Psalm 119:97
Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.
Psalm 119:113
I hate the double-minded, but I love your law.
I love the gospel. But I also love the law of God. I do not love it for the reason that many others may love it. Others may love God's Law because living a "wholesome" life can reduce stress and the amount of visits to the hospital (thank you, Joel Osteen). Others may love God's Law because it helps them to prosper at work or in personal relationships or at life in general (thank you, Rick Warren). These are fine and dandy, but they are not the best or first reason to love the law of God, for even the pagan will love God's Law for these reasons--hence seeker-sensitive type sermons. Rather, I love the Law of God because it reflects the nature and glory of my God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Scripture says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Sinning is to fall short of God's glory. Elsewhere in the Word we are taught that sinning is the breaking of God's Law. So sinning is breaking God's Law, which is falling short of God's glory. The Law of God reflects the glory of God and when we sin, we fall short of the glory of God. God's Law is one way we know His glory. Indeed the law showed me how gross my sin was, how gross I was...how short I fell from God's glorious perfection. It is any wonder why sinners hate the Law of God and break his commands...it is because they hate God.
But thank God for the Law...I love it because it showed me my dreaded state and damnation before God. It pointed out my sin and pointed me straight to hell. It showed me my peril. It showed me my wretchedness. I love the Law of God also because it pointed me to Christ and His gospel. It showed me my need for a Savior. It pointed me the the One who could deliver me from my sinfulness and hell. I love God's Law. How impossible it is to keep it, yet there was One who kept it perfectly...even to death on the cross. He kept it perfectly because it was His glory in the form of commands.
As a child of God, I love the Law of God for these reasons. I love it now and desire to obey it now, not because I am trying to please the Father...because only Christ can do that for me. I love the Law now and try to obey it because I love the glory of God which the Law displays. I want God to be glorified as I obey the law. That should be the concern for every believer when shown the Law. We see it and we say, "That's not a burden to do. That's a wonderful joy to obey because that is what my God is like and I love Him!" But how can we take joy in the Law of the Lord if we are not first make to tremble before His holy Law which is His glory? How can we take joy in obeying the Law...how can it become a light yoke to us unless we first feel the weight of it pressing upon us, damning us to the everlasting torments of God's wrath? How can we take delight in the Law of God and love the Law of God like the Psalmist did, unless we are first regenerated and made to understand that the Law is good when used lawfully--to show us our sin and need for our Sin Bearer?
Christians and pastors should be using the Law of God to show sinners their sin, show sinners their need for Christ and His gospel, and show believers how to make much of God (good idea). But many Pastors and their sheep are preaching the Law as a way to enhance the life of an unbeliever (bad idea). We must use the Law in the way that God intended it to be used. We are unfaithful and adulterous towards our Lord if we think we can use His Word any way that we want. How arrogant and most miserable of people we are if we are shown the glory of God, our sin and need for the Savior through the Law, but then go and use the Law for something else for which it was not intended (legalism). That is what the unbeliever will naturally do with God's Law and sadly, what a lot of Pastors are using the Law for in their preaching.
It is a strange thing to behold this odd phenomenon in unbelievers because in their selfish and self-righteous and legalistic desire to obey the Law of God, they in some way agree that the Law of God is good...that the glory of God is good...afterall, it is written on their hearts. Yet in their inability to keep the Law of God, they show that they hate the glory of God. What an odd paradox! But that is what we once were. Thank God He has delivered us through His Son and the work of His Spirit.
Now I can agree and say that the Law is good and I love the Law of the Lord. I hope you love the Law of the Lord. I hope that His commands are not a burden to you. I hope that you see that the Law of the Lord is good when used lawfully. I hope you love the Law of God because it is the glory of God. If you find yourself struggling to obey God, struggling to love and keep His Law, perhaps you need to fall in love with God and His glory again. You do that by going back to the cross. See how God dealt with our lawlessness in Christ. See how your sin was atoned for on the cross. See the glorious Law-Keeper and your Sin-Bearer resurrected from the grave. See that He did for you what You were incapable of doing. Then continue to repent of your sin and instead of breaking the Law...keep it to display the glory of your Savior.
Oh, I love the gospel. But I love the Law of God, too.
Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.
Psalm 119:113
I hate the double-minded, but I love your law.
