As Christians, we are the most free people on the planet. Jesus has set us free from our bondage to sin, our love affair with evil, and God’s righteous condemnation of us as sinners. As Christians, we are new creations. We have passed from death to life, been adopted into God’s family, and are Saints and children of God.
Throughout the Christian life, however, we all too frequently lose sight of our newfound identity of freedom. Oftentimes when this happens, we replace the pursuit of an intimate and grace-filled love relationship with God for a joyless, performance-based, and self-justifying life of obtaining moral goodness and spiritual success. In doing so, we wander off the path of freedom right back into slavery.
Here is an example of a self-justifying relationship with God based upon personal spiritual performance. (Note: this is an edited example from D.A. Carson.)
Day 1: You wake up and it’s rainy and cold outside. You sleep through your alarm, miss your morning devotionals, and are late for class. Your laundry is all dirty and your hair is a mess. On the way out the door, you don’t find any food in the fridge or pantry. You run to class, get sweaty on the way, and your professor calls you out in front of the class for being late. In your next class, you forgot to study for your midterm exam and you bomb it. Your scholarships are now in jeopardy. Then you head to work, and a coworker asks you about Christianity and why you believe in Jesus. You stumble in your response and feel embarrassed. When you go back to your dorm, you get in a fight with your roommates and are overcome with anger. You slam the door to your room, lay down in your bed, and pray “God, this was a rotten day. I did not do my best and I will try to do better tomorrow.”
Day 2: You wake up and the birds are singing and the sun is shining. You have a long morning devotional and really experience the presence of God. You find your favorite outfit hanging nicely in the closet. As you walk into the kitchen, you find that your roommates left you eggs, bacon, and a fresh glass of orange juice on the table for breakfast. When you walk into class, you compliment your fellow classmates and your professor praises you for being early. You give your midterm presentation and your professor gives you the highest grade in the class. Later on at work, your coworkers ask you about Christianity and you amaze them with your knowledge of the Bible and feel courageous. After work, you head over to lead a Bible study and everyone feels encouraged and inspired by what you taught. One person even told you that “God really spoke to me through you today.” Later that night, you lay in bed and pray “Eternal and majestic Father, I humbly bow before thy throne of grace and thank Thee for Thine favor.” And then you pray for every missionary you’ve ever heard of. Then you go to bed justified.
On the surface, it may seem as though the second day was more honoring to God. The circumstances and the spiritual “success” of the second day gives an illusion of greater worthiness and usefulness to God, while the first day seems like a failure for the lack of moral and spiritual success.
However, both days are sinful in the eyes of God. In both days, you were looking to your own performance and success for your justification before God and not to the righteousness and performance of Christ. You can't justify you. Only Christ can.
Measuring Up to the Law
In the context of the Old Testament, the Israelites frequently battled with a self-justifying righteousness based upon their observance to the Law. They often believed that their status as a child of God was based upon how diligently they followed the Ten Commandments and the other civil, ceremonial, and moral laws. However, the Israelites were very mistaken. They had an incorrect view of the purpose and function of the Law.
Just before God gave the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, He proceeded by reminding the Israelites of the grace He had already given them: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2). God showed Israel grace before He gave them the Law.
What was the purpose of the Law then?
The Law as a Mirror
God gave the Law to Israel as a mirror in order to show their spiritual condition apart from grace. To illustrate this, consider the following example:
Imagine waking up in the morning with your hair all over the place, boogers in your eyes, and a droll stain running down your cheek. As you look into the bathroom mirror, your physical condition becomes apparent. Your imperfections and blemishes are clearly visible to you. Now, notice that the mirror is powerless to fix your facial condition. The mirror only exposes the reality and prompts you to go wash your face in the sink. The mirror can’t clean you or remove your blemishes. The mirror only exposes.
Likewise, when we look into the perfect Law of God, our shortcomings and failures become very apparent. When we are honest with ourselves, we realize we don’t measure up to the righteous standards God has revealed to us through the Law. We stand guilty, broken, and condemned before the Law.
As we come face to face with our spiritual and moral condition as sinners, the Law convicts us of our sin and prompts us to run to the foot of the Cross. As we turn to God, we find forgiveness, grace, and freedom.
Freedom From the Law
As Christians, we have been set free from the bondage and condemnation of the Law. We are freed from measuring up to the Law because Jesus already measured up for us. Through Christ’s sinless life and His perfect obedience to the Law, He did what we could never have done. He fulfilled the Law.
Now, through faith in Christ, His perfect obedience is now our obedience. His righteousness is now our righteousness. His victory is now our victory. Our freedom, then, is not gained by our performance or spiritual success. Our freedom is not something we achieve, but rather who we receive.
In Galatians, the Apostle Paul tells us about his new life of freedom from the Law: “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:19-21).
Through Christ, Paul died to the Law in order to live a new life for God. Paul set aside his own righteousness and performance in order to gain Jesus as His supreme treasure. As Christians, we are dead to the Law. It doesn't have power over us anymore. We no longer have to live our lives trying to measure up to standards. We are free.
So, stop carrying around this with you everyday….
….and start carrying around this with you!
It is finished! Our lives have never been about what we accomplish or achieve, but rather what Christ has done for us. Christ in us is our freedom!