186
Humble Hero
Obedience Leads to Joy
God loves mankind. To shield us from the results of transgres-
sion, He has revealed the principles of righteousness. When we
receive the law in Christ, it lifts us above the power of our natural
desires and tendencies, above temptations that lead to sin. God gave
us the commands of the law so that in obeying them, we could have
joy.
At Sinai, God made known to the human family the holiness of
His character so that by contrast they could see the sinfulness of their
own. He gave the law to convict them of sin and reveal their need of
a Savior. This is still its work. As the Holy Spirit reveals to us our
need of Christ’s cleansing blood and justifying righteousness, the
[138]
law is still a means to bring us to Christ so that we may be justified
by faith. “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.”
Psalm
19:7
.
“Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no
means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” The shining sun and the
solid earth are God’s witnesses that His law is eternal. Even if they
might pass away, the divine principles will endure. The system of
symbols that pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God would come to an
end at His death, but the Decalogue is as permanent as the throne of
God.
The Savior’s life of obedience proved that it was possible for
a human being to keep the law, and it showed the excellence of
character that obedience would develop. On the other hand, all who
break God’s commandments support Satan’s claim that no one can
obey the law. To allow them into heaven would bring in strife and
rebellion again and would threaten the well-being of the universe.
No one who willfully disregards one principle of the law will enter
the kingdom of heaven.
The greatest deception of the human mind in Christ’s day was
that just agreeing with the truth makes a person righteous. All of
human experience has proved that a theoretical knowledge of the
truth is not enough to save the soul. It does not bring out the fruits
of righteousness.
A jealous regard for what people call theological truth often
accompanies a hatred of genuine truth that would show in the life.