The Bible is full of commands from God. He tells His people to do everything from "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matt 22:37) to avoid eating rabbits (Lev 11:6). It's a large and comprehensive set of commands. Some, to be sure, are no longer applicable. Some are based on the sacrificial system that preceded Christ's fulfillment of the system and others were to a particular people group for a particular time and a particular separation apart from any other moral code. Fine. But regardless of how you cut it, I can tell you one simple fact about all of God's commands. You can't do it. Easy as that.
I mean, look, this isn't rocket science. I'm not speaking from some esoteric philosophical argument. The "Greatest Commandment" according to Christ is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." So, let me ask you about one, single command. Just one. Just that one. Can you? Is doing that one, single, solitary command within the realm of your possible obedience? No, I didn't think so.
It is interesting, then, considering the biblical imperatives. We are told "You must be born again", but we do not have it in our power to do so. We are told to believe, but it goes against our sin nature to do so. We are told to work out our salvation, but it is not actually possible to do this. So what are we, who wish dearly to obey our Heavenly Father, to do?
As it turns out, that which God commands of us is not what we are able to do on our own, but that which we can do because of Him. When Paul made the claim that "There is none who does good; not even one" (Rom 3:12), he wasn't dealing with hyperbole. He was referring to this simple fact. Humans do not do good -- good as defined by God. Good is that which is done by God and for God. That kind of behavior violates sinful human nature.
And, yet, we're still commanded to obey. We're still expected to "do good to all men". And so on. What's a believer to do? A believer trusting in God (which is, by the way, an echo -- a "believer" is defined as one who is "trusting in God") can and will obey to the extent that God "is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Phil 2:13). As simple as that. God commands us to do what He knows we must do but lack the will and ability to do. So He works in us to supply the will and ability. And none of us, then, have any room to boast. As Paul said, "Our sufficiency is from God" (2 Cor 3:5).
That's a good thing. That's why, in the end, we will cast our crowns before the throne. We didn't earn them; He did. And that's why in our daily life we don't have to worry about failure. Yes, you will fail. But in the end any and all success is the accomplishment of God, and He doesn't fail ... ever. And that's a good thing.
2 comments:
I've often thought, fully knowing our limitations (because HE created us with them), God expects way too much of us humans. I know it's good to set very high standards for your children, but really. Who can possibly attain some of them?
Who do you know (or have ever even just heard about) loves God with ALL of his heart, ALL of his mind, and ALL of his strength? ALL! Is that even a reasonable expectation? No wonder we disappointed Him so much that, long ago, He was sorry He even created us. He apparently set His expectations too high. So He wiped us all out again, except for Noah's family and enough animals to get things started up again.
Isn't wrath usually the result of not getting your expectations met? How can someone be angry when he or she already knows what's going to happen? It should come as no surprise.
Most of us love others as well as God, so our love is not exclusively His. It is divided up, at least a bit. Maybe He has most of it, but that's not good enough. No. He demands it all. But we are commanded to love others anyway, so I wonder what's with the "all" part?
You're right; we just simply can NOT do some of the things we're asked to do, apart from Him giving us supernatural powers. And, even WITH access to His power, the vast majority of us still aren't doing even greater things than what Jesus did! If we were, there would be a sizable number of us walking around healing the sick by the power of God, which, with so many sick among us, sure would be a wonderful thing to be able to do.
The question, of course, is to whom they are reasonable. We do know that they were reasonable to Adam, in that he was created without a sin nature. And they were reasonable to Christ, in that He never sinned. And they are certainly reasonable to God, because He gave them. Now, are they "reasonable" in the sense that "we should be able to keep them"? Well, no. But that's not the point of the standard, is it? The point is God's interests, not Man's. The point is what would most glorify God rather than what Man is most capable of.
The idea (no, I don't think you're suggesting it) would be that God should only place standards on His creation that He knows we can meet and never more ... even to His own detriment and His own loss.
(Oh, and, no, wrath is not typically the result of not having your expectations met. That might be frustration, but anger is typically result of having your rights violated. And, of course, God has all the rights to what He demands, so ...)
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