Most Christians get a little fraught about whether we should keep the Law or not because Jesus fulfilled the Law in His perfect life. He paid the price for our not keeping the Law on the Cross at Calvary. To disobey the Law is sin and in fact the existence of the Law creates Sin.
The Apostle Paul describes the interaction of the Law and Sin in Romans 7: 7-8 “What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet. ”But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.”
Paul goes on to say in Romans 7: 21-25 ”I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members Oh wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. NKJV
So in Jesus Christ we are freed from the condemnation of the Law and from death as the consequence of sin and then unto eternal life in Him. The sin debt we amass being born into sin and through sinning is washed a way in the Blood of the Lamb. We are cleansed through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross.
Do we need to keep the Law then? Well look at the Ten Commandments:
You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make idols.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet.
Question: Do you not keep the Ten Commandments as a Christian already? Which of these commandments do you not agree with? Do you have other Gods? Do you make idols? Do you take the Lords name in vain? Do you not keep the Sabbath? Do you not honor your father and mother? Do you murder? Do you commit adultery? Do you steal? Do you lie? Do you covet?
The answer is that as mere human beings we fail and break many of these commandments but Christians have access to the blood of Jesus and our sins are forgiven in His name. However, there is not a commandment in the list above that any true believer would disagree with.
So do we keep the rest of the Torah. Well we have societies and we have civil laws and as Christians we will find that many of our civil laws are the same as those kept by Israel, in the Bible. So if we know the Torah and see laws that are relevant to life today and that equate to civil laws in society. We keep them. I believe that as Christians we have a duty to be law abiding and good citizens.
The apostle Paul puts it this way in Romans 13 1-7 “Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a servant of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Pay to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; respect to whom respect; honor to whom honor.”
So what can we conclude? Are we bound to obey the law as those who know not Jesus. I believe we are not bound to the Law in the Old Testament sense. That those who know not Christ strive of themselves to keep the Law that they have neither the strength nor the predisposition to keep as fallen mankind. However under the New Covenant the Holy Spirit writes the Law of God on our Hearts and puts them in our minds (Hebrews 8:6-13).
Therefore, in Christ we are predisposed to keep the Law of God in it’s entirety. It has become out nature to obey the Laws of God without even thinking about it or realising that we do it. So are we set free from the Law. Yes we are but not to disobey it rather to have the ability and the spiritual nature to keep it. Therefore when the apostle Paul said walk in the spirit (Galatians 5:16). That is what He meant, for in the Spirit we do the things of God in Christ Jesus. We are set free to be the righteousness of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment