The Spirit of Law

God has been opening my eyes to the importance of His Law as I have been studying through Romans.  God and His people made a covenant, and they affirmed all God had said they would do.  No matter how hard people tried to keep the 613 commands - to do the 248 positive commands and avoid the 365 negative ones - no one was perfect.  Knowing this full well, God provided a means of atonement through the offering of sacrifices.  By the deeds of the Law no flesh can be justified, for the Law can only condemn.  The Law cannot wash you, but is like a clean mirror which reveals your sin before God in truth.

What was intended to humble men became a source of pride.  Allow me to illustrate with the history of the I.Q. (Intelligence Quotient) test.  There is no sense in going into great detail here (if you are reading this you have the internet!), but in the early 1900's a test was developed by a French psychologist to determine if children had learning issues so their educational needs could be better met.  A smart idea, right?  Discovering and quantifying intellectual disabilities early would afford the best future care for young people.  But over time, research and study led to different theories and tests.  Instead of intelligence testing being exclusively used to see how severe a disability was, tests were developed to quantify how intelligent "smart" people were - measuring the capacity of intellectual brilliance.

I am not an expert in the field of intelligence testing, but I do appreciate the irony that what began as a test to quantify disabilities has been turned into a point of boasting for some of their intelligence.  Chapters of exclusive, internationally recognised high-intelligence groups exist worldwide today.  I have not heard of people belonging to a low I.Q. society, and I can't imagine many people would proudly boast of their membership on their resume!  The point is this:  the point of the Law was to show how sinful people are - not how righteous or holy they are.  The Law was given to show that all men were sinners and unacceptable before God.  Over time, the keeping of the Law became a quantifiable, measurable standard through which people began to gauge how devout they were - and condemn others as wrong.  If people kept the Law better than others, they mistakenly considered themselves righteous.  The Law never shows how righteous a man is, but that he is corrupt, sinful, and condemned.

Jesus told a parable to illustrate the folly of thinking righteousness could be found by adherence to the Law rather than by faith alone.  Luke 18:8-14 reads, "Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ¹⁰ "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' ¹³ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  A mark of self-righteousness is revealed in verse 8 through how people view others.  The Pharisee in the parable "kept" the Law even where it concerned his herbs, but his efforts did not grant him an audience in heaven:  he only prayed "with himself."  While the Pharisee stood in a prominent place the tax collector stood afar off - not daring to lift his eyes to heaven.  He simply cried out, "God, be merciful to me a sinner."  Through faith and humility before God, he went home justified, cleansed from his sins - without sacrifice, tithes, or any boast of obedience to God.

The Pharisee was proud because he kept the Law far better than the tax collector, but he failed to confess a single sin in repentance.  His sin remained.  The tax collector's prayer was heard and answered by a gracious God who rewards faith in Him.  God looks at the heart.  Our conduct matters because it is an expression of the reality within, but attempts to gain favour from God through keeping a Law which only condemns is futile.  All have sinned and fallen short of God's glory, but we are justified freely by grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:22-24).  Ephesians 2:8-10 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

Jesus has fulfilled the Law and instituted a New Covenant through His shed blood.  Allow me to close with a passage which explains our legal responsibility before God as it concerns His commands in 1 John 3:18-24:  "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. ¹⁹ And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. ²⁰ For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. ²¹ Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. ²² And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. ²³ And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. ²⁴ Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us."

Don't Be A Sorry Christian

"I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed. ⁴⁷ And I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love. ⁴⁸ My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes."

Psalm 119:46-48

Our day is in dire need of unapologetic Christians, brave souls who love the word of God and live accordingly.  Standing on the firm foundation of God's everlasting truth, we need not wince and apologise when we hold forth a scriptural perspective.  People will not agree, and many will not understand.  This does not mean we have a license to be tactless or inconsiderate, but we should not be "sorry" Christians - apologising to those who cannot comprehend the truth, nor care to.  God is not like a politically incorrect family member we are a bit embarrassed of because we know he's stepping on toes.  God is God, and He has done whatever pleased Him.  And since He is righteous, just, merciful, and loving, I can know what He does is always works for the good of believers - even if I don't understand Him fully.

