Introduction
Three days into their moon mission, the Apollo 13 astronauts heard a loud bang. An oxygen tank had exploded. Their spaceship was dying—power failing, air running out. They were 250,000 miles from home.
The crew squeezed into the tiny lunar module, meant for two people, not three. Mission Control had one job now: bring them home alive.
What saved them? Following the rules.
Step by step, controllers read emergency procedures to the astronauts. “Flip this switch. Turn that dial. Wait. Now the next one.” The astronauts obeyed every instruction, even when they couldn’t see why. One controller even had them turn on systems “blind”—throwing switches in perfect order without turning on the screens that would tell them if it worked.
But then a new problem: carbon dioxide was building up. The air filters were the wrong shape. The crew would suffocate.
Engineers on Earth got creative. Using only what the astronauts had—a plastic bag, cardboard, and duct tape—they designed a makeshift filter. They called it “the mailbox.”
Mission Control radioed up the instructions. The crew followed them exactly. The dangerous CO2 levels dropped. Duct tape and cardboard became a lifeline.
Apollo 13 made it home because three men trusted the rules that others had written for their survival.
The Point: In our broken world, God’s Law works the same way. It’s not there to limit us—it’s there to save us. Like those NASA checklists, God’s commands guide us safely through the chaos and point us toward our true home.
The Study
Q1: What is God’s Law and why does it matter?
A: It reveals God’s righteous character and defines true living.
• Psalm 119:142 — God’s righteousness is everlasting; His law is truth.
• Romans 7:12 — The law and commandment are holy, just, and good.
Q2: Why was the Law given?
A: To bless and protect us, and to reveal sin so we seek the Savior.
• Deuteronomy 6:24 — God’s commands are “for our good always.”
• Romans 3:20 — “By the law is the knowledge of sin.”
Q3: Are God’s commandments only for Israel?
A: No. God’s moral law is universal—written on every heart and binding for all people.
• Romans 2:14–15 — Gentiles show the law written in their hearts.
• Ecclesiastes 12:13 — “Fear God and keep His commandments…this is man’s all.”
Q4: Did Jesus abolish the Law?
A: No. He fulfilled it and affirmed its lasting authority.
• Matthew 5:17–19 — Jesus did not come to destroy the Law.
• Romans 3:31 — Faith establishes the Law.
Q5: Are we saved by keeping the Law?
A: No. We are saved by grace through faith; salvation produces obedience, not the other way around.
• Ephesians 2:8–10 — Saved by grace…created for good works.
• Galatians 2:16 — No one is justified by works of the Law.
Q6: What motivates Christian obedience?
A: Love for Jesus—obedience flows from relationship, not fear.
• John 14:15 — “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
• 1 John 5:3 — God’s commandments are not burdensome.
Q7: Does God want our lives full of endless to-dos?
A: No. In Christ, God’s Law is the “law of liberty,” and His yoke is easy.
• Matthew 11:28–30 — Jesus gives rest; His yoke is easy, burden light.
• James 1:25 — The one who continues in the “perfect law of liberty” is blessed.
Q8: What changed at the cross—did all laws end?
A: The ceremonial shadows pointing to Christ ended; the moral Law remains.
• Colossians 2:14–17 — The “handwriting of ordinances…shadows” taken out of the way in Christ.
• Hebrews 10:1 — The law of sacrifices was a shadow of the good things to come.
Q9: How does the New Covenant relate to the Law?
A: God writes the same Law on our minds and hearts.
• Jeremiah 31:31–33 — “I will write My law in their hearts.”
• Hebrews 8:10 — God’s laws placed in mind and heart.
Q10: Is practical obedience actually possible—and how?
A: Yes. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live what God commands.
• Ezekiel 36:26–27 — A new heart and Spirit cause us to walk in His statutes.
• Romans 8:3–4 — The righteous requirement of the Law fulfilled in those who walk by the Spirit.
Conclusion and Appeal
Like Apollo 13, when life feels off-course, God’s Law—fulfilled in Jesus and written by His Spirit—guides us safely home and protects the life He redeemed by grace. Will you choose today to trust Christ as your Savior and, in love, let Him write His commandments on your heart so you can walk with Him in joyful obedience?