Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS025013S
|
00:00 [uplifting music]
00:09 [uplifting music] 00:14 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School" 00:15 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:17 Glad to have you with us today. 00:19 This is lesson number 13, looking at God's love 00:23 and justice. 00:24 We have been on quite a journey together, 00:26 and this lesson this week is going to conclude 00:29 that journey at least as far as this quarter's 00:32 "Sabbath School" lesson goes, but we hope that your study 00:34 will continue. 00:36 We're going to be looking today at love being the fulfillment 00:40 of the law, a fascinating study. 00:43 Let's begin with prayer. 00:44 Father, we ask that You'll be with us again today, 00:46 as You have been with us through this entire quarter. 00:50 And as we look at love being the fulfilling of the law, 00:53 we ask that You'll help us to bring all these ideas 00:55 together in ways that will impact 00:58 our lives immensely. 00:59 And we thank You in Jesus's name, amen. 01:03 We're happy to have with us also again this week, 01:06 the author of this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson, 01:08 Dr. John Peckham. 01:10 He is an associate editor at the Adventist Review, 01:12 and he is also a research professor 01:14 at The Theological Seminary at Andrews University. 01:17 John, thanks for being with us again today. 01:19 >>John Peckham: It's my pleasure to be with you. 01:21 >>Eric: So it has been an incredible journey. 01:22 We're getting down to the very end of that journey 01:24 right now with a fascinating subject. 01:28 Love is the fulfillment of the law. 01:31 So love and the law, we've been looking 01:34 at the connections of these, that God's love and justice 01:38 throughout this quarter. 01:40 How does the connection between love and the law 01:42 reflect the character of God more fully? 01:46 >>John: Yeah, there are so many misconceptions about law. 01:49 Often when people think of law, they think of negative things. 01:52 They think of the law being against them. 01:54 But actually, throughout Scripture, 01:55 God's law, particularly His moral law, is a gift. 01:59 It's a gift that He gives for the flourishing 02:01 of all creation. 02:03 And in fact, it is part of His character, 02:06 or a reflection of His character, 02:07 I should say. 02:08 The law is a transcript of His character. 02:11 And the law is given only for our good, 02:14 only to be a blessing to us. 02:17 And I love the way Ellen White describes this 02:20 in "Patriarchs and Prophets." 02:22 >>Eric: "The law of God is as sacred as God Himself. 02:25 "It is a revelation of His will, a transcript of His character, 02:29 "the expression of divine love and wisdom. 02:32 "The harmony of creation depends upon the perfect conformity 02:35 "of all beings, of everything animate and inanimate 02:39 to the law of the Creator." 02:41 >>John: Wow, especially that last part is really amazing 02:45 and worth reflecting on. 02:47 The harmony of creation depends upon the perfect conformity 02:51 of all beings to God's law, of all beings to God's law. 02:57 How can this be that the harmony of all creation 03:00 depends on conformity to God's law, 03:03 which just is the law of unselfish love. 03:06 Well, maybe an analogy will help here 03:08 because often people think of the law 03:10 as something that only is a response to sin. 03:15 But actually if the law is a transcript 03:17 of God's character, there's a sense, 03:18 maybe not the exact same form, but a sense in which 03:21 God's moral law is eternal as part of who He is. 03:24 And we actually see if we think about it 03:26 that God's law would be needed for us even in a world 03:31 in which there was no sin, even in a perfect world. 03:34 So if you've ever flown on an airplane, 03:36 you should be thankful for air traffic controllers. 03:41 Why, what do air traffic controllers do? 03:43 Well, it's in the name, right? 03:45 They direct the traffic in and out of the airport. 03:47 And it might sound simple, but actually there 03:50 is a huge amount of flights coming and going 03:53 that have to be exactly on the right pattern, 03:55 take off and land at the right time, 03:58 on runways that are clear. 04:00 And It's essential for these air traffic controllers to give 04:03 the different pilots directions to avoid catastrophic crashes. 04:08 Now, of course, all the pilots of all the planes, 04:11 they don't want to crash into each other, right? 04:14 They have no ill intent. 04:15 They're all doing what they think is best. 04:19 And nevertheless, they still need someone 04:21 to direct them to avoid any kind of conflict, 04:24 even unintended conflict. 