The Psalmist was unashamed to admit his love of God's Law and commands.  The world - much less many Christians these days - cannot understand what there is to love about the Law.  It would be a mistake for us to change specific references in the Bible of God's Law, commandments, or statutes to "God's Word."  The Jews even to this day love God's commands.  They are the everlasting words of God spoken to His people so they might know Him and do what is pleasing in His sight.  The Law is filled with the awesome revelations of God, provides His divine principles, warnings, and sure promises of blessing to those who walk in His ways.  To know God, to have His words, and to be called by God according to His purposes is a great honour and privilege.

How precious is God's Law!  The Psalmist knew it, and the Jews of Paul's day knew it as well.  Their identity as God's people was tied up in the keeping of God's Laws, offering sacrifices, and keeping the feast days.  They loved the Law so much they had a hard time letting it go.  In a similar way how people derive much of their personal identity from their career, so the Jews gained their identity from the Law.  Speaking from the perspective of a Gentile, attempts to keep the Law appears a spiked yoke of weighty lead - keeping the Law seems an arduous, painful, impossible exercise in futility.  The is no appeal for me to keep the Law, knowing the scriptures which say by the deeds of the Law no flesh shall be justified.  But though the Law cannot save me, it is still of infinite value because by the Law is the knowledge of sin.  We should love this aged Tutor who to this day faithfully leads people to faith and salvation in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:22-26).  Just because you can't keep the Law perfectly doesn't mean it isn't useful and necessary.

I encourage you to consider well the question:  do you love God's Law?  You should.  Without the Law we could not have known sin, and without a clear revelation of sin there would be no recognition of our need or the grace of God.  To the degree I recognise my guilt, the greater God's grace and mercy appears to me.  God's Law is right and will never change.  "But wait," you may protest.  "We are not under the Law but under grace."  True.  But Jesus did not come to destroy the Law and the prophets, but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17).  The Law is good because it is of God, and it will remain good forever like the God who wrote with His finger on tablets of stone.  The Law cannot save, but when used lawfully it leads people to salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

There is no greater tool than the Law in leading sinners to the Saviour.  Romans 3:19 plainly tells us this legitimate, relevant use of God's Law:  "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God."  As long as a man justifies himself in his sin, he cannot be justified by God because of his sin.  But when a man's mouth is stopped and he acknowledges fully his guilt before a holy God whose righteous wrath demands justice, he will consider God's offer of forgiveness and salvation through Christ.  Unless a man is convicted he will not repent, and unless he repents he cannot be forgiven and thus remains dead in sins.  Kings and servants together stand on the level ground of God's Laws and are equally justly condemned.  The whole world is guilty before God, and thankfully He has provided the Way of salvation through Christ.  The Law is a useful Tutor indeed!

Jonah Didn't Jump

This morning I began reading the book of Jonah.  God commanded Jonah the prophet to go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it.  Jonah was loath to obey God's command and booked a cruise to Tarshish to escape the presence of God.  God was not ignorant of Jonah's schemes and caused the ship to be tossed by a fierce storm.  The pagan sailors did everything in their power to keep their ship afloat, cried out to their idols and even threw the tackle overboard.  The storm raged on while Jonah slept below the deck.

Jonah was roused by the desperate captain who urged him to call upon his God.  The men determined a man on board must be responsible for the storm, and by drawing straws Jonah was revealed to be the culprit.  He openly confessed he was trying to flee from the presence of God.  Jonah 1:11-12 says, "Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?"--for the sea was growing more tempestuous. ¹² And he said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me."  Jonah's words surprised me today, though quite familiar with the historical event.  In Jonah's shoes I imagine I would have said something like this:  "Sorry boys for the trouble I've put you through.  I've brought this mess upon you, and it falls to me to get you out.  I will jump into the sea, and may God have mercy on us all."

But Jonah didn't say that.  He told the men they needed to pick him up and throw him into the sea.  An act of faith in God was required for their salvation.  The prospect of throwing a man overboard whom God cared enough about to send a storm upon to correct his course was unacceptable to the men.  They tried rowing hard, but it was no use.  Maybe they could see the edge of the storm and they figured by a concerted effort they could escape it.  But it proved impossible.  Desperate to save themselves and their vessel, they cried out to the God of Jonah.  Jonah 1:14-15 reads, "Therefore they cried out to the LORD and said, "We pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You."¹⁵ So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging."  Falling upon the mercy of God in their distress, the sailors acknowledged God's power and threw Jonah overboard in faith and obedience.  The sea immediately was calm.

