Daily Thought: Written on Our Hearts

When we read that we are not under law, the apostle is not telling us that we are no longer under the sovereignty of God, but that we are no longer under a written code or legalistic system. We can no longer strive for justification, or seek to arrive at guiltlessness, by observance of such a code laid down or imposed from without. Law, in its primal meaning, is a principle of action. It is the basis, or foundation, the motivating dynamic that governs our whole course of conduct.

God does not write numbered statutes and commandments upon our hearts as the Romans engraved laws upon the twelve bronze tablets in the Forum, or as His finger carved the Ten Commandments upon two tablets of stone at Sinai. Instead, He infuses our hearts with a divine principle of action, and this spontaneously and automatically responds in harmony with His will. Incorporated within that principle, which involves the divine nature or essence, is the fulfillment of all the commands of God, not as a way of life, but as "the life of the Way."

Ketcherside, W. Carl (2010-08-05). The Death of the Custodian (Kindle Locations 729-736). SCM e-Prints. Kindle Edition.

Daily Thought: A Test of Character

"Man's position or state in this creation was that of a lord tenant.  The earth is, indeed, the Lord's; but he gave it to man on a very easy and liberal lease, and so it became his property.  He was therefore, a free and responsible agent, capable of managing his estate and paying his rent; and consequently was susceptible of virtue and of vice, of happiness and misery. In order to freedom, virtue, and happiness, it was expedient and necessary to place him under a law; for where there is no law there can be no liberty, virtue, or happiness.  The law became a test of his character, a guarantee of his continued enjoyment of the life and property which God had leased to him on the condition of his obedience to that precept."

Alexander Campbell, The Christian System, Gospel Advocate Company (2001); p. 13

Daily Thought: We Are Under Grace

Law is always external. It is always imposed from outside. It can never make man good. It can only make him wish he had been good. The coming of Jesus brought an end to law as a basis of anyone's relationship to God. Law, as a written code, was suspended and superseded by grace and truth. We are no longer governed by a written code. We are not under law, but under grace.

Ketcherside, W. Carl (2010-08-05). The Death of the Custodian (Kindle Locations 677-679). SCM e-Prints. Kindle Edition.

Daily Thought: The Moral Law

"There is none of our impulses which the Moral Law won't sometimes tell us to suppress, and not which it won't sometimes tell us to encourage. It is a mistake to think that some impulses--say, mother love or patriotism--are good, and others, like sex or the fightint instinct, are bad. All we mean is that the occasions on which the fighting instinct or the sexual desire need to be restrained are rather more frequent than those for restraining mother love or patriotism. But there are situations in which it is the duty of a married man to encourage his sexual impulse and of a soldier to encourage the fighting instinct. There are also occasions on which a mother's love for her own children or a man's love for his own country have to be suppressed or they'll lead to unfairness towards other people's children or countries. Strictly speaking, there aren't such things as good and bad impulses." ~ C.S. Lewis; The Case for Christianity (pg. 9)

Law and Change

"Law is always external. It is always imposed from outside. It can never make man good. It can only make him wish he had been good." ~ W. Carl Ketcherside; The Death of the Custodian

Law is incapable of changing people. Sure it could stop people from doing certain behaviors because they are afraid of the punishment, but those people wouldn't hesitant to do evil deeds if there were no consquences. So while outward appearance the appear to be good it is another story concerning their heart.

"You have heard that the law of Moses says, "'Do not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.' But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell" (Matthew 5:21-22; NLT).

"You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:27-28; NLT).

"You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Love your neighbor and hate you enemy.' But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!" (Matthew 5:43-44; NLT).

Jesus tells us that what is just as important as our obedience to the Law is the condition of our heart. The Law cannot fix a heart twisted by sin, only the blood of Jesus Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit can correct that problem. No amount of law keeping take away the consquences of sin in our lives.

