Believers and the Law.
The Law, given
to Moses was important because it was given as a prerequisite to the
coming of Jesus as the fulfillment of prophesy and the subsequent
revelation of the Mystery of the Ages...the revelation of God's Grace.
While the Law revealed God's holiness...it did not reveal His plan for
the community of humanity regarding redemption or His mercy. Neither did
the Law have the ability or the power to transform man from the inside
out. The Law demanded self-effort obedience to external rules and
expectations that was based on a external conformation which was
impossible to do. The Law did not have the power to change the heart
thus, the reason for Christ fulfilling it.
When Christ fulfilled the law, and atoned for our sin through His finished work on the cross and His resurrection, God's righteousness and holiness was imputed to us and engraved upon the hearts of all who would "behave right"...SORRY for that phrase, must be the influence of my law keeping gospel days. NO, NO "believe" is the right word.
“Now He (Jesus) said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:44)
The Old Covenant “law keeping” became obsolete for the Christian under the New Covenant. We are no longer under the law, but under grace.
Paul said that the law is not for the believer. He was referring to those who imputed righteous because of Grace and faith in Christ. Paul instructed believers to consider themselves to be dead to the law.
“Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God” (Romans 7:4)
Thankfully, it is Spirit living within each believer, not the law, that is to lead the children of God in their new identity as the “righteousness of God in Christ”. Behavioral changes reflecting the standards required by the law would now be out of a motivation of acceptance and love, rather than a fear of judgment and condemnation for failure.
“But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory” (2 Corinthians 3:7-9)
Where the law says, “thou shalt not”, the Spirit not only leads the believer to "NOT" but because of Grace empowers through His love for God to behave accordingly.
The law set a standard outwardly that the flesh was simply unable to satisfy. This was not a mistake. God intended for the law to instruct us by means of our failure so as to trust God’s perfect provision (GRACE) for all aspects of life, including holiness and sanctification. Christ is our life in all His fullness, living in our hearts by faith.
“When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4)
Therefore, the law serves to bring us to Christ, while continuing to reveal our utter dependence upon the indwelling life of Christ, to make us holy, righteous, sanctified, and eternally secure before the Father.
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4)
When studying the Old Testament, it is important to remember that in order to understand its purpose it must be interpreted through the spiritual-lens of the “finished work of Christ”.
When Christ fulfilled the law, and atoned for our sin through His finished work on the cross and His resurrection, God's righteousness and holiness was imputed to us and engraved upon the hearts of all who would "behave right"...SORRY for that phrase, must be the influence of my law keeping gospel days. NO, NO "believe" is the right word.
“Now He (Jesus) said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:44)
The Old Covenant “law keeping” became obsolete for the Christian under the New Covenant. We are no longer under the law, but under grace.
Paul said that the law is not for the believer. He was referring to those who imputed righteous because of Grace and faith in Christ. Paul instructed believers to consider themselves to be dead to the law.
“Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God” (Romans 7:4)
Thankfully, it is Spirit living within each believer, not the law, that is to lead the children of God in their new identity as the “righteousness of God in Christ”. Behavioral changes reflecting the standards required by the law would now be out of a motivation of acceptance and love, rather than a fear of judgment and condemnation for failure.
“But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory” (2 Corinthians 3:7-9)
Where the law says, “thou shalt not”, the Spirit not only leads the believer to "NOT" but because of Grace empowers through His love for God to behave accordingly.
The law set a standard outwardly that the flesh was simply unable to satisfy. This was not a mistake. God intended for the law to instruct us by means of our failure so as to trust God’s perfect provision (GRACE) for all aspects of life, including holiness and sanctification. Christ is our life in all His fullness, living in our hearts by faith.
“When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4)
Therefore, the law serves to bring us to Christ, while continuing to reveal our utter dependence upon the indwelling life of Christ, to make us holy, righteous, sanctified, and eternally secure before the Father.
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4)
When studying the Old Testament, it is important to remember that in order to understand its purpose it must be interpreted through the spiritual-lens of the “finished work of Christ”.
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