God's Law is a Beautiful Thing

You know, God's law is a beautiful thing when you're not trying to use it to justify yourself.

I was reminded of this on Sunday at Covenant Grace as we looked at the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In this parable Jesus is really just unpacking what the law in Leviticus 19:18 ("you shall love your neighbor as yourself") looks like when it is truly lived out. And it looks so attractive!

God's law is only a burden when we are trying to use it to justify ourselves. But when we see that the law has already been fulfilled for us by Christ the burden of the law falls away (Romans 3:19-20).


We are now set free to use God's law as a guide that teaches us how to love God in the way he wants to be loved (Ephesians 5:10). This turns the law which was a burden into our delight and passages like these begin to make sense:

"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his
commandments are not burdensome." I John 5:3

"Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day." Psalm 119:97

How could we not enjoy something that actually helps us to learn how to love God more fully?

Is God's law a burden to you today? I would like to humbly suggest that you may not be using it for the purpose it was intended (I Timothy 1:8). The proper use of God's law is to:

• make you give up your efforts to justify yourself before God and cause you to trust in Christ's righteousness alone (Romans 3:19-20)
• teach you how to love God more and more in the way he wants to be loved (I John 5:3, Ephesians 5:10)

God's law is a beautiful thing!