1
00:00:21,910 --> 00:00:23,237
One of the things about being a

2
00:00:23,237 --> 00:00:25,213
Lutheran or being a Christian is

3
00:00:25,213 --> 00:00:26,473
learning to live with certain

4
00:00:26,473 --> 00:00:27,141
tensions that are

5
00:00:27,141 --> 00:00:28,037
always at work.

6
00:00:28,037 --> 00:00:29,997
We have two sides of things that

7
00:00:29,997 --> 00:00:30,988
are kind of pulling together

8
00:00:30,988 --> 00:00:32,198
and maybe pulling apart.

9
00:00:32,198 --> 00:00:33,318
And we live with that tension

10
00:00:33,318 --> 00:00:34,061
all the time.

11
00:00:34,061 --> 00:00:36,301
We know that Jesus is true God

12
00:00:36,301 --> 00:00:38,429
and true man, fully God,

13
00:00:38,429 --> 00:00:40,389
fully man, and yet one person.

14
00:00:40,389 --> 00:00:41,917
And we know that God speaks to

15
00:00:41,917 --> 00:00:43,581
us a word of law and

16
00:00:43,581 --> 00:00:44,574
word of gospel.

17
00:00:44,574 --> 00:00:46,086
And that the word of law tells

18
00:00:46,086 --> 00:00:46,933
us what we need to do.

19
00:00:46,933 --> 00:00:47,917
And the gospel is telling us

20
00:00:47,917 --> 00:00:48,909
what God has done for us.

21
00:00:48,909 --> 00:00:50,397
And there's a tension here and

22
00:00:50,397 --> 00:00:51,141
we learn to live with

23
00:00:51,141 --> 00:00:52,002
these tension.

24
00:00:52,002 --> 00:00:54,117
But sometimes when we're trying

25
00:00:54,117 --> 00:00:55,038
to deal with these tensions,

26
00:00:55,038 --> 00:00:56,549
we can get things a little off

27
00:00:56,549 --> 00:00:58,357
whack and really end

28
00:00:58,357 --> 00:00:59,126
up in trouble.

29
00:00:59,126 --> 00:01:00,694
If you get the tension of Jesus

30
00:01:00,694 --> 00:01:01,637
true divinity and true

31
00:01:01,637 --> 00:01:02,637
humanity wrong,

32
00:01:02,637 --> 00:01:04,494
you end up in some serious

33
00:01:04,494 --> 00:01:06,398
heresy about Christ or serious

34
00:01:06,398 --> 00:01:07,710
Christological heresies.

35
00:01:07,710 --> 00:01:08,937
And if you get the tension about

36
00:01:08,937 --> 00:01:09,985
law and gospel wrong,

37
00:01:09,985 --> 00:01:11,017
you also get into some

38
00:01:11,017 --> 00:01:12,058
serious trouble.

39
00:01:12,058 --> 00:01:13,336
One of the problems that I think

40
00:01:13,336 --> 00:01:15,577
has shown up especially in the

41
00:01:15,577 --> 00:01:16,658
late 20th century

42
00:01:16,658 --> 00:01:17,562
in our churches,

43
00:01:17,562 --> 00:01:18,881
a lot of Lutheran churches and a

44
00:01:18,881 --> 00:01:20,357
lot of Protestant churches also

45
00:01:20,357 --> 00:01:21,854
beyond just Lutheran churches

46
00:01:21,854 --> 00:01:23,077
was something that's sometimes

47
00:01:23,077 --> 00:01:25,518
called law gospel reductionism.

48
00:01:25,518 --> 00:01:26,997
And it works like this.

49
00:01:26,997 --> 00:01:28,557
We know that God has given

50
00:01:28,557 --> 00:01:29,853
us his word of law,

51
00:01:29,853 --> 00:01:30,966
which is what he expects

52
00:01:30,966 --> 00:01:31,661
us to do,

53
00:01:31,661 --> 00:01:32,965
and he speaks to us

54
00:01:32,965 --> 00:01:33,990
with his gospel,

55
00:01:33,990 --> 00:01:34,953
which is all that God

56
00:01:34,953 --> 00:01:35,920
has done for us.

57
00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:37,881
And I want to be real clear on

58
00:01:37,881 --> 00:01:39,297
my definitions here as we get

59
00:01:39,297 --> 00:01:40,041
started because this will

60
00:01:40,041 --> 00:01:41,288
help us a little bit.

61
00:01:41,288 --> 00:01:44,008
And thinking about this. Law then

62
00:01:44,008 --> 00:01:47,077
is simply how God wants us to do

63
00:01:47,077 --> 00:01:49,029
things, what God wants from us.

64
00:01:49,029 --> 00:01:50,597
And in so many ways you can say

65
00:01:50,597 --> 00:01:51,613
that the law is nothing more

66
00:01:51,613 --> 00:01:53,173
than the will of God

67
00:01:53,173 --> 00:01:54,334
for creatures.

68
00:01:54,334 --> 00:01:56,348
It's how God wants us to live.

69
00:01:56,348 --> 00:01:57,717
That's a definition for the law.

70
00:01:57,717 --> 00:01:58,878
And actually that's a definition

71
00:01:58,878 --> 00:01:59,601
that shows up in the

72
00:01:59,601 --> 00:02:00,258
Book of Concord,

73
00:02:00,258 --> 00:02:01,602
in the Formula of Concord.

74
00:02:01,602 --> 00:02:03,336
So the law is the will of

75
00:02:03,336 --> 00:02:04,338
God for his creatures.

76
00:02:04,338 --> 00:02:05,176
It's how we're supposed to

77
00:02:05,176 --> 00:02:06,986
function. The gospel,

78
00:02:06,986 --> 00:02:08,110
on the other hand,

79
00:02:08,110 --> 00:02:10,005
is the good news.

80
00:02:10,005 --> 00:02:11,069
That's what gospel means,

81
00:02:11,069 --> 00:02:11,605
good news.

82
00:02:11,605 --> 00:02:13,357
But the gospel is especially the

83
00:02:13,357 --> 00:02:15,030
good news of forgiveness

84
00:02:15,030 --> 00:02:17,405
of sins in Christ.

85
00:02:17,405 --> 00:02:18,901
And that's really what the

86
00:02:18,901 --> 00:02:19,901
gospel is all about.

87
00:02:19,901 --> 00:02:20,953
It's what God gives

88
00:02:20,953 --> 00:02:21,865
us in Christ,

89
00:02:21,865 --> 00:02:22,977
the forgiveness of sins in

90
00:02:22,977 --> 00:02:26,065
Christ. That's the gospel. Now,

91
00:02:26,065 --> 00:02:28,953
these two are both the word

92
00:02:28,953 --> 00:02:30,593
of God that comes to us.

