Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Why then the law? ”
NL Daily Devotion for Monday, September 12, 2022
by Daniel D. Maurer, Clergy Stuff
Paul told the community in Galatia and we read his words today. He explained: we have the law because of transgressions.
But now we have Jesus, right? We don’t need the law (or any law, for that matter), correct?
Nope.
Laws serve the function to control sin, and even though we live on this side of the resurrection, there is still plenty of sin in the world.
What I find interesting about much of Paul’s writings in Galatians is that he, too, seems to have struggled with the concept of how previously established covenants between God and human beings still were valid. In a way, it’s similar to the struggle that people deal with when placing a new amendment within a country’s constitution to make it more relevant to the ever-changing social context.
Perhaps Paul was more human than we make him, and perhaps scripture serves as a witness for us — enshrined in Paul’s own words — that how Jesus and the Old Testament all fit together will be a question to last the ages.
God, the gift of your word drives me forward to learn more of your ways. Amen.
