Death by the Law, Life in Christ

Text: 2 Corinthians 3:4-11

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Have you ever noticed that your house looks cleaner at night? You know what I am talking about.  If you turn on only a couple of lamps and sit down on your couch to watch some TV, everything looks pretty good

But what happens in the morning? 

Well, when the sun comes out and shines through your windows, everything looks so much dirtier.  Dust on the coffee table, fingerprints on the windows, crumbs on the floor! 

So what’s the point?  

The point is this: did the sunlight make your house dirty? Was the sun responsible for making your house messy?  

Of course not.  The sun's light simply exposed the dirtiness that was already there.  And so, it is foolish to blame the sun, 

That nasty sun – look at how terrible it is.  Everything looked perfectly clean until it showed up! 

So, what does this have to do with the Epistle reading from 2 Corinthians?  

Dear friends, the Law does the same thing. The Law does not make us sinners. The 10 Commandments do not create the dirt and darkness within us. Rather, because the Ten Commandments are holy and good, they shine light like the sun. The Ten Commandments reveal the dust, the fingerprints, the crumbs—the sin of our lives that we would much rather leave hidden in the shadows. 

Now, let’s be very blunt this morning. We live in a time when there is much confusion about the Law—the Ten Commandments.

Some people simply want to turn the switch off the Law off.  They will complain, 

“The Law is too harsh. It is too judgmental.  It is outdated. We don’t want that ol’ fire and brimstone kind of Christianity.”

Perhaps you have felt that temptation yourself. Maybe the Law seems a little too sharp, a little too uncomfortable—especially when you invite a family member or friend to church. You find yourself thinking, 

“I hope they don’t feel judged in church. I hope they aren’t offended.” 

And so, rather than wanting the Law preached clearly, you quietly hope it is not preached at all. You hope the light of the Ten Commandments is simply turned off, so that nobody has to squirm in the pew.

Others don't want to switch off the Law; they simply want to dim its brightness. They take the Ten Commandments and soften them into ten helpful suggestions, ten gentle principles for a happier life. After all, who doesn’t want nicer neighbors, better citizens, and well-behaved children?

Perhaps you have thought this as well: the Ten Commandments should not be so intense – so bright. Maybe they should be treated more like guidelines—ten helpful suggestions to make us a little more moral, a little more polite, a little better behaved.  Maybe they should be dimmed, just a bit.  

Then there are others who do something different.  They grab hold of the Law like a flashlight and begin shining it on everyone else.  They shine it on the culture and say, 

“Look at all the sin out there in the world!” 

Then they turn the light toward other Christians, pointing it wherever they please, searching for failures in the church. And when they find one, they cry out, 

“Everyone come and see the sin that I found in the church!”

While they may be certainly right in identifying sin, something tragic happens.  You see, once they have the flashlight in their hand and the sinner in the spotlight, they are in control of the sinner which allows them to begin barking out orders: 

“Fix this. Stop that. Do better.” 

They keep the light shining on the person and turn up the brightness with guilt and shame until that person finally changes. 

Now, please listen carefully; this is very important! When the Law is used as a personal flashlight, the Ten Commandments are no longer being received as ‘God’s’ holy Law. Instead, they are being used as a tool of the individual to control others through shame, pressure, and spiritual manipulation.

This, my friends, is very easy for you and me to do. It is easy to treat the Law like a flashlight in your own hand, because a flashlight always points away from you. You shine it on the world. You shine it on your neighbor. You shine it on other Christians and expose their sins. It actually feels good and empowering to do this. But that is precisely the problem: the Ten Commandments do not exclude you from the Light. You do not stand behind the Law, safely holding it and directing it at everyone else. No, you stand underneath it with everyone else. And so, hear this: before the Law exposes your neighbor, it exposes you. Before it condemns the sins out there, it condemns the sin right here—in your own heart.

Furthermore, the 10 Commandments were never given to you as a tool for your shame games and your guilt-controlling. Sure, God’s Law exposes sin, but it does not expose sin so that you can take over from there. The Law belongs to God. It strips away excuses, silences self-justification, and leaves the sinner with nothing to plead. And precisely there, where the Law has done its killing work, the Gospel speaks what only God can give: forgiveness, life, and salvation in Jesus Christ

* * *

So, what does all of this mean? 

Baptized Saints, in the Epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul says that the Law is holy, righteous, and good. It is good because it is like pure light—it does not lie. Because it is God’s holy light, we cannot simply switch it off, dim it, or hold it like a flashlight and point it wherever we please. But also, keep in mind that in 2 Corinthians, Paul also says that this same Law kills. Why? Because when that holy light shines on us, it exposes what we would rather keep hidden. 

And so, this is why Paul can say both things:

The Law is good.

And:

The Law kills.

Again, the Law is good because it comes from a good and holy God. And where holiness shines, sin is exposed. That is why the Law kills. Not because there is something wrong with the Law, but because there is something wrong with you and me. And what is wrong with you and me:  

…you and I do not love the Lord God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. 

… you and I do not cherish good doctrine but often flirt with falsehood.

… you and I do not cherish and revere his Holy Word. 

… you and I do not honor the gift of authority as we ought. 

… you and I do not honor the gift of life

… you and I do not honor the gift of marriage and sexual purity as we ought.

… you and I do not respect and protect our neighbor’s property and possessions.

… you and I do not guard our neighbor’s reputation with our words.

… you and I we are not content with the gifts God has given us.

Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy on you and especially me. 

Baptized Saints, we cannot stop with the Law, though.  Paul in the reading from 2 Corinthians does not leave us condemned and dead in our sins.  Listen again: 

“The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

You see, the Law kills. But the Gospel gives life. And this Gospel does not come to you with another demand. It does not come saying,

“Try harder. Do better. Clean yourself up. Fix what is wrong and then you can be alive.”

No! The Gospel comes giving you Jesus.

The Good Law says,

“You have not loved God with all your heart, soul, and mind.”

But the Good Gospel says, 

“Christ has loved you unto death.”

The Good Law says, 

“You are guilty.”

But the Good Gospel says, 

“Your sins are forgiven.”

The Good Law exposes the dirt and filth of your sin.

But the Good Gospel points you away from yourself and toward Jesus Christ crucified and risen - for you.

And so, dear Baptized Saints, your Lord does not expose your sin so that you may have a Judas kind of despair.  He also does not slay you with the Law so that another Christian can take control of you. No, the Law exposes and condemns your sin so that every excuse is silenced, every self-defense is stripped away, and every attempt to justify yourself finally dies. And then, into that death, Jesus speaks His life-giving Word, 

“I have carried your sins away. I have borne your guilt, I have stood underneath the judgment of the Law in your place, I have shed My blood for you, I have risen for you, and because I live, you live as well.” 

God be praised.

In the name of Jesus.  Amen.