Post by arete on Feb 5, 2014 21:26:04 GMT
Introduction:
Once upon a time in a Sunday school class, a rather pompous man was trying to impress upon a class of boys the importance of living the Christian life. “Why do people call me a Christian?” the man asked. After a moment’s pause, one youngster said, “Maybe it’s because they don’t know you.” While funny, this is unfortunately the testimony of a lot of men and women. Paul the apostle has some things to say about this – to the Jews of his time – that also apply all too well to the Christians of today…
Context:
In Romans, Paul has shown that Mankind has a long list of sin – & while we might categorize sin by how bad we think it is – God judges sin differently. All sin is heinous & requires the blood of Jesus in order to be washed away. Then a stout warning was given about the hypocrisy of judging sin while committing it. While, sin must be called sin, we do not pass judgment in our own righteousness. Instead, we stand firm on what God has said about sin & sin’s consequences. Further, Paul warns us that when we continue in sin, we actually store up God’s wrath – we should not wait to repent just so we can sin more. Even more, sin is both problem & punishment. Sin without repentance leads to more sin & pays off as death. The good news is that God can save man from sin – & that salvation is not reserved for the Jews alone. We return to Romans & further teaching on the Jews, the Gentiles & the Law…
Body - Romans 2:12-29 – ESV
God’s Judgment and the Law
12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
Law & Judgment vv. 12-16
Paul begins this section by breaking mankind into two groups of people. There are the people who have received the Law and there are those who have not.
The two groups have a common trait as well. Both groups sin. Regardless of being a Jew or a Gentile – all sin and all will be judged by God
Paul then makes another contrast between hearers and doers of the Law
1. The idea of hearing the Law was the norm in Judaism. At special feasts – certain large sections of the Law would be read in the presence of all. On Sabbath days, there would be public reading of the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings – what we would call the OT
2. The idea of doing the Law was also the norm – but the common view was very legalistic. As long as the letter of the Law was followed, regardless of the heart attitude – then God was supposed to be pleased. This is at odds with the Scriptures the Jews should have heard – such as Psalm 51, where David declares that God delights in the attitude of the heart behind sacrifice – not in the sacrifice itself
Paul also makes it clear that while the Gentiles do not have the benefit of receiving the Law (and from Chapter 1 are dead in sin) – still mankind has some common moral understanding
This common morality is based in all men bearing the image of God whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Yet, this morality is only sufficient to condemn, not to save because they don’t obey the whole law, nor do they love God with all their heart, soul, & mind. No one even keeps the most basic of moral understanding perfectly.
We also receive a particular revelation of the judgment of God. First, no matter how secret we may think any corner of our heart might be – all of our secrets are laid bare before God. Second, God’s choice of judge is Jesus Christ. This fulfills Jesus’ role as Son of Man as the prophecies said that the Son of Man (the Messiah) would judge the world.
Illustration:
Fairly recent Barna studies have looked at divorce rates in America. Divorce is a devastating event in a person’s life and the results were not meant to take such pain lightly. Yet, the results that showed a higher rate of divorce for born again evangelicals than with atheists led to a rather caustic remark from a spokesman for the magazine American Atheists, "These findings confirm what I have been saying these last five years. Since Atheist ethics are of a higher caliber than religious morals, it stands to reason that our families would be dedicated more to each other than to some invisible monitor in the sky."
Application:
We should have a specific response to this selection of God’s word. The lost should not showcase morality better than the saints. We do not want to diminish the image of God in other people as they manage to keep certain aspects of the law. But the lost keep the law virtually by accident. We who have been saved by grace, should and must display morality and godliness to the world. This is part of our Christian witness – we are called to live in a manner that demonstrates Christ to those who need him and displays the glory of God – his glory at work in us. We cannot fall for the lie that the law of God has no importance for those who have been saved by grace. We are under grace for salvation and part of that is the grace & guidance of the Holy Spirit to obey God’s law to his glory. God’s grace is not an excuse to neglect his commandments. Instead it is our main reason to study, know & obey them.
