Faith and the Bible, part 2
And now, moving on to part 2 of my paper. "What does it mean to read the Bible faithfully?" In this section, we'll look into the instances and applications of faith in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, the positive and the negative halves of the old covenant, and its relationship to the new covenant that arrives in the New Testament.
First of all, readers of the Bible should not be alarmed by the stark difference in tone between the Old and New Testaments in regard to faith. I don’t believe the new covenant was ever meant to say the Abrahamic covenant was wrong. Otherwise, why would God establish it in the first place? That would be admitting God made a mistake, which is a direct violation of His perfect character. Likewise, salvation by faith in Jesus Christ isn’t supposed to liberate people from obedience to the Ten Commandments, and keeping orderly lives (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). If that were true, what would be the point of upholding the Constitution or living under the laws in an organized society?
According to Paul, the Law in itself contained a positive and negative factor (Galatians 3:18-19). On the positive side, it revealed facets of God’s sovereign nature and His transcendent dominion over the creation. It also taught His followers how to conduct themselves and model their lives in ways that were pleasing to Him. On the negative front, those same commandments, the actions God specifically instructed His people not to commit through His servant Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:3-17) point out the utter depravity of mankind. In other words, when we see what we ought not to do, it further highlights the depth of our sin and how much we have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). How is that? It’s our core nature. We are sinners: therefore we sin.
Paul explained that while the Law is pure and innocent on the surface, obedience to it alone is insufficient to gain access to God’s mercy. The Law’s purpose was not to redeem mankind, but to indicate how mankind has fallen short, and therefore needs salvation from his transgressions. In other words, it exposes the sin of the old nature, directing man to the light of a new nature in God. I can't do it alone. I can’t “save” myself under my own power: so I need God’s help. The Law tells us what sin is, thereby opening the door for us to disobey God (Rom.7: 7). As sinners at heart, we are bound to the law by our old nature and are therefore condemned to death by it.
How are God’s Commandments in fact a death sentence for man? Let me give two reasons. First, if what Paul says is true, being that we are slaves to sin and therefore death (Romans 3:23 & 6:16), then we have absolutely no hope of obeying every commandment ordained by God. Because our nature is imperfect, our actions must reflect it as such on the surface. It’s like looking at a distorted image presented from a cracked mirror. This is why salvation through the law alone is impossible. Second, the law in itself is helpless; it can’t bring us back to God. That would be saying I did something to earn God’s favor, which exalts my pride and my actions. It eliminates Jesus’ sacrifice from the picture.
This is where I find the basis for faith. Paul stated that when Christ came to the Earth born of a virgin to be a sacrificial lamb, the need for the law ended. He believed that God issued the Commandments to show how everyone stood guilty before Him, forever incapable of bridging the gap through their own devices (Galatians 3:19). It would teach them about God’s character and His sovereignty, and how their sinful humanity pales in comparison so that when the Messiah finally arrived, they could better understand his work (Hebrews 10:1-4). Concepts such as clean and unclean, baptism, circumcision, and Jewish or Gentile descent no longer held their former meaning. Accessibility to God’s grace was open for everyone who had faith that Jesus was Lord and believed in His death and resurrection (Romans 10:9-10).
To Be Continued...
Oh yeah. Minor note. Happy 21st birthday, me. :)
Song of the Day: Alathea - "Save Me"
Verse of the Day: "I will go before you and will level the mountains ... I will give you the treasures of darkness so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by name." - Isaiah 45:2-3
First of all, readers of the Bible should not be alarmed by the stark difference in tone between the Old and New Testaments in regard to faith. I don’t believe the new covenant was ever meant to say the Abrahamic covenant was wrong. Otherwise, why would God establish it in the first place? That would be admitting God made a mistake, which is a direct violation of His perfect character. Likewise, salvation by faith in Jesus Christ isn’t supposed to liberate people from obedience to the Ten Commandments, and keeping orderly lives (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). If that were true, what would be the point of upholding the Constitution or living under the laws in an organized society?
According to Paul, the Law in itself contained a positive and negative factor (Galatians 3:18-19). On the positive side, it revealed facets of God’s sovereign nature and His transcendent dominion over the creation. It also taught His followers how to conduct themselves and model their lives in ways that were pleasing to Him. On the negative front, those same commandments, the actions God specifically instructed His people not to commit through His servant Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:3-17) point out the utter depravity of mankind. In other words, when we see what we ought not to do, it further highlights the depth of our sin and how much we have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). How is that? It’s our core nature. We are sinners: therefore we sin.
Paul explained that while the Law is pure and innocent on the surface, obedience to it alone is insufficient to gain access to God’s mercy. The Law’s purpose was not to redeem mankind, but to indicate how mankind has fallen short, and therefore needs salvation from his transgressions. In other words, it exposes the sin of the old nature, directing man to the light of a new nature in God. I can't do it alone. I can’t “save” myself under my own power: so I need God’s help. The Law tells us what sin is, thereby opening the door for us to disobey God (Rom.7: 7). As sinners at heart, we are bound to the law by our old nature and are therefore condemned to death by it.
How are God’s Commandments in fact a death sentence for man? Let me give two reasons. First, if what Paul says is true, being that we are slaves to sin and therefore death (Romans 3:23 & 6:16), then we have absolutely no hope of obeying every commandment ordained by God. Because our nature is imperfect, our actions must reflect it as such on the surface. It’s like looking at a distorted image presented from a cracked mirror. This is why salvation through the law alone is impossible. Second, the law in itself is helpless; it can’t bring us back to God. That would be saying I did something to earn God’s favor, which exalts my pride and my actions. It eliminates Jesus’ sacrifice from the picture.
This is where I find the basis for faith. Paul stated that when Christ came to the Earth born of a virgin to be a sacrificial lamb, the need for the law ended. He believed that God issued the Commandments to show how everyone stood guilty before Him, forever incapable of bridging the gap through their own devices (Galatians 3:19). It would teach them about God’s character and His sovereignty, and how their sinful humanity pales in comparison so that when the Messiah finally arrived, they could better understand his work (Hebrews 10:1-4). Concepts such as clean and unclean, baptism, circumcision, and Jewish or Gentile descent no longer held their former meaning. Accessibility to God’s grace was open for everyone who had faith that Jesus was Lord and believed in His death and resurrection (Romans 10:9-10).
To Be Continued...
Oh yeah. Minor note. Happy 21st birthday, me. :)
Song of the Day: Alathea - "Save Me"
Verse of the Day: "I will go before you and will level the mountains ... I will give you the treasures of darkness so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by name." - Isaiah 45:2-3
posted by david @ 1:47 PM
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