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JESUS THE MASTER-LAWYER
LORD’S DAY, JULY 13
Luke 10:25-28

Romans 7:7-13

 

“…this do, and thou shalt live.”

 

JESUS THE MASTER-LAWYER
 
“What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” was a question posed by an expert in the Mosaic law who tried to catch Jesus in His words. Jesus the Author of the law wisely answered with a question, “What is written in the law? how readest thou?” In other words, “You are a law expert, aren’t you? You tell me!” The lawyer answered quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” Jesus gave him an A+ for his answer, “Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.”
 
When Jesus said, “this do, and thou shalt live,” was He teaching that salvation is by works? It must be said that living with God forever is something that must be earned. This is seen in the way God dealt with man in the Garden of Eden. God put man to the test. In Eden, the Lord commanded the man, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen 2:16-17). The commandment was ordained to life (Rom 7:10). Man had to work for the reward of eternal life by obeying God’s commandment. Obedience begets life, disobedience brings death. It was a covenant of works. But man failed the test, and sinned against God by partaking of the forbidden fruit (Gen 3:1-7). Man and his posterity became totally depraved (Rom 3:23). There is nothing spiritually good within man (Rom 2:10-17). He is born in sin, given over completely to sin, and bent on sinning all the time (Ps 51:5; Gen 6:5; Jer 17:9). Indeed for such a heinous crime against God, the punishment is death and eternal judgment in hell (Rom 6:23). Now man can be saved only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and not by works (Eph 2:8-9).
 
THOUGHT: “The life of the Law is man’s death.” (Calvin)
PRAYER: “Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.” (Ps 119:34)

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