A Christian Perspective #3
Have you heard from other brothers
and sisters in Christ Jesus how you don’t want to become legalistic
or you’re under bondage in the law. Maybe you think this way as
well. I used too say those kind of things myself but I don’t really
think that way anymore.
The apostle Paul says in Galatians
chapter 3 verse 3 “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit,
are you now being perfected by the flesh?” and in Romans chapter 8
verse 7 “...because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward
God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not
even able to do so...” NASB
My point here is that it is important
not to have a fleshly mindset because it is death to life in the
Spirit and hostile to God while not being subject to the law. You’ll
note that it is important to have a loving attitude toward God and
subject yourself to His laws while seeking that which is acceptable
to the Holy Spirit and therefore walking
in the Spirit.
Remember where one of the Pharisees asked Jesus which is the greatest
of the commandants. Matthew chapter 22 verses 36 – 40 records
this exchange.: “Teacher, which is the
great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and
foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You
shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two
commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets...” NASB
Jesus answered in a way that the
Pharisee would have been familiar with because the great commandment
is inclusive of the first four commandments and the second includes
the last six commandments of the ten. My question to those who feel
that the law is done away with is “Who among us would disagree with
the concept of loving the the Lord your God with all you have and who
among us would not want to love our neighbour as ourselves?” So how
is the law done away with and why would someone who seeks to keep the
law be in error?
One argument is that if you seek to
keep the law and break even one of the commandments you are guilty of
breaking all of them. True enough James chapter two verse 10 says
this; “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in
one point, he is guilty of all.” KJV Yet even under the law
in ancient times the blood sacrifice of a lamb could atone
for sin and in the sacrifice of our High Priest,
Christ Jesus, the Lamb of God. Thus all of our sins are atoned
for through His shed blood.
Jeremiah chapter 31 verses 31 – 34
says this; “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will
make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of
Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers
in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land
of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband
unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will
make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I
will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts;
and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall
teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother,
saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of
them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive
their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” KJV
The
apostle Paul repeated the verses from Jeremiah chapter 31 in the book
of Hebrews at chapter 8 verses 8 – 12 repeated as follows “For
finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the
Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and
with the house of Judah: Not according to the
covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them
by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they
continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the
Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put
my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will
be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And
they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his
brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least
to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember
no more” KJV
So
the law is written on our hearts and put into our minds when we
believe on Christ Jesus under the new covenant. Such that the law is
not done away with but rather placed
within
us as the Holy Spirit reveals the nature of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ in our person.
It
is true to say that any person who seeks to obey the Law of God in
his own might is under
the curse of the law. However, to the person who believes on Jesus
Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who died and was raised from
the dead. The Law of God is fulfilled in them through the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit as it was fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ
our Lord and Saviour.
It
is also true that the person who seeks to keep the law, to obtain
salvation and enter the Kingdom of Heaven by his or her own works is
lost. Only in the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ can we enter
the Kingdom of Heaven. For as the wages of sin is death so the law
cannot save us. Only in the shed blood of Christ is there salvation
and eternal life.
To
conclude I would simply say that sin is the breaking of God’s law.
Salvation in Christ Jesus is therefore based around the repentance
from sin, such that, in the power of the Holy Spirit God’s law
fulfilled in our lives. I would finally quote two well known
scriptures. Acts chapter 2 verse 38 says; “Repent,
and each of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit.” NASB and
John chapter 14 verse 15 says this “If
you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” NASB
