Thesis #1, The Law of God, Michael Jackson and Us
Thesis 1. The law of God, that most salutary doctrine of life, cannot advance humans on their way to righteousness, but rather hinders them.
Michael Jackson died this week. Aside from concern over the state of his soul, I'm not broken up about it. I was never much of a fan. I will say this, though. Michael Jackson was enormously talented and worked hard at his craft. But he was also enormously twisted. Michael Jackson was blessed by a gracious God with great gifts, good health and opportunity to use them. Instead of being thankful and using his gifts to bless his Father, he wasted them in futile endeavors of self-aggrandizement and self-perfection. It seems to me that at one time he was a Jehovah's Witness. (I may be wrong about that.) But it would fit if he were.
Michael Jackson was all about changing himself through his own efforts. He worked hard to try to outwardly change himself into something other than what he was (a black male). He had immense resources that he squandered in his vain attempt to escape his despair as no real change was ever sustainable. Like many poets, he was aware of the darkness within his soul and did all he could to heal that darkness. But he also loved the darkness and had no inward power to transform himself. He lived a life of pride, perversion, despair. And he died like a circus freak. There is only one inevitability when we live with largess in the glory story: freakish despair and ultimately a tasteless nibble for Screwtape.
I am sorry for Michael Jackson and I would like to think that there is a great gulf fixed between MJ and myself. It's not true though. MJ was seeking out a way to advance his own righteousness. Yes, probably, righteousness in his own eyes. But surely, at least at one time, in the eyes of God. He constructed laws and sought to obey them. He couldn't so he gave himself more-and-more to neverland fantasies, skin bleach, scalpels, perversion and despair.
I don't have the inclination to bleach my skin or get plastic surgery. But, like MJ I'm tempted to believe that I can perfect myself through my own efforts. It's here that Luther's first thesis gets at me. I assume that "good works done in obedience to divine law must be the way" (23) to advance toward righteousness. I have a different grid than MJ did. My inclinations (and giftings) run in a different stream. But that doesn't mean that I'm different from him at heart. I, too, fight the cross and want to embrace the law. Anything to avoid that humiliation! Really!
Here's Luther's take on our ability to advance into righteousness through the law. "...the law cannot advance us to righteousness. The law cannot save. The shocking fact is that the law is not a remedy for sin, although we never quite seem to believe that. Indeed, when righteousness before God is at stake, It only makes matters worse." (24) The law, as Luther (and Paul) say, is "holy and righteous and good", "most salutary." It is good but we are not. And because of that, it stirs up sin within us and plays into our natural self-trust. Don't think that Luther is only being concerned about the Michael Jacksons of the world. He's speaking to those who "stand under the revealed law of God, the people of God." Here's why: "It is common among evangelical Christians to believe that we can't perfectly fulfill the law, but we often try to because we assume that if only we could we would do it. So we believe that we must try to do something at least, and then, it is assumed, Christ will make up for our 'shortcomings'. But here is the bombshell: doing the law does not advance the cause of righteousness one whit. It only makes matters worse." (24)
So...if I can't bring to God at least a little bit of my good law-keeping -- after all, I'm not like a Michael Jackson!!! -- then what can I bring? How can I stand? Only by the gospel: the incarnation, sinless life, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, ascension and reign of the God-Man, my Savior, Jesus Christ. So, I must flee Sinai and run to Calvary.
Here's the reality. Without the cross we all are circus freaks in the eyes of God. Slicing and dicing and sprucing and bleaching and working and working and working to recreate ourselves into our own image of perfection. Chutes and Ladders over and over again. We must embrace the gospel every moment of every day or we will work and work and work and then slide right back down to start over again. Hear Luther again, "The righteousness that obtains before God comes 'apart from the law,' through the gospel of resurrection [new life]. So we have the paradox that the very law of God does not improve sinners but makes them worse. The cross itself...is proof of that." (25) If the law (any law) could make anyone righteous Christ would never have died. We wouldn't have had the need to be made entirely new. We would merely have need of education and loads of stickey pads and plastic surgeons.
But the perfect, spotless Lamb did die. He died because he had done what we never could have done. He fulfilled the Law and then took our punishment. Thank God for his wounds, for the white robes of righteousness that are now yours. And mourn. For for all the Michael Jacksons in the world who are revolving round and round on their neverland merry-go-rounds of Law heading to nowhere; trying to reach the golden ring that will turn to dust and despair as soon as the grasp it. And then throw yourself again and again into your Savior's nail-pierced hands and say, "There but for the grace of God go I"?... No, not quite, "There go I again and again and there I would eternally stay but for the sweet grace of God." And then smile a true, wrinkled smile, spread the joyous news.
