WEEK 3
Monday
Reading: Romans 7:6; Romans 8:1-4
SOAP: Romans 8:3-4
For God achieved what the law could not do because it was weakened through the flesh. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Many people do not like the law; they want to do whatever they please. But the law is good. It keeps order and accountability. God’s law is even better. It is good because it came from God Himself, and it also has three major functions. First, it shows us the way we are to live. Second, it points out how we fail because we cannot live up to its expectations. Third, because we can’t fulfill the law perfectly, it points us to Jesus.
The weakness of the law is that it cannot save us. It can condemn, it can show us the way we are to live, but it cannot help us when we mess up. This is why Jesus was born, grew up, and lived as a man so in all things He would keep the law perfectly for us. He suffered and died to pay the penalty for lawbreakers like you and me. Jesus did for us what the law cannot do: offer salvation.
Lord, help us to love the law, for in keeping it we honor You. Help us to remember that no works can save us. We are not good enough, strong enough, or smart enough to live up to the standard You are worthy of. Thank You for sending Jesus to fulfill the law for us and save us from our failings. Give us a thankful heart for all that Jesus did. Amen.