Month: November 2007

When I was a child I was admonished not to throw my Bible
around or step on it.  "This is God’s Word" I was sternly
reminded.  The Bible, this book of ink and opaque paper, is to our
religion the way the flag is to our…well..religion. (At least we don’t have
to burn it if it touches the ground).  Today there are enough
near-disposable variations of the scriptures to make your head spin.  A Bible is as likely to resemble a paperback than the traditional gold foiled,
leather bound book our grandparents carried on Sundays.  Those who would
consider bible tossing as irreverent would probably deem a comic book New
Testament blasphemous as well.  Personally, I like the fact that the bible
is accessible in different translations and form factors.  A trip to the
local Christian bookstore leads you to believe that we are in a Bible saturated
society.  Of course, that’s different from being a society saturated in
the Word! 

This is due to fact that we have identified the Word of God
as an object instead of a person.  We’ve reduced the God of Love to a love
letter!   Instead of placing God in a box, we’ve placed him in a
book!  Our view of God needs to be elevated above our view of the Bible.  Ironically, if we hold the Bible in high regard, then we would
actually consider what the Bible reveals about the Word and what it reveals
about itself. If we did,  then perhaps a true perspective could be
attained! 

What the Bible reveals about the Word

The words of John 1 would seem familiar to most Christians,
yet its revealed truth is mired in a glaze of over-familiarity.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been
made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
(NIV)

First, the Bible reveals that the Word has always been (can’t be said for the Bible itself).  Secondly, the Word was and is God.  The Word,
according to scriptures, is not what’s written down about God.  God is the
Word!  It’s by the Word (Christ) that all things are created.  It’s by
the Word (Christ) that life not only originated, but is sustained! 

We see the Word of God in action in the following Genesis
recordings: "Let there Be light", "God said that it was
Good", "It’s not good for the man to be alone", "do not eat
of the tree" to name a few.  As John 1 expounds, the Word of God
brings forth creation and breathes life!  There is no book, the Bible
included, that has that power in of itself!  Modern Christians have taken
a sort of pantheistic approach to the scriptures.  When this subconscious
designation takes place, not only is God reduced to an idol, but even the
bible is rendered unreliable in that the very truths it conveys about the Word(Christ) and itself(scriptures) are ignored!

What the Bible says about itself

Many Christians have this verse memorized.  2 Timothy 3:16

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may
be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (NIV).

The key word in this verse is "useful".  The Bible describes itself as useful.  The Bible itself is not
relational.  It is useful, however, in developing relationships.  It
is not a teacher, but it is useful for apprenticeship to the master teacher.  The Bible is a revelation of a God who is relational and righteous!
The Bible is not "the Word", but a "revelation of" the
Word. (John 1:14)"the Word
became flesh and dwelt among us")

Eugene Peterson describes Jesus the Word in "Eat this
Book" with the following statement: "He both was the language and
spoke the language that reveals God not from the outside but from the inside,
God’s heart, God’s comprehensive way of being personally and relationally with
us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

The Bible in the right perspective

Understanding the role of the Bible as God-breathed revelation does not mean we should diminish it’s importance.  Rightly considered, the bible
fulfills its promise of usefulness in our lives, and restores mystery and awe
of The Word (Christ) to our rebellious minds!  Furthermore, the Bible informs us that we are transformed by the renewal of our minds and the scriptures obviously play a vital part in that process.

Responsible Thinking

As A.W. Tozer said "what
comes to our minds when we think of God is the most important thing about
us."  What he means is that Christians no longer think rightly about God.  We
have attempted to place Him on our mind’s shelf to gather the dust of faulty images and perceptions!  The problem is, God can not be "put away" like a
book.  We reduce Him in this way because we are idolaters by nature!
If God does not transcend our limited imaginations, then we can put Him out of sight, out of
mind, and out of reach of our everyday, ordinary existence!   The Israelites of the Exodus made the same fatal error in their construction of a golden calf.  The calf was not another god they were worshiping, it was a degrading representation of the true God.  They were not thinking rightly or clearly about the God they claimed to worship!  Interestingly enough, they tried to reconstruct God from the materials of their treasure.

Treasured or Worshiped?

The Bible is to be treasured not worshiped! God is to be
worshiped, not treasured!  Treasure is usually characterized by
compartmentalization.  We do this because we are limited and finite in a
vacuum of time and place.  Meanwhile, God is limitless and infinite beyond
time and space!  Treasure has it’s limits.  We can keep treasure in a box in the attic to be accessed periodically for the purpose of reminiscing, or it can be accumulated for future enjoyment.   God is Eternal.  He knows no limits.  He can not be our good luck charm, He can only be worshiped as the Word who was, and is, and is to come!

 

Antinomian – "a person who maintains that Christians are freed from the moral law by virtue of grace as set forth in the gospel."

