For Your Benefit

Romans 3:20

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One of the most memorable things that I saw when I was in Ukraine a few years back, were their road warning signs. On their road warning signs, they would list the number of injuries and deaths from automobile accidents over the year before. To show the danger when you don’t follow the traffic laws. Next to the signs, they would also post smashed up vehicles, to show exactly what’s going to happen if you don’t follow the traffic laws. It was a very visual display of how the laws are for our benefit.

Our natural reaction to laws is to think that it’s not for our benefit, it just intrudes on me doing what I want to do on my fun and my joy. But laws are meant for our benefit.

So what’s the benefit of God’s law? Especially because we know his standard: be holy as your heavenly Father is holy. We know he can’t meet that standard, so what’s the benefit of all of it?

Well, the apostle Paul writes about it in Romans 3, verse 20, what the main benefit of the law is. He writes:

For this reason, no one will be declared righteous in his sight by works of the law, through the law, we become aware of sin. (Romans 3:20)

The law shows us our sin. It shows us that, no, we can’t keep God’s law, certainly not perfectly. But that’s the point. To show us that we can’t so that we know that we can’t earn our way to heaven, to salvation, by keeping God’s law. It’s hopeless. But as it shows us our hopelessness, it drives us to the cross of Christ. And to trust in his grace and mercy and love. And there at the cross, revealed in scripture, there we see his grace and mercy and love.

Because scripture tells us of Jesus Christ who saw our failures, our hopelessness. So he came to this world and he lived that perfectly righteous life that we have not, and he gave up that life on the cross to pay for our sins. He rose again on the third day, proving that his payment was accepted. And now, through faith in him, we’re credited with his righteousness. He credits it to us. God now sees us as not guilty in his eyes because of what Jesus has done. We have hope in this life, in this world.

Knowing this God’s law serves another purpose. It guides us in living life, lives of thanks and praise. Will you pray with me?

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for your law. We praise you because it is good, not just because it is the law of an almighty and righteous God, but because it shows us our sin and our need for you. And it drives us to the cross where we find true hope for our lives and for eternity. Please keep us in this hope and guide us through your word in living lives of thanks and praise to you. We pray this in Jesus, our Savior’s name, amen.