04:26 And if you think of a universe with billions at least, 04:28 but surely many more than that, because we have billions 04:31 of humans even on the Earth now. 04:33 But even just billions of free creatures, 04:35 even if they all only want to do what is right, 04:38 there will inevitably be people on the same path that maybe 04:41 come into a conflict unless there is someone to guide 04:44 all of the traffic, right? 04:46 And that ultimate traffic controller is God 04:49 who knows the end from the beginning, 04:51 who's only loving, He's entirely wise. 04:53 And this is the reason why He gives His law 04:55 and His instructions. 04:57 And the only way that the entire universe 04:59 can flourish in harmony forever is if everyone unconditionally 05:03 and unreservedly trusts that God only wants 05:06 what is best for everyone. 05:08 That's actually what's at the center 05:09 of the great controversy, and once that is finally settled 05:12 in the heart of every creature, the controversy will be ended 05:16 and love and harmony and justice will flourish forever 05:19 and ever and ever. 05:21 So I think we can see how important this is. 05:24 The law is not just some abstract principle. 05:26 The law is not against us. 05:27 It's actually given for the flourishing and harmony 05:29 of all creation. 05:31 >>Eric: So the law has a purpose. 05:33 Now let's expand that concept of the law just a little bit 05:36 or maybe drill down into it. 05:39 The Ten Commandments, love and the Ten Commandments. 05:42 If love and the law go together, then how does that help us 05:46 understand the Ten Commandments? 05:50 What does that look like? 05:52 >>John: Yeah, if you look at the Ten Commandments, 05:53 you'll see that actually the commandments are about 05:57 vertical relationship to God, the first four commandments. 06:00 And the last six commandments primarily are about relationship 06:03 with one another, what we might deem 06:05 horizontal relationship, right? 06:07 And those commandments, the first four, correspond 06:09 to that great love command that Jesus gives: 06:12 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, 06:14 strength, and mind," which is actually a quote 06:15 from the Old Testament. 06:17 And the last six correspond to that commandment, 06:19 to love your neighbor as yourself. 06:22 And so these ideas are very, very closely connected. 06:27 To fulfill the law is to love. 06:28 Love is the fulfillment of the law. 06:30 And this is all based on a covenant relationship 06:33 in the Old Testament. 06:35 And this covenant relationship is a love relationship. 06:38 It's based on God's love primarily that He wants us 06:41 to reflect to Him and to reflect to others. 06:44 And the Ten Commandments are just particular descriptions 06:47 of how we are to do that. 06:49 And I don't think it's a coincidence 06:50 that in the Ten Commandments, right at the center, you have 06:53 almost all the commandments start with a "do not, 06:56 you shall not," except for the Fourth Commandment, 06:58 which starts with "remember," "Remember the Sabbath Day," 07:01 and the Fifth Commandment, which is also framed positively: 07:04 "Honor your father and your mother." 07:05 And those are kind of like the hinge commandments 07:07 of the two tables of this love for God 07:10 and love for our neighbors that flow throughout. 07:14 But I wanna look in this regard about Jeremiah 30, 31, 07:18 and we'll see that God's law as part of the covenant 07:22 continues in the New Covenant, which is actually mentioned 07:24 in the Old Covenant, but it requires for us 07:27 a heart transplant. 07:29 We need our heart to be changed. 07:30 But the problem is not the law, the problem is us. 07:32 But God makes a remedy for this that He already prophesied 07:35 in the Old Testament. 07:36 >>Eric: "Behold, the days are coming, 07:38 "says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant 07:40 "with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- 07:43 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers 07:45 "in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them 07:48 "out of the land of Egypt. 07:49 "My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, 07:52 "says the Lord. 07:54 "But this is the covenant that I will make 07:55 "with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: 07:58 "I will put my law in their minds 08:00 and write it in their hearts; 08:01 and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." 08:04 >>John: Now, God is not saying here 08:06 that there was anything wrong with the law that He had given 08:08 to Israel. 08:10 But the biggest problem was that they broke it, 08:12 and they were obstinate, they were hard hearted, right? 08:14 He talks about being a husband to them. 08:16 This is that old marriage analogy, and we've seen 08:18 already throughout these lessons together 08:20 just how unfaithful they were to Him over and over 08:23 and over again. 08:24 But what God wants to do for His people 08:26 is to write His law on our hearts and minds. 08:29 And this is something that is made possible 08:31 in a special way in the New Covenant 08:33 through the victory of Christ at the cross, 08:35 through the Holy Spirit being unleashed 08:37 in a new and special way. 08:38 The Holy Spirit was already operative, 08:40 but the Holy Spirit being empowered to do even more 08:42 via the victory at the cross. 08:44 You have this promise already in the Old Testament 08:47 of the New Covenant, not separating them 08:50 as a false dichotomy but that the New Covenant 08:52 actually fulfills the promises of God 08:55 and what God wants for us, and it includes the moral law 08:58 that is continuing here. 09:00 But ultimately it's not just outward. 09:03 The law is not just an outward thing. 09:04 It requires a heart disposition change 09:07 that can only come from outside of us, 09:09 this kind of heart transplant that God will give us. 09:12 >>Eric: So why should we see these two ideas, 09:16 these two concepts of the law and love, 09:18 why should we see them so closely linked? 09:20 >>John: Yeah, here, I think, Paul's words in Romans 13 are-- 09:25 couldn't be said better. 09:26 Romans 13, verses 8 through 10. 09:28 >>Eric: "Owe no one anything except to love one another, 09:31 "for he who loves one another has fulfilled the law. 09:34 For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery,' 09:37 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not steal,' 09:39 'You shall not bear false witness,' 09:41 'You shall not covet,' and if there is 09:43 "any other commandment, are all summed up 09:45 "in this saying, namely, 09:47 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 09:49 "Love does no harm to a neighbor, 09:52 therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." 09:55 >>John: So if we love others, we have fulfilled the law, 09:58 and love just is the fulfillment of the law. 10:01 Of course, all these puzzle pieces we've seen 10:03 fit together perfectly, right? 10:05 If the law is a transcript of God's character 10:08 and God is love and the two great commands are love for God 10:11 and love for others, which correspond 10:12 to the two commandments, then of course, 10:14 it just makes perfect sense that love is the fulfillment 10:16 of the law. 10:17 If you want to keep God's law, you love. 10:20 Now again, the kind of love that is required 10:22 has to come from above. 10:23 This is why we pray for the Holy Spirit 10:25 to shed God's love abroad in our hearts. 10:27 This is why we need that heart transplant 10:29 because it's not just enough to do the actions externally. 10:31 That's important. That's good. 10:33 But we actually need the heart disposition 10:35 to go along with that, in order for us 10:37 to actually follow God in the way that He wants us to. 10:41 But love is the fulfillment of the law because God's law 10:45 just is the law of unselfish love. 10:47 >>Eric: So essentially what you just said there, 10:49 I want to unpack that a little bit more. 10:50 God's law is really an expression of His love. 10:53 It helps us to see His love. 10:56 How does that contrast with some other views 10:58 of the law that are floating around out there 11:01 in Christianity? 11:02 >>John: Yeah, there are a lot of negative views of the law, 11:04 and a lot of those are based on misunderstandings, 11:07 particular misunderstandings about the laws 11:09 in the Old Testament. 11:10 And here I think it's important to make a distinction 11:12 between kinds of laws. 11:14 You have moral laws. 11:15 These are eternal laws, including the Ten Commandments 11:18 that are written by God's own finger. 11:19 You have kind of health laws. 11:21 They're not always identified as health laws, 11:23 but health hasn't changed, right, much. 11:25 And so human nature hasn't changed. 11:28 And so what was healthy given for our health 11:30 is going to continue. 11:32 But you have ceremonial laws that were laws 11:34 that were pointing to Christ, and those were fulfilled 11:37 by Christ's special ministry. 11:39 And so they're no longer in place as laws 11:41 we have to keep, although we can still learn 11:43 a great deal for them. 11:44 The same thing applies to civil laws. 11:46 These were laws to affect society 11:49 and to govern in civil relationships. 11:52 These laws also aren't in place anymore for us 11:55 because we no longer live under a theocracy. 11:58 And so these laws still have good principles 12:01 in them, but it's the moral law that continues. 