Dec 16
28
Christ our Rule
Galatians 6:16 “And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on
them.”
And what is this rule we walk by? The Law? No. It is this, “God forbid
that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”
(Galatians 6:14). Truly, this is the believer’s rule of life. This is
our standard of measurement. Jesus Christ and Him crucified. This is our
rule for understanding the Scriptures. All Scripture points to Him. This
is the rule of our faith. He is the object of our faith. This is the
rule of our assurance. Any assurance derived anywhere but simply
glorying in the cross is a false assurance. This is the rule of our
motives. Any motive other than His glory is a wrong motive. This is the
rule of our doctrine. All of our doctrine finds Christ crucified as its
sum and substance. This is our rule of motivation. His love to us
“constraineth us”. He is our rule in everything. He is that “one pearl
Todd Nibert.
As many as walk according to this rule
Galatians 6:16.
Todd Nibert
The word “rule” is where we get the word canon (the canon of
Scriptures). It was a rod of measurement; a ruler. We can measure
ourselves by the rule the Scripture provides to see if we are authentic.
The rule is found in Galatians 6:14-15. It has to do with the work of
Christ for us and in us. You cannot have the one without the other.
1). The work of Christ for us: “God forbid that I should glory, save in
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” A true believer will have
confidence only in what Christ did for him. If I have confidence in
anything else, I am exposed as spurious (fake).
2). The work of Christ in us: “For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision
availed anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” I know the
work of Christ in me is a new creation. He created in me that which was
not there before. In creation, God created something from nothing. I
know that the faith I have came from Him. I know that the love I have to
Him came from Him. In the first creation, man did not contribute. That
is equally true in the new creation. “As many as walk according to this
rule (the work of Christ for us and in us) peace be on them, and mercy
and upon the Israel of God.”
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how
that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (1Cor. 15:3).
The gospel is not just that Christ died. The gospel is how that He died
for us according to God’s eternal and immutable decree, “the scriptures”
(Acts 2:23: Rev. 13:8). The scriptures declare that His death was
appointed (Gen. 3:15; 22:8; Psa.22; Psa. 69; Matt. 16:21; Gal. 4:4). The
scriptures declare that His death was voluntary; He willingly laid down
His life for us (Isa. 53:7; John 10:17-18). The scriptures declare that
His death was subtitutionary (Isa. 53:4-6; 2Cor.5:21; 1 Pet.3:18 ). The
scriptures declare that His death was to accomplish definite atonement
for His people (Isa.53:8; Matt. 1:21; John 10:15; Heb. 2:17). The
scriptures declare that His death satisfied all the demands of God’s
holy Law (Isa. 42:21; 53:10-12; Dan. 9:24). The scriptures declare that
His death was most effectual to put away all the sin of the covenant
people (Psa. 103:12; Isa. 38;17; Micah 7:18-20; Heb.9:26; 10:17; 1John
1:7).
Every pledge of salvation has its accomplishment in the Lord Jesus
Christ, “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen,
unto the glory of God by us (2Cor. 1:21). All that God has promised
concerning salvation in Christ is certain and sure, “And being fully
persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”
(Rom. 4:21).
Our Lord said, “But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that
thus it must be?” “But all this was done, that the scriptures of the
prophets might be fulfilled.” (Matt. 26:54,56), “It is finished” (John
19:30).
The apostle Paul said, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the
cross of Christ” (Gal. 6:14). — Tom Harding
THE GOLDEN RULE
Matthew 7: 12
In the beginning of his sermon the Lord said, “I came to fulfill” the
law and the prophets. By his grace, we believe he fulfilled every dot
and dash of the very law he has taught us in this, his sermon on the
mount, so that he has made us the righteousness of God in him. By the
power of his grace, the Holy Spirit has given us the love of God in our
hearts so that his love for us causes us to delight in his word: in
being quickly reconciled to our adversaries(5: 25), in putting off the
lust of the flesh (5:30), we delight in truth (5:37), in mercy rather
than an eye-for-eye (5:39), in being gracious without partiality (5:44),
in making no show of serving our God (6:1-18), in seeking the
righteousness of God and providing for those in his kingdom.
And because his love has been imparted in us in the new birth, when the
Lord tells us not to condemn but to ask God (Mt 7: 1-11) we realize that
believing Christ and trusting sinners into the hands of the God we love
is the heart of the golden rule. It is the love that true believers have
of God. We have been made willing to lay down our wisdom, means, and old
constraints for God’s way of simply holding forth the good news of
Christ. As we do, we turn to God in prayer on behalf of sinners,
trusting him to give life in those who are yet without Christ, as well
as to strengthen brethren who err from the truth.
