The Normal Christian Life part 6

Often Christians confuse their relationship to God’s Law, and thus “try” to live the Christian life as “they are suppose to do.”  Our relationship to the Law is through Jesus Christ, He has fulfilled the Law, He has satisfied the Law and I now am to live my life connected to Christ and allow Him to live through me, and He satisfies the Law (which is good and holy).  Notice it’s not me satisfying the Law, it’s me abiding in Christ and He fulfills all that God wills and wants to do in me.

So then I am able to say with Paul that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13).  So then a comparison between the Law and God’s Grace might look like this.

The LAW  Says Do

GRACE Says Done

The LAW  Emphasizes What we do

GRACE Emphasizes What God does

The LAW  Lives out of The flesh (SELF)                                

GRACE Lives out of The Spirit (Christ-life)

The LAW  Draws on Our Resources                                      

GRACE Draws on God’s Resources

The LAW  Deals with External rules, regulations, standards    

GRACE Deals with Inner heart attitude

The LAW  Primary Focus Ought to, should, must            

GRACE Primary Focus Want to, desire

The LAW  Creates Bondage, duty, obligation

GRACE Creates Freedom

The LAW  Lives the life from Outside in

GRACE Lives the life Inside out

The LAW  Declares Do in order to be

GRACE Declares You are; therefore do

The LAW  Produces Guilt & Condemnation

GRACE Produces Acceptance & Security

The LAW  Leads to Defeat

GRACE Leads to Victory
                                                

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-8

 Jesus is the Normal Christian Life, this really is how God designed it to be.

 Next Time: Motivated Spirituality