Gospel Reflections #731: Not by Our Own Strength

Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. Not to abolish them, but to perfect them."

The Law represents God's character.

We can never reach God's standard of character no matter how we try.

Jesus did not come to earth to say that we no longer need the Law because He came, but that He enables us to keep the Law.

We are shown God's standard by the Law.

We are shown by the law that we are not up to God's standard, and we are shown that we are not up to that standard at all, and we are made to accept our present condition for what it is.

We recognize our imperfection and inadequacy, and then we plead with God.

This is God's plan for our path to Him.

The way we petition God depends on how well we know Him.

God does not tell us to keep the law in our own strength.

He is saying, "Trust in me. Rely on me. God's only message is, "Trust in Me and rely on Me."

As we continue to believe and rely on God, He will work in us and transform us in ways that we are completely unaware of.

And we become more like Him.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.