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Fulfilling the Law, not Abrogating It: Zechariah 3
“Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” -Zechariah 3: 4b, ESV
If only our dispensational brothers would read the Old Testament. They would see God’s hand at work consistently throughout redemptive history. We get a foretaste here in this passage of Christ’s imputed righteousness in the life of the believer. In fact, the angel who is speaking here is the very pre-incarnate deity himself! Who would have been more qualified to take sin from Joshua? The one who would face trials and torment in ministry and then face the horrors of God’s wrath on the cross happily pronounces the benefits of his completed work (while not complete in a temporal sense, it was complete based on the surety of God’s ordaining work before creation).
We see this image magnified in Revelation where it is not just one priest who is given new clothes, but now we see the priesthood of all believers washing their clothes in the blood of Christ. There is nothing we have done or could do to merit this for our clean clothes are not an act of our own hands. It is Jesus Christ himself that drapes his clean clothes over us. We, who place our faith in Christ, stand judged on Christ’s righteousness, not our own.
It is of great encouragement, as we look through the Old Testament, to see these themes developing. It is a reminder that God is not fickle or capricious as the dispensationals would suggest, but he is deliberate in his ways. Christ came not to establish a new thing; he came to “fulfill the law” not abrogate it.
Born in Iniquity: Psalm 51 (part 6)
“Behold, in iniquity I was birthed,
and in sin, my mother conceived me.”
(Psalm 51:7 {Psalm 51:5 in English Bibles})
A diamond is formed when coal is compacted under a great deal of force, essentially squeezing a great deal of matter into a small object. Beloved, the same is true with verses like this one! How much doctrine is found in these few words (6 words in the original Hebrew). In this short little verse we find one of the great proofs and reminders of the doctrine of Original Sin as it is passed down from generation to generation. David is not talking about his mother’s sin in this verse, but continuing to grieve over his own—even as an unborn baby. Mankind is not free from sin at birth as the ancient heretic Pelagius asserted, no, we are born knowing sin, we will live all of our lives knowing sin’s awful taste, and we will die in sin—how great is our need for a savior! Oh, how great is our need for Jesus!
So why is it important that we hold so clearly to this doctrine. First of all, it is Biblical, and to deny scriptural truth is both folly and heresy. Secondly, were it possible for a child to be born without sin, it would be possible for that child to live without sin—and were one to live without sin, one would no longer need a savior. And were it possible than men could stand as righteous before God in the merit of their own righteousness, it would make Jesus’ life, ministry, and death meaningless and unnecessary, and to suggest that would again be folly and heresy.
Pelagius was an English monk in the early Roman Empire, who came to live in Rome around the year 390 AD. Pelagius saw the excesses of the people and attributed their sinful behavior to the doctrine of Free Grace. Rather than exhorting people to strengthen what they had been given by God (2 Peter 1:5-8), he denied Original Sin and Total Inability, ultimately saying that if God expects us to live up to his perfect law, we have the ability to do so. Augustine would be the one who refuted Pelagius and Pelagius’ theology would be branded as heretical. Augustine carefully defended these two doctrines, showing first that throughout scripture, since the fall of Adam and Eve, men and women have been born with sin in their lives (this being one of the proof-texts) and secondly, because we have sin, we stand condemned before a righteous and holy God. God expects us to be perfect as he is perfect (Matthew 5:48), and with sin in our lives, it is impossible for us to be perfect—we cannot measure up, no matter how noble or honorable we are, our record is still marred.
Yet, beloved, that is the good news! Though we are far from perfect, though we were born in sin, having inherited it from our fathers and being born under the federal headship of Adam, though we have added to that inherited sin our own sin and willful disobedience of God, though we stand wretched and poor before the throne of God’s judgment, if we are trusting in Christ as our Lord and Savior we will not be judged by the measure of our own righteousness, but we will be judged by the measure of the righteousness of Christ! Hallelujah! Adam failed in his headship, but God did not leave us to ruin and gave us a second Adam, a new federal head, the person of his Son, Jesus Christ, so that if we believe in him with our heart and confess him with our lips, trusting him as our Lord and Savior, we would not perish in judgment, but be delivered, not because of who we are, but because of who Christ is. And, oh, how that is such good news!
So, beloved, here we stand with David: guilty as charged. In fact, there has never been a time when we have not stood before God as guilty and deserving of condemnation. This should always be before us, but at the same time, how it is especially clear when we must repent from acts of willful disobedience. This was the anointed King of Israel, and he stands guilty of murdering a friend to cover up his adultery with that friend’s wife—how wretched David must have felt as he gazed upon the filth of his heart. Loved ones, work to nurture within yourselves a healthy recognition of your own inability. Let it not be an excuse for immorality, but let it drive you more and more to a sense of reliance on prayer and God’s provision. Learn to hate your sins—especially the “pet” sins that you have sought to hold onto—and work to live in a way that glorifies God in every moment of your day. Strive to be holy as God is holy (Leviticus 11:45).
Holy, Holy, Holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,
Only thou art holy, there is none beside thee
Perfect in power, in love, and purity.
-Reginald Heber
My Sin is Before Me: Psalm 51 (part 4)
“For my transgressions I know,
and my sin is continually before me.”
