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NASB | Galatians 3:24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Galatians 3:24 with the result that the Law has become our tutor and our disciplinarian to guide us to Christ, so that we may be justified [that is, declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing with God] by faith. |
Subject: Is it possible to love God as commanded? |
Bible Note: Thanks for your reply. The Galatians 3:24 verse came from JHVH0212's earlier reply, not my original posting, which quoted only from Mark 12. As I understand this Scripture and others dealing with complete commitment (e.g. Luke 14:25-33; 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Matthew 6:24,33), the Lord does desire (and require) such "perfect" love. These passages indicate that the believer can -- through the purification of Christ's blood and resurrection, the transformation of the heart and mind through the Spirit and the Word, and the working of the Holy Spirit -- love God with all his (or her) heart, soul, mind and strength as God commanded throughout the Christian life as maturity continues to develop. In this way, the law is fulfilled "in" the believer (and not just "for" him) according to Scripture, as pointed out by JHVH0212 in his second reply on the parrallel thread under this question. As John Wesley pointed out in his discourse, "A Plain Account of Christian Perfection" (see www.whatsaiththescripture.comFellowshipWesley.Christian.Perfectio.html if it prints out properly), this does not remove factors such as ignorance or any mental, physical, and emotional limitations of the believer. Nor does it remove the need for repentance when sin done in ignorance is revealed to the believer. It is, rather, an attitude of being entirely set apart (sanctified) to exercise love toward God. The condition can be temporary, if a believer willingly compromises this complete love, and it can then be restored through repentance and the Spirit's sovereign provision. While the believer can and should humbly seek such a condition, only the Spirit can so "fill" someone with this love. While this may seem impossible from our own judgment of the people around us, the teaching of the Scriptures always carries a higher authority than our own interpretation of our experience, and I believe the Scriptures call us confidently to such complete love -- not as an impossible requirement but as an offering we can present only by the grace and empowerment of the Spirit (see Romans 12:1 and 1 Peter 2:5). I'd like to get more input on this with a later question, but this is my current understanding. |