12:04 And the moral law is only given for our good. 12:06 The law is holy, the law is just, 12:08 the law is good. 12:09 And so despite many misconceptions 12:11 of God's law, it's actually for our good. 12:14 It's a transcript of God's character, 12:17 and it continues as a blessing, not a curse. 12:19 Far from a curse, it's a blessing. 12:21 And this is why the Old Testament 12:22 prophets often said, "Oh, Lord, how I love your law," 12:26 because it actually showed them how to live 12:29 the most abundant life. 12:31 >>Eric: There are probably some people 12:32 watching this program right now who have heard the other side 12:35 of the law, the negative side of the law, and maybe want 12:38 to get a fuller understanding of how the law is actually 12:41 for their good. 12:42 There's a companion book that you have written 12:45 that goes into deeper detail. 12:46 Share with us a little bit about that. 12:48 >>John: Yeah, we can barely scratch the surface 12:50 of these ideas here, but there's so much in Scripture 12:53 that teaches how closely tied God's law is to His love 12:57 and helps us to cut through some of the misconceptions 13:00 about the law and why God gives it to us and why 13:03 it's actually a blessing and not a curse. 13:05 So I have an opportunity in the companion volume 13:06 to go a little bit deeper and unpack those ideas 13:09 and many other ideas about God's love 13:11 and God's justice, how we relate to the problem 13:13 of suffering, how we understand God's character a lot better 13:16 in that book. 13:17 >>Eric: If you want to pick that book up, 13:19 and I would encourage you to do so, you will find it 13:21 at itiswritten.shop. 13:23 Again, that's itiswritten.shop. 13:25 Look for the companion book to this quarter's 13:27 "Sabbath School" lesson by Dr. John Peckham. 13:30 We're going to be right back in just a moment, 13:33 as we continue our study in the last segment 13:36 of the last lesson, looking at God's love 13:40 and justice here on "Sabbath School," 13:42 brought to you by It Is Written. 13:44 We'll be right back. 13:49 >>John Bradshaw: The backstory of the Bible is the story 13:52 of how Satan attacked the character of God 13:55 and proposed his own system for running the universe, 13:59 a system of selfishness and taking, a system 14:03 that's been in effect on the Earth 14:06 since humans first sinned. 14:09 A system that is a complete and utter failure. 14:14 Join me for The Choice, the final chapter 14:18 of It Is Written series, prequel of the Bible. 14:22 We'll discuss how, even in a world damaged by sin, 14:27 we can still observe evidences of how God intended 14:30 the world to operate. 14:32 And we'll look forward to the sequel of the Bible, 14:36 the glorious future God has in store 14:38 for those who choose Him. 14:41 Don't miss The Choice, part five of our five-part series, 14:44 prequel of the Bible, on It Is Written TV. 14:50 >>John Bradshaw: You know that at It Is Written, 14:51 we are serious about studying the Word of God, 14:53 and we encourage you to be serious as well. 14:56 Well, here's what you do if you want to dig deeper 14:58 into God's Word. 15:00 Go to ItIsWritten.Study for the It Is Written 15:03 Bible Study guides online, 25 in-depth Bible studies 15:06 that will take you through the major teachings 15:08 of the Bible. 15:10 You'll be blessed, and it's something 15:11 you'll want to tell others about as well. 15:13 ItIsWritten.Study. 15:15 Go further. ItIsWritten.Study. 15:20 [uplifting music] 15:24 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School" 15:25 brought to you by It Is Written. 15:27 We're looking at love being the fulfilling of the law, 15:31 here on our final lesson, looking at God's love 15:34 and justice. 15:36 John, I want to read a passage to you here 15:38 in the book of Romans. 15:39 It's in Romans 7, verse number 12. 15:41 And then let's unpack it a little bit. 15:44 Romans, chapter 7, verse 12 says, 15:46 "Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy 15:49 and just and good." 15:52 So here it says that the commandment is-- 15:54 the law is holy, the commandment is holy and just and good. 15:57 What does this suggest about the role of the law? 15:59 We're looking at after Christ's death. 16:01 This is over in the book of Romans; 16:03 how should that help us understand the role of the law 16:05 at this point in time? 16:07 >>John: Yeah, there are many people, 16:08 including many Christians, that have the misunderstanding 16:10 that somehow Christ's death on the cross abolishes the law. 16:14 And what it abolishes for those who are in Christ by faith 16:17 are the penalties of the law, but the moral law continues 16:19 because it's not something to be done away with. 16:21 If it was something that could just be done away with, 16:23 Christ wouldn't need to die to fulfill the law 16:26 among other things. 