A Holy Standard

God’s Law shows us our need for God. From the beginning, the Law showed God’s holy standard of perfection for all people. But our sin has presented a problem for us: we cannot meet that standard. Because of our sin, we are not able to obey the Law perfectly by ourselves. God’s standard shown through His Law reveals that the way we live – how we think, speak, act – falls vastly short of the way God designed us to live. The Law is like a mirror, giving us a clear picture of ourselves. It shows us that we are sinners. It shows us that we need God’s help to live up to His holy standard.

When our sin is exposed by the Law, our need for God is also exposed. It is only when we see our problem that we can begin to seek a real solution. Because of our sinful state, we cannot find the resolution to sin from within ourselves. Because of the sinfulness of all people, we cannot ask others for their help to make us right by God either. Neither can we ask God to simply change the Law for us, to lower His holy standard and violate His own righteousness for the sake of those who have done wrong before Him and others. But the Good News is that God not only upholds His standard, He also abides by it and fulfills it through Jesus and His Death on the Cross. God pays the penalty for sin that we could never pay. He removes sin from us and covers us in His righteousness. Through Jesus, we can meet God’s holy standard.

Praise God that the magnitude of this great truth is highlighted by the reality of the Law. Praise God for His Law, which has exposed my desperate need for Him. Praise God for His Law, which has not only showed my sin, but led me to seek God’s Salvation.