What follows is the lesson I taught yesterday in our Sunday school class. Enjoy.
In language we have distinctions between moods that an author may use. Here we will discuss the difference between the indicative and imperative moods in Pauline writing, and the theological implications of that distinction. The letter to the Colossians will be used as a case study.
The indicative mood is the most common mood used in all languages. The indicative is used when making positive statements, stating facts, or simply telling of a particular situation. The easy way to remember this is to look at the root (indicate). The imperative mood is used when an author wishes to exhort or command his audience to do something or behave in a specific way.
The gospel is by definition, indicative. No one can do or be the gospel. Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians said, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” (1 Cor. 15:1-5) We see here that the “good news” is a statement of facts, not a command to do anything.
The law of God is, in contrast to the gospel, inherently imperative in mood. The precepts that God gives us are not statements of how things are, but rather are commands of what we must do to please God. We must understand that the laws of God cannot be followed by the mere will of fallen man, Paul makes this very clear. “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:7,8) There must be a way for us to please God, and if we simply focus on the imperative passages in the scripture, we will consistently fail to live up to them.
Paul never gives us a command to follow without grounding that imperative in a gospel indicative. The letter to the Colossians is an excellent example of this structure. The letter begins with a typical Pauline greeting and moves directly into indicative statements of what God has already done for us in Christ. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13,14)
The Apostle then moves into a high Christology, describing who Christ is and what he has done in creation (both indicatives). “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17) Paul continues by describing what God has done through him in his ministry to the church, and says of His saints, “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)
In chapter 2, verses 6-8, Paul gives an imperative to walk in Christ, not being taken in by human traditions or philosophy, but in verse 9 he takes off into another indicative, proclaiming the deity of Christ. He further grounds the imperatives of verses 6-8 in one of the most profound gospel indicatives of the entire scripture, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:13-15)
After these amazing statements, Paul then tells the Colossians that their standing in Christ removes the need to follow the festivals or sabbaths, and not to let anyone judge them for these “human precepts and teachings”. In fact, he says that they are mere shadows of the reality, which is Christ. (Colossians 2:17)
Now that Paul has made the position of the saints clear and irrefutable, he begins to show them what the proper response of Spirit-born believers should be. Now begins the imperatives, but Paul still doesn’t hammer the believers with pure law, but sprinkles gospel indicative throughout his commands so as not to forget why these things are to be done. An example is “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4) Paul here commands the Colossians to seek the things of Christ, (laid out in verses 12-17) and not the things on earth, (laid out in verses 5-9), but why? Because they have died, and their life is hidden with Christ in God!
Next, Paul lays out the proper way for a Christian household to operate, wives submitting to husbands, husbands loving wives, children obeying parents and so on. He continues with orders for masters and slaves, commands to walk in wisdom and to have gracious speech. No one can do any of these things without the indwelling Holy Spirit, and no one can be indwelt by the Spirit apart from the work of God in Christ! Paul completes his letter with some final greeting from his companions and news from his prison cell.
This wonderful letter displays the proper use of law and gospel that we should all seek to apply to our own lives, as well as in our exhortation of fellow believers. The imperative without the indicative is legalism. The commands of God are good and holy, but apart from the good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ they can only condemn and kill.
Lastly, we must understand that these glorious truths are for believers only! The law is to an unbeliever, primarily, a mirror to show them their need for redemption, but for the regenerate, it shows what good works are, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) An unbeliever cannot walk in good works, because they hate God! (John 7:7) The imperative is used in evangelism properly when the unbeliever despairs of their own righteousness in light of the standard laid before them. (Romans 3:19) The gospel is to a believer, a glorious truth of what has been done for them, but to an unbeliever it is foolishness and a stumbling block. (1 Corinthians 1:23) Until a sovereign work of regeneration wrought by God Himself is worked on an unregenerate heart, they will not ever see the beauty of Christ and His gospel.
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