Hi all,
Consider these verses as we conclude this series:
"The strength of sin is the law." I Corinthians 15:56b
"The law works wrath." Romans 4:15a
If you live under religious legalism you know these truths
Because the law continually points out sin, it gives strength to do those sins, and it makes you angry. Or the beginnings of anger - frustration if nothing else depending upon the degree you've accepted legalism. Angry because one can never be good enough for the law-giver. Angry at themselves because they think something is wrong with them that they can't measure up to the expected standards.
Between legalism making sin stronger while making them angry, the person messes up in life and then gets angry at God. In fact, we live in New Testament times and if the Father and Jesus are presented through the Old Testament outdated packaging of legalism, a person may walk away from the packaging while longing in their heart to know their Father and Lord.
One old time Bible teacher observed that in the churches he visited that preached the most about premarital s*x, they had the most pregnant teenage girls. To those who preached the most of the evils of alcohol, they had the most people struggling with alcoholism. Living under a religious legal system gives strength to sin. It makes people angry. The more strict, the more anger. If a child grows up under a very strict father who only sees the wrong, that child will start doing wrong and father and son will have anger between them. In later years they might say they were trying to get their parent's attention, or gain approval. But it was the legalistic view to parenting that actually gave strength to their sin.
We've covered the fact the law was not made for a righteous person, and the law was a tutor leading us to Christ. A tutor in Paul's context was a master craftsman, like today we might have a master carpenter, mechanic, electrician, plumber. A trainee comes under the guidance of a master at his craft. That is Paul's analogy here. His point in Galatians 3 was that once we have graduated from being a student, an apprentice, we no longer need our tutor - the Mosaic Law.
In his day, once a son has graduated from the tutor, he comes into full privilege of the family business. He is then recognized as a full son, partner in the business of his father. That is what Paul was saying in Galatians 3:25-29:"After faith has come, you are no longer under the tutor, for you are all now children of the Father through faith in Jesus Christ. As many of you who have been baptized into Christ, you've now put on Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female, neither slave nor free for you are all one (family) in Christ Jesus."
The phrase underlined above is a word play that is lost in English and most translations. Baptism is of course a full immersion in water. The phrase 'you've now put on Christ' is literally; you've now sunk into Christ. It reads like this in the Greek:"you who have been immersed (sunk into water) in Christ have now sunk into Christ". That's why he says from this point forward there is no race, no gender, no social status that matters for we have all been sunk into Christ and are therefore one in Him.
Having now graduated and come to full status in the family of the Father, what does that grace do for us?
"The grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live in self-control, upright and godly lives in this present world while we wait for the appearing of our great God and savior the Lord Jesus Christ." Titus 2:13-15
Grace teaches us. Grace isn't just unearned favor and then you go on about your life. No, grace empowers us to live in Christ. Once in grace we all enter a different kind of 'school', for the word 'disciple' means 'learner.' The law merely showed us we were sinners, teaching us Christ was coming who would set us free. Now in Christ, just like a son who has graduated apprenticeship and is now a full partner in the family business, we shadow the Father and Son in their work. THAT is discipleship.
God gave 613 laws to Moses, but most were rather vague. I asked the Father once why He made the Law of Moses so vague and He said:"So they would have to walk with me to know how to apply my ways to their lives." The Pharisees made an additional 800 laws trying to pin down in exact detail in every situation in life what they thought God would want. That is legalism. Grace teaches us who to apply the Father's ways in the Spirit of the law, not the letter. Paul said 'the letter of the law kills, but the Spirit gives life.' II Corinthians 3:6. How does one love your neighbor as yourself? How does one not covet their neighbor's car? How to apply that to life is what the NT revelation of grace is about. Being able to walk with God Himself so He can direct our lives deeper into His ways and thoughts.
"It is a good thing the heart is established with grace." Hebrews 13:9
Our hearts aren't established living by legalism. Our heart is established in Christ with grace, and that grace teaches us to live righteously.
"Don't turn the grace of God into a license for sin." Jude v4 (I use the modern word license here derived from the Greek licentiousness as that is the fuller meaning of the Greek. Literally:"Don't turn the grace of God into licentiousness", which is defined as morally unrestrained life, especially s*xually.) When he wrote not to turn the grace of God into a license for sin, it also means we have a responsibility as stewards of the grace.
It can be likened to a parent giving car keys to their teenager for the day. With the grace comes an expectation to use that car lawfully, rightly, in an awareness the car isn't theirs. Grace always carries responsibility with accountability with it. Always. Grace is unearned favor and empowerment, but it is also responsible to the one who gave the grace.
This places the responsibility on us, to live from the inside out, rather than obeying an external set of rules.
Hebrews 10:15-17 reveals this:"This is the covenant I will make with them. I will write my laws in their hearts and in their minds."
He had to make us brand new, recreated by His Spirit to do that. The Old Testament proved He could not give commands and then expect sinners to obey. To remedy the dilemma He was enabled by the cross and resurrection to completely re-create human spirits by His Spirit, so that their very nature was to do godly things. So now our very nature has God's laws in it. Not the letter of the law, but the Spirit of the law - the intent.
The law written in my spirit says to love my elderly neighbor as myself. But how to do that? Suddenly I feel prompted to help him stack some firewood he is slowly and very laboriously moving closer to his door for the winter. THAT application of the law is what the Father has done. He has written His law, His ways, Himself on our hearts, so that He can prompt us to apply the command to a neighbor and his firewood, and perhaps another day to do something nice for a co-worker, and another time to give a waitress a large tip than deserved. Once we realize we are freed from external legalism we can live from the inside out, eagerly asking the Father and Lord how they want their ways applied in our lives.
