"I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen." (Luther's Morning Prayer)
Day 250 - (Today’s Bible readings: Hosea 2; Psalm 67; Romans 3:1-20)
The Law of God is Good and Wise
“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20 ESV)
We find three crucial theological truths connected to today’s verse.
1) The Law of God condemns all sinners. (Since all of us are sinners, we are all condemned.)
2) The Law shows us the way of righteousness. (Christian living)
3) The result of the Law’s condemnation leads us to Jesus and the Good News that He paid for all of our infractions of the Law with His holy precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.
Pastor Matthias Loy, a Lutheran pastor and theologian of the 19th Century, captures all three of these truths in this hymn:
The Law of God is good and wise
And sets His will before our eyes,
Shows us the way of righteousness,
And dooms to death when we transgress.
Its light of holiness imparts
The knowledge of our sinful hearts
That we may see our lost estate
And seek escape before too late.
To those who help in Christ have found
And would in works of love abound
It shows what deeds are His delight
And should be done as good and right.
But those who scornfully disdain
God’s Law shall then in sin remain,
Its terror in their ear resounds
And keeps their wickedness in bounds.
The Law is good; but since the fall
Its holiness condemns us all;
It dooms us for our sin to die
And has no power to justify.
To Jesus we for refuge flee,
Who from the curse has set us free
And humbly worship at His throne,
Saved by His grace through faith alone.
(“The Law of God Is Good and Wise,” Lutheran Service Book #579)
Merciful heavenly Father, may Your Law condemn me of my sins and wake me up. Then remind me of Jesus’ substitutionary death in payment for all of my sins and Your promise of heaven. Until then, lead me to live out Your will/Law every day, to Your glory and for the sake of others. In Jesus’ Law-fulfilling name. Amen.
Pastor David Paape
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 ), undergirds this three-year journey through the entire Old Testament once (the Psalms - twice yearly), and the New Testament twice. There will be daily readings from the O.T., Psalms and the N.T. Special days on the church calendar will be highlighted with appropriate readings. This calendar has been compiled by representatives of the Lutheran Church of Canada, the North American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. Please click this link for the daily reading calendar:
Then scroll down to 2022 Bible Reading Calendar and download it if you so wish. The “assigned” daily readings will appear on a daily basis in this blog. May the Lord bless your meditation upon His precious life-giving Word!
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