93
00:02:30,593 --> 00:02:31,969
So this is God's word

94
00:02:31,969 --> 00:02:32,656
that comes to us.

95
00:02:32,656 --> 00:02:35,197
And God speaks to us through law

96
00:02:35,197 --> 00:02:36,517
and through gospel and he

97
00:02:36,517 --> 00:02:38,173
accomplishes great things.

98
00:02:38,173 --> 00:02:40,173
And often we think about these

99
00:02:40,173 --> 00:02:42,013
things in this tension and

100
00:02:42,013 --> 00:02:43,237
sometimes it even starts to

101
00:02:43,237 --> 00:02:46,686
slide into sort of an antithesis

102
00:02:46,686 --> 00:02:48,917
or a polarity. Now, you know,

103
00:02:48,917 --> 00:02:50,964
in a polarity you'll have

104
00:02:50,964 --> 00:02:53,814
two points on a magnet.

105
00:02:53,814 --> 00:02:55,438
You have a positive pole

106
00:02:55,438 --> 00:02:56,586
and a negative pole.

107
00:02:56,586 --> 00:02:57,581
And they're always together,

108
00:02:57,581 --> 00:02:59,341
but they're mutually pushing

109
00:02:59,341 --> 00:02:59,920
against each.

110
00:02:59,920 --> 00:03:01,737
Other and they're mutually kind

111
00:03:01,737 --> 00:03:03,025
of repelling each other.

112
00:03:03,025 --> 00:03:04,057
And that's what happens when

113
00:03:04,057 --> 00:03:05,257
you have a polarity.

114
00:03:05,257 --> 00:03:06,593
And often we think about law

115
00:03:06,593 --> 00:03:07,577
gospel and it gets talked

116
00:03:07,577 --> 00:03:09,418
about as a polarity,

117
00:03:09,418 --> 00:03:10,753
because you have the

118
00:03:10,753 --> 00:03:12,546
law which kills,

119
00:03:12,546 --> 00:03:13,970
and you have the Gospel

120
00:03:13,970 --> 00:03:15,920
which makes alive,

121
00:03:15,920 --> 00:03:19,649
and you have the law

122
00:03:19,649 --> 00:03:21,802
which crushes,

123
00:03:21,802 --> 00:03:24,601
and you have the Gospel which

124
00:03:24,601 --> 00:03:27,041
allows us to flourish and to

125
00:03:27,041 --> 00:03:29,897
prosper. And we have the Law,

126
00:03:29,897 --> 00:03:33,168
which is an enslaving word which

127
00:03:33,168 --> 00:03:35,305
holds us back and enslaves us

128
00:03:35,305 --> 00:03:36,632
and we have the Gospel then,

129
00:03:36,632 --> 00:03:39,117
which is a liberating word which

130
00:03:39,117 --> 00:03:40,781
frees us to do all sorts of

131
00:03:40,781 --> 00:03:42,309
wonderful things. And

132
00:03:42,309 --> 00:03:43,189
we have the Law,

133
00:03:43,189 --> 00:03:45,941
which ultimately condemns and

134
00:03:45,941 --> 00:03:47,877
which judges us and we

135
00:03:47,877 --> 00:03:48,774
have the Gospel,

136
00:03:48,774 --> 00:03:50,478
which ultimately frees

137
00:03:50,478 --> 00:03:52,053
us and forgives us.

138
00:03:52,053 --> 00:03:53,957
And so we're acquitted when

139
00:03:53,957 --> 00:03:55,090
it comes to the gospel.

140
00:03:55,090 --> 00:03:56,000
So we have this kind of

141
00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:57,345
thing going on. Well,

142
00:03:57,345 --> 00:03:58,961
it doesn't take long before you

143
00:03:58,961 --> 00:03:59,841
start working your way down the

144
00:03:59,841 --> 00:04:01,329
list, you realize kills,

145
00:04:01,329 --> 00:04:03,800
crushes, enslaving, condemning,

146
00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:04,913
these are all pretty

147
00:04:04,913 --> 00:04:05,857
negative things.

148
00:04:05,857 --> 00:04:06,862
That's why we have a negative

149
00:04:06,862 --> 00:04:07,661
thing up here.

150
00:04:07,661 --> 00:04:09,478
And then the gospel makes alive

151
00:04:09,478 --> 00:04:10,918
and flourishes and liberating

152
00:04:10,918 --> 00:04:11,534
and forgives.

153
00:04:11,534 --> 00:04:12,349
These are all rather

154
00:04:12,349 --> 00:04:13,596
positive things.

155
00:04:13,596 --> 00:04:15,381
It's not very hard before you

156
00:04:15,381 --> 00:04:16,533
make the conclusion well,

157
00:04:16,533 --> 00:04:19,472
the law obviously is a very bad

158
00:04:19,472 --> 00:04:21,144
thing and the gospel is

159
00:04:21,144 --> 00:04:22,592
a very good thing.

160
00:04:22,592 --> 00:04:24,553
And so we don't want the bad

161
00:04:24,553 --> 00:04:26,393
thing, we want the good thing.

162
00:04:26,393 --> 00:04:27,641
And you can begin to get the

163
00:04:27,641 --> 00:04:29,925
idea that somehow the law is

164
00:04:29,925 --> 00:04:31,598
merely a really negative,

165
00:04:31,598 --> 00:04:33,236
horrible thing and the gospel is

166
00:04:33,236 --> 00:04:34,501
this wonderful, great thing.

167
00:04:34,501 --> 00:04:35,957
And as Christians,

168
00:04:35,957 --> 00:04:38,358
what do we want, law or gospel?

169
00:04:38,358 --> 00:04:40,806
Well, come on, the gospel,

170
00:04:40,806 --> 00:04:41,805
that's the good thing.

171
00:04:41,805 --> 00:04:43,140
But you got to have some law,

172
00:04:43,140 --> 00:04:44,675
because the law gets you ready

173
00:04:44,675 --> 00:04:46,522
for the gospel and the law leads

174
00:04:46,522 --> 00:04:48,289
you to the good of the gospel.

175
00:04:48,289 --> 00:04:49,097
And that's why you need

176
00:04:49,097 --> 00:04:49,961
to have some law.

177
00:04:49,961 --> 00:04:51,953
And that's kind of what's going

178
00:04:51,953 --> 00:04:54,378
on in a law gospel polarity.

179
00:04:54,378 --> 00:04:55,529
This thing lays out.

180
00:04:55,529 --> 00:04:57,797
We see law is bad, gospel good,

181
00:04:57,797 --> 00:04:59,078
and you can find some Bible

182
00:04:59,078 --> 00:05:00,645
verses to sort of back this up,

183
00:05:00,645 --> 00:05:01,173
where St.

