“The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.” Hebrews 7:18-19
Some people have a knack for pointing out problems but not presenting solutions. They can see what’s wrong but can’t set things right. The divine Law given to Moses and passed on to God’s people was a lot like that. Page after page of “Thou shalts” and “Thou shalt nots” left them with a strong sense of shortcoming and sin, but the sacrifices required for failure couldn’t fix their faults. They only delayed the penalty.
For four thousand years (from Cain and Abel to Annas and Caiaphas) altars blazed with offerings of reverence and remorse, but the barrier between us and God never budged. The revelation of God’s perfect holiness and precise requirements exposed our need but couldn’t meet it. The Law was wonderful for showing our wrong but “weak and useless” in setting us right. So, since rules didn’t get the job done and God wanted us to draw near, “the former regulation is set aside…and a better hope is introduced.”
We have been set free from the Law. The cross has released us from the heavy hand of judgment and placed us in the gentle grip of grace. While there are many things we do or don’t do because we know they aren’t best, our choice to engage or refrain results from being right with God and is not a desperate attempt to get right with God. The righteousness of Jesus gives us total freedom, and in that freedom, we find obedience to be a joy and a blessing.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do…God did by sending His own Son”(Rom. 8:1-3).
The Law gave us much to cry about and little to cheer about, but God’s love should have celebrating all the time.
The problem is our sin. The answer is our Savior.
Nothing could ever be better.
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