Author: Anne Graham Lotz
"The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24, NKJV).
The Christian life is motivated, not by a list of do’s and don’ts, but by the gracious outpouring of God’s love and blessing. We want to live our lives to please God because before Jesus “the law was given through Moses” (John 1:17a, NIV).
Think of the law as summed up in the Ten Commandments.
The law didn’t make us feel better. It made us feel worse. The law didn’t help us to be good. It revealed how bad we were. The law didn’t give us joy or peace. It made us feel guilty. The law didn’t help us measure up. It showed us we fall short.
The apostle Paul said the law was like our schoolmaster, teaching us how much we need a Savior. But “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17b, NIV) because He perfectly fulfills the law. His life measures up to the standard established by the law, and when we receive Him by faith, His righteousness is credited to us. Therefore in Christ we too fulfill the law.
Blessings,
Anne Graham Lotz
Copyright © 2014 Anne Graham Lotz (AnGeL Ministries) Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved www.annegrahamlotz.org.
"The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24, NKJV).
The Christian life is motivated, not by a list of do’s and don’ts, but by the gracious outpouring of God’s love and blessing. We want to live our lives to please God because before Jesus “the law was given through Moses” (John 1:17a, NIV).
Think of the law as summed up in the Ten Commandments.
The law didn’t make us feel better. It made us feel worse. The law didn’t help us to be good. It revealed how bad we were. The law didn’t give us joy or peace. It made us feel guilty. The law didn’t help us measure up. It showed us we fall short.
The apostle Paul said the law was like our schoolmaster, teaching us how much we need a Savior. But “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17b, NIV) because He perfectly fulfills the law. His life measures up to the standard established by the law, and when we receive Him by faith, His righteousness is credited to us. Therefore in Christ we too fulfill the law.
Blessings,
Anne Graham Lotz
Copyright © 2014 Anne Graham Lotz (AnGeL Ministries) Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved www.annegrahamlotz.org.