More On Grace

More On Grace

So, what role, if any, does The Law have in the life of the Believer? Jesus said that not one iota would pass from The Law until all is accomplished.

Matthew 5:17-20 (ESV) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

If The Law is still in effect for the Believer (not one iota would pass from it) then we must keep EVERY law, no exceptions, in order to attain righteousness. You cannot omit (relax) ANY of them, or teach anyone to omit any of them. The scribes and Pharisees were those considered blameless in The Law. Your righteousness based on keeping The Law would have to exceed theirs, who were blameless.

The sad truth about the scribes and Pharisees is they did “relax” some of The Law, otherwise they would never have been able to keep it.

Jesus is not trying to tell His followers that they must continue to keep The Law. Far from it! Instead He is assuring them that once He has “fulfilled The Law” that our righteousness would be based on something greater than The Law. If we would identify with His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and seating at the right hand of Father, and receive the gifts that Christ sent us in the Holy Spirit, our righteousness would be based solely on His sacrifice, not our own keeping of The Law.

The only way our righteousness could “exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees,” who were blameless, is for us to be judged based on the righteousness of Jesus.

Romans 3:21-26 (ESV) But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

The Law was necessary so Christ could come and fulfill it, allowing us to partake of the salvation provided by His sacrifice through faith. Give Him praise!

Grace Lost, and Grace Restored

Grace Lost, and Grace Restored

When I was growing up sugar was sold in five-pound bags. It had been for years. One day while buying groceries, I was comparing prices and noticed a larger-than-normal difference between the name-brand and store-brand sugar. It’s then that I noticed the store-brand was a four-pound bag, as opposed to the name-brand that was still five pounds.

Before long the store-brand was changed to a four-pound bag, but kept the price at the five-pound bag price. That’s a 20% increase in price and no one ever raised an eyebrow. In these days of low-inflation, manufacturers have to get creative to raise profits without causing customer push-back. Customers reached for their trusty bag of sugar and never even noticed the size difference.

Genesis 3:1 (ESV) Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.

If current marketing ploys can pull off a coup like the sugar down-sizing, how much more capable is the enemy? Adam and Eve were not gullible. They were created in God’s image, which included a free will to choose. They knew what God had told them about the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. However, when the serpent urged them to partake of the fruit of the tree, they considered what he said.

“Why wouldn’t God want us to know good and evil?”, they thought. Without even realizing it they had broken covenant with the One who loved them unconditionally. God had kept that one tree from them so they could love others unconditionally. He knew that the moment they became aware of good and evil their lives would change forever.

You see, knowing the difference between good and evil gives man the ability to judge another man. The only problem is that he doesn’t judge them based on the whole truth, only what he deems to be either good or evil. Without being God, man still presumes to know enough to pass judgment on another man.

With one motion the enemy brought man down from God’s level to his level. Man never envisioned that the first evil they would encounter was their own. They fell from Grace that day. Knowing good and evil made them aware of their separation from God. They feared what He might do to them. They hid, and mankind has been hiding ever since. It is only by a new encounter with Grace that man can come out of hiding.

Innocence was lost, but through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ we can once again regain innocence and be restored to right relationship with our Creator. Jesus took away the curse of “knowing good and evil” and restored access to the “life” of God. That is the Great Exchange: our death for His life. Grace has returned!

Studying the Book of Books – The Bible

Studying the Book of Books – The Bible

A few weeks ago my wife and I began a journey of going through the entire Bible during our discussion times. We chose a book to help with this process, "What the Bible Is All About", by Dr. Henrietta C. Mears. It is proving to be a rich time of learning, and re-learning, the events recorded in scripture.

There are a few things so far that have brought questions, and even more that have reminded me of the goodness of God. First of all I’ll mention some of the questions.

Why did Cain and Abel bring sacrifices to God? My guess is that it came from the covenant that God made with Adam after he sinned. God made a promise to Adam that He would bring an end to the enemy’s ability to control man. Even though it was not recorded, there could have been consequences added to the covenant that required sacrifice to atone for their transgressions of the terms of the covenant. We don’t know.

Why was God pleased with Abel’s offering and not Cain’s? The answer I’ve always heard is that Abel’s offering contained blood. Another plausible explanation is that Abel brought the “firstling” of his flock; Cain brought “fruits” from his harvest. I personally believe it had to do with the heart. Clearly Cain had some heart issues.

Why did Lot choose to go to the small city instead of to the mountains where the angels tried to direct him? The next morning he headed for the mountains. Why did the angels allow him to do this?

