The officer asks for her license and registration and then asks the woman, “Do you know that you were going 20 miles over the speed limit?” The woman tearfully begs, “Officer, I didn’t know I was going too fast. It was an accident! I’ll never do it again! Please forgive me!”
The officer looks at her for a moment and then says, “All right. I will let you off with a warning this time. Don’t be speeding again, because next time I will have to give you a ticket!” The officer lets the woman go without writing a ticket. She gratefully thanks the offer then drives on, carefully following the speed limit.
One month later, the woman drives down the same road and sees the same 55-mph speed limit sign. She shrugs it off and thinks to herself, “Whatever.” She accelerates to 95 mph and drives on, intently looking at the time because she is late for an appointment. Suddenly, a police siren blares and flashes behind her. The woman is panic-stricken and pulls over.
The officer asks for her license and registration and then asks the woman, “Do you know how fast you were driving? Did you not pay attention to that 55-mph speed limit sign you past?” The woman tearfully begs, “Officer, I didn’t know I was going too fast. It was an accident! I’ll never do it again! Please forgive me!”
The officer responds, “I remember you. I let you off with a warning once. Looks like you didn’t pay attention to my advice. I’m going to have to give you a ticket.”
“NO!” cried out the woman, but nothing she could say or do would change the officer’s mind. She was going to get a ticket and have to pay a $500 fine.
God gave us the 10 Commandments to guide our lives and to reveal to us what sin is. Paul wrote in his epistle to the Romans that as sinners, we cannot earn our salvation if we try to follow the 10 Commandments on our own. We will always fall short in the eyes of God. Jesus Christ died for us so that we may have salvation. However, even if we accept Jesus as our Savior, this does not give us the right to willfully sin.
God promises us in Hebrews 10:16 that by accepting Jesus into our lives, He will work a miraculous change in our hearts. We do not follow the 10 Commandments because we think we can earn our salvation. Only Jesus can give us salvation. We follow the 10 Commandments because we love Jesus and wish to obey Him. Jesus said in John 14:15: “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
- Recommended reading: Hebrews 10:22-32
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