Our constraint is knowing that this obedience and love did not come into
our own hearts by man disciplining us into compliance, by religious men
attracting us by their various ministries, or by our own power.
Therefore, by grace, we continue to patiently endure, visiting helpless
sinners, not with oppressive words, but in the sweet songs of the
gracious One who is the Power and Righteousness of God unto salvation.
In all our own failings, this is exactly what we would have others to do
unto us, this is the law and the prophets. Clay Curtis.
Brussels Sprouts and the Mercy of God
Joe Terrell
Recently I received an advertisement via email which boasted that the
advertisers had made a two-hour movie of the entire Bible. Out of
curiosity I went to the web site and found that it contained a great
deal of children’s Bible lesson materials for free. They also offered a
game for children which could be downloaded for free. The game board
consisted of a spiral of squares and the players moved from square to
square by a roll of the dice. Many of the squares contained the words,
‘Jesus Loves Children,’ and as one got closer to the winner’s square in
the center, the words changed to ‘Jesus Loves Me.’ Spread throughout the
game board were squares with ‘I’ phrases that either advanced the player
or sent him back a few squares. Some described good things, ‘I cleaned
my room; move ahead 2 spaces;’ and others described ‘naughty’ things
such as, ‘I was rude to mummy, go back two spaces.’
But, I was quite taken back by one square located about two thirds
through the game: ‘I like Brussels sprouts, move ahead 6 spaces.’ I
enlarged the screen to be certain I had read it right; and, yes, I had.
My first thought was, ‘Any kid who says they like Brussels sprouts
should be sent back 2 spaces for lying.’ But then I had to laugh at such
a ridiculousness of it all. Among all the supposedly virtuous things a
child could do to advance to ‘Jesus Loves Me’ and being a ‘Winner,’
there was ‘I like Brussels sprouts.’ I also became a bit angry at the
false doctrine being taught: One gets to ‘Jesus Loves Me’ by doing good
things and the good things we must do are distasteful like Brussels
sprouts. I recognized some of my childhood thoughts in that.
Yet, I could not get over how ridiculous it was to put ‘liking Brussels
Sprouts’ in with all those other things. Then it hit me: Thinking you
can gain God’s favor by eating Brussels sprouts is no more ridiculous
than any of the other hundreds of things man has devised as a route to
God’s favor. Most of what passes for Christianity is just so much eating
Brussels sprouts!
It is sad that so many are trying to get to heaven by some form of the
board game available on that web site. ‘I had perfect church attendance
for the fall quarter, advance 2 spaces.’ ‘I memorized a Bible verse
today, advance one space.’ ‘I told a lie, go back three spaces.’ ‘A
tee-totaler, advance 10 spaces.’ ‘I fell off the wagon, miss a turn.’
I can only imagine poor David: ‘I committed adultery and murder, go back
to square one. Go back to the beginning! Start all over! In fact, get
off the board altogether.’ And that is exactly what David did; He got
off the board of human works and said ‘Have mercy on me, O God.’ (Psalm
51.1) And the blessed truth is that in the true gospel ‘game board’ the
square that says, ‘Have Mercy on me, O God,’ also has ‘Jesus Loves Me.’
In the gospel, square one is the last square. The gospel is made up of
only the mercy of God and the love of the Lord Jesus. If you have found
that square, you are at the beginning and the end of the game.
REJECTING GOD’S GRACE
To seek to be justified by the works of the law is to reject the grace
of God. But I pray you, what sin can be more execrable (detestable and
revolting) or horrible, than to reject the grace of God, to refuse that
righteousness which cometh by Christ? It is enough and too much already,
that we are wicked sinners and transgressors of all the commandments of
God; and yet we commit moreover the most execrable sin of all sins, in
that we do most contemptuously refuse the grace of God and remission of
sins offered unto us by Christ. This blasphemy is more horrible than can
be expressed. There is no sin which Paul and the other apostles did so
much detest, as the contempt of grace, and denial of Christ, and yet
there is no sin more common.
Martin Luther.
A TESTIMONY
I would tell you how it is with me if I could; at the best, it would be
an inconsistent account. I am what I would not, and would what I cannot.
I rejoice and mourn; I stand fast and am thrown down in the same moment.
I am both rich and poor; I can do nothing; yet, I can do all things. I
live by a miracle. I am opposed beyond my strength, yet I am not
overpowered. I gain when I lose, and I often am a loser by my gains. IN
A WORD, I AM A SINNER! A vile one; but a sinner believing in the Name of
Jesus. I am a silly sheep, but I have a gracious, watchful Shepherd; I
am a dull scholar, but I have a Master who can make the dullest learn.
He still enables me, He still owns me. Oh, for a coal of heavenly fire
to warm my heart, that I might praise Him as I ought!
John Newton.