The Lord's Law of love
Love is the unfolding of the Law. Thus, the Law must be the foundation of love. God’s Law is the law of love. Satan, the deviant genius, has turned the Christian world away from the authority of God’s Law of love by focusing them on love—love apart from the Law of love.
This devious love is nebulous, at the least; and proud and self-centered at the most. But rather than what Satan has pawned off to humanity, many millions of people around the world have been led by the Spirit to look for love with more detail. They seek more assurance of God’s love and in their search have come to see the need for the Law of God.
The Law gives definition to love. And the King of love, Jesus, the Son of God receives wonderful features when we view Him through the Old Testament. That Law which came from the craggy precipices of Mt. Sinai illuminates “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,” (2Cor. 4:6), whose “visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.” (Is. 52:14).
David wrote, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.” (Ps. 1:1-5).
David knew what the victorious life in Christ was all about. And he declares that it happens through “the Law of the Lord.” It’s not just about “the law”; but about the Lord’s Law. It’s two, not one. It’s the Lord and His Law.
He declares that the ungodly don’t meditate in the Lord’s Law day and night. Therefore they cannot stand in judgment, but are blown away by every wind of doctrine.
The Law of God makes a man out of us. Grace alone is not enough. Our sanctification and glorification requires the acceptance of both the mercy of Christ and His justice, His Law; we must receive Him both as “God my Saviour” and “the Lord our righteousness.” (Lk. 1:47;Jer. 23:6).
As it was prophesied of Christ, “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, the Lord our righteousness.” (Jer. 23:5,6).
Both law and grace give the church the access into the knowledge of Christ. “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name .” (Jn. 1:12). “In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness.” (Jer. 33:16).
“And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.” (Is. 4:1). This prophecy speaks of the glorious day when the Law will finally rule in the lives of Christ’s followers. And multitudes of disillusioned people without the loving Law will desperately seek out the people of God to hear a word of grace and truth; they will want to call themselves commandment keepers and owners of the testimony of Jesus, which is the Spirit of Prophecy, to dissolve the painful anxiety that has come to them from Satan’s presence in their hearts.
“In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.” (vs.2).
His love will be their law of life—His righteous love, His loving righteousness. We have nothing to fear from the righteousness of the Law of God. But we have everything to fear from a Law without love and also from a love without the Law .
It is love without the distinction and guidance of the Law that leads people to commit the most heinous acts in God’s name and in the name of love. “Yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.” (Jn. 16:2). Those evil days were experienced by the early Christians by a humanistic religious world; and that day will come again. It is just this lawless “love” that will compose the big time of trouble before Jesus returns. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matt. 24:21,22).
Lawless love is not love at all—it is satanic. We see it in a unique vision by the Lord’s messenger.
I turned to look at the company who were still bowed before the throne; they did not know that Jesus had left it. Satan appeared to be by the throne, trying to carry on the work of God. I saw them look up to the throne, and pray, “Father, give us Thy Spirit.” Satan would then breathe upon them an unholy influence; in it there was light and much power, but no sweet love, joy, and peace. Satan’s object was to keep them deceived and to draw back and deceive God’s children. Early Writings, p. 56.
Notice again that lawful love makes men out of us. This doesn’t destroy our gender and make us all the same that way. But what lawful love does is strengthen us with a resolve and makes Samsons out of everyone who trusts in the Lord.
This happens because we see the Law in Jesus. “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” (Gal. 4:4,5).
He becomes our total focus, and we see the majesty of the Law of God shining in Him. Then “we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2Cor. 3:18). Thus He gives us “power to become the sons of God,” “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” (Rom. 1:16).
We become sons, we become men. We have a courage that Deborah had more than Barak did. She was the manlier of the two. Adam was the name of man, male and female. “Male and female created He them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam.” (Gen. 5:2). And, while in the garden, they were both courageous and manly in their faith and ardor for their Creator.
Law-filled love makes men. This is the great need today.
