What is the Purpose of the Law?

Verse of the Week:

Romans 6:14 "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace."

What is the Purpose of the Law?

Everyone is a slave to something.  A lot of people have the misconception that they can conquer anything, that nothing in this world has any power over them.   Having trouble losing weight? You can conquer it!  Addicted to alcohol?  You have the power within yourself to defeat your addiction!  Trouble with porn? You have the ability to overcome it! But the truth and reality is that we are all slaves to something.  In fact the Bible talks about us being slaves to two things, sin or righteousness. Romans 6:16 says,  "Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?"  Prior to grace, everyone was a slave to sin, whether we liked it or not.  No matter how hard we try, we just can't overcome, defeat, or conquer sin ourselves. I remember driving myself nuts trying to conquer sin in my own strength. I would think that after months of working on it, I had mastered the command of not worrying, when the very next day something would happen and I would go right back and do exactly what I thought I had conquered.  I would work on my anger problems, just when I thought I had self control with my anger, someone would say something that hit a raw nerve in my body and I would lash out in anger.  I couldn't ever imagine not forgiving someone, after all, God forgave everyone; then someone would do something that hurt so bad and I would  swim in a sea of bitterness and hate.  I desperately wanted to be a slave to righteousness, but it was impossible for me to stop sinning.  God even gave the Jews a chance to defeat sin and become righteous by giving them laws to follow.  Do this, do that, don't do this, don't do that, the list goes on and on to the point that God gave the Jews 613 laws to follow! Perfectionism could only be obtained if they followed ALL 613 laws. Thank goodness for GRACE!!!  Because of Jesus, we are no longer slaves to sin but righteousness.  Jesus himself lived under the law and followed it to the core. Through his death and resurrection we now have a life of freedom from sin.  Romans 6:14 says, "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace."

So why do we keep being slaves to sin?  Why do we always go back to the law? The law does nothing but make us feel like a failure. Dr. Andrew Farely in his book The Naked Gospel points out:

Being under the law is like being in prison.  You're constantly reminded that you're guilty and awaiting your sentence.  The law doesn't encourage us, nor does it build us up.  With its perfect standard, it only tears down our pride.  It shows us that we'll never succeed." Refer to Galatians 3:23-24

 People say that once we are saved, we are free from the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament, but the moral laws still need to be followed as guidelines for the Christian life.  Therefore even though our intentions are pure and we just want some guidelines to follow, we go right back to being slaves to sin because we keep trying to follow the law to become righteous (when in fact righteousness comes from faith in Jesus, not  by following the law). Tithe 10%, do not covet, do not have other idols, do not lust, do not be jealous, do not lie, honor your parents, do not worry, do not get angry, do not commit adultery, do forgive, and the list keeps going on and on.  If there is something we struggle with, we try so hard to conquer it only to be disappointed that we couldn't overcome it.  Here is where we mess up, we keep putting the law back into our lives because we think it is what we need to be Christ-like and go right back to being slaves to sin.  Here is what James says about the law and following it.   For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. (James 2:10)  James is talking about the whole law, not just the moral law. I believe he is including ceremonial law as well.   That means if we have eaten bacon for breakfast, we have broken the law (Leviticus 11:2b)!  If we have not brought a goat in its first year as an offering for unintentional sins, we have broken the law (Numbers 15:27). If a women doesn't isolate herself during her menstrual cycle for 7 days, she has broken the law (Leviticus 15:17-20). If you work on the Sabbath  you should be put to death (Numbers 15:32-33).  For those of you that insist I am going overboard and that James is only talking about the moral law, consider what Paul himself said, "Mark my words!  I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.  Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law." (Galatians 5:2-3) Circumcision was another law to be followed, and Paul was simply saying that if you are going to follow one law, then you are obligated to follow all of it!

Thank goodness for grace, and that through Christ we are free from the written code of the law. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6). 

So if through faith in Christ we are free from the law, then WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW? 

The law is a beautiful thing because it helps non-Christians to know that they need a Savior. It is designed to guide or lead people to Christ.  People are always saying that they are good enough to get to heaven.   You will catch many non-Christians saying, "I am a good person, and have done a lot of good in my life.  I deserve to go to heaven."  The law however is designed to quiet such sayings. Romans 3:19-20 says, "19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin."  The law points to us that we are sinners.  

