God's Righteous Demand
Minister: | Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: | 4/18/2010 AM |
Text: | Romans 9:20; Lord's Day 4 |
Psalters: | 374, 147, 146, 242 |
- The complaint.
- We try to escape responsibility by saying that God is not fair to demand of us what we cannot do.
- The specific complaint is that God may not demand of man what he cannot do.
- Every human is totally incapable of doing what God demands (Psalm 58:3-5; 10:4).
- In the light of our inability, is God just to demand of us what He knows we cannot do?
- This complaint is our judging God and condemning Him.
- We think God should be satisfied with the best we can do, if cannot perform His demands.
- We want to be delivered from the results of sin without repenting, without the cross, without Christ
- Answer: God is just to demand obedience.
- First, “Who art thou, o man, that thou repliest against God?” (Rom. 9:20) Let every mouth be stopped.
- Let God be God.
- God is the Creator, which makes Him worthy of fear, worship, and glory.
- God is also The Lawgiver, Who has the right to the standard for His creatures.
- Second, God created man able to keep this demand.
- Man’s inability cannot be blamed on God, but on our own wilful disobedience.
- The result is that man (all mankind) fell.
- God is only maintaining Himself as God in His demand of obedience and perfection.
- First, notice that the question is concerned about our rights being violated, not whether God’s are.
- Second, do we want a God who drops His laws, saying, “You no longer have to love Me.”
- Third, when one incurs a debt, is the creditor wrong to demand payment?
- Comfort is found in the fact that answering this question we are driven to the right conclusion.
- Comfort is found in our humble confession of our total inability.
- Comfort is found then in looking to God.
- As in Adam all died, so in Christ are we made alive.
- By the righteousness of One did the free gift come upon all who believe unto justification of life.