Season 3 Podcast 209 Recognizing the Hand of God Pt III Faith
Recognizing the Hand of God Pt III: Faith
It is assumed that you have listened to podcasts 204, 205, 206 & 207. If not, perhaps for continuity you would like to download those first. However, it is not essential. Each podcast is independent.
There is one word that separates the temporal law from the spiritual law. That word is faith. We don’t have faith in the law of gravity though we use the term loosely. We have perfect knowledge that the law of gravity exists. We know the effects of gravity. We don’t get up every morning deciding whether or not we are going to obey the laws of nature. Strictly speaking we never violate the laws of nature. We may choose to ignore the law of gravity, but the law of gravity will never ignore us. Nature is a harsh teacher.
However, we may choose to obey or disobey the laws of God. God remains hidden so that faith can flourish. Earth is a probationary state. The judgments of God are often postponed giving us time to repent. Evil people get rich. Evil people get powerful. Evil people often get what they want. Evil people often find pleasure in what they do. The law of justice, however, has a perfect memory and there will come a time of judgment and restitution. The law of justice is as exact as the laws of nature, but it does not operate on the same time frame. The laws of nature are for mortality only. The law of justice is for eternity. We will forever be under the law of justice. Because of the law of justice there is both a heaven and a hell. Because of the law of mercy, we may choose where we will spend eternity.
Everyone falls under the law of justice. The law of justice is the controlling law of all creation. Justice is absolute and cannot be compromised. If justice were compromised, there would be nothing rather than something. It is the glue that holds everything together. All laws bow to justice. Christ submitted his will to the Father. Even the law of mercy, brought about by the atonement of Jesus Christ, must satisfy the demands of the law of justice. That is why the law of mercy is conditional.
It is the law of mercy alone that satisfies the law of justice and allows us back into the presence of God. No scripture describes the mission of Christ better than John 3:16-17:
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
The purpose of the Holy Scriptures is to define the conditions established by the law of mercy that we may have everlasting life. We call those conditions the commandments of God.
The only reason the law of mercy can exercise power over the law of justice is because Christ, the perfect one, sacrificed his life to pay for our sins. What Christ doesn’t pay for, we must pay for. He alone can save us from our sins. The law of justice is an eternal law. That is why the law of mercy must be an eternal law. Christ will always be our savior. Only through faith in Christ can we be saved from our sins. There is no substitute for Christ. The price we must pay is obedience to the laws of Christ.
Because of the fall of Adam, we are already under condemnation from the law of justice. Christ’s atonement redeems us from the fall. We can never satisfy the law of justice, but we can satisfy the laws of Christ. The law of justice demands perfection. The law of mercy allows repentance. We cannot reach perfection in this life.
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