I am not saying the law is all bad. The law is good because it was made for the unbelievers and points them to Christ.  1 Timothy 1:8-9 says, 8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers,  

So if the law no longer plays a part in the Christian's life then what standard and guidelines should Christians follow since they no longer follow the law? When you accept Jesus as your personal Savior, you receive a new Spirit.  "so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit." (Galatians 3:14b)  The spirit of God dwells within us (Romans 8:8-9).  We are changed inwardly and you begin to see some of the good works come out of our lives because of that change.  Andre van der Merwe in his book, Grace the Forbidden Gospel ,points out:

" [...]  under the New Covenant God changed our hearts, and when our hearts are changed, the good works will automatically follow."

Some of the fruits of the Spirit that is now in a Christian's spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Apart from these there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23).  

I am not saying that because of grace we now have the license to sin, but our focus should not be on our sin or the law but rather on Christ.  His spirit is displayed in us. When we truly understand grace and the freedom we receive from the law and when we grasp God's amazing love in it all, we can't help but want to display the fruits of the Spirit.  Will we display the fruits of the spirit perfectly?  No, not all the time, but that is the beauty of Grace, we are no longer bound by the law but are forgiven and loved by God anyway!  He no longer condemns us but is pleased with us.  "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1)

Thank you, Lord, that through Grace I am now a slave to righteousness and not sin.  Jesus paid it all, and in Him I am declared righteous!

For more information on this topic, read my blog entry entitled, Christian Behavior.

Christian Behavior

Verse of the Week:

I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me [Christ] and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Christian Behavior

"Lord, I am rededicating my life to you!  I love you and want to serve you so much. Help me to do things that are pleasing to you, for that is my desire.  In Jesus' Name we pray, AMEN!"

Does that prayer sound familiar?  I have prayed countless prayers in the past rededicating my life to Christ.  I would mess up.  I started to slack off on praying; my Bible got stuck in the bookshelf for several weeks; I didn't do anything to help out people; or maybe I started doing things that were wrong and would get stuck in a rut.  Then I would have that ah ha moment   somewhere whether it was at church, from reading the Bible, or talking to someone. The ah ha moment would lead me to wanting so bad to please God, that I would  once again start over.  "Please Lord, I want to serve you with all my heart and love you the way you want me to love you."

I would keep trying, trying, trying, trying, trying....doing, doing, doing, and then messing up, messing up, messing up.   Failure seems to occur left and right.  I remember people saying, it is ok if you mess up, just try again.  So I would try again, mess up again.  The cycle seemed endless.

Notice the word I kept putting down, I, I, I, I.....I try, I started, I didn't, I would, I want, I do.....I by myself kept doing it all.  Sure, I would say, I am doing things with Christ's help, but even though I said that, I didn't grasp the concept that apart from Christ, I can do NOTHING!  Christ himself even admitted that apart from his Father (God), he can do nothing.

"I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me." (John 8:28b)

Our Family pastor at church put it this way.  He was holding a water bottle in his hand, and said, "Pretend this bottle represents Christ, His new spirit inside of you, grace, love, forgiveness, etc.   When we become Christians, we get so excited about that water bottle.  We are pumped and ready to serve Christ!"  Then the pastor started to get ready to go and walk forward as if he was about to start his new walk with Christ.  He starts walking, and does something strange, he drops the water bottle and continues to walk forward.  He left the water bottle behind!  He said, that is what we do so much in our own Christian lives.  We start trying to go out and do things for Christ, but we leave Christ behind!

We leave Christ (the water bottle), behind when we try to continue our Christian walk!

Christ says that apart from Him we can do nothing.

I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

We work so hard to bear fruit for God all by ourselves and can never do it, but if we remain in Christ, we bear much fruit.

Behavior in the Christian life does matter!  I know in past blogs I have said we are free from the law of the Old  Covenant and no longer have to follow the law,  but that doesn't mean we go out and start sinning (Romans 6:1).  But people who believe that we are under the law, try so hard to follow the law to please God.  In the end they end up disappointed. You see, in the new Covenant of Grace, Christ lives inside of you and through Him we bear fruit for Him. The knowledge of grace in Christ Jesus changes our behavior.  Steve McVey in his workbook, The Grace Walk Experience, puts it this way,

I'm not minimizing the place of Christian service or the importance of behavior.  I'm simply suggesting that in the modern church we often have it backward.  We think, "If I can just behave in a certain way, if I can just do certain things, then I could become godly.  Then I could become Christlike."  That is the legalistic mind-set.  The Bible teaches that when we know we are Christlike because of what He has done in us and through us, the knowledge of that truth is what will change our behavior.

