FACE OF GOD THEME

 THE FACE OF A MAN IS A MIRROR OF HIDDEN FEELINGS AND IS THUS THE MOST PERSONAL ELEMENT OF A HUMAN BEING. TO KNOW A MAN AND TO KNOW WHAT HE FEELS WE LOOK AT HIS FACE. THE OLD TESTAMENT ATTRIBUTES A FACE TO GOD WHICH SHOWS THE FEELINGS HE HAS IN REGARD TO MEN. BUT THIS IMAGE IS OFTEN USED TO MEAN THE VERY PERSON OF GOD. THUS IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE THE FACE OF GOD AND LIVE. TO STAND BEFORE THE FACE OF GOD OFTEN REALLY MEANT TO STAND IN HIS SANCTUARY.  THE FACE OF GOD SIGNIFIES THAT PART OF HIS INVISIBLE PERSON WHICH GOD ALLOWS MAN TO SEE. IT IS ONLY ON THE LAST DAY THAT WE SHALL ENJOY THE VISION," IN A SPIRITUAL WAY, WHICH NOW WE CANNOT EXPERIENCE. THE EXPRESSION, "TO SEE THE FACE," IMPLIES AN IDEA OF RECOURSE TO THE GOODWILL OR PROTECTION OF THE PERSON VISITED. IN THE COURTS OF OLD THE SERVANTS LOOKED AT THE KING'S FACE IN ORDER TO READ HIS WISHES.MOSES COULD SEE THE FACE OF YAHWEH, ACCORD ANCIENT NARRATIVES. (WHENCE HIS RENOWN AS A MYSTIC AND HIS  RIGHT TO LOOK UPON THE FACE OF THE TRANSFIGURED CHRIST. BUT THE LATER TEXTS TAKE AWAY THIS PRIVILEGE OF MOSES, AND ALLOWED HIM ONLY TO SEE GOD FROM BEHIND EX 24:9-11. THERE WAS NO IMAGE OF YAHWEH IN THE TEMPLE. "TO SEE THE FACE OF GOD" MEANT TO STAND IN HIS SANCTUARY IN ORDER TO SHARE IN YAHWEH'S SENTIMENTS. MOST LIKELY THE EXPRESSION TOOK ITS ORIGIN FROM PAGAN LITURGIES, WHERE THE gods had a "FACE." EX 23:15; 34:20; 2 KINGS 6:17. "TWO SEEK A FACE" WAS TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND GOD'S INTENTION. THIS CONSULTATION" THOUGH RATHER MAGICAL IN THE BEGINNING (2 KINGS), BECAME MORE  SPIRITUAL AND FINALLY MERELY SIGNIFIED THE ATTITUDE OF THE OBEDIENT WORSHIPER 2 KINGS 21:1 AMOS 5:4-6. TO "SEARCH THE FACE " HERE MEANS TO RETURN TO GOD BY SINCERE CONVERSION Ps
 794,8, 20;
THE "TIME OF THE FACE" IS WHEN GOD WILL SHOW HIMSELF TO EXPRESS SENTIMENTS. PSALM 20:10.
