Saturday, November 30, 2024

The Scriptures make it clear that our connection to the law is far more profound than simply being justified in the eyes of God. Many theologians argue that before we attain salvation, we are subject to the law's condemnation and exist in a state of spiritual death due to our sins. However, upon receiving salvation, it is believed that Christ fulfills the law on our behalf. Yet, these theologians also argue that our renewed connection with the law is primarily intended to guide us toward Christ. This viewpoint, however, reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of the law's role in our sanctification process. By asserting that the law continues to condemn sinners, there is an implication that we must constantly grapple with the law's condemning nature, which is said to drive us to seek Christ. This perspective muddles the clear distinction between the law's purpose in leading us to repentance that brings life and its function in our transformation after we have received salvation. It is common to confuse how the law influences our hearts before and after we are converted. As we pursue biblical truth, it is essential to acknowledge that a lack of understanding of the Word places us at a significant disadvantage. Our comprehension of God's love is deeply intertwined with our knowledge of Scripture; indeed, ignorance is far from bliss. The Bible is crafted to bring about a transformation in our minds, a process that occurs through what is often referred to as "illumination." Simply engaging in textual analysis through cross-referencing and word studies is not enough; we must develop such a familiarity with Scripture that the significance of words and themes we have previously encountered resonates throughout the entirety of the text. This approach allows us to place our study and worship of God within a broader context of spiritual warfare and our legal standing before Him. When we engage in worship or partake in communion, we are, in effect, standing against the entirety of the kingdom of darkness. Real victory in this spiritual struggle is achieved through worship. We do not stand as guilty individuals before a judge who is interrogating us; instead, we stand as innocent people defended by the Spirit and the Word of God. It is essential to understand that if we are no longer under the law's condemning power, we cannot remain in the same condition as we were prior to regeneration. While the doctrines of grace do not lessen the importance of God's law, they instead confirm our union with Him through the perfect law, enabling us to embody His standards as redeemed individuals. All values and measures ultimately find their grounding in God's law, which cannot adopt a neutral position or be diminished by our ability to meditate on or receive teaching. Without this unchanging law, we risk establishing an unstable and insecure foundation. Sanctification does not imply that the law approaches us; rather, we can achieve nothing apart from God's standard of law-keeping, which reflects His eternal and unchanging nature. Our spiritual growth is determined by our relationship with the law and how we choose to engage with it, as it is impossible for us to alter or diminish its significance. God remains constant and unchanging. To be accepted in light of the law's full requirements, we must depend on the enabling grace of Christ's substitutionary work. Therefore, what truly matters is not the distance of the law from us, but how we interact with it in alignment with God's relational standards. We find ourselves in a world where humanity frequently honors false gods, diminishing the glory of the true God and elevating created things above the majesty of the Creator. This reality indicates that to speak against God is to misrepresent His Word. The elect, those chosen by God, are thus called to confront the wicked and declare judgment in response to their actions. The teachings found in the Psalms represent more than simple calls to holiness or the condemnation of the law; they signify a powerful declaration of spiritual warfare, especially as the elect stand firm against the law in their pursuit of righteousness.

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