Knowledge of who we are in Christ, changes our behavior, not the other way around.  For instance, I heard a friend tell me a story one time about how some children lived in the slums of New York surrounded by gangs, drugs, sex, and violence.  When you live in an environment like that, and your parents are involved in activities like that, then you tend to get involved in activities like that. Your identity is centered on what your family says and does.  However, in this one instance, these children's parents told their kids that they were princes and princesses that they were valuable and worth so much.  These kids grew up graduating high school, going to college, and having a good career and sweet families.  Why?  Because of how they viewed themselves.  They were told how valuable they were, so their behavior changed and they made choices that showed others that their lives mattered.  

When we see who we are in Christ and truly comprehend the meaning of grace and Christ's love for us, we see how valuable we are, and our behavior changes.  We try so hard to make ourselves acceptable in God's eyes by doing good, when God has already accepted us.  Romans 5:8 says, 

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God didn't accept us as perfect people, but while we were still sinners.  So why are we trying so hard to perfect our behavior to be acceptable to God when he has already accepted us?

We try so hard to live out our Christian lives in our own flesh, that we fail miserably. Flesh as oppose to what people think is not just things like drunkenness  adultery, envy, slander, murder, etc. Flesh can look good too.  Flesh can be defined as doing things in our own strength.  Flesh can be self sufficient.  You try to live out your life in your own abilities.  Paul himself talks about not putting confidence in our own flesh (Philipians 3:3-6). 

Instead of putting confidence in our flesh and trying to do things in our own strength, lets look to Christ.  Lets trust in Him, not our flesh.  Let the spirit of Christ guide us in all truth. John 16:13 says, 

But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you in all truth.

Renew mind and fill yourself with Christ (Romans 12:2).  Remember your identity in Christ and that changes your behavior.  In Christ we are righteous and holy (Eph 4:24).  In Christ, we are  unconditionally loving (2 Timothy 1:7).  In Christ, I am accepted and acceptable (Romans 15:7).  In Christ, I am worthy (Ps. 139:14).  In Christ, I am a saint (Eph. 1:1).
In Christ, I am a forgiving person (Col. 3:13).

When I go through life, I try to ask God to help me know what to do in a situation, and then I listen.  Have you ever had something inside tell you, "Don't do it!" or "Do this!" and then, like me you, ignore it and mess things up?  I truly believe that voice is God. I have asked God to make his voice inside of me louder than than the voice of my flesh.  So many times I respond to situations with my emotions, but I have found that when God's voice is louder, I stop doing what it is that my own flesh wants to do.  It sure does make my life and the lives of people around me richer!  I try to renew my mind in Christ and focus on his Grace and goodness. More importantly I TRUST in Christ, and it changes my behavior and thinking.

Behavior matters.  Are you trying to change it, or are you allowing Christ to change it?

Forgiveness

Verse of the Week: 

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” Romans 8:1

Forgiveness

I spent a long time in guilt over something I had done.  It wasn't anything major according to the world's standards, but every time I thought of it, guilt would consume my emotions.  I desperately wanted to ask that person for forgiveness, but the opportunity never came.  The chances of seeing that person again was slim.  For over a year, sometimes something someone said or something I saw would trigger what I had done, and once again, I would swim in a sea of guilt over what I had done.  I would CONSTANTLY be asking God to forgive me for what I did. Sound familiar?  Can anyone relate?

About a year later, I started studying something  amazing, God's forgiveness and grace. I love grace.  Simply believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and that through Him we now can go to heaven to be with God.  That part is simple and true and is amazing, but over the years people have made grace more complicated;  people would say that in order to receive God's blessings and approval, that you need to make sure that no sin is hindering your relationship with Him.  You need to keep asking Him for forgiveness to make sure you are right with Him. People would say that God loves you so much, but when you do wrong, he is displeased with you.  Now, when we sin, we will have to face the earthly consequences,  but does it change the way God views us?  When we sin, God may seem far off, because our focus is not on Him but on the things of the flesh, but has God turned his back on us? Has sin created a wall between believers and God?  Is God really ready to pounce on us and condemn us when we mess up?  Is he displeased with us when we sin? 

