“And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I [Moses] am giving you today for your own good? ” (Deuteronomy 10:12–13, NIV 1984).
My Musings – “And now.” That was then. What about now? “What does the Lord your God ask,” or as some translations state “require?” Are we not now under grace? We are. But it has always been about grace. For it was never possible to do all that the law required for even a brief time, let alone a lifetime. And God does not “grade” on a curve, as some might suppose. Furthermore, being better than most at observing “the Lord’s commands and decrees” will not suffice either. “All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.'” (Galatians 3:10, NIV 1984).
But all is not lost. “For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by [our] sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so, He condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:3–4, NIV 1984). Christ led a sinless life by obeying “everything written in the Book of the Law” His entire life. Because He was the Son of God, His “sin offering” was more than sufficient to as a substitute for everyone who believes. “Therefore, my brothers, I want [everyone] to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to [them]. Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything [they] could not be justified from by the law of Moses.” (Acts 13:38–39, NIV 1984).
So what value is the “Book of the Law” in the life of the believer? And by this, I mean God’s moral law, not the dietary or ceremonial laws. It is true that “it is by grace [we] have been saved, through faith [believing]—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works [obeying the Law], so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9, NIV 1984). This gets us born into God’s family (born again or justified). Something we can never lose. But just like our physical birth, that is merely the beginning of spiritual life in Christ. He wants us to grow and mature in the faith. “To work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in [us] to will and to act according to His good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12–13, NIV 1984). While we cannot “work out” our justification, we can “work out” our growth and maturity as we put sin to death in our lives and transform more and more into the likeness of Christ (sanctification).
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:2–3, NIV 1984). Sanctification is a lifetime journey. As we progress on the journey our goal is to get closer and closer to the One waiting for us at our journey’s end. At that point, “when He appears, we shall be like Him [glorification].”
My Advice – Get on the train (justification), make the most of the journey (sanctification), and enjoy the destination (glorification).
The Brew Is A Musing 