I have been continuing on with my reading about how the Jewish faith and Christian faith relate to each other. One of the issues that the author Athol Dickson talks about in his book that I mentioned in an earlier post is the paradox of grace verses works. In other words, what is the purpose of the law. Is following the law enough to save us? While the Jewish tradition seems to have a concept called "returning" where a person turns from their sin and begins to walk in a new direction. The christian issue also requires a turning. It does appear to me that the Jewish tradition has a more optimistic view of human nature since the Jewish faith seems to believe that we start off in life neutral or good and seem to reject the idea of a sinful nature.
Dickson makes a good point that I have to remember that I have nothing that I have done or could do to give God anything. Even our good deeds are like filthy rags to God. Imagine, wrapping up some old rags and giving them in a nicely decorated box with a ribbon on it as a gift to someone. They would probably think it was a joke. Nobody does this. We don't see filthy rags as a gift. The actual word for filthy in the Bible is a word for human or animal waste. I don't want that kind of present.
Scripture makes it clear that I cannot and do not earn my way to heaven. This is the purpose of the law. Imagine going into the temple with an animal that you helped raise and putting your hand on its head before the priest. You confess your sins on the head of this animal you helped raise and then kill it. Its blood is poured out at the base of the altar and then it is cut up and sacrificed. You leave the temple empty handed, tired for the work of confession and then no sooner are you almost home and then you have an unkind thought, attitude or action that requires forgiveness. Your hands are still stained with blood from the first animal and then you have to go get another one. If your like me, pretty soon this become repetitive until the altar and temple are a bloody mess, with animals already cut up and waiting for room on the altar to be burned. Pretty soon you come to the idea that if I am going to be forgiven then I need a savior because this is a bloody, stinking mess. The blood is running off the altar, down the steps, out the door and down the hill. I have created a river of blood trying to atone for my own sins. At some point, I stop and realize that it is hopeless.
You walk away with bloody hands and nervous sheep in the hills. They are wondering how much longer they could possibly have to live. This is the true picture of what the law should have done. It makes me realize my hopeless situation and hopefully points me to Christ. Galatians 3:24.
It makes me realize that sin makes my life a bloody mess.
In Isaiah 53:4-5 it says,
"Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken. Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him. and by His scourging we are healed."
And despite how cute and beautiful some crosses are. It should make me realize that Jesus became a bloody mess for me on the cross. It was far from beautiful in that sense. But, there is no way that I could have pulled myself out of that mire on my own. There is no gift that I can give God to impress him. There is no amount of work that I can do to make up for the wrongs already done. I cannot add anything to the cross of Christ.
I want to add that this doesn't mean that works has no place at all. It all comes down to motive. In other words, most of the religions of the world work in order to please God. In order to try and turn God from his anger and please Him. But, in the Christian faith, I work because I love God and want to please him. My motive is not fear, but it is love. It isn't to try and earn God's approval, but out of gratitude.
Dickson makes a good point that I have to remember that I have nothing that I have done or could do to give God anything. Even our good deeds are like filthy rags to God. Imagine, wrapping up some old rags and giving them in a nicely decorated box with a ribbon on it as a gift to someone. They would probably think it was a joke. Nobody does this. We don't see filthy rags as a gift. The actual word for filthy in the Bible is a word for human or animal waste. I don't want that kind of present.
Scripture makes it clear that I cannot and do not earn my way to heaven. This is the purpose of the law. Imagine going into the temple with an animal that you helped raise and putting your hand on its head before the priest. You confess your sins on the head of this animal you helped raise and then kill it. Its blood is poured out at the base of the altar and then it is cut up and sacrificed. You leave the temple empty handed, tired for the work of confession and then no sooner are you almost home and then you have an unkind thought, attitude or action that requires forgiveness. Your hands are still stained with blood from the first animal and then you have to go get another one. If your like me, pretty soon this become repetitive until the altar and temple are a bloody mess, with animals already cut up and waiting for room on the altar to be burned. Pretty soon you come to the idea that if I am going to be forgiven then I need a savior because this is a bloody, stinking mess. The blood is running off the altar, down the steps, out the door and down the hill. I have created a river of blood trying to atone for my own sins. At some point, I stop and realize that it is hopeless.
You walk away with bloody hands and nervous sheep in the hills. They are wondering how much longer they could possibly have to live. This is the true picture of what the law should have done. It makes me realize my hopeless situation and hopefully points me to Christ. Galatians 3:24.
It makes me realize that sin makes my life a bloody mess.
In Isaiah 53:4-5 it says,
"Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken. Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him. and by His scourging we are healed."
And despite how cute and beautiful some crosses are. It should make me realize that Jesus became a bloody mess for me on the cross. It was far from beautiful in that sense. But, there is no way that I could have pulled myself out of that mire on my own. There is no gift that I can give God to impress him. There is no amount of work that I can do to make up for the wrongs already done. I cannot add anything to the cross of Christ.
I want to add that this doesn't mean that works has no place at all. It all comes down to motive. In other words, most of the religions of the world work in order to please God. In order to try and turn God from his anger and please Him. But, in the Christian faith, I work because I love God and want to please him. My motive is not fear, but it is love. It isn't to try and earn God's approval, but out of gratitude.
