There is something in me that so often drifts toward the law. The to-do lists. The striving. The mindset that says, if I just do better, try harder, and get it right, then I’ll be good with God. Maybe you’ve felt it too - the pressure to prove yourself, to measure up, to earn His love through good behavior.
But this morning, as I was reading 2 Corinthians 3, I was reminded again that this way of living isn’t just exhausting - it’s not the way we were meant to live at all.
Paul calls the law “the ministry of death” (2 Cor. 3:7). That might sound harsh, but here’s what he means: the law was glorious when it was given to Moses, but it was never meant to bring life - it was meant to expose sin (like we talked about on Sunday in Romans 3). It revealed God’s holiness, but it also revealed our inability to meet His standard. And when we try to live by the law alone, it doesn’t set us free...it actually puts a veil over our hearts (2 Cor. 3:14).
But Paul doesn’t leave us there. He says, “When one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed” (2 Cor. 3:16). The law exposes, but Jesus transforms. The law reveals our sin, but Jesus removes our shame. And in the most freeing truth of all, Paul reminds us:
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3:17).
Freedom from striving.
Freedom from shame.
Freedom from the crushing weight of trying to be "good enough".
And what happens when we live in that freedom? We don’t just follow rules - we "behold" Jesus. We become transformed by Him.
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor. 3:18).
This is the invitation: stop striving, start beholding. Instead of trying to work your way into God’s love, let His Spirit do the work in you. Instead of obsessing over religious to-do lists, fix your eyes on Jesus and let Him transform your heart.
The law is good - but Jesus is better. So let’s turn to Him, and let’s live in the freedom He has already won for us.
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