Lesson Five: The Proof of Love
LESSON FIVE
THE PROOF OF LOVE
(Chapters 7 and 8)
CENTRAL IDEA
As followers of Jesus Christ we are set free to obey the moral laws of God out of love for Him. His ultimate purpose for us is that, through the enabling influence of the Holy Spirit, we will become more like Jesus.
Warm-up
The Proof of Love
One issue believers frequently struggle with is the relationship between living by grace and obedience to God’s commands. Jesus clearly taught that our love for God will be expressed in obedience to Him. In fact, in the short space of nine verses, Jesus reiterates this thought three times: “If you love me, you will obey what I command”; “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me”; “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching” (John 14:15, 21, 23).
Our love for God, expressed through our obedience to Him, is to be a response to His love, not a means of earning it. So one clear evidence that we are living by grace is a loving obedience to the commands of God. Anyone who thinks, Since God’s love is not conditioned on my obedience, I am free to live as I please, is not living by grace, nor does he understand grace. What he perceives as grace is really a caricature of grace.
Jesus said that if we love Him, we will obey His commands. Now a command suggests two things. First, it gives clear direction. We are told what to do or not to do. We are not left in doubt as to how we are to live. The commands in the Bible provide a clear set of moral standards. The second aspect of a command is that it carries the idea of authority. A command implies that the one giving it has the authority to require obedience and the intention of doing it. This is true of the commands of God.
Some people believe that, under grace, God’s law no longer has the meaning of requirement but is now an expression of His desire. They would readily say God desires that we be holy, but God does not require that we be holy. In other words, to assign the concept of requirement to the will of God is legalism, but to assign the concept of desire to it is grace.
I believe such a view is a misunderstanding of grace. God’s grace does not change the fundamental character of God’s moral law. Rather, the grace of God provides for the forgiveness and acceptance of those who have broken the law. The good news of the gospel is that God has removed the guilt we incur by breaking His law and has bestowed on us the righteousness of Christ, who perfectly kept His law. Legalism does not consist in yielding obedience to the law. Rather, it is to seek justification and good standing with God through the merit of works done in obedience to the law —instead of by faith in Christ.
So the fundamental character of God’s law has not changed. What has changed is our reason for obedience, or our motives. Under a sense of legalism, obedience is done with a view to meriting salvation or God’s blessing on our lives. Under grace, obedience is a loving response to salvation already provided in Christ.
The principle of love is not a “higher principle” over God’s moral law. Rather, it provides the motive and the motivation for obedience, while the law provides the direction for the biblical expressions of love. The actions prescribed by God’s law would be hollow indeed if they were not motivated by love for both God and our neighbor. I would much rather do business with someone who wanted to treat me fairly because he loved me than someone who deals fairly only because “it’s good for business.” I would also want his love to be guided by the moral and ethical principles of the Bible.
We have been set free from the bondage and curse that results from breaking the law. And we have been called to freedom from works as a means of trying to obtain any merit with God. But we have not been called to a freedom from the law as an expression of God’s will for our daily living.
God’s ultimate goal for us is that we might be truly conformed to the likeness of His Son. All through the New Testament we see this ultimate end in view as the writers speak of salvation.
There is an initial act of sanctification when God creates within us a new heart and gives us an entirely new disposition toward God and His will.
We must have a threefold view of sanctification or holiness. Our holiness is first of all an objective, perfect holiness, which is ours by virtue of our union with Christ who is perfectly holy. Then there is an initial act of sanctification in which a person’s basic disposition toward God and His law is changed. This change is experienced by the believer but is not dependent upon the believer. It is solely a work of the Holy Spirit.
Finally this initial act of sanctification is followed up by the continuous action of the Holy Spirit throughout our lives as He works in us “to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). This progressive sanctification very much involves our activity. But it is an activity that must be carried out in dependence upon the Holy Spirit. It is not a partnership with the Spirit in the sense that we each —the believer and the Holy Spirit —do our respective tasks. Rather, we work as He enables us to work. His work lies behind all our work and makes our work possible.
In every one of these views of sanctification we see the grace of God. God in His grace sees us as perfectly holy in Christ. God in His grace sends His Holy Spirit to create a new heart within us and to write His law on our hearts, thus changing our basic disposition. And God in His grace continues to work in us through His Spirit to transform us more and more into the likeness of His Son. (Taken from chapters 7 and 8 of Transforming Grace.)
Exploring Grace
- Romans 8:29
- 2 Corinthians 3:18
- Philippians 1:9-11
- a. A man meets a woman he finds very attractive. She has the potential to be a close friend in a way his wife has not been. What should he do and not do in relating to this woman? What should he do in his relationship with his wife?
- b. A woman finds that she is pregnant with her fourth child. Her husband has just informed her that he is having an affair and will file for divorce. She has no way to support herself. Should she consider having an abortion? Why, or why not?
- c. A family is struggling to survive. They never have enough to eat and other necessities are scarce. The husband has an opportunity to make a lot of money on a business deal if he tells some lies in the process. What should he do?
Read all of Colossians 3 on your own. Ask God to show you what He wants to do in your life this week. Write down your thoughts. If you feel comfortable, share your thoughts with the group. Accountability to others is a great help when it comes to making difficult changes.
Closing Prayer
Reread Psalm 19:7-11 as a part of your prayer time. Express your gratitude to the Lord for His perfect commands. Ask Him for the grace to respond to His work in your life more fully this week.
Going Deeper (Extra questions for further study)
PONDERING GRACE (FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION)
Moral law is more than a test; it is for man’s own good. Every law that God has given has been for man’s benefit. If man breaks it, he is not only rebelling against God; he is hurting himself.
Billy Graham
The beginning and the end of the law is kindness.
Jewish proverb
If Jesus gave us a command He could not enable us to fulfill, He would be a liar; and if we make our inability a barrier to obedience, it means we are telling God there is something He has not taken into account. Every element of self-reliance must be slain by the power of God. Complete weakness and dependence will always be the occasion for the Spirit of God to manifest His power.
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
The great mistake made by most of the Lord’s people is in hoping to discover in themselves that which is to be found in Christ alone.
Arthur W. Pink, The Doctrine of Sanctification
Joy is love exalted; peace is love in repose; long-suffering is love enduring; gentleness is love in society; goodness is love in action; faith is love on the battlefield; meekness is love in school; and temperance is love in training.
Dwight L. Moody