Lets see what the Bible says:  Isaiah 59:2 says, "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear."  When you read this verse, it sounds like God does turn his back on us when we sin. Here is the problem; this verse is part of the Old Testament and the OLD COVENANT.  For those of you that are not familiar with the old covenant, here is a brief background on it.  Through Moses, God made a covenant with the Israelites.   If you follow my laws, I will bless you; however, if you don't follow my laws, then I will punish you and turn my back on you.  That was the old covenant, and, as we know, God is faithful in all that he says and does. Psalm 33:4 says, "For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does."  Therefore, whatever God says He is going to do, He will do.  So in the old covenant, even though God desires to bless the Israelites, He also is going to be true to his word and punish them if they do not follow his laws. God will not be unfaithful in His part of the agreement with the Israelites.   Unfortunately, the Israelites failed over and over to follow God's laws; as a result, we see a God in the Old Testament who seems unloving and full of condemnation.  

We tend to think then that in the New Covenant of Grace, that God is still going to be upset with us if we mess up; after all, He was that way in the old covenant.  We think we are still under the written code of the law and are punished or blessed when we follow or fail to follow the law, but we find the opposite. Colossians 2:14 (NLV) says,  ^"We had broken the Law many ways. Those sins were held against us by the Law. That Law had writings which said we were sinners. But now He has destroyed that writing by nailing it to the cross." 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."  Once we confess our sins, God has forgiven us once and for all.  We are no longer condemned by the law; the cross is finished, and Jesus is alive!  The debt has been paid in full.  When you are forgiven, you are forgiven!  "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1) God is not going to condemn you if you mess up!  

So when we mess up, there is no wall between a believer and God; the Law of the old covenant is what put a wall between us and God.  But in the new covanent, the law is out, and is replaced with God's grace and forgiveness through Christ Jesus. God is not displeased and ready to condemn us; He loves us!  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) We are forgiven!

Back to my story above.  A year later, I once again was asking God to forgive me for what I had done so long ago.  Then it hit me.  I am already forgiven, I didn't need to keep asking Him for forgiveness over and over. Jesus paid for all my sins in full, so why am I asking God to do something he already did for me?  Jesus forgave me on the cross.  According to the law, I should be punished, but according to Jesus, I am forgiven. The devil loves to make us feel guilty and filled with condemnation when we mess up, but God isn't full of condemnation; he is full of forgiveness. I began to thank God for his grace and forgiveness. When I thanked him for the fact that I am already forgiven, the guilt began to disappear.  Even though I have to face the consequences for my sins, I have realized that I do not have to keep begging Him for forgiveness, that is what you do when you are under the law of the old covenant. Instead, I am going to THANK Him that I am already forgiven.  A long time ago I confessed my sins to Jesus, and I became a Child of God; I only have to do that once, not over and over.  I am His, and no future mess ups will ever separate me from Him.  Thank you Lord for forgiveness!  I am in AWE of it all!

Love

Verse of the Week:

For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Galatians 5:14

Love

I remember one time seeing a pastor carry a backpack full of weights during his sermon.  While on stage he was talking about how without Christ, life can be a burden.  Cool concept; however, sometimes I think some Christians feel that LIVING FOR CHRIST can actually be a BURDEN!  I know I have felt that way before, but after understanding the message of grace and love, I begin to realize how Christ  truly does give us abundant life.

If we really truly UNDERSTAND God’s grace and love, serving God will not be a burden, but a JOY and a privilege to do.  You see, a lot of people believe that when Christians receive grace,  that many Christians, not truly understanding what God did for them, will continue to sin. After all, they are forgiven for all their sins, so why not keep sinning?  So in order to make sure that Christians actually do what God has in store for them, teachers go right back around and hammer the law and commands back into their lives as a measure of control to make sure they really do follow God.  They insist that sacrifices have to be made to follow God in the Christian life and is necessary to receive God's blessings and approval. As a result, Christians feel disappointed when they mess up and guilt is heaped upon them when they do not do everything perfectly. I myself felt the heavy burden of trying to do the right thing and never succeeding. Here is a secret... laws and commands do not keep us from sinning;  in fact the law increases sin;  “[…] the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies […]” (Romans 7:5)  We must understand that we are free from the written code of the law.  Colossians 2:13-14 explains it perfectly:

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.  He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code with its regulations that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.”

