  We all have someone
in our lives whom we
would like to change. I
can probably say that there
are times when my fellow
congregational members
and my wife would like to
change me (and for good
reason). But how is it
done? How does one get a
person to control their
temper? To stop drinking?
To do their homework? To
do what God wants us to
do? How do we encourage
our fellow church members
to be more fully dedicated
to Christ? To attend
church regularly? What
do we use to motivate
Christian behavior?
Laying down the
law is the usual method
people use to produce
changed behavior. For
example, to increase
church offerings, a congregation
may try shaming its
members into giving
more. In such a case the
law reads something like
this: "A good Christian
would give "x” amount of
income to the church.” In
a troubled marriage, a
spouse may lay down the
law like this, "I’m taking
the children and leaving
unless you clean up your
act.” Parents do the same
thing with children. "If
you don’t do your homework,
you are grounded!”
Sometimes the
law throws us a curve. It
challenges our sinful
nature and it rebels. It
often incites our sinful
nature to do just the opposite
of what it commands.
God’s Word tells us this.
"When the commandment
came, sin sprang to life…”
(Romans 7:9) Tell a two
year old not to touch
something and see what happens.
The law may
bring about a change in
behavior but the real
answer is to change the
heart. An illustration of
this is the parent who says
to the two year old, "Don’t
touch that glass vase!”
Two seconds later the
child’s hand is reaching
out to touch the vase or to
see how close they can
come without touching it.
Laying down the law often
moves us to disobedience.
Even if the law’s threats
stop us from committing
the sin, it can never motivate
anyone to want to do
the right thing for the right
reason.
So why don’t we
use the Gospel to motive
and encourage each other?
Perhaps it is because we
want to see instantaneous
results. From our impatient
human point of view,
the Gospel doesn’t seem to
work fast enough. The
law may get results but
only the gospel can bring
forth results that please
God.
A Lutheran pastor
named Herman Gockel
gave an illustration of the
Gospel’s power to compel
Christians to do the right
thing. He wrote, "A mother
was upset when she
saw several suggestive
pictures on her son’s dorm
room wall. She didn’t say
anything at the time, but
sent him a picture of Jesus.
He put it on his wall. In a
matter of days, the other
pictures were gone. The
mother never once badgered
him. Jesus’ love, as
called to mind by the picture,
worked in his heart
what laying down the law
could never do.
"For Christ’s love
compels us…and he died
for all, that those who live
should no longer live for
themselves, but for him
who died for them and
was raised again.” (2
Corinthians 5:14-15) |
