Legal vs practical relationship with God II

Is there a difference between our legal relationship with God and our day to day relation? Are these completely separate or are they connected in some way? Let's take a closer look. 

Once we are in Christ the legal consequences of condemnation, separation and death are no longer a part of the dynamics of our relationship with God. They are entirely removed and can never be revisited by God -- nor ever should be by us. God’s disposition toward us is as if we trusted and obeyed him perfectly - even when we don’t since Christ did and fully credited this to us. God’s perfect infinite love is now permanently set upon us just as it is on His Son. His settled disposition of love and commitment to us is no longer tied to our trust or distrust in Him but solely to Christ's perfect trust lived out while he was on earth.

The practical consequences of our distrust of God, however, are still fully in play and have a very real impact on our ¹day-to-day relationship with God and fully participating in and experiencing this fixed love. Distrust may no longer be a legal issue on God's side, but it is still very much a practical one on ours. In fact, to the same extent it is not a legal issue, it still fully remains for us a practical one. 

We often mix these up and have a hard time keeping them separate. Both are equally true and significant in how we relate to God. 

If we don't have a clear and firm grasp on our perfect legal status we will look at God's commandments as something required of us to earn God's love. 

If we ignore our obedience i.e. our practical day to day walk with God, we will be ineffective and weak to nonexistent in displaying Him to others. 

When we recognize and focus on our legal standing in Christ we are not to forget the significance of our practical day to day relationship, trust, and pursuit of God and the need to **cultivate these. In fact, as our love and trust grow, this impacts our ongoing daily disposition toward God. The more we grasp His love for us -- legally secured for us by Christ's efforts -- the greater our trust grows. Though our legal standing and our trust are distinct issues they are vitally connected. The latter -- our ongoing relationship with God -- doesn't work until the former -- our righteous status -- is firmly understood and accepted. 

When we recognize and focus on the practical matter of our distrust we are not to revisit God's rejection and condemnation we were once under. In Christ, there is neither, regardless of whether we trust God or not and how much or little our trust is. God's acceptance of us has nothing to do with whether we trust and obey God or not. 

The practical consequences of distrust is an entirely separate matter from the legal consequences. The legal consequences are entirely removed, while the practical consequences are fully in play.

To illustrate, once a couple marries they are now husband and wife no matter how strong or strained their relationship is. Being married is their legal status -- they are husband and wife. Until they legally divorce they will remain husband and wife with all the benefits, responsibilities and obligations of that union e.g. they will not engage in sexual intimacy with others as they do with their spouse, to name the most obvious part of marriage. However, while together, they can become completely alienated from each other emotionally due to day to day offenses that might build up and result in distrust of each other. To build trust in the relationship does not legally make them more a husband and wife any more than they already are, it simply makes them a better husband and wife i.e. The practical outworking of their legal status of husband and wife is more fully -- and appropriately – expressed, experienced and demonstrated when trust is a vital part of the relationship. Trust in what? That their partner cherishes them above all others… to have and to hold til death do they part. Trust is tied to love. When we know we are loved, we more willingly submit to and trust the other; the greater that love the more easily we submit.  

So it is with God. If we are in Christ, we are a child of God. This is our legal status. However this does not in itself describe the quality of our relationship, it addresses our standing or status legally as His beloved children. To experience the full benefit of our status we must fully participate in a relationship of love and trust. 

When we trust that our parents love us, it is easiest to follow their directions/ wishes/will. The more we trust in their love the more willing we are and the more we desire to do what they ask i.e. the easier it is for us to follow their direction and submit to their wishes. To say it another way, we want to love them because we know (trust) they love us. The best way to show our love is to do what they want us to do.

But this is a two-way street. As a child proves themselves ³responsible i.e. trustworthy, the parent entrusts them with more responsibility and freedom. A genuinely loving parent always wants what’s best for their child. When they know the child will use things wisely – ⁴for their good and the good of others, not to their harm -- they will give them more freedom. They want this for their child more than anything, because they long for them to enter into the fullness of joy; the joy of experiencing the fullness of parents love and loving others with the love they have been given. 

This is who we are designed to be -- to receive love from our heavenly parent and out of the fullness of that love, overflowing in love to others, particularly our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

We may be fully loved and accepted in Christ regardless of what we do but this is entirely separate from our fully engaging, participating in and disseminating that love to others -- God first, then our neighbor. When we pull away in distrust from God it may no longer cause God to turn away from us, but in no uncertain terms, we can and are pulling away from Him. When we do, it cuts us off practically – we cut ourselves off, God doesn’t cut us off – from entering into the full joy of love God infinitely and relentlessly has for us.

For a summary of the difference between the legal and practical click here

For a further discussion on whether law and grace are in conflict click here.

For a discussion on the value of the law click here.

¹ignoring any relationship results in its weakening, whether that be with a spouse, our kids or God. We are relational beings, designed to give and receive love because God is relational and we are in His image. The more we give and receive love in any relationship, the stronger it becomes.  

²due to our ongoing rebellious distrust of God, even as His children. Not all kids fully trust their parents. We are no exception to our heavenly parent. 

³if you break down the word responsible it gives us some interesting insight. Response-able i.e. able to respond. Respond to what? To love. When we trust we are loved we respond in kind. To say it another way, when we love someone, we desire to do what they desire/wish/ask of us and are diligent in doing so. We desire to please them because we love them. Obedience is the fruit of trust, trust is the fruit of knowing we are loved. This is why Christ said, “if you love me you will keep my commandments...” Keeping his commandments is evidence of our love and something we desire to do, not something we feel required to do. This is also why John said, “...this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome...” It's not a burden to love someone who we know infinitely loves us. Note the verse also says "...this is the love of God...", not just our love i.e. our keeping his commandments starts with and springs out of his love for us. We respond to this love by obedience to His commandments. Doing something against our wills is drudgery. Doing something because we love the one we do it for is delightful. We do it because we want to do it not because we have to. If we are not obedient children, we don't buckle down and force ourselves to do better, we more diligently seek God to reveal his love more fully. 

⁴I am assuming they will also use whatever they are given to honor the giver, but this is a side point to one I am making... so I am putting it here as a footnote.