You see, the written code of the law is gone, Jesus is in.  God doesn’t want us to be drowning in a heap of guilt because we cannot be obedient to all of the commands of the old covenant.  Here is even better news,  we do not have to do anything to receive God's blessings, He has already blessed us!  

If people truly are saved, then Christ is alive in them.  What we need to relearn in society is that in Christ we are a new creation, Christ lives in us and will continue His good work through us.   I once asked my Dad a long time ago about his salvation experience.  What was the difference between before he was saved, and after he was saved.  He said, “Katrina, after I became a Christian, I didn’t want to sin anymore.”  You see, when we have Christ in us, we do not desire to sin, so why do we keep trying to force the law back on Christians in fear that they will go and start sinning because they can?  I am not saying that Christians won't mess up, but we need to spare ourselves of the guilt trip, and move on. We are saved by grace!

So let’s shift gears for a moment, and refer back to how if we truly understand God’s love then it is a JOY to serve Him and not a burden.  God’s love is AMAZING to me!  My heart bursts with joy when I think about the love God has shown me, and my deepest desire is to share it with others.  In the Bible it talks about how there is no greater love than to die for ones friends (John 15:13).  Jesus died not only for friends but for every single person who is held in bondage by sin and is destined to go to hell.  WOW!!!  That is true Agape love!  Agape love is the kind of love that is only focused on another person’s best interest.  Jesus only had our best interests in mind when he went through torture on the cross to save us. Here is what is even more awesome!  All we have to do is receive that free gift of love.  No strings attached!  Jesus paid it all!  

God’s love is unconditional.  In Romans 8:1 it says, “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,”  Once we have accepted Christ into our hearts, God is not there to condemn us for every single sin we have committed.  His love is unconditional; it does not matter what sin, you have committed,  from murder to adultery to stealing. Jesus washed it away and no longer condemns us for any sins we committed or will commit.   Sadly enough, people in our society both Christians and non-Christians display conditional love at times and turn their back on people if they mess up.  God, however, doesn’t turn his back on us,  He loves us more and His grace increases all the more!  “But where sin increases, Grace increases all the more.”  Thanks you Jesus for GRACE!

We can never be separated from God’s love.  Nothing in this life or the life to come can ever take us away from God’s love. “ ⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)  Nothing folks and I mean NOTHING can keep us from God’s love.  Wow!!!

There is so much more to God’s love, but it would take thousands of pages to write about it all.  Keeping God’s love in mind, why would the things we do in Christ be a burden?  What a joy it is to serve a God who loves so deeply! How do we serve the one we love so much because of His outpouring love for us?  For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Galatians 5:14)   I know what you are thinking,  "Wait a minute, Katrina, didn't you just say that we are free from the law and commands?"  You just gave us another law to follow, to love others."  Once again, you have to read the content before and after the verse.  

Before the verse,  Paul is talking about how the law has no value.  He says, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision [circumcision was another law the Jews had to follow] has any value. The only thing that counts if faith expressing itself through love."  Therefore the law has no value, but FAITH that shows LOVE does.

Let's also read Galatians 5:13-16, 18:
 ^"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you keep on bitting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."

You see, when by faith we accept Christ and receive forgiveness of our sins, Christ's spirit comes to live inside of us.  If we are led by Christ's spirit, we are not under the law.  Christ's spirit is full of love, therefore, we want to love; it is not an obligation or command.  However, in Galatians Paul is describing how amazing love is.  Love is such an amazing and complex action that it actually fulfills the law if we were actually under the law.

 “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” (1 John 4:16)  God’s love is in us ready to be on display for the world to see. I no longer feel burdened to give to others (a law given to us); no, I give freely out of the love in my heart.  I no longer sacrifice in helping those in need (another law); no, I joyfully help those in need because I love them.  I no longer force myself to forgive others (another command), I desire to forgive, because of the one who loved and forgave me. We do these things because of Christ’s love in us not because it is a burden or a command.  Love because he first loved us!

Happy Easter!  May Christ show his AMAZING love to you and your family this season!

Going Crazy With the Law

Verse for the Week:

“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith APART from the deeds of the law.” Romans 3:28

Going Crazy With the Law....

