One of the cutest things little kids do is place Band-Aids on their bumps and bruises. Seeing a kid carefully pick between Frozen, Dora, or smiley emoji Band-Aids to put on their knees they bruised with absolutely zero blood and no chance of the skin breaking makes us smile. But we happily oblige because it makes lil’ Jasmine feel better. When Jasmine asks to put it on her stuffed bear, we put up no fight either. We know that the Band-Aids will have zero effect in helping her heal a bloodless bump, and even less so for her teddy. But, when Jasmine grows up and is in her mid-thirties asking for a Band-Aid for her bruised knee, you can expect many perplexed faces and probably some side eye. In the same way a Band-Aid is unable to heal a bruise, the law is unable to heal our brokenness. They might make us feel better, but they lack the power to save.
Can we be fixed?
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
limited law
The law—the statutes given by God to govern his people—served a beautiful and good purpose. It revealed God’s character, his values, and his standard for just and right living. It also provided regulations and boundaries for God’s people. We celebrate God’s gift of the law, while also recognizing the limitations of it. Though the law helped humans to know the righteous standard, it was powerless toremove the stain of unrighteousness when sins were committed.
It told us how to live but did not empower us to do so. The law, though good and beautiful, only revealed our sin, it did not have the ability to atone for it.
So, while we celebrate that the law is both regulatory (helps regulate our behavior) and revelatory (reveals God character), we must look elsewhere for a savior for our sin problem.
you can't work for it
In God’s gospel, the fact that the law was powerless to save us is in fact good news. If the law could save us, the gospel message would always be: Do better, strive harder, sin less. Instead, we have a more holistic gospel that says something greater than the law came to make a way for us to cease striving, to stop working, to trust that God will free us from sin. In a world of more, bigger, better, louder, we need a gospel message that says be still, rest, trust, and receive. The beautiful law could not save us and thank God for that. Instead, the gospel message is much more beautiful and causes far less striving.
Watch Session Two
Why We're Broken
Daily Question
In what ways have you tried to earn God’s favor? Does the idea of “cease striving” comfort you? Why or why not?
Comments (10)
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Just the words cease striving bring calm to my spirit. I feel my entire body relax and my face smile. I lived a life of trying to please God for many years, only feel that God was dissapointed with me. I praise Him for transforming my mind and thoughts and bringing to my journey an understanding of his grace and mercy and His unconditional love for me.
Just the words cease striving bring calm to my spirit. I feel my entire body relax and my face smile. I lived a life of trying to please God for many years, only feel that God was dissapointed with me. I praise Him for transforming my mind and thoughts and bringing to my journey an understanding of his grace and mercy and His unconditional love for me.
In everything. I was raised by a mother who I clearly had to earn her love or had to do great things to get attention from her, therefore, as I applied that to my faith, I believed for a long time and still struggle with the fact that I don’t have to earn my salvation.
For so long I tried to be acceptable and perfect in all things, then knowing I failed to achieve it each time, felt unworthy. What wonderfully spoken words that Jesus doesn’t despise me the sinner, he despises the sin. Once able to be honest with confessing my sins, to stop trying deny my sins, I can clearly see that while I am broken, I am assured of his love and forgiveness- I am not judged as a person, the sin is judged. I am comforted knowing God set the path for me to have a relationship with him long ago.
There once was a time when I thought if I did everything anyone ever asked of me, then I must be dong God’s work. When in actuality I was keeping myself busy and none of it was bringing me closer to Him. Less for others is more for me with Him. I realize now that to please Him I should be learning, studying and getting to Know Him. I need to follow His word, love others as He loves me, and spread the good news of Him to everyone.
Just because I’m writing this down doesn’t mean I get it right, or even that I’m prefect in doing so. I am flawed and faltered but He loves me anyways. And if I recognize that and bring it to the foot of the cross He alone can save me. That is comforting!
I would always think I had to do everything, even after my salvation, to earn favor in God’s eyes and stone for all of my son’s. I thought saying no was wrong and had to do what I could. At times, this would get me in a jam spiritually. I have learned and am still grasping "Be still, and know that I am God". I say that a lot now and have allowed it to give me comfort.
I have caught myself thinking that I must read the Bible more or pray more or do more acts of kindness to be seen as favorable in God’s eyes. However, he loves me anyway.
I feel like this is easier said than done.
I guess I think that starting my nonprofit is a way of trying to earn good favor with God. Maybe to make up for all the years I spent blatantly sinning and not caring about nothing and no one. Even though I know this was a calling from God I still feel like I need to prove myself to Him that I am worthy. I guess it is somewhat of a relief and somewhat hard to do. To just accept that He loves us no matter what is a hard concept to grasp.
Growing up in the Catholic Faith, I did accept Jesus when I was nine…however, I grew up surrounded and taught a religious lifestyle…penance for my sins, sacraments-baptism as a baby, first communion, etc…
I didn’t know true relationship with Christ till I started growing in walk and attending a non-denominational Christian Church with my husband.
This in combo with my upbringing that produced people pleasing and trying to control my environments lead me to definitely think striving was the only way to gain love and approval by God!
This has been majorly refined in me and I’m still a work in progress yet-saying “cease striving” is the most comforting feeling for me to kick back and rest in my salvation through Jesus alone! Faith is also dead without works…Salvation by faith alone, grace alone…yet the fruit of the spirit should follow salvation and your heart in the right place.
I have been trying Earn God’s favor in try to please God in everything in my Life, I pray everyday, I try to hear his voice. But sometimes I felt like God didn’t respond me because I got more and more troubles, even if I am not doing something wrong, but I tried to find answers and next He taught me is not what I do if not is His grace upon me, He taught that I need to depend in Him even when I don’t feel it.