What's Law Got to do with It

Legal Matters: Understanding the Law in Our Lives

Bible Passage: Romans 3:9–20

1. We are all in the Same Boat

Romans 3:9–12 NASB95

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”

Psalm 51:4-5

Who is writing this? David. Against who did he sin?

Bathsheba for one.

How about this husband, Uriah. Yes.

What about Joab? Yes.

What about the soldiers who died in the cover-up?

But David said, “Against you and you only, have I sinned.” referring to God.

Why? Because David realized the a sin against anyone is a sin against God first.

What is why Jesus came to save us from our sins.

1 John 3:4–8 (NASB95) — 4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 5726 God’s Photograph of Man

In the days when there were fewer cameras and fewer photographs, and when it was an event in one’s life to have one’s photo taken, an evangelist with a party of friends was enjoying a pleasant Saturday afternoon in Glasgow, Scotland, on a lovely summer day. He carried with him a little leather case containing his Bible and, as he walked along, a company of young people out for an afternoon’s enjoyment approached him and said, “Please will you take our photograph,” thinking that the little leather case contained a vest-pocket Kodak.

Without a moment’s hesitation the evangelist said, “O, I have it already.” The spokesman of the party asked in surprise, “When did you take it? You must have got us on the hop.” “Well, anyway I have it here, and here it is,” said the preacher as he pulled out his well-worn Bible, opened it at

Don’t Trust Everything you Hear.

Romans 3:13–14 NASB95

“Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;

James 3:5-6

Only 32% of the population reports having "a great deal" or "a fair amount" of confidence that the media reports the news in a full, fair and accurate way.

Romans 3:15–18 NASB95

“Their feet are swift to shed blood, Destruction and misery are in their paths, And the path of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Do you think that quite a few of the people running the government are crooked?

Trust in scientists has ticked down, as has the share of Americans saying that science has a positive impact on society. Trust in education is sagging. And recent years have found a record-low share of Americans with a positive view of the Supreme Court.

Proverbs 3:5 (NASB95) — 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.

4. Silencing Everyone

Romans 3:19–20 NASB95

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

Romans 8:3 (NASB95) — 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,

1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Grace

The believer who seeks to live the Christian life through self-effort is like the man who, in attempting to sail across the Atlantic Ocean, found his boat becalmed for days. Finally, frustrated by his lack of progress, he tried to make his stalled boat move by pushing against the mast. Through strenuous efforts, he succeeded in making the boat rock and so created a few small waves on the otherwise smooth sea. Seeing the waves and feeling the rocking of the boat, he assumed that he was making progress and so continued his efforts. Of course, although he exerted himself a great deal, he actually got nowhere.

So it is in the Christian life. The source of the Christian’s strength lies in God’s grace, not in exertions of will-power, or in efforts of discipline, or any other self-effort.607

6,000 Plus Illustrations for Communicating Biblical Truths Bad News, Good News

In the gospel, we discover we are far worse off than we thought, and far more loved than we ever dreamed.*

Ephesians 2:8

Ephesians 2:8 (NASB95) — 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Law, Grace and

The law says, “Do this and live.” It commands but gives us neither feet nor hands.

Grace bids us to fly and gives us wings.