Do or do not, there is no try

Ah, the wisdom of Yoda, the ancient Jedi master.

Let's apply the opposite to our understanding of our laws:
1. Try not to speed
2. Try not to cheat on your taxes
3. Try not to steal
4. Try not to commit murder

I think we just solved the prison overcrowding problem! As long as everyone is trying then we can unlock every cell.

What is the problem with attaching a condition to laws? Where is justice if the laws are not absolute? Is justice important for a society?

Now, what about God's laws? God has laid out rigid laws that govern our behavior. Don't we tend to assume that as long as we're trying, that it's OK that we have broken one or many of God's laws? Isn't that kinda weird? Do we think that God's justice is somehow less than man's?

"Well, nobody's perfect", one might say, or "if breaking any of God's laws means that I'm doomed to hell then the whole world is too". I would certainly agree. Every person that lives breaks one or many of God's commands. God calls that sin, and says that the penalty for sin is death. Too harsh you say? Well, it certainly does sound harsh to me too. Unfair? Well, if the problem of sin and penalty is unfair, then fortunately for all of us, the way of escape is unfair too.

The Bible says that the man Jesus of Nazareth was actually the Son of God, that an eternal, divine being took human form, born of a woman, and came to live among his creation. The Bible says that Jesus lived without breaking any of God's commands, and instead actually fulfilled the will of his Father. He was obedient even to the point of death. He died on a cross, an ancient and brutal Roman method of execution. He was buried and three days later rose from the dead, to be seen by many of his followers before returning to his Father. The Bible promises eternal life to all who believe in Jesus Christ.

The shame, beating, and death that Jesus endured was not fair. He hadn't done anything wrong. But it was to defeat the horrible curse upon mankind, to provide an escape from the judgement of a holy God. A God whose own righteousness will not allow Him to overlook the breaking of His laws.

Trying to be a good person is not the answer. "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." --John 6:29