What does that mean? It means that everyone is in the same boat, no matter how "good" the might appear. Without Jesus Christ in our lives there is nothing we can do to make up for the sin in our lives or restore our sinful heart to purity. What the Church has to offer to a world plagued with sin is not law, but grace. Change will only occur as people give their lives to Jesus Christ. We need to be people of grace rather than being people of law.

Galatians Questions #2

What is the purpose of the law for the Christian? (3:21-23)

This is question that is at the very heart of Galatians.  First, I think it is good to be reminded of what I think is the primary purpose of the Law: to separate Israel from the nations around them.  I think this is why the Judaizers were having so much trouble with what Paul was preaching and teaching, because they had been taught that this is what separated God’s people from the world.

Second, we notice that in verses 21-25 of chapter 3 Paul gives four basic truths about the Law.  First, Paul tells us that the law was unable to bring life to people (v. 21).  Second, the Apostle compares the function of of law and promise in history (v. 22).  Third, is Paul’s explanation of the function of the law (vv. 23-25). Finally, Paul explains that the function of the law has been suspended (v. 25) (pp. 181-84; The NIV Application Commentary: Galatians; Scot McKnight).

Scot McKnight wrote; “I think, then, that while the law has been suspended as a ‘contractual obligation’ or as the ‘covenant between people and God,’ it has not been suspended as a preliminary statement of God’s will, nor has it been suspended as a moral check on all human behavior” (p. 187). 

As Christians we understand that because of Christ’s sacrifice that we no longer have to offer animal sacrifices or that we don’t have to go to the Temple to worship God.  Yet, we continue to acknowledge that God’s will is revealed to us in the Ten Commandments (although the Sabbath day has been re-interpreted) and the other “moral” commands we find in the Old Testament.  In other words the function of the Law for Christians is to be an advisor or a guide.  We are not obligated to it, the Law no longer is the boundary marker for God’s people, but it provides us with the knowledge we need to know how to live as God’s people in the world.

Galatians Questions #1

I have been asked to meet with a ladies Bible Study group in Cherokee, Iowa to help answer a few of the questions they have about the book of Galatians. In preparation for this study I was given a list of 10 questions the ladies had, so I thought I would share my answers to these questions on Paul’s Ponderings to make sure I took the time to prepare.

1. What does “it is through faith that righteous person has life” mean and what would the correct response be to someone who says that this bases the Christian life too much on personal experiences? (3:11)

Questions like this are hard because there are is so much context that surrounds this quotation. First, you have the context of where it fits in Galatians: What has Paul been saying that has led him to use this quotation? Second, you have the context that surrounds this quotation from where it was pulled in Habakkuk 2:4. Third, you have the cultural context of how this verse was interpreted and applied in Paul’s day.

What can we learn just by looking at the phrase itself? I think it is important to keep in mind that the theme of the Galatians is about who can be counted as God’s people. The Jews that were causing problems in these churches declared that only Jews can be God’s people, and therefore a person had to become a Jew before they could become a Christian. The boundary markers for determining who was in and who was out of the Kingdom were things like circumcision and food laws, in other words the Law. Paul was arguing that everyone who has faith in Christ Jesus were a part of God’s people and that the Holy Spirit was the boundary marker showing how was in and who was out of the Kingdom.

I think an understandable paraphrase of the above quotation would be: God’s people live by faith. Righteousness means to have a right relationship with God which is seen in right living. So how is a person made righteous? The way of the Jews of Paul’s day was to be committed to the Law. Their high priority was to make sure they didn’t break the law, especially those things that really separated them from the world (circumcision, food laws, and holidays), and they created a system of smaller laws to govern their lives so they wouldn’t break those laws. One could say that their faith and their commitment was to the Law rather than to God. If they kept the Law then God would bless them and they would be righteous.

