God cannot be contained in temples (2 Chron. 6:18), however, His temple in Jerusalem is where he chose to manifest His presence, His glory, and his Name to mankind. Though the temple was built in Jerusalem, it ultimately belonged to God.
When Jesus entered the temple in Luke 19, He came as Prophet, Priest, and King. He cleansed the temple, proclaimed the truth, and reminded the Jewish leaders that the temple was not their own to do with as they saw fit, but it was “His Father’s house,” existing for His Father’s purposes.
The Jerusalem temple ceased to exist long ago, but let us, who claim the Lord Jesus as savior, be reminded of this truth: "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NKJV)
Jesus Christ has cleansed us, proclaimed the truth, and taken ownership of us as His temple. We are not our own to do as we see fit, but each one of us is a temple of the Holy Spirit existing for the Father’s purposes. "I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;" (1 Timothy 2:8, NKJV) A house of God’s Word, a house of prayer, a house of love, a house of welcome, a house of God-glorifying ministry. Peter put it like this: "But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 4:7-11, NKJV)
It’s a question of ownership: to whom do you belong?
Showing posts with label Christian life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian life. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Digging Deep
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. As God works in us both to will and to do according to His good pleasure we are to work that transformation out in newness of life. In Luke 6, Jesus taught that as His disciples set their mind on things above, they will understand their present circumstances from and eternal perspective. He also taught if their hearts are sourced in heavenly love, it will be manifest in word, intent, and deed even to those who hate them. There are to be no Christian Pharisees, but rather disciplers who are forgiving, not condemning; constantly discerning and humbly dealing with their own faults in the presence of a holy God, before they may be used by God to help remove the specks of fault in their brothers. Only as our hearts and minds are transformed by Christ will we have any treasure to share with those around us. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, NKJV) The religious person who is not willing to go deep with Jesus, to the heart of every matter, will only build a life of superficialities that will not withstand the trials of life. If our relationship with Christ is digging deep into our “willing” and our “doing”, He is founding our lives upon His bedrock and we shall not be moved when trial come. “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13, NKJV)
Coming Home
Psalm 32:1-5 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. Sweet forgiveness, like a rushing wind blowing the dirt and grime out of our souls, relief from the bone deep decay and groaning that haunts us when we cover, minimize, justify, or deny our own sin. Such was the psalmist David’s state--his ‘vitality was turned into the drought of summer.’ The drought was only broken when he acknowledged his sin to God, confessing not hiding his transgressions. In Luke 15 the prodigal finds himself in a similar situation. After sinning against God and his father, ‘wasting his possessions in prodigal living,’ he came to his senses in a pigsty. Luke 15:17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! He recognized that his father was good and generous. Romans 2:4 says...’the goodness of God leads us to repentance. With a humble and contrite heart he determines to go and confess his sin to his father and to ask for help. Luke 15:18-19 “I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.’ The son takes action and turns his back on the far country and comes home to his father, where he is embraced, welcomed, and restored. When we first come to Christ and whenever we sin, we come to repentance in much the same way as did the prodigal son and David. Recognizing the Father’s goodness and generosity, with humble and contrite hearts, we turn our backs on the far country and head home to be embraced by our heavenly Father through Jesus, our Lord. Admitting that we can’t do anything about our sin, we seek His grace, His help in our time of need. Trusting Jesus’ promise that the one who comes to Him, He will by no means cast out. (John 6:37) And then...like a rushing wind... sweet cleansing. (1 John 1:9)
But First...
“Jesus, I will follow you, but first...”
Luke chapter 9 recounts the words of three would-be followers of Christ. They intend to follow as long as certain circumstances in their lives have been resolved. These “obstacles” to answering Christ’s call include: a desire for a reasonable standard of living (Luke 9:58), a desire to wait for a more appropriate time (Luke 9:59), and a desire to avoid relational offense (Luke 9:61).
None of these desires were unreasonable in themselves, and we must not mistreat others, but Christ’s call was urgent and emphatic. He had set His face to go to Jerusalem and offer Himself for the sin of the world saying, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24) When Christ calls us to Himself or to some task there can be nothing more important than that call. “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” and “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:60, 62) Not all are called to pastorates or mission fields. Some calls are as simple as loving your spouse, raising godly children, and being a trustworthy neighbor as you share Christ where God has placed you. The question for us all is: are we completely available for God’s calling with no ifs, ands, or buts? Are we willing to follow even when the timing or circumstances are less than ideal? Jesus said, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” (Matthew 10:37-38, NKJV)
Luke chapter 9 recounts the words of three would-be followers of Christ. They intend to follow as long as certain circumstances in their lives have been resolved. These “obstacles” to answering Christ’s call include: a desire for a reasonable standard of living (Luke 9:58), a desire to wait for a more appropriate time (Luke 9:59), and a desire to avoid relational offense (Luke 9:61).