 THE UNFAITHFUL MAN TRIES TO ESCAPE FROM THE FACE OF GOD. GOD REPELS THE IMPIOUS FAR FROM HIS FACE. (FALSE TEACHERS).,  HE "HIDES HIS FACE" FROM THEM. GEN.4:14 JER 15:1; AND JESUS ALONE CAN SEE THE FATHERS FACE. JOHN I:18; 6:46. 1 JOHN 4:12. TO THE INCOMPLETE VISION OF FAITH MUST SUCCEED, ON THE LAST DAY, THE FULL VISION OF GOD FACE TO FACE. THIS THE ANGELS ALREADY REJOICE IN. FOR THIS VISION LOVE IS NOW PREPARING US. 1 COR,13: 1O-13; MATT. 5-8; 18:1O. LUTHER BELIEVED FOR A PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURE WE MUST CAREFULLY DISTINGUISH BETWEEN TWO PARALLEL AND EVER-PRESENT TRUTHS OF SCRIPTURE:LAW AND GOSPEL. LAW REFERS TO GOD IN HIS HATRED OF SIN,  HIS JUDGMENT, AND HIS WRATH. GOSPEL REFERS TO GOD IN HIS GRACE, HIS LOVE, AND HIS SALVATION. BOTH ASPECTS OF GOD'S NATURE EXIST SIDE BY SIDE IN SCRIPTURE THROUGHOUT BOTH THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS. THE LAW REFLECTS THE HOLINESS OF GOD'S CHARACTER; WERE HE TO DESENSE WITH IT, HE WOULD BECOME AMORAL RATHER THAN A HOLY GOD. GRACE IS GOD'S RESPONSE TO THE FACT THAT MAN CAN NEVER MEET THE STANDARD HOLINESS THAT HE LAW DEMANDS. ONE WAY OF DISTINGUISHING LAW AND GOSPEL IS TO ASK, IS THIS SPEAKING JUDGMENT ON ME?' IF SO, IT IS LAW. IN CONTRAST, IF A PASSAGE BRINGS COMFORT, IT IS GOSPEL.USING THIS CRITERIA, DETERMINE WHETHER THE FOLLOWING PASSAGES WOULD BE CONSIDERED LAW OR GOSPEL. THE LORD SAID NOAH ' GO INTO THE ARK, YOU AND YOUR WHOLE FAMILY, BECAUSE I HAVE FOUND YOU RIGHTEOUS IN THIS GENERATION. GENESIS 7:1. LAW OR GOSPEL?  MATTHEW 22:37: ; ' JESUS REPLIED: 'LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND'" LAW OR GOSPEL? LAW!
JOHN 3:36: WHOEVER BELIEVES IN THE SON HAS ETERNAL LIFE, BUT WHOEVER REJECTS THE SON, WILL NOT SEE LIFE, FOR GOD'S WRATH REMAIN ON HIM," GOSPEL OR LAW; GOSPEL; LAW). FOR LUTHERAN THEOLOGIANS LAW AND GOSPEL REVEAL TWO INTEGRAL ASPECTS OF GOD'S PERSONALITY: HIS HOLINESS AND HIS GRACE. THUS THEY SEE "LAW AND GOSPEL." AS INSEPARABLE PARTS OF SALVATION HISTORY, FROM THE STORY OF ADAM AND EVE'S SIN TO THE CLOSE OF THE MILLENNIUM. LAW AND GOSPEL HAVE CONTINUING PURPOSES IN THE LIVES OF BOTH UNBELIEVERS AND BELIEVERS. FOR THE UNBELIEVER THE LAW CONDEMNS, ACCUSES, AND SHOWS HIM HIS NEED FOR THE LORD. FOR THE BELIEVER THE LAW CONTINUES TO DEMONSTRATE THE NEED FOR GRACE., AND GIVES GUIDELINES FOR DAILY LIVING. THE GOSPEL SHOWS THE UNBELIEVENTALR A WAY OF ESCAPE FROM CONDEMNATION; FOR THE BELIEVER IT SERVES AS MOTIVATION TO KEEP GOD'S MORAL LAW. THE CAREFUL DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN, BUT MAINTENANCE OF BOTH LAW AND GOSPEL. HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT HERMENEUTICAL TOOL AND A HALLMARK OF ORTHODOX LUTHERAN PREACHING. THE LUTHERAN POSITION PLACES STRONG EMPHASIS ON CONTINUITY. GOD CONTINUES TO RESPOND TO MAN WITH BOTH LAW AND GRACE AS HE HAS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING OF HUMAN HISTORY. LAW AND GRACE ARE NOT TWO DIFFERENT EPOCHS IN GOD'S DEALING WITH MAN BUT ARE