Faith is a matter of the law.

I had never considered before that faith was a matter of the Law.  I had been taking in so much about Grace that I would never have considered this.  Still, the Word of God is true:

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier [matters] of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” Matthew 23:23

Judgment and mercy I can understand.  They just cry out “courtroom!”  But faith… a matter of the law.

How?

In the great Hall of Faith listed in Hebrews 11 we see that no less than 6 verses are dedicated to Moses, the man by whom God gave the law, to tell us of his faith.  And it wraps up with this…

“By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.  Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.” Hebrews 11:27-28

The substance of the things we hope for… the evidence of the things not seen… they are all revealed in the LAW (God’s Love And Willingness to reveal Himself).  Moses kept the commandments of God because of him who is invisible. 

Following the direction of a God Whom we do not see with our eyes is faith!  Keeping the law with all diligence is an act of faith.   Through Christ we have perfectly liberty, but we choose not to sin because of the love that has been shown us.  We keep the law not out of requirement, but out of desire to please.

The law becomes a matter of faith when the law matters to us!  When we cannot but help trying to please the Father Who loved us so much… when we are trying to understand what honors Him and trying to use that to glorify Him! 

The law does not keep us bound when we keep the law.  The thing kept is subject unto the one doing the keeping.  If we remain kept by the enemy we make ourselves subject unto him.  But when we receive forgiveness through Christ… under Whom the law is… the law is subject to us.  Not for us to destroy, but for us to use for the glory of the Father.

Keep the Law. It is yours to keep.  Do not use it to defend yourself, but to discover the One Who defended you.

SDG