Love, not Law

Adam, the first man, sinned when he listened to the voice of the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit in the garden. He was exiled from the Garden of Eden and passed sin on to all of us (Genesis 3:22-24). We all do wrong.

Sometimes people think of sin as breaking God’s commands which he gave to Moses. These commandments were written down and the Jews called them “the Law.” The most important we call “the Ten Commandments.” You can read these in Exodus 20.

Paul argues here that sin is more than breaking the commandments that God gave to Moses.

Jesus made the same point when he challenged the rich young ruler, who claimed to have kept all the commandments. Jesus told him that he still needed to sell all that he had and give to the poor and then to follow him. This was more than the rich man was prepared to do (Luke 18:18-24).

The Jewish Law did not keep people from sinning. Something altogether different was needed if people were to be reconciled to God.

Jesus came to bring that “something altogether different.” He took our sin on his own shoulders and died for us to bring us back to God. What happened on the cross is so profound that the greatest theologians can’t plumb its depth. But Jesus’ love, shown to us in his death, is something that even a child—especially a child—can understand.

When we put our faith in Jesus to forgive us and accept us, the power of sin in our lives is broken. God gives us the gift of his Holy Spirit to live in us and change us from the inside. I know this from experience, and you can too.

Respond in Prayer

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for all your kindness to us, more than we will ever understand. Thank you for breaking the power of sin! Amen.

Annabel Robinson