The Mirror of the Soul: The Law’s True Purpose

The Mirror of the Soul: The Law’s True Purpose

The Scripture: Romans 7:7
It is easy to start thinking of the Law as the "bad guy." Paul anticipates this: "Is the Law sin? May it never be!" The Law is actually a mercy because it provides an accurate diagnosis. Paul says he wouldn't have known that "coveting" was a soul-killing sin if the Law hadn't pointed it out.

The Law doesn't create the sin; it reveals it. Imagine walking into a dark room that looks clean. When you turn on a high-powered flashlight, you see the dust and cobwebs. The flashlight didn't create the dust; it just made it impossible to ignore. The Law is God’s flashlight.

Puritan Wisdom: Thomas Watson taught that "the Law is a glass to show us our spots, but the Gospel is a fountain to wash them away." You don't wash your face with the mirror; you use the mirror to see that you need the water.

Application: When you read the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount and feel a sting of guilt, don't ignore it or get defensive. That sting is the Law doing its job. Thank God for the "flashlight" of His Word, then immediately turn from the mirror of the Law to the "fountain" of Christ’s blood.