Guarantor by Deon Crafford

Luke 10:25-28 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

Law-abiding citizen – a concept that is very frequently used in a country that grapples with the ineffectiveness and incompetence of its government to deliver critical services to its people. The term is then used to heap more pressure on government to act in quid pro quo towards those who keep the laws of the land. It is assumed that there shall be a matched return in services for being law-abiding. But the term is actually unrealistic, because it is unlikely that any citizen of this land keeps every law of this land. Oh you may think you do, but there will be something that you do that would be judged as breaking the law, if the system were to seek something to find you guilty of.

Jesus’ interpretation of the law came down to the simplicity of love God and love His people. In its simplicity though is also the impossibility to live this way. Perhaps we achieve these for the majority of times in our daily walk – if we really work at it and give our best – but the chances are 100% that we have some spectacular failures if not on an hourly basis then at best on a daily basis. In our own strength we will never meet the standard that God set for us – not through which we can save ourselves, but through which we will bring honour and glory to God. We just can’t. And so Jesus steps in as the law keeper. Through His perfection we are confirmed as keepers of the law.

We need a guarantor, because we know that we will default on all our best intentions and undertakings to serve God through keeping His statutes. And the guarantor we have – provided by none other than God Himself. For God so love us, that in His incredible grace, He will just not allow us to fail and perish in our transgressions. In the presence of Jesus, we are and always will be law keepers. In His presence.

Love to all