Patterns of Law & Grace
“The Law and the Gospel”
[Patterns of Grace]
December 8, 2012
Sabbath School Class
Larry R Evans
Introduction
“There is an old story about a navy warship that was heading
through the fog one night when a distant, faint light appeared directly in
their heading. As they continued, it got
brighter and the captain walked to the helm to assess the situation. Abut that time a voice came over the radio
and said, ‘Attention. Calling the vessel traveling eighteen knots on a 220
heading, adjust your course thirty degrees, immediately.’
The captain got on the radio and responded, ‘This is the
vessel on the 220 heading. You adjust
your course thirty degrees.’
‘Negative, Captain.
You adjust,’ came the reply.
‘I am an admiral in the United Sates navy.’ Said the
commander. ‘Who am I speaking to?’
‘I am an ensign in the U.S. Coast Guard.’
‘Then, I suggest you adjust your course.’
‘No, sir. I suggest that you adjust yours.’
‘We are a U.S. navy warship,’ said the admiral. ‘ You
adjust.’
‘We are a lighthouse,’ said the ensign.’
Some things are just bigger than we are. But that doesn’t mean that we always know that they are. . . . To live and
flourish, we must bow to the things larger than us.”
(Dr. Henry Cloud in Integrity:
the courage to meet the demands of reality, pp. 239-240)
We sometimes approach this subject, “The Law and the
Gospel”, in a polemical way – as if it were some kind forum for a debate. We, of course, speak-up in defense of the
seventh-day Sabbath—and rightly so. I’d
like to suggest, however, that like the admiral in our illustration our pride,
our intelligence, our training all need to give way and listen to the
principles behind why God says what He says.
This brings us to the crossroads of our own salvation. Luther once said, “History is like a drunk man on a
horse. No sooner does he fall off on the
left side, does he mount again and fall off on the right.”
{Some have accepted the gospel of legalism and they believe
that salvation is by grace alone but sanctification comes by their own efforts
of trying hard to be a good Christian.
In reaction to legalism and the devastation that it brings to other
people, some have accepted the gospel of libertinism. Libertines are folks who live the way they
want and have skirted the Lordship of Christ and all that it means.} (excepted
from Beyond Evangelical by Frank
Viola)
Reflective Quiz
1. The law brings joy. (Ps 19:7,8; Rom 7:12, 21-25) True and False
The first two chapters in the book of Psalms really serve as
an introduction to the whole book. Psalm
1 introduces us to the Lord’s instruction in wisdom. The person of God’s choice lives by divine
instruction and is not influenced by evildoers.
Psalm 1 introduces us to the ideal person. Psalm 2, on the on the other hand,
speaks of the rebellion of the nations and of the wicked, of the judgment they
will face. The very freedom God offers
to them is perceived to be chains of bondage! (2:3) In contrast to the wicked rulers of the
earth, Psalm 2 introduces us to the ideal king—the Messiah. These two themes
address multiple questions that are raised throughout the book. In Psalm 1 the psalmist strongly contrasts the
happiness of the godly with the condemnation of the wicked. In the end, the way of wisdom will triumph!
Psalm 19 is part of this section (Book 1) which reveals
God’s purpose in the world. Notice Psalm
19:7,8,
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul. The statutes
of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord
are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord
are radiant, giving light to the
eyes.
The theme of this entire chapter is about the impact that
God’s wisdom makes upon both nature and man.
Remaining or choosing to stay within the wisdom of God brings joy. Notice how the psalmist fights not to be
controlled by sin.
12 Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful
sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. (Ps 19:12,13)
That reminds us of Paul’s own experience as his nature
struggled with the will of God.
21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there
with me. 22 For in my inner
being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in the
members of my body, waging war against
the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue
me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be
to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So
then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law
of sin. (Rom 7:21-25)
So I ask you – Does the law bring joy or sadness &
frustration? In this case, does it
really matter what law we are talking about? Why?
2. Grace precedes law. (Gn 6:18;
8:20-9:17; Gn 12:1-3; 15:1-5; 15:18; Ex 19:4,5; 20:12) True
Which comes first law or grace? Why is the order important?
See the study at the
end of these notes in which we outline how God’s grace always precedes His
expectations from us.
