A few years ago when I was teaching a class in which there were a number of practicing attorneys, I asked what I thought would be a simple question: “How many laws are there in Georgia?” One of the lawyers started laughing and began to wave his arms around in a fashion that seemed to say that there was truly no way of knowing the answer to such a broad-based question. I realized that I should have been more specific by asking how many laws are there in Sandy Springs, including the statutes for Fulton County, Georgia, and the municipality itself. For many of us, when we read the words “the law,” we tend to have a larger vision of what that means.
In discussing the law, Paul points to the six hundred and thirteen mitzvahs of the Law of Moses that are contained in the first five books of the Bible. God gave these rules to the Israelites as a way for the Chosen People to separate themselves from the others who lived around them, rules that would set them apart and make them holy to the Lord. Unfortunately, those laws were impossible to follow. Paul’s words here serve as a reminder that no one who relies on the law is justified in the eyes of God. We are unable to be perfect in following every dot and tittle of these rules.
We understand now that our righteousness comes to us when we seek to live by faith. Living by faith is both easier and more difficult than attempting to live by the law because it means that we must relinquish our attempts to be in control and instead trust in God alone. Although I like being the one in charge, I have learned that allowing God to lead my life brings about better results. I have learned that one of the keys to living by faith can be found in these words from Hebrews: “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.” In living by faith, though we do not necessarily gain what we may have sought during our lifetime, we continuously look forward to something much greater, promised to us by our Lord.