I’m preaching a series on the 10 Commandments called, “Law and Order.”
So far, it’s being received well, although one member told me that she was initially concerned that I was going to try to put Journey Church under the Law again and that she was happy that I wasn’t. How funny!
Of course not. We are not under law, but under grace.
We are not bound by the law, but we are wise to follow it’s guidance.
Dr. James Smith (a.k.a. The Bible Professor) compares the Mosaic Law to a compass pointing the way to holiness.
In my studies for this series, I’ve encountered a book that I’ve found to be most helpful called The Sinai Summit by Rick Atchley.
Atchley makes a point about the purpose of the Law that I found intriguing. He writes, “God did not bring Israel out of slavery so that he could make them slaves all over again; he brought them out of slavery so that they could be free. And he gave them these principles (10 Commands) for living so that they would know how to live freely.” (p. 20) The Israelites had been in bondage for about 400 years and didn’t know what it was like to make independent choices. Every significant choice had been made for them for generations and God knew that they needed boundaries if they were to remain truly free.
As Atchley points out, not all limits bind.
I tell my kids that they can’t cross busy intersections without getting off their bikes and looking both ways, not to keep them from riding their bikes, but to keep them safe.
I tell my 5-year-old daughter that she can’t walk around the block by herself, not to keep her from exploring the world, but to keep her from falling victim to a danger stranger.
I tell my boys that they can’t hit their younger sister, not to keep them from hurting her, but to keep them from being beaten to a pulp and permanently maimed by her brute strength–but that’s a different story.
Laws allow room for life.
Yes, we are under grace and not under the Law, but the more I study for this series, the more I realize that the Law was really an amazing form of grace.
June 17, 2009 at 1:08 pm |
It would seem to me that mercy would be a better word. The new Testament contrasts the law and grace a number of times…
-John 1:17
-Rom 6:14 & 15
-Galatians 5:4
I see your point that the law gave them direction in the darkness, showing them how to live. But more over I think it showed them their need for righteousness and, because they lacked that, their need for salvation. And by doing so the death sentance was the ultimate outcome for those who would not seek the Lord’s salvation.