Sometimes, you can have so many things
going on at the same time, you don't know which item to devote the
most time to. Sometimes, I feel like the man who jumped on his horse
and rode off in all directions at once.
That said, what has fascinated me since
my awakening and departure from the WCG, was in trying to discern
what made one person leave, and another person stay, where both
parties had access to the same or essentially similar information.
One of my motivations in this regard was to be better equipped at
helping people to “see” again, and how the Armstrong theology is
so seriously flawed and downright abusive, if not outright satanic.
Of course, one still ensconced in
Armstongism, or the SDA, would balk loudly at this notion, claiming
that the law they live by is “God's law” and as such, hardly
satanic. However, just as it is with just about everything in this
world, there is the proper “use” of a thing, and the “abuse”
of the same thing.
What then was the purpose of use of the
law, from the perspective of God? What did the Israelites perceive
as the purpose of the law?
Moses wrote that, should they keep the
law, it would be their righteousness, and who doesn't want to be
righteous in the sight of God?
Deuteronomy 6:24 And the LORD
commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for
our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this
day.
25 And it shall be our righteousness,
if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God,
as he hath commanded us.
But Moses also wrote that the law
served the purpose of being a witness against them:
Deuteronomy 31:26 Take this book of
the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the
LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
27 For I know thy rebellion, and thy
stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have
been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?
Can we look at the cold hard facts
here?
God calls them stiff-necked,
rebellious, and faithless. How do these characteristics manifest
themselves in every day life?
We have a number of other descriptive
that go hand in hand with these “qualities.” Pride. Arrogance.
Egocentric.
What does it mean to be stiff-necked?
It is a condition of being resistant to outside influences. “I'll
do it my way.” “Don't tell me I can't drive fast. I'm a highly
skilled driver with the reflexes of a cat and the vision of an
eagle.” The stiff-necked person refuses correction or direction.
They know it all, and if you don't believe it, just ask them. With
either religion or politics, their mind is made up. They are right,
and you are wrong. They read an article on a particular subject, and
now they are experts on the subject. They are not open to other
ideas once their minds are made up.
What they didn't understand then, and
what a lot of people don't understand today, is that God played into
their egos and stiff-necked, rebellious attitude by saying in
effect, “Fine then, go ahead and produce your own righteousness
through the law. Show me and the world that you can do it yourself
and I will even shower you with blessings and wealth you can't even
imagine."
The stiff-necked, rebellious,
faithless, wants to boast in himself. So God gave them something to
boast in; a law. God said, “Here's what you can do to be
like Me. Here's how you too can be like God is God. Knock
yourselves out.
The Israelites never kept the law; not
even close.
Then comes along Jesus. You would
think by then, based on what had happened to them as a people, that
they would have been ready to admit they couldn't do it; they
couldn't keep the law; that they would be ready to try something
else, like, live and walk in faith.
No. They were still in denial. Like
Psalms 44 shows, they actually thought they were in compliance with
the law, and couldn't understand why God was punishing them. They
could not face the truth. They were still stiff-necked and
rebellious, insistent that they could do it themselves.
Move forward another 1800 some years,
and you have a religious movement within the ranks of the Church of
England who insisted they could still do it themselves, also
suffering from the same malady of those earlier Israelites when it
came to ego, being stiff-necked, rebellious, and generally judgmental
and obnoxious. From this grouping sprang the modern sabbatarian
movements, and they are the children of their theological parents.
They all made a mistake in judgment.
They looked at the Israelites of old and concluded, “Why, no wonder
they didn't keep the law; they didn't have God's Holy Spirit in them
to enable them to keep the law. They were doomed from the beginning.
We Christians are so much wiser and righteous than they. We have
Christ and the law! We have the missing piece of the puzzle. We can
do all things through Christ in us.”
The overall problem is: If you seek
righteousness through your own efforts, you end up with “self”
righteousness, and it is not a pretty thing. You also end up with
people no better than those Israelites of old, who were in denial
over the law, for the modern sabbatarian legalist really doesn't keep
the law either; not even close. But try to convince them of that!
Paul wrote that it isn't the hearers of
the law who are justified, but the doers. It's one of the legalist's
favorite proof texts. What the legalist refuses to see, being in
denial, is that none of them are doers of the law. They are, like
the Israelites before them, “lippers” of the law, giving it lip
service only. Somehow, just acknowledging the law is sufficient.
Just acknowledging the law is somehow keeping the law, just as Israel
of old did.
To those who believe it is God's Spirit
that enables you to keep the law, how is that working out for you
then? If, after all, it was the function and purpose of God's
Spirit to keep the law, then you would keep the law, would you not?
But you don't, do you! And what little law you do keep, you keep in
accordance of the dictates of men, and not Scripture. And even here
you are in denial.
Most sabbatarians (I refrain from
saying “sabbath keepers” since they don't really keep the
sabbath) feel that just “knowing” the sabbath is just as valid as
keeping it. Other religious sects or offshoots (dare I write it and
use the word “cult”?) have their own distinctives also, where the
whole embodiment of their movement is summed up on one practice or
over-riding belief. Baptists comes to mind first in regards to
“mainstream”.
Before we wander off too far. We need
to stop and ask ourselves what sort of person is the opposite of the
egocentric, stiff-necked and rebellious, faithless, person?
They are pliant. They have come to see
and understand that they could never in a thousand lifetimes live up
to that standard set by the law. They are not hung up on the self
and glorying in the self. They see themselves in relation to God and
Christ as just a mere man who is a sinner and humanly unable and
incapable of making himself over into anything near like God. They,
in turn, are willing to walk in faith, taking on Christ's
righteousness. They truly seek God and His Righteousness, and not
their own.
God can work with such people. They
will trust Him; believe Him. They will place their faith in Him.
They will truly BELIEVE Him instead of looking for rationalizations
to circumvent truly believing God and truly having faith in God.
They truly believe Christ's sacrifice
was complete and we are complete in Him. It isn't half Christ's
sacrifice and half our efforts in “keeping” the law. We, as
Christians, have nothing to brag about, including keeping the sabbath
or knowing the “truth” about it. The “truth” about the
sabbath is that it was a shadow of God's rest that He began on that
seventh day of Creation Week that the BELIEVER; the FAITHFUL enter
into through faith, and not because they knew to keep the shadow.
The law was, and is, a great venue for
separating out the egocentric and the humble; the faithless and the
faithful; the stiff-necked and the pliant.
In closing, I give you the sabbatarian
version of the Beatitudes.
Blessed are the poor law keepers: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn over
breaking law: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek law keepers: for
they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and
thirst after self righteousness through the law: for they shall be
filled.
Blessed are the merciful law keepers:
for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the law keepers who are
pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the law keeping
peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are those law keepers which are
persecuted for self-righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
Blessed are ye law keepers, when men
shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for
great is your reward in heaven: for so the law keeping people
persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Ye law keepers are the salt of the
earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be
salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and
to be trodden under foot of men.
Ye law keepers are the light of the
world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put
it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all
that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works of the law, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven.
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It is important that you understand; Everything on this blog is based on the current understanding of each author. Never take anyone's word for it, always prove it for yourself, it is your responsibility. You cannot ride someone else's coattail into the Kingdom. ; ) Acts 17:11
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1 comment:
What a moving article. How many of us were blind to this during our tenure in our particular Church of God? Could I see it while I was in the darkness? Of course not. It was only when the light revealed it, that I even knew I was in darkness. Previously, I had been so thoroughly indoctrinated that the light was said to be Satan trying to deceive me, and I shunned that light by running into the dark. How much it reminds me of this verse: “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Thank you for this timely reminder.
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