The Law was given to point out sin and sin brings condemnation and death.
Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
The Law will always point out sin and sin will always bring condemnation, that's what sin does. But we are no longer under that old way of relating to God. We are now under grace and the words of Jesus now become our Law.
John 12:48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.
The teachings of Jesus establish principles for living godly. They interpret the Law and lead us into the spirit or purpose of the Law, which is to love God and love neighbor.
Matthew 22:35-40 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
If we live through the Old Covenant way of relating to God it will lead to bondage and struggle.
Galatians 4:21-31 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a free woman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the free woman through promise, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear! Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband.” Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman.” So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.
We are not to live by Old Covenant principles of relating to God, but rather, we are to live by the teachings of Jesus and understand God's acceptance of us is not based on how well we keep the Law, but rather, our acceptance is based on our heart orientation to Jesus and what He did for us.
Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
As one who is in Christ we are not to view our obedience as meritorious in nature, but rather, we are to view our obedience as an expression of our love for God. The moment we begin to view our obedience as meritorious we fall from grace and put ourselves under the Law or the old way of relating to God.
Galatians 5:4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
We don't obey God to earn a right standing with Him, we obey God because we love Him and value what He values because what God values is good and right.
When we truly begin to grow in our understanding of all this we will wake up one day and realize that God has written His Law in our heart and mind and through love we will find ourselves keeping the commandments because they define godly love.
Romans 13:8-9 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
The Law will always point out sin and sin will always bring condemnation, that's what sin does. But we are no longer under that old way of relating to God. We are now under grace and the words of Jesus now become our Law.
John 12:48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.
The teachings of Jesus establish principles for living godly. They interpret the Law and lead us into the spirit or purpose of the Law, which is to love God and love neighbor.
Matthew 22:35-40 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
If we live through the Old Covenant way of relating to God it will lead to bondage and struggle.
Galatians 4:21-31 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a free woman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the free woman through promise, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear! Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband.” Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman.” So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.
We are not to live by Old Covenant principles of relating to God, but rather, we are to live by the teachings of Jesus and understand God's acceptance of us is not based on how well we keep the Law, but rather, our acceptance is based on our heart orientation to Jesus and what He did for us.
Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
As one who is in Christ we are not to view our obedience as meritorious in nature, but rather, we are to view our obedience as an expression of our love for God. The moment we begin to view our obedience as meritorious we fall from grace and put ourselves under the Law or the old way of relating to God.
Galatians 5:4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
We don't obey God to earn a right standing with Him, we obey God because we love Him and value what He values because what God values is good and right.
When we truly begin to grow in our understanding of all this we will wake up one day and realize that God has written His Law in our heart and mind and through love we will find ourselves keeping the commandments because they define godly love.
Romans 13:8-9 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
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