184
00:05:01,173 --> 00:05:02,349
Paul talks about how the law

185
00:05:02,349 --> 00:05:05,044
is merely a pedagogue or a

186
00:05:05,044 --> 00:05:07,013
preparatory thing to lead

187
00:05:07,013 --> 00:05:08,534
us to the gospel,

188
00:05:08,534 --> 00:05:10,361
a agent to help us get to the

189
00:05:10,361 --> 00:05:11,698
good stuff of the gospel.

190
00:05:11,698 --> 00:05:12,521
And there are a lot of

191
00:05:12,521 --> 00:05:13,705
people who say, well,

192
00:05:13,705 --> 00:05:15,618
once you've got the gospel,

193
00:05:15,618 --> 00:05:16,857
you're done with the law,

194
00:05:16,857 --> 00:05:18,506
you don't need it anymore.

195
00:05:18,506 --> 00:05:21,140
So this polarity can become very

196
00:05:21,140 --> 00:05:23,293
pronounced and very active and

197
00:05:23,293 --> 00:05:24,677
it has its place in

198
00:05:24,677 --> 00:05:25,614
our theology,

199
00:05:25,614 --> 00:05:26,789
but we have to be very,

200
00:05:26,789 --> 00:05:28,789
very careful that we don't make

201
00:05:28,789 --> 00:05:31,253
it the bottom line that says

202
00:05:31,253 --> 00:05:32,395
everything we try to

203
00:05:32,395 --> 00:05:33,313
do in theology.

204
00:05:33,313 --> 00:05:34,697
And that's where we get the

205
00:05:34,697 --> 00:05:35,882
thing called law gospel

206
00:05:35,882 --> 00:05:36,746
reductionism,

207
00:05:36,746 --> 00:05:38,426
which is where you try to reduce

208
00:05:38,426 --> 00:05:40,737
all of theology, every question,

209
00:05:40,737 --> 00:05:41,617
every issue,

210
00:05:41,617 --> 00:05:43,689
every challenge into this

211
00:05:43,689 --> 00:05:45,017
paradigm and you try to make

212
00:05:45,017 --> 00:05:46,537
it fit here. Well,

213
00:05:46,537 --> 00:05:48,401
this is a problem when it

214
00:05:48,401 --> 00:05:49,568
comes to some things,

215
00:05:49,568 --> 00:05:51,097
especially when it comes to the

216
00:05:51,097 --> 00:05:52,993
questions of character and

217
00:05:52,993 --> 00:05:54,857
ethics and behavior and how

218
00:05:54,857 --> 00:05:55,953
we're supposed to function.

219
00:05:55,953 --> 00:05:58,977
Because if the law is

220
00:05:58,977 --> 00:06:00,054
ultimately bad.

221
00:06:00,054 --> 00:06:01,736
And all we can have is the

222
00:06:01,736 --> 00:06:03,178
good of the gospel,

223
00:06:03,178 --> 00:06:04,753
then how are we supposed

224
00:06:04,753 --> 00:06:06,193
to know how to live?

225
00:06:06,193 --> 00:06:07,473
And we start having to say

226
00:06:07,473 --> 00:06:08,353
things like, well,

227
00:06:08,353 --> 00:06:11,337
the gospel teaches us really the

228
00:06:11,337 --> 00:06:12,376
gospel I thought was the

229
00:06:12,376 --> 00:06:13,281
forgiveness of sins in

230
00:06:13,281 --> 00:06:15,282
Christ teaching.

231
00:06:15,282 --> 00:06:16,481
That sounds to me more like the

232
00:06:16,481 --> 00:06:19,832
will of God. And we say, well,

233
00:06:19,832 --> 00:06:20,953
yeah, okay,

234
00:06:20,953 --> 00:06:22,306
but really the gospel is what's

235
00:06:22,306 --> 00:06:23,257
more important. Well,

236
00:06:23,257 --> 00:06:25,044
if it's more important than the

237
00:06:25,044 --> 00:06:26,721
law has to start to shrink into

238
00:06:26,721 --> 00:06:28,760
a trivial kind of situation.

239
00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:30,832
And this becomes a really

240
00:06:30,832 --> 00:06:32,961
difficult thing for questions

241
00:06:32,961 --> 00:06:35,569
about Christian behavior and

242
00:06:35,569 --> 00:06:37,993
character and ethics and being

243
00:06:37,993 --> 00:06:39,217
formed into what God would call

244
00:06:39,217 --> 00:06:41,741
us to be. Because honestly,

245
00:06:41,741 --> 00:06:43,900
if the law is the will of God,

246
00:06:43,900 --> 00:06:44,332
well,

247
00:06:44,332 --> 00:06:45,645
then this becomes a really

248
00:06:45,645 --> 00:06:47,485
important thing for questions

249
00:06:47,485 --> 00:06:49,605
about how am I supposed to act?

250
00:06:49,605 --> 00:06:50,616
What kind of person am

251
00:06:50,616 --> 00:06:51,592
I supposed to be?

252
00:06:51,592 --> 00:06:53,129
The law comes into play here

253
00:06:53,129 --> 00:06:55,169
rather significantly. Well,

254
00:06:55,169 --> 00:06:57,929
this law gospel polarity or this

255
00:06:57,929 --> 00:06:59,978
move of law gospel reductionism

256
00:06:59,978 --> 00:07:02,826
has become so well entrenched

257
00:07:02,826 --> 00:07:04,442
in a lot of our circles,

258
00:07:04,442 --> 00:07:05,746
in a lot of Protestant circles

259
00:07:05,746 --> 00:07:07,138
and especially Lutheran circles,

260
00:07:07,138 --> 00:07:09,005
that it's assumed that this is

261
00:07:09,005 --> 00:07:10,877
the one way to see things and

262
00:07:10,877 --> 00:07:12,125
the one way to function.

263
00:07:12,125 --> 00:07:13,677
And I'm of the opinion and

264
00:07:13,677 --> 00:07:14,557
others have agreed with

265
00:07:14,557 --> 00:07:15,571
me on this as well,

266
00:07:15,571 --> 00:07:16,962
that when that's what we're

267
00:07:16,962 --> 00:07:18,209
operating with as our bottom

268
00:07:18,209 --> 00:07:20,002
line foundation and we're

269
00:07:20,002 --> 00:07:21,169
functioning with a law,

270
00:07:21,169 --> 00:07:22,657
gospel reductionistic way of

271
00:07:22,657 --> 00:07:25,193
functioning in our thinking we

272
00:07:25,193 --> 00:07:28,177
end up inevitably dismissing the

273
00:07:28,177 --> 00:07:30,813
law as somehow not quite as

274
00:07:30,813 --> 00:07:33,398
good not to be trusted.

