Freedom and Slavery: that’s the picture presents in chapter 4 in regard to living by the Law. Jesus came to give us freedom. That’s the Gospel – the Good News – that sets us free from the tyranny of the Law.
What do I mean by the tyranny of the Law? Isn’t the Law good?
Yes, the Law is good, and it reveals how we should live as God’s children. It was out of God’s love that He revealed the Law to Moses. He knew that as sinful people we would need curbs and markers to say, “Do this,” and, “Don’t do that.” So He gave the Ten Commandments, and many other laws to the Israelites. The Law shows how God’s people are to live, “Do not have other gods. Do not misuse God’s name. Worship God. Honor your parents. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not lie about your neighbor. Do not covet.” They not only tell us what the boundaries are as we deal with one another, but they also show us how to live in relationship with God. The additional laws that God revealed to Israel expand upon the Commandments and clarify them in terms of actions and specific behaviors.
The Law has another very important function. It shows us what sin is. The old Latin phrase rings true: lex semper accusat. The Law always accuses, and here is its tyranny. It continuously points to us as the son of the slave woman and shows that we are not worthy to inherit anything from our heavenly Father. The Law is what Satan uses and twists to continually whisper, “Look! Look what he has done,” displaying God as our disapproving Father who judges us.
Yet we have the Spirit of Jesus living within us as people who have been washed of our sins, and set free from the accusations of the Law! When we live in the Gospel we are dressed in Christ, and we are beloved sons. In the Gospel we receive Jesus’ perfection, so when our heavenly Father looks at us He sees a child of promise, one that was longed for and dearly loved. He looks upon us and says, “My child,” and in the Spirit of Jesus we respond, “Abba! Father!”
It is a beautiful thing to be able to call God, “Abba! Father!” “Abba,” is an Aramaic word. It was one of the first words a child learned to says, along with “amma.” As you may have guessed, “amma” is “mommy” and “abba” is “daddy.”
Imagine a little child, so filled with love, so fragile, so dependent, and so confident that his daddy loves him crying out, “Abba!” Certainly it is a cry of joy as the Father’s presence is recognized to be followed by hugs and love. It is also the cry of need. How often when a child is hurt, scared, upset do they call out for their Father? And what does a loving daddy do when he hears his child’s cry? He comes. He helps. He corrects. He guides. He makes it better.
This is the confidence we have in Jesus, and why He teaches us to pray, “Our Father . . . ,” for in those words is an amazing invitation to believe that God is our true Father and we are His true children, so that we can ask Him for whatever we need the same way dear children ask their dear father – with boldness and confidence.
Father, thank you for adopting me and making me free in Jesus. I have not always fully appreciated that you are “Father.” Help me to soak in the full meaning of that promise, and share the joy of having an eternal, loving, Father with others. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
What do I mean by the tyranny of the Law? Isn’t the Law good?
Yes, the Law is good, and it reveals how we should live as God’s children. It was out of God’s love that He revealed the Law to Moses. He knew that as sinful people we would need curbs and markers to say, “Do this,” and, “Don’t do that.” So He gave the Ten Commandments, and many other laws to the Israelites. The Law shows how God’s people are to live, “Do not have other gods. Do not misuse God’s name. Worship God. Honor your parents. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not lie about your neighbor. Do not covet.” They not only tell us what the boundaries are as we deal with one another, but they also show us how to live in relationship with God. The additional laws that God revealed to Israel expand upon the Commandments and clarify them in terms of actions and specific behaviors.
The Law has another very important function. It shows us what sin is. The old Latin phrase rings true: lex semper accusat. The Law always accuses, and here is its tyranny. It continuously points to us as the son of the slave woman and shows that we are not worthy to inherit anything from our heavenly Father. The Law is what Satan uses and twists to continually whisper, “Look! Look what he has done,” displaying God as our disapproving Father who judges us.
Yet we have the Spirit of Jesus living within us as people who have been washed of our sins, and set free from the accusations of the Law! When we live in the Gospel we are dressed in Christ, and we are beloved sons. In the Gospel we receive Jesus’ perfection, so when our heavenly Father looks at us He sees a child of promise, one that was longed for and dearly loved. He looks upon us and says, “My child,” and in the Spirit of Jesus we respond, “Abba! Father!”
It is a beautiful thing to be able to call God, “Abba! Father!” “Abba,” is an Aramaic word. It was one of the first words a child learned to says, along with “amma.” As you may have guessed, “amma” is “mommy” and “abba” is “daddy.”
Imagine a little child, so filled with love, so fragile, so dependent, and so confident that his daddy loves him crying out, “Abba!” Certainly it is a cry of joy as the Father’s presence is recognized to be followed by hugs and love. It is also the cry of need. How often when a child is hurt, scared, upset do they call out for their Father? And what does a loving daddy do when he hears his child’s cry? He comes. He helps. He corrects. He guides. He makes it better.
This is the confidence we have in Jesus, and why He teaches us to pray, “Our Father . . . ,” for in those words is an amazing invitation to believe that God is our true Father and we are His true children, so that we can ask Him for whatever we need the same way dear children ask their dear father – with boldness and confidence.
Father, thank you for adopting me and making me free in Jesus. I have not always fully appreciated that you are “Father.” Help me to soak in the full meaning of that promise, and share the joy of having an eternal, loving, Father with others. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
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