Lesson 5: Violating the Spirit of the Law
Nehemiah unselfishly helped the poor and opposed the corrupt leaders. The underprivileged were being enslaved as cheap labor for the rich and powerful. Unable to work their own land and provide for themselves, they were forced to sell their children into slavery in order to survive. They had no money to buy food and were crying for help. When Nehemiah heard that they had to mortgage their fields, vineyards, and homes to pay taxes, he "was very angry" (Nehemiah 5:6).
In light of social injustice and exploitation, it is appropriate and important for Nehemiah to speak openly and directly to the nobles and officials. He rebuked them strongly and publicly (5:8). He called them to walk in the fear of God and stop the injustice. He went so far as to command them to return all the confiscated fields, vineyards, and houses, along with the interest they had charged.
Godly leadership is crucial to restoring justice in life. It can influence for good, even in the face of powerful exploiters.
Our lesson is concerned with motives in our actions of obedience to the law. Ellen White writes: "The Searcher of hearts weighs the motives, and often deeds highly applauded by men are recorded by Him as springing from selfishness and base hypocrisy. Every act of our lives, whether excellent and praiseworthy, or deserving of censure, is judged by the Searcher of hearts according to the motives which prompted it."[1] Every deed of our "lives is judged, not by the external appearance, but from the motive which dictated the action." [2] Everything depends on the motive, and this involves what it means to be justified by faith.
Rightly understood the Bible idea of justification by faith addresses our motives. E. J. Waggoner, one of the 1888 messengers, writes: "What is it to be justified [by faith]? ... substitute for real righteousness. They think that the idea of justification by faith is that if one will only believe what the Bible says, he is to be counted as righteous when he is not. All this is a great mistake.
"Justification has to do with the law. The term means making just. ... The just man, therefore, is the one who does the law. To be just means to be righteous. Therefore since the just man is the one who does the law, it follows that to justify a man, that is, to make him just, is to make him a doer of the law.
"Faith brings Christ into the heart, and the law of God is in the heart of Christ. And thus 'as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.' This One who obeys is the Lord Jesus Christ, and His obedience is done in the heart of everyone who believes. And as it is by His obedience alone that men are made doers of the law, so to Him shall be the glory forever and ever." [3]
In a very practical sense, faith is not merely to trust the Lord like you trust the bank or the insurance company. You can do that and still remain as selfish as you were before, because such trust is a self-centered concern. The John 3:16 idea of faith solves the problem and lifts our naturally self-centered hearts out of a dark cave into the sunlight: faith is a heart-melting appreciation of what it cost the Son of God to save us.
We know this from several texts that tell us what faith is. Those two things that God did in John 3:16 are: He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Those two trigger: we believe. God's loving and giving come before the believing! If your heart says "Thanks!" for God's love and gift, then you've already begun believing. But just begun, for one's selfish heart only begins to come alive; you grow; the hardness is melted day by day. And that kind of faith "works through love" (agape). Your motives and your conduct are transformed from the inside out. Don't get discouraged if progress seems slow. The Holy Spirit is working!
In other words, faith couldn't even exist unless first of all there was the revelation of that love at the cross (agape). All of this is just another way of saying that salvation is by grace, "not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:9).
If faith "works through love," then there is no end to the good works that it will continually motivate us to do. Here is the victory over every kind of evil the devil tempts us to do. Faith is itself a change of heart. It reconciles an alienated, selfish heart to God; and since no one can be reconciled to His holy law, such faith immediately makes the believer become obedient to all ten of the joyous commandments of God. The love of Christ supplies an infinitely powerful motivation.
--Paul E. Penno
Endnotes:
[1] Ellen G. White, Gospel Workers, p. 275.
[2] Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 507.
[3] E. J. Waggoner, Signs of the Times, May 1, 1893.
Notes:
Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aX_Bqy4Ccc&list=PLsjY9Yfwx9Nx1uiXLl_c49fae41rrkgPO
"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888message.org/sst.htm
| RR |
