Law vs. Grace issue from a different perspective

Friday, 28 March 2014  2:03 PM

The problem we have with the Law vs. Grace argument that is raging in the body of Christ at the moment is that there is such a huge focus on the relationship of the individual from that individual's perspective. "My relationship with God is the most important thing in my life" is a catch cry that I keep on hearing. We have taken over management of our relationship with God and we are defining to Him and to others what we believe is important.

How about we step back for a minute and look at it from a different perspective. How about we look at it from God's point of view.

1. Jesus. Everything that Jesus taught was based around an attitude of laying down self and picking up God's agenda. This "My relationship with God" is not from this attitude but is a selfish, new-age recreation of faith from a human perspective. It is not about taking control of your flesh and crucifying it or laying down your life for others. The drive for wholeness of the natural man and personal success in society is far from what Jesus taught. "… for it is better for you to enter the kingdom of heaven maimed than for you to be whole and be cast into hell…" - Jesus' words, not mine.
    
2. Paul. So many take half of Paul's teaching about grace and completely ignore the rest of it as if it doesn't exist. They seem incapable of understanding. After going to great lengths to explain that we are under grace and that the "law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death" and then people say "there is no law". He even teaches that these truths are spiritually discerned and cannot be understood by the natural mind. How do they regard "present your bodies as a living sacrifice", and "if we (apostles) are barely saved then …" and "if, after that they willingly sin then there remains no sacrifice for their sins" and "but we are not like those who slip back unto destruction…" and "If anyone comes to you with a different gospel… let him be accursed".
    
3. James. "Self seeking… this is not the wisdom that comes from above but is earthly, sensual, devilish".

I don't see many places where it actually speaks about having a relationship with God. I know that is silly because you see it everywhere in the bible as what they do but it is never mentioned much as far as what we need to focus on. What we are told to focus on is loving one another with a new, godly kind of love that is defined in 1 Cor 13.  We are told to lay down our selfish desires and self seeking and self serving to live with Him and for Him. We are encouraged to live holy lives, not out of some list of impersonal rules but out of love and respect for the one who made the rules. They are not our prison but they are boundaries set by a loving father.

I know some people who, in my opinion, seem to be wonderful reflections of Jesus yet have never heard Him speak to them. I know some people who say they hear from Him all the time who more demonstrate that they are their own God and they have wrapped it all up in a religious fantasy where our God supposedly rubber-stamps everything they believe and do.

It is time we take a good look at this from God's perspective. It is stated in the Word of God that He is the same yesterday, today and forever and that He never changes. He created the Law. Paul and Jesus testify that the Law is perfect. Jesus was brutally lashed and then killed because of our transgressions. How does God feel when we now say that the law doesn't count or that it has been nullified. The law is an expression of the nature of God. It tells us what He likes and what He hates and the weight he places on various principles. We may not be bound by it any longer if we actively walk in the grace of the new covenant but if we disregard it then we miss out on an accurate portrait of who and what He is. How can we say that we have a relationship with Him when it consists of our fantasies and personal thoughts and desires rather than the word of God. This fixation on having a relationship with Jesus without having a relationship with the word of God is like having an imaginary friend. We are all open to various influences and sometimes there is no way to tell which spirit is which without a thorough knowledge of God and His word. Now some may say that they know God really well and so they have that. I say that if that knowledge of God is not based on the word of God then it is rubbish.

In a true, mature relationship with God our heart attitude needs to be that it is all about Him, not just as an object of worship but as the source of all authority in this world and that we are not just required to obey but that it is our heart's deep and sincere desire.

Jesus said that "if you abide in Me and My words abide in you…" and "if you love me then keep my commandments". John said that if you say you love God who you cannot see but do not love your brother who you can see then the truth is not in you. I would like to say that this same principle applies to obedience to the word of God. If you say that you obey God who you cannot see but do not obey those He has placed over you in authority then the truth is not in you. If you say that you obey God who you cannot see but do not obey His word which you can see then the truth is not in you.

PS. I have intentionally left out direct scripture references in the interest of flow. Those who know the word of God reasonably well will call them to mind as they read. Those who don't can easily download free bible study resources like e-sword from the Internet and do searches on the concepts and phrases I have quoted using those tools. They also contain other resources like lexicons and means to access original languages, etc. I would prefer that those who disagree do their own study to verify for themselves whether there is any validity to what I am asserting. If they are unwilling to do so then they are not really qualified to comment or hold an opinion on the subject.