If I were to ask you "what is the purpose of Christians?" what would your answer be? Many would say that the purpose behind Christianity is to love God and love others. Even I would say that. That's what Jesus said were the greatest commandments. These were the fulfilling of the Law. These sum up every rule and law that we should follow. So it follows that this is the purpose of Christians: to love God and our neighbours. To obey His word.
What does it mean to "love God"? Are these commandments not the summation of the Law? "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15) Love is the fulfilling of the Law. (Romans 13:10)
Yet, we have never been able to fulfill the Law. We have always broken it. We have always failed to meet the requirements. So we cannot even love in the way we are supposed to.
I've been thinking about this for a while. I tend to think that my efforts of loving God and loving others earn me something.
(See the rest of the poem here.)
I know that I cannot keep the law. Everything I do, everything I think, every time I love, falls back on the sacrifice of Christ. My ability to love correctly springs from the debt He paid, and the transaction of His righteousness accomplished and applied for my sake. His blood has washed away my sin. My attempts at doing what is right are washed in the blood of my Saviour. He has pronounced me able. He has pronounced me clean. My ability to move forward, to know more, to understand, has been given to me because Jesus paid the price for my sinful, willful ignorance.
Now, I do believe that God gives us purpose as His children. I do believe that He commands us, and gives us the ability to carry out His commands. Yet these follow as a result of what Christ has accomplished for us, which is everything. Believe in Christ and Him crucified. Jesus calls us to rest in Him. He has accomplished everything. He has paid the price.
I have to constantly remind myself of this fact. I can so easily fall into the depths of despair, settling into the bottom of the Slough of Despond, because I fail to do something I felt I had to do. Or I do something I felt I had to avoid.
There is such freedom in realizing that Christ has earned the merit that I call my own. It's more than a breath of fresh air. It's a breath of fresh Spring air on the top of a mountain in Scotland after a rain, just after you spent fifty years breathing around dusty old encyclopedias.
"Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:2)
Hallelujah, what a Saviour!
Yet, we have never been able to fulfill the Law. We have always broken it. We have always failed to meet the requirements. So we cannot even love in the way we are supposed to.
I've been thinking about this for a while. I tend to think that my efforts of loving God and loving others earn me something.
One day I found within my heart
someone who’d been there from the start.
A prudish person—self appointed,
self sufficient—self anointed.
Though I, a true disciple be
I’ve met the Pharisee in me!
(See the rest of the poem here.)
I know that I cannot keep the law. Everything I do, everything I think, every time I love, falls back on the sacrifice of Christ. My ability to love correctly springs from the debt He paid, and the transaction of His righteousness accomplished and applied for my sake. His blood has washed away my sin. My attempts at doing what is right are washed in the blood of my Saviour. He has pronounced me able. He has pronounced me clean. My ability to move forward, to know more, to understand, has been given to me because Jesus paid the price for my sinful, willful ignorance.
Now, I do believe that God gives us purpose as His children. I do believe that He commands us, and gives us the ability to carry out His commands. Yet these follow as a result of what Christ has accomplished for us, which is everything. Believe in Christ and Him crucified. Jesus calls us to rest in Him. He has accomplished everything. He has paid the price.
I have to constantly remind myself of this fact. I can so easily fall into the depths of despair, settling into the bottom of the Slough of Despond, because I fail to do something I felt I had to do. Or I do something I felt I had to avoid.
There is such freedom in realizing that Christ has earned the merit that I call my own. It's more than a breath of fresh air. It's a breath of fresh Spring air on the top of a mountain in Scotland after a rain, just after you spent fifty years breathing around dusty old encyclopedias.
"Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:2)
Hallelujah, what a Saviour!
The Title of this post sums up everything. That is it, that is all there is.
ReplyDeleteI almost just posted the title, but then I thought people might wonder if the post was eaten by Blogger. ;)
ReplyDeleteThis quote goes along quite nicely:
ReplyDelete"The foundation of your trust before God, must be either your own righteousness out and out, or the righteousness of Christ out and out. . . If you are to lean upon your own merit, lean upon it wholly — if you are to lean upon Christ, lean upon him wholly. The two will not amalgamate together, and it is the attempt to do so, which keeps many a weary and heavy-laden inquirer at a distance from rest, and at a distance from the truth of the gospel. Maintain a clear and consistent posture. Stand not before God with one foot upon a rock and the other upon a treacherous quicksand...We call upon you not to lean so much as the weight of one grain or scruple of your confidence upon your own doings — to leave this ground entirely, and to come over entirely to the ground of a Redeemer's blood and a Redeemer's righteousness."
~Thomas Chalmers~