3. We are justified by grace but
sanctified by obedience. (Rom 3:10; 7:7; 1 Cor 6:11; Rom 6:4) False
“There are those
who attempt to ascend the ladder of Christian progress; but as they advance
they begin to put their trust in the power of man, and soon lose sight of
Jesus, the Author and Finisher of their faith. The result is failure—the loss
of all that has been gained. – Ellen White in Acts of the Apostles 532
Do you agree with the following statement? {Some have
accepted the gospel of legalism and they believe that salvation is by grace
alone but sanctification comes by their own efforts of trying hard to be a good
Christian. In reaction to legalism and
the devastation that it brings to other people, some have accepted the gospel
of libertinism. Libertines are folks who
live the way they want and have skirted the Lordship of Christ and all that it
means.} (excepted from Beyond Evangelical
by Frank Viola)
11 And that is what some of you were.
[see vss 9-10] But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the
Spirit of our God. (1 Cor. 6:11)
We are just as dependent upon Christ for our sanctification as we are for our justification.
4. The Sabbath was given to us so that we
will be rested for next week’s work. (Ex
20:1,2, 8-11; Deut. 5:12-15; Gn 2:1-3; Heb 4:9-11) False
Note the quote in the SS quarterly: “The Sabbath is not portrayed as a day of
recuperation from those too weak to keep working day after day without
rest. It is portrayed rather as a
stoppage good for everyone, for the purpose of refocusing on holiness
(all concerns that stem from belonging to God, which is what holiness is) in
order to enjoy God’s blessings of that day and its potential.” Douglas K.
Stuart in The New American Commentary,
Exodus, vol. 2, p.460)
Note the context of the Sabbath in the texts provided in the
question above. (Creation and the time
of the exodus) No wonder, then, that the Sabbath is referenced in Heb. 4:9-11,
9 There remains, then, a Sabbath–rest
for the people of God; 10 for anyone who
enters God’s rest also rests from his own work,
just as God did from his. 11 Let
us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall
by following their example of disobedience.
Do we also need to give greater focus to holiness? Is it possible to minimize holiness when we
focus on just the physical rest afforded by having one day off in seven?
5. Because Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath He
has the authority to change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. (Mk 2:27,28;
Col 1:14-16; Heb. 4:3-9; Ps 119:151-152)
True
But why would He? He
is the Lord of the Sabbath (Mk 2:27,28) and certainly could make the changes He
would thing necessary for our salvation.
He is the Creator and knows very well the nature of man and what is
needed to restore him to His image. Note
Ps 119:152-152
150 Those who devise wicked
schemes are near, but they are far from your law.
151 Yet you are near, O
Lord, and all your commands are
true.
152 Long ago I learned from your
statutes that you established them to
last forever. (Ps 119:150-152)
If the law indeed has the purpose of helping man realize
God’s purpose and how we have fallen, and the Sabbath is specifically designed
to refocus our attention upon our Creator and Saviour and His calling us to
true holiness would, it only sounds reasonable for the enemy of God to seek to
destroy the very principles that are the foundation of His kingdom?
6. The Sabbath is a sign of peace in a
world filled with war. (Matt 11:28; Isa
58:13,14) True
The abuse of anything should not detract from its original
design. So it is true of God’s law and
Sabbath. Note the following words
regarding the true meaning of the Sabbath.
“[Isa. 58:13-14 quoted] . . .To all who receive the Sabbath
as a sign of Christ’s creative and redeeming power, it will be a delight. Seeing Christ in it, they delight themselves
in Him. The Sabbath points them to the
works of creation as an evidence of His mighty power in redemption. While it calls to mind the lost peace of
Eden, it tells of peace restored through the Saviour. And every object in nature repeats His
invitation, ‘Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will
give you rest.’” Matt ll28. Ellen G.
White, The Desire of Ages, p. 289
The following are some study notes of mine I did along with this week’s
Sabbath School lesson. They are rough
notes to myself but perhaps they may be helpful. They are not meant to be final so I do risk
even sharing them at this point.—LRE
|
Patterns of Grace & Law
|
Are
grace and law really in opposition to each other or do they have a unique and
complimentary role? Do we see patterns in Scripture that reveal this
role?