The greatest want of the world is the want of men—men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall. Education, p. 57.
This is love. This is Christ our righteousness.
This devious love is nebulous, at the least; and proud and self-centered at the most. But rather than what Satan has pawned off to humanity, many millions of people around the world have been led by the Spirit to look for love with more detail. They seek more assurance of God’s love and in their search have come to see the need for the Law of God.
The Law gives definition to love. And the King of love, Jesus, the Son of God receives wonderful features when we view Him through the Old Testament. That Law which came from the craggy precipices of Mt. Sinai illuminates “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,” (2Cor. 4:6), whose “visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.” (Is. 52:14).
David wrote, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.” (Ps. 1:1-5).
David knew what the victorious life in Christ was all about. And he declares that it happens through “the Law of the Lord.” It’s not just about “the law”; but about the Lord’s Law. It’s two, not one. It’s the Lord and His Law.
He declares that the ungodly don’t meditate in the Lord’s Law day and night. Therefore they cannot stand in judgment, but are blown away by every wind of doctrine.
The Law of God makes a man out of us. Grace alone is not enough. Our sanctification and glorification requires the acceptance of both the mercy of Christ and His justice, His Law; we must receive Him both as “God my Saviour” and “the Lord our righteousness.” (Lk. 1:47;Jer. 23:6).
As it was prophesied of Christ, “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, the Lord our righteousness.” (Jer. 23:5,6).
Both law and grace give the church the access into the knowledge of Christ. “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name .” (Jn. 1:12). “In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness.” (Jer. 33:16).
“And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.” (Is. 4:1). This prophecy speaks of the glorious day when the Law will finally rule in the lives of Christ’s followers. And multitudes of disillusioned people without the loving Law will desperately seek out the people of God to hear a word of grace and truth; they will want to call themselves commandment keepers and owners of the testimony of Jesus, which is the Spirit of Prophecy, to dissolve the painful anxiety that has come to them from Satan’s presence in their hearts.
“In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.” (vs.2).
His love will be their law of life—His righteous love, His loving righteousness. We have nothing to fear from the righteousness of the Law of God. But we have everything to fear from a Law without love and also from a love without the Law .
It is love without the distinction and guidance of the Law that leads people to commit the most heinous acts in God’s name and in the name of love. “Yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.” (Jn. 16:2). Those evil days were experienced by the early Christians by a humanistic religious world; and that day will come again. It is just this lawless “love” that will compose the big time of trouble before Jesus returns. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matt. 24:21,22).
Lawless love is not love at all—it is satanic. We see it in a unique vision by the Lord’s messenger.
I turned to look at the company who were still bowed before the throne; they did not know that Jesus had left it. Satan appeared to be by the throne, trying to carry on the work of God. I saw them look up to the throne, and pray, “Father, give us Thy Spirit.” Satan would then breathe upon them an unholy influence; in it there was light and much power, but no sweet love, joy, and peace. Satan’s object was to keep them deceived and to draw back and deceive God’s children. Early Writings, p. 56.
Notice again that lawful love makes men out of us. This doesn’t destroy our gender and make us all the same that way. But what lawful love does is strengthen us with a resolve and makes Samsons out of everyone who trusts in the Lord.
This happens because we see the Law in Jesus. “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” (Gal. 4:4,5).
He becomes our total focus, and we see the majesty of the Law of God shining in Him. Then “we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2Cor. 3:18). Thus He gives us “power to become the sons of God,” “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” (Rom. 1:16).
We become sons, we become men. We have a courage that Deborah had more than Barak did. She was the manlier of the two. Adam was the name of man, male and female. “Male and female created He them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam.” (Gen. 5:2). And, while in the garden, they were both courageous and manly in their faith and ardor for their Creator.
Law-filled love makes men. This is the great need today.
The greatest want of the world is the want of men—men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall. Education, p. 57.
This is love. This is Christ our righteousness.
posted by David | 4:20 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home