On June 29, 2008, the three assigned readings for the 7th Sunday after Pentecost are Jeremiah 28:5-9, Romans 7:1-13 and Matthew 10:34-42. Chosen to preach on that Sunday AT Faith Lutheran Church in Washington, MO is Romans 7:10, “And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.”

Strange indeed that the purpose of God giving the commandmentts was to bring life but instead Paul found it brought death. An important ingredient toward proper interpretation of the Bible is to make the proper distinctions. And what else, but the proper distinctions between Law and Gospel will help us understand this verse?

The first distinction to keep in mind is that Paul is not talking about Adam and Eve before the Fall but Paul himself and all people who are conceived and born in sin. We could understand how Adam and Eve remained in proper life through obedience to the commandment. But sinners after the Fall are unable to do so. So how does the Law bring life for those after the Fall.

The next distinction which advances us forward is that between Christianity and every other religion in the world. Only the Christian faith reveals a use of the Law for sinners not found in any other religion. For in every other religion the Law is helpful in knowing what to do, think or say in order to get in a right relationship with god. Only Christianity rejects such a teaching to get right with God.

Paradoxically, the Law is used by God to bring life for the sinner by pointing out that there is nothing the sinner can do to produce life within himself. By negating the possibility for self-righteousness, the Law accomplishes its works in killing the old Adam within us which craves for affection and credit. As both a mirror to show our true selves and as a hammer to beat down any kind of self-righteousness in regard to being saved, the Law is preparing us for life through faith in Jesus Christ Who did what we are inacapable of doing.

When the Law is preached properly it results in our acknowledgement that we are poor, miserable sinners deserving nothing but temporal and eternal punishment. The sinner is now ready to hear the Gospel. The Gospel proclaims the good news that Jesus, the Christ, has taken upon Himself all the punishment we should have received for our sin on that accursed cross. We are free from the curse of the Law.

However, every other religion in the world imagines its good works to be suitable for meriting salvation. It is not just sin that keeps one from getting to heaven; it is attempting to use our good works to appease or placate an angry God which He regards as sin. For God cannot be manipulated by us or our good works. He is not the god of justice who gives us what we deserve; He is both the God of mercy Who does not give what we deserve and the God of grace Who gives us what we do not deserve.