faith for faith

In writing this, I find myself standing in the middle of a conflict that has been raging for decades that has found perhaps its most covered expression in recent history in Glenn Beck’s call to “revival” this past weekend in Washington. And from what I have gathered, those who have participated in this call to some sort of spiritual revival in our country claim not to have done so for the sake of politics, but they have done so in order to recover our country’s supposed Christian / godly roots.

On the one hand, it is hard not to sympathize with such a call, for the generation in which we live is quite arguably the most overtly godless one our country has ever had. And while it can certainly be argued that this country has been filled with ungodly people throughout its short history, never have we seen such a commitment by its citizens to delight in that which is so contrary to the law of God, be it social injustice, the parading of homosexuality, idolatry, etc. It seems as though something must be done, and there are obviously people who are attempting to do “something” about it.

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In my short life I have been a part of a few accountability groups and have witnessed a few in action, and I also have witnessed others confess things before the church seeking help with particular sins and weaknesses. And unfortunately, the way that confessed sin is oftentimes addressed is not with disgust and loving rebuke, but it is with an impotent sympathy that does more to ease the conscience of the confessor than it does to address the problem which he confessed. And I am not guiltless of this. I have had brothers confide struggles with me, and I have neglected their sin by assuring them that we all struggle with similar sins. What I should have done (and what we should do) is, even if we can sympathize with their struggle, address their sin in such a way that they would want to be rid of it, not so that they would feel better about themselves in their sinning.

For in addressing sin in this way, we are actually doing more harm than good, for instead of nurturing a public sort of conviction for the confessor so that he would be all the more diligent in the mortification of his sin, we downplay the seriousness of his sin and weaken the conviction that he has by our supposed sympathy. And while we might understand certain struggles and while we might share the same struggles, we should be wholeheartedly committed to the destruction of those sins rather than edifying a brother or sister with false edification.

We hear it incessantly. “Truth is relative.” “There is no one way to God.” “All will be redeemed if their good deeds outweigh their evil ones.” On and on we receive commentary from mortal men that is based upon their humble estimations about who an immortal God is and how he acts. And even among those who claim to seek their understanding about God from an outside source such as the Book of Mormon or the Quran, we start to see some striking similarities among them all.

This similarity is this, namely that there is good and there is evil, and men, in order live eternally, must do more good deeds than evil deeds. It is the burden of men, not to know God chiefly, but to appease him with works. It is pervasive among all religions, whether they be personally conjured or based upon antiquity, and they all share the exact same principle though expressed in different terminology and played with different sorts of rules. Well, that is all religions save one.

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It has now been a little over a year since we first thought of beginning our Journey to Unindebtedness, and I have to say that it has been the most challenging year of my life, and I’ve little doubt that my wife would not say the same. It has been trying and complex, but, through it all, we cannot help but to have seen the sovereign hand of good and gracious God through it all. Even so, living life from day to day has been constant challenge to our faith and consequently to our godliness, and dealing with the struggles that seem to come up constantly can easily blind us to the Reality that encompasses it all. It is for us, as it were, a missing of the forest for the trees.

And while we must live our lives from day-to-day and direct each one toward the glory of God, it is of utmost importance to live a life of reflection upon the goodness of our God in Christ. For in not doing so (to which I can readily testify), we effortlessly fall into fits of grumbling and disbelief, much like the Israelites of old who grumbled against the God who for them parted the Red Sea. Therefore, this post is for me a reflection upon these things, and it also a much needed update in the series that I hope will be of some edification to you and your strivings for Christ-likeness.

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Being that in our course of questions we have to the question, “Why then the Law?” it is fitting that we remain with the one who drove us most quickly to the point—the apostle Paul. He answers this question, writing:

Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe (Gal. 3:19-22).

To answer our present question, “Why then the Law?” the most obvious course is to unpack the answer that the apostle gives. However, before we begin to answer that question, it is good to reiterate what has brought us to this point.

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When we speak about the Law in Christianity, it is an extremely touchy subject. It is such because there are so many varying understandings and applications of it that one can scarcely make any comment on the subject whatsoever without offending someone. And because the responses to critiques are such, few venture to comment on it not wishing to dirty their hands in the process. Therefore, we have little in way of healthy discussion upon the Law and its implications on Christian life, and we see bits and pieces taken from the Law applied here and there in church settings without much explanation as to why some laws are valid and why others are considered annulled.

However, when we turn to the New Testament and especially in the writings of Paul, we find that the authors are not hesitant in the least to address the matter. Paul’s letter to the Galatian church, for example, is almost in full an explanation of the Law and a critique of the Galatian church’s view and practice of it. Since the New Testament writers (i.e. those who lived and wrote after the coming of Christ) are not silent on the Law, why have we become so? And even if we have not been silent, why is there a seeming disparity between our own interpretations and applications?

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