Romans 3:20

Romans 3:20 - "because the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in his sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin." (emphasis added)

In my quiet times, I have been going throught the book of Romans and today the Lord really guided me through this verse. In the past, I have really struggled with the supposed fine line between legalism and free grace and normally I would lean more on the side of free grace. I would tell myself that the Law really doesn't matter anymore and then I would come across verses such as Matthew 5:17 - "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fufill" and I would just be right back where I started. I had kind of given up on really seeking an answer to my question. Until now, I have just sort of ignored the subject and hoped that I was treading on the thin line that I was looking for. This verse seems to answer my question about seeking to meditate on the Law. I now believe I should study and seek the Law not so that I might be condemned by it, but so that my deepest sins might be revealed to me throught the Holy Spirit. These are the sins that I have hidden even from my self and they are the most dangerous and deadly to my intimacy with Christ. I want to know these sins so that I might lay them at the foot of the Cross and so the Lord can bring me into repentance. It is for the sake of my freedom from these sins that I study the Law and not for the sake of adding another pious layer over the top of them. I pray that through this meditation on the Law that the Holy Spirit will strip away these coverings that I have so delicately and methodically placed, so that I might follow James 5:16 - "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed." The last thing that I pray is that I would not be like the people that Christ talks about in Matthew 13:15 - "For the heart of this people has become dull, with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them." I hope that I would turn to him when I confront my deepest sins and not turn from him. If I were to turn from him, I would surely be completely consumed with no chance of ever being able to pull myself out. Praise God that He does not leave us to our own devices, but knows and provides for all that we need.