Salvation and Transformation
Salvation and Transformation
Exodus 21-25
“All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”
For the modern reader, the legal regulations set forth in Exodus 22-25 seem strange and archaic, having little application to the present world. To understand the regulations and their relevance, we need to place them in the context of the Ten Commandments given in Exodus 21. In the Ten Commandments, we find a summation of the general code of conduct that characterizes God’s people. Even today, the brevity and scope of these simple commands are recognized for their value and applicability. Chapters 22-25 serve as case laws that provide examples of how the Ten Commandments affect the activities and events of daily life. For example, the command “thou shalt not murder” applies not only to the criminal act of taking another person’s life but also to the gross negligence of safety that results in a person's death (21:28-36), as well as to causing an abortion of an unborn fetus (21:22-23). As we read through the case laws, we find examples of how the Ten Commandments relate to our lives even today.
But the case laws do more than just illustrate the scope of the application of the 10 commandments; they also serve to demonstrate how God desires His laws to have application in our daily life. God’s salvation is more than just to deliver us from the bondage of spiritual slavery. God did not just deliver the people from Egypt so that they would no longer suffer at the hands of harsh taskmasters. In giving the law and its application to daily activities of life, God is revealing to the people of Israel that He desires to completely transform them to reflect His holiness. God does not just desire a relationship with us; He desires that we become a people that reveal His character and moral law in all that we do and say. This is true not only for the people of Israel but also for us today.
God is a God of holiness; to have a relationship with Him, we must reflect His holiness in our thoughts and actions. God’s purpose and plan is to transform us so that we live according to His laws. His Word is more than just information; it is transformational so that it governs our daily affairs. Tragically, people accept the salvation God offers but never experience the transformation He desires. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” His law is to be practical and daily obeyed. It is to change how we treat others and how we care for the property of others. It has a radical effect on our view of morality. Instead of adopting the religious and moral practices of the world around us, we are to follow God and His moral law. In 23:24, God warns Israel, “You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds.”
As we read through the Old Testament laws that were to govern the conduct of the people, we are reminded that we are to be different, for our citizenship is in heaven. Instead of living by the desires of our sin nature, we are to live according to the will and direction of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16-17). The Old Testament law challenges us to examine our own life and conduct. Are we living a transformed life so that the person and character of Christ is revealed in us? God is not just a God of salvation; He is also a God of transformation. To know Him is to be changed by Him. Today, ask God to transform you so that you reflect His life and character and then go throughout your day seeking to reveal His character in your actions. When you do so, you will discover God’s purpose for you.
Exodus 21-25
“All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”
For the modern reader, the legal regulations set forth in Exodus 22-25 seem strange and archaic, having little application to the present world. To understand the regulations and their relevance, we need to place them in the context of the Ten Commandments given in Exodus 21. In the Ten Commandments, we find a summation of the general code of conduct that characterizes God’s people. Even today, the brevity and scope of these simple commands are recognized for their value and applicability. Chapters 22-25 serve as case laws that provide examples of how the Ten Commandments affect the activities and events of daily life. For example, the command “thou shalt not murder” applies not only to the criminal act of taking another person’s life but also to the gross negligence of safety that results in a person's death (21:28-36), as well as to causing an abortion of an unborn fetus (21:22-23). As we read through the case laws, we find examples of how the Ten Commandments relate to our lives even today.
But the case laws do more than just illustrate the scope of the application of the 10 commandments; they also serve to demonstrate how God desires His laws to have application in our daily life. God’s salvation is more than just to deliver us from the bondage of spiritual slavery. God did not just deliver the people from Egypt so that they would no longer suffer at the hands of harsh taskmasters. In giving the law and its application to daily activities of life, God is revealing to the people of Israel that He desires to completely transform them to reflect His holiness. God does not just desire a relationship with us; He desires that we become a people that reveal His character and moral law in all that we do and say. This is true not only for the people of Israel but also for us today.
God is a God of holiness; to have a relationship with Him, we must reflect His holiness in our thoughts and actions. God’s purpose and plan is to transform us so that we live according to His laws. His Word is more than just information; it is transformational so that it governs our daily affairs. Tragically, people accept the salvation God offers but never experience the transformation He desires. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” His law is to be practical and daily obeyed. It is to change how we treat others and how we care for the property of others. It has a radical effect on our view of morality. Instead of adopting the religious and moral practices of the world around us, we are to follow God and His moral law. In 23:24, God warns Israel, “You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds.”
As we read through the Old Testament laws that were to govern the conduct of the people, we are reminded that we are to be different, for our citizenship is in heaven. Instead of living by the desires of our sin nature, we are to live according to the will and direction of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16-17). The Old Testament law challenges us to examine our own life and conduct. Are we living a transformed life so that the person and character of Christ is revealed in us? God is not just a God of salvation; He is also a God of transformation. To know Him is to be changed by Him. Today, ask God to transform you so that you reflect His life and character and then go throughout your day seeking to reveal His character in your actions. When you do so, you will discover God’s purpose for you.
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