None of these desires were unreasonable in themselves, and we must not mistreat others, but Christ’s call was urgent and emphatic. He had set His face to go to Jerusalem and offer Himself for the sin of the world saying, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24) When Christ calls us to Himself or to some task there can be nothing more important than that call. “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” and “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:60, 62) Not all are called to pastorates or mission fields. Some calls are as simple as loving your spouse, raising godly children, and being a trustworthy neighbor as you share Christ where God has placed you. The question for us all is: are we completely available for God’s calling with no ifs, ands, or buts? Are we willing to follow even when the timing or circumstances are less than ideal? Jesus said, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” (Matthew 10:37-38, NKJV)
Baptism
Commanded "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," (Matthew 28:19)
An element of invitation "Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)
A response of believers "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16)
"Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them." (Acts 2:41)
"Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”" (Acts 8:36-37)
A picture of our union with Christ "buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead." (Colossians 2:12)
A physical declaration of a spiritual reality "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:13)
" What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." (Romans 6:1-6, NKJV)
An element of invitation "Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)
A response of believers "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16)
"Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them." (Acts 2:41)
"Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”" (Acts 8:36-37)
A picture of our union with Christ "buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead." (Colossians 2:12)
A physical declaration of a spiritual reality "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:13)
" What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." (Romans 6:1-6, NKJV)
Spiritual Disciplines
Spiritual disciplines. Are you still reading? For many of us the quickest way to sap our enthusiasm for an activity, to drain it of its potential joy and excitement, is to call it something like a “discipline.” It makes it sound like a boring chore, like hand sanding a floor or cleaning out closets. This is often the attitude we bring to Bible study and prayer, and of course, with such an attitude, we miss the thrilling reality in which we are involved, a conversation with the Almighty, grace and love filled Creator of the universe. Perhaps a more apt term is in order. Instead of “spiritual disciplines,” maybe we should call them “thrill rides” or “spirit invigorators.” Maybe “high-definition, super-charged, multi-colored, fantasticoes!” Okay, maybe that’s going a bit far! But when you consider what God is doing through these simple “disciplines,” conforming us to Christ, renewing our minds, hearing us and speaking to us personally... WOW!
Here is a verse to meditate on, “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”( Luke 10:20, NKJV) What a beautiful truth! It was last week’s memory verse in the bulletin. This week’s is great too! Matthew 25:40 “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” Committing God’s word to memory is a wonderful spiritual discipline. It can lead us into a wonderful working knowledge of God’s word so that when we need to remember what the Bible says about something (eg. sin, God’s love, repentance, grace, Christ, works, wives, husbands, heaven, hope, faith, comfort, even taxes, etc.) the answers will be there, in our minds and hearts. I encourage you this week to embark on this wonderful (thrill ride) spiritual discipline and you will be nourished by its fruits for years to come!
Here is a verse to meditate on, “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”( Luke 10:20, NKJV) What a beautiful truth! It was last week’s memory verse in the bulletin. This week’s is great too! Matthew 25:40 “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” Committing God’s word to memory is a wonderful spiritual discipline. It can lead us into a wonderful working knowledge of God’s word so that when we need to remember what the Bible says about something (eg. sin, God’s love, repentance, grace, Christ, works, wives, husbands, heaven, hope, faith, comfort, even taxes, etc.) the answers will be there, in our minds and hearts. I encourage you this week to embark on this wonderful (thrill ride) spiritual discipline and you will be nourished by its fruits for years to come!
Spiritual Disciplines
Spiritual disciplines. Are you still reading? For many of us the quickest way to sap our enthusiasm for an activity, to drain it of its potential joy and excitement, is to call it something like a “discipline.” It makes it sound like a boring chore, like hand sanding a floor or cleaning out closets. This is often the attitude we bring to Bible study and prayer, and of course, with such an attitude, we miss the thrilling reality in which we are involved, a conversation with the Almighty, grace and love filled Creator of the universe. Perhaps a more apt term is in order. Instead of “spiritual disciplines,” maybe we should call them “thrill rides” or “spirit invigorators.” Maybe “high-definition, super-charged, multi-colored, fantasticoes!” Okay, maybe that’s going a bit far! But when you consider what God is doing through these simple “disciplines,” conforming us to Christ, renewing our minds, hearing us and speaking to us personally... WOW!
