Laying Down the Law

God’s perfect creation was a wide-open space with only one boundary marker. But because man chose to cross the only line God said not to cross, the human race has been imprisoned by the consequences of sin ever since. What began as one simple law forbidding Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of a particular tree became a law so burdensome that there was no hope of fulfilling it. Join us for part two of Boundaries where we will explore the purposes of God’s law and how we can fulfill that law by answering one simple question.

Passage (Read it):

For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."

Deuteronomy 30:11-20 (ESV)

Three questions:

Q: Are Christians still bound by the law?
A: No. The law was a temporary guardian. (Galatians 3:23-25)

Q: If Christians are no longer bound by the law, what governs our thoughts and behavior?
A: Our love for Jesus and determination to live for Him. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

Q: How do I find the boundaries of Jesus’ new commandment?
A: Ask yourself, “What does love require of me?” (Romans 13:8-10)

Daily Reading:

Sunday: Exodus 20
Monday: Deuteronomy 30
Tuesday: John 13
Wednesday: Acts 15
Thursday: 1 John 2-4
Friday: Galatians 3-4
Saturday: Galatians 5