275
00:07:33,398 --> 00:07:34,741
Something we want to be freed

276
00:07:34,741 --> 00:07:36,357
from and wanting simply to kind

277
00:07:36,357 --> 00:07:37,901
of cling to a life in the

278
00:07:37,901 --> 00:07:40,941
Gospel. And that sounds good,

279
00:07:40,941 --> 00:07:41,877
but it's not the way

280
00:07:41,877 --> 00:07:43,012
the Bible talks.

281
00:07:43,012 --> 00:07:44,666
It's not the way Luther taught,

282
00:07:44,666 --> 00:07:45,938
and it doesn't, frankly,

283
00:07:45,938 --> 00:07:47,793
work in real life because you

284
00:07:47,793 --> 00:07:49,153
end up falling prey to something

285
00:07:49,153 --> 00:07:50,657
I mentioned last time called

286
00:07:50,657 --> 00:07:51,946
Antonomianism.

287
00:07:51,946 --> 00:07:53,801
The idea that I really

288
00:07:53,801 --> 00:07:55,753
don't need the law.

289
00:07:55,753 --> 00:07:56,877
All I need to do is go out

290
00:07:56,877 --> 00:07:58,374
and live in the gospel.

291
00:07:58,374 --> 00:08:00,166
The problem we have is if you're

292
00:08:00,166 --> 00:08:01,181
just going to going to

293
00:08:01,181 --> 00:08:02,286
live in the gospel,

294
00:08:02,286 --> 00:08:03,581
there's not much content

295
00:08:03,581 --> 00:08:04,277
to that.

296
00:08:04,277 --> 00:08:05,389
And you end up having

297
00:08:05,389 --> 00:08:06,140
people saying,

298
00:08:06,140 --> 00:08:07,837
I just feel like doing this,

299
00:08:07,837 --> 00:08:09,469
so it must be right when in fact

300
00:08:09,469 --> 00:08:10,736
it might be violating what God

301
00:08:10,736 --> 00:08:12,257
has clearly said. But we say,

302
00:08:12,257 --> 00:08:12,929
oh, but wait,

303
00:08:12,929 --> 00:08:14,697
if God has said it in his law,

304
00:08:14,697 --> 00:08:15,777
then we're freed from that

305
00:08:15,777 --> 00:08:17,401
because we're in Christ now.

306
00:08:17,401 --> 00:08:19,033
Now you get to maybe see where

307
00:08:19,033 --> 00:08:20,633
the problems start to arise and

308
00:08:20,633 --> 00:08:21,918
where you have a lot of behavior

309
00:08:21,918 --> 00:08:23,493
that might get excused because

310
00:08:23,493 --> 00:08:24,837
I'm in the gospel.

311
00:08:24,837 --> 00:08:26,925
So my girlfriend and I really

312
00:08:26,925 --> 00:08:28,966
love each other and it's loving

313
00:08:28,966 --> 00:08:31,125
and it's kind to be close with

314
00:08:31,125 --> 00:08:32,318
each other and we shouldn't

315
00:08:32,318 --> 00:08:34,251
have to be taken apart.

316
00:08:34,251 --> 00:08:35,425
We shouldn't be told we can't

317
00:08:35,425 --> 00:08:36,328
do what we want to do.

318
00:08:36,328 --> 00:08:37,608
And so it's okay

319
00:08:37,608 --> 00:08:39,313
God wants us to go ahead and

320
00:08:39,313 --> 00:08:41,472
show our affection by having

321
00:08:41,472 --> 00:08:42,721
sexual relationships with each

322
00:08:42,721 --> 00:08:44,018
other even before we're married.

323
00:08:44,018 --> 00:08:44,673
Because, you see,

324
00:08:44,673 --> 00:08:45,473
that sounds right

325
00:08:45,473 --> 00:08:46,705
and makes sense,

326
00:08:46,705 --> 00:08:49,633
and it maybe does from a law

327
00:08:49,633 --> 00:08:51,034
gospel reductionistic argument.

328
00:08:51,034 --> 00:08:51,921
It starts to kind of

329
00:08:51,921 --> 00:08:52,873
hold some water,

330
00:08:52,873 --> 00:08:53,953
and then you can also see

331
00:08:53,953 --> 00:08:55,385
things like, well know,

332
00:08:55,385 --> 00:08:57,258
who am I to be judging?

333
00:08:57,258 --> 00:08:58,586
Because that's the law and I'm

334
00:08:58,586 --> 00:08:59,617
supposed to be in the gospel and

335
00:08:59,617 --> 00:09:01,848
not judging anybody. But St.

336
00:09:01,848 --> 00:09:03,233
Paul says we're supposed to hold

337
00:09:03,233 --> 00:09:04,626
each other accountable and we're

338
00:09:04,626 --> 00:09:06,137
supposed to judge each other by

339
00:09:06,137 --> 00:09:08,001
our works. Jesus says that.

340
00:09:08,001 --> 00:09:10,281
So we have some issues here.

341
00:09:10,281 --> 00:09:11,393
And if all we're going to have

342
00:09:11,393 --> 00:09:13,114
is a law gospel reductionistic

343
00:09:13,114 --> 00:09:13,786
framework,

344
00:09:13,786 --> 00:09:15,128
we're going to end up running

345
00:09:15,128 --> 00:09:17,121
afoul of God's will and we're

346
00:09:17,121 --> 00:09:19,040
going to end up missing part of

347
00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:20,537
the real things that God wants

348
00:09:20,537 --> 00:09:22,609
us to do, which are law.

349
00:09:22,609 --> 00:09:24,153
And there's a place for that.

350
00:09:24,153 --> 00:09:26,817
So I want to give you maybe a

351
00:09:26,817 --> 00:09:27,857
way to think about this which

352
00:09:27,857 --> 00:09:28,881
will help a little bit.

353
00:09:28,881 --> 00:09:30,633
And I want to expand a little

354
00:09:30,633 --> 00:09:32,449
bit more on what I gave you last

355
00:09:32,449 --> 00:09:34,176
time on that two kinds of

356
00:09:34,176 --> 00:09:35,418
righteousness paradigm.

357
00:09:35,418 --> 00:09:37,121
And I'm going to add in for you

358
00:09:37,121 --> 00:09:38,073
a third way of thinking

359
00:09:38,073 --> 00:09:38,608
about this.

360
00:09:38,608 --> 00:09:39,457
And I know it's a little

361
00:09:39,457 --> 00:09:40,153
bit tough to read,

362
00:09:40,153 --> 00:09:41,505
but we'll make it work.

