The Law That Lied to Me

The law made me a promise.
It told me: “If you do good, God will bless you. If you fail, He will curse you.”

It sounded simple. Clean. Black-and-white.
So I believed it. And I built my life around it.

But the law lied to me.

The Law Promised Life

Paul says in Galatians 3:21:
“For if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.”

That’s the lie. The law looks like life.
It offers control, certainty, measurable results.

If you’re good enough, you’ll get what you long for.
If you’re pure enough, God will approve of you.
If you’re faithful enough, you’ll finally have peace.

It’s intoxicating because it feels achievable.

But in the end, it’s slavery.

The Law Delivered Death

Paul calls the law “the ministration of death” (2 Corinthians 3:7).
Why? Because no matter how hard you try, it’s never enough.

The law doesn’t heal sin. It exposes it.
The law doesn’t remove guilt. It multiplies it.
The law doesn’t make you holy. It leaves you hollow.

I know, because I lived it.
I stayed up late, fasted, prayed, hustled—hoping to buy God’s blessing with spiritual currency.
But all I got was exhaustion, shame, and bitterness.

The law promised life.
But it gave me death.

The Gospel Tells the Truth

Here’s the truth:

• Righteousness is not earned—it’s given.

• Holiness is not achieved—it’s received.

• God’s favor is not purchased—it’s poured out.

The gospel doesn’t say, “Do this and live.”
It says, “It is finished.”

Paul writes: “The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (Galatians 3:24).

The law’s job was never to give life.
It was to drive us to the One who is life.

Why It Matters

If you live by the law, you will always measure yourself by failure.
But if you live by the Spirit, you measure everything by grace.

The law lied to me.
But Jesus told me the truth.

And the truth is this: I don’t have to earn God’s love.
I already have it.