Deuteronomy 30:15-18. 15“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish.
On the surface, God’s words to Israel can sound quite empowering and encouraging. Make good choices. You can do it. Use your free will to control your own destiny. But the truth is that Adam and Eve’s sinful choice in the Garden of Eden has left us in a position where trusting our own decision making is not very wise. Why? Because they chose knowing good and evil over the freely given life of God. They chose works over faith. Earning over receiving. Doing over done. And we’ve all been choosing the same thing ever since. Because of that catastrophic choice in the Garden, God must now relate to his people through law. Through an If-Then paradigm. If you obey, then you will be blessed. If you disobey, then you will be cursed.
If-Then is so appealing isn’t it? We love If-Then. It offers our hearts deep satisfaction when we get it right, and a strong motivation to not get it wrong. If-Then gives us control over our own destiny: Need God’s blessing? Then just obey more. Want to avoid God’s cursing? Then stop disobeying. If-Then makes sense. It’s a simple system. It’s fair. It’s perfect.
And it’s impossible.
But this is where our Adamic desire to control our own lives has brought us. God is giving us exactly what we said we wanted – being “like God” but without grace. This is far from empowering and encouraging. It’s terrifying! Which of us has fully obeyed the commands of God? Which of us has always loved him with our whole hearts? Which of us has walked in his ways without stumbling? Which of us has never turned our heart away from God? Which of us has never worshiped an idol? Which of us would not surely perish if judged by If-Then?
Jesus Christ came to replace the deadly If-Then system of law with the life giving Because-Therefore paradigm of our union with Christ.
Because Jesus loved God whole heartedly, therefore, in Christ, I can love God whole heartedly.
Because Jesus obeyed every commandment of God, therefore, in Christ, I can pursue obedience.
Because Jesus is blessed, therefore, in Christ, I am fully blessed.
Because Jesus chose goodness and life, therefore, in Christ, I can choose goodness and life.
Because Jesus never turned away from God, therefore, in Christ, my heart will stay faithful to God.
Because Jesus is alive, therefore, in Christ, I will not perish but have everlasting life.
To live is Christ has given us a whole new operating system. The If-Then that would have crushed us is now made obsolete by the Because-Therefore of our union with Christ. Because Jesus, therefore I.
You: In what ways have you been living by the If-Then rule of law?
You in Christ: How does Because Jesus allow us to pursue Therefore I?
Christ in you: From your position in Christ, go back and read Deuteronomy 30:15-18 and let these verses bring you life instead of death.
To Live is Christ 