Paul’s argument is that it isn’t by Law that we are made righteous, but it is by faith. Now we have to remember faith is more than just belief. If it was just belief then the Jews had faith as well, but since faith also encompasses commitment and trust then we notice the Jews didn’t have true faith in God, for their commitment and trust was in the Law. A person of faith is committed to God and they trust His way of life. This will be displayed by the fact that they will help a person who is in need on the Sabbath day rather than using the Sabbath as a loophole to get out of loving their neighbor.

For the Christian faith is specifically directed at Christ Jesus. We trust that His life, death, resurrection, and accession broke the power of sin, ushered in God’s Kingdom, and is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham to bless on the nations of the world. As Christians our lives are lived in response to faith in Christ Jesus rather than a commitment to the Law.

The second part of this question is interesting: what would the correct response be to someone who says that this bases the Christian life too much on personal experiences?

I am not really sure what is meant by this, but I will take a shot at this. I think this is a reference to the necessity of knowing correct doctrine and not just have a “simple” faith in God that is built up by our experiences.

I would respond by saying that there is a misunderstanding of what true faith is. True faith is informed by correct doctrine, and so as Christ’s disciples we are urged to be students of the Word as well as to pray for knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. A Christian who is not taking the time study and to learn is at risk of being led astray by false teaching.

On the other hand we are not saved by correct doctrine. All of us have an incomplete understanding of God’s Word. Thank God for grace! That is why one of the mottos of the Restoration Movement has been “We are not the only Christians, but we are Christians only.” While our faith is informed by doctrine and knowledge, it is made real by life and experience. We need to be out in the world being “salt” and “light” in our culture. Faith needs to be lived out in the world.

Being a Pharisee

{Luke 11:37-45; NLT}

As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table. 38His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the ceremonial washing required by Jewish custom. 39Then the Lord said to him, "You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are still filthy--full of greed and wickedness! 40Fools! Didn't God make the inside as well as the outside? 41So give to the needy what you greedily possess, and you will be clean all over. 42"But how terrible it will be for you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you completely forget about justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things. 43"How terrible it will be for you Pharisees! For how you love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the respectful greetings from everyone as you walk through the markets! 44Yes, how terrible it will be for you. For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on." 45"Teacher," said an expert in religious law, "you have insulted us, too, in what you just said."

In this passage we see a confrontation that Jesus had with some of the Religious leaders of the day. These confrontations were not uncommon for Jesus because He didn't live by their rules and regulations. Jesus also critized these men because they did not provide spiritual leadership for people, and instead they heaped little laws upon them which concerned every aspect of their lives.

Donn Leach in What the Bible Says about Jesus made a comment that got me thinking: "Jesus is not so much trying to 'tell them off' as to lament over their lost state" (pg. 133). Jesus was not only bothered by the Pharisees and the Scribes spiritual leadership (or lack thereof), but also their lost condition. The plain truth is that they led the way they did because they didn't know there was a better way. They were just following the ways that they had been taught, and while these leaders had access to God's Word, they were unable to discover the truth that it contained.

It would seem then that the reason Jesus spoke harshly to these people was to help them understand what was at stake. This wasn't just about a difference of opinion or philosophy; this was a matter of life and death. As long as the Pharisees and their companions were the leaders they would lead the people to death, for they were lost themselves. Yet, these spiritual leaders, rather than admit that they were lost, continued to focus on rules in order to give the appearance that they knew where they were going.

Rather than condemning the Pharisees as fools I think it is important for us to think about what their example can teach us. Regardless of whether or not you see yourself as a leader as a Christian you are a leader. We are God's "Holy Priesthood" and each one of us has the responsibility of helping others come to God through Jesus Christ.

To be a good leader the first thing we have to consider is the condition of our hearts. The Pharisees put great emphasis on appearance, but inwardly they were guided by impure motives. If we are simply religious, that is following a bunch of rules and traditions, but lack the love and compassion that God desires that we show others, then we are still lost. Being a Christ Follower isn't about keeping rules and regulations but it is about living a life of faith. It isn't about the right appearance but about the right relationship.