363
00:09:41,505 --> 00:09:43,326
And so we have our two kinds

364
00:09:43,326 --> 00:09:44,358
of righteousness.

365
00:09:44,358 --> 00:09:45,613
We talked about this last time.

366
00:09:45,613 --> 00:09:47,637
We have God here and we have me

367
00:09:47,637 --> 00:09:48,582
as an individual Christian

368
00:09:48,582 --> 00:09:49,301
living here.

369
00:09:49,301 --> 00:09:51,062
And we think about how I'm

370
00:09:51,062 --> 00:09:52,637
supposed to be relating to God.

371
00:09:52,637 --> 00:09:52,916
Well,

372
00:09:52,916 --> 00:09:55,453
I want to introduce to us three

373
00:09:55,453 --> 00:09:56,715
kinds of righteousness and I

374
00:09:56,715 --> 00:09:57,337
want to think about this

375
00:09:57,337 --> 00:09:58,033
just a little bit more.

376
00:09:58,033 --> 00:09:58,888
I'm going to add another

377
00:09:58,888 --> 00:09:59,617
line here,

378
00:09:59,617 --> 00:10:01,058
a third kind of righteousness.

379
00:10:01,058 --> 00:10:02,137
And I want to unpack this

380
00:10:02,137 --> 00:10:03,249
for you a little bit.

381
00:10:03,249 --> 00:10:04,975
I would contend that one of the

382
00:10:04,975 --> 00:10:06,965
ways that the Bible and our

383
00:10:06,965 --> 00:10:09,285
confessions talk is to say that

384
00:10:09,285 --> 00:10:10,581
there is a righteousness that

385
00:10:10,581 --> 00:10:11,549
we have before God,

386
00:10:11,549 --> 00:10:13,117
which is all passive.

387
00:10:13,117 --> 00:10:14,414
We simply receive

388
00:10:14,414 --> 00:10:15,509
what God gives.

389
00:10:15,509 --> 00:10:17,326
God gives us his forgiveness,

390
00:10:17,326 --> 00:10:18,825
he gives us his grace in Christ,

391
00:10:18,825 --> 00:10:20,345
and I passively receive it.

392
00:10:20,345 --> 00:10:21,442
That's the righteousness

393
00:10:21,442 --> 00:10:22,625
I have before God.

394
00:10:22,625 --> 00:10:24,034
And then there's a righteousness

395
00:10:24,034 --> 00:10:25,888
that I have simply living

396
00:10:25,888 --> 00:10:26,865
in the world,

397
00:10:26,865 --> 00:10:28,313
actively doing what God wants

398
00:10:28,313 --> 00:10:30,366
me to do and fulfilling

399
00:10:30,366 --> 00:10:31,342
his purposes.

400
00:10:31,342 --> 00:10:32,868
And that would be a second

401
00:10:32,868 --> 00:10:34,038
kind of righteousness.

402
00:10:34,038 --> 00:10:35,396
But then there's a third kind

403
00:10:35,396 --> 00:10:36,173
of thinking about this,

404
00:10:36,173 --> 00:10:37,829
because there's actually a

405
00:10:37,829 --> 00:10:39,309
distinction, isn't there,

406
00:10:39,309 --> 00:10:41,598
between a human being who's

407
00:10:41,598 --> 00:10:43,585
doing what God wants him to do,

408
00:10:43,585 --> 00:10:45,177
this will of God,

409
00:10:45,177 --> 00:10:47,841
and when he is doing that as a

410
00:10:47,841 --> 00:10:50,760
Christian or as a nonchristian.

411
00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:52,137
And that's what I want to get

412
00:10:52,137 --> 00:10:54,137
into here in distinguishing two

413
00:10:54,137 --> 00:10:55,218
more kinds of righteousness.

414
00:10:55,218 --> 00:10:55,817
So I'm going to talk

415
00:10:55,817 --> 00:10:56,373
about this way.

416
00:10:56,373 --> 00:10:57,949
I'm going to talk about a first

417
00:10:57,949 --> 00:10:59,254
kind of righteousness,

418
00:10:59,254 --> 00:11:00,181
which is the kind of

419
00:11:00,181 --> 00:11:01,933
righteousness that a person has

420
00:11:01,933 --> 00:11:04,637
when he's simply living as a

421
00:11:04,637 --> 00:11:05,517
person is supposed to

422
00:11:05,517 --> 00:11:06,833
live in the world,

423
00:11:06,833 --> 00:11:08,665
doing what God wants him to do.

424
00:11:08,665 --> 00:11:10,498
And he's being upright,

425
00:11:10,498 --> 00:11:12,489
he's being a good person.

426
00:11:12,489 --> 00:11:15,113
So a good person who's doing

427
00:11:15,113 --> 00:11:17,673
what he's supposed to do can be

428
00:11:17,673 --> 00:11:20,218
called righteous because he's

429
00:11:20,218 --> 00:11:22,277
doing what God would have him to

430
00:11:22,277 --> 00:11:23,918
do. He has a righteousness,

431
00:11:23,918 --> 00:11:25,173
which I'm going to call the

432
00:11:25,173 --> 00:11:26,886
first kind of righteousness.

433
00:11:26,886 --> 00:11:27,957
Sometimes the confession is

434
00:11:27,957 --> 00:11:29,933
called a civil righteousness or

435
00:11:29,933 --> 00:11:31,309
the righteousness of reason.

436
00:11:31,309 --> 00:11:32,430
And it's simply,

437
00:11:32,430 --> 00:11:34,057
when I figure out what's it

438
00:11:34,057 --> 00:11:35,929
mean to be a good person,

439
00:11:35,929 --> 00:11:37,032
I'm going to do this.

440
00:11:37,032 --> 00:11:39,057
We see Aristotle teaching this.

441
00:11:39,057 --> 00:11:41,337
We see good people who are

442
00:11:41,337 --> 00:11:42,761
not Christian doing this.

443
00:11:42,761 --> 00:11:44,497
Mahatma Gandhi, for example,

444
00:11:44,497 --> 00:11:46,273
can be a very good person and

445
00:11:46,273 --> 00:11:48,033
still be a pagan because they

446
00:11:48,033 --> 00:11:49,577
understand God's will and

447
00:11:49,577 --> 00:11:50,689
they're trying to do it.

448
00:11:50,689 --> 00:11:51,073
Now,

449
00:11:51,073 --> 00:11:52,433
what inevitably will happen,

450
00:11:52,433 --> 00:11:52,617
though,

451
00:11:52,617 --> 00:11:54,057
is the person who's trying to do

452
00:11:54,057 --> 00:11:55,021
what God wants them to do

453
00:11:55,021 --> 00:11:56,505
always falls short,

454
00:11:56,505 --> 00:11:57,721
never really lives up

455
00:11:57,721 --> 00:11:58,377
to the standard.

