8.6 The two effects of the law on man
Yesterday, we showed you that the law is about man’s performance. It is a test of man’s righteousness. At the extreme ends of the continuum, there are two clear effects of the law on man.
There is a group of people who see their failure under the law. They are the sinners who feel condemned by the law. There is another group of people who think that they have fulfilled the law (at least they think so). These are the people who feel self-righteous because they have displayed more righteousness than the others. Therefore the two extremes are “self-condemnation” and “self-righteousness”. Those who live under the system of law will usually experience one of the two.
Let us use the gospels as a case study. After 1,500 years under law, two groups of people were often contrasted in the gospels. The first group was the sinners and the second group was the self-righteous Pharisees.
(Matthew 9:10-13)
Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and SINNERS came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the PHARISEES saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and SINNERS?”
When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick...For I did not come to call the RIGHTEOUS, but SINNERS, to repentance.”
It was the group of people – the sinners that embraced Jesus because they needed the grace and mercy of God. They needed the physician to heal them of their condition. That was the purpose of the law. Rom 3:20 says, “By the law is the knowledge of sin.”
But the Pharisees did not really understand the law. As a result, they were not ready for the grace of God – Jesus, who came to help them.
Today, it is the same. Those who are conscious of their own inability will end up embracing Jesus. Those who are strong in their own ability and performance will end up not depending on Jesus. Isn’t it a paradox? Those who are weak and undeserving will end up experiencing the reality of Jesus.
In my own life, when I thought I had done so much to deserve God, I was puzzled to find Him far away. It was frustrating. But when I failed; when I was at the end of the road, I found Him so close. It was surprising. I couldn’t understand why. It goes against logic.
Today, in order to experience the revelation of grace, we must first have the revelation of the law. Those who do not understand the law will not embrace grace. Those who understand that they law brings them to the end of themselves will be ready to embrace the grace of God.
There is a group of people who see their failure under the law. They are the sinners who feel condemned by the law. There is another group of people who think that they have fulfilled the law (at least they think so). These are the people who feel self-righteous because they have displayed more righteousness than the others. Therefore the two extremes are “self-condemnation” and “self-righteousness”. Those who live under the system of law will usually experience one of the two.
Let us use the gospels as a case study. After 1,500 years under law, two groups of people were often contrasted in the gospels. The first group was the sinners and the second group was the self-righteous Pharisees.
(Matthew 9:10-13)
Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and SINNERS came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the PHARISEES saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and SINNERS?”
When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick...For I did not come to call the RIGHTEOUS, but SINNERS, to repentance.”
It was the group of people – the sinners that embraced Jesus because they needed the grace and mercy of God. They needed the physician to heal them of their condition. That was the purpose of the law. Rom 3:20 says, “By the law is the knowledge of sin.”
But the Pharisees did not really understand the law. As a result, they were not ready for the grace of God – Jesus, who came to help them.
Today, it is the same. Those who are conscious of their own inability will end up embracing Jesus. Those who are strong in their own ability and performance will end up not depending on Jesus. Isn’t it a paradox? Those who are weak and undeserving will end up experiencing the reality of Jesus.
In my own life, when I thought I had done so much to deserve God, I was puzzled to find Him far away. It was frustrating. But when I failed; when I was at the end of the road, I found Him so close. It was surprising. I couldn’t understand why. It goes against logic.
Today, in order to experience the revelation of grace, we must first have the revelation of the law. Those who do not understand the law will not embrace grace. Those who understand that they law brings them to the end of themselves will be ready to embrace the grace of God.
posted by Joshua Lye @ 11:08 PM
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