"Do" vs. "Done"

It has been a good week in the Word this week, and in typical sovereign fashion, the Lord has been preparing me ahead of time for things that I get to teach on. This weekend, our church will be continuing a new study of faith essentials (TEAM training for those of you at Crossroads). I get to teach on something that when I learned it through TEAM, it was something that set me free in many regards of my spiritual life. It is the topic of "Law and Grace."

In short, and believe me if I get started I will be here for a long time, the issue of Law and Grace is about how we come to God for acceptance. Law teaches that in order to find your acceptance, you must "do." Grace, on the contrary, teaches that in order to be acceptable before God, you must trust in what has been "done." The cool thing the Lord reminded me this morning, is that even in the midst of the book of Leviticus (a book that is mostly about following a long litany of specific requirements to worship God), God was revealing Grace. And, he says it over and over again!!!!

Look with me at the 21st and 22nd chapter of Leviticus, as you read through this passage, you will notice 3 prominent truths and over again, "I am the Lord," "I am holy," and "You are to be holy." Now, if you haven't skimmed over the specific regulations for these people you could easily become overwhelmed by them (and maybe even a little grossed out). Simply put, these truths are that He is God, He is Perfect, and since they are His, they are to be perfect also.

Then, I noticed another truth I believe that is critical that is repeated in these chapters. If you are not careful, you will miss it. It first shows up in 21:8. "You shall consecrate him, therefore, for he offers the food of your God; he shall be holy to you; for I the LORD, who sanctifies you, am holy." You see it again in 21:15, 21:3, 22:9, 22:16, & 22:32. The God who is Holy and expected them to come to Him holy in order to be acceptable, says that HE is the one who will make them Holy.

Now for us, we look back at the completed work of Christ and are able to be identified with the righteousness of Christ through placing our faith is what He has done on the cross. For the folks first reading these words, their task was to place their faith in what was to be done. All while they were hearing how they must "do," (or rather could never do) God was telling them that it had to be "done" for them!

Way too often, even in the Christian church, we heap on others what they must "do" in order to be acceptable before God. Folks, that is a lie from the pits of hell. Our acceptance is not found in found we do, but in placing our trust only in what Christ has done.

What about all the things in the New Testament that we are told we to do? I think author Bob George nails this one best in his book Classic Christianity. He says, "...we are not obeying New Testament commands in order to be accepted by God. Under law, a man works in order to be accepted by God. Under grace, a man serves because he is already accepted by God."

If you are trusting in what Christ has done for you, you are accepted by God. Let that sink in. As a matter of fact, chew on that today. Because once you really grasp that you are completely accepted by God, it will change your life. It has mine. I used to struggle with depression because I felt I wasn't measuring up to God's standard, even to the point of having take medication for depression. However, once I embraced this truth, God began to transform me by the renewing of my mind. It has now been 6 years since I took any pills for that because I haven't needed it. You too can be free! Just rest in what has been done.