3.1 Key themes⤒🔗

• The law of God teaches us about our sin.
• God gave us his law in the Ten Commandments.
• The Ten Commandments show us how God wants us to love him and love other people.
• The law of God must make us sad and humble before God.
• The law of God and the gospel of God go together.
  1. The law says, “You are a sinner and you cannot save yourself.”
  2. The gospel says, “Believe in Jesus Christ and you will be saved!”

3.2 Matthew 5:17, 20–22, 27–28←⤒🔗

^5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them.

...

^5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!

^5:21 “You have heard that it was said to an older generation, ‘Do not murder,’ and ‘whoever murders will be subjected to judgment.’

^5:22 But I say to you that anyone who is angry with a brother will be subjected to judgment. And whoever insults a brother will be brought before the council, and whoever says ‘Fool’ will be sent to fiery hell.

…

^5:27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’

^5:28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

© NET Bible

3.3 The law is our teacher←⤒🔗

Today there are many teachers around us. We have schools and colleges. We also have books and movies and websites, and all these things want to teach us something. But who can teach us about sin? There are not many schools or books that will tell us about it.

However, there is one great teacher that teaches us about sin. That teacher is the law of God. In his law God speaks to us and shows us that we are sinners.

We may think that we are good people. We may say, “At least I am not as bad as other people! At least I am trying my best!” But when the law of God speaks to us, we fall silent. We see that we have broken God’s law. Through God’s law “every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God” (Romans 3:19).

Where do we find this teacher, the law of God? First of all, God put his law in our hearts when he created us. Deep in their hearts, all people know that God exists (Romans 1:19–20). All people know that there is “right” and “wrong.”

But because of sin, our hearts have become dark and foolish. We cannot understand God’s law anymore. We need help before we can understand it.

That is why God also wrote down his law for us, with his own fingers. He did this at Sinai, when he gave the Ten Commandments to Israel (Exodus 20:1-17; Exodus 24:12). If you want to know the law of God, then read the Ten Commandments. When you read them carefully, they will be like a mirror for you. They will show you what you really look like. They will show you that you are a sinner before God.

3.4 The law says, “Love!”←⤒🔗

In the days of Jesus there were two groups who knew the law very well: the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. They thought that they were good examples for the people. They told people how to keep God’s law. They also made extra rules that the people had to follow.

But in Matthew 5:20 Jesus says something surprising. He says that the Pharisees and teachers of the law are false teachers. They are not ready for the kingdom of heaven! Why not? Because in their hearts they are breaking the law.

In the rest of Matthew 5, Jesus explains what the law really means. For example, in verses 21–22 he explains the Sixth Commandment, “Do not murder.” He says that angry thoughts and angry words are the same as murder! In verses 27–28 he explains the Seventh Commandment, “Do not commit adultery.” Even when a man looks with desire at a woman who is not his wife, he is committing adultery.

Later, when a teacher of the law asks Jesus what the greatest commandment is, Jesus answers him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself. All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:37–40).

The Ten Commandments are more than a list of rules. The Ten Commandments are about our hearts. They teach us how we must love God and love other people. Our hearts, our words, and our actions must be full of love. If there is any selfishness or wrong desires in our hearts, then we are breaking God’s law. 

3.5 Guilty!←⤒🔗

As humans, we want to think that we are good. We do not want to know that we are sinners. That is why so many people ignore the law of God. Or they change the law, just as the Pharisees and the teachers of the law changed it.

But when we truly understand the law of God, we realise that we are guilty. All of us love ourselves too much. We put ourselves above God and other people. We break God’s law every day. To know this must make us sad and humble before God.

The more we grow in our faith, the more sins we will see in our life. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who makes us sad about our sins, and humble before God.

3.6 Law and gospel←⤒🔗

God teaches you about your sin, because he loves you and wants to save you.

If a person knows that he is sick, he will go to the doctor. If you know that you are a sinner, you will go to the Doctor who takes away sin: Jesus Christ.

The Bible does not only give us the law of God. It also gives us the gospel (good news) of God. The law and the gospel go together. The law says, “You are a sinner and you cannot save yourself.” The gospel says, “Believe in Jesus Christ and you will be saved!”

God’s Word tells us the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It tells us about our greatest problem: our sin. It also tells us the wonderful news of Jesus Christ, who came to save us. Only a true Christian can accept the law and the gospel of God.