Meditations on the Law versus Faith
There is a total difference between living according to the law and living according to faith or the Spirit.
They produce totally different types of lives. As a result, the worship that comes from each one, looks and feels different.
The life of the law produces a life that feels like you have to do something in order to please God. You have to read your Bible, you have to pray, you have to go to church and do spiritual things. Everything that you do has to be sprinkled with some sort of spiritual seasoning to be accepted by God. It is weighty and pressure filled and leads to much grief, regret and shame. You feel that you didn’t do enough, you didn’t try hard enough, you didn’t say or do the right thing, or you didn’t do anything at all therefore you are a failure before God and now you have to feel sorrow instead of joy because how can you have joy when you failed so much. It is your sacrifice. If you had a lamb you would cut its head off.
Living by law does another thing as well. When you feel as if you are pulling it off it also produces pride, self righteousness, and judgment. When you are doing all that you think that you should you feel good. You feel like you are making God so happy and that maybe you got this whole thing figured out. You are helping others, being a good spouse, taking care of the kids, reading your bible, all the positives of being a Christian. Unfortunately you are also thinking, wow look at me I really am living it. You know enough not to want someone to actually be looking at you, but inside you are looking at yourself feeling pretty proud that you are doing all these great things. But then a day comes that you start seeing how poorly others love God. They are not doing these great things, they are not doing anything. They are so lazy and self absorbed. They only think about themselves. I can’t believe that they let their kids do that, I would never let my kids do that. The very essence of judgment is thinking that you do everything better than everyone else. This comes by thinking that doing everything right is living by faith. This is actually living according to the law. The life of being good at the things of God is living according to the law. This is the way of self righteousness and pride. It lives it life knowing all about Jesus and that you have to live trying to be so good at the things of the Bible and this pleases God. Knowing about Jesus and doing good things.
Living by faith now is a totally different animal. Living by faith is one that produces a life that is totally different then the law. The law tries to please God. Faith accepts God’s pleasure in His Son. Faith lets you live in a way that the God burden is completely melted away. I believe with all of my heart that the life of faith will completely overcome the life of living in fear. The life of faith destroys the fear of being cut off or cast away. A life of faith produces a confidence that Jesus is enough. That building your life upon Jesus being God’s Son is enough to satisfy the law. That the cross is enough to overcome regret, guilt, shame. The cross destroys our pride, our self righteousness, and our judgment.
When I say life of faith, what am I talking about? Here is what it means to me, maybe I am wrong. I believe with all my heart that when Jesus died on the cross, He did it for me. That all of my ugly, He paid for it. I believe that it was the only way that I could ever truly be ok with God. In coming before God if I present Him His dead Son, it cleanses me from all that I have done. Just like a priest that presented God a dead animal for atonement (healing and forgiveness) on behalf of the people, I present Him His dead Son for mine. I truly believe that the God of all Creation truly accepts it and says that yes, indeed this is true. You now have peace with me. Now an even better part I also believe with all of my heart, I not only have received peace but I have also received life. Unlike the sacrificed animal that decays and rots and that is that until the next offering. I believe that my sacrifice didn’t rot and I now have to offer another sacrifice. I believe that when I present to God His Son, He is so pleased by my confidence of His Sacrifice that He now offers me something more than peace. He offered me life. I believe that Jesus truly is the living God’s Son, sent to bring me before His Father and offer me the acceptance of His Father. I believe that on top of being a sacrifice He also became a Hero. He has rescued me from death by overcoming it. I believe that this literally happened. I really believe that He then went to be back with His Father…and then sent the same Spirit that is Him. His body was flesh like ours. His Spirit made Him different. His Spirit is the same that created the Heavens and the Earth. I believe that He sent it to fill those who believe in the before mentioned parts. Why He sent it and what that means is critical. I believe He sent it to bring our soul/spirit to life, to take the dead part of us and make us alive. Alive meaning, in tune with God, or having the ability to be in tune with God. To actually be able to hear His voice again. To engage in a relationship with Him. (important to note, almost every single person that had faith in God in the Bible was able to hear His voice and engage in a real relationship with Him.) I believe that over time this Spirit corrects us, leads us, interprets for us, intercedes for us, transforms us, comforts and teaches us.) I believe that this is done through many avenues including: Reading His word, talking to Him, learning from others, nature and listening to Him. I do believe that it is a process that will lead to places not known of even shortly before. I believe that this results from constant faith in His Son.
The life of the law says, I want to know God
The life of faith believes that it does know God and interacts with Him.
The law is the I know I should want to do this yet I feel guilty for not wanting to want it. Faith says I have the power to do what I want, so I do it. If I don’t do it, I simply didn’t want to. There is no, I know that I should want to do it, but I don’t do it. Living by faith feels like I missed out on something when I did not do it rather than fake regret. ( I know that I should desire to do that, that I do not desire) Faith wants it, then goes and does it because it is Jesus. It is power that didn’t not exist before.
A life of faith walks differently. If I could paint a picture it is as a man or woman walking with a gigantic smile on their face carrying their cross. I have always heard this thrown around as another type of living by the law way. In that you have to do something that makes God happy. In the true life of faith you can dance with Your cross and show it God and feel His great pleasure. It cries out, “Yes God, I have YOUR SON” I know that I have Your Son. I have you because I have Him. I know You because God, I LOVE YOUR SON. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH! This is what makes the worship so different. There is no joy in worship according to the law. Of course when you are “on” it makes you happy to sing songs about Him. When you are off it is a burden or motion. The life of faith sees Jesus and knows His righteousness and allows you to sing right into the ear of God. Singing praises becomes one of the highest forms of living.
