False Self-Image
Some musings on Law and Gospel:
The Law, when it is preached or taught to us full-strength, convicts us and makes us squirm because it forces us to face the person within us--the person we ourselves hide from and that we hide from others. The Law unveils our deepest and most wicked impulses, impure motives, and base desires. It shows us that at our core we are not what we want to be nor what want others to see and know. God's Law cracks the facade, exposes our weaknesses (if at first only to us) and leaves us burdened with the guilt of this dark self-realization and exposure. So what are we left with? We are left perfectly helpless, ripe for the Holy Spirit to send us His comforting Word of Gospel, that our sins have been forgiven by Christ Jesus' death on the cross. For He has truly seen the depths of our hearts, of the wickedness, malice, the sugar-coated deceit, and the white lies that we use to protect our flimsy facade. But with the sharp two-edged sword of His Word He exposes our sin, however deep-rooted, with the edge of the Law. But once we have been exposed and brought to repentance, the edge of the Gospel becomes the blessed weapon that wards off Satan's attacks and accusations--yea the Word of God, that sword that Christ yields--it not only wards off Satan but it slays him. For Satan is a marked man and his time is near. In Jesus' death on the cross He bore the full weight of our sin and its accusation, so that we might be taken up clean before our heavenly Father. So that as we are forgiven, washed clean by Christ's blood, we no longer hide beneath a facade of what we want to be or wish people to see. But we boldly stand in all faith, clothed in Christ's righteousness, standing before God justified--declared innocent--not standing as what we in our sin wanted to be, but standing as what God wants us to be--namely righteous, pure, and holy. So that when God sees us He sees not our guilt, not our facade, but Christ's righteousness. And all the accusations of Satan fall like so many dead flies, for his eternal end is near...as our eternal beginning has come in Christ Jesus! To Him be all glory and praise! Amen.
The Law, when it is preached or taught to us full-strength, convicts us and makes us squirm because it forces us to face the person within us--the person we ourselves hide from and that we hide from others. The Law unveils our deepest and most wicked impulses, impure motives, and base desires. It shows us that at our core we are not what we want to be nor what want others to see and know. God's Law cracks the facade, exposes our weaknesses (if at first only to us) and leaves us burdened with the guilt of this dark self-realization and exposure. So what are we left with? We are left perfectly helpless, ripe for the Holy Spirit to send us His comforting Word of Gospel, that our sins have been forgiven by Christ Jesus' death on the cross. For He has truly seen the depths of our hearts, of the wickedness, malice, the sugar-coated deceit, and the white lies that we use to protect our flimsy facade. But with the sharp two-edged sword of His Word He exposes our sin, however deep-rooted, with the edge of the Law. But once we have been exposed and brought to repentance, the edge of the Gospel becomes the blessed weapon that wards off Satan's attacks and accusations--yea the Word of God, that sword that Christ yields--it not only wards off Satan but it slays him. For Satan is a marked man and his time is near. In Jesus' death on the cross He bore the full weight of our sin and its accusation, so that we might be taken up clean before our heavenly Father. So that as we are forgiven, washed clean by Christ's blood, we no longer hide beneath a facade of what we want to be or wish people to see. But we boldly stand in all faith, clothed in Christ's righteousness, standing before God justified--declared innocent--not standing as what we in our sin wanted to be, but standing as what God wants us to be--namely righteous, pure, and holy. So that when God sees us He sees not our guilt, not our facade, but Christ's righteousness. And all the accusations of Satan fall like so many dead flies, for his eternal end is near...as our eternal beginning has come in Christ Jesus! To Him be all glory and praise! Amen.
Comments
Looking anywhere else only leads to despair, or self-deception.
Shalom!
Joe
NCC (NOT National Council of Churches:-)