Law & Hypocrisy vv. 17-24
Paul now moves to a specific audience amongst the saints of God. He has some things to say to his fellow Jews. Also, by singling them out and calling them Jews – he is paying them honor as Jews
The Jews have had the Word of God for a long time. They have had the perfect and revealed will of the Creator at their fingertips. They had reason to rely upon God’s word and to boast in him – they have a special relationship with him.
It would be understandable for the Jews to consider themselves guides to the other nations. After all, the Greeks might have earthly philosophers, but the Jews had the counsel of God.
Yet, in having access to the very embodiment of God’s revealed knowledge and truth, the Jews were so eager to teach others, that they forgot to teach themselves
There was a common belief among the Jews that as God’s chosen people, they were guaranteed to get to heaven. This engendered an attitude that the Jews in some sense were above the Law. They could smugly condemn actions and attitudes in Gentiles as sinful – but that they were doing themselves.
This attitude among the Jews was nothing new to Paul’s day. In fact, he quoted from Isaiah 52 – a saying that should cause a chill in the blood and down the spine of every Jew – the name of God – his personal name, revealed to his people, is blasphemed because of those same people. Because of the Jews, men treat God’s personal name with contempt.
Illustration:
People expect church members to be perfect when the one absolute prerequisite for joining the church is the admission that one is not perfect. The only organization…which demands that you be a sinner in order to join it, is the Christian church. So it shouldn’t surprise anybody to see Christians sin – yet…
Christian Music Hall of Shame – a current online video detailing sin in the lives of music artists. Without naming names, the video lists the following:
(1) DUI violation and possession of marijuana
(2) Molesting an 11 & 13 year old girls
(3) Cheating on a husband
(4) Cheating on a wife
(5) 4 separate artists coming out as gay and defending that lifestyle
(6) Molesting a 14 year old (multiple counts)
(7) Faking cancer to receive donations to spend on a porn addiction.
The video concludes with: “The Christian Music industry continues to generate $100 million a year. As the record labels continue to market their artists as role models; the Christian music industry continues its religious profiteering. Each time a Christian artist misbehaves it’s a testament to the fallacy of religious theology and religious industry. And if this is the kind of behavior Jesus would condone…then Jesus is no friend of mine.”
Application:
We might be tempted to breathe a sigh of relief. This section is written to the Jews, so we’re off the hook if we’re not Jewish – right? Unfortunately, the Church is in a much similar place as the Jews at this time. We have the whole counsel of God – both Old & New Testament. We know the name of the Messiah God sent to save man from sin. Yet, we can be tempted to believe that because grandma was a Christian or because we belong to a particular church – then we are guaranteed a free ticket to heaven. Or some in the Church are quick to condemn the world for sins we allow in our own lives. We need to take special care that God’s name is not blasphemed because of us. This can occur when we give the impression that Christians are perfect – because we aren’t and we will be found out. Then people will blaspheme God for our hypocrisy. We also must take a stand for righteousness – not being permissive toward sin – because when we live like the lost, then the lost blaspheme God because when we don’t take God’s holiness seriously, then neither does anyone else.
Law versus Legalism vv. 25-29
Paul moves from the blaspheming of God to circumcision. I’m not sure that might be where I would head next, but he does this for a reason
Circumcision was an issue of pride for the Jews. They cut into the flesh of their men the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and all of Abraham’s descendants.
The issue of circumcision set the Jews apart from the Gentiles. There was a saying that “Circumcision saves from hell.” According to a particular rabbinic tradition, Abraham sat at the entrance to hell to prevent any circumcised Israelite from entering.
The point of the sign was that something was cut away and removed. There was an image of the removal of sin in the act of circumcision. Yet, the physical act of circumcision is not the end goal – but spiritual circumcision is that goal. That our hard hearts are cut out and removed from us and a new heart is given to us by God
God is not going to judge us by the outward keeping of his law. We can actually keep the law outwardly even to the point of cutting our flesh – but if our hearts are not right before God – our keeping of the law is legalism.
