James Chapter 1:22-25
"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does."
In Joshua 1:8, God tells us to not let the Word depart from our mouths and to meditate on the Word SO that we can be careful to DO everything written in it.
SPEAK...THINK...DO!
I connected the dots this way: God's command (keep, meditate) + our action (do) = God's promises (then you will be prosperous and successful)
ReplyDeleteSo I have been really concentrating this week on the first part of this Scripture, "Keep this Book of Law". Since Joshua is the 6th book of the Bible I think it's fair to assume that "this Book of Law" is referring to the first 5 books or the Torah, the Law of Moses. So my question has been, What place does "this Book of Law" have for a New Covenant Christian? I have read through numerous passages in the Law-giving sections and also looked at 3 other books trying to understand. Gentiles have never been under the Law and therefore, my personal belief is that the Law of Moses has no place for the Christian. This revelation opens up a myriad of other questions because I have always been taught to obey the Ten Commandments (of course, nobody mentions the Sabbath one). Christians have been taught to pick and choose which Laws we will obey. Most agree that Thou Shalt Not Commit Murder or Adultery are good guidelines. But what about laws regarding the temple, or priesthood, or sacrifice, or not riding a horse during menstruation??
ReplyDeleteWhen someone asked Jesus what was the most important law,
"37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
I'm sure this isn't "theologically" correct but I equate heart, soul and mind this way:
heart - emotions, feelings, desires
soul - will
mind - thoughts
So if I "Keep this law" meaning surrendering my heart, soul, and mind to God, there really isn't room for sin. God said He would write the Law on our hearts. I believe that the Old Testament/Old Covenant was a temporary measure until "the Seed" or Christ. Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Law; therefore, we are no longer governed by it, but it has been replaced with the Holy Spirit in the New Covenant. So, if I "Keep this Holy Spirit always on my lips, meditating on it day and night, careful to do everything He guides me to do. Then I will be prosperous and successful." Of course, this doesn't mean I will win the lottery (unfortunately), but I will have a deep and meaningful relationship with Jesus, pleasing Him with my life.
An age-old debate....I don't believe we are under the law any longer but I do think of it this way: since the whole Bible is God's inspired Word, it's useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16) and we can read it, learn from it and apply it to our lives.
ReplyDeleteGreat comments! Keep digging and chewing!