I think this was my favorite Plantinga chapter so far. I enjoyed how he talked about the covenant God made with His people in the Old Testament and then proceeded to give several examples of their failure to keep the covenant, while God remained faithful through everything. Here we find a lovely example of Plantinga's poetic language: "Through all these narratives, rich in their detail and intrigue, we hear, as if in the beating of a bass drum, the sound of God's steady commitment to keep covenant with people who break covenant." I really appreciate the image supplied here, showing a God on whom we can always depend and who provides a rhythm for our lives.
He also talks about the Ten Commandments, and how though we sometimes think them to be burdensome with all their rules and regulations, they are actually freeing. He also points out that the Ten Commandments are "a set of requirements that people have to fulfill not in order to get rescued by God from slavery, but because they have been rescued." I think that is a key point we often and are prone to forget. We get so bogged down in legalism that we do not embrace the freedom that comes when we follow God's law. In other words, " What God carved in stone at Sinai was a recipe for real freedom....Sin traps people and makes them wilt; godly obedience liberates people and helps them flourish....They say, 'Do this and you will thrive.' Or else they say, 'Don't do this: it'll kill you.' God's commandments are all pro-life." I think that is an excellent way of looking at the Ten Commandments. We need to realize the positive impacts of keeping God's laws.
I also really enjoyed the Martin Luther quote: "Good works are not the curse, but the fruit of righteousness. When we have become righteous, then we are able and willing to do good. The tree makes the apple; the apple does not make the tree." Again, another helpful word picture. This serves as a reminder that faith without good works is dead, but also that our good works do not make our faith, but instead comes at the result of a true, self-sacrificing faith.
I liked the section in which you talked about the "steady bass drum" of God's covenant with us despite how we break it. This is a powerful way to picture the reality that God is faithful and willing to forgive no matter how far we stray away from Him. I also thought you outlined the idea of God's Law giving freedom very well. I think that this idea is so misunderstood because people do not fully realize how much bondage sin beings.
ReplyDeleteI too, enjoyed Plantinga's thoughts on the Ten Commandments. We do need to remember their positive impacts in our lives. You do a nice job of summarizing Plantinga's key points while adding your own comments.
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