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In order to
walk, little children must learn balance. We call it learning to
walk, but it is more a case of learning balance. For the church,
balance is of
the utmost importance as she learns to walk in love. If she just
applies wisdom
without love she will have safety, but she will be cold and
indifferent--she
will end up legalistic which is deadly. On the other hand, love applied
to
situations without wisdom is sloppy agape and it is just as deadly,
because
godly wisdom is the preservative. Love without instruction is without
form.
Wisdom without love is void. To walk in love we must have a balance of
both.
The enemy of
our souls is always trying to get us (the church) to go to
the
left or to the right off of God's Word, because God's Word is balanced.
To have
good balance, all of the Bible must be taught and in the balance in
which it is
written. In other words, one subject should not be emphasized over and
above
another subject unless that's how it is handled in the Bible. For
example;
Grace should not be more emphasized than obedience. Love should not be
over
emphasized and wisdom understated. The promises should not be over
emphasized
while abiding in Jesus is understated--for the promises are for those
who abide
in Jesus. Faith should not be emphasized above walking by the spirit,
since
there will never be good results without the two going hand in hand.
We also need to
balance the written word with the leading of the Spirit
in
order to walk in the God kind of love--for it is the Spirit that gives
life to
the written word, enabling one to walk in wisdom and love, which is
what the
Bible teaches.
In order for the
church to take the Promise
Land she
must emphasize
the presence of the Lord, faith, and obedience to the word of God with
equal
importance. The Israelites could not enter the Promise Land
without the presence of the Lord. (Ex: 33:14-15) They could not enter
the
Sabbath rest because of unbelief. (Heb: 3:11-12) They couldn't triumph
over
their enemies when there was sin in the camp. (Josh: 7:10-13)
When salvation is
preached, one should emphasize the awesome grace of
God, but
in balance with man’s part which is to enter into Jesus' death,
burial,
and
resurrection so that they can be new creatures in Jesus.
When Jesus said to
the Jewish leaders, "Let him who is without sin
among you
cast the first stone," speaking of the woman caught in the very act
of
adultery, he was not making light of the law or the sin--he was walking
in love
and wisdom. Wisdom knows that the law is righteous and was established
to give
life not death. But love wanted to give the woman another chance. Jesus
knew
that when the law was established, strict penalties were decreed to
help people
be strong and resist temptation. But the woman brought to Him was no
more of a
sinner than those who wanted Him to sentence her to death. His answer
was full
of love and wisdom.
In Matt: 12:3-4,
Jesus is not teaching us to make light of the law, He
is
operating in love and wisdom. He knew that God established the law to
help man,
not to destroy man. Just so, the showbread was to be kept holy to help
man gain
a concept of the holy, but when David and his men were in great need of
sustenance, mercy took precedence over the teaching. The wisdom of God
(which
is full of love) would say, "If I deny David and his men this food in
the
name of keeping it sacred, will I be serving the law or breaking the
law of
love?" Therefore the Spirit behind the law rules over the law.
The balance of the
Word is already in the Word. The church's balance is
not a
balance of some of God's Word and some of the world. Christians
should
not be
ashamed of any of the Word. As soon as the church tries to hide or
ignore any
part of God's written word, she becomes unbalanced. The Word is our
balance.
Parent/child
relationships do not work very well if one party neglects
their
role obligations. Marriages are not very successful if only one party
fulfills
their role obligations. Government never works well without everyone
doing
their part to honor it. The word of God will work well for the church
when she
honors all of it. The New Testament is the Holy Spirit revelation of
the law.
We are new creatures in Jesus and we have God's laws written in our
heart by
the Holy Spirit. When we void any part of God's Word, we are thrown off
balance. This is a call to receive the Word in the Spirit in which it
was
written.
(c) Sylvia
Huffnagle. Biblical Balance Series. All rights
reserved.
If you enjoyed the, Biblical
Balance Series, Part I,
read more of Sylvia's Articles at:
Faith Writer Articles
Contact: huffnagl@verizon.net
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