16:28 And Paul's statement here and in many other places 16:30 about the law being holy and just and good, 16:32 shows us that the law continues. 16:34 It is a good thing. It is intended as a blessing. 16:36 And this is actually the consistent teaching. 16:38 Even though there are many things Paul writes 16:40 that are hard to understand and sometimes misunderstood, 16:42 we need to make sure that our understanding 16:45 takes into account all of what Scripture teaches. 16:47 And Paul is very clear that these laws continue, 16:50 that they are holy and just and good. 16:52 Jesus Himself was also very clear on this. 16:54 In Matthew, chapter 5, verses 17 through 18, 16:58 He said this, "Do not think that I came to destroy 17:00 "the Law or the Prophets. 17:02 "I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 17:05 "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, 17:09 "one jot or one tittle will by no means 17:12 pass from the law till all is fulfilled." 17:16 The law is not done away with, the law continues, 17:18 the moral law, this transcript of God's character, 17:21 the law of God's unselfish love. 17:23 Now, I think one of the reasons why people struggle 17:25 with this idea is they think of the law 17:28 as an impossible standard. 17:30 They think, I could never actually be good enough. 17:34 And for those that have that kind of view of God's law, 17:38 maybe that kind of view of God's justice 17:40 and even God's judgment, maybe something 17:41 they're afraid of, I have good news 17:43 for us this morning. 17:45 First of all, God's judgment throughout the Bible 17:47 is a good thing. 17:49 In the Old Testament, the very word for judge 17:51 can also be translated deliverer. 17:53 And so they were crying out for judgment. 17:54 They were not typically saying, "God, why do You bring judgment 17:56 so often?" 17:58 They were saying, "Why don't You bring judgment more swiftly 18:00 and more thoroughly?" 18:01 Because they knew with judgment, justice comes 18:03 and deliverance comes. 18:05 Now still at that point, some people might say, 18:07 "Well, that doesn't sound good because I know 18:09 "that I'm a sinner. 18:11 "And so if justice comes, how's that 18:12 "gonna work out for me? 18:14 How can I possibly be good enough?" 18:17 And here, I think, maybe a brief analogy 18:20 will be helpful. 18:21 I often use this illustration with my students, and I say, 18:24 imagine that myself and a professional 18:28 basketball player, let's say LeBron James, 18:30 have a jumping competition. 18:33 It's a funny idea. 18:34 I used to play basketball, but I never 18:36 was great at jumping. 18:37 His vertical leap is supposed to be 18:41 about 40 plus inches. 18:42 Mine is, well, let's just say it's not that much, right? 18:47 So imagine this competition. 18:48 He jumps as high as he can, and then I jump 18:51 as high as I can. 18:52 Is there a big difference between our leaping ability? 18:54 There is. There's a big difference, right? 18:56 A very noticeable difference. 18:58 However, imagine that we are trying to jump 19:01 to touch the moon. 19:03 Is there then a big difference in our jumping ability? 19:06 No, there's a small difference, right? 19:08 And this is the problem many people have 19:09 when they start comparing themselves to another. 19:12 I'm better than that person or I'm not as good 19:13 as that person. 19:14 Actually, all of us compared to Christ 19:17 are on a level playing field, right? 19:19 And the actual perfection of Christ is like 19:22 trying to reach the moon, if we try to reach it 19:24 in our own power. 19:25 But the good news is that Christ makes a way 19:28 that through Christ, by faith, we can be pleasing to God. 19:32 He is our great High Priest who the book of Hebrews says 19:35 always lives to make intercession for us. 19:38 So first of all, He calls to us to come to Him 19:41 as our High Priest, and He makes a way 19:45 to make up for all of our deficiencies, 19:47 that if we are in Christ by faith, 19:49 all of our offerings can be acceptable 19:52 to Him through Christ. 19:54 And this is the teaching all throughout Scripture, 19:58 that we have a high priest in heaven who can make 20:01 our offerings and sacrifices acceptable to God 20:05 if we come to Christ through faith. 20:08 >>Eric: I'm gonna read Hebrews 7, verse 25, 20:10 and this one I think kind of goes right along 20:13 with what we're talking about. 20:14 It says, "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost 20:18 "those who come to God through Him, 20:20 since He always lives to make intercession for them." 20:23 Just a beautiful, beautiful verse. 