful, and long life. God's best interest for His people was revealed in these laws. His love shows through each law. God is not vindictive, nor the ultimate joy stealer, by giving these laws. Their restrictions are for our relationships, health, and personal and corporate well-being. These laws reflect God’s compassion for all humanity. The proper response to these laws is reverence for God and obedience to His standard.
What are some things that cause us to turn to the right or left of where we know we should go?
God sets the standard by which He expects His people to live. We are to be determined to keep God’s Word by acting on it to the exact degree He expects. God blesses those who are faithfully obedient to His Word.
Why did God give the law?
1. The Law was given to separate God’s people from the evil nations around them and to define sin.
2. While the Law itself was good, it was weak in that it lacked the power to change a sinful heart (Romans 8:3).
II. We Sin and Are Incapable of Meeting God’s Standard Galatians 3:10-12
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed. 11 Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith. 12 But the law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them.
b) Our character is flawed. (Gal. 3:10-12) The law demands 100% compliance all the time for all of life. The law demands that we do what the law commands. We must do all that the law commands. We must continue to do all the law commands. Living by the law isn’t a buffet where we pick and choose the rules we want to obey. Either we keep all the law all the time, or we'll never get to heaven by following the law. God doesn't grade on the curve. It's a simple Pass/Fail. Keep the law correctly 100% of the time, and we go to heaven. Mess up once, and we go to hell. That doesn't leave a significant margin for error. Unfortunately, no person can keep God's law entirely. As much as we would want to fulfill each one, we can't. No one can. The regulations not only provide a basis for a society that indicates the measurement of righteousness to be right with God and to gain entrance into heaven. Due to their exacting standard, all humanity is condemned by them. We fall short of the perfect standard. Our attempt at righteousness, though admirable, comes up short. And, as righteous as one may be, even one failure brings God’s judgment. As a result, all of humanity is cursed. “Cursed” is the divine sentence of death. We are rejected, judged, condemned, and sentenced to eternal death. It applies to everyone without exception. The whole human race is under a curse because of our failure to keep the law correctly. Apart from divine grace, we are all by nature spiritually dead, lost, separated from God, rejected and condemned. We are in a genuinely hopeless condition. The result is attempting to go to heaven on our merit. The law is like a chain; every link must be forged securely, or it will not support the person who clings to it for salvation. And, since our flaws and failures create chinks in the chain, it cannot assist us in our climb toward redemption. We cannot earn God’s blessing by being good or righteous. Instead, living by faith is the only hope, the only support by which salvation is granted. Works of the law do not justify us. Keeping the law does not save us. Faith in God saves us. Taking God at His Word and relying on it as trustworthy is what saving faith involves.
What is meant by the idea of being under a curse?
No one is able to live by the entirety of the law. Failure to live by the entirety of the law makes one subject to God’s wrath. Justification by keeping the law is impossible. Conforming to the law for eternal life is not a matter of trust but an inadequate attempt to accomplish what is beyond sinful, human ability. Faith is the way of justification; faithfulness is the practice of the justified.
It was into this legalistic climate that Jesus came, and conflict with the hypocritical arbiters of the Law was inevitable. But Jesus, the Lawgiver, said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17).
1. The Law served as a mirror to reveal the condition of a person’s heart (Romans 7:7). John 1:17 says, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Jesus embodied the perfect balance between grace and the Law (John 1:14).
III. The Law Gave a Temporary Provision Until Christ Came Galatians 3:19a, 24-25
19a Why then was the law given? It was added for the sake of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. ... 24 The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith. 25 But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,
3. The Law has value. (Gal. 3:19a, 24-25) Why did God give His law? What is its purpose? Paul answered the question with a simple, but perhaps, confusing phrase, “the sake of transgressions.” This phrase has three possible meanings: • To restrain from transgressions since all law has a restraining effect. Laws keep us from doing as we please or doing what feels good. Laws provide boundaries for our lives. They restrain us from hurting ourselves and others. Without laws, anarchy would prevail. • To reveal transgression, since the law shows where humans fail and fall short. Like an x-ray that reveals the cancer of sin, laws are the measuring sticks, the standard, that show where we miss the mark or get off the path or fail to live up to the stated rule. No matter how hard we try, we can never entirely keep the law. • To provoke transgression since humans tend to do what they’re instructed not to do. For example, when we see a sign that reads, "Don't walk on the grass!" We walk on the grass. Sometimes the law provokes us to break it, just because it is stated. Paul, furthermore, reminded his readers that the law was a temporary measure. The law as an instrument of righteousness, leading to salvation, and was designed to function until Jesus came. The law set the standard. Now, Jesus is the standard of and the way to salvation. In a sense, the law led to Christ. People could never keep the standard. They needed another way to God. Faith in God has always provided that way. The law had a regulatory purpose and a revelatory purpose, but never a redemptive mission. The law could never save. It led people to Christ. It prepared for the coming of Christ by showing that human righteousness was inadequate. All humanity needed righteousness only God could supply.
What steps can we take to move beyond the law as we follow Christ?
The law reveals our sinfulness and our need for a savior. Christ came to free us from the demands of the law, none of which we are capable of meeting. This truth cannot be overstated: we are justified by faith in Christ alone.
