Situation 1:
Christian A: I don't think I should buy this dress because the Bible says I should adorn myself with good works rather than with costly garments.
Christian B: Oh come on, you can buy something for yourself once in a while.
Situation 2:
Christian X: I don't know what's wrong with my relationship with my wife. I am doing everything I can according to God's mercy, yet she seems more distant everyday.
Christian Y: Man, I am sorry. Have you ever thought about divorce?
Christian X: Divorce is not an option for me. Jesus spoke harsh words against it.
Christian Y: Dude, then do you keep everything that Jesus said?
Situation 3:
Christian P: I don't think women should be pastors because the Bible teaches so.
Christian Q: I don't know, Paul wrote those chauvinistic things back then, but in today's culture, I think it's acceptable.
Christian P: ...
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Like the above interactions, I've had conflicting interactions within myself and with others recently. It's interesting that we often use our own weaknesses as excuses not to keep God's Word, isn't it.
Must repent.
If for this and this and that reason we cannot keep the Word of God, we might as well just shred all our Bibles and be pagans.
1 Timothy 1 has been close to my heart when I was thinking about this. Paul opens the letter talking about those who "wants to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions" (1 Tim 1:7). Then he goes on about how the Law is good, when used lawfully, and elaborates on how it is made not for a righteous person but a sinner.
At first I didn't understand. What does the Law being good have to do with those who boast about it? But in fact, these two ideas are closely connected -- Paul rebukes those who affirm the Law in their self-righteousness, then makes clear that it is purely ludicrous to affirm the Law while seeing oneself as a righteous person, since it is in fact _not_ made for righteous persons!
"Realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted." - 1 Tim 1:9-11
Talk about humility. And doesn't that sound a lot like the gospel to you?
To recognize that God's Law is good;
To acknowledge that we are Law-less;
To humbly and victoriously live according to God's Law by His grace in Jesus Christ.
That is the gospel, isn't it!
Of course we can't live according to every dot and every jot of God's Word. But shall we give up simply because we deem it impossible? No! We shall live freakin' hardcore, realizing that His Word is good, that it isn't for the righteous but for rotten sinners like you and me, and believing that God is powerful enough to give us the grace to live hardcore in Jesus Christ.
Oh Church, whom God bought with His Son's blood, will you please stop saying that it's impossible to keep God's Word in all you do today?
To reject living according to God's Word in all you do is
To reject that you are a black-hearted rebel who would kill your mother and father;
To embrace that you are righteous on your own;
To affirm that you don't need the gospel;
To openly proclaim that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross meant nothing for you.
And that's not the good place to be at.
Intense and true. It's been a while since you have blogged, dear. It's good to see. :)
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