20:24 >>John: It's such a beautiful passage, 20:25 and it gives us again that confidence 20:28 that even though without faith it's impossible to please Him 20:30 as Hebrews also says, "By faith we can be pleasing 20:33 through Christ and through His intercession for us." 20:35 And so in fact no one needs to be afraid of the judgment, 20:39 no one needs to think the law is against them 20:41 because if you have Christ as your advocate, 20:43 then you will be made whole. 20:47 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, 20:50 "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 20:52 and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 20:55 And this is the wonderful work of Christ for us and in us. 20:58 >>Eric: Let's talk for a moment about the tension between 21:00 the law and grace. 21:02 How does that help us to understand God's character? 21:04 >>John: Yeah, so here again, a lot of people think 21:07 law is here and grace is here, and these are kind of pitted 21:10 against one another, okay? 21:12 Now it's true that the law and grace 21:13 have different functions. 21:15 The law cannot save us. The law cannot clean us up. 21:20 But the law can show us our need of a savior. 21:22 It can show us the best way to live, 21:24 the best way to manifest God's love in relationship 21:27 with others. 21:28 It does a number of positive things, 21:30 but it can't save us. 21:31 We can only be saved by grace. 21:34 And so some people get the misconception that, 21:36 oh, if I just keep the law well enough, 21:37 then I will be saved. 21:39 Well, this is known as legalism. 21:40 Legalism isn't actually trying to keep God's law. 21:44 We're told that we should try to keep God's law. 21:47 That's not legalism. 21:48 Legalism is when you try to keep God's law 21:50 in order to be good enough or in order to be saved. 21:52 That is always gonna be a failed enterprise 21:54 because we can only be saved by grace through faith. 21:58 And this is the consistent teaching of Scripture. 22:00 And one place that we want to look at 22:02 is Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9. 22:05 >>Eric: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, 22:08 "and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 22:11 not of works, lest anyone should boast." 22:14 >>John: So, there's no amount of works that can save us. 22:17 We cannot be saved by works, but our works do manifest 22:20 where our faith is and where our allegiance is, right? 22:23 And so when we respond to God in love 22:26 or respond to others in love, we're not doing it 22:27 to earn God's favor. 22:28 We could never merit it or to be saved, 22:30 but it's actually a reflection of the fact that we are saved, 22:34 that we operate this way because we are saved. 22:37 Now, there's so many misconceptions of this idea. 22:40 One is because you have teachings 22:43 in Scripture that some people think conflict. 22:45 You have James that talks very, very positively about the law. 22:49 In some cases, Paul talks about the law 22:52 in ways that seem negative, although we've also seen him 22:55 also speaking positively. 22:57 And here I think we need to keep in mind 22:59 that the Bible doesn't contradict itself. 23:01 Often it's speaking to different audiences 23:03 with different emphases, right? 23:05 So for instance, if I had had two sons-- 23:07 I only have one, but if I had two sons, 23:08 imagine I had a son Billy and a son Jimmy. 23:12 And imagine that we're going to the beach one day, 23:14 and Billy is deathly afraid of water. 23:19 And Jimmy, he's not afraid of anything. 23:21 Now, am I going to give them the same instructions 23:23 when we go to the beach? 23:25 No, I'm going to say to Billy, "You know, don't worry, 23:27 "the water's not going to hurt you. 23:29 "It's okay to go in. We're going to have a fun time. 23:30 It won't hurt you." 23:32 And to Jimmy, I'm going to say instead, 23:34 because he's not afraid of anything, I'm going to say, 23:35 "You know what, you need to have a healthy fear. 23:36 "The water could hurt you if you're not careful, right? 23:39 "You could be very seriously hurt. 23:41 "You could even drown in the water. 23:42 So I want you to be careful." 23:43 Have I contradicted myself by giving those two 23:45 different sets of instructions? 23:47 No. 23:49 Both things are true, but I'm speaking 23:50 to different audiences and they actually go together. 23:53 And this is the teaching of Scripture 23:54 about law and grace. 23:56 The law and the grace are not pitted against each other, 23:59 but they have different functions 24:02 in Scripture. 24:03 Nevertheless, there are many people 24:04 who think the law is against them. 24:08 But this is only because they might think of themselves 24:10 as on the wrong side of the law. 24:14 And here we need to remember that if we are in Christ 24:16 by faith, according to 1 John 2, "We have an advocate 24:19 "with the Father who is Jesus Christ 24:20 the righteous." 