Life, liberty, and the pursuit of holiness: Law! What is it good for?!

Romans 6:15-7:12

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

Rev. Dwight Yoo

What it is (the law)

The values that the torah and God espouses are the same. It also includes traditions and rituals.

What the law can't do

It cannot make us right with God. The world is divided into two groups: slave to sin and slave to God. It cannot rescue us. We cannot please God through the law.

What the law does do

The law reveals our sin. God's law reveals what is required. It tells us what is right and what is wrong.

This generation wants to determine what is right and wrong for themselves. They want to set their own rules. Some say that society can set the standard, but there are times when society goes wrong. Germany under Hitler is an example of this.

In addition, the law provokes sin! Because of the sinful nature of our hearts, hearing the law provokes rebellion in us. This is not the law, it is what is in us.

The law condemns sin. There's alot of ink spilled over this. God judges all humanity by this law. It can be said that the law is good and meant to tell us the best way to live. But because we are sinners, the law kills us. A law over murder is meant to protect, but when we murder, it condemns us. So it is with sin.

What the law leads to

All these things are negative. So what is it good for? Why do we even care?

The law shows that sin is sin, and how we are sinful beyond measure. It is meant to show how utterly inept we are in doing what is right. It shows us our utter bankruptcy. When we see this, we are led to a person. Jesus, the one who lived the right life and died an undeserved death.

When we are married, we are tied for life. We were married to the law. And then we died in Christ. Our marriage to the law is broken. We are now married to Jesus.

So now what? We are now to relate to the law differently. We are now to bear fruit for God's glory. What does this mean?

We have new motives for following the law. We obey not from fear or self-confidence, but out of love. We don't live out of being afraid of condemnation. We don't need to be "good" christians. It comes from a heart of gratitude and love. This is exactly how it works in a mature and good marriage. We do these things because our joy is bringing them joy. So it is in Jesus. We do things because it bring Him honor and joy. The law becomes an internal desire rather than an external demand. That external demand is fulfilled by Jesus. The will of God rises in our hearts through the Spirit of God.

Simple application: Meditate on what Christ has done for us. So then the desire for God's fruit comes out of that.

The new use of the law...

We look in the bible and look at all things we should do. Then we try to do them. The bible is not meant to be a guidebook. It is not a how-to. It should lead us to Jesusand how God is working with us.

A new power source...

We will get a new heart and a new spirit. (Ezekiel 36:26-27) This is walking in the Spirit.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of holiness: becoming what you are

Romans 6:1-14

What shall we say then? mAre we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can nwe who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that ythe body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For zone who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but ipresent yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Rev. Dwight Yoo

If our standing with God is secure in Christ, why should I do anything?

That is the question answered by Paul. The response is the most emphatic way to say no, without cursing.

What are you without Christ

Romans says there are two groups: slaves to sin our slaves to Christ (Romans 6:17-18). Those who do not follow God will seek out another master. There is no one sitting on the fence. If you are not worshiping God, if you have something above God, then you will worship and devote your life to something else. Without a love for God, all we can do is sin. No matter what we do, if Christ and God is not a reference point, we cannot live rightly.  Those without christ are blind to God and brainwashed into serving idols. How do we know we are serving idols? An idol promises much and delivers little or temporary satisfaction. What do we get for chasing these idols? The wage of sin is death. So we only get death as our award.

What happens to you in christ

God needs to break through to us to show us reality. We are brainwashed and mindless slaves to sin. Those who think otherwise are deluded. When God breaks through, we are in union with Christ. We have been given everything through Him.

In our union, Christ and our old self died. The part that is a slave to sin is now dead. We are now no longer slaves to sin. Because of this, the wages of sin have been paid. We no longer owe anything to death or sin. We are free. We are now new creations.

Another way to think of this is domains. Colossians and Ephesians speaks of our transfer to the kingdom of God.

Practical implications for change

What does all this have to do with my day to day? We must consider ourselves dead to sin. This does not mean we are perfect and sinless. We are free from sin's power and mastery. We can now choose to serve God. We no longer call sin our master. So why do we find our lives still mired in sin? There is a difference between being given a status or position and acting like it. People who have been slaves for so long, still act like slaves...even when they are free. We cringe at the sound of our old master's voice. But that is the old master, we have a new LORD and KING. That is Jesus.

