When Being Good Isn't Good Enough: 21 Days of GraceSýnishorn

The Purpose of God’s Law

First, the law reflects the mind of God. If you want to know what God thinks about adultery or stealing or dishonesty or a variety of other kinds of behavior, check out His clear direction in the law. The Ten Commandments are not called the ten suggestions. All of the teaching in the Bible about morality, ethics, and Christian behavior was given so that we might know exactly how God feels on those particular subjects. 

You are near, O Lord, 

And all Your commandments are truth.

Concerning Your testimonies,

I have known of old that You have founded them forever (Ps. 119:151-152).

Here is the point: The law reflects the parameters of God’s desire--not the parameters of His love. When those two get confused, then the law is used improperly.

Second, the law functions as a measure by which believers can determine their progress. “For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds” (Ps. 7:9). “You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress” (Ps. 17:3). 

Now it is important to know that any testing of our walk with God isn’t for His benefit. Too many of us think God sits in the heavens dreaming of ways He can test us to see how we are doing. He looks down and says to His angels, “Look at that! I had such high hopes for him. I really thought he would do better than that.” Of course not! Testing has to do with us, not God. He already knows how we are doing. 

The law is an exam that God doesn’t grade. (The grade was already accomplished on the cross by Jesus, and it was an “A.”) You are the one for whom the test was designed. Check out God’s will as expressed in Scripture and you will know how far you have come (for encouragement), how much you have failed (for confession), and how far you have to go (for trust).