"The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness' sake; He will magnify the law, and make it honorable." Isaiah 42:21
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law...I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." Matthew 5:17
"Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law...Therefore, the law is holy..." Romans 7:7, 12
"Therefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." Galatians 3:24
The "law" is God's immutable code of conduct, a concrete representation of His own holiness. It is immutable because He is immutable: like Him, it does not change or alter; no amendments or addendum's. He has no intention of doing away with it anymore than He has any intention of doing away with Himself. This codex dei is still the same: if you want to abide in the presence of the Holy, then you must be holy; and if you must be holy, then here is what it means to be holy. There is still no escaping those conditions.
"The law hath concluded all under sin" (Galatians 3:22a), "Whosoever shall keep the law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10). The law cannot save us; it was never meant to save us. It was meant to point us to a savior. The law condemns all "so that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." (Galatians 3:22b) God said that he would magnify His law, and He has done it. Jesus Christ is the magnification of the law. In Him, it was fulfilled completely; and in Him, we fulfill it completely. The law was not meant to be a standard for us to meet, but a standard for us to become; and it is in Christ that we become it: "Of God are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us...righteousness..." (I Corinthians 1:30), "For God hath made Christ to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (II Corinthians 5:21)
It is amazing how we forget that God has not changed. From the Old Testament to the New, the law is still the standard, and blood is its price. Whereas once it was fulfilled in temple worship, now it is fulfilled in Christ. It was, however, in Christ so much more than mere fulfillment; it was magnification. On the cross not only came the redemption of all, but also the magnification of these two truths: the law is still the standard, and blood is still its price.
"The Law is Holy, The Lord is Righteous.
May this my plea be:
Christ my Holiness, Christ my Righteousness..."
-Jon Vowell
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law...I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." Matthew 5:17
"Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law...Therefore, the law is holy..." Romans 7:7, 12
"Therefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." Galatians 3:24
The "law" is God's immutable code of conduct, a concrete representation of His own holiness. It is immutable because He is immutable: like Him, it does not change or alter; no amendments or addendum's. He has no intention of doing away with it anymore than He has any intention of doing away with Himself. This codex dei is still the same: if you want to abide in the presence of the Holy, then you must be holy; and if you must be holy, then here is what it means to be holy. There is still no escaping those conditions.
"The law hath concluded all under sin" (Galatians 3:22a), "Whosoever shall keep the law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10). The law cannot save us; it was never meant to save us. It was meant to point us to a savior. The law condemns all "so that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." (Galatians 3:22b) God said that he would magnify His law, and He has done it. Jesus Christ is the magnification of the law. In Him, it was fulfilled completely; and in Him, we fulfill it completely. The law was not meant to be a standard for us to meet, but a standard for us to become; and it is in Christ that we become it: "Of God are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us...righteousness..." (I Corinthians 1:30), "For God hath made Christ to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (II Corinthians 5:21)
It is amazing how we forget that God has not changed. From the Old Testament to the New, the law is still the standard, and blood is its price. Whereas once it was fulfilled in temple worship, now it is fulfilled in Christ. It was, however, in Christ so much more than mere fulfillment; it was magnification. On the cross not only came the redemption of all, but also the magnification of these two truths: the law is still the standard, and blood is still its price.
"The Law is Holy, The Lord is Righteous.
May this my plea be:
Christ my Holiness, Christ my Righteousness..."
-Jon Vowell
No comments:
Post a Comment