The Thermometer and the Medicine

2021-10-02

If you are sick with a fever, and you are lying in bed, not able to move, what might you do? You muster up enough energy to grab your thermometer and take your temperature. Suddenly, you are all better. That’s how it works, right?

No. You would be a funny person if you thought that way. The thermometer does not cure you of anything. It confirms your suspicion as to what you already knew: you have a fever. You read 102.5 degrees, or 39 or if you live anywhere but here, and you know that you are sick. You do not need the thermometer to heal you; you need medicine to do that.

We would scoff at anyone who claims that a thermometer heals. But with spiritual things, that is how most of the world thinks.

The Ten Commandments, and the whole Old Testament Law, is that thermometer. People think that by following God’s law they can be made acceptable to God. However, anyone who has thought about it knows that the Ten Commandments condemns us. They confirm your suspicion to what you already knew: you are a sinner.

You might protest: Come on, man! I have never murdered anyone or stolen anything. I have never committed adultery. I never bowed to statues. I am good, right? Since we often don’t get things right the first time, Jesus helped us out with a famous message known as the Sermon on the Mount. Part of what He said was this: Anger without cause toward a person is murder. Lust is adultery. Divorce and remarriage is adultery. Covetousness is stealing. What you treasure in your heart that is not God is idolatry. Hating your enemy is not loving your neighbor. There is more. Do you want to hear any more?

And guess what? They are all capital offenses, if not in this life, then in the next.

The thermometer of the Ten Commandments tells us that we are desperately sick and need medicine. The sickness is called sin. The actual sins we commit are symptoms of a terminal sickness called sin. The good news is that God provided the panacea. His name is Jesus Christ.

Jesus bore God’s wrath toward our sin on the cross. He rose from the dead. That is the medicine. It cures you of the disease. For the rest of your life, if you took the medicine, you may experience some symptoms, but they should be a lot less and slowly clear up over time. The good news is that the disease is gone. And one day, the symptoms will also be gone forever.

Are you still thinking the thermometer is helping? Or are you finally going to take the medicine?

Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe (Romans 3:20-22)