Grammar

One of my favorite things that I have learned / am learning from The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges and Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick has to do with grammar. I ran across this first in Elyse Fitzpatrick's book last fall. The grammar part is this: An indicative statement tells what has already been indicated or declared about someone or something. An imperative statement is a command or a giving of directions. So what does this have to do with God's Word in my life? Mrs. Fitzpatrick points out that in God's Word, imperatives are paired with indicatives.

Here's an example:
Ephesians 5:1-2 "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. " I put the imperative in green and the indicative in yellow. God's commands for us are rooted in His great love for us. Notice also that it does not say, " be imitators of God so that you can be His beloved children." No, I am already dearly loved and just like my children seem to copy everything I do (because they know I love them and they want to be like me), so am I to imitate my heavenly Father (whose love is perfect and so much better than my love for my children could ever be).

You see, the indicative (what we know is true) motivates the imperative (the action). It is so helpful to me to meditate on the indicative statements about God's love for me. It's done. He loves me. period. Christ died for my sins. There's nothing that I can do to earn His love or to cause Him to love me less. That is motivation for me to do what He says and to want to be like Him. I find that when I focus on the indicatives, I'm much more likely to do the imperatives.