The two chapters we read this week are 11 and 12. I'll quote some key truths that the author gives in these two chapters...
Chapter 11: The Power Struggle in the Universe
- ...the power struggle between God and Satan...is not to find out whether God is more powerful than Satan...When it comes to a question of naked power, there is no competition with omnipotence!
- The conflict in the universe is over something quite different. It is a moral and spiritual struggle.
Tom Marshall presents some wonderful truths about the law of God, which expresses how God is; he goes on to say that the law of sin and death expresses the way Satan is. In giving man the freedom to choose, God "has allowed the scales to be weighted against Him to an incredible degree."
Why would we humans go for the law of sin rather than the good law of God? -
- The appeal of sin is founded on deception and delusion. Its end is hidden...Sin is presented to us as a matter of choice or preference...there is an "ought-ness" about the demand of (God's) law that is quite different from the question of liking or preference.
- Authority is power that we recognize as being legitimate...I recognize power as being legitimate when the norms (or standards) that it represents correspond with my inner value system.
- When external law and inner values are in conflict, inner values will, in the long run, win out every time.
Building off these truths, the author goes on to say that fallen nature follows '...the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.' (Eph.2:2) Satan uses his access to humans to "implant in human hearts a set of inner values" - this is what the Scriptures call "the flesh" or "the body of sin and death."
- The flesh...refers to the sinful principle of self-gratification that holds human nature in bondage to the law of sin and death...The inner values of the flesh are detailed in Galatians 5:19-21 (sexual immorality, impurity, idolatry, hatred, jealousy, selfish ambition, dissentions, etc.).
- The norms of the law of sin and death correspond exactly with the inner values of the flesh. Thus they reinforce each other. (Ephesians 2:3)
- No wonder Paul, in the face of this seemingly impregnable system, cries, 'What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?'
Bottomline is that the law of sin and death appeals to fallen human nature, so the inner values of the flesh within us win out over the external law of God.
Chaper 12 - God's Answer for the Flesh
Fundamentally, God's solution for the flesh is the new covenant, which is the law of God imprinted on the human heart; in other words, the law is internalized (Jer. 31:31-33). But to complete this, the "polluted human heart" must be cleansed from sin and a new set of inner values in harmony with the internalized law must be implanted in the heart. (On page 114, the author shows clear contrast between the old covenant and the new.)
This internalization of the law was accomplished by Jesus' perfect obedience to the Father in His earthly life. In this daily obedience to God, the law of God was being written on His heart. Marshall puts it this way:
...By painstaking, persistent, perfect obedience, in every situation and in every circumstance, He wrote the law of God on His heart. In times of stress, in times of boredom, against opposition and throughout misunderstanding, over small issues and great, always internalizing the law...(Heb. 10:5,7)
For the very first time in human history, a person lived in such a relationship with God that He was able to say in all honesty and in perfect truth, 'I always do the things that are pleasing to him.' ...In that one life the perfect law of God was perfectly internalized.
According to Marshall, Jesus created two things in His human nature that never existed before: 1) a perfect human hatred for sin 2) a perfect human love for righteousness.
And Galatians 5:22,23 lists the inner values of this new self (love, joy, peace, patience, etc.), and Paul goes on to say that the law of God is not against these values; in other words, they are in alignment with the law of God! So because there was in Jesus a perfect harmony between inner values and the internalized law of God, He was "free to do spontaneously and freely whatever He liked because the value system that guided His preferences or desires was in total harmony with the law of unselfish love..."
Praise the Lord! I believe it's this place of freedom that the Holy Spirit, through the work of the cross of Jesus, wants to bring us into increasingly...
So next week's final chapter on the will (chapter 13) will deal with how this works out in the lives of those of us who are in Christ.
Lord, send Your Spirit to create a desperate desire in us to live increasingly in this freedom for the sake of Jesus and for our sake and the sake of those who have yet to know Him in His fullness.
It seems it has been a busy time but I did want to read and reflect on chapters 11 & 12.
ReplyDeleteI was intrigued by the author’s comments on the power struggle between God and Satan. Who will we obey? Who will we give our response and allegiance to? What God really wants is our love…our love…and our love. It seems this is the critical area…who will win our obedient response and allegiance?
Reading these two chapters…isn’t it basically the cross? the sanctification of the soul? The death to self? It sure sounds familiar, however, he states it a bit different…he included a positive element to his words. I found it in the area of “the inner values”, or the internalized law, the great need to internalize the law. Wow, what a mouthful, but isn’t that it?
This internalizing the law:
On my heart
In my flesh
To have the clean water to make me clean
The cleansing from impurities and idols
To have the heart of stone removed
Only to be given a heart of flesh…..not a stone tablet.
This internalizing of the law was done by Jesus…by obedience…it was perfect and it was painful…as we all find in the loving obedience to God. Jesus wrote the law of God on His heart and may I be able to do the same. It was THE WAY to have the law internalized, therefore effective and alive.
Just think Jesus body was prepared for God. God did not care about the sacrifice or the offering that we make. He wants the core, where we have our being. He is looking for a response (a living response) of love from us.
Our inner values along with the inner law equals obedience, equals unselfish love, and equals freedom. Just think, to have the character of God within us and be able to respond with this unselfish love, what can be greater?
As I read through this chapter there were so many things going through my mind. What did obedience look like for Jesus with his heavenly Father and what did it look like for Jesus with Joseph & Mary? What was his personality like as a young child learning new things and growing up? How did he handle being corrected or disciplined? One thing that strikes me in all of this is Jesus was totally human (God in human flesh) and yet he walked through daily obedience and never sinned or walked in rebellion, although there were plenty of people believing & accusing him of walking in rebellion. But He lived out perfect obedience to the Father throughout his entire life. Wow!
ReplyDeleteI'm encouraged because He's an example for me and He perfectly led the way. There's not this weird mystical thing about him, He was totally human and felt all the urges, cravings, desires that we do. But His way was blameless, perfect. That good news for the rest of us!
From living in a fallen world, as he was when he was trodding the soil of the ground, and being one among everyone else who's blown it so many times - I'm drawn to look at His life and ponder/wonder how he did it. Of course that's totaly awesome because He made the way to the Father for me and everyone.
As these chapters on the will point out that it's through daily obedience that the law of God was written within His heart - what a mystery He brings to us! Through all that Jesus did for me, now the Holy Spirit is writing the law of God on my heart as I obey and follow Him. That word "obey" is simple to understand, yet challenging and often times excruciating because it's about releasing control and trusting Him. At times it feels like dropping off a 200 foot cliff blind-folded and knowing that somehow I won't die, but someone will save me.
It's also about forsaking the ways of chaos within and the other laws of the flesh that are ruling within my soul and choosing Him. Sometimes choosing HIs way is so hard, but of course it gives LIFE and FREEDOM. I'm thankful that HE looks upon my weak responses/efforts to Him and He comes in power. How I need Him!
And finally, I'm just going to copy this verse (speaking of Jesus' obedience) from Nita's blog b/c I really like it.
...By painstaking, persistent, perfect obedience, in every situation and in every circumstance, He wrote the law of God on His heart. In times of stress, in times of boredom, against opposition and throughout misunderstanding, over small issues and great, always internalizing the law...(Heb. 10:5,7)