Imagine our knowledge of God as a sharply polished point, a point worked on by tools onto a rod of, say, steel. A scribe, an engraving tool. The tool serves to write on peoples' hearts. Indeed the knowledge of God has power to change our hearts for the better.
Imagine we are working on that point from three different angles. If you are mathematically inclined that means you turn your steel rod through 120 degrees and work at polishing it again.
The sharper the point, the more effective the scribing tool will be.
Remember the scribing tool represents our knowledge of God.
So what are the three directions from which we sharpen the point? What are the three areas which we need to reconcile in order to relate to God successfully? I would suggest these three:
The Righteousness of God; his idea of right behaviour, which we must accept, because he is not going to change it. His righteousness represents the ultimate and eternal demands of God on us, because without holiness we will not see the Lord. God's righteousness is not relative and it is not cultural, His demands are absolute, He is a holy God.
Sacrifice, the path by which our failings and failure to live right are covered until we learn to live right.
Empowerment, the ability and energy to live right.
These themes run right through scripture.
The person of Jesus and his life have completely answered these three issues. The Gospel means everything is resolved; the point is sharp.
Jesus taught the righteousness of God in a very exacting way. The physical act of sin in transgressing the Ten Commandments was outlawed under Moses; Jesus makes it clear that God is after more. He is purity of heart, and that is what he is looking for in us. Reading the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 and 6 makes this difference between action and intent clear.
Likewise, the Book of Hebrews makes it clear that the Old Covenant of Sinai gives an inadequate, temporary sacrificial system which leaves an abiding consciousness of sin. Jesus, however, is a completely effective sacrifice for all sin.
Romans 8v9 and 1 Corinthians 15v45 makes it clear that Jesus, when he ascended, was One with the Life -Giving Spirt. The very nature, power and ability of God Himself is available to us to fulfill His requirements, His righteousness.
The Law, on the other hand, only takes us part of the way down each of these three roads, righteousness, sacrifice and empowerment.The point is blunt. The scribe cannot write effectively on the human heart.
As explained above, the Law tends to deal with the externals of righteousness. It cannot get to the deep underlying problems of the heart. Jesus highlighted underlying conditions in his teaching; the things that make a heart worthy or unworthy of eternal life in heaven.
Likewise, Jesus offered up, as both High Priest and Sacrifice, a completely effective atonement for all sin for all time, past, present and future. The Law was only a temporary covering, not a remission, for sins for those who kept the rigid and costly levitical sacrificial system.
In terms of empowerment, the Law is weakest. It does not actually help you to live right. it is here that the New Covenant is the most wonderful, because it empowers us with God Himself, as the Holy Spirit.
We need to be aware of and thankful regarding these differences, and how fortunate we are that we are under the New Covenant of Grace! Righteousness, sacrifice and power are effective and abundantly and freely available.
Imagine we are working on that point from three different angles. If you are mathematically inclined that means you turn your steel rod through 120 degrees and work at polishing it again.
The sharper the point, the more effective the scribing tool will be.
Remember the scribing tool represents our knowledge of God.
So what are the three directions from which we sharpen the point? What are the three areas which we need to reconcile in order to relate to God successfully? I would suggest these three:
The Righteousness of God; his idea of right behaviour, which we must accept, because he is not going to change it. His righteousness represents the ultimate and eternal demands of God on us, because without holiness we will not see the Lord. God's righteousness is not relative and it is not cultural, His demands are absolute, He is a holy God.
Sacrifice, the path by which our failings and failure to live right are covered until we learn to live right.
Empowerment, the ability and energy to live right.
These themes run right through scripture.
The person of Jesus and his life have completely answered these three issues. The Gospel means everything is resolved; the point is sharp.
Jesus taught the righteousness of God in a very exacting way. The physical act of sin in transgressing the Ten Commandments was outlawed under Moses; Jesus makes it clear that God is after more. He is purity of heart, and that is what he is looking for in us. Reading the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 and 6 makes this difference between action and intent clear.
Likewise, the Book of Hebrews makes it clear that the Old Covenant of Sinai gives an inadequate, temporary sacrificial system which leaves an abiding consciousness of sin. Jesus, however, is a completely effective sacrifice for all sin.
Romans 8v9 and 1 Corinthians 15v45 makes it clear that Jesus, when he ascended, was One with the Life -Giving Spirt. The very nature, power and ability of God Himself is available to us to fulfill His requirements, His righteousness.
The Law, on the other hand, only takes us part of the way down each of these three roads, righteousness, sacrifice and empowerment.The point is blunt. The scribe cannot write effectively on the human heart.
As explained above, the Law tends to deal with the externals of righteousness. It cannot get to the deep underlying problems of the heart. Jesus highlighted underlying conditions in his teaching; the things that make a heart worthy or unworthy of eternal life in heaven.
Likewise, Jesus offered up, as both High Priest and Sacrifice, a completely effective atonement for all sin for all time, past, present and future. The Law was only a temporary covering, not a remission, for sins for those who kept the rigid and costly levitical sacrificial system.
In terms of empowerment, the Law is weakest. It does not actually help you to live right. it is here that the New Covenant is the most wonderful, because it empowers us with God Himself, as the Holy Spirit.
We need to be aware of and thankful regarding these differences, and how fortunate we are that we are under the New Covenant of Grace! Righteousness, sacrifice and power are effective and abundantly and freely available.
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