My grandma has been married three times. She might have gotten married a fourth, but Alzheimer’s Disease was beginning to rear its ugly head. I should clarify, each of her husbands died, and then, no longer being married, she found another husband. Marriage is, “‘till death do us part.”
So is the law. The law only binds a person as long as we live. If we are united with Jesus’ body in death then the law is no longer our master. We belong to someone else now; to Jesus.
Does that mean God’s law doesn’t matter any more? No. We do not rely on it for our salvation, we have that from Jesus. However, behaving in a manner consistent with God’s law becomes a matter of love. We are no longer compelled, but for the sake of our love for our Savior (a love that reflects his love for us) we seek to do God’s will.
But what happens when you try to obey God’s will? What happens almost any time we try to do good? We find there is something else there. A resistance exist within us that Paul calls the flesh. While in our renewed and resurrected life on earth, which Paul calls the mind, we want to serve God, our flesh wants to go on sinning. This is one of the most important truths that we Christians can grab onto: this conflict is always going on within us. Until Jesus returns to takes us to be with him in glory we will always be both Saint and Sinner. We will always have salvation at work in us, and we will always be drawn toward selfish, unloving, ungodly desires.
The reason this is so important is that as we live the Christian life we are going to see that we fall short of what God’s Law requires of us. There’s a temptation to say, “But wait a second, I died to sin. I’m set free. I have a new life. Why does it look so much like the old life still? I guess I must not be saved.” And what is the basis for that assessment? Our behavior.
What happens is this: we begin to look at what we do to see if we’re saved. Instead of the Gospel being the power of God that saves us completely, totally, and exclusively by faith, the idea creeps in that the Gospel also needs our behavior to save us.
Now, should there be changes in our behavior when we come to faith? Definitely! We are often told, “don’t live like you used to!” But that changed behavior does not save us.
Salvation is all about God’s power at work in Jesus’ death and resurrection. The only way to get it is through faith in Jesus.
So what do we do in those moments where we wonder or doubt our salvation? What do we do when we become frustrated with our faults and failings? Leave it to Jesus. As Paul says, “Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
So what do we do about the behavior, the good works we want? Keep trying. Pray. Keep striving. Read the Bible. But at the end of the day, let your salvation be about what Jesus has done for you, not what you have tried to do for Jesus.
Father in Heaven, thank you for making salvation be solely by your power. I fall short every day of what the Law requires for me and my “flesh” wrestles with my “mind,” help me to do your will and rejoice in the desire to serve you. If my life is an example of your power at Work, I ask that you would help me to display your power rightly, so people can see what it means to be forgiven and at peace with You. In Jesus name. Amen.
So is the law. The law only binds a person as long as we live. If we are united with Jesus’ body in death then the law is no longer our master. We belong to someone else now; to Jesus.
Does that mean God’s law doesn’t matter any more? No. We do not rely on it for our salvation, we have that from Jesus. However, behaving in a manner consistent with God’s law becomes a matter of love. We are no longer compelled, but for the sake of our love for our Savior (a love that reflects his love for us) we seek to do God’s will.
But what happens when you try to obey God’s will? What happens almost any time we try to do good? We find there is something else there. A resistance exist within us that Paul calls the flesh. While in our renewed and resurrected life on earth, which Paul calls the mind, we want to serve God, our flesh wants to go on sinning. This is one of the most important truths that we Christians can grab onto: this conflict is always going on within us. Until Jesus returns to takes us to be with him in glory we will always be both Saint and Sinner. We will always have salvation at work in us, and we will always be drawn toward selfish, unloving, ungodly desires.
The reason this is so important is that as we live the Christian life we are going to see that we fall short of what God’s Law requires of us. There’s a temptation to say, “But wait a second, I died to sin. I’m set free. I have a new life. Why does it look so much like the old life still? I guess I must not be saved.” And what is the basis for that assessment? Our behavior.
What happens is this: we begin to look at what we do to see if we’re saved. Instead of the Gospel being the power of God that saves us completely, totally, and exclusively by faith, the idea creeps in that the Gospel also needs our behavior to save us.
Now, should there be changes in our behavior when we come to faith? Definitely! We are often told, “don’t live like you used to!” But that changed behavior does not save us.
Salvation is all about God’s power at work in Jesus’ death and resurrection. The only way to get it is through faith in Jesus.
So what do we do in those moments where we wonder or doubt our salvation? What do we do when we become frustrated with our faults and failings? Leave it to Jesus. As Paul says, “Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
So what do we do about the behavior, the good works we want? Keep trying. Pray. Keep striving. Read the Bible. But at the end of the day, let your salvation be about what Jesus has done for you, not what you have tried to do for Jesus.
Father in Heaven, thank you for making salvation be solely by your power. I fall short every day of what the Law requires for me and my “flesh” wrestles with my “mind,” help me to do your will and rejoice in the desire to serve you. If my life is an example of your power at Work, I ask that you would help me to display your power rightly, so people can see what it means to be forgiven and at peace with You. In Jesus name. Amen.
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