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Galatians 2:17-19.

J

justbyfaith

 
Member
Gal 2:17, But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not!
Gal 2:18, Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down.
Gal 2:19, For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God.

It should be clear from holy scripture that we can't keep the law. Consider.

Rom 2:13, For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.

Here, it seems that obeying the law makes us right in the sight of the Lord.

However, it is also written,

Rom 3:20, For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

We cannot be made right in God's sight by doing what the law commands. This appears to be in contradiction to what was said previously, that it is obeying the law that makes us right in His sight.

Until you look at the context. We find in the entire passage that there is no one righteous, no, not one; and that the law shows us how sinful we are.

It should be clear that the law shows us how sinful we are and that we cannot be justified in the keeping of it because we cannot keep it. Because if we could keep it, we would be justified in the keeping of it. Yet the scripture declares that no one will be justified in the keeping of it.

So, looking at the main text for today.

In coming to Christ I have abandoned the law and therefore, is Christ a minister of sin? No; I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law which I have torn down.

Consider.

Gal 3:22, But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.

The scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin and we receive God's promise of freedom only through faith in Jesus.

What is the freedom that Paul is talking about, in context?

Gal 5:1, So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.

It should be clear that, in Christ, we have come out from being under the law (Romans 6:14); we are dead to the law (Romans 7:4, Galatians 2:19); we have been delivered from the law (Romans 7:6).

We have been set free from the law, and therefore the law does not any longer point the finger at us and identify us as sinners.
I am a sinner saved by grace; however, I am not counted as a sinner by God because sin is not imputed where the law does not apply (Romans 5:13); where the law does not apply there is no transgression (Romans 4:15), and therefore no sin (1 John 3:4).

I am forgiven of every sin through faith in the blood of Christ.

I am set free from the condemnation of the law.

Paul's exhortation to me is that I not allow myself to be entangled again in a yoke of slavery to the law.

The reality is that I cannot sin because I am not under the law; because where the law does not apply, there is no transgression (Romans 4:15, 1 John 3:4).

The only way that I might be able to sin might be if I rebuilt the old system of law which I tore down.

Now, as someone who is not under the law, and who is dead to the law, and who is delivered from the law, I am not completely ungoverned by moral precept.

It is written,

Gal 5:13, For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

As a believer in Christ, I am governed by the love of God which is shed abroad in my heart (Romans 5:5).

1Co 6:12, You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.

I also must not allow any addictive behaviour to control me.

If I did that, I would no longer be truly free; and what is the purpose of my freedom from the law except to make me free from the power of sin?

As a believer in Christ, the following is my paradigm for living.

Heb 8:10, But this is the new covenant I will make
with the people of Israel on that day, says the LORD:
I will put my laws in their minds,
and I will write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.

The law is written on my heart and in my mind through love.

Gal 5:14, For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

I will point out one other thing.

If we have the love of the Father in us, we will not be indulging in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life.

1Jo 2:15, Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.
1Jo 2:16, For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

Therefore, being set free from the law, we begin to be governed by the love of the Lord. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus; however this does not mean that we do not have a moral compass as believers in Christ.

The reality is that in Christ, I cannot sin no matter what I do; in God's sight. I am covered by the blood. The law is no longer my accuser because I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

However, such a thing ought to produce within me a gratitude that produces the love of the Lord.

If it does not, then I may forfeit the forgiveness that I have because I insult the Spirit of grace and spurn the counsel of the Lord.

If I love the Lord, I will keep the commandments of the Lord (1 John 5:3, 2 John 1:6, Romans 13:8-10).

If I were to fail to keep those commandments, I would not be condemned because I am not under the law.

But because I have been redeemed, obedience ought to become my character. For there is an obedience to the faith (Romans 1:5) and an obedience of faith (Romans 16:26).

The law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and disobedient (1 Timothy 1:8-11).

As one who has been made righteous through faith in the blood of Christ (Romans 5:19), I am no longer under the law (Romans 6:14), am dead to the law (Romans 7:4, Galatians 2:19), and am delivered from the law (Romans 7:6).

Because I am in love with Jesus Christ, I am His obedient servant.
 
I am clearly not justified by the law and yet this does not mean that I will not be obedient to the law.

For I obey the law, not in order to be justified, but because I have faith in and love Jesus.

There is no condemnation if I disobey the law.

But I obey the law because I am not condemned...because God has placed a Spirit in me (Romans 8:7).
 
