“We know that the law is good when used correctly. For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.”
I had to take two long trips last week. Each trip was about 75 miles. Each trip would take me through several small, New England states with beautiful scenery. On one trip I used my GPS, but on the other I didn’t. What was the difference? On the first trip, I knew where I was going, and I knew how to get there. On the second, even though I had the address, I didn’t know exactly where I was going, and I certainly didn’t know how to get there. It makes sense: a GPS is only for people who are lost.
Paul here suggests something similar about God’s law: it is only for people who are lawbreakers, people who find themselves to be out of sync with how God designed people to live and act. Paul lists out all sorts of people who are lawbreakers. Some might seem to break the law in big ways while others might seem to break God’s law only in insignificant ways. Paul doesn’t seem to care; they are all lawbreakers. Then he makes a shocking claim: the law exists for lawbreakers. Most people think that God’s law exists to condemn them. If that’s the case, it doesn’t help the lawbreaker very much, does it? But what if God’s law exists for another reason?
Here’s your freedom for today: God gave you His law to point you towards your best possible life. He didn’t give you the law to condemn you. Imagine if the only function of a GPS was to buzz violently whenever you got off course. You wouldn’t want one, would you? A GPS is helpful because when you get off course, it lets you know, and it helps you find your way back. God’s law functions the same way. When your life gets off course, God wants to help you get back on course. If you trust His Law the way that you would trust a GPS, you will eventually find your life getting back on course.