Imperatives : Requirements :: Indicatives : Revelations

The following quote was posted on another blog I read. I really like it, but the uses of "imperative" and "indicative" sent me back to my dictionary...the quote really rests on these two words, so I wanted to reflect upon the words themselves.

Imperative:

1.	absolutely necessary or required; unavoidable: It is imperative that we leave.

2.	of the nature of or expressing a command; commanding.

Indicative:
1. showing, signifying, or pointing out; expressive or suggestive (usually fol. by of): behavior indicative of mental disorder.

I like to use synonyms to help understand a reading. For imperative, use requirements, and for indicative, use revelations. Here's the quote:

Sinclair Ferguson,

“The great gospel imperatives (requirements) to holiness are ever rooted in indicatives (revelations) of grace that are able to sustain the weight of those imperatives (requirements). The Apostles do not make the mistake that’s often made in Christian ministry. [For the Apostles] the indicatives (revelations) are more powerful than the imperatives (requirements) in gospel preaching. So often in our preaching our indicatives (revelations) are not strong enough, great enough, holy enough, or gracious enough to sustain the power of the imperatives (requirements). And so our teaching on holiness becomes a whip or a rod to beat our people’s backs because we’ve looked at the New Testament and that’s all we ourselves have seen. We’ve seen our own failure and we’ve seen the imperatives (requirements) to holiness and we’ve lost sight of the great indicatives (revelations) of the gospel that sustain those imperatives (requirements). … Woven into the warp and woof of the New Testament’s exposition of what it means for us to be holy is the great groundwork that the self-existent, thrice holy, triune God has — in Himself, by Himself and for Himself — committed Himself and all three Persons of His being to bringing about the holiness of His own people. This is the Father’s purpose, the Son’s purchase and the Spirit’s ministry.”