A Continuing Tension

October 16, 2017

A Continuing Tension

But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.

Romans 7:12

Read Romans 7:7-12

If there were no posted speed limit signs on an Interstate Highway, how fast would you drive? I suspect we all would drive as fast as is comfortable for us. The problem is we all have different comfort levels, and some would be seemingly slow poking, while others would zip on by us. How fast do you drive? I tend to set my speed control at seven or eight miles an hour above the posted limit on an Interstate. And I am continually passed by cars traveling much faster. So it is with the law. Limits are established and people press against them. God created Adam and Eve and gave them limits, and they pressed against them.

God created his people, Israel, and gave them limits to form an ordered society that would be his witnesses to the entire world. And Israel pressed against the limits and totally lost sight of her mission to be God’s witnesses. This in essence is Paul’s lament in Chapter Seven.

My Takeaway: I believe there is a continuing tension in our life in Christ. I use the word tension is a very positive way, as in the tension Itzhak Perlman puts on the strings of his violin in order to make beautiful music. On the one hand, there are the commands of God which are holy and right and good. On the other hand, there is the freedom of living in God’s grace. Life in Christ is not one or the other; it is both/and. My mission is to keep the proper tension between the two hands.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2017 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.