Here is a verse to meditate on, “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”( Luke 10:20, NKJV) What a beautiful truth! It was last week’s memory verse in the bulletin. This week’s is great too! Matthew 25:40 “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” Committing God’s word to memory is a wonderful spiritual discipline. It can lead us into a wonderful working knowledge of God’s word so that when we need to remember what the Bible says about something (eg. sin, God’s love, repentance, grace, Christ, works, wives, husbands, heaven, hope, faith, comfort, even taxes, etc.) the answers will be there, in our minds and hearts. I encourage you this week to embark on this wonderful (thrill ride) spiritual discipline and you will be nourished by its fruits for years to come!
Here is a verse to meditate on, “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”( Luke 10:20, NKJV) What a beautiful truth! It was last week’s memory verse in the bulletin. This week’s is great too! Matthew 25:40 “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” Committing God’s word to memory is a wonderful spiritual discipline. It can lead us into a wonderful working knowledge of God’s word so that when we need to remember what the Bible says about something (eg. sin, God’s love, repentance, grace, Christ, works, wives, husbands, heaven, hope, faith, comfort, even taxes, etc.) the answers will be there, in our minds and hearts. I encourage you this week to embark on this wonderful (thrill ride) spiritual discipline and you will be nourished by its fruits for years to come!
Intercession
Isn’t it great to find out that someone has been praying for you? Imagine receiving a letter from the Apostle Paul saying he always remembered you in his prayers. In the book of Revelation, the prayers of the saints are portrayed as an offering with sweet incense ascending before the throne of God. (Rev. 5:8, 8:3-4) In John 17:20 Jesus Himself prayed for us! “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word.” Rom. 8:34 tells us that Christ, seated at the right hand of God, makes intercession for us! Rom. 8:26 says that the Spirit even makes intercession for us. 1 John 3:1 declares that Jesus Christ, the Righteous, is our Advocate with the Father.
HALLELUIAH!!! How wonderful it is that the Holy Spirit and even Jesus Christ Himself are personally interceding on our behalf. Even so, what a privilege God has given us to come boldly before His throne to find grace to help in time of need. Jesus taught in John 16:23 and following, “...Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you...Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.” Is it any wonder that Paul enjoins believers to ‘pray without ceasing’ (1 Thess. 5:17)? James says, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray,” (James 5:13) and “pray for one another” (James 5:16) Brothers and sisters, how shall we answer before our Lord if it is found that we neglected so great a privilege, such expression of care, so high a calling to intercede for one another as our very Lord Jesus lives to do. (Heb. 7:25)
The effective prayer of a righteous man avails much, so LET US PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER!
HALLELUIAH!!! How wonderful it is that the Holy Spirit and even Jesus Christ Himself are personally interceding on our behalf. Even so, what a privilege God has given us to come boldly before His throne to find grace to help in time of need. Jesus taught in John 16:23 and following, “...Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you...Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.” Is it any wonder that Paul enjoins believers to ‘pray without ceasing’ (1 Thess. 5:17)? James says, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray,” (James 5:13) and “pray for one another” (James 5:16) Brothers and sisters, how shall we answer before our Lord if it is found that we neglected so great a privilege, such expression of care, so high a calling to intercede for one another as our very Lord Jesus lives to do. (Heb. 7:25)
The effective prayer of a righteous man avails much, so LET US PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER!
Seeing the Camel
Don’t tell my children, but a couple weeks ago, I found a ladybug swimming in the soup pot. We ate the soup, but not before I liberated the ladybug. In Matt. 12:1-14 we are given more examples of the Pharisees straining out gnats and swallowing camels. (Matt. 23:24) Now, no one I know wants to eat bugs, but it could happen accidentally. But imagine accidentally choking down a whole camel (not a ‘clean food’ either)! How often we do just that in our own Christian walks: focusing only on the details and missing the grand themes in our practice. D. Martyn Lloyd Jones wrote, “We have somehow got hold of the idea that error is only that which is outrageously wrong; and we do not seem to understand that the most dangerous person of all is the one who does not emphasize the right things.” This is the Pharisaical problem in a nutshell: Matthew 23:23-24 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”(NKJV) So as I contemplate my own responsibility, before God, to stand for the truth (1 Tim. 3:15, 4:16, 2 Tim. 4:2, Titus 1:9, 2:1, etc.) I must ask myself, “Am I living God’s priorities of mercy over sacrifice (1 Cor. 13:1-3, 13) and love over all?” Lord, help us to discern the camels! “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11(NKJV)
The Rocks Cry out
This Wednesday night we were confronted by several compelling questions concerning truth. What is truth? What is reality? Do you believe that what you believe is really real? This filters down into how we think (Prov. 23:7, Rom. 8:5), how we feel (Phil. 4:6), and what we do(Luke 6:46, Rom. 6:12, James 2:26 and all the rest of the Epistles).