If you are bothered and discouraged, take heart. God is at work. If there is only apathy, then worry. Those who see sin and are bothered, be encouraged: God has started the good work!

First, remember that you are children of light.
Then act like it.

In the specific moment of temptation, talk to yourself. Don't listen to yourself. Preach to yourself. You can tell yourself that sin is not your master. You can tell yourself that you are God's and need sin and idols no more.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of holiness: calling the pursued to pursue change

Romans 3:21-24;5:1-11

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Is there a real hope for change?

Most of us would say yes. Emphatically. But in our own lives, we don't know it practically and how it works. We have addictions for a long time.

We have "respectable" sins. Laziness, unthankfulness, materialism... And we count them as personality or just how things are. But there is nothing in your life that is unreachable by the gospel. We can all change to become more like Christ.

Have you given up? Has it been years our even decades of addiction? Have you made countless commitments to God to give up this sin, this addiction?  You are discouraged and tired.

Or maybe you aren't there. Maybe you don't care. You are comfortable with what you are doing now. And you have no heart to submit and follow God. To those, beware. Slavery is where your idols will take you. Life is only found in dying to yourself and living for God. You are short-changing yourself.

Change comes by faith. Not by works. God gives motivation, strength, and lasting change.

The doctrine of justification. Even though we have rejected God, we still have a touch of the divine. We are separated from God by sin. Regardless of whether we are religious or immoral, we are not righteous. We cannot reach God by ourselves, our own righteousness is insufficient. The grace of God in Jesus who lived the righteous life and died for us is the only way to be justified. By faith in Christ, we become perfectly acceptable in the presence of God credited with the righteousness of the life lived by Jesus and Christ takes the punishment on our behalf. That is justification. Sanctification is when God changes us to become what Jesus is, perfect. How are they related? Sanctification is powered by our justification.

1. Justification fuels our desire for sanctification.

Christ died for us, the ungodly, while we were still His enemies. We were pursued when we least deserved it. This is our motivation for change. Not fear, but love for Christ... Our hearts will then change, because of the sacrificial love of Christ. This is how God turns our hearts to Him from our idols.

2. Justification fuels us in our failures.

The accuser, satan, comes at us when we fail. Guilt and shame racks us. Then what happens? We run and hide from God. Justification says that God sees us as if we had not sinned. God fully accepts us in Christ. We can boldly approach God in the aftermath of sin.

3. Looking back at our justification, we can be encouraged that God will complete the task. We will persevere.

Jesus suffered much to save us. He will definitely finish the job. All that suffering and pursuit of us, will result in God's will, our salvation & sanctification. It is as good as done.

I am the vine

John 15:1-8

This is usually the time for resolutions. But not by our own power rather to seel to grow by God's grace and faithfulness.

The priority and promise of fruitfulness

Jesus calls himself the true vine. This is in comparison to Israel. The people are supposed to bear fruit for God. Psalm 80:8-9 talks about it. A vine is only good for fruit. If it does not, it cannot be used for building. It is a term of judgement.

Jesus lives the fruitful life we could not live. He dies the death we deserve, as a seed does, so that we would have life.

This promise of fruitfulness is not prosperity. It is not just getting what we want. It is spiritual fruit. We would grow in godly character. We would have greater joy in Christ. And finally, we would have influence on those around us.

Grape without the vowels.

Gazing at Jesus with love and awe
Renewed character
Pointing others to Christ

John 15:2;6 says that there are no unfruitful christians. All christians are fruitful. So those who do not bear fruit are probably not saved. If you have not changed since you've made a profession of faith, then you don't know Christ. It is not about the quantity of fruit. But all christians will bear fruit. God is not happy with just giving us a foot in heaven.