Michael Jackson died this week. Aside from concern over the state of his soul, I'm not broken up about it. I was never much of a fan. I will say this, though. Michael Jackson was enormously talented and worked hard at his craft. But he was also enormously twisted. Michael Jackson was blessed by a gracious God with great gifts, good health and opportunity to use them. Instead of being thankful and using his gifts to bless his Father, he wasted them in futile endeavors of self-aggrandizement and self-perfection. It seems to me that at one time he was a Jehovah's Witness. (I may be wrong about that.) But it would fit if he were.
Michael Jackson was all about changing himself through his own efforts. He worked hard to try to outwardly change himself into something other than what he was (a black male). He had immense resources that he squandered in his vain attempt to escape his despair as no real change was ever sustainable. Like many poets, he was aware of the darkness within his soul and did all he could to heal that darkness. But he also loved the darkness and had no inward power to transform himself. He lived a life of pride, perversion, despair. And he died like a circus freak. There is only one inevitability when we live with largess in the glory story: freakish despair and ultimately a tasteless nibble for Screwtape.
I am sorry for Michael Jackson and I would like to think that there is a great gulf fixed between MJ and myself. It's not true though. MJ was seeking out a way to advance his own righteousness. Yes, probably, righteousness in his own eyes. But surely, at least at one time, in the eyes of God. He constructed laws and sought to obey them. He couldn't so he gave himself more-and-more to neverland fantasies, skin bleach, scalpels, perversion and despair.
I don't have the inclination to bleach my skin or get plastic surgery. But, like MJ I'm tempted to believe that I can perfect myself through my own efforts. It's here that Luther's first thesis gets at me. I assume that "good works done in obedience to divine law must be the way" (23) to advance toward righteousness. I have a different grid than MJ did. My inclinations (and giftings) run in a different stream. But that doesn't mean that I'm different from him at heart. I, too, fight the cross and want to embrace the law. Anything to avoid that humiliation! Really!
Here's Luther's take on our ability to advance into righteousness through the law. "...the law cannot advance us to righteousness. The law cannot save. The shocking fact is that the law is not a remedy for sin, although we never quite seem to believe that. Indeed, when righteousness before God is at stake, It only makes matters worse." (24) The law, as Luther (and Paul) say, is "holy and righteous and good", "most salutary." It is good but we are not. And because of that, it stirs up sin within us and plays into our natural self-trust. Don't think that Luther is only being concerned about the Michael Jacksons of the world. He's speaking to those who "stand under the revealed law of God, the people of God." Here's why: "It is common among evangelical Christians to believe that we can't perfectly fulfill the law, but we often try to because we assume that if only we could we would do it. So we believe that we must try to do something at least, and then, it is assumed, Christ will make up for our 'shortcomings'. But here is the bombshell: doing the law does not advance the cause of righteousness one whit. It only makes matters worse." (24)
So...if I can't bring to God at least a little bit of my good law-keeping -- after all, I'm not like a Michael Jackson!!! -- then what can I bring? How can I stand? Only by the gospel: the incarnation, sinless life, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, ascension and reign of the God-Man, my Savior, Jesus Christ. So, I must flee Sinai and run to Calvary.
Here's the reality. Without the cross we all are circus freaks in the eyes of God. Slicing and dicing and sprucing and bleaching and working and working and working to recreate ourselves into our own image of perfection. Chutes and Ladders over and over again. We must embrace the gospel every moment of every day or we will work and work and work and then slide right back down to start over again. Hear Luther again, "The righteousness that obtains before God comes 'apart from the law,' through the gospel of resurrection [new life]. So we have the paradox that the very law of God does not improve sinners but makes them worse. The cross itself...is proof of that." (25) If the law (any law) could make anyone righteous Christ would never have died. We wouldn't have had the need to be made entirely new. We would merely have need of education and loads of stickey pads and plastic surgeons.
But the perfect, spotless Lamb did die. He died because he had done what we never could have done. He fulfilled the Law and then took our punishment. Thank God for his wounds, for the white robes of righteousness that are now yours. And mourn. For for all the Michael Jacksons in the world who are revolving round and round on their neverland merry-go-rounds of Law heading to nowhere; trying to reach the golden ring that will turn to dust and despair as soon as the grasp it. And then throw yourself again and again into your Savior's nail-pierced hands and say, "There but for the grace of God go I"?... No, not quite, "There go I again and again and there I would eternally stay but for the sweet grace of God." And then smile a true, wrinkled smile, spread the joyous news.
This is a beautifully written and truthful analogy of the struggles of people who either have not or do not want to accept the fact that Jesus is the Christ - the Son of the Living God!