Jesus speaking (NLT),
Mat 7:21, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.
Mat 7:22, On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’
Mat 7:23, But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

I consider that the will of the Father being spoken of here, in context, is the moral teaching that we find Jesus preaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). I consider that it is also to receive the forgiveness that is provided for us in Jesus dying on the Cross.

Jesus says to those who are condemned, "Get away from me, you who break God's laws."

Consider:

Rom 4:15, For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)

Jesus condemns those who break God's laws; but the only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break.

As believers in Christ and what He did for us on the Cross, we are not under the law (Romans 6:14), are dead to the law (Romans 7:4, Galatians 2:19) and are delivered from the law (Romans 7:6).

The law does not apply to us as concerning condemnation...therefore we have no law to break. We are forgiven of past, present, and future sins...and this means that God does not hold our sins against us when we commit them, any longer.

Therefore, the law does not point us out as sinners any longer. We cannot break God's laws because we are not under the law, are dead to the law, and are delivered from the law.

However, in context, and in the whole of this teaching in the Bible, you must consider this:

Rom 7:1, Now, dear brothers and sisters—you who are familiar with the law—don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living? Rom 7:2, For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. Rom 7:3, So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.

The law still applies to you for as long as you are alive. And therefore, in order to come out from being under the law...in order to become dead to the law and delivered from the law...you must die.

You must die to the power of the law, yes; but it is more than that. You must die to the power of the flesh.

Gal 5:24, Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.

This means that you will not any longer practice the works of the flesh (the sinful nature) which for all practical purposes are prohibited by the law:

Gal 5:19, When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, Gal 5:20, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, Gal 5:21, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Now, the key to having victory over the works of the flesh, or the results of living by the sinful nature, is clear:

Gal 5:16, So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

This means walking according to and bearing the fruit of the Spirit.

Gal 5:22, But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gal 5:23, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Notice that there is no law that will condemn your behaviour if you consistently walk according to and bear the fruit of the Spirit. Therefore, in bearing the fruit of the Spirit, you will become a law-abiding citizen of the kingdom of heaven.
As it is written,

Rom 3:31, Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

I will say only this: that we inadvertently become obedient to the moral tenets of the law when we place our faith in Jesus and begin to walk according to the dictates of His Spirit.

We are not redeemed through the keeping of the law (Galatians 2:16); however, in being redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ, we place our roots into Christ and as the result we will bear the fruit of the Spirit, against which there is no law.

When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, He comes to live in us and through us (Galatians 2:20); and as long as He is the One who is doing the living in your life, the life that is lived is going to be a perfect life. We only sin when we begin to take back the Lordship of our lives and begin to live our own lives again. The problem with a living sacrifice is that it has the tendency to crawl off the altar. Thus it is written,

Psa 118:27, The LORD is God, shining upon us.
Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar.
We can have complete victory over the flesh. Consider:

Rom 8:12, Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.

Gal 5:24, Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.

Rom 5:17, For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

Col 2:11, When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.

Through the principle of Colossians 2:11, we can defeat the principle in Romans 7:14-25. In my sinful nature dwells no good thing...however, the sinful nature can be cut away so that it no longer has any authority in my life.
We become dead to the power of the flesh when we begin to understand that our relationship to the law has changed:

Rom 7:5, When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death.

Our relationship to the law changes when we die to self and to the flesh and begin to consistently walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Thus it is written,

Gal 5:18, But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

When you are directed by the Spirit, it isn't the law of Moses that governs you any longer. Rather, you begin to walk according to the virtues that are produced by the Spirit.

Again,

Gal 5:22, But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gal 5:23, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

And again, when you walk according to these virtues, you will be set free from walking according to the dictates of the sinful nature:

Gal 5:16, So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.
 
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justbyfaith said:
Jesus speaking (NLT),
Mat 7:21, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.
Mat 7:22, On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’
Mat 7:23, But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

I consider that the will of the Father being spoken of here, in context, is the moral teaching that we find Jesus preaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). I consider that it is also to receive the forgiveness that is provided for us in Jesus dying on the Cross.

Jesus says to those who are condemned, "Get away from me, you who break God's laws."

Consider:

Rom 4:15, For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)

Jesus condemns those who break God's laws; but the only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break.

As believers in Christ and what He did for us on the Cross, we are not under the law (Romans 6:14), are dead to the law (Romans 7:4, Galatians 2:19) and are delivered from the law (Romans 7:6).

The law does not apply to us as concerning condemnation...therefore we have no law to break. We are forgiven of past, present, and future sins...and this means that God does not hold our sins against us when we commit them, any longer.

