I was talking with Engineer Diva last night. I was dropping her back to her house after we had heard the NZSO . (It is interesting to sit with a trained sound engineer, who works out how to improve the acoustic of the town hall during the first half of the concert). We were considering how as parents, as daughters and sons, we are in a network. Our lives are not our own. We have to consider others. The days when we could fall for another, without considering others, have gone.
This is kind of leading into the law. For Jesus came not to destroy the Law, but fulfil it. The law is good. But the law is not, fundamentally about equality. It is about love.
28One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; 33and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’ — this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.
Talking about love, about caring for others, restricting what we do and how we would act because we have others around us, and accepting the differences between us, is currently so non goodthink that it must be stifled. And then there is our natural state. Part of me would want to not consider others, and do what feels good. To be selfish — as much in my relationships as in my diet.
(The temptation of the cupcake, or the feedlot that says “it only takes a minute for McDonald’s” continually exists. It’s easier to read a book or look at a blog than go to the gym, where the weights hurt, or practice double stopping on the viola, which hurts my back)
But if I do not daily practise the disciplines of this life, I become useless.
@ Elspeth
We have to fight to do the right thing, even after we’ve taken the vow. The decision to choose life and blessing over the curse and death is always before us and never goes away while we are in this life.
This is also a point that most Christians miss. The default state of man is to rebel against God. Even after we have become Christians we have to continually take off the old and put on the new.
The default state of the wife is to be in rebellion to her husband. She must strive everyday for unity and not strife to obey what God has commanded to submit to her husband and respect him.
Likewise, the default state of husband is to not want to take responsibility to be the head. He must continually strive to love his wife as himself and wash her in the word and be considerate of her as the weaker vessel.
This is why cultivating good habits through prayer, reading and meditating on Scripture, etc are so important. The more you can become like God in true righteousness and holiness, the easier it is to obey His commands.
Cane Caldo has a point here. (talking about divorced people remarrying)
The Law is like a handrail along the path that we are to follow towards God. It certainly marks the path, but is not part of it. It is helpful to reach a goal, but not a goal in itself. It can be grasped, leaned upon, and aid you in standing back up if you fall, but it cannot actually move you along, or take you anywhere of its own power. In fact, it’s worth noting that a handrail can reliably be used to lead towards a thing, or away, and sometimes it is hard to tell the difference. Distance occludes our vision, and while we often look ahead to see The Law zigging south into a valley, we do not see it beyond that; zagging back north over the mountains. Who can make straight what He has made crooked?
It serves as a barrier, but only one of choice: It’s function is not to stop you from going where you want to go. Some people like to think of The Law as a fence. If we call it a fence, we would have no choice but to say it’s not a very good fence; because a fence that can be surmounted or subverted effectively ceases to be a fence…at least for whoever goes over or under it. A jumped handrail, though, continues to serve its intended purposes; even for the would-be escapist. In contrast to a fence: The handrail of The Law is fundamentally good however we interact with it; always ready to be of use in each of its intended capacities.
Lastly, we should note that the existence of the handrail of The Law is itself condemnation of the danger of our position and the weakness of our abilities. If we were on open ground there would be no need of a handrail. If we were surefooted, clear-eyed, and attentive the handrail would be superfluous. Its presence is proof that we are in need of salvation because we are bound for damnation.
I’m a mere simple reformed man. I find those theological works of the scholars in other historical periods far more useful than in this age, for we have fallen from a great height. Because this world is not about our pleasures, and some sense that we are all equal. In fact, that is, for me, a version of hell.
Consider last night. I was watching the principal violist from the NZSO as a soloist. Playing Mozart. She’s really, really good. Now, to tell her that she must play no better than a person with grade I exams, or not wear the beautiful gown she had on, nor stand in front of her fellow violists and play as a soloist, that she should not seek excellence, is to remove a glory from this world.
We are equal in that we are all frail. We are equal in that we are all moral agents, and responsible for our actions, to quote Elspeth properly
But it gives the impression that it isn’t something a husband has a right to expect from his wife, that she hasn’t already promised to give it by the very act of agreeing to marry him. She already made the choice to become his wife, and wives are to submit to their husbands.
True, but people lie and break promises every day. You know that Dalrock. This is why each of us has to make the decision to do the right thing every morning when we open our eyes and before our feet touch the floor. There is always the temptation to do wrong and it’s a woman’s s nature to rebel. Submission and obedience requires a belief and commitment to something greater than one self. The battle is constant:
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. Galatians 5:17
I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.Romans 7:21-24
We have to fight to do the right thing, even after we’ve taken the vow. The decision to choose life and blessing over the curse and death is always before us and never goes away while we are in this life.
It’s an inconvenient truth, because we want to believe that when our mates choose us, there are no more choices to be made. It’s going to be all good from here on out. I am a witness that a marriage can have more good days than bad, but there are no guarantees. Only choices.
The law is good. Equality is a lie. Our pleasures deceive. Choose good.