INTEGRAL PARTS OF HIS EVERY RELATIONSHIP. ANOTHER THEORY THAT FOCUSES O CONTINUITY RATHER THAN DISCONTINUITY IN SALVATION HISTORY IS COVENANTAL THEORY VIEW ALL BIBLICAL HISTORY AND THE FALL AND A COVENANT  COVERED BY TWO COVENANTS, A COVENANT OF WORKS UNTIL THE FALL AND A COVENANT OF GRACE FROM THE FALL TO THE PRESENT. THE COVENANT OF WORKS IS DESCRIBED AS THAT AGREEMENT BETWEEN GOD AND ADAM WHICH PROMISED ADAM LIFE FOR PERFECT OBEDIENCE AND DEATH AS THE PENALTY FOR DISOBEDIENCE. THE COVENANT OF GRACE IS THE AGREEMENT THROUGH FAITH BETWEEN GOD AND THE SINNER. IN WHICH GOD PROMISES A LIFE OF FAITH AND OBEDIENCE. ALL OLD TESTAMENT BELIEVERS AS WELL AS CONTEMPORARY BELIEVERS ARE PART OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE. SEVERAL VERSES OF SCRIPTURE APPEAR TO INDICATE AN OLDER AND NEWER, COVENANT, CORRESPONDING ROUGHLY TO OUR OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS. FOR EXAMPLE, JEREMIAH 31:31-32 SAYS:  " THE TIME IS COMING" DECLARES THE LORD,
" WHEN I WILL MAKE A NEW COVENANT." THERE IS EVIDENCE OF GODS GRACE IN EVERY DISPENSATION. WHEN ADAM AND EVE SINNED, GOD GRACIOUSLY INTERVENED
WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL
AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH.
IT WILL NOT BE LIKE THE THE COVENANT I MADE WITH THEIR FOREFATHERS
WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD THEM OUT OF EGYPT, BECAUSE THEY BROKE MY COVENANT THOUGH I WAS A HUSBAND TO THEM.""
 SEVERAL VERSES IN THE BOOK OF HEBREWS SEEM TO MAKE A SIMILAR DISTINCTION. BUT THE MINISTRY  JESUS HAS RECEIVED IS AS SUPERIOR TO THEIRS AS THE COVENANT OF WHICH HE IS MEDIATOR IS SUPERIOR TO THE OLD ONE, AND IT IS FOUNDED ON BETTER PROMISES.... BY CALLING THIS COVENANT "NEW," HE HAS MADE THE FIRST ONE OBSOLETE; AND WHAT IS OBSOLETE AND AGING WILL SOON DISAPPEAR (HEB 8;6,13). SOME REFORMED THEOLOGIANS SPEAK OF A THIRD COVENANT---THE COVENANT OF REDEMPTION---WHICH WAS FORMED IN ETERNITY PAST. THIS WAS AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE FATHER AND THE SON, IN WHICH THE FATHER PRONOUNCED THE SON AS HEAD AND REDEEMER OF THE ELECT, AND THE SON VOLUNTARILY AGREED TO DIE FOR THOSE WHOM THE FATHER HAD GIVEN HIM. FIRST OLD TESTAMENT  BELIEVERS;  WERE COVERED UNDER HIS GRACE.. WERE SAVED BY GRACE. JUST AS NEW TESTAMENT; CAME UNDER THIS GRACE. WAS THE LAW GIVEN EVEN HYPOTHETICALLY AS A MEANS OF OF JUSTIFICATION SALVATION)? THE NEW TESTAMENT INFORMS US THAT THE LAW COULD NEVER SERVE AS A MEANS OF SALVATION. PAUL TEACHES THAT NO ONE CAN EARN RIGHTEOUS STANDING BEFORE GOD BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW (GAL.3:11,21,22). ROMANS 4:3 TEACHES THAT ABRAHAM WAS SAVED ON THE BASIS OF HIS FAITH, NOT HIS WORKS. AND THE SUBSEQUENT VERSES 13-16. TEACH THAT THE PROMISES HOW THEN DO WE UNDERSTAND PAUL'S TEACHING THAT WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER THE DOMINION OF THE LAW BUT HAVE BEEN DELIVERED FROM IT. BECAUSE CHRIST HAS FULFILLED THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE LAW IN US.