Law or Grace?

Galatians 2:21

We see the laws of God stated in Exodus 20 and then the restating of the law throughout the Old Testament.  We observe the Israelites trying to fulfill all that God asked of them.  As we read we quickly realize that even those Israelites who had seen first hand the power of God release them from the bondage of slavery in Egypt, could not keep God's laws fully - no matter how hard they tired. 

Like the Israelites, we cannot keep the law.  God knew this.  He put the law in place to show us that we could never live up to the requirements of a Holy (perfect, without fault or defect) God.  We needed a Savior.  God promised the Israelites a Messiah.

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, they brought God's judgement on all mankind.  The Israelites offered animal sacrifices to cover their sin so that God could still dwell in their midst. God, in His holiness, cannot co-exist with sin.  He cannot be where sin resides. 

The blood of those sacrifices could not and did not remove the sin.  It covered it up.  God knew that our sins needed to be removed.  We could never pay for our sins.  We could never fulfill the demands of the law.  We needed a Savior.

Jesus came as the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  His death paid, once for all, the price demanded for our pardon.  His resurrection from the dead gave Him the right to Lordship in our life. He not only paid the price, but He rose from the dead to show us that He is truly King of Kings.  He paid it all so you and I don't have to live in sin, separated from the holy, faithful, loving, Father who not only created all that we can see, but who, by His infinite mercy sustains it. 

We must never treat God's grace as meaningless.  We could not redeem ourselves.  We needed a Savior!