… all the Law and the Prophets.
Summary: God doesn’t want to fence us in, but he doesn’t want us to spend eternity in hell, either. Confronted with this conundrum, he works hard to help us stay within his will.
As we continue our study of the Lord’s Prayer, we will do so in the context of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. As you would expect, God’s Word is completely consistent with the Bible as a whole. However, whether we see that consistency or not depends on how we understand and visualize God.
In “Three-in-One” we looked at the triune nature of God and man and visualized how God’s “will” has a boundary. We pictured God’s will as a circle containing all the things that are okay for us to be doing. Outside the circle are the things God does not want us to do.
According to the book of Genesis, in the beginning, God placed man inside the Garden of Eden. The Garden was fully within God’s will except for one thing: “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:17). Adam and Eve could eat anything they wanted except for the fruit from the forbidden tree.
When Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree, they knew they were crossing a line. They were doing what God had told them not to do. They were being willfully disobedient. In “crossing the line” they stepped outside of the circle of God’s will.
What they didn’t realize at the time was that there would be consequences for their action. The consequences are real and substantial. They included:
1. Death. (“…for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” [Genesis 2:17]) Please note that God didn’t say it would be a physical death. Like many other words, the word “death” has several meanings. Have you ever heard someone say that they “died” of embarrassment? In the case of Genesis 2:17, God was talking about spiritual death. This is why Jesus tells us that we need to be spiritually “born again” (John 3:3).
2. Being “Line Blind” – The serpent himself explained this consequence this way: “…your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5) The thing the serpent didn’t tell her was that having their eyes opened would leave them “Line Blind” to the line between what God’s will is and isn’t.
The result of this change to human eyesight is that we “see” things differently than God does. While God can clearly see the line between what is in his will and what isn’t, we humans have become “line blind” to the line between what is within his will and what isn’t.
Fortunately for us, God did not give up on his creation. Instead, since we have become blind to his will, he began showing us the difference between “right” and “wrong.”
First and foremost, the MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER is that God is God and we are not. We need to recognize and honor our Creator. This is why the first four of the Ten Commandments point us to God. It is also why Jesus summed up “all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22: 40) with the Greatest Commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37) Without acknowledging our Creator, we have no hope of pleasing him.
The purpose of God’s Word, and in particular the Sermon on the Mount, is to show us where the boundary line is between being in God’s will and being outside of God’s will. It is as if God were posting “No Trespassing” signs at the border of his will for us.
Application: First, we have to admit that we are blind when it comes to right and wrong. Second, we have to heed God’s warnings and directions.
Food for Thought: What has God done to help us avoid crossing the line and what else could he do?
The Law was given to let us know where that line is. The cross was given because we have crossed the line. Romans 3: 9 – 26.
Thanks Rich!
I completely agree!
Before I knew God I had crossed the line.
Jesus made it possible for me to come back.
Now, knowing there is a line and knowing Jesus, I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts on 1 John 3:9 sometime. 🙂
Thanks brother. My take on how John deals with sin in 1 John, is that believers will sin (1 John 1: 8 – 10). We are covered by the cross (1 John 2: 1 – 2). But the believer will not continue in sin as in living in it comfortably. We know it is wrong and will get out of the mud at some point. Sin is not where we are at home. It is at home for the carnal man. So while we sin we will not remain in sin as in making it our home like the carnal person (Carnal person – 1 Corinthians 2: 14; the spiritual man – 1 Corinthians 2: 15 – 16). It is a good check to evaluate our hearts before God and move toward maturity (1 Corinthians 3: 1 – 4).
What has God done to help us avoid crossing the line and what else could he do?
God gave us a book full of instructions, He gave us Encouragement, wise council, advice of other bothers in Christ, along the form of fellowship. If you keep sinning God can end your time instantly to keep you from causing others to sin.
The 1 John 3:7-10 makes me realize how I need to improve my thoughts and actions to glorify God better.
Tim,
It is a constant process. Rich’s reply to my comment above is a good explanation of what goes on. The thing that I have been struggling with over the years is learning that God sees into my heart. He knows me better than I know me. He isn’t fooled or impressed by my words, he is looking directly into my innermost being. The better I know him, the more Holy Spirit I have inside, the more I submit to Jesus my King, the more I am able to be the person God wants me to be.
10-23-2022, Matthew 22: 40 — Line Blind, What has God done to help us avoid crossing the line and what else could he do?
All creation points to God:
since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Romans 1:19-20
The law has been written in the hearts of man:
Who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.
Romans 2:15, John 1:9
Jesus points to God the Father:
And Jesus tells us, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father”
John 14:9.
Jesus teaches that the Scriptures reveal who He is:
Luke 24:27, 44–45; John 5:39.
The Holy Spirit is convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement to come.
John 16:8-11
Ron,
It sounds like God covered all the bases! 🙂