f you know…you know.
Of the many multiple ‘dysfunctions’ that we human possess, and there are many, one of the more commonly shared tendencies we have is the propensity to want to ‘compare ourselves with our selves and by ourselves’ which the bible teaches is just a really dumb thing to do. (2 Cor 10:12)
But. We. Do. It. All. The. Time.
Scripture offers multiple examples of this and Jesus never shied away from confronting it. He pointed out a Pharisee who ‘prayed with himself…thanking God he was not like other men’…then listing just a few of what ‘real sinners’ looked like while following up with all of the righteous and holy things he did regularly. (Luke 18:11)
Then there was our ‘super church member’ in Matt 7:21 who was rather shocked to hear he was denied access into heaven in spite of the many religious things he had done…and even did them in ‘Jesus’ name’. He made it sound as if his resume of activity was good enough to get him in.
Then there was Simon the Pharisee who had Jesus in to his home for a meal when some woman of ill repute intrudes and makes a scene washing the feet of Jesus with her tears. Simon is indignant…wondering if Jesus really has any spiritual discernment because if he did, surely He’d know what kind of woman she was. (Luke 7:39)
Yeah…nothing makes us feel better about ourselves when we can turn the light on someone else who is ‘lower on the food chain’, right? {And may I just add on a personal note here of my puzzlement over why so many seem irate that this new mutation of the virus may take attention away from the Maxwell trial that began this week? I had to Google what many were upset over. Why would any believer be overly pre-occupied with this trial that will bring to light many alleged and horrific crimes? Is that where your heart is drawn to these days? Did word get out that there might be a public stoning? But I digress…)
Now the account I want to focus on here today is the dialogue between a certain lawyer and Jesus who asked Him, ‘What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25.)
It was not the first and only time Jesus was asked this question.
And again, look where Jesus directs the ‘seeker’ to?
“What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” He asked. (26)
Interesting, is it not…that Jesus points him to …the Law, of all things?
So our lawyer responds…and unlike the case of the rich ruler in Matt 19 who began to list many of the commandments to justify himself as one who kept the law, this lawyer sums it up quite nicely. “We are to ‘love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as our self”. (27)
I can see Jesus smiling and maybe even offering up a soft applause with his hands nodding in affirmation as he says to him: “You have answered rightly; do this, and you will live.”
Now if you are a ‘dispensationalist’ who is quick to say: “Yeah…but this was before the cross and now all you have to do is confess with your mouth…” can I just tell you that you are missing the point entirely.
But the conversation did not end there. We read where the lawyer, ‘wanting to justify himself’ asked for clarification on just who his neighbor was which leads us in to the parable of the Good Samaritan. Interesting though, is it not, that the lawyer jumps straight to needing confirmation on what ‘loving one’s neighbor’ entails…as if he was assuming that he’s got the ‘loving God with all his heart’ nailed down pat. As most of us would probably say…”Oh sure…I love God with all my heart”. (It’s His kids I struggle with loving ☺ )
Part of the great deception in many of our modern NT teachings today is little attention is given to the Law. For the NT church early on, the gospel was first being preached to those who knew full well what the law was all about, unlike many of us today. You ask the average believer in any church the relevancy to God’s Law today and you most likely will be greeted with a blank stare, or maybe some words uttered about the 10 Commandments, but usually ending the conversation with a shrug dismissing it as simply historical context and besides, ‘we are not under the Law, but under grace’.
And I would propose therein lies the reason many are suffering needlessly today and are being destroyed by the enemy because of that ignorance pertaining to the Law.
Paul wrote to the Romans: “the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” (7:12) To Timothy, he added “we know the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person; but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, etc, etc (you might want to go read the ‘etc-etc’ in 1 Tim 1:8-10)
May I add a few more? Rom 2:13 – “for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified” and “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.” (1 Cor 7:19)
And of course you know Jesus Himself made it clear early on that He did not come to abolish the Law, rather to fulfill it. (Matt 5:17)
So let me wrap up for this morning with this….
The purpose of these daily postings I was impressed to start sharing here are neither about offering up nor debating the wide range of ‘recipes for salvation’ that we like to argue about all the time.
Our salvation is NOT ‘performance based’ meaning God is not grading on a curve and we need a certain ‘score to get in’.
The single most important question to be addressed, after looking into a mirror (God’s word) is this: Are we walking/abiding in Christ. And what does that look like? Paul even admonishes us to ‘test ourselves and see if Christ is in us- (2 Cor 13:5)
When Jesus was laying out the ‘course outline’ for this new covenant of relationship that He came to establish…He was pretty clear as to what was going to be required.
“You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect”. (Matt 5:48)
Just keep this one thing in mind. What parent, or boss, or coach…would lay down such unrealistic expectations for those they are leading, if they did not have a specific goal and plan in mind to meet those expectations?
Jesus was not teasing us nor trying to neither discourage us nor push us away when He made that statement. (and yes, that word also means ‘complete’)
Sounds like we may need a tutor for this one. :- )
See you tomorrow.
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