Check out this basic, bold statement: “Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical universe, so are there spiritual laws that govern your relationship with God.” 

What do you make of that line? For me, it sure has been striking, captivating and beneficial for a long time. To discover spiritual laws is to understand how the metaphysical universe operates. 

Today’s Scripture addresses the ways these laws beyond gravity work. Here, veteran Paul coaches young rookie Timothy in how to view them and use them. 

People all around him were whiffing, chucking up airballs in making right application regarding them. Here is what Paul hammers home that we must understand too:

SPIRITUAL LAWS ARE GOOD. Many people are afraid of spiritual laws. They fear being condemned by them, so they choose to live in ignorance of them. But the Bible says that God’s laws are good. (Read Psalm 19:7–11 and Psalm 1, and see what I mean!) 

God’s laws show us the standard. We find excellence defined here. That’s a good thing! Used properly, these laws also reveal how much we really need Him to meet the standard. And God sees to it that our confidence, courage and peace grow when His laws are kept in view, embraced and observed (Joshua 1:7-9).

SPIRITUAL LAWS ARE OFTEN MISUSED. This happens in three ways: 

We misuse the law when we self-justify, when we leverage the law to show God how good we are. Rule-keeping never produces wins with God. No one is that perfect. No one’s merits impress God that much (Romans 3:10; Galatians 3:11).

We misuse the law when we play the comparison game, when we favorably size our spiritual performance to others, showing God how much better we are than select others. Playing that game doesn’t work any more than playing “Rock/Paper/Scissors” has a logical end. 

So let’s stop trying to get wins that way. All that produces is endless charges of hypocrisy and big spiritual losing streaks.

We misuse the law when we become judge and jury over others. God never invites us to take His seat on the judicial bench. That’s a technical foul. Robbing Him of His job isn’t cool. 

Our job is to love our neighbor as ourselves, to forgive, and to be as kind as possible (Galatians 5:14; Ephesians 4:32).

SPIRITUAL LAWS ARE NOT MADE FOR THE RIGHTEOUS. Contrary to popular opinion, righteous people don’t need the law. They’re already good enough. They’ve made the cut, reached the standard. 

They live outside the law’s gravitational pull. They are exempt. Good luck finding those people! God says you won’t (Psalm 143:2).

SPIRITUAL LAWS ARE MADE FOR LAWBREAKERS AND REBELS (and twelve more similar teammates). These laws exist to bring us to the blessed gospel and keep us focused there. 

Only the unrighteous need the law. And only they receive its greatest benefit — seeing the need for an altogether Righteous One, Jesus, to emancipate us from the gravitational orbit of sin (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:25; Psalm 19:7).

So let’s know and understand true spiritual laws. Let’s honor them. Let’s tap into their power. 

Let’s use them the right way and watch out for ways we might misuse them. May our understanding of spiritual laws that govern the universe keep bringing us back to Jesus, the One who fulfills the Law and brings life abundant (Matthew 5:17; Romans 8:1–4). 

Reflect: How well do you know the real laws of life? Does knowing them bring you to Jesus or to self-justifying and comparing?

A prayer to consider: Almighty Father and Blessed God, thank You for all the laws of life You have set in motion. Help me to see Your glorious gospel above and beyond all the rule keeping I so easily reduce my righteousness to. 

Emancipate me from my self-justifying ways and all the comparison games I play with others. I want to see Your law as so very good and Your righteousness applied to me in Jesus as perfectly enough. 

Give me a grateful, satisfied heart to live obedient in faith by Your Spirit. I need all this good coaching. In Christ’s victorious, resurrecting name I pray. Amen.

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17).

And whoever lives by believing in Me will never die” (John 11:26).

He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30 ESV).