To be a leader, one of God's priests, requires us to consider the stakes. The Pharisees emphasized the Law. The problem with the Law is that it brings with it Death. The Law cannot bring life, and that was not its purpose. The purpose of the Law was to show us how we have failed. No amount of Law keeping could undo our Law breaking. The way of repentance, the way to Life (even in the Old Testament), is tobsurrender to God and accept His gift of love. The stakes are not only life and death, but they are also eternal.

I think we have allowed a little too much Phariseeism into our relationship with God. Too often the "spiritual" guidance we offer to people is Law. "Don't do this or do this," we say. We want them to have the appearance of righteousness, but we are not concerned enough about hearts. Don't get me wrong, God does have standards, but those standards do not give life. Life is only found in the blood of Jesus Christ, and by trying to hold people to the standards of God before coming to Jesus we might prevent them from discovering the life found in Jesus. The most important thing we can do is not to shout to the world what we consider God's standards to be, but to become a bridge for people to travel so they might discover Jesus.

You Can't Rely on Regulation

In our society we have become a people who love law and regulation. We have this mythical notion that if the government can pass the right laws then we will not have to worry about bad things happening. What happens is that we become so trusting of law and government protection that we are lulled to sleep. We don't consider what the real situation is because the government has it all under control.

Congressman Ron Paul has an article up at LewRockwell.com that deals with this point. It most deals with regulation in the financial sector, but he also provides this as an illustration:

It is much the same in any area rife with government involvement. Many feel that just because their children are getting good grades at a government school, they are getting a good education. After all, they are passing the government-mandated litmus test. But, this does not guarantee educational excellence. Neither is it always the case that a child who does NOT achieve good marks in school is going to be unsuccessful in life. Is your drinking water safe, just because the government says it is? Is the internet going to magically become safer for your children if the government approves regulations on it? I would caution any parent against believing this would be the case. Nothing should take the place of your own common sense and due diligence.

Go and read Congressman Paul's The Moral Hazard of Regulation.

Teaching Respect for Life

I would like you to take a moment and consider something Congressman Ron Paul wrote about abortion.

Let us remember, though, that the law can do only so much. The law isn’t what allowed abortion; abortions where already being done in the 1960s against the law. The courts came along and conformed to the social and moral changes that were taking place in society. Law reflects the morality of the people. Ultimately, law or no law, it is going to be up to us as parents, as clergy, and as citizens—in the way we raise our children, how we interact and talk with our friends and neighbors, and the good example we give—to bring about changes to our culture toward greater respect for life. (Ron Paul, The Revolution, p. 61)

Dr. Paul tells us that law reflects the morality of the people. If that is true then what is most important: changing the law or changing the culture? I think we need to remember that law has its limits, because if we don’t then law become an unbearable tyrant that is ineffective. You cannot pass enough laws to change the morality of people. That change is a personal choice.

So one limit of law is that it will not change people. It might reduce the behavior, but the heart of the person is the same. Those willing to end a life because of convenience will still do so if given the opportunity. Their heart isn’t changed because of the law, they have to be persuaded that life matters. The Church has a responsibility of letting people know that human life is to be respected, regardless if abortion is legal or illegal.

A second limit of law is that law doesn’t put an end to illegal behaviors. What law does do is that it criminalizes certain behavior, it takes away public monetary support, and it makes access to certain things more difficult. Even though these things are illegal there is still the opportunity out there to do them. This is plainly seen with illegal drugs. It is a criminalized behavior, that is not supported by our tax money, but people still know how to get a hold of them.

What I want to do is to remind us that what is most important is not the law, but the message that we have to take to the world. As the Church is able to influence and impact the world the number of abortions will decrease, even if it is never again made illegal. We should never see this as just a political fight, but we should recognize it as part of making disciples and teaching people the love God has for people, all people, even those yet to be born.