If imperfect obedience to the Law is the litmus test then we have all met the standard. If small obediences to the Law is good enough then we have hit the mark. We have met the standard at least once in our life. That is imperfect obedience. We can rest easy knowing we have imperfectly obeyed the Law. Task completed.

Imperfect Obedience ✅

Imperfect Obedience lowers the standard, and makes it obtainable for everyone. 

Imperfectly love God with all your heart, mind, and soul, imperfectly love your neighbor as yourself.

If you say you believe in imperfect obedience to the Law, but you make it your job to point out all the ways we don’t love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and all of the ways we don’t love our neighbor as ourselves. Maybe you don’t believe in imperfect obedience after all. Maybe you believe in perfect obedience to the Law.

If the Law accepts imperfect obedience why all the angst over sin? Maybe the Law does not accept imperfect obedience?

The Law does not accept our imperfect obedience.

The Law does accept Christ’s perfect obedience, on our behalf, because we cannot.

Jesus on mission obeyed the Law perfectly, and took that certificate of debt, all of those obligations that are opposed to us and against away by nailing them to the cross. 

Colossians 2:13b forgave us all our trespasses. 14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

When we are able to honestly admit that we are not up to the Law task, we have an open permission to stop striving, and rest in Christ’s obedience. Enter God’s sabbath rest. We have an open permission to be righteous and holy as a gift. We have an open permission to be set free from the commands and demands of the law. We have an open permission use our gifts, abilities, and vocation to help our neighbor as we are willing and able to, without the Law accusing us of all that we have left undone.

This is the gospel.

Colossians 2: 8 Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ. 9 For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, 10 and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 11 You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, 12 when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. 14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

This is how we know Christ. The Law will always be accusing us and seeking to hide God’s face from us. Jesus takes the Law away from us, we can visualize Him nailing it to the cross, and He makes us righteous and holy as a gift. Now we are both happy and holy, on account of Christ, crucified and resurrected. We are forgiven and free.