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Transforming Grace
Discussion Guide, Chapter 5a: The Proof of Love
Central Idea: As followers of Jesus Christ we are set free to obey the moral laws
of God out of love for Him.
Review: Share the Wedge and Wheel Diagrams.
Warm-Up Question: Last week, we saw that our motivations for obeying God and
seeking holiness was found in Christ’s love for us. That is, Christ’s love
compels. Would anyone like to share any observations related to examining the motives
behind your actions from this past week?
- What is the evidence of being a child of God
?
- Those who do not do what is right and love one another are not children of God. Read 1
Jn 3:10. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the
devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who
does not love his brother.
- People who love have been born of God. Read 1 Jn 4:7-8. Dear friends, let us love one
another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
- Christ’s disciples are those who love one another. Read Jn 13:34-35. A new
command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
- But what does it mean to love God? How do we express our love to God
?
- Why do you think society has difficulty separating love from feelings
?
- Because love produces good emotions and good feelings, so people start defining love by
those emotions and feelings.
- Society defines love in a way that is relative to the situation. God defines love
according to an absolute code of ethics.
- Quote (TG, pg 88): "One very popular philosophy today is "situation
ethics," in which actions are morally evaluated in terms of a "loving"
response to the situation at hand rather than by application of moral absolutes. Situation
ethics knows no external, objective standard of behavior. Rather, it responds to what
"seems right at the moment." The problem with this philosophy is, as Scripture
says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure" (Jeremiah 17:9).
Therefore, anything can be made to "seem right." And because of the sinful
nature still at work in us, this description of the heart is true to varying degrees even
among believers. Through "Christianized" situation ethics, all kinds of sinful
actions have been committed in the name of "love." Christians have engaged in
adultery—illicit sexual intimacy—on the pretense that they were acting in love
toward a "lonely" or "hurting" person. Recently I heard of a man who
allegedly conspired to have his incurably ill wife murdered because she would be happier
with Jesus."
- What does the Bible say about what it means to love and obey God
?
- We will love God if and only if we obey God. Read John 14:15, 21, 24a. If you love
me, you will obey what I command …. 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is
the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him
and show myself to him …. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.
- Obedience without love is useless. Read 1 Cor 13:1-3. If I speak in the tongues of
men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I
have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I
possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain
nothing.
- What is our motivation for loving God
? (Reminder from last study)
- As we saw last week, our motivation for loving and obeying God is out of gratitude
to what God has already done and what He has promised to do, not out of fear of punishment
or hope of rewards.
- How do you respond to the person who says that the "law of love" found in the
New Testament has replaced, or canceled the law found in the Old Testament
?
- There are verses that seem to indicate that Christ has eliminated God’s law.
- Read Eph 2:15. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has
destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the
law with its commandments and regulations.
- Read Col 2:13-14. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your
sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having
canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood
opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
- If the requirements of the law are abolished, then Paul would be contradicting
himself in Eph 5:1-4, when he writes, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly
loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for
us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3 But among you there must not be even a
hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are
improper for God's holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse
joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving."
- What is abolished and nailed to the cross, then, if it wasn’t the requirement of
the law
?
- The sinner’s condemnation. Rom 8:1-2. Therefore, there is now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of
life set me free from the law of sin and death.
- The curse of the law. Gal 3:13. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by
becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on
a tree."
- Relating this verse back to Col 2:13-14, we see that it was the curse of the law
that was nailed to the cross (tree).
- There are several difficulties that arise if we say that Christ eliminated the
requirement of the law.
- If the requirements of God’s laws turn into God’s desires, then
this will actually start leading the person back into a works mentality, because we will
start viewing God’s commands as optional. Then we start seeing simple obedience as
going "beyond the call of duty."
- Legalism becomes redefined as trying to keep the law of God. (If the requirement of
God’s law is maintained, then legalism is simply relying on the keeping of the
law to save).
- If the requirements of God’s laws are changed in anyway, then we are forced to
separate God’s laws from His character. If we do this, then we have severed all
ability to know what God is like, because God’s laws become simply arbitrary. This
also casts a shadow on the integrity of God.
- Final thoughts linking law with love.
- Read Rom 13:9-10. The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not
murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other
commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as
yourself." 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of
the law.
- Read 1 Cor 13:4-8a. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not
boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily
angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with
the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love
never fails.
- Quote (TG, pg 94): "Love provides the motive for obeying the commands of the law,
but the law provides specific direction for exercising love."
- Is it possible to have a Gospel without the law
?
- If there is no law then there is no grace, because the good news can only be defined
against the back-drop of the bad news.
- The law provides the bad news. Rom 3:20. Therefore no one will be declared righteous
in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
- The law forces us to find good news in Jesus Christ. Gal 3:24. So the law was put in
charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.