Legalism may cause men to think highly of us (the way many Jews thought highly of the Pharisees) but man’s praise is cheap. Our concern should be pleasing God.
Illustration:
Concerning the keeping of the Law - In contrast to the two commands of Christ, the Pharisees had developed a system of 613 laws, 365 negative commands and 248 positive laws... By the time Christ came it had produced a heartless, cold, and arrogant brand of righteousness. As such, it contained at least ten tragic flaws. (1) New laws continually need to be invented for new situations. (2) Accountability to God is replaced by accountability to men. (3) It reduces a person’s ability to personally discern. (4) It creates a judgmental spirit. (5) The Pharisees confused personal preferences with divine law. (6) It produces inconsistencies. (7) It created a false standard of righteousness. (8) It became a burden to the Jews. (9) It was strictly external. (10) It was rejected by Christ.
Application:
While this is a problem with Paul’s audience in Rome, it remains a problem today. We may think we are free from legalism and still be legalistic. Anytime that we consider an outward action to be more important than inward attitude – or when we try to keep God’s commands by our own power apart from the Holy Spirit – that is a legalistic attitude. We need to consider very carefully how we approach our faith and how we come together as a church so that we do not fall into the slavery of legalism.
So What? What do we do with what we know?
We who know Christ have been called into relationship with him. We were called from darkness into light. We were called to be saved from eternal death to eternal life. Part of that call is sanctification – or our growth toward Christ-likeness. In a real sense, Christianity is to be like Christ. Part of this is Christ-likeness is to live our faith in such a way that people are attracted to Jesus and praise God for what he does in human hearts. I do not want to detract from any attempt to be moral – but we cannot please God if unbelievers manage to display more morality than a Christian. That leads us to one of the most common charges against Christians – hypocrisy…
Illustration:
CS Lewis said “Anyone who has ever taught or attempted to lead others knows the tendency in all of us toward exaggerating our depth of character while treating leniently our flaws. The Bible calls this tendency hypocrisy. We consciously or subconsciously put forward a better image of ourselves than really exists. The outward appearance of our character and the inner reality (that only God, we, and perhaps our family members know) do not match.”
We dare not condemn in others anything we do not condemn in ourselves. This is especially true of our approach to non-believers. In fact, we should be more harsh with believers than with non-believers. We should expect Christian behavior from Christians. Yet when we pretend to be perfect we should be accused of hypocrisy. When we condemn the world for what we allow in Christians especially ourselves – we should be accused of hypocrisy. But, let us individually purpose to no longer be an excuse for non-Christians to blaspheme the name of God.
That brings us to another charge against believers – that of legalism…
Illustration:
“If moral behavior were simply following rules, we could program a computer to be moral.”
When we demand Christians to live as if grace was not the reality of salvation – we are being legalistic. This is a difficult path to trod. We have a hard time separating grace from law. The problem is that they are not to be separated – they are just not to be confused. Grace saves – the law can’t save, it can only condemn. The Law explains the commands – the right, just, and holy commands of God. The Law offers no power to keep it. For that, we return to grace. We can hear the Law and not rightly keep it – to be doers of the law – we need God’s grace – his grace that saves and his grace that continues to work Christlikeness in us. Both Law and grace are a part of the Christian life. We should be thankful for both law and grace. Let us give thanks to God for the grace he gives that saves us from our sin because we couldn’t keep the law. Let us thank him for his law which helps us know how to please him. Let us thank him for the grace he gives that helps us keep the law. And especially let us thank him for being just and quick to forgive us when we sin.
And so let us live lives that demonstrate the greatness & grace of our God – so that when we ask people – in our Sunday school or on our streets – why they call us a Christian their answer pleases us and glorifies God.