456
00:11:58,377 --> 00:11:59,673
And anybody who's paying

457
00:11:59,673 --> 00:12:00,030
attention.

458
00:12:00,030 --> 00:12:01,801
Eventually realizes that God's

459
00:12:01,801 --> 00:12:04,210
will is so high, so demanding,

460
00:12:04,210 --> 00:12:06,193
so exacting, nobody can do it.

461
00:12:06,193 --> 00:12:07,434
And we're always driven

462
00:12:07,434 --> 00:12:08,666
ultimately to despair,

463
00:12:08,666 --> 00:12:09,977
realizing we need what

464
00:12:09,977 --> 00:12:10,913
only God can give us,

465
00:12:10,913 --> 00:12:11,961
forgiveness in Christ.

466
00:12:11,961 --> 00:12:12,961
And when we turn to

467
00:12:12,961 --> 00:12:13,914
God in repentance,

468
00:12:13,914 --> 00:12:15,162
god gives us the forgiveness

469
00:12:15,162 --> 00:12:16,418
we need and we are declared

470
00:12:16,418 --> 00:12:18,762
righteous. And then what's?

471
00:12:18,762 --> 00:12:19,617
God say,

472
00:12:19,617 --> 00:12:22,137
now go back out and do what

473
00:12:22,137 --> 00:12:23,161
I put you here to do.

474
00:12:23,161 --> 00:12:25,401
Go be a good creature and in the

475
00:12:25,401 --> 00:12:26,737
world and take care of those

476
00:12:26,737 --> 00:12:28,433
people around you, your family,

477
00:12:28,433 --> 00:12:30,010
your neighbors, your coworkers.

478
00:12:30,010 --> 00:12:31,617
Do the things I've given

479
00:12:31,617 --> 00:12:33,233
you to do and get busy.

480
00:12:33,233 --> 00:12:34,777
And the Christian says, yeah,

481
00:12:34,777 --> 00:12:36,281
I'm going to go do it.

482
00:12:36,281 --> 00:12:38,097
And what guides the Christian in

483
00:12:38,097 --> 00:12:40,473
doing that? The will of God.

484
00:12:40,473 --> 00:12:42,577
The same will of God which is at

485
00:12:42,577 --> 00:12:43,877
work in the world in what

486
00:12:43,877 --> 00:12:45,453
we call the natural law.

487
00:12:45,453 --> 00:12:46,517
And I'm going to throw that into

488
00:12:46,517 --> 00:12:47,396
the mix here as well because

489
00:12:47,396 --> 00:12:48,646
it's part of the discussion.

490
00:12:48,646 --> 00:12:49,781
The natural law,

491
00:12:49,781 --> 00:12:52,790
which is simply the hardwired

492
00:12:52,790 --> 00:12:54,433
realities that are just kind of

493
00:12:54,433 --> 00:12:55,665
built into the world that

494
00:12:55,665 --> 00:12:56,801
everybody knows.

495
00:12:56,801 --> 00:12:58,233
You don't kill people.

496
00:12:58,233 --> 00:13:00,186
You don't take what's not yours.

497
00:13:00,186 --> 00:13:01,458
You don't take somebody's

498
00:13:01,458 --> 00:13:02,849
things, including their wife.

499
00:13:02,849 --> 00:13:04,992
You show respect and honor to

500
00:13:04,992 --> 00:13:06,353
those who are in authority over

501
00:13:06,353 --> 00:13:07,357
you or to those who are

502
00:13:07,357 --> 00:13:08,389
older than you.

503
00:13:08,389 --> 00:13:09,845
All the commandments basically

504
00:13:09,845 --> 00:13:11,341
play into the natural law,

505
00:13:11,341 --> 00:13:12,261
which I would say is what

506
00:13:12,261 --> 00:13:13,037
the natural law is.

507
00:13:13,037 --> 00:13:14,957
It's just a summary of the

508
00:13:14,957 --> 00:13:16,758
reality of the created

509
00:13:16,758 --> 00:13:17,709
order around us.

510
00:13:17,709 --> 00:13:19,225
It's God's will at work.

511
00:13:19,225 --> 00:13:20,777
That's what natural law is.

512
00:13:20,777 --> 00:13:22,697
So the natural law is working

513
00:13:22,697 --> 00:13:24,337
and is guiding people in their

514
00:13:24,337 --> 00:13:25,593
righteousness in the first

515
00:13:25,593 --> 00:13:26,850
kind of righteousness,

516
00:13:26,850 --> 00:13:28,170
leading them eventually

517
00:13:28,170 --> 00:13:29,106
to despair,

518
00:13:29,106 --> 00:13:30,425
realizing their need in Christ.

519
00:13:30,425 --> 00:13:31,317
And so we get the second

520
00:13:31,317 --> 00:13:32,349
kind of righteousness,

521
00:13:32,349 --> 00:13:33,622
a passive righteousness,

522
00:13:33,622 --> 00:13:34,573
which God simply gives

523
00:13:34,573 --> 00:13:35,718
to me and I receive,

524
00:13:35,718 --> 00:13:37,941
which now leads into the third

525
00:13:37,941 --> 00:13:39,150
kind of righteousness,

526
00:13:39,150 --> 00:13:41,101
which is the Christian who says,

527
00:13:41,101 --> 00:13:42,881
I am joined to Christ,

528
00:13:42,881 --> 00:13:44,176
that's who I am.

529
00:13:44,176 --> 00:13:45,857
I'm God's forgiven child,

530
00:13:45,857 --> 00:13:48,210
my identity is baptized

531
00:13:48,210 --> 00:13:49,161
child of God.

532
00:13:49,161 --> 00:13:51,185
And because I'm God's child,

533
00:13:51,185 --> 00:13:52,297
I'm going to go do what

534
00:13:52,297 --> 00:13:53,289
he's given me to do.

535
00:13:53,289 --> 00:13:54,488
I'm going to get busy

536
00:13:54,488 --> 00:13:55,702
in his creation,

537
00:13:55,702 --> 00:13:57,573
fulfilling the will of God.

538
00:13:57,573 --> 00:13:59,213
And so what you end up getting

539
00:13:59,213 --> 00:14:00,933
is three ways of thinking

540
00:14:00,933 --> 00:14:01,886
about righteousness.

541
00:14:01,886 --> 00:14:03,597
Righteousness of simply trying

542
00:14:03,597 --> 00:14:05,893
to perform and do what God has

543
00:14:05,893 --> 00:14:06,797
asked you to do as part

544
00:14:06,797 --> 00:14:07,853
of the natural law.

