I think that since the Elf has made her appearance I have had a hard time processing anything deep or worthwhile, and so though different things are going on in my head I am having a hard time figuring out what those things are and how they translate to anything. At this point I am living in the moment, every minute sometimes trying to make it through the day...so it seems hard to think about the wonderful sermon that Tinnin preached on Sunday.
Our community group has just begun studying Galatians...wow...the study we are using is written by (you guessed it) Tim Keller and you can buy it online here (you just download it). There is a section of questions that work through the text, and then a set of reflections and another set of questions. The reflections are from Luther's commentary on Galatians. Luther is fab and one of my fav Reformers...he is brilliant...and remember, he loves beer!
The reflections covered Christ's righteousness- passive righteousness- "God imputes it to us apart from our works...For we do nothing for it, and we give nothing for it. We only receive it."
If I could put the whole study up I would, but the main thing is looking at the purpose of the law, what the law does and what it doesn't do. The law does not save, for the believer it is a guide, and for the unbeliever it serves to point out sin. But sometimes we get mixed up with the purpose of the law...I often think, I need to do this or that, forgetting that I do these things to honor Christ, and I do it to try to gain favor with God. The thing is no matter how much I read my Bible, pray, go to church, etc I can never gain God's favor. And there is no need for me to gain God's favor...when Christ died the wrath of God rested on Christ. Through Christ, God's favor rests on me. OK, I do not know if any of that made sense...but here is my fav quote. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from the movie "Luther".
O law! You would climb up into the kingdom of my conscience, and there reign and
condemn me for sin, and would take from me the joy of my heart which I have by faith in Christ, and drive me to desperation, that I might be without hope. You have
overstepped your bounds. Know your place! You are a guide for my behavior, but
you are not Savior and Lord of my heart. For I am baptized, and through the gospel am called to receive righteousness and eternal life… So trouble me not! For I will not allow you, so intolerable a tyrant and tormentor, to reign in my heart and conscience — for they are the seat and temple of Christ the Son of God, who is the king of righteousness and peace, and my most sweet savior and mediator. He shall keep my conscience joyful and quiet in the sound and pure doctrine of the gospel, through the knowledge of this passive and heavenly righteousness.
1 comment:
too bad I did not read this a bit earlier...we are about to undertake a study of Galatians starting this week and we needed books even up until last week!
Post a Comment