The law is holy…righteous and good. (Romans 7:12, NIV)
Some folks have the idea that the law is bad and the gospel is good.
But this is not the teaching of the Bible. The law came from the hand of God who never changes. How could it possibly be bad?
If your son or daughter becomes a person who is faithful to their spouse, can be trusted with money, tells the truth, and honors their father and mother – that’s good!
The law and the gospel do not contradict each other: “Is the law… opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not” (Gal. 3:21). Both the law and the gospel come from the mouth of God, so we have to get rid of this idea that the law is bad and the gospel is good.
What then is the relationship between the law and the gospel? The law is good. The gospel is better! And the reason that the gospel is better than the law is that when you believe the gospel you receive the Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God comes to live in you. The law is about living a moral life – that’s good! The gospel is about God’s life filling you – that’s better!
The law is black and white. The gospel is color! The law is like the speaker in your old cell phone. The gospel is surround sound! You want your kids to know that the law is good, but you also want them to know that the gospel is better. You want them to see something far more attractive than morality. You want to show them the life of the Spirit.
Too many kids have rejected Christianity because all they have ever seen is the law.
Are you showing both law and gospel by the way you live your life?