545
00:14:07,853 --> 00:14:09,078
Righteousness that is simply

546
00:14:09,078 --> 00:14:10,598
given passively when you realize

547
00:14:10,598 --> 00:14:11,560
you cannot do this the

548
00:14:11,560 --> 00:14:12,345
way you need to.

549
00:14:12,345 --> 00:14:13,338
And then the righteousness

550
00:14:13,338 --> 00:14:14,265
of a Christian saying,

551
00:14:14,265 --> 00:14:15,113
I want to do what God

552
00:14:15,113 --> 00:14:16,169
gave me to do.

553
00:14:16,169 --> 00:14:17,506
Now you're going to recognize

554
00:14:17,506 --> 00:14:18,973
that the first and the third

555
00:14:18,973 --> 00:14:20,093
kind of righteousness are

556
00:14:20,093 --> 00:14:21,909
parallel because they're both

557
00:14:21,909 --> 00:14:23,629
trying to follow the same

558
00:14:23,629 --> 00:14:25,606
direction, the same guidance,

559
00:14:25,606 --> 00:14:28,078
the same rules. And that rule,

560
00:14:28,078 --> 00:14:28,910
that guidance,

561
00:14:28,910 --> 00:14:30,420
is the natural law.

562
00:14:30,420 --> 00:14:32,733
So the law of God is very much

563
00:14:32,733 --> 00:14:33,811
what runs the show in the

564
00:14:33,811 --> 00:14:35,961
horizontal or in this kind of

565
00:14:35,961 --> 00:14:38,122
realm of our world relationships

566
00:14:38,122 --> 00:14:39,817
where creation is going on and

567
00:14:39,817 --> 00:14:40,857
where we're dealing with all

568
00:14:40,857 --> 00:14:41,577
the people around us

569
00:14:41,577 --> 00:14:42,673
and all the creatures around

570
00:14:42,673 --> 00:14:44,377
us. When it comes to the

571
00:14:44,377 --> 00:14:47,040
relationship with God in the

572
00:14:47,040 --> 00:14:48,626
second kind of righteousness.

573
00:14:48,626 --> 00:14:50,978
That's where this law gospel

574
00:14:50,978 --> 00:14:51,896
paradigm I was talking

575
00:14:51,896 --> 00:14:52,553
about before,

576
00:14:52,553 --> 00:14:53,473
that's where that comes

577
00:14:53,473 --> 00:14:55,238
into play full tilt.

578
00:14:55,238 --> 00:14:57,537
Because there what I have is the

579
00:14:57,537 --> 00:14:59,306
law that crushes me and condemns

580
00:14:59,306 --> 00:14:59,865
me and eventually.

581
00:14:59,865 --> 00:15:01,817
Drives me to say I can't do it.

582
00:15:01,817 --> 00:15:03,425
I give up. And then God says,

583
00:15:03,425 --> 00:15:03,937
Right.

584
00:15:03,937 --> 00:15:05,337
I've got forgiveness for you in

585
00:15:05,337 --> 00:15:07,073
Christ and I simply receive it.

586
00:15:07,073 --> 00:15:07,937
And it's true.

587
00:15:07,937 --> 00:15:10,426
So I'm not negating the reality

588
00:15:10,426 --> 00:15:12,537
of this law gospel tension and

589
00:15:12,537 --> 00:15:14,033
of this lively dynamic between

590
00:15:14,033 --> 00:15:15,521
God's law that kills and the

591
00:15:15,521 --> 00:15:16,554
gospel that makes alive.

592
00:15:16,554 --> 00:15:17,497
But that's what's going on

593
00:15:17,497 --> 00:15:18,137
in the second kind

594
00:15:18,137 --> 00:15:18,849
of righteousness.

595
00:15:18,849 --> 00:15:21,401
And it does not negate or trump

596
00:15:21,401 --> 00:15:23,161
or just kind of bulldoze over

597
00:15:23,161 --> 00:15:24,281
the righteousness that I'm

598
00:15:24,281 --> 00:15:24,965
supposed to be doing in

599
00:15:24,965 --> 00:15:25,896
the created world.

600
00:15:25,896 --> 00:15:28,464
I still am busy doing that.

601
00:15:28,464 --> 00:15:30,097
So this is part of this kind of

602
00:15:30,097 --> 00:15:31,320
beautiful picture we get of what

603
00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:32,040
God has called us to

604
00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:33,074
do as human beings.

605
00:15:33,074 --> 00:15:35,113
And the character that I have as

606
00:15:35,113 --> 00:15:37,297
a Christian is on display when

607
00:15:37,297 --> 00:15:38,337
I'm doing what God has called me

608
00:15:38,337 --> 00:15:39,057
to do in this third kind

609
00:15:39,057 --> 00:15:40,210
of righteousness.

610
00:15:40,210 --> 00:15:42,437
The person who's watching me do

611
00:15:42,437 --> 00:15:43,933
these things might not see any

612
00:15:43,933 --> 00:15:45,237
difference between me and a

613
00:15:45,237 --> 00:15:46,676
righteous pagan. In fact,

614
00:15:46,676 --> 00:15:48,221
if I'm living next door to a

615
00:15:48,221 --> 00:15:50,628
good pagan hindu, for example,

616
00:15:50,628 --> 00:15:51,613
who's a really great guy,

617
00:15:51,613 --> 00:15:52,980
but he doesn't believe in Jesus

618
00:15:52,980 --> 00:15:53,802
and I'm a Christian

619
00:15:53,802 --> 00:15:54,681
confessing Christ,

620
00:15:54,681 --> 00:15:56,777
the neighbor watching me and my

621
00:15:56,777 --> 00:15:58,137
Hindu neighbor function might

622
00:15:58,137 --> 00:15:58,888
not see any difference

623
00:15:58,888 --> 00:15:59,449
between us.

624
00:15:59,449 --> 00:16:01,473
We're both good people who are

625
00:16:01,473 --> 00:16:03,656
nice and mow our lawns and take

626
00:16:03,656 --> 00:16:05,097
care of our garbage and are

627
00:16:05,097 --> 00:16:06,382
friendly to him and wave.

628
00:16:06,382 --> 00:16:07,557
And we're all great people.

629
00:16:07,557 --> 00:16:08,973
But there's a huge difference.

630
00:16:08,973 --> 00:16:10,317
Because while we might both be

631
00:16:10,317 --> 00:16:11,638
conforming to the same natural

632
00:16:11,638 --> 00:16:14,301
law I'm rightly related to God.

633
00:16:14,301 --> 00:16:15,997
And I know where I

634
00:16:15,997 --> 00:16:16,739
stand with God.

