Thursday, October 06, 2005
Context Matters
When we focus too single mindedly on anything, things fall out of balance and can get ugly. This post from Adrian Warnock made me think of that. Now, I know Adrian well enough to know that he personally has the correct context for his statements, but others can take words like these and run with them. Adrian says
Indeed we must rely utterly on the Spirit for our transformation, but the law is the yardstick by which we measure that transformation and knowledge of and reliance upon it is very necessary to know that we are indeed transforming. The law and the Spirit are not an either/or proposition. The Spirit give us the power and the will to obey and behave in the fashion that the law dictates. No, we do not rely on the law for our transformation, but more importantly we do not rely on our own ability to conform to it.
Herein is what Jesus meant when He said He came "not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it." His death and resurrection paved the way for the Spirit to enable us to live by the law, thus fulfilling it.
Law says "thou shalt not". The spirit says "thou shalt". The Law tells us what not to do. The Spirit tells us what to do....Truly, the life transformation promised by Christ is the work of the Spirit and not an act of sheer will of obedience. But consider
...I am more and more convinced that we need to rely more on the spirits work and less on the work of the law to change our lives and help us defeat sin.
- the "urgings of the Spirit" have lead to financial crime in numerous minstry
- the "spirit" has given many a pastor "a word" that he was supposed to sleep with women in his congregation
- murder has been committed at the behest of "the spirit"
- Jim Jones certainly felt "lead by the spirit."
As I said, we cannot achieve the true promise of Chirst absent His Holy Spirit, but it must be in the context of study and knowledge of His Law. The apostle Paul said
Rom 3:20 - because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.From the knowledge of sin comes repentance and from repentance comes salvation. The law does in fact play a key role in our relationship with Christ. It is the filter through which we pass our "urgings" to determine those that are of the Spirit and those that are of our flesh.
Indeed we must rely utterly on the Spirit for our transformation, but the law is the yardstick by which we measure that transformation and knowledge of and reliance upon it is very necessary to know that we are indeed transforming. The law and the Spirit are not an either/or proposition. The Spirit give us the power and the will to obey and behave in the fashion that the law dictates. No, we do not rely on the law for our transformation, but more importantly we do not rely on our own ability to conform to it.
Herein is what Jesus meant when He said He came "not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it." His death and resurrection paved the way for the Spirit to enable us to live by the law, thus fulfilling it.