The power of fruitfulness

In order to bear fruit, we need to abide in Christ. There are two senses of abiding. In one sense, all christians are grafted into Christ when we place our faith in Christ. In another sense there is a conditional abiding. Communion is the word for this. In that way, we can choose to abide in him or we can choose to avoid him. This explains the difference among Christians. Those who seek out Christ actively are very different. They talk differently, they have an intimacy with God. We even see this within our lives. Past times of deep abiding in Christ seem like faint memories.

As a side note, spiritual fruit is not always visible. It is not always obvious. It is not about just activity.

Practically promoting fruitfulness

John 15:7 tells us that prayer and the bible is how we abide. When we are constantly in the word, we realize our need for Christ's power. It drives us to the cross and prayer.

Finally, God uses pain. He prunes. God will use pain and suffering to make us even more fruitful. He cuts off perfectly good branches and fruit, so that we would bear even more fruit. God will take away success, money, health, friends...soo that we would seek Him. So that we would depend on God. This is done in love. God's desire is not the same as ours.

I am the way, the truth, and the life

John 14:6

The Truth

Jesus is utterly other-centered and loving. Before He was to be betrayed and die a humiliating & painful death, He told his disciples not to be troubled. He is the truth about God. He is God in flesh. Perfectly loving. During troubled times, we usually search for reasons. God comes to us in humble love.

The Way

Jesus is the way for the wayward. We can barely keep New Years resolutions till March. But our faith is not dependent upon us. We have sinful hearts. We cannot live the life required by God. So Jesus lived this perfect life for us... And then died for us. He didn't show a way. He became the path to the Father.

Life

Jesus speaks of making place for His disciples. He will take the disciples into a house with many rooms. A place where we would be with Jesus and the Father. Eternal life without God would be meaningless. Security, joy, love, fulfillment, meaning, and hope is ours forever... In Him.

I am the Light of the World

John 8:12

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Rev. David Skinner

We use time. We don't like to take the time to read things that aren't immediately clear. Like poetry, which takes several readings to understand before the light comes on and we understand it. 

A brass bowl by Wendell Berry

It talks of the life of Saul/Paul of Tarsus.

Philippians 3:4-8 speaks of personal glory. The point is not our own credentials, but being empty so God's glory can fill us. That is glorious.

Answering God by Eugene Peterson

Following Jesus is not about another item to put onto our agenda. Discard the agenda, be filled with the Spirit, and simply walk.
Resting in the Lord is simply laying down in the Father's arms. Surrender to God and wait for Jesus to meet you there.

The application is not now to go out and evangelize to the world. I don't want you to even try. I know that sounds stark but there is a reason for that. Jesus, the light, has come into the world.  He had lived the life righteously that we could not live. Then He gave it to us. The Israelites saw the face of Moses through a veil. We don't have to contend with a veil. We see Christ directly. 2 Corinthians 3:7-18 says so. He will make our faces shine.

I am the Bread of Life

John 6:25-35

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, iyou are seeking me, not because you saw jsigns, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which mthe Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing pthe works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, qthat you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Pastor Won Ho Kim

Jesus as giver
This view sees Jesus as the one who provides what we want. He is an means to an end. We ask for things from God just so we can get what we want. We follow Jesus to get what we want... But here's the catch. We are not submitted. Our own desires are top priority. Follow Jesus this way and we won't last, we will end up deserting Jesus. God is not king, our desires are.

Jesus as miracle worker

Miracles are a sign. They are not simply what we need. They are supposed to point to something. We aren't supposed to desire the sign, we are supposed to desire the reality that these miracles point to.

Is our faith based on signs? Are we going to be shaken when a miracle does not happen? Will we doubt God's presence when the miracles stop?

Jesus as bread

To both these, Jesus offers himself. He offers Himself, God incarnate. A frail human yet god. He is a person with whom we can relate. Jesus does not offer a business relationship or contract. It is not that we pray and study the bible and obey Jesus, so that He will give success, friends, career does, power, and riches. It is not tit for tat.

Eternal life is more than just for heaven...it is also for the here and now. Knowing Jesus is life. Believing in Jesus is the work of God.

Bread is used in the following way. It is broken, chewed, and digested. That is Christ. He became our bread. He was broken for us. When we find the hunger for things overwhelming us, we need to come to Christ. We need him continually.