Interestingly, they're right, but they're wrong. They're right in that the Bible is a book of unmerited favor -- grace -- but the error occurs in the notion that rules are bad and, therefore, God's book isn't full of rules. It is. You can't actually read it without seeing that. Even Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). "But," some will protest, "that's not grace!" The Bible disagrees.
James writes about the person who looks into the law and fails to practice it.
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)Kind of silly, isn't it? He looks in the mirror and promptly forgets what he is like. We do that, of course. We look in the word and promptly forget what it tells us ... about God, about ourselves, about sin, about ... well, most of it. But James uses a perhaps jarring term there. He is saying, "But the one who looks into the perfect law ..." and then describes the law -- "the law of liberty." Liberty? That's what it says.
The commands of Scripture, then, are indeed grace. They are liberty. They set us free from the error of the flesh. They give us clear directions -- God's directions. Liberty given by God is grace.
It would seem incumbent upon us, then, to be careful to see His commands and practice them, not to deny and avoid them. After all, we're Americans, right? Aren't we all about freedom? Don't we admire, "Give me liberty or give me death"? How about this liberty? As Christ-followers, this liberty ought to be our fondest desire.
4 comments:
Your final comments are great and they go to what history suggests was the intent and understanding of "liberty" by the founders. It required knowing right from wrong and living by those rules of right versus wrong in order to benefit the most from liberty. Liberty isn't about ignoring law, particularly moral law. But we do have the liberty to choose between right and wrong and with liberty comes the rule to choose right over wrong.
Rules and commandments are indicative of how broken our world really is.
what kind of world is it that requires constant reminding of the rules.
If you love me you will obey my Commands. only in a broken world are we to constantly monitor our performance. cant wait for our new home where rules are pointless, because we will be perfected and free from sin. i wont need to be reminded to love my Lord, i will love Him with perfect love. i wont need to be reminded to Keep the Lord preeminent in my heart. my heart will be like His. i Will see Him because; i will be like him.
Amen, Bob.
Marshal, I agree. I am convinced that God's "rules" aren't merely moral recommendations, but, as it were, an "operating guide" for the human being. "Do this and it will be best for you." That, too, is liberty. "How do I avoid breaking this thing?" But we've come to view authority as questionable and rules as limiting.
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