LIVING AS IF God is our King means being in a relationship in which God is the sovereign, the One who has ultimate sway over us, the One who has the final say. To understand this, think about a recognizable human parallel. To live properly as a citizen of England is to live as if the queen is your sovereign. One’s life is marked by obedience to Her Majesty’s laws. It is possible to live in the realm of England physically and yet not live as if the queen is your sovereign, for example, by paying no attention to the laws of the land. The same stands true for the kingdom of God. We all live in God’s world, and in that sense we are all God’s creatures. But not all of us live as if God were our sovereign, typically because we have difficulty dealing with our finitude, sinfulness, and brokenness. For this reason, we often find ourselves not lving the lives for which God’s creatures are made. … But how should Christians understand God’s law? Some interpret God’s law in a moralistic way as a long list of dos and don’ts. Those who take this approach tend to see the Christian life as primarily about being good. Relating to God through a list of dos and don’ts is what Paul, in his many New Testament writings, ruled out. However, Jesus said he came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). Paul saw all disciples as fulfilling the law by living a life of love (Rom. 13:10). To act with love as the motivation for all that you do is to live by the law. To lead a life of love is to live in God’s kingdom, to live in recognition that God is sovereign.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 13:04:21 +0000
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