The Ten Commandments tend to get a bad rep as a bunch of rules that take all the fun out of life. The Ten Commandments are more than God saying, "Here is My Law for you" - they are God saying, "Here is My love for you." (89)
The Ten Commandments are our mirror, our reminder that shows us our sins - our realization that we could never keep them perfectly on our own. And then comes the Gospel; Jesus, our Greatest Gift kept the Law perfectly for us! Good news!
God knows us so well - God knows how we say I do - but don't.(90)
God gives the commandments to us - and God gives God to keep the commandments for us. God gives us the commitment of love at the top of Sinai, and He staggeringly keeps our commitment to love at the top of Calvary. (92)
Out of thankfulness and out of our love to Him, we desire to please Him. And now these commands don't lead to despair but they're an opportunity to give the best of ourselves, being motivated by the Holy Spirit working inside us! We still don't live out these commands perfectly this side of heaven - Jesus did that when He came to this side from heaven:)
Question #1 - I so appreciate our Lutheran Confession and Absolution we start our liturgy with every Sunday.
Congregation: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words and actions. I have done what is evil and failed to do what is good. For this I deserve you punishment both now and in eternity. But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my Saviour Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Pastor: God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (CW Common Service)
2 comments:
Thank you, Rachel, for every one of these wonderful "thoughts" and especially the addition at the end of Confession and Absolution :) Susanne
I was intrigued by the idea (p. 91) that the commandments are a continuing exchange of love. Jesus showed his love for us by keeping them perfectly. We love because he first loved us, and we show it by doing our best to obey them. Because of Jesus' sacrifice for us, God doesn't see our efforts as the filthy, stinking rags that they are - he sees them as perfectly righteous expressions of love! And then, in turn, God loves us back by blessing us with the results of obeying his commandments - "that it may go well with you."
I also found Elyse Fitzpatrick's quote fitting. When we spend time in God's word continuously, we discover that truth in ever-deepening ways: how completely rotten to the core we are, and how very passionately and steadfastly God loves us. Oh Lord, may I continue to grow in my knowledge of your love for me and how very un-deserved it is - until I see you face to face!
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