Therefore, the law does not point us out as sinners any longer. We cannot break God's laws because we are not under the law, are dead to the law, and are delivered from the law.

However, in context, and in the whole of this teaching in the Bible, you must consider this:

Rom 7:1, Now, dear brothers and sisters—you who are familiar with the law—don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living? Rom 7:2, For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. Rom 7:3, So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.

The law still applies to you for as long as you are alive. And therefore, in order to come out from being under the law...in order to become dead to the law and delivered from the law...you must die.

You must die to the power of the law, yes; but it is more than that. You must die to the power of the flesh.

Gal 5:24, Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.

This means that you will not any longer practice the works of the flesh (the sinful nature) which for all practical purposes are prohibited by the law:

Gal 5:19, When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, Gal 5:20, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, Gal 5:21, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Now, the key to having victory over the works of the flesh, or the results of living by the sinful nature, is clear:

Gal 5:16, So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

This means walking according to and bearing the fruit of the Spirit.

Gal 5:22, But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gal 5:23, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Notice that there is no law that will condemn your behaviour if you consistently walk according to and bear the fruit of the Spirit. Therefore, in bearing the fruit of the Spirit, you will become a law-abiding citizen of the kingdom of heaven.
As it is written,

Rom 3:31, Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

I will say only this: that we inadvertently become obedient to the moral tenets of the law when we place our faith in Jesus and begin to walk according to the dictates of His Spirit.

We are not redeemed through the keeping of the law (Galatians 2:16); however, in being redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ, we place our roots into Christ and as the result we will bear the fruit of the Spirit, against which there is no law.

When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, He comes to live in us and through us (Galatians 2:20); and as long as He is the One who is doing the living in your life, the life that is lived is going to be a perfect life. We only sin when we begin to take back the Lordship of our lives and begin to live our own lives again. The problem with a living sacrifice is that it has the tendency to crawl off the altar. Thus it is written,

Psa 118:27, The LORD is God, shining upon us.
Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar.
Click to expand...
justbyfaith said:
We can have complete victory over the flesh. Consider:

Rom 8:12, Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.

Gal 5:24, Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.

Rom 5:17, For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

Col 2:11, When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.

Through the principle of Colossians 2:11, we can defeat the principle in Romans 7:14-25. In my sinful nature dwells no good thing...however, the sinful nature can be cut away so that it no longer has any authority in my life.
We become dead to the power of the flesh when we begin to understand that our relationship to the law has changed:

Rom 7:5, When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death.

Our relationship to the law changes when we die to self and to the flesh and begin to consistently walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Thus it is written,

Gal 5:18, But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

When you are directed by the Spirit, it isn't the law of Moses that governs you any longer. Rather, you begin to walk according to the virtues that are produced by the Spirit.

Again,

Gal 5:22, But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gal 5:23, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

And again, when you walk according to these virtues, you will be set free from walking according to the dictates of the sinful nature:

Gal 5:16, So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.
Click to expand...
 
Gal 3:22, But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.

Jhn 8:31, Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.
Jhn 8:32, And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Jhn 8:33, “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?”
Jhn 8:34, Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.
Jhn 8:35, A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever.
Jhn 8:36, So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

The scriptures declare that apart from faith in Jesus Christ we are all prisoners of sin...held captive by its power.

We are set free from our prison when we place our faith in Jesus.

Being set free, we are no longer slaves to sin...

As I have preached before, so I will preach again...

Sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4)...

So, in being set free from sin, we become obedient to the law.

However, this is not accomplished through attempting to keep the law as a set of do's and don'ts, crossing our t's and dotting our i's...

It is accomplished as we place our faith in Jesus Christ and receive the Holy Spirit by faith (Galatians 3:14)...

And as He sheds abroad in our hearts His love by the power of the Holy Ghost (Romans 5:5)...

The righteousness of the law is then fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit (Romans 8:4)...

As we walk in the love of Jesus Christ, we will fulfill the law (Romans 13:8-10, 1 John 5:3, 2 John 1:6).

Thus, the root of our obedience is not in attempting to obey a set of do's and don'ts (i.e. keeping the law)...

Rather, it is rooted and grounded in faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus can only live a life that is perfect.

Therefore, if we allow Christ to live His life in us and through us (Galatians 2:20),

The life that is lived by us will be perfect and holy.

Not because we are striving to live a perfect and holy life,

But because we have ceased to live our own lives and have relinquished control of our lives to Christ.

For faith in Christ means receiving Him not only as Saviour, but as Lord.

