| Whatsoever
Things Are True
by Dan Coburn Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church pastordan@mtida.net The Condemnation and The Cure. What should you do with God's law; The Ten Commandments as well as all the teachings of Christ which either added to them, or changed them altogether? If you are not a Christian, you can rather successfully ignore them. In fact, by worldly standards, they seem stupid to you. "The preaching of the Cross is foolishness to those that are perishing ---" 1st Cor. 1:18a. You may even be militantly against them - "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold (suppress) the truth in unrighteousness" - Romans 1:18 But believe it or not, there are many ways professing Christians handle The Law. So what is the purpose of God's Law? First let's look at a definition of sin from the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Any Want Of Conformity To, Or Transgression Of The Law Of God. How does God see sin and therefore sinners? "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Gen. 6:5 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it?" Jer. 17:9 This is a common theme woven throughout the Old and New Testaments, and there are many more verses like these, but you get the point. So What's the Problem? Well, the World in its entirety, and the Church to an alarming degree has all but erased the intended use of The Law. Remember, God's Word was never intended to Inform, but rather to Transform. Our Churches jump over sin and consequence in favor of felt needs, and a feel good gospel which is no gospel at all. Charles Spurgeon who to this day has more religious material in print than anyone in history, said this: "I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT ANY MAN CAN PREACH THE GOSPEL WHO DOES NOT PREACH THE LAW. THE LAW IS THE NEEDLE AND YOU CANNOT DRAW THE SILKEN THREAD OF THE GOSPEL THROUGH A MAN'S HEART UNLESS YOU FIRST SEND THE NEEDLE OF THE LAW TO MAKE WAY FOR IT. IF MEN DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE LAW, THEY WILL NOT FEEL THAT THEY ARE SINNERS. AND IF THEY ARE NOT CONSCIOUSLY SINNERS, THEY WILL NEVER VALUE THE SIN OFFERING (WHICH IS CHRIST). THERE IS NO HEALING A MAN TILL THE LAW HAS WOUNDED HIM, NO MAKING HIM ALIVE TILL THE LAW HAS SLAIN HIM" This makes it easier to understand why the offerings that are acceptable to a Holy God are "a broken spirit and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Psalm 51:17 Spurgeon again: "THE HEART IS LIKE A DARK CELLAR, FULL OF LIZARDS, COCKROACHES, BEETLES AND ALL KINDS OF REPTILES AND INSECTS, WHICH IN THE DARK WE SEE NOT. BUT THE LAW TAKES DOWN THE SHUTTERS AND LETS IN THE LIGHT, AND WE SEE THE EVIL." Modern evangelism starts with love and seeks to relegate God to a benign entity whose purpose is to make you happy, while He says: "Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of the law by doing them" - Deut. 27:26 Or, - "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written the book of the law, to do them." Gal. 3:10 Seems like someone is wrong w/regard to God's Law, and it ain’t Him. Can I speak to you from a broken pastor's heart? We are guilty of espousing an easy believeism. This is why our Churches are filled with false converts. "Oh I prayed a little prayer, walked the isle, got dunked, joined whatever, got my name on the roles, and now I can get on with living my life my way". We see it all around us, everyday. Left to our own devices, we will never see ourselves as sinners or objects of God's wrath till the law pierces our very being. "By God's Word at last my sin I learned - Then I trembled at the law I'd spurned - till my guilty soul imploring turned to Calvary". How does your cellar look to you? If you think it is presentable, be very afraid. Next week ---- The Cure. God Bless. |
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