"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:22-25 ESV)
As Christians we know that our sin is revealed to us through the Law of God (commonly referred to as the Ten Commandments). Paul told the Romans that it is by the Law of God that sin is known and that by this Law the whole world will stand guilty before God. It is by this Law that we looked at ourselves before we came to saving faith in Christ. It is absolutely necessary for one to understand that his sin is exceedingly, infinitely offensive to God. Without this knowledge one cannot know the magnificent grace of God. As time goes on the Christian will continue to see himself more and more wretched before God as he understands the nature of his depravity. Even as we grow in sanctification away from sin into a reflection of Jesus Christ, parallel to this is the increasing knowledge of our own depravity.
One problem that has existed throughout the history of the Church is reliance upon the Law as a standard by which we are to measure lives to determine our standing with God. This is the mistake that Paul aggressively attacks in the epistle to the Galatians. Don't get me wrong. The Law is good. We are not to get rid of the Law because it is good. It is good in its purpose to reveal sin to the sinner. That is the only reason for the Law to be used. We need the Law to show us our sinfulness because we sear the tenderness of our conscience when we rationalize sin and skew our understanding of holiness; but as Christians the Law is not our standard for living. Love is our standard. Christ is our standard. Jesus said to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love your neighbor as He has loved you. For in these two commands all the Law and the prophets are fulfilled. The Ten Commandments is not the perfect law of liberty, love is, Christ is. The Ten Commandments only bring bondage to legalism if used as our standard. Jesus is the end of the Law for righteousness for all who believe. We live under grace now, not the Law.
The Law stirs up desire to sin. As humans we are prone to do that which we are told not to do. Children do this all the time. On the other hand, love stirs up righteous deeds within us (a godly love, that is). The Law doesn't help us be more like Christ. It helps us be more like legalistic in ourselves and towards others. Christ is love incarnate. To love with a godly love that glorifies God makes us more like Christ. I'm not talking about hippie love. I'm talking about a love that loves righteousness, goodness, and godliness; but hates sin, evil, and corruption. Christ gave us the freedom to do this when we trusted Him to save us.
What is our responsibility then?
We are to love God with every ounce of our being, glorify Him in all we do, and love our neighbors with the same love Christ has loved us with. We are no longer to live our lives as if we are constantly trying to stay on God's good side (He makes us right, remember?). We are no longer required to live by the Law and measure ourselves against it. The perfect law of liberty is love, grace. We compare ourselves to the commands of Jesus: Am I loving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength? Am I loving my neighbor with the same love that Christ has loved me? There is no more obeying the Law for a righteous standing before God. Christ accomplished this on the cross and we obtain it through faith.
Pray with me today that we might love God and our neighbors. Pray that we will understand that as Christians this is our standard for living and not the Law. Worship our great and loving God today who has given us the freedom to display His love to others.
Blessings,
Nick
