God's law. How good is it?
What first comes to mind when you think about God's law? Really?
Seems most people think it's coping with our imperfection, or something that's good but impossible to live up to. For some people it's a painful internal struggle to try and achieve obedience. What if I told you it that it was none of these?
It's pretty well accepted that the gospel (the word literally translated means good news) is revealed to us through scripture, and through Jesus doing what He did. In fact, Jesus is the good news: A perfect sacrifice made on our behalf. The debt paid. Sin forgiven.
The law is often seen as an opposite, as what we are supposed to do, if we're working towards being the really holy types, knowing that we can't fully achieve this because of our humanity. It gives us something to aim for, but really isn't that exciting. Overbearing seems a more appropriate word.
So, what if law wasn't the opposition to gospel we imagine it to be? What if law was instead the perfect partner of gospel? If gospel is God's revelation - literally God revealed to us, then what if God's law was a permission, not a rule? What if it was 'You may, because I make it possible' instead of 'you must, because I say so'? What if God's law is essentially this: I want you to know how much I love you, and when you know it, I want you to choose to love me back?
It seems that a couple of thousand years of religion has bent our thinking to focus more on rules and restrictions that reflect our own understanding of the word 'law'. God's law is actually a permission, His perfect provision and help so that we can appreciate the love that He freely offers.
If you find this idea interesting, get a hold of some of Karl Barth's theology. He's written more on grace than pretty much anyone. Well worth a look.
Seems most people think it's coping with our imperfection, or something that's good but impossible to live up to. For some people it's a painful internal struggle to try and achieve obedience. What if I told you it that it was none of these?
It's pretty well accepted that the gospel (the word literally translated means good news) is revealed to us through scripture, and through Jesus doing what He did. In fact, Jesus is the good news: A perfect sacrifice made on our behalf. The debt paid. Sin forgiven.
The law is often seen as an opposite, as what we are supposed to do, if we're working towards being the really holy types, knowing that we can't fully achieve this because of our humanity. It gives us something to aim for, but really isn't that exciting. Overbearing seems a more appropriate word.
So, what if law wasn't the opposition to gospel we imagine it to be? What if law was instead the perfect partner of gospel? If gospel is God's revelation - literally God revealed to us, then what if God's law was a permission, not a rule? What if it was 'You may, because I make it possible' instead of 'you must, because I say so'? What if God's law is essentially this: I want you to know how much I love you, and when you know it, I want you to choose to love me back?
It seems that a couple of thousand years of religion has bent our thinking to focus more on rules and restrictions that reflect our own understanding of the word 'law'. God's law is actually a permission, His perfect provision and help so that we can appreciate the love that He freely offers.
If you find this idea interesting, get a hold of some of Karl Barth's theology. He's written more on grace than pretty much anyone. Well worth a look.
Labels: God, grace, Karl Barth, theology
posted by T | 21:53
1 Comments:
Heya Tob's. Actually was in Hahndorf for a church service on Sunday and the pastor 'Bruce' spoke nearly on that exact thing. That the ten commandments are so much more about grace and love than we care to want to understand. I think you're right, I'd say that we have been conditioned to think that the law in scripture is about judgment and what we can't do, whereas when we soak those commandments in the reality of Gods perfect love, God's law becomes more about his passion to see us love life more than despise the rules.
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