Benediction
"To (those) ... who have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood: May grace and peace be yours in abundance." (1 Peter 1:1-2 NRSV)
Once upon a time in a Sunday school class, a rather pompous man was trying to impress upon a class of boys the importance of living the Christian life. “Why do people call me a Christian?” the man asked. After a moment’s pause, one youngster said, “Maybe it’s because they don’t know you.” While funny, this is unfortunately the testimony of a lot of men and women. Paul the apostle has some things to say about this – to the Jews of his time – that also apply all too well to the Christians of today…
Context:
In Romans, Paul has shown that Mankind has a long list of sin – & while we might categorize sin by how bad we think it is – God judges sin differently. All sin is heinous & requires the blood of Jesus in order to be washed away. Then a stout warning was given about the hypocrisy of judging sin while committing it. While, sin must be called sin, we do not pass judgment in our own righteousness. Instead, we stand firm on what God has said about sin & sin’s consequences. Further, Paul warns us that when we continue in sin, we actually store up God’s wrath – we should not wait to repent just so we can sin more. Even more, sin is both problem & punishment. Sin without repentance leads to more sin & pays off as death. The good news is that God can save man from sin – & that salvation is not reserved for the Jews alone. We return to Romans & further teaching on the Jews, the Gentiles & the Law…
Body - Romans 2:12-29 – ESV
God’s Judgment and the Law
12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
Law & Judgment vv. 12-16
Paul begins this section by breaking mankind into two groups of people. There are the people who have received the Law and there are those who have not.
The two groups have a common trait as well. Both groups sin. Regardless of being a Jew or a Gentile – all sin and all will be judged by God
Paul then makes another contrast between hearers and doers of the Law
1. The idea of hearing the Law was the norm in Judaism. At special feasts – certain large sections of the Law would be read in the presence of all. On Sabbath days, there would be public reading of the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings – what we would call the OT
2. The idea of doing the Law was also the norm – but the common view was very legalistic. As long as the letter of the Law was followed, regardless of the heart attitude – then God was supposed to be pleased. This is at odds with the Scriptures the Jews should have heard – such as Psalm 51, where David declares that God delights in the attitude of the heart behind sacrifice – not in the sacrifice itself
Paul also makes it clear that while the Gentiles do not have the benefit of receiving the Law (and from Chapter 1 are dead in sin) – still mankind has some common moral understanding
This common morality is based in all men bearing the image of God whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Yet, this morality is only sufficient to condemn, not to save because they don’t obey the whole law, nor do they love God with all their heart, soul, & mind. No one even keeps the most basic of moral understanding perfectly.
We also receive a particular revelation of the judgment of God. First, no matter how secret we may think any corner of our heart might be – all of our secrets are laid bare before God. Second, God’s choice of judge is Jesus Christ. This fulfills Jesus’ role as Son of Man as the prophecies said that the Son of Man (the Messiah) would judge the world.
Illustration:
Fairly recent Barna studies have looked at divorce rates in America. Divorce is a devastating event in a person’s life and the results were not meant to take such pain lightly. Yet, the results that showed a higher rate of divorce for born again evangelicals than with atheists led to a rather caustic remark from a spokesman for the magazine American Atheists, "These findings confirm what I have been saying these last five years. Since Atheist ethics are of a higher caliber than religious morals, it stands to reason that our families would be dedicated more to each other than to some invisible monitor in the sky."
Application:
We should have a specific response to this selection of God’s word. The lost should not showcase morality better than the saints. We do not want to diminish the image of God in other people as they manage to keep certain aspects of the law. But the lost keep the law virtually by accident. We who have been saved by grace, should and must display morality and godliness to the world. This is part of our Christian witness – we are called to live in a manner that demonstrates Christ to those who need him and displays the glory of God – his glory at work in us. We cannot fall for the lie that the law of God has no importance for those who have been saved by grace. We are under grace for salvation and part of that is the grace & guidance of the Holy Spirit to obey God’s law to his glory. God’s grace is not an excuse to neglect his commandments. Instead it is our main reason to study, know & obey them.