There are several more, but there’s no need to look at all of them. The best thing that came from our discussion so far is how God interjected Grace into the Old Testament stories recorded for us.

The first one came when Adam was displaced from the Garden. We know it was because of the Tree of Life. God said He did not want Adam to live forever. This is Grace! Because of sin Adam was now separated from God. He could no longer have the relationship that they once enjoyed. God did not want Adam to be separated from Him forever. Therefore, Adam had to die. God put a plan in motion that would eventually allow Adam to once again have the face-to-face fellowship that they once enjoyed. This plan was eventually completed in Jesus Christ.

After Cain killed Abel God made a covenant with Cain. God declared that anyone who brought harm to Cain would have to deal with God Himself. That is Grace! Cain did not deserve having his life spared. But God, in His never-ending love for mankind, wanted to show that there was always hope found in Him.

The ark that Noah built was a picture of Grace. God found a way to spare mankind from His wrath. Through Noah, eventually Messiah would come and redeem man.

The dispersion of the people from Babel was an act of God’s Grace. If they had continued pursuing their plan to “make a name for ourselves,” God knew they would have to die. Confusing their speech caused them to spread out and fill the earth as God had previously commanded them.

The blessing of Ishmael was a picture of God’s Grace. God had a plan for Abram. He blew it in an attempt to help God. However, because God had already decreed that Abram’s descendants would be blessed, He blessed Ishmael. God is true to His word, even when we are unfaithful with His plans for us.

Again, there are many more. All of this came from just the first two-thirds of the first book of the Bible. I can’t wait to see all of what the Lord will show us in the remaining 65 books. I love His Word!

Even More on The Law vs. Grace

Even More on The Law vs. Grace

Years ago I heard Craig Hill, author of the Ancient Paths seminars, describe the experience of the believer after being born again. Paul described the conflict that occurs in our soul between flesh and spirit.

Romans 8:3-5 (ESV) By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16-17 (ESV) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

The diagram below gives us a picture of where we stand.

                   

In Christ we have the ability to withstand the temptation to open the door to the flesh. Jesus Christ overcame sin, and the power of it, so that we could live in right relation with God.

Romans 7:4-6 (ESV) Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

We do not have to walk according to the flesh, but we can now live by the Spirit!!

Romans 8:1-4 (ESV) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Do not allow others to put The Law back on you after being born again. It has no place in the life of the Believer. We now live by the Grace of God. The Law is no longer used as a measuring stick in the life of the Believer.

Galatians 2:16 (ESV) yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

If The Law, any part of it, was still applicable to the Believer we would have to keep the whole Law in order to obtain righteousness. We cannot. It is impossible for man to keep The Law. So do not try.

Galatians 5:3-6 (ESV) I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

Philippians 3:7-11 (ESV) But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Our only requirement as a Believer, one baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit, identified with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, seating, and empowered by the gifts He sent, is to live according to the love of Christ. And that, my friend, is enough!!

More on The Law vs. Grace

More on The Law vs. Grace

When we get our eyes off of the Lord and start looking at circumstances we begin to seek ways of correcting things ourselves. I remember an incident when our children were young, one of them was not getting their way. He came to us in total frustration and said, “We need a rule about ...” If there was a rule then he could use that leverage to get the result he wanted.

I believe that is how leaders in Christian churches get to the place of re-activating The Law and applying it to Believers. It is nothing new.

Galatians 3:1-3 (ESV) O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

I mentioned this last time, but it is worth repeating here. There were some in the Old Testament that operated in Grace, even before Jesus paid the price for sin and made a way for us to be accepted by Father. Look at Abraham. Even though he lived before The Law, he knew there was something more than trying to live right in order to please God.

Galatians 3:4-9 (ESV) Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Now, even though we live after The Law was written, we are not bound by it for the same reason that Abraham was not bound by it. Jesus, the Christ, redeemed us so we no longer have to try to be justified by keeping The Law.

Galatians 3:10-14 (ESV) For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Now, since He has received the promise given to Abraham, we get to be partakers of it if we are “in Christ.” The Law was never intended for us before Jesus, and certainly not after Jesus. Our whole focus is to live “in Christ.” Nothing else matters. Do not allow anyone to put The Law on you as a requirement to have fellowship with Father. He explicitly made a way so you would never have to strive to keep The Law, but instead, enter His presence boldly in faith, knowing you have already been received!!

Selah!