I love the gospel. But I also love the law of God. I do not love it for the reason that many others may love it. Others may love God's Law because living a "wholesome" life can reduce stress and the amount of visits to the hospital (thank you, Joel Osteen). Others may love God's Law because it helps them to prosper at work or in personal relationships or at life in general (thank you, Rick Warren). These are fine and dandy, but they are not the best or first reason to love the law of God, for even the pagan will love God's Law for these reasons--hence seeker-sensitive type sermons. Rather, I love the Law of God because it reflects the nature and glory of my God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Scripture says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Sinning is to fall short of God's glory. Elsewhere in the Word we are taught that sinning is the breaking of God's Law. So sinning is breaking God's Law, which is falling short of God's glory. The Law of God reflects the glory of God and when we sin, we fall short of the glory of God. God's Law is one way we know His glory. Indeed the law showed me how gross my sin was, how gross I was...how short I fell from God's glorious perfection. It is any wonder why sinners hate the Law of God and break his commands...it is because they hate God.
But thank God for the Law...I love it because it showed me my dreaded state and damnation before God. It pointed out my sin and pointed me straight to hell. It showed me my peril. It showed me my wretchedness. I love the Law of God also because it pointed me to Christ and His gospel. It showed me my need for a Savior. It pointed me the the One who could deliver me from my sinfulness and hell. I love God's Law. How impossible it is to keep it, yet there was One who kept it perfectly...even to death on the cross. He kept it perfectly because it was His glory in the form of commands.
As a child of God, I love the Law of God for these reasons. I love it now and desire to obey it now, not because I am trying to please the Father...because only Christ can do that for me. I love the Law now and try to obey it because I love the glory of God which the Law displays. I want God to be glorified as I obey the law. That should be the concern for every believer when shown the Law. We see it and we say, "That's not a burden to do. That's a wonderful joy to obey because that is what my God is like and I love Him!" But how can we take joy in the Law of the Lord if we are not first make to tremble before His holy Law which is His glory? How can we take joy in obeying the Law...how can it become a light yoke to us unless we first feel the weight of it pressing upon us, damning us to the everlasting torments of God's wrath? How can we take delight in the Law of God and love the Law of God like the Psalmist did, unless we are first regenerated and made to understand that the Law is good when used lawfully--to show us our sin and need for our Sin Bearer?
Christians and pastors should be using the Law of God to show sinners their sin, show sinners their need for Christ and His gospel, and show believers how to make much of God (good idea). But many Pastors and their sheep are preaching the Law as a way to enhance the life of an unbeliever (bad idea). We must use the Law in the way that God intended it to be used. We are unfaithful and adulterous towards our Lord if we think we can use His Word any way that we want. How arrogant and most miserable of people we are if we are shown the glory of God, our sin and need for the Savior through the Law, but then go and use the Law for something else for which it was not intended (legalism). That is what the unbeliever will naturally do with God's Law and sadly, what a lot of Pastors are using the Law for in their preaching.
It is a strange thing to behold this odd phenomenon in unbelievers because in their selfish and self-righteous and legalistic desire to obey the Law of God, they in some way agree that the Law of God is good...that the glory of God is good...afterall, it is written on their hearts. Yet in their inability to keep the Law of God, they show that they hate the glory of God. What an odd paradox! But that is what we once were. Thank God He has delivered us through His Son and the work of His Spirit.
Now I can agree and say that the Law is good and I love the Law of the Lord. I hope you love the Law of the Lord. I hope that His commands are not a burden to you. I hope that you see that the Law of the Lord is good when used lawfully. I hope you love the Law of God because it is the glory of God. If you find yourself struggling to obey God, struggling to love and keep His Law, perhaps you need to fall in love with God and His glory again. You do that by going back to the cross. See how God dealt with our lawlessness in Christ. See how your sin was atoned for on the cross. See the glorious Law-Keeper and your Sin-Bearer resurrected from the grave. See that He did for you what You were incapable of doing. Then continue to repent of your sin and instead of breaking the Law...keep it to display the glory of your Savior.
Oh, I love the gospel. But I love the Law of God, too.
1 comment:
Josh,
Thank you for this post. I always learn from you.
It is a joy to love and obey the law by the power of the accomplished work of Christ. The natural overflow of the cross.
I'll never forget what you shared with my small group at your house when you were packing up. You shared 2 Corinthians 3:18. That was a seed that later blossomed into an understanding of what real law-keeping looks like. Transformed by beholding.
I praise God for the faith that He has granted you and for the gospel that he entrusted to you and for blessing you with the passion to speak it, entrusting it to me.
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