In the
Bible God's gift of salvation comes wrapped in covenants, and grace and law are
both integral parts of God's covenant. Grace precedes law as a pattern of
God's revelations for His people.
1.
When Noah faced the Flood, God gave him a means of
deliverance. Once the deliverance had been accomplished, God entered
into a covenant with Noah and gave him instructions how to live after the
Flood.
• God's "heart was filled with
pain" (Gn 6:6) but in the midst of this pain God found Noah who was
blameless and he "walked with God" (Gn 6:9)
• God promises to make a covenant with
Noah. (Gn 6:18)
• Flood waters came and destroyed all but
Noah's family and what he had taken aboard the ark. (Gn 7)
• God remembered Noah (Gn 8:1), Noah and
all that was in the ark was saved from the flood waters (Gn 8:15-17)
• Noah built an altar to The Lord (Gn 8:20)
• God makes a covenant with Noah and his
descendants to never again to destroy the earth by water (Gn 9:8,11).
• Instruction: The rainbow is the sign of
the covenant -- "between God and all living creatures of every kind on the
earth." (Gn 9:16,17)
2.
When God called Abraham out of his home country to a new
land, he extended grace to him first.
• In contrast to the builders of the
Tower of Babel who sought to "make a name for ourselves and not be
scattered over the face of the whole earth" (Gn 11:4) God calls Abram and
He promises to give Abram not only a new name but a "great nation."
(Gn 12:1-3)
• He journeyed out of his home country
(Haran) to the land of Canaan. (Gn 12:4,5) a land given to him by God. (see Gn
15:7).
• With the promise to make of Abram a
great nation, yet he remained childless. (Gn 15:2)
• God's restates HIs covenant with Abram
-- his offspring would be like the number of stars in the heavens. (Gn 15:5)
Ratified through a ritual. (v.18)
• His name changed to Abraham (Gn 17:5)
Everlasting covenant established with Abraham and future generations.
• Instruction given for circumcision as a
sign of the covenant. (Gn 17:10-14)
3.
When the time came for God to deliver the Israelites
from slavery He freed them from Egypt and then presented them with the
Decalogue as a means of preserving their personal freedom if they followed the
directions given.
• God's appearance to Moses, the issuing
of Moses' call, the mission given to him were all signs that He would be with
him. (Ex. 2:9-12). Signs of God's grace and intervention to take
this people and make them "as my own people." (Ex. 6:7)
• The 10 plagues as signs of God's
gracious intervention at work. (Ex. 7-13)
◦
Consecration
of first born. Ritual showing what The Lord had done. (Ex. 13:8)
◦
"A
sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of The Lord is
to be on your lips." (13:9)
• Deliverance by crossing the Red Sea.
(Ex. 14) Song of Moses exalts the grace of God's intervention. (Ex. 15)
• Feeding with manna and quail -- God's provision
in the desert. (Ex. 16)
• Intervention to bring people to Himself
(Ex. 19:4)
• Covenant conditions: obey and keep
covenant and will become treasured possession and a kingdom of priests and a
holy nation. (Ex. 19:5,6)
• Instruction in the context of God's
past revealed grace: the 10 Commandments given. (Ex. 20"1-17)
4.
In the climax of earth's history grace once again precedes instructions and judgment--repeatedly
• The issue clearly presented in Rev. 12:17 -- the battle lines drawn.
• Chap. 13 outlines the coercive actions
of the beast power--forced worship even to the point of death. Desires
reminiscent of those outlined in Isa 14:12-14.
• Despite the oppression God extends His
grace through 3 angels (14:6-12) to all who will respond to His invitation.
• Unlike in the days of Moses the Song of
Moses precedes the plagues. (compare Ex 15 with Rev. 15) The Song of
Moses is a sign of deliverance, a sign of of God's active grace at work.
In this God's people are assured of their deliverance despite the oppressive
experience they face.
• The plagues come as deliverance --
God's grace for some is God's judgment of others.
• Grace preceded instruction but the
great instruction of Revelation comes in Rev. 19 where God's people rejoice in
their deliverance and for being in the presence of God where they will be
instructed for eternity!
Grace precedes
understanding. Grace precedes knowledge. Grace precedes God's
expectations of us. Grace precedes deliverance. Grace never ends.
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