- The bad news "levels the playing field." It puts everyone in the same
predicament. That way, God’s saving grace can be given to those in need of His grace.
Rom 3:21-23. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to
which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith
in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God.
- The law is holy, and brings about death and condemnation, precisely because it is holy
and we are not. The law "calls sin like it is." Rom 7:6-13. But now, by dying
to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way
of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. 7 What shall we say, then? Is
the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the
law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do
not covet." 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced
in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. 9 Once I was alive
apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found
that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For
sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the
commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy,
righteous and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But
in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was
good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
- Quote (TG, pg 92): "You’ve got to get people lost before you can get them
saved."
- Quote (TG, pg 92): "The person who knows that he is required to obey God’s
commands, even as a child of God, will see more and more how far short he comes in
obedience. And if that person understands the biblical concept of grace, he will be driven
more and more into the arms of the Savior and His merit alone"
- The law defines and drives us to grace, not only in salvation, but in daily living.
- Quote (TG, pg 93): "This principle applies to us even as believers living under
grace. We don’t have to get ‘lost’ time and again, but we certainly need to
be reminded that we are still sinners. The best way to do this is to take seriously the
commandments of God as a required rule of life. As we do, we will be continually reminded
that we really are spiritually bankrupt—even as believers. And as redeemed sinners in
a perpetual state of bankruptcy, we will come to appreciate more each day the
superabounding grace of God."
- How can we apply what we’ve learned to our everyday lives
?
- We should actually delight in God’s law, knowing that it will drive us to
Christ.
- Read Ps 19:7-11. The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of
the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and
altogether righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are
sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. 11 By them is your servant warned; in
keeping them there is great reward.
- Ps 119:97. Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
- Since the law is good and holy, we should actually seek it out, not hide from it (like
the kid who hides from the doctor because he wants to give him a shot).
- Eph 5:17. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.
- God’s law is like a mirror. We see our sinful selves for who we really are. This
causes us to hunger and thirst for God, who alone can provide the righteous remedy for our
awful plight in Christ Jesus.
- Our prayer lives should be filled with a certain desperateness that can only be nurtured
in the full light of God’s law.
- We should witness with the law and Gospel, because the term "Savior" implies
that there is something to be saved from.
- Share Jn 8:29 experience.
- Problem Verse: 1 Jn 5:2-3. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by
loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 This is love for God: to obey his commands.
And his commands are not burdensome
- Solution Verses
- Jn 8:29. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do
what pleases him.
- 1 Cor 1:30. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us
wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
- Christ is my righteousness.
Brainstorm Outline
- Love is grounded on an absolute code of ethics
- In today’s society, love is mis-defined as "situational ethics," where
the most loving response is dependent on situational factors, not an external, absolute
code of ethics.
- God’s commands provide the objective standard that define the expression and
boundaries of love.
- Loving God implies obeying Him, and obeying God implies loving Him.
- Our love for and obedience to God is a grateful response to God’s grace, not out of
a fear of punishment or hope of rewards.
- Grace does not stand opposed to the law (the anti-nomian mistake)
- Grace leads to the charge that God doesn’t care if we sin or not because it
magnifies the unconditional part of His unconditional love.
- The basic mistake of the anti-nomian is that he thinks God’s grace reduces the requirements
of the law to a mere set of desires.
- The logical conclusion of this mistake is that to teach obedience to Christ is to be
legalistic (because holiness is simply a desire, not a requirement).
- The proper understanding of the relationship of grace and law is that the requirement of
the law still stands, but the guilt of the sinner is what is removed because of the
forgiving work of Christ on behalf of the sinner.
- In this way, legalism is defined as obeying out of the wrong motives; that is, obeying
out of fear of punishment or hope of rewards.
- When we view God’s commands as optional, we begin to slip into a works mentality
because we start seeing simple obedience as going "beyond the call of duty."
- Law leads us to grace.
- The law defines and drives us to grace, not only in salvation, but in daily living.
- "You’ve got to get people lost before you can get them saved" (pg 92).
- "The person who knows that he is required to obey God’s commands, even as a
child of God, will see more and more how far short he comes in obedience. And if that
person understands the biblical concept of grace, he will be driven more and more into the
arms of the Savior and His merit alone" (pg 92).
- Rom 7:9-13.
- Love and obedience cannot be separated.
- God’s law prescribes our duty and direction, but love provides the correct motive
to obey.
- The "law of love" did not replace God’s absolute moral commands
(pgs 93-96).
- God’s love is expressed and summed up in His law (see Rom 13:9-10).
- Freedom from the law means freedom from the law’s condemnation, not its requirement
(apparent freedom from requirements found in Eph 2:15 but this is cleared up when you look
at Eph 6:1-2 and Gal 3:10-13, 5:13).
- We should delight in God’s law.
- We are commanded not only to obey God, but to seek to obey God.
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