Marcos:
Your original question was: "How does one nurture this love for Christ
before law keeping?" To this question I replied with a verse from 1 John 5, namely, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." And you came back with "If you obey My commandments you will keep My commandments."
So I took it to mean that your question could be taken two ways, whether is was asking about a deliberate attempt at law-keeping which is a result of original justification, or a law-keeping in and of itself, as a work not of faith, but as if separate from the original justification. I believe that justification is a once for all declaration, an acceptance into the fellowship of God on the basis of Jesus' righteousness, in that He gave His life as a ransom for those who are saved. Nothing need be added to that. I believe also, that the Holy Spirit works righteousness in the justified person through sanctification. Though it is an ongoing sanctification throughout this life, yet it is an assured finished work when this life is over, regardless of any limits that man may put on what a sanctified life would consist of. That is, nothing need be added to it. But the marks of sanctification can be seen in this life already.
So law-keeping is both a consequence and a goal of sanctification. Law-keeping is a work of faith. But I don't think it is to be separated from the original work that is done by faith when one submits to Christ in the first place, for that too is law-keeping. That is the whole point of the law. But law-keeping in and of itself, apart from faith, is futile. Without faith it is impossible to please God. And though one may do the mightiest of works of faith, but have not love, it is nothing. So we have three things here: faith, love, and hope ( implied in the work of sanctification. ) "But the greatest of these is love."
The artificial separation of these resulting in two justifications, the lesser at conversion, the greater at judgment, is a necessary consequence of seeing law-keeping as a separate work apart from faith, apart from the original justification. I don't mean as a part of sanctification, but as a separate justification.
So I am agreeing with you that, "If you obey My commandments you will keep My commandments." But then you can't separate the goal from the consequence. In other words, love for Christ results in law-keeping; law-keeping is love for Christ. But law-keeping without hope, without love or faith is not law-keeping at all.
That was why I reacted the way I did to
Quote:
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Pefect law keeping, then, does not become my goal in sanctification (because it is only a consequence), but growing in love (for, jv) Christ does.
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I didn't mean to disagree, or to charge you with FV-ism, but rather wanted to be clear about separating law-keeping from that.
Sorry about muddying the waters, Marcos.