Exciting life we have in Christ, and so much freedom - and the responsibility that goes with that freedom. New subject next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]
Consider these verses as we conclude this series:
"The strength of sin is the law." I Corinthians 15:56b
"The law works wrath." Romans 4:15a
If you live under religious legalism you know these truths
Because the law continually points out sin, it gives strength to do those sins, and it makes you angry. Or the beginnings of anger - frustration if nothing else depending upon the degree you've accepted legalism. Angry because one can never be good enough for the law-giver. Angry at themselves because they think something is wrong with them that they can't measure up to the expected standards.
Between legalism making sin stronger while making them angry, the person messes up in life and then gets angry at God. In fact, we live in New Testament times and if the Father and Jesus are presented through the Old Testament outdated packaging of legalism, a person may walk away from the packaging while longing in their heart to know their Father and Lord.
One old time Bible teacher observed that in the churches he visited that preached the most about premarital s*x, they had the most pregnant teenage girls. To those who preached the most of the evils of alcohol, they had the most people struggling with alcoholism. Living under a religious legal system gives strength to sin. It makes people angry. The more strict, the more anger. If a child grows up under a very strict father who only sees the wrong, that child will start doing wrong and father and son will have anger between them. In later years they might say they were trying to get their parent's attention, or gain approval. But it was the legalistic view to parenting that actually gave strength to their sin.
We've covered the fact the law was not made for a righteous person, and the law was a tutor leading us to Christ. A tutor in Paul's context was a master craftsman, like today we might have a master carpenter, mechanic, electrician, plumber. A trainee comes under the guidance of a master at his craft. That is Paul's analogy here. His point in Galatians 3 was that once we have graduated from being a student, an apprentice, we no longer need our tutor - the Mosaic Law.
In his day, once a son has graduated from the tutor, he comes into full privilege of the family business. He is then recognized as a full son, partner in the business of his father. That is what Paul was saying in Galatians 3:25-29:"After faith has come, you are no longer under the tutor, for you are all now children of the Father through faith in Jesus Christ. As many of you who have been baptized into Christ, you've now put on Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female, neither slave nor free for you are all one (family) in Christ Jesus."
The phrase underlined above is a word play that is lost in English and most translations. Baptism is of course a full immersion in water. The phrase 'you've now put on Christ' is literally; you've now sunk into Christ. It reads like this in the Greek:"you who have been immersed (sunk into water) in Christ have now sunk into Christ". That's why he says from this point forward there is no race, no gender, no social status that matters for we have all been sunk into Christ and are therefore one in Him.
Having now graduated and come to full status in the family of the Father, what does that grace do for us?
"The grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live in self-control, upright and godly lives in this present world while we wait for the appearing of our great God and savior the Lord Jesus Christ." Titus 2:13-15
Grace teaches us. Grace isn't just unearned favor and then you go on about your life. No, grace empowers us to live in Christ. Once in grace we all enter a different kind of 'school', for the word 'disciple' means 'learner.' The law merely showed us we were sinners, teaching us Christ was coming who would set us free. Now in Christ, just like a son who has graduated apprenticeship and is now a full partner in the family business, we shadow the Father and Son in their work. THAT is discipleship.
God gave 613 laws to Moses, but most were rather vague. I asked the Father once why He made the Law of Moses so vague and He said:"So they would have to walk with me to know how to apply my ways to their lives." The Pharisees made an additional 800 laws trying to pin down in exact detail in every situation in life what they thought God would want. That is legalism. Grace teaches us who to apply the Father's ways in the Spirit of the law, not the letter. Paul said 'the letter of the law kills, but the Spirit gives life.' II Corinthians 3:6. How does one love your neighbor as yourself? How does one not covet their neighbor's car? How to apply that to life is what the NT revelation of grace is about. Being able to walk with God Himself so He can direct our lives deeper into His ways and thoughts.
"It is a good thing the heart is established with grace." Hebrews 13:9
Our hearts aren't established living by legalism. Our heart is established in Christ with grace, and that grace teaches us to live righteously.
"Don't turn the grace of God into a license for sin." Jude v4 (I use the modern word license here derived from the Greek licentiousness as that is the fuller meaning of the Greek. Literally:"Don't turn the grace of God into licentiousness", which is defined as morally unrestrained life, especially s*xually.) When he wrote not to turn the grace of God into a license for sin, it also means we have a responsibility as stewards of the grace.
It can be likened to a parent giving car keys to their teenager for the day. With the grace comes an expectation to use that car lawfully, rightly, in an awareness the car isn't theirs. Grace always carries responsibility with accountability with it. Always. Grace is unearned favor and empowerment, but it is also responsible to the one who gave the grace.
This places the responsibility on us, to live from the inside out, rather than obeying an external set of rules.
Hebrews 10:15-17 reveals this:"This is the covenant I will make with them. I will write my laws in their hearts and in their minds."
He had to make us brand new, recreated by His Spirit to do that. The Old Testament proved He could not give commands and then expect sinners to obey. To remedy the dilemma He was enabled by the cross and resurrection to completely re-create human spirits by His Spirit, so that their very nature was to do godly things. So now our very nature has God's laws in it. Not the letter of the law, but the Spirit of the law - the intent.
The law written in my spirit says to love my elderly neighbor as myself. But how to do that? Suddenly I feel prompted to help him stack some firewood he is slowly and very laboriously moving closer to his door for the winter. THAT application of the law is what the Father has done. He has written His law, His ways, Himself on our hearts, so that He can prompt us to apply the command to a neighbor and his firewood, and perhaps another day to do something nice for a co-worker, and another time to give a waitress a large tip than deserved. Once we realize we are freed from external legalism we can live from the inside out, eagerly asking the Father and Lord how they want their ways applied in our lives.
Exciting life we have in Christ, and so much freedom - and the responsibility that goes with that freedom. New subject next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]
RSS Feed