For years, I have gone to church every Sunday and learned so many different things, like: do not gossip, do not steal, do tithe 10 percent of your income to the church, do not get angry, do forgive others, do have patience,  do take care of the poor, do not have sex before marriage, do not commit adultery, do not lust, do not cuss, do not use God’s name in vain, do make peace with everyone, do love everyone, do not hate,  do serve others, do not lie, do not be jealous, do not divorce, do not be prideful, do not make idols, do not have other gods, do not murder, do not be bitter, do not, do this, do not, do this, do not……..the list goes on and on. 

 I look at the law and realize how NO ONE can follow all of the commandments God has given us. God gave the Jewish people over 600 commandments to follow in the Old Testament.  He knew it would be impossible for the Jews to follow them all, but that was the point of the law, to show us exactly how impossible it is to follow all of God's commands.  It is impossible!  Just look at the 10 Commandments alone in Exodus 20 and you will soon realize that if you have broken one, you have broken them all.  For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.( James 1:20)   No wonder people stop going to Church or trying to live for Jesus; they get so caught up trying to follow what is impossible to follow, and after continuous failure, they give up!  It says in Romans 3:23,  “ for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  No wonder people get so frustrated because they know failure is unavoidable.  I found out from our Pastor at church that 70% of teenagers leave the church when they go to college.  We have so many rules and regulations heaped upon us that we begin to drown in a pool of commands that we can never keep.  Trapped is the best way to describe how people feel towards the law…

God knew we could never keep the law. Jesus himself demonstrated that to us in Matthew 19:16-26 when he talks to a rich man about how to get to heaven.  Here is the story:

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

¹⁷ “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

¹⁸ “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother,’and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

²⁰ “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²² When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

I would have looked at Jesus and asked the same thing.  Who can be saved?  It is impossible! If we don’t follow every command God give us, we are subject to eternal death! But in verse 26 Jesus says something very important.

²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Of course all things are possible with God.  He would never leave us to drown in our sins and be condemned to hell.  God made it possible to have abundant life without the law.  He did it through Jesus.  “But God demonstrated his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)  God knew we could never keep the law, so he put Jesus who knew no sin to die for our sins.   We are justified by faith in Christ Jesus, not by the law.  In Romans 3:28 it says, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith APART from the deeds of the law.”

So here is the question I have to ask.  If we are justified by faith and not the law, why do we keep trying to follow the law? Why do churches keep hammering the law into our brains, and we experience failure over and over when we attempt to follow every command?  I know in my own life, I keep trying over and over to do the “do not’s and do’s” and keep failing.  What people forget is that the law was the first covenant between God and the Jews; the second covenant involves FAITH in Jesus!  The law is out, Jesus is in!  When we go back and try to keep the law of the Old Testament we commit spiritual adultery.  Now, before you claim I am being blasphemous and going against what God says, hear me out. Let’s read, Romans 7:1-6 carefully (don’t skim it!) and I will explain what I mean:

Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? ² For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. ³ So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

⁴ So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. ⁵ For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. ⁶ But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

For years, pastors and teachers have used Romans 7 to teach others about not committing adultery (another “do not”), but if you look at the verses before and after the scripture on adultery, you will see that Paul is using it as an example to make his point about the law and grace.  You see, when a woman’s husband dies, she is free from the law and is allowed to marry again.  When we accept Jesus, we died to the law and now have freedom through Christ. Just like when a woman’s husband dies, she now has freedom to marry; we die to the law and have freedom in Christ.  So why do we keep going back to the law?

I am not in any way saying that because we are free from the law that we should start sinning whenever we want.  Even Paul says, in Romans  6:15,  “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?  By no means!” 

You see, when we accept Jesus into our hearts, we are a new creation.  Christ LIVES in us!  So when we re-read Romans 7:6, it begins to make sense:   ⁶ But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.”  We are no longer bound to the written code of the law, we are to serve in a new way…by the Spirit…by Christ reigning inside of us.  Each day, we should be asking Christ how do you want to work through me today?  We need to be looking at Christ, who He is, what he does, how he loves, and allow who He is to be seen through us. 

I no longer criticize myself and call myself a failure whenever I mess up and do the wrong thing.  I am not bound by the law, God LOVES me too much to keep me bound to it.  “But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” (Romans 5:20)  Instead, I keep moving on and let Christ live in me.  I keep my eyes on Him.  I serve Him with all my heart because of the outpouring love he has given me.  I now want to shower others with His love.  Living your life for Jesus is freedom.  It is Grace!