635
00:16:16,739 --> 00:16:18,194
And I live with a tremendous

636
00:16:18,194 --> 00:16:20,633
freedom and joy and lack of

637
00:16:20,633 --> 00:16:22,170
burden of trying to fulfill

638
00:16:22,170 --> 00:16:23,001
God's commandments to

639
00:16:23,001 --> 00:16:23,882
win his praises.

640
00:16:23,882 --> 00:16:26,290
I've already got his grace.

641
00:16:26,290 --> 00:16:28,713
The righteous pagan is always

642
00:16:28,713 --> 00:16:29,832
wondering where he stands,

643
00:16:29,832 --> 00:16:31,102
if he even cares.

644
00:16:31,102 --> 00:16:33,206
And there's this impossible gulf

645
00:16:33,206 --> 00:16:34,837
between him and God which can

646
00:16:34,837 --> 00:16:36,182
only be bridged by God's

647
00:16:36,182 --> 00:16:37,501
forgiveness in Christ.

648
00:16:37,501 --> 00:16:39,269
That's the real difference here

649
00:16:39,269 --> 00:16:41,669
between me and any other good

650
00:16:41,669 --> 00:16:42,653
person in the world or

651
00:16:42,653 --> 00:16:43,358
you as a Christian,

652
00:16:43,358 --> 00:16:44,473
any other good person.

653
00:16:44,473 --> 00:16:46,225
You're rightly related to God.

654
00:16:46,225 --> 00:16:47,969
And you know who you are.

655
00:16:47,969 --> 00:16:50,193
So Christians are joined to

656
00:16:50,193 --> 00:16:51,577
Christ and they do the things

657
00:16:51,577 --> 00:16:52,377
that God has called them

658
00:16:52,377 --> 00:16:54,105
to do in Christ.

659
00:16:54,105 --> 00:16:55,868
St. Peter, I think,

660
00:16:55,868 --> 00:16:57,646
exemplifies this very nicely,

661
00:16:57,646 --> 00:16:58,429
because St.

662
00:16:58,429 --> 00:17:01,269
Peter knew who he was in Christ.

663
00:17:01,269 --> 00:17:03,222
He knew God's forgiveness.

664
00:17:03,222 --> 00:17:04,476
But he also knew he was supposed

665
00:17:04,476 --> 00:17:05,476
to be doing things.

666
00:17:05,476 --> 00:17:07,436
And so he was busy trying to do

667
00:17:07,436 --> 00:17:08,547
the things that God had called

668
00:17:08,547 --> 00:17:11,418
him to do and busy knowing

669
00:17:11,418 --> 00:17:12,673
who he was in Christ.

670
00:17:12,673 --> 00:17:14,089
It's both things at once.

671
00:17:14,089 --> 00:17:15,217
You see this a little bit?

672
00:17:15,217 --> 00:17:17,161
Maybe when Jesus is walking on

673
00:17:17,161 --> 00:17:19,073
the water and Peter says, hey,

674
00:17:19,073 --> 00:17:20,538
if that's really you, Jesus,

675
00:17:20,538 --> 00:17:21,400
tell me to come to you on the

676
00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:22,340
water. And I'll come.

677
00:17:22,340 --> 00:17:24,101
So Jesus says, Come on.

678
00:17:24,101 --> 00:17:25,406
So Peter hops out of the boat

679
00:17:25,406 --> 00:17:26,885
and starts cruising along.

680
00:17:26,885 --> 00:17:28,405
And then he falls short.

681
00:17:28,405 --> 00:17:29,860
And when he does, what happens?

682
00:17:29,860 --> 00:17:31,237
Jesus reaches out and picks him

683
00:17:31,237 --> 00:17:32,357
up and pulls him back in

684
00:17:32,357 --> 00:17:33,427
the boat with him.

685
00:17:33,427 --> 00:17:34,978
I think that kind of captures

686
00:17:34,978 --> 00:17:36,217
the dynamic of this

687
00:17:36,217 --> 00:17:37,249
Christian life.

688
00:17:37,249 --> 00:17:38,297
We want to do what

689
00:17:38,297 --> 00:17:39,409
Jesus is doing.

690
00:17:39,409 --> 00:17:41,017
That's what it means to do the

691
00:17:41,017 --> 00:17:44,129
law. Jesus says, be like me.

692
00:17:44,129 --> 00:17:45,561
Do the things I do.

693
00:17:45,561 --> 00:17:46,976
Follow my example.

694
00:17:46,976 --> 00:17:49,250
And we try to we try to be fully

695
00:17:49,250 --> 00:17:50,673
what God would want us to be.

696
00:17:50,673 --> 00:17:51,657
And Christ shows us what

697
00:17:51,657 --> 00:17:52,249
that looks like.

698
00:17:52,249 --> 00:17:53,849
And so Peter is trying to follow

699
00:17:53,849 --> 00:17:55,721
his Lord as he should.

700
00:17:55,721 --> 00:17:57,056
In the process,

701
00:17:57,056 --> 00:17:58,489
he's going to fall short.

702
00:17:58,489 --> 00:18:00,498
He gets afraid. He doubts.

703
00:18:00,498 --> 00:18:01,330
He wonders.

704
00:18:01,330 --> 00:18:02,417
And when that happens,

705
00:18:02,417 --> 00:18:03,978
there's not condemnation.

706
00:18:03,978 --> 00:18:04,930
There's grace.

707
00:18:04,930 --> 00:18:06,146
And Jesus reaches out and picks

708
00:18:06,146 --> 00:18:07,537
him up and pulls him back in.

709
00:18:07,537 --> 00:18:09,089
It's all good,

710
00:18:09,089 --> 00:18:11,257
because he's in Christ. Now,

711
00:18:11,257 --> 00:18:11,920
you're going to explore that

712
00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:12,945
some more as you think about

713
00:18:12,945 --> 00:18:14,601
Peter and as you press forward.

714
00:18:14,601 --> 00:18:16,097
So I encourage you to consider

715
00:18:16,097 --> 00:18:17,609
the reality of both of these

716
00:18:17,609 --> 00:18:18,770
realities for Peter,

717
00:18:18,770 --> 00:18:20,857
who he is in Christ and who

718
00:18:20,857 --> 00:18:21,824
he is in the world.

719
00:18:21,824 --> 00:18:22,880
And that third kind of

720
00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:23,657
righteousness as he,

721
00:18:23,657 --> 00:18:24,257
as a Christian,

722
00:18:24,257 --> 00:18:25,697
strives to go out and do what

723
00:18:25,697 --> 00:18:26,937
God has called him to do.

724
00:18:26,937 --> 00:18:27,610
Blessings.

725
00:18:27,610 --> 00:18:28,850
As you study more about Peter.