A Point of Law

I find it very interesting (and very sad) that we as Christians so often
miss that in fulfilling the law rather than abolishing it, Christ has
raised the standard, not lowered it. Can you imagine what how the people felt when Christ made the point that the law was a matter of spiritual disposition rather than mere physical action (or inaction, as the case be)?
"I knew I couldn't kill a man..., but not even be angry with him?!"
"Not only can I not sleep with that woman, but I can't even think about it?!"
"How am I supposed to give my coat to the very same guy who stole my clothes?"
"WHAT!? LOVE MY ENEMY?!"
In part, Christ was saying, "You need me more than you know."

Making and enforcing extraneous rules that we can keep (and is,
therefore, a lesser law)is our attempt to alleviate our own guilty
consciences and convince ourselves that we're not as bad off as we really are. But, here's the thing, the beauty of the law lays in the very fact that it is impossible for us to keep. We should rejoice in that fact,for such a great standard can only be satisfied by an even greater sacrifice. Christ has kept the law on our behalf, and by turning it into something that we can keep by our own power, we negate His work, we deny His power. As unregenerate sinners, we could do nothing but break the law, but having His righteousness imparted to us, we are guiltless. Our freedom in Christ is the freedom to not break the law, the freedom to not sin. We don't have to keep the law, but, in his amazing grace and mind blowing plan, our will is changed and we are made to want to keep it. Indeed, through Christ, we cannot break it.

This is how we can enjoy all of God's creation, by living in Christ Jesus. It is Christ's Spirit, dwelling within us, that keeps us from adultery, not our self control; It is the Spirit that keeps us from drunkenness, not our abstinence; It is the Spirit that allows us to live without anger, and to love our neighbor even when he is our enemy, not our compassion. And with the Spirit, we can be passionate, we can enjoy fine drink, and we can love those that hate us. But, too often we loose sight of God's grace and fall back on our own strength. Just like the Pharisees, we turn faith into religion, and, in the attempt to show ourselves to be blessed, we miss out on the blessings.

Just some thoughts.

World Views Revisited

God has impeccable timing. Over Christmas break I've been confronted with some new, or sometimes expanded, concepts that have kind of set me a-back. Not the least of them has been the issue of world view. Now, I've consistently held the same world view for a long while now, and I believe it to be Scriptural, but over the past month or so I've been challenged by it in ways that I previously had not. I guess it makes sense; as my understanding of Scripture matures, then so should my Scriptural world view. right? So, I get back to school and start classes and find that four of the six of them are focusing on world view. I look at the books I'm reading for them and am forced to ask myself, "what is God preparing me for?" It's actually kind of scary (in an exilerating sort of way).

The thing about a world view is that it's not really something that you can produce in a lab, or draw on a piece of paper. It's more something that you attend to through your actions. As the old saying goes, "actions speak louder than words." This is unfortunate for a lot of people. Especially for me. Our actions belie our words far more than they validate them. We go about with one set of values on our lips, but another at our finger tips. This has been of particular conviction to me lately. However, its not so much what I have done, but rather what I haven't done that goes against what I would say my world view is.

Let me pause for a moment. A world view is said to ask/answer a aprticualr set of questions: Who am I? Where am I? What's the problem? What's the remedy? and What time is it? (pertaining to prominent social conditions that should be considered world view definers). Now, I have to say that as a Christian, I believe that a Christian world view operates a little differently than a secular one; it asks a different set of questions. It still asks "who am I?", but rather than "where am I?", it asks "where am I going?"; rather than "what's the problem?", it asks "why aren't I there yet?" ; "what's the remedy?" is replaced by "how do I get there?". However, like "who am I?", the question "what time is it?" remains. The Christian world view causes us to look at the future, the promises and fulfillment of our faith, to define our world view rather than allow us to define our mission based on the present.

Now, here's the interesting thing about that: In order to understand what happens in the future, we need to understand what happened in the past. A correct Christian world view, a correct understanding of the future of God's people, must be built on the foundation of a proper understanding of the past; more specifically, the creation.

When we realize the "potential", or inherent goodness (on every one of the 6 days, God looked at His creation and saw that it was good), God built into His creation, and then see that Adam was put in the creation to cultivate it and bring it to a realization of that potential, or reveal that goodness, the future promise of a "new earth" should clue us into something. We, God's people, restored to Him through His son Jesus Christ, find ourselves still in God's creation, which is still waiting to realize it's potential. Romans 8 speaks of the creation being unwillingly subjected to futility and groaning for it's redemption and freedom in the glory of the children of God. Did you catch that? The redemption of creation comes about through the children of God. That's me; and that brings me back to what I haven't been doing.

I firmly believe that the promise of God to His people is eternal life on a redeemed planet earth (I'll get into this later). I say that I believe that God uses redeemed man, the Church, to bring about this redemption, but my actions do not attend to that. Sure, I'm studying to be a pastor, but I do not stand up to injustice, I do not confront lies, I do not even proclaim the truths of the Scriptures unless prompted. I am selfish and do not love my neighbor, never mind my enemy. I do not visit widows and orphans in their need. I am so eager to enjoy blessing, but so reluctant to be a blessing. God told His people in the Old Testament that He set them apart to be a "kingdom of priests" and "blessing to the nations". I am not doing that, and so I have been forced to reevaluate what my world view requires of me and ask if I really believe what I say my world view is.

I've been hearing the creation groan a little louder lately.

My New Favorite Song

A New Law
by Derek Webb

(vs. 1)
don’t teach me about politics and government
just tell me who to vote for

don’t teach me about truth and beauty
just label my music

don’t teach me how to live like a free man
just give me a new law

i don’t wanna know if the answers aren’t easy
so just bring it down from the mountain to me

i want a new law
i want a new law
gimme that new law

(vs. 2)
don’t teach me about moderation and liberty
i prefer a shot of grape juice

don’t teach me about loving my enemies

don’t teach me how to listen to the Spirit
just give me a new law

i don’t wanna know if the answers aren’t easy
so just bring it down from the mountain to me

i want a new law
i want a new law
gimme that new law

(bridge)
what’s the use in trading a law you can never keep
for one you can that cannot get you anything
do not be afraid
do not be afraid
do not be afraid





Thoughts? Opinions? Questions? Comments? Snide remarks?