(Psalm 51:5 [Psalm 51:3 in English Bibles])
David switches gear from using the emphatic chiastic structure to a simple parallel structure—even so, we will not lose the clear emphasis of what he is communicating. Here he is, staring at his own transgressions and recognizing that there is nothing he can do on his own about his sin, for it stands continually before him as an accuser. Beloved, never lose sight of your own inability to atone for your own sins—it simply cannot be done. How often we like to do this or to do that, thinking that we might earn God’s favor in light of our sin; loved ones, it cannot be done. We stand helpless before God’s throne of judgment if we are trusting in anything short of Jesus Christ for our salvation. No amount of works can get you there, no amount of deeds can earn your place; no matter how bright you are, how well versed you are in scripture, how many people you have helped—all of this will avail you nothing before God’s throne. It is only by clinging desperately to Christ that you will be saved. And though David did not know the name of Christ, he trusted in the promise of Christ given in Genesis 3:15 and he clung to that promise of a coming redeemer, and he recognized that even he, the anointed king of God’s people, Israel, stood guilty and condemned as a result of sin, and he threw himself at God’s feet seeking mercy. Oh, how we need to learn from King David.
There is something more that is very important for us to note. David says that he “knows” his transgressions. Do not neglect to note that “knowing” in the Hebrew mindset reflects far more than an intellectual recognition, but it reflects a relational understanding. David is not simply assenting to the fact that he has sins, but he is saying that he recognizes that he has sins and he does so because he knows his sin intimately and deeply. Beloved, do not miss the importance of this imagery. Before you can truly repent of your sins, you need to have an understanding of what those sins are and why those sins are so grievous to God. You need to dig deeply into your soul and grieve over those sins yourself. You need to see the sins for what they are: rebellion against a living and holy God.
Beloved, all too often we do not recognize sin for what it is—an outward rebellion and offense against God. In turn, we often are very casual when it comes to repentance. David is saying here that he has searched his heart and has found it wanting and deeply sinful before God, and it is in that stance that he comes before God pleading for his mercy. Friends, as you search your own hearts and seek to know yourself deeply, recognize your sin for what it is, and in knowing that, lay it before God’s throne in the name of Jesus Christ seeking God’s forgiveness.
Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, joined with power:
He is able, he is able, he is able,
He is willing; doubt no more;
He is willing; doubt no more.
-Joseph Hart
Wash Me From My Iniquity: Psalm 51 (part 3)
“Completely wash me from my iniquity;
from my sin, purify me.”
(Psalm 51:4 [Psalm 51:2 in English Bibles])
Once again we find David employing a chiastic structure (something he will do through the bulk of this psalm) to add emphasis, bringing together two parallel ideas, yet mirroring them in their order. These are not casual words of David, but the language that he employs demonstrates the intensity of this prayer. And that intensity is heightened even more by David’s choice of the Piel stem for the two primary verbs (wash and purify). In Hebrew, the various stems of the verb are used to convey different ideas (passive tense, causative action, etc…), not unlike what we do with adverbs in English. The Piel stem conveys not only an intensification of action, but it also conveys the idea of an action that must be repeated over and over. And, indeed, David understands his own need—our own need as humans—to be constantly on our knees before our God repenting of our sin and pleading for his forgiveness.
Beloved, there is an intensity that comes through in this prayer that must not be missed—oh, how often we take repentance casually, as if it is something that we deserve because of who we are. Not only is that not the case, but that concept could not be any further from David’s mind. David clearly understands that he does not deserve the mercy of God, yet here he is, before God’s face, pleading for just that—not based on his own character, but upon the character of God. Pleading that God would wash and cleanse him from his sins. How we can learn from David as he expresses his grief; how we should learn to model our own prayers for forgiveness upon his. Beloved, one of the reasons that God has given us the psalms is to teach us how to express every emotion that we have in a way that is glorifying to him and edifying to us—do not neglect this tool that he has given us—use these psalms within your own life and use this one especially as you seek our Lord’s face in humble repentance.
Forgiving Iniquity
“Who is a God like you, lifting iniquity and passing over rebellion
Toward the remnant of his possession?
He does not hold his anger forever,
For he is pleased to show mercy.
Let him return; let him greet us with love.
Let him subdue our iniquity,
You shall throw all our sins into the depths of the sea.
You shall give truth to Jacob
And mercy to Abraham
Which you swore to our fathers
From the days of old.”
(Micah 7:18-20)
So why is it that forgiveness is so important for the believer? First of all, it is modeled for us by God. God is perfect and holy; God is truth and truly beautiful. If we are to grow in grace, that means growing like God. And growing like God means learning to forgive as God forgives. From the very point that Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden, there was a promise of redemption. Fallen man has never lived a day where that promise has not been before them. There was no probationary period before forgiveness was extended and no waiting in limbo until God decided what to do about sin. Forgiveness in Christ was offered to Adam and Eve at the fall, that all who would put their faith in him (or for Old Testament Saints—in the promise of the coming Christ) would be saved and be reunited with the Father and have eternal life with him. Thus, in light of all God has done, God expects us to work hard at forgiveness.
And forgiveness takes work. When I was growing up, my parents had a good sized vegetable garden, and as children, my sister and I were expected to help keep it weeded. The problem with weeding a garden is that weeds often have deep and firm roots, and if you don’t get the weed up, root and all, the weed will grow right back practically overnight. It is easy to pull up the top of a weed and make the garden look nice, but it is far harder to get the weed—root and all.
When you fail to forgive someone, the hurt and frustration that you hold onto are very much like the roots of those weeds. They may lie dormant for a time, but they will come back up all over again. I know that there have been times in my own life when I thought that I had removed the anger over a particular situation by the root, but years later, the anger over that situation arises anew and must be killed anew.
Friends, not only will refusing to forgive others destroy your soul in the next life, but it will destroy you in this life as well. Just as weeds sap the nutrients from the soil that good plants need as well as choking those plants out, so too does the anger you hold onto eat at your life and hamper the good works you seek to do before God. Friends, do not hold onto your anger; forgive others that you may be forgiven and forgive others that you may demonstrate the love and mercy of God to the world around you.
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