Hello virtual chambers friends. I trust that the circle is doing well as it ever expands through the endless bounds of cyber-space. A month has passed since the last post, so I thought I'd share a bit about what God has been teaching me. Hopefully this won't be too controversial. To quote John MacArthur from his message
Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist should be a Pre-Millenialist, "I don't want you to take this personally. It's not an attack on anybody. This is just a concern I've had for a long long time..." Yeah right :-/
Anyhoo, our pastor has been preaching through Galatians, and recently spoke on chapter 3:19-25. I would highly recommend his messages on Galatians if you have extra time (www.fvbc.org under sermons). My mind was awakened to the great truth that we are no longer under any aspects of the OT Law. Its original purpose was to guide God's people until the heir to the Old Testament promises came. If we take the OT by itself, we would think that Israel was the heir to those promises, but Galatians enlightens us to God's greater purpose. Gal. 3:16 says that Christ was the one to whom the promise God told Abraham (Gen. 12, 15) really was meant for. Yes, Israel benefited from this promise, but Christ was the one to whom it was made, and if we are in Christ, then we are also heirs according to promise (3:29). Christ, therefore, marks the end of the time in which the Law was our only source to know God's mind. This law can never bring light to our souls; only Christ can do that. Now that Christ has come, the law isn't partially fulfilled or dimmed; "He has hushed the law's loud thunder. He has quenched Mt. Sinai's flame."
If then the law has completed its work of guiding God's people until Christ came, it is fulfilled and not necessary for salvation. If that is true, why would we try to gain favor or right status with God by trying to live by the law. Those OT rules, while still showing us the moral standards of God, are now greatly surpassed by Christ and the way He tells us to live in the NT. That is such a freeing thought. All we can do is live in and by the new Law of Christ He has written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit. I'm not purporting anti-nomianism (anti-law) or that we can do whatever we want now because the OT law doesn't apply, but saying that the OT law was never intended to save anyone because its purpose was to point us to the heir of God's OT promises, Christ.
You may be saying, so what does this have to do with us. Well, the idea that I was taught once upon a time, was that the law is still in effect today, but they were partially fulfilled in Christ. Things like not eating certain foods or having to sacrifice are specifically addressed in the NT as being done away with, but other commands that weren't addressed are still in effect. I think that is a false assumption. According to Galatians and really the whole NT, ALL the promises of God are "Yes and AMEN" in Christ, not just some of them. What an encouraging challenge. We are all a part of God's people, whether Jew or Gentile, slave or free, man or woman (Gal. 3:28).
On a more personal note, Charis (our little girl) is now walking, I'm working full-time at my church (for now), God is blessing us with another little baby that will be here sometime in March, I started recording a solo music album, and my b-ball team, the Cubs, have made the playoffs. We continually trust in God's sovereign plan to guide our steps each day. You are all in our prayers. Later...
http://www.fvbcresources.org/audio/20070930.mp3
