One Thing the Law Cannot Do

If a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.

Galatians 3:21

The law cannot give you life. Nothing you do for God can impart life. Your ministry cannot impart life. Your giving cannot impart life. Your spiritual disciplines cannot impart life. God’s law tells you what you have to do, but it cannot give you the power to do it.

There is a story about Will Rogers, a famous American variety show performer and actor. During the Second World War, Rogers was invited to give an after-dinner speech to some of the military top brass in Washington. The problem at the time was what to do about the U-boats; submarines that were bringing massive destruction to the shipping industry.

“Gentlemen,” he said, “I have a plan to rid the waters of U-boats. If you bring the ocean to the boiling point, the U-boats will be forced to surface, the crews can be captured, and the boats destroyed.” When someone shouted out: “How do you bring the ocean to a boiling point?” Rogers said, “I’m just telling you what you need to do, it’s up to you guys to find a way to do it.”

That’s the problem with the law. It tells us what we need to do, but it leaves us desperately trying to figure out a way to do it. If you take seriously what the law calls us to do, you will soon realise that it might as well say, “Go boil the ocean.”

p>Are you relying on the law to sustain your Christian life today?