As the Passion Week began, Jesus came as King, riding upon a donkey. The leaders of Israel were so blind to the truth of who Jesus was that upon hearing Jesus’ disciples praising God and hailing Jesus as King, they demanded that Jesus rebuke His disciples. But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” Luke 19:40 (NKJV) Even the lifeless hard stones were more aware of the truth than those devout men of religious learning. With all their study they had missed the truth! It is then no wonder that Jesus’ next words as He saw the city and wept over it were, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” Luke 19:42-44 (NKJV) Though we spend much time studying the scriptures we must not be dumber than a stone and miss the essential truth--Jesus the King of kings and Lord of lords is coming again! In light of that reality, what are you going to do tomorrow?
As the Passion Week began, Jesus came as King, riding upon a donkey. The leaders of Israel were so blind to the truth of who Jesus was that upon hearing Jesus’ disciples praising God and hailing Jesus as King, they demanded that Jesus rebuke His disciples. But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” Luke 19:40 (NKJV) Even the lifeless hard stones were more aware of the truth than those devout men of religious learning. With all their study they had missed the truth! It is then no wonder that Jesus’ next words as He saw the city and wept over it were, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” Luke 19:42-44 (NKJV) Though we spend much time studying the scriptures we must not be dumber than a stone and miss the essential truth--Jesus the King of kings and Lord of lords is coming again! In light of that reality, what are you going to do tomorrow?
Come and See!
Most church bulletins are used in some way to remind readers of upcoming church activities and ministry opportunities. For multiple weeks I have enjoyed writing this short column to remind us not of the activities of our fellowship, but rather to remind us of the wondrous and challenging Biblical truths that must drive and under gird all of the activities and ministries of our lives. The title and concept for this column is based on Peter’s words in 2 Peter 1:12-13 “For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you.” (NKJV) This week I again want to remind us of something we already know, simply stated: Jesus loves you! As we meditate on the Lamb of God’s invitation to His first followers:
“Come and see,” (John 1:39),
I am reminded of the wondrous day when I first looked to the Lamb of God and He said to me, “Come and see.” He opened my blind eyes, forgave my sin, washed me clean and made me His disciple, His brother, His friend. We are invited with every communion meal to pause and remember that blessed day, to behold the Lamb of God, and to remember how much Jesus loves us! 1 John 3:16 “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
Where will the Lord lead us next?
COME AND SEE!
“Come and see,” (John 1:39),
I am reminded of the wondrous day when I first looked to the Lamb of God and He said to me, “Come and see.” He opened my blind eyes, forgave my sin, washed me clean and made me His disciple, His brother, His friend. We are invited with every communion meal to pause and remember that blessed day, to behold the Lamb of God, and to remember how much Jesus loves us! 1 John 3:16 “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
Where will the Lord lead us next?
COME AND SEE!
Law
Matthew 22:37-40 “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”(NKJV)
The Ten Commandments summarize the Mosaic Law (Ex. 20:1-17). The two great commandments to love God and love your neighbor distill those commandments even further: love God with heart and soul and mind (commandments 1-4), love your neighbor as yourself (commandments 4-10). 1 Timothy 1:5 says, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,”(NKJV) Gal. 3:24-25 describes the law as a tutor to bring us to Christ. Galatians also clearly teaches that we are not under law nor justified by the works of the law, but under grace through Jesus Christ. Romans 3:31 asks “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.”(NKJV) On upcoming Wednesday nights as we study Galatians, I invite you to search the scriptures and be ready to discuss this important question: how does the law relate to the Christian life?
The Ten Commandments summarize the Mosaic Law (Ex. 20:1-17). The two great commandments to love God and love your neighbor distill those commandments even further: love God with heart and soul and mind (commandments 1-4), love your neighbor as yourself (commandments 4-10). 1 Timothy 1:5 says, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,”(NKJV) Gal. 3:24-25 describes the law as a tutor to bring us to Christ. Galatians also clearly teaches that we are not under law nor justified by the works of the law, but under grace through Jesus Christ. Romans 3:31 asks “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.”(NKJV) On upcoming Wednesday nights as we study Galatians, I invite you to search the scriptures and be ready to discuss this important question: how does the law relate to the Christian life?
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