Day 587: Remove the Prohibition or Remove the Sin?Romans 4:15
...because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
Thoughts for Today:I read a story once of guests at a hotel who would cast fishing lines from their balconies to the lake below. By itself this was not a problem except the hotel's restaurant stretched underneath the balconies along the shoreline of the lake. I'm sure you understand the concern of diners as freshly caught fish were reeled up from the lake to the balconies above their heads. A consultant was finally called in to review the problem and make some recommendations. The two primary questions asked of him were: "How could the hotel enforce the No Fishing rule?" And "What penalties should be allocated to guests for breaking the rule?" His answer: Remove the "No Fishing" signs from all the balconies. Without the prohibition it never occurred to guests to fish from their balconies -- problem solved.
Paul explains in our passage today, "Before the Law there was no transgression; but after the Law was given -- any breaking of the Law deserved punishment." Unlike the hotel consultant, God's solution is not to eliminate the Law -- His answer is Jesus. His Son's life offered as sacrifice and payment for all of our transgressions -- an act of immeasurable love. Rather than remove the prohibition God chose to remove the sin.
Questions to Ponder:What have you done that deserves punishment? By nature we are lawbreakers, and I am personally grateful God no longer counts my sin against me. What about you? Have you been living free? Or are you still bound by the vestiges of sin? What will it take for you to claim the freedom God offers us through Jesus?
...because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
Thoughts for Today:I read a story once of guests at a hotel who would cast fishing lines from their balconies to the lake below. By itself this was not a problem except the hotel's restaurant stretched underneath the balconies along the shoreline of the lake. I'm sure you understand the concern of diners as freshly caught fish were reeled up from the lake to the balconies above their heads. A consultant was finally called in to review the problem and make some recommendations. The two primary questions asked of him were: "How could the hotel enforce the No Fishing rule?" And "What penalties should be allocated to guests for breaking the rule?" His answer: Remove the "No Fishing" signs from all the balconies. Without the prohibition it never occurred to guests to fish from their balconies -- problem solved.
Paul explains in our passage today, "Before the Law there was no transgression; but after the Law was given -- any breaking of the Law deserved punishment." Unlike the hotel consultant, God's solution is not to eliminate the Law -- His answer is Jesus. His Son's life offered as sacrifice and payment for all of our transgressions -- an act of immeasurable love. Rather than remove the prohibition God chose to remove the sin.
Questions to Ponder:What have you done that deserves punishment? By nature we are lawbreakers, and I am personally grateful God no longer counts my sin against me. What about you? Have you been living free? Or are you still bound by the vestiges of sin? What will it take for you to claim the freedom God offers us through Jesus?
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