September 15, 2021
So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” Genesis 9:1
The divine commands that God gave to Noah and his sons after the flood hearken back to His instructions given to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28. It is essential to note that the pattern is consistent: He blessed them first. After that He gave the divine instructions.
“Divine instruction came after God had already blessed them. God did not blackmail them by saying, ‘Do this . . . and then I will bless you.’ That’s why we do not follow divine commands so that we can be blessed. Rather, it is because we are blessed that we follow divine commands.” Murvin Camatchee
The gift of life is an inestimably precious gift. True recognition of the gift elicits praise and worship towards the Giver. This recognition regards obedience as a joyful act of worship and an expression of gratitude. All of us, as recipients of the gift of life, need to recognize that we have been blessed beyond measure. This recognition, actively cherished, can protect us from error in many prevailing mindsets being propagated in the world and among believers. A few examples:
a) There is a manner of thinking which says “Lord, if you will just give me this or that, then I will become Your servant.” The idea that we can manipulate Him by “dangling a carrot” in front of Him springs directly from paganism.
b) Also, there are those who insist “If you will just do the things God says to do, then He will bless your life,” which is actually a salvation-by-works mindset. God does not owe us any favors! This thinking is to the right of center. This leads to legalism and adding to what God has said, which is the trap that the religious leaders of Jesus’ day had fallen into.
c) Swinging to the left is the salvation-by-works-protest teaching that has become the most prevalent mindset in many modern churches. The bitterest criticism of those who sincerely desire to honor and obey the Lord comes from those who claim His name and His grace, but live contrary to His commands. Dietrich Bonhoeffer called this “grace abuse.”
Beloved, let us be fruitful and multiply by proclaiming to the world that the Giver of life invites all to come to Him!
He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Psalm 23:3
Do not turn to the right or to the left; Remove your foot from evil. Proverbs 4:27
Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21