One Perfect Man - February 20 Readings: Exodus 20, The Law

The Story of the Bible from Creation to the Cross to Eternal Glory

In 72 daily readings, we will examine the overall story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, seeking to get the big picture of God's work through Jesus Christ in this sinful world.

Today's Reading:  Exodus 20

Through the Bible Readings: Leviticus 18-19, Mark 1:21–45, Psalm 26:1–3, Proverbs 6:20-22

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Context 

The Law of God. The Ten Commandments. The one part of the Bible actually written by the very hand of God. The rest of God's word came through a human agency - God's Spirit worked within a human being to produce the perfect word. Here, all Moses did was carry the tablets with the Commandments down the hill. God wrote them in his own hand. 

The Law comes in three levels. Jesus told us that there were really only two laws. Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. The Ten Commandments expand on these two laws. The first four commandments speak of loving God - putting him first, avoiding idols, honoring his name, and giving him time (the Sabbath). The next six tell us how to love one another. I haven't counted, but there are something like 650 specific laws in the Old Testament - each of which expands on one of the Ten laws which expand on the Two. Two become Ten become Many.

The New Testament teaching on the law has been often confused but is simple. The law is good and reveals truth, especially the character of God. The problem with the law is that we cannot keep it - we break it in word, deed, and in spirit. So, Jesus came and did what we could not - he perfectly kept the law and fulfilled it. 100%. Sinless. And then he paid for our lawbreaking, accepting the punishment for our failure on himself, giving us both forgiveness and the power to begin to walk in obedience to the Law of the Spirit which God writes on our hearts.

That is an important key here. In our day our "law" is the Spirit of God who writes the law on our hearts, who works from the inside out to enforce the Lordship of Christ and to bring us into conformity to the will of God.

The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to do the Work of God in the People of God.

Devotional: One Perfect Man

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

That's what Romans 3:23 says. We are all sinners who have missed the mark, fallen short, failed to meet the standard. But what is that standard? What does God want from me?

I have a very detailed job description on file at the church. I don't know if every member understands my job description and I'm sure I fail it often, but if I want to know if I am doing my job all I have to do is pull out the list of expectations and check my performance against them. The standards are clear. Does God have such a standard?

He does. Clear and absolute. The standard is called the Ten Commandments. It is God's path to life. God is holy and pure and only those who are holy and pure can enter his presence eternally. God sets out exactly what our lives are supposed to look like if we want to please God and earn his favor.

All I have to do to earn eternal life is life according to the law. Of course, I have to meet the standard God has set. I must be perfect in obedience all of my life. James tells us if we break the law in one point we are guilty in all points. So, if I want to earn my way to heaven I must keep the law perfectly, without a single slip-up every single day of my life.

Of course, that ship sailed a long time ago. I was born under the curse of Adam's sin, inheriting the sin nature that is born in all humans. As soon as I was able to make choices, I chose sin. I lied. I disrespected my parents. I fought. And I was only warming up.

GUILTY!

I stand before God without a single plea, without an excuse for my sin. He gave a perfect law and I didn't just break it, I shattered it to pieces. I fell short of the glory of God and Romans 6:23 adds that the wages of sin is death. Dave Miller is a "dead man walking."

But Jesus didn't leave it like that. He came into the world as the Son of God and the Son of man and lived the life I couldn't live. He kept every law not only in word and deed but in his heart and mind. He was perfect and sinless. No sin, no death. Jesus had no sin-debt to pay God for his life, for his sin.

So having no debt of his own he offered to pay mine. He died my death and yours, suffered my hell and yours, paid my debt and yours, and endured my hell and yours. Having paid for our sins, he was buried and rose again on the third day and he offers life eternal to all who believe.

Jesus kept the law I couldn't keep. Jesus died the death I didn't want to die and paid the price that would have cost me eternal hell. Jesus rose again and gave me the life I couldn't earn. Jesus died the death I deserved and now I have the life he earned!

It's a pretty amazing thing, isn't it?

Thank you, Father, that a guilty man like me can have forgiveness, life, and eternal hope because Jesus paid it all, because he kept the law I broke. Thank you for grace when I could not earn heaven by the law. 

Think and Pray:

Remember who you are and what Christ did.
Thank him today for his grace and for the salvation he won for you by living a perfect life and dying in your place.