Follow Jesus, not the Law! 

In Christ!

Verse of the Week: 

“Therefore if any man is IN CHRIST, he is a NEW CREATION; the old things passed away; behold new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

In Christ!

I failed again despite my best efforts. I am a horrible person.  I lashed out with my tongue again.  I spoke badly about another person. I thought bad thoughts about another.  I acted unforgiving towards someone.  I started worrying about something. I became impatient with a person.  I had lustful thoughts.  I became prideful and put others around me down.  I judged another. I ignored someone because they were different.  I acted selfishly.  Any of these sound familiar?

Have you ever tried really hard to try to do better or to improve yourself and then turn right around and fail miserably? It seems whenever we focus on our sins and try to correct them, we end up doing them more.  Even Paul struggled with this and said in Romans 7:19-23 (MSG):

“ But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.”  

I am right there with Paul, I want so bad to do right, and I delight in the commands God has given me, but I can’ t seem to get the job done.  But then I realized something…Notice something that Paul and I wrote over and over up above …the word “I.”  I can’t, I don’t, I try, I messed up, I, I, I, and I…

No wonder people give up.  It is hard work to do the right thing in your own strength, but here is the key.  I can’t do it, but Christ can.  “Therefore if any man is IN CHRIST, he is a NEW CREATION; the old things passed away; behold new things have come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Here was the problem I had; I knew I was supposed to do things IN CHRIST, but how?  That is where I got puzzled, and so the cycle continued. I would try to do things once again in my own strength and failed every time.

The transformation of understanding how to do things in Christ came from the seeing someone else live in Christ’s strength, my husband. My husband struggled with worrying, and at one point he worried to the extent that it was not only bringing himself down, but the people around him at home down. But then Christ came into the picture, and Brian figured it out long before I did.  You see, before he trusted Christ, he would ask God to help him not to worry.  Even though he was asking God for help, he was still focusing on the problem and trying to solve it HIMSELF, but that is not what God wants. God wants us to focus on Christ. Christ wants us to give him total control. Brian began to realized that there was a higher power that could take care of his worries. He couldn’t control his worrying, but Christ could.  He started focusing on Christ.  For example, when a worry came into his head, he said, “Lord  [Christ], THANK YOU for helping me not to worry.”  Instead of asking Jesus to HELP him not to worry; he placed complete trust in Jesus by THANKING him.   Why ask Jesus to help him when Jesus can do it all?  So he thanked him instead having faith that Jesus had it under control, and it took all of the pressure of solving the problem off of Brian.  Brian just had to sit back and let Him take the driver’s seat. He realized that it was Christ who would take care of his worries and thanked him for it.  I saw a remarkable transformation in him when he started making his focus Christ.

You see, we focus on the problem we have, and, as a result, we make it worse. Instead of focusing on the problem, focus on Jesus and thank Him for helping you because He will if you give him the reins.

The beautiful thing about God is that he loves us even when we mess up.  He doesn’t focus on our mistakes, because once you accept Jesus into your heart, He sees Christ in you.  There is NOTHING you can do to make God stop loving you. So don’t beat yourself up when you mess up, God still loves you.  Remember, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and are JUSTIFIED freely by HIS GRACE through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24). You are FORGIVEN for your past, present, and future mistakes; don’t waste time focusing on your mess ups; focus on Jesus.

By changing our focus to Jesus we can rephrase the first paragraph above.  In Christ I am victorious, because of his saving Grace.  In Christ I am worthy (Ps. 139:14).  In Christ, I am kind and compassionate (Col 3:12).  In Christ, I am gentle (Gal 5:22-23). In Christ, I am a forgiving person (Colossians 3:13).  In Christ, I am fearless (Ps. 56:4).  In Christ, I am patient (Gal 5:22-23). In Christ, I am pure (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).  In Christ, I am humble (Col 3:12).  In Christ, I am accepting (Romans 15:7).  In Christ, I am others-focused (Philippians 2:3).

FOCUS on Christ, He lives INSIDE of you. Focus on who he is, what He does for you, what He would want you to do. Give Him complete control.  What a difference He makes in our lives if we do that! 

Who you are In CHRIST!!!