The conflict between Jesus and the self-righteous arose immediately. Many who had lived for so long under the Pharisees’ oppressive system eagerly embraced the mercy of Christ and the freedom He offered (Mark 2:15). Some, however, saw this new demonstration of grace as dangerous: what would keep a person from casting off all moral restraint? Paul dealt with this issue in Romans 6: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (verses 1—2). Paul clarified what Jesus had taught: the Law shows us what God wants (holiness), and grace gives us the desire and power to be holy. Rather than trust in the Law to save us, we trust in Christ. We are freed from the Law’s bondage by His once-for-all sacrifice (Romans 7:6; 1 Peter 3:18).
Conclusion: The law condemns us because it arouses within us a desire to do the very thing we know is wrong. According to verse 24, that vicious cycle is broken when we are justified. At the moment we come to Christ for salvation, God declares us righteous and wipes away the record of our guilty disobedience. And that means the law can't keep us in the prison house of sin anymore. The law that condemned us now has no power over us. We are set free from the trap of trying to please God by our outward behavior. Salvation is true freedom. And it comes only to those who trust in Christ.
Question: "Law vs. grace—why is there so much conflict among Christians on the issue?"
Answer: One side says, “Salvation is by grace and grace alone.” The other side counters, “That idea leads to lawlessness. God’s righteous standard in the Law must be upheld.” And someone else chimes in with, “Salvation is by grace, but grace only comes to those who obey God’s Law.” At the root of the debate are differing views on the basis of salvation. The importance of the issue helps fuel the intensity of the discussion.
When the Bible speaks of “the law,” it refers to the detailed standard God gave to Moses, beginning in Exodus 20 with the Ten Commandments. God’s Law explained His requirements for a holy people and included three categories: civil, ceremonial, and moral laws. The Law was given to separate God’s people from the evil nations around them and to define sin (Ezra 10:11; Romans 5:13; 7:7). The Law also clearly demonstrated that no human being could purify himself enough to please God—i.e., the Law revealed our need for a Savior.
By New Testament times, the religious leaders had hijacked the Law and added to it their own rules and traditions (Mark 7:7–9). While the Law itself was good, it was weak in that it lacked the power to change a sinful heart (Romans 8:3). Keeping the Law, as interpreted by the Pharisees, had become an oppressive and overwhelming burden (Luke 11:46).
It was into this legalistic climate that Jesus came, and conflict with the hypocritical arbiters of the Law was inevitable. But Jesus, the Lawgiver, said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). The Law was not evil. It served as a mirror to reveal the condition of a person’s heart (Romans 7:7). John 1:17 says, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Jesus embodied the perfect balance between grace and the Law (John 1:14).
God has always been full of grace (Psalm 116:5; Joel 2:13), and people have always been saved by faith in God (Genesis 15:6). God did not change between the Old and New Testaments (Numbers 23:19; Psalm 55:19). The same God who gave the Law also gave Jesus (John 3:16). His grace was demonstrated through the Law by providing the sacrificial system to cover sin. Jesus was born “under the law” (Galatians 4:4) and became the final sacrifice to bring the Law to fulfillment and establish the New Covenant (Luke 22:20). Now, everyone who comes to God through Christ is declared righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18; Hebrews 9:15).
The conflict between Jesus and the self-righteous arose immediately. Many who had lived for so long under the Pharisees’ oppressive system eagerly embraced the mercy of Christ and the freedom He offered (Mark 2:15). Some, however, saw this new demonstration of grace as dangerous: what would keep a person from casting off all moral restraint? Paul dealt with this issue in Romans 6: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (verses 1—2). Paul clarified what Jesus had taught: the Law shows us what God wants (holiness), and grace gives us the desire and power to be holy. Rather than trust in the Law to save us, we trust in Christ. We are freed from the Law’s bondage by His once-for-all sacrifice (Romans 7:6; 1 Peter 3:18).
There is no conflict between grace and the Law, properly understood. Christ fulfilled the Law on our behalf and offers the power of the Holy Spirit, who motivates a regenerated heart to live in obedience to Him (Matthew 3:8; Acts 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2 Timothy 1:14). James 2:26 says, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” A grace that has the power to save also has the power to motivate a sinful heart toward godliness. Where there is no impulse to be godly, there is no saving faith.
We are saved by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9). The keeping of the Law cannot save anyone (Romans 3:20; Titus 3:5). In fact, those who claim righteousness on the basis of their keeping of the Law only think they’re keeping the Law; this was one of Jesus’ main points in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:20–48; see also Luke 18:18–23).
The purpose of the Law was, basically, to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). Once we are saved, God desires to glorify Himself through our good works (Matthew 5:16; Ephesians 2:10). Therefore, good works follow salvation; they do not precede it.
Conflict between “grace” and the “Law” can arise when someone 1) misunderstands the purpose of the Law; 2) redefines grace as something other than “God’s benevolence on the undeserving” (see Romans 11:6); 3) tries to earn his own salvation or “supplement” Christ’s sacrifice; 4) follows the error of the Pharisees in tacking man made rituals and traditions onto his doctrine; or 5) fails to focus on the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).
When the Holy Spirit guides our search of Scripture, we can “study to show ourselves approved unto God” (2 Timothy 2:15) and discover the beauty of a grace that produces good works.
