What I have been saying in the previous posts leads us to another basic question – ‘How do we know that we have displeased God or fallen into error?’ Initially the heralding or announcing of the word of the cross – the gospel – presents people with the concept that they are out of favour with God and are in need of a Saviour in the light of coming judgement. As the gospel is presented, people are urged to hear, perceive and think afterwards about what has been said, to reason it through to its conclusion. If they are persuaded, they are urged to turn back to God and show evidence of their change of mind by carrying it across into their speech and behaviour. Their change of speech and behaviour is the fruit of their perceiving, thinking and changing their mind afterwards.
Having been persuaded with regard to the Messiah to the point of entrusting obedience, professing their faith and being baptised, Christians are urged to live a godly life that is set apart from the values, principles and behaviours within the worldly order, to live a clean, pure life that honours God and His anointed Messiah. So the question, in part, is this – ‘How do Christians know what God prefers and approves of?’
In answering this question, many Christian leaders point to divine Law – Sinai Covenant Law - in the Old Testament or Hebrew Scriptures. For example, if a Christian is stealing in one way or another, such leaders or fellow Christians immediately point to the Ten Commandments in order to persuade such a Christian of their wrongdoing and guilt, using the Law as a ‘prod’ to stop their fellow Christian from stealing again. Thus we have this scenario: Is a Christian stealing? Then quote Deuteronomy 5 v 19 as God’s authoritative word and command – ‘You will not steal’ – so as to convict them of their error and guilt and spur them on to change their behaviour and live a godly, clean life. That’s what the Apostles did, right? Er, no, the Apostles did not do that actually. The Apostles did not constantly quote divine Law when faced with Christians falling into error. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians in which he addresses their many failures and errors, not once did Paul point them to the Ten Commandments or to Levitical Law.
So what do we see? Continuing the example of stealing, in Ephesians we read, ‘The one stealing and thieving, let him steal no more, but rather let him work hard virtuously and beneficially with his own hands, in order that he hold to share with those having need’, (Ephesians 4 v 28). In Titus we read, ‘Slaves to be subordinate to their masters, being pleasing and acceptable within everything, not contradicting, not misappropriating, pilfering or stealing, but indicating all good fidelity in order that they put into order the teaching of God our Deliverer within everything. Because the free gift of God bringing salvation is manifest to all men, to train us, in order that, contradicting ungodliness and worldly desires, we live within the present age devoutly, moderately and judicially approved, awaiting the enviable confident expectation, namely the manifestation of God’s honour and praiseworthiness and our Saviour, Jesus the Messiah’, (Titus 2 v 9 - 13). If the process or method of Christians living a godly life meant exposing wayward Christian behaviour by quoting divine Law, then such a procedure would certainly have been evident in these verses.
Yet many Christians insist on using divine Law to goad their fellow Christians into living a godly, clean life. This is a major theme within the theme of living the Christian life and I am now going to spend a series of posts exploring this important subject.