Delighting in the Law of the Lord

Delighting in the Law of the Lord: God’s Alternative to Legalism and Moralism by Jerram Barrs made me think. Here are just a few quotes from the book.

“We need to put away from our thoughts any notion that the law was given as a means to earn fellowship with God. This was never the purpose of the law. The law was given to those aware of their constant need for mercy and pardon.”

“The primary use of the law is to instruct us in the character of God and in his design for our lives as his creatures and beloved children.”

“Follow the lead of those Christians, from whatever tradition, who read Psalms 1, 19, and 119, and who, because they live by the Word, take delight in reading the law, in meditating on its precepts, and in seeing them as beautiful and liberating, and who then give their lives to following the requirements of the law every day in their homes, in their workplaces, and in all their relationships. Above all, we will not go wrong if we see the law as rooted in the loveliness of God’s character, for the more we love the Lord himself, the more we will love his commandments. Such an approach will enable us to see the law as a friend and as a comforting guide and benevolent teacher—even when the law is convicting us of sin and leading us to Christ for forgiveness