Thus we are to relinquish control to Him by allowing Him to live in us and through us by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Rom 8:9, But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)

1Jo 2:4, If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.
1Jo 2:5, But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.
1Jo 2:6, Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
 
Mat 7:24, Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Mat 7:25, And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Mat 7:26, And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Mat 7:27, And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

A person might believe in what is called greasy grace...they may understand that it is the biblical teaching that we are saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9)...and they may indeed apply this doctrine in such a manner that they will never be obedient to God's word. For the basic principle of Ephesians 2:8-9 does in fact tell us that obedience isn't necessary for salvation...all that is required is faith.

However, here in Matthew 7:24-27, we find a principle;

That obedience is a necessary thing as an abiding factor that will enable the believer to PERSEVERE.

The believer who is obedient, his house will stand when the storms of life come crashing down on his faith; and the one who is disobedient, resting on his laurels, so to speak, when the storms of life come crashing down, his house will fall; and great will be the fall of it!

The question arises, "what are we to be obedient to?"

In Romans 1:5, Paul speaks of obedience to the faith and in Romans 16:26, he speaks of the obedience of faith.

Obedience to the faith is to follow after and obey the moral tenets that Jesus gave to us when He ministered the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:20-49).

The obedience of faith means to live according to the virtues that come as the result of faith...the fruit of the Spirit as it is spoken of in Galatians 5:22-23.

For if we walk according to the Spirit, we will not be obedient to the dictates of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).

I would say that the obedience of faith is in effect the same thing as obedience to the faith; in that if we walk according to and bear the fruit of the Spirit, we will also be obedient to the moral tenets that Jesus gave in those two Sermons. The Sermons give Jesus' teachings on morality as a set of do's and don'ts...while Paul the apostle exhorts us to merely live according to the Spirit; which, if we do, we also will not fail to be obedient to the moral tenets that we find written in the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain.

I find that in Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus' exhortation is that we do not forget these moral tenets as we continue forward in our Christian faith and walk.

It is written,

Gal 3:22 (NLT), But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.

So long as we are under the law, the law shows us that we are prisoners of sin. But when we place our faith in Jesus, we are set free from being prisoners of sin and as a result we cease from sinning; we are set free from sin. Which means that we become obedient to the law.

However, it should be noticed that we become inadvertently obedient to the law.

It is not that we are checking our behaviour; crossing our t's and dotting our i's against the moral tenets we find written in these Sermons...

It is that we have a relationship with Jesus Christ and He is now living His life in us and through us (Galatians 2:20).

It is never a bad thing to gauge our success as Christians by how well we are doing when it comes to being obedient to the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain.

For it is written,

Pro 28:9, He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.

But even when we find that we have been disobedient to the law, there is grace and favour for those who come to the Lord with contrition of heart and a humble attitude. He is in the process of sanctifying us (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24); and the standard to which we are being made holy is the law as Jesus gave it in the Sermon on the Mount and in the Sermon on the Plain.

Note that in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus includes all of the Old Testament law as something that we ought to be obedient to if we want to be counted as great in the kingdom of heaven.

If we are not obedient to the least of these commandments, we are still found therein; only we shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.

Thus, obedience to the food laws, for example, is not a necessity for salvation; while if we become obedient to them we will find ourselves in greater standing when we finally get there.

Paul exhorts us in Romans 14:1-15:3 that the motivation for being obedient to them is love for the weaker believer whose conscience might condemn him if he is disobedient to them.

If you are a stronger brother, then you are blessed if you do not condemn yourself in what your faith allows; but Paul's exhortation is that you not exercise your faith to do what your brother has scruples about, at least not in the presence of your weaker brother.

Peter was obeying this principle and got lambasted by Paul over it. (in Galatians chapter 2), Before the people from James came to Antioch, he ate with the Gentiles; but when they arrived, Peter was sensitive to their consciences and would not any more eat the unclean foods that were set before him at the Gentile table.

I don't believe that Peter sinned in this; but from Paul's perspective, whose ministry was to the Gentiles, he was in the wrong. Paul considered it to be hypocrisy at the time; because the gospel to the Gentiles was being compromised by Peter's behaviour.

Peter might have been better off if he had obeyed the Jewish food laws from the getgo; at least then he would not have ever been accused of hypocrisy; for Paul's contention with him was that in going from eating with the Gentiles to not eating with them, he was compelling Gentiles to live as Jews.

And the book of Matthew is written primarily to Jews; so Matthew 5:17-20 may in fact be something that was written as a ministry to Jewish people who are normally zealous for the law.