Had Jonah jumped overboard, the sea might have become calm.  But I daresay the results described in verse 16 would either not exist or be very different.  They might have glorified the bravery of the man to commit himself to the deep.  Jonah 1:16 says, "Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows."  These men feared God, convinced He was responsible for the storm and therefore was able to cause it to cease.  They offered sacrifices to God and made promises to Him, the Creator of heaven and earth, the One who made the sea and the dry land.  The conditions of their salvation and preservation were conditional, and the conditions set forth by Jonah required faith.  Even during his wanderings, God used Jonah to bring salvation to lost souls.  I love that Jonah didn't jump.  He knew the way of salvation and urged others to agree to God's conditions of faith.  We do well to decide we won't do for others what God bids them do for themselves.  Let's not remove steps of faith in God from those who seek God's help, for in seeing Him respond to obedience they will fear and worship Him.

The Real "Special"

Recently my family and I watched "The Lego Movie," a zany adventure about a normal construction worker named Emmet who fulfills a prophecy made up to help him believe he was "the special."  Dumbo had his "magic feather," and Emmet had the secret weapon glued to his back.  It is a witty, entertaining film which chronicles the path of an ordinary toy without original thoughts to be a "master builder" through self-belief.  I enjoy the movie.  But I also am aware that under the plastic interlocking bricks there are echoes of the old humanistic mantra:  if you will believe, anyone can become the hero.  You can do anything you want, if you will only believe.

Belief is a funny thing, because it is only as effective as what you place your faith in.  As a young teen my uncle truly believed he could fly like Superman, and was so convinced of his powers he leaped off a roof!  Needless to say, his descent was immediate and continuous until he hit the ground!  Emmet had always followed the Lego instructions, and was frankly lost without them.  He had little to no creativity, ability, or skill.  He was simply urged to "Believe."  Like Neo in the Matrix, when Emmet began to believe in himself he began to understand how to build.  His mind which was once vacuous was suddenly filled with information about Lego bricks.  Everywhere he looked building ideas jumped out at him.  Through his and all others who were brave enough to believe, their Lego world was saved.  Anyone can be special, if they believe they are.

The online Merriam-Webster definition of "special" is, "distinguished by some unusual quality; especially :  being in some way superior; 2) held in particular esteem; 3) readily distinguishable from others of the same category; 4)being other than the usual; 5) designed for a particular purpose or occasion."  From a Biblical perspective, God is special in many ways.  He is in all ways superior to men and is readily distinguished from what He has created.  Since God has created man in His own image, every person is special too - in different ways.  It is God who has made man special, unique and distinct from plants and animals.  God breathed within man a living soul, gave Him dominion over all creation, and designed man for the purpose of enjoying fellowship with God.  But instead of glorifying God for who He is and all He has made, the human tendency is to look to self - to abilities, talents, experiences, wealth, possessions, accomplishments, likes, and dislikes - to define ourselves.

Jesus said, "Without me, you can do nothing." (John 15:5)  Just like a branch apart the the vine cannot grow, flower, or produce fruit, we can accomplish nothing of eternal value without the power of God.  If I can do nothing without Christ, self-belief accomplishes nothing.  It is a false hope, a false belief which cannot help or save.  When desperate people sought Jesus to heal their sick children, Jesus instructed them to believe.  One boy suffered demonic attacks, and the girl was near death.  Who or what were the people supposed to believe in?  Themselves?  Why then did they come to Jesus for help?  Self-belief didn't hack it in the difficult time or impossible situations, and it is just as useless today.  Jesus told people to believe in Him.  He said in John 14:1, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me."  When we place our belief and trust in God, a whole new world opens to us.  We begin to understand how special we are - not because of us, but because of the God who created us as His image bearers.

Emmet's mind went from being "prodigiously empty" to being filled with knowledge he suddenly had skill to use.  A similar thing happens when we choose to believe in Jesus Christ.  Our spiritual senses were like Emmet's, a great big void where nothing was happening.  Reading the Bible without belief or intent to obey is an empty exercise.  But when we respond to the Gospel in faith, reading the Bible becomes an incredible journey and experience in understanding more fully the God who has demonstrated His love for us.  God sends the Holy Spirit to indwell those who trust in Him and provide understanding of the Bible's meaning.  Words leap off the page and our hearts are filled with great joy through God speaking to us.  Self-belief is an empty promise which sends a soul spiraling to hell, but belief in God begins a new life, a fresh perspective, and a corrected view concerning God and our purpose in this world.  Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11-13, "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: ¹² I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. ¹³ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."