Galatians 2:17-21 If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!
In the above verses, Paul refutes the postulation by some that turning away from the law will promote lawlessness. Just because sin can be found in a Christian's life does that mean Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not is his response to such specious logic. The law could not be kept, so Paul says if I rebuild the law in my life to keep me morally right, I will die, for I come under the judgment of a lawbreaker, which is death without God. Therefore, I chose to die to the restraints of the law, which always condemned me, but never could give me life, and now I come under the auspices of grace IN CHRIST JESUS who is life eternal. Therefore, I do not rebuild the statutes of the law in my life; instead, I plant the saving grace of Jesus Christ in the middle of my life. He alone through his works, not ours, has the path of righteousness that leads to eternal salvation. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Paul tells the Galatians, I will not set aside the powerful grace of God which is Jesus Christ for the demands of the law. If I do so, Jesus Christ died for nothing. Only, Jesus, not the law, can build a new creature, holding the very presence of God, known as the Holy Spirit. When we take our eyes off Jesus and begin to look at ourselves, we can begin to think that our right standing with God is based on something other than God's grace and Jesus' sacrifice at the cross. The writer of Hebrew's said, See to it that no one misses the grace of God. . .. (Hebrews 12:15) If we miss the grace of God or set aside the grace of God, we miss God's best, his only plan for the restoration of his fallen creation.
If we anthropomorphized the law, giving the law human characteristics such seeing the law as able to build something with "his" hands, we can see clearly the law cannot build something new. The law can only reshape that which has already existed, bringing judgment on those who fall under the weight of sin. Of course this is what the law tries to do: shape us into better people. But no matter how much "he" works with us, the original clay cannot be reshaped enough to eliminate all of the imperfections in the original object. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE IMPERFECTIONS! The psalmist wrote: The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. (Psalm 14:2-3) When we look closely at mankind and his deeds and his actions, none of the objects he makes bring perfect glory to God, for God is holy, complete, without imperfection. When Paul surveyed the battle between good and evil in his own life, he said, For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. (Romans 7:18-19 NKJV) Let us consider Jesus' workshop, the Creators' handiwork. His hands can take that which is nothing, and bring it into reality. He can take an imperfect object and mold it to perfection, by turning it into his likeness. He takes the imperfect and places within it that part of him that glows eternally before the Father. All daily imperfections are constantly covered by the gift of his life on the cross: The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. The finished work that He presents to the Father is his workmanship, God's plan for our redemption. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)
God's grace is the mercy tool, fashioning us for the glory of God as his sons and daughters, adopted into his family for eternity. In his workshop, he creates new creatures out of those who were destined for disposal. He has gone the extra mile for us, just as he told his disciples, If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. (Matthew 5:41) We were all without hope, dead in our sins, but God had a plan, and Jesus was willing to be the answer to our sin problem. As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. (Ephesians 2:1-3) The law could not save us from our sins; it could only serve as a mirror to show us our sins, remind us of our sin nature. But Christ came to do what the law could not do--redeem us and set us free from sin. Jesus made a way where there was no way. Many scripture point to the answer: Jesus Christ and him crucified! As Paul wrote so well, if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! The law could not save us, and we surely could not save ourselves. But Jesus Christ willingly paid the price to meet the righteous requirements of the law and to please the heart of the Father. Therefore, we join Paul in saying, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6) Praise the name of the Lord Most High! He alone is worthy of our praise! Bless you dear readers.
No comments:
Post a Comment