Wet Paint

What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
Romans 7:7-12
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Wet Paint
            The sign on the park bench says, “Wet Paint.” So naturally, it seems we need to reach out and touch the bench to see if it really is wet. Now we have paint on our hands and soon on our clothes, which are now ruined. It was not the fault of the sign that we find ourselves in need of new pants, but our perverse need to test the sign. In a way this is what St. Paul is telling us about the Law of God. God’s Law is good, and it warns us of the dangers, but our sinful nature sees the warning sign and has to test it. As the serpent in the Garden tempted Adam and Eve with the question, “Did God really say…?” so he still tempts us as we are confronted with the Law. Obey the sign and all is well, disobey and face the consequences. In our fallen state we always, sooner or later, chose to disobey. That is why God sent One who would choose not to disobey and follow the Law perfectly for us. Christ Jesus who is like us in every way except without sin, does what we are unwilling and incapable of doing. He listens to the Father and in doing so His perfect life is substituted for our so that our sins of not obeying God’s Law would be paid for. From the cross Christ’s blood covers our failures and sets us free to be children of God. Thanks be to God for our Savior and His perfect life.