Okay, I’ve said it, and if you’re honest to admit it, you’ve said it too.  I’m talking about that old Baptist staple of wise theology. Ready?  Here it is.  "I’m not under law, I’m under grace". 
Often during hair-splitting discussions with other believers about various behaviors such as social drinking, smoking, tattoos, piercings, and tithing, someone usually hand-brakes the debate with the "but aren’t we under grace now" question.

This grace versus law cliche has morphed into antinomian-ism, or "a disdain for law".  Furthermore, when you hear someone say "I’m under the law, not under grace", you will often hear a more clarifying statement from them as well, "the law was inadequate, therefore we need grace", or something to that effect. 

The Law restores the Soul

The catchy phrases we mindlessly use in our evangelical circles, however, become problematic when you consider Psalm 19: 7-10 (NASV)

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,  restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure,  making wise  the simple.  8 The precepts of the LORD are right,  rejoicing   the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure,   enlightening  the eyes.  9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true;  they are righteous altogether.  10 They are more desirable than gold,   yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter   also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

So if David viewed the Law as perfect, how can we ever say the law is/was inadequate?  How did God’s law transform from perfection to inadequacy. 

In fairness to those who claim grace over law, it is a clear attempt to expose the inability of human accomplishments and attempts to satisfy God’s requirements.  No doubt, this seemingly innocent phrase derived in part from a misunderstanding of a well known passage of scripture, Ephesians 2:8-9.  8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Due to just plain, bad, theology we have mis-used Paul’s teaching of being "saved by grace and not of works" as the foundation of a antinomian doctrine.  In light of Ephesians 2:8-9, we should duly note "that not of yourselves" is the antithesis of saving grace.  In other words, it’s not the Law that is inadequate to salvation, it is the one who fails to keep the law who is inadequate.

Bad Law or Bad People?

If you’re reading this blog, take some personal time to study all of the occurrences of "law" throughout the Bible, specifically pertaining to the law of the Lord.  (Psalms is a great place to start)  You will find many glowing endorsements of the Law.  Conversely, don’t allow the Pharisee’s treatment of the law adversely affect your view of it.  Jesus pointed out  their abuses in Luke 11:52 " Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered." In other words, in being "keepers of the law", the Pharisees were not keeping the spirit of the law.  For example, we have all been dismayed at the manner in which modern day lawyers use the law to set guilty men free via the way of loopholes.  The problem is not the laws of the land, but the keepers of the law who misuse it.  Whenever justice is not realized in a situation, we scramble to change, fortify, and clarify the existing laws, but this is futile.  It’s futile, because there is always a multitude of legal technicians who will circumvent the new improved laws.  Again, it’s not the law that is imperfect and inadequate, it is humanity. 
We often lament over such abuses when we say "but that’s not within the spirit of the law."   Likewise, this was the fundamental error of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day.  They knew the technicalities of the law while disregarding the spirit of the law.  An example of this spiritual failing is in the way they enforced the sabbath law.  By their technical definition, Jesus broke the sabbath by healing.  However, in failing to recognize the spirit (purpose) of the law ; they ignored the intention of sabbath as a benefit for God’s people as opposed to something to weigh them down.

Law is Grace’s companion

According to David, the Law that he so loved was a key ingredient to his relationship to God.  It wasn’t key because he had never sinned (failed to obey the law).  David’s failings are well documented, and so is his loving relationship with God.  David’s life is proof that you can fail miserably and make it back to God by virtue of a healthy respect for his Law.  Assuredly, David’s struggles escorted his heart to a sanctuary of lawfulness not through forced obedience, but rather by a consistent savoring of the goodness of God’s law and it’s precepts! 

In keeping Ephesians 2:8-9 close to the vest, we don’t shrug off grace, and we put human effort in it’s rightful rung on the salvation ladder.  BUT in doing so, we should not attempt to strip the law of it’s powerful perfection!  Dallas Willard solidifies this idea when he says, "Still, the law was given as an essential meeting place between God and human beings in covenant relationship with him, where the sincere heart would be received, instructed, and enabled by God to walk in his ways.  God is the only restorer of souls.  When those walking in personal relationship with him take his law into their heart, that law, as a living principle, quickens and restores connection and order to the flagging (weak, fatigued, or drooping) soul.  But that never happens in the absence of the personal presence and gracious action of God (Grace) with the person involved."

 He goes on to say, "Spirit, covenant, and law always go hand in hand within the path of spiritual formation, for it is the path of one who walks with God."

Think Correctly

We who profess Christ are greatly served when we examine the way in which we think about matters of grace and law.  Let’s be sure not to pit them against one another.  Law is NOT the foe of Grace.  Grace is NOT the cure for Law.  The best way to think of it is this:  Grace, originating from God, enables and empowers you and I to love His law, His perfect law. In response to the Antinomian way of thinking, grace does not free us from the law, rather grace frees us to embrace, love, and live the law!  In this way, we ARE under the law BY grace.