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Thanks, Judy, and welcome. I look forward to "hearing" from you.
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I am so thankful to be part of this discussion. I have enjoyed the posts thus far, the questions, the thoughts, and the analogies have been amazing. I am so tempted to just sit back and read the posts...I get so much from it!
I finally did get a copy of the book, however, and have decided to dig in. Definitely a book worth reading. I was even able to have a couple discussions on the topic that were well over my head with my son, Paul. He has recommended a couple of other books to supplement what I am reading, as he says the discussion is much, much bigger than I am making it. His recommendations are Michael Horton's "Chistless Christianity," and for a beginner, David VanDrunen's "A Biblical Case for Natural Law." I mention them just in case anyone else has read them or is interested. These theological discussions can become very big.
I really enjoy the way Forde uses illustrations. The illustration of the addict is particularly vivid. I think it addresses the enslaving nature of our pride, and our use of the law to feed our pride. As Forde points out, "the relationship to the gift giver is broken."
We are given the gift of righteousness and we are too proud to accept it as it is freely given. It seems that to apply Forde would be to live out an understanding of the apostle Paul who said, "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery."
The message is freeing, radically so! Have we lived unrighteously? Yes but we are free from the enslaving power of sin. Have we lived righteously in what we think is our own merit? Yes but we are free from that too. We repent from both and live out our love to God which overflows to all areas of our lives. I think this is standing firm in the freedom Christ has given us.
While I love this discussion, I think it actually raises more questions for me that will require more study. I want to understand how the verses in Ps. 19 and 119, for instance, relate and apply, if they do. And how does gospel living relate to civil and natural law?....there are so many ways my mind is spinning. But I am thankful for this avenue to spin down.
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So glad you posted, Anita, and glad you're having stimulating discussions with Paul. "Christless Christianity" is wonderful and I bought several copies for my family. We loved it. Haven't read Van Drunen but loved the class I took from him at WSC. I'll pick up a copy and dive in...soon. Have a nice vacation, friend.
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On page 24 Forde says, "The law cannot save. The shocking fact is that the law is not a remedy for sin, although we never quite seem to believe that." No we (I) don't.
God's law says, "Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right." My law says, "Children, clean up one mess before you go make another one." It seems pretty clear to me that because God has given me authority in my kids' lives and I've given them this "clean up your messes" rule (law), they should obey it. Makes sense, right? So when they don't (like yesterday) I'm justified in my anger because, after all, I've told them to do this 5,000 times. And for heaven's sake how difficult is it anyway!
Even as I write this I can feel the guilt & condemnation creeping in. "You call yourself a mom? You can't even be patient and long-suffering with the weaknesses of your children! You even went to a "Gospel Centered Parenting" workshop last weekend. Didn't you learn anything?"
Yes I did. By the grace of God I learned that even though I'm not patient and long-suffering with the weaknesses of others. Jesus was perfectly patient in my place, and when God looks at me it's Christ's perfect record that he sees. He looks at me and says, "Oh, daughter! I love you!!"
Ok, now I'm crying. It's this amazing, glorious truth that makes me want to obey and gives me faith that when I fail over and over again (today) His disposition towards me will not change one bit. Praise God! Can you even believe that this is true for us who are hidden in Christ?! Wow!
This is also true for my children, who I believe are saved, and also have the perfect righteous record of their Savior. Oh, Lord, give me grace to stop beating them over the head with the law and expecting it to do for them what I know that it does not have the power to do. Instead, help me preach the gospel of grace to them. Take my words, Lord, and use them to dazzle my children with what you have done.
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Kei: I just finished a great book by John Rosemond called, "Teen Proofing, Fostering Responsible Decision Making in Your Teenager". It's great parenting wisdom no matter your kids ages, and I tell you I got so much out of it for my own life. Wonderful book! There's another one too I read recently, but I can't remember the title and it's at my work. I'll let you know tomorrow.
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Thanks, JoAnne, for the book recommendations. I look forward to hearing about the second one.
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Kei: Second book - Making Peace with your Teenager by Kevin Huggins & Phil Landrum (again, although "teen" is in the title, excellent for all ages).
Thanks, Elyse, for allowing us this little side trail.
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test
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Your point?
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Jess was trying to get me "logged on" to the blog...as they have been posting my blogs from their end. Jess just put in the word "test" in order to see if it showed up. This was not a comment from me, regarding Kei's blog, or anybody else...it was just a "test".
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Thank you for clearing that up for me. Computers can be tricky!
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Michele, your comment showed up here so just go ahead and put a post in and I'll be sure that it gets put up. Computers...humph!
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