Indicatives vs. Imperatives
Friday, August 05, 2011
This quote was forwarded to me by Southwood Executive Director/Director of Adult Ministries, Bob Bradshaw. It is pure Gospel gold!
“You want to call people to holiness, as the new creatures they are, AND bring them into a deep awareness of the gospel of Grace. I want to call people to holiness, as the new creatures they are, BY bringing them into a deeper awareness of the gospel of Grace. You believe ‘effort and action (are) central to sanctification.’ I believe the gospel is central to sanctification, and that effort and action are neither central nor optional (optional = antinomanism) but integral. The rhythm of the New Testament is ‘walk in love as a response to how deeply you are loved in Christ’ Be imitators of God, as beloved children (Eph. 5:1). In a nutshell: if the imperatives of Scripture are extracted in preaching without being self-consciously placed within their (heart-transforming) indicative framework, then such bald imperatives will invariably devolve into a counterproductive reinforcement of the Pharisee lurking in every human heart - even the regenerate human heart. For the regenerate, holiness has taken on a strangely attractive hue, for God is now our loving Father, not our wrathful judge. We now delight in the law in a way we never did (never could) before. But the law itself remains impotent to generate this holiness. The law can guide us, but not propel us. It is a steering wheel, not an engine.”
-Dane Ortlund
Blogging regularly at Strawberry-Rhubarb Theology
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Comments
Brock Warner | August 05 2011 at 10:20 am
Thank you Bob, this is a great quote.
William Plott | August 05 2011 at 12:15 pm
Excellent quote…so true! And it is still strange to keep seeing quotes from my good friend Dane, although he comes from some good stock!
Anonymous | August 05 2011 at 3:09 pm
gospel gold or seminarian waste water? You lost me at antinomanism and possibly even before.
Branham Daniels | August 07 2011 at 1:00 pm
I love this. Especially the part about effort and action. So many people believe that there are guidelines we have to meet for God to accept them.
Fortunately for all of us, who could never meet any God guidelines anyway, there’s no try outs for Gods team!!!