What Pleases God

What Pleases God

Comments on Galatians with an ear to Luther’s commentary

Scripture Text: Galatians 3:2 and Mark 12:28-34

Series: Comments on Galatians

Today's Scripture Jigsaw

We should be very careful to make this distinction between law and gospel. No Jew ever kept the Law, let alone a Gentile — even a fine one like Cornelius — let alone like you and me. Luther elsewhere, gives us an example of how impossible it is to keep the law. Suppose you just wanted to keep the first and greatest law, instead of all 3,000 of them. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and might (Deuteronomy 6:5). In fact, do not go so far as to do all three. Simply love the Lord with all your heart; make that alone your law. Good luck. Try as you might, you will never love God with all your heart. There will always be part of your heart that is reserved for others, for things, for yourself. You cannot keep the law. You cannot even keep one commandment. You cannot keep even a part of that first commandment.

The good news is that God does not come to you because you keep the law, are good enough, or bring him sacrifices. The Holy Spirit did not come upon Cornelius because he kept the law but because he believed the gospel. 

One result of believing this good news of Christ is not the ability to keep the law of God, but to keep trying to keep God’s commands. After enough failures at keeping God’s commands, we would become so desperate that we would stop trying. Faith allows us to think, Of course, I did not keep the Law. But my Lord has fulfilled it; he kept the Law for me. So, I will keep trying to please God even though I know my efforts could never be enough to win God’s heart. God’s heart has already been won over to me by his Son. What pleases God is that we believe this to be true. 

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