24:22 And so we have nothing to fear. 24:24 But the fact that we have forgiveness in Christ 24:27 doesn't do away with the law. 24:29 I think of the story of the woman 24:31 who was caught in adultery in John 8. 24:34 And of course, there's already something wrong 24:36 with the story at the beginning because you can't be caught 24:38 in adultery by yourself, but they only bring the woman, 24:41 which shows you they're not actually looking for justice. 24:44 They bring the woman because they're trying 24:45 to trap Jesus. 24:46 They bring the woman to Him and they say, the law says 24:48 she should be stoned-- what do you say? 24:51 And they think no matter what He says, 24:52 they have Him trapped. 24:53 If He says, "Stone her," they'll say, 24:55 "Oh, you're taking the law into Your own hands, 24:57 but we're under the authority of the Romans." 24:59 And they think they can get Him that way. 25:01 And if He says, "Oh, no, no, don't stone her, forgive her," 25:03 they say, "Oh, You're breaking the law of Moses." 25:05 So they think, no matter how He responds, 25:09 they have Him trapped, but they don't expect 25:11 what He does. 25:12 He kneels down and He writes on the ground. 25:16 And then He stands up and He says, 25:17 "He who is without sin cast the first stone." 25:22 And this was just not an arbitrary statement of Jesus. 25:24 This was actually part of the law that those 25:27 who claim to be witnesses, they actually had to be those 25:29 that not only testified, but started to carry out 25:31 the command, right? 25:33 And I don't know if we can imagine 25:35 being that woman, she's waiting, probably expecting the stones 25:38 to fall. 25:40 But then she hears stones falling, stones falling, 25:44 stones falling. 25:45 And finally, I imagine when she has the courage 25:48 to look up, she sees that no one is there but Jesus. 25:53 And He says to her, "Woman, is there no one to condemn you? 25:56 Where are your accusers?" 25:58 And He says, "Neither do I condemn you." 26:01 But that's not all that He says to her. 26:02 He says also, "Go and sin no more." 26:07 So the fact that she was shown grace 26:09 is not an excuse to continue to go on and break the law. 26:13 It actually is a reason to be grateful 26:17 and actually want to reflect God's love more. 26:20 And if we reflect God's love, that is just going 26:22 to be fulfilled in keeping the law because love 26:25 is the fulfillment of the law. 26:28 >>Eric: Part of that law, and we don't have too much time 26:30 to go into it, is the Sabbath. 26:32 It's a forgotten commandment. 26:33 How's that important to us today? 26:35 >>John: Yeah, the Sabbath is extremely important 26:38 in Scripture because the Sabbath is given to us as kind of 26:42 a temple in time, as it were. 26:44 It's given to us for relationship with God 26:46 when we're supposed to set aside time 26:48 to be with God, to rest in Him. 26:51 But it's also given us as time to be--have shared attention 26:54 with one another. 26:56 And it's so important in our world that is so busy. 26:59 We're so often so bound up in trying to make something 27:02 of ourselves, we don't sometimes realize the gift that is given 27:06 to rest. 27:07 But far from being a work, the Sabbath doesn't tell us 27:10 to do something, it tells us to rest. 27:12 And so it's the opposite of works righteousness. 27:14 >>Eric: So a beautiful message that we have toward the end 27:17 of this quarter's lesson. 27:19 We have just a few seconds left. 27:20 What would you tell somebody who's struggling with God's love 27:23 and justice? 27:25 >>John: Yeah, I would say that you have nothing to fear. 27:29 If you recognize the deficiency in yourself, go to Christ. 27:33 He welcomes you with open arms. 27:34 He stands at the door and knocks, 27:36 and He will save you. 27:38 He is the author of your faith, and He will also finish 27:42 your faith, meaning He will carry you through 27:44 to completion if you just give yourself to Him. 27:46 So don't wait, don't be afraid. 27:47 Come to Him, He will accept you, and He will carry you 27:50 to the finish line if you let Him. 27:52 >>Eric: John, thank you for joining us this quarter. 27:53 It's been a privilege. 27:55 >>John: It's been my privilege, thank you. 27:56 >>Eric: And thank you for joining us. 27:58 We're glad that you have been with us on this journey. 28:00 Next week, we are starting a brand new quarter 28:03 on a brand new subject. 28:05 We look forward to seeing you back again here 28:07 on "Sabbath School" brought to you 28:09 by It Is Written. 28:10 [uplifting music] 28:19 [uplifting music] |
Revised 2025-03-18