Indicative and Imperative

Catchy title, huh? Nice for us grammar geeks, but what about everyone else?

It is a hugely important distinction, and it affects everything about my Christian life.

Here’s what it means: In Scripture, the Indicative tells us who we are, and the Imperative tells us what we must do. The Indicative truth of Scripture tells me who I am in Christ...for example, from Ephesians: chosen before the foundation of the world, holy and blameless, redeemed, forgiven, lavished with riches, beloved of God, made alive with Christ, raised and seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Of course, Paul is careful to make sure I also know what I was before God saved me…dead, dead, dead (repeated over and over), and totally unable to save myself.

Okay, this is not news for most Christians. But, the key is this: the Imperative flows from the Indicative and not the other way around. In other words, what I am to do (Imperative) is simply be who I am (Indicative). My tendency has been to get this backwards and upside down…if I “do” the commands of Scripture…particularly the New Testament commands concerning the Christian life…then I will be accepted by God, or in “right relationship”. (I did already understand that my “legal standing” with God was secure as a Christian, regardless of whether I did the Imperative or not.)

Instead, what God has been teaching me through my pastor and other faithful preacher/teachers, is that “doing” the Imperative of Scripture is simply living like I am who I am (sing Popeye theme now…I yam what I yam…)

In Galatians, who I am is expressed in terms of a son or a slave. I am a son (daughter) of the king…now LIVE like it! Not to gain favor, approval, or blessing …Scripture says I already have those things…but just because it is who I am. Of course, because I am still clothed in sinful flesh, I can’t do it perfectly (that gets into the Already and the Not Yet…another post on some other day). If (when) I fail, I am simply to repent, look to Christ’s finished work instead of my feeble works, and go on…I am not to wallow in despair or agonize over my inability to live the “victorious” Christian life. That would be looking to myself and my works to gain approval, instead of looking to Christ’s finished work that has already brought me God’s approval and blessing, remembering that there is nothing I can do…or NOT do…that will change that one little bit.

Since Scripture tells me I am united with Christ, one of my goals for my Bible reading and study this year is to learn all I can about Christ throughout the Scriptures, so I can better understand who I am.

Most of this came from my pastor, Charles Biggs, as he preached through the book of Galatians for the last few months of 2006. (You can download his sermons here.) I heartily and enthusiastically recommend that you listen…they are life-changing…sounds very cliché, I know, but it is true. And he says it all so much better than I can in this rambling post.

Semper reformanda!!