Law & Hypocrisy vv. 17-24
Paul now moves to a specific audience amongst the saints of God. He has some things to say to his fellow Jews. Also, by singling them out and calling them Jews – he is paying them honor as Jews
The Jews have had the Word of God for a long time. They have had the perfect and revealed will of the Creator at their fingertips. They had reason to rely upon God’s word and to boast in him – they have a special relationship with him.
It would be understandable for the Jews to consider themselves guides to the other nations. After all, the Greeks might have earthly philosophers, but the Jews had the counsel of God.
Yet, in having access to the very embodiment of God’s revealed knowledge and truth, the Jews were so eager to teach others, that they forgot to teach themselves
There was a common belief among the Jews that as God’s chosen people, they were guaranteed to get to heaven. This engendered an attitude that the Jews in some sense were above the Law. They could smugly condemn actions and attitudes in Gentiles as sinful – but that they were doing themselves.
This attitude among the Jews was nothing new to Paul’s day. In fact, he quoted from Isaiah 52 – a saying that should cause a chill in the blood and down the spine of every Jew – the name of God – his personal name, revealed to his people, is blasphemed because of those same people. Because of the Jews, men treat God’s personal name with contempt.
Illustration:
People expect church members to be perfect when the one absolute prerequisite for joining the church is the admission that one is not perfect. The only organization…which demands that you be a sinner in order to join it, is the Christian church. So it shouldn’t surprise anybody to see Christians sin – yet…
Christian Music Hall of Shame – a current online video detailing sin in the lives of music artists. Without naming names, the video lists the following:
(1) DUI violation and possession of marijuana
(2) Molesting an 11 & 13 year old girls
(3) Cheating on a husband
(4) Cheating on a wife
(5) 4 separate artists coming out as gay and defending that lifestyle
(6) Molesting a 14 year old (multiple counts)
(7) Faking cancer to receive donations to spend on a porn addiction.
The video concludes with: “The Christian Music industry continues to generate $100 million a year. As the record labels continue to market their artists as role models; the Christian music industry continues its religious profiteering. Each time a Christian artist misbehaves it’s a testament to the fallacy of religious theology and religious industry. And if this is the kind of behavior Jesus would condone…then Jesus is no friend of mine.”
Application:
We might be tempted to breathe a sigh of relief. This section is written to the Jews, so we’re off the hook if we’re not Jewish – right? Unfortunately, the Church is in a much similar place as the Jews at this time. We have the whole counsel of God – both Old & New Testament. We know the name of the Messiah God sent to save man from sin. Yet, we can be tempted to believe that because grandma was a Christian or because we belong to a particular church – then we are guaranteed a free ticket to heaven. Or some in the Church are quick to condemn the world for sins we allow in our own lives. We need to take special care that God’s name is not blasphemed because of us. This can occur when we give the impression that Christians are perfect – because we aren’t and we will be found out. Then people will blaspheme God for our hypocrisy. We also must take a stand for righteousness – not being permissive toward sin – because when we live like the lost, then the lost blaspheme God because when we don’t take God’s holiness seriously, then neither does anyone else.
Law versus Legalism vv. 25-29
Paul moves from the blaspheming of God to circumcision. I’m not sure that might be where I would head next, but he does this for a reason
Circumcision was an issue of pride for the Jews. They cut into the flesh of their men the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and all of Abraham’s descendants.
The issue of circumcision set the Jews apart from the Gentiles. There was a saying that “Circumcision saves from hell.” According to a particular rabbinic tradition, Abraham sat at the entrance to hell to prevent any circumcised Israelite from entering.
The point of the sign was that something was cut away and removed. There was an image of the removal of sin in the act of circumcision. Yet, the physical act of circumcision is not the end goal – but spiritual circumcision is that goal. That our hard hearts are cut out and removed from us and a new heart is given to us by God
God is not going to judge us by the outward keeping of his law. We can actually keep the law outwardly even to the point of cutting our flesh – but if our hearts are not right before God – our keeping of the law is legalism.
