When I read the words of the Law, I realize how much I sin.  I lie…I covet…I am selfish…I worship other Gods…I rely on my own strength instead of on God.  This proves all the more how much I need Jesus: His life, teachings, death, and resurrection to solve my own sin problem.  This recognition ought to compel us to live our lives in response to His grace. 

Unfortunately the response I live out is often a cop out for the response I should be offering.  Have you ever found yourself justifying selfish, lazy, or sinful actions with these words, “I’m not under Law, but under grace!”  Jesus’ grace affords us freedom from a legalistic interpretation of the Law, but His fulfilling (or maturing) of the Law charges us with a deeper righteousness still.

The Apostle Paul provided keen insight to this righteous living in the grace of Christ.  He wrote:

I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.  I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. (Galatians 2:20-21)

What shall we say then?  Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  By no means!  How can we who died to sin still live in it?  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.  Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.  (Romans 6:1-2; 12-13)

With your life, you will either be a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness; there are no two-ways about it!  The Law allows you to see clearly who is your master (see Romans 7:7-25).  The Flipside of the Law is Grace.  Still, when engaged through the lens of Christ’s grace, the Law helps to separate us from sin.  Over the next few weeks we will look at several situations to better understand how the teachings of Jesus interact with the Law to point us towards righteous living in Christ (see 1 John 2:1-5)! 

From the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:17-20:  Notice, Jesus did not set Himself outside a holistic view of God’s work…or apart from God’s Words.  Rather, God’s Word was essential to the personal mission of Jesus; He ran His life, His activities, and His goals through the grid of the Scriptures.

Reflection: What role does God’s Word play daily in your goals, perspectives, and convictions?  Choose a day from the past week, consider your activities and decisions of that day, and compare them to what you know of the teachings of the scriptures.  Choose a day coming up this week and be intentional that your interactions and activities are of a biblical nature.  Make notes and reflect on this experience.