2018-09-14
Good Morning Dear Ones,
It’s necessary to consider sins and their consequences. The Law is the Ten Commandments. However, the Jewish rabbis approached them as a lawyer would, and they ballooned what God stated as the Ten Commandments into 613 laws to keep. Only Christ Himself is perfect and thus able to keep them all! I believe that what God enacts doesn’t need this kind of “improvement” by humans. JAS 2: 10 tells us, “Whoever breaks one commandment, breaks them all.” We must look at the relationship between faith and actions, as Christ’s half brother, James, does in JAS 2: 14, 17. “My friends, what good is it for one of you to say that you have faith if your actions do not prove it? Can faith save you…Faith without actions is dead.” Our actions should reveal our faith in Christ. This doesn’t mean taking a “holier than thou” approach, nor does it mean that we should go against God’s teaching with what we do. I’ve learned to use a capital “L” when referring the Ten Commandments and a small “l” when referring to all the human-crafted additions made to them.
Let’s look at the difference between living the old way by the written law (legalistically) and living by the new way of the Holy Spirit [RO 7: 6]. What always bothered me as I was growing up in a traditionally Jewish household was that there were so many laws, it was confusing. This predicament caused me to doubt God ever loved me. My brothers were urged to study Hebrew and at age 12, went through the studies prior to their Bar Mitzvehs at age 13. However, I was not given the chance to have a Bat Mitzveh (the girl’s version of this coming of age ceremony normally accomplished at age 12. I had wait until I was age 69 before I could have the opportunity to study Hebrew). Nowadays, observant Jewish girls regularly have Bat Mitzvehs. The rigid, lock-step manner of approaching the law certainly never made me feel very valued in this patriarchal society. That is not the way of the Holy Spirit. One who studies both the OT and NT can’t help but see that we are given enough wisdom in the Scriptures to understand why we should obey God’s Law. That helps a lot with motivation to do this.
GA 3: 13, “But by becoming a curse for us Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law brings: for the Scripture [DT 21: 23] says, ‘Anyone who is hanged on a tree is under God’s curse.’” Alone, this verse can be confusing, so let’s examine some cross references that will clarify its meaning. The Jewish practice of burying their dead quickly is based on DT 21: 23, “If someone has committed a crime and the body is hung on a post, it is not to remain there overnight and must be buried the same day. Therefore, that land will not be defiled.” Disobedience to God’s Law leads to being cursed [DT 27: 26]. This refers to the breaking of our covenant with Him, as seen in JER 11: 3. Now, go back to the words of GA 3: 13, and it makes more sense. We can see that Christ’s death on the cross and subsequent resurrection removes that curse and allows for forgiveness to happen if there is contrition. Without Christ’s Atonement, eternal forgiveness for the person confessing his sin isn’t possible. That’s only one reason out of many for why we should thank and praise the Father for making this huge sacrifice of His only Son.
Allow me to share a short vignette regarding baptism. Twice in my life, I have been at the baptism of an adult Jewish person, who becomes “completed” by accepting Christ as one’s Savior and being totally immersed. In the first one, I was asked to give the sermon, bless the person in English and Hebrew, and otherwise participate in the ritual. The second one happened more recently when our senior pastor baptized a Jewish friend by total immersion while I looked on. For a Jewish person, who has been raised to reject Christ’s deity, to come to this action, it has been a long road to spiritually travel. Often Jews wanting to be baptized endure ostracism. The latter can be familial, social, or even economic (if the person loses his job over this decision). In the time before Saul of Tarsus became the apostle Paul, a Jewish person doing this would be facing outright persecution. And yet, the call from the Holy Spirit to accept Christ’s presence in his life can be stronger than all these consequences. Remember, the Spirit of God is stronger than the spirit in those who belong to the world [1 JN 4: 4]. With infinite wisdom, God gave us just enough power to make our own choices; so, we are not His puppets. However, He also gives His chosen (believing Jews and Gentiles) ability to make their own decisions. Once a person is baptized, he has “been buried with Him and shared His death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from death by the glorious power of the Father, so also we might live a new life” [RO 6: 4].
PRAYER: O Lord, our attitude regarding sin really matters to You. You have given us the Law, so that we might have knowledge of what pleases You and what doesn’t [EX 24: 7-11]. You have given us the Holy Spirit, so that we might have the help we need to be slaves to righteousness (not self-righteousness) [JN 14: 16-18; AC 2: 2-4]. How blessed we are to live now! That is because Your teaching is found in one compact book (the Bible). We must read the Bible for ourselves and not depend on other humans to interpret it. That had been a problem in some denominations. We pray first before reading this book, so that we have a way to ask for the Holy Spirit’s intervention. He can give us understanding, wisdom, and discernment [PS 9: 10; PS 51: 6; PS 119: 125]. We love You, Lord. When other humans interpret the Law for us, we don’t know their motives and whether they are at one with Your teaching. We thank and praise You for hearing our prayers, for helping us not to forget to listen for Your advice and help through Your Spirit. For all our blessings and for giving Your Son on the cross, we are filled with thanksgiving and offer You our utmost reverence and praise. In the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I am commanded by the Holy Spirit to continue discussing our relationship with God as it relates to the Law. The Scriptures that I give support what we have learned in the book of Colossians. This entire segment of the “Knowing God” series, called “Christ and Believers,” is designed to expose what goes into our relationship with God. It also is to cause my readers and I to examine our own personal relationship with God. We should never tire of doing this, and we must not engender guilt. The latter never helped anyone to be a better believer who lives a more- godly life. Because of our human imperfections and that we are still sinners, discovering our sins, confessing them to God, and learning to listen for God’s wisdom are all necessary and on-going spiritual activities. When trouble happens, we should turn to Him, because His love for us is unconditional and His wisdom infinite. We are so blessed that He cares for us. Praise and thanks be to God!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2018. All Rights Reserved.
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