Legalism may cause men to think highly of us (the way many Jews thought highly of the Pharisees) but man’s praise is cheap. Our concern should be pleasing God.
Illustration:
Concerning the keeping of the Law - In contrast to the two commands of Christ, the Pharisees had developed a system of 613 laws, 365 negative commands and 248 positive laws... By the time Christ came it had produced a heartless, cold, and arrogant brand of righteousness. As such, it contained at least ten tragic flaws. (1) New laws continually need to be invented for new situations. (2) Accountability to God is replaced by accountability to men. (3) It reduces a person’s ability to personally discern. (4) It creates a judgmental spirit. (5) The Pharisees confused personal preferences with divine law. (6) It produces inconsistencies. (7) It created a false standard of righteousness. (8) It became a burden to the Jews. (9) It was strictly external. (10) It was rejected by Christ.
Application:
While this is a problem with Paul’s audience in Rome, it remains a problem today. We may think we are free from legalism and still be legalistic. Anytime that we consider an outward action to be more important than inward attitude – or when we try to keep God’s commands by our own power apart from the Holy Spirit – that is a legalistic attitude. We need to consider very carefully how we approach our faith and how we come together as a church so that we do not fall into the slavery of legalism.
So What? What do we do with what we know?
We who know Christ have been called into relationship with him. We were called from darkness into light. We were called to be saved from eternal death to eternal life. Part of that call is sanctification – or our growth toward Christ-likeness. In a real sense, Christianity is to be like Christ. Part of this is Christ-likeness is to live our faith in such a way that people are attracted to Jesus and praise God for what he does in human hearts. I do not want to detract from any attempt to be moral – but we cannot please God if unbelievers manage to display more morality than a Christian. That leads us to one of the most common charges against Christians – hypocrisy…
Illustration:
CS Lewis said “Anyone who has ever taught or attempted to lead others knows the tendency in all of us toward exaggerating our depth of character while treating leniently our flaws. The Bible calls this tendency hypocrisy. We consciously or subconsciously put forward a better image of ourselves than really exists. The outward appearance of our character and the inner reality (that only God, we, and perhaps our family members know) do not match.”
We dare not condemn in others anything we do not condemn in ourselves. This is especially true of our approach to non-believers. In fact, we should be more harsh with believers than with non-believers. We should expect Christian behavior from Christians. Yet when we pretend to be perfect we should be accused of hypocrisy. When we condemn the world for what we allow in Christians especially ourselves – we should be accused of hypocrisy. But, let us individually purpose to no longer be an excuse for non-Christians to blaspheme the name of God.
That brings us to another charge against believers – that of legalism…
Illustration:
“If moral behavior were simply following rules, we could program a computer to be moral.”
When we demand Christians to live as if grace was not the reality of salvation – we are being legalistic. This is a difficult path to trod. We have a hard time separating grace from law. The problem is that they are not to be separated – they are just not to be confused. Grace saves – the law can’t save, it can only condemn. The Law explains the commands – the right, just, and holy commands of God. The Law offers no power to keep it. For that, we return to grace. We can hear the Law and not rightly keep it – to be doers of the law – we need God’s grace – his grace that saves and his grace that continues to work Christlikeness in us. Both Law and grace are a part of the Christian life. We should be thankful for both law and grace. Let us give thanks to God for the grace he gives that saves us from our sin because we couldn’t keep the law. Let us thank him for his law which helps us know how to please him. Let us thank him for the grace he gives that helps us keep the law. And especially let us thank him for being just and quick to forgive us when we sin.
And so let us live lives that demonstrate the greatness & grace of our God – so that when we ask people – in our Sunday school or on our streets – why they call us a Christian their answer pleases us and glorifies God.
Benediction
"To (those) ... who have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood: May grace and peace be yours in abundance." (1 Peter 1:1-2 NRSV)