God Gives What He Commands

To whom do you answer? To what are you a slave? What fruit is being produced in your life? We are constantly being told to do better, be better, and do more. There is a temptation to move from the things that God has done in Christ to the things we are to do because of Christ and assume it’s now our turn. Yet, in the same way that we needed another to fulfill the law and die in our place, on our behalf, so Christ remains the source on which we rely as the Holy Spirit initially and progressively conforms us to God. There are gospel imperatives to do and not do certain things. Nevertheless, we cannot forget that we are not able apart from the Spirit of Christ to do what God commands.

“This first thing to remember, of course, is that we must never separate the benefits (regeneration, justification, sanctification) from the Benefactor (Jesus Christ). The Christians who are most focused on their own spirituality may give the impression of being the most spiritual ... but from the New Testament's point of view, those who have almost forgotten about their own spirituality because their focus is so exclusively on their union with Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished are those who are growing and exhibiting fruitfulness. Historically speaking, whenever the piety of a particular group is focused on OUR spirituality that piety will eventually exhaust itself on its own resources. Only where our piety forgets about ourself and focuses on Jesus Christ will our piety be nourished by the ongoing resources the Spirit brings to us from the source of all true piety, our Lord Jesus Christ.” Sinclair Ferguson

Whatever God requires it is Christ who meets the requirement. Whatever duty is owed it is Christ who dutifully obeys. Whatever price that needs to be paid it is Christ who has paid it. And we are “in Christ” by the work of the Holy Spirit who effectually calls us, gives us saving faith, leads us to godly repentance, justifies us by Christ’s imputed righteousness, and sanctifies us for good works, until heaven is our home and sin is no more.

“Prone to wander Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love: here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.” Robert Robinson