“The Paradoxical Nature of God’s Holiness at Work in Our Lives"

While the power of sin—that which gives life and energy to sin in our lives—is the Law (1 Corinthians 15:56), it is the Law, too, that can illuminate our depravity (Romans 7:7) and motivate us to turn toward God in the knowledge that we need for Him to do something for us that we cannot do for ourselves (Luke 18:9-14). In this turning, which the Law and the kindness of God (Romans 2:4] can, in concert rather than at enmity, bring about, God imparts unto us, through His Own dear Son, His very Own righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21) and sets us apart from one thing (our living to please the sinful old man) unto another (our awakening to the abundant life...a life, that when embraced, is inherently pleasing to Him).

We must work out our salvation, as Paul writes in Philippians 2:12, but our eyes must be fixed sternly upon Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18), the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), for it is He, as Paul writes additionally, Who is working in us to give us both the desire and the ability to please Him (Philippians 2:13), principally through our moment-by-moment worship of Him and through the many ways in which we live and die unto Him as He commands.  While we are, of course, broken over and by the Law we break, it is, in fact, our love for the Law and the very brokenness that the Law imparts (because of that love!) that seems to be so pleasing to our Heavenly Father (see all of Psalms 51 and 119), Whose demonstration of loving-kindness toward us is so tender, so lasting (Jeremiah 31:3), and so devistating.

O how I love Thy Law (Psalm 1), O God!  May I never recover from the fires of Thy holy love.

Peace to you, my dear friends...

Bling