For as a believing Gentile, you are not under the law.

Failing to obey the law will not put you out of the kingdom; if you have faith in Jesus Christ.

However, it is my contention that if you become obedient to the least of God's commandments in both the Old and New Testaments, you will be called great in the kingdom.
 
Gal 5:16, So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.
Gal 5:17, The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
Gal 5:18, But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.
Gal 5:19, When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
Gal 5:20, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,
Gal 5:21, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Gal 5:22, But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gal 5:23, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

There is no law against us that will condemn our behaviour if we bear the fruit of the Spirit.

If we walk according to the Spirit we will not be doing what the sinful nature craves (we will not be sinning).

1Jo 3:4, Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.

If we bear the fruit of the Spirit, that fruit is primarily love for Jesus and love for our neighbor.

Jesus said,

Jhn 14:15, If you love me, obey my commandments.

John the apostle wrote,
1Jo 5:3, Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.
and,
2Jo 1:6, Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.

It is written,

Rom 13:8, Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Rom 13:9, For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Rom 13:10, Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Love is the fulfilling of the law.

If I simplify my walk with Jesus to simply loving God and loving my neighbor, everything else will fall into place.
That being said, the commandments of the Lord are the specifics of the love of the Lord.

If I love God and love my neighbor, I will not:

* commit adultery with my neighbor's wife (or even lust after her in my heart)...
* kill my neighbor (or be angry with him without a cause; call him an idiot, or curse him by saying, "you fool")
* steal from my neighbor (or covet what belongs to him)
* bear false witness against my neighbor (or slander him) (I will also let my "yes" be "yes" and my "no", "no" and will not swear)
* covet what belongs to my neighbor
* break any other commandment in scripture in regards to my neighbor
* break any commandment in scripture that exemplifies love for God.

Bearing the fruit of love means that I will keep the commandments of the Lord.

If I walk according to the Spirit I will not be doing what my sinful nature craves.

What my sinful nature craves is listed above, in verses 19-21 (above).

Clearly, if I do anything my sinful nature craves, I will be violating some law in holy scripture.

If I am bearing the fruit of the Spirit I will not be doing what my sinful nature craves.

There is no law against the fruit of the Spirit!

Therefore, when I bear the fruit of the Spirit, I become a law-abiding citizen of the kingdom of heaven.
 
1Th 5:23, Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
1Th 5:24, God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.

The standard to which we are made holy is Jesus' moral teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:20-49).

Now, in the Sermon on the Mount, we have the following teaching which I am going to address here.

Mat 5:17, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.
Mat 5:18, I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.
Mat 5:19, So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Mat 5:20, “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

Here we find that if we are obedient to the least of these commandments spoken of in the Old Testament, we will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

However, in Acts chapter 15, we find that the Judaizers were coming in and teaching that the disciples had to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses in order to be saved.

To which Peter replied,

Act 15:8, God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us.
Act 15:9, He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith.
Act 15:10, So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear?
Act 15:11, We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”

Understanding that the Old Testament law is too much of a yoke for anyone to bear (and that the yoke of Jesus is easy and His burden is light), Peter denied the contention of the Judaizers, saying that the hearts of the Gentiles had been cleansed by faith apart from the keeping of the law and that the apostles' understanding of it is that Jew and Gentile alike will be saved through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, as concerning the requirement for Gentile believers as concerning the letter of the law, the apostles decided to write an epistle to the Gentile believers whose faith had been subverted by these Judaizers.

It said the following.

Act 15:20, Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from eating food offered to idols, from sexual immorality, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from consuming blood.

As it turns out, this is the New Testament meaning of what Jesus was referring to when He spoke of the least of these commandments.

Therefore the letter of the law is what we find written in Acts 15:20, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:20-49).

And while we are never justified by obeying the letter of the law, it is this law, that I have spoken of here, that is the standard of holiness to which we are sanctified according to 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.

Therefore, if you have as a foundation the understanding that you are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; and that if you should begin to obey this law perfectly you are by no means justified by the law but through faith in Jesus Christ (as it is written,

Rom 3:31, Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.)

Knowing that we are not justified by the law, yet as we continue in the faith we will come to the understanding that we can be sanctified wholly (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, Hebrews 10:14, 1 John 3:9), and that the standard of holiness to which we are sanctified is the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain;

And that the specific aspect in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:17-20) that tells us to be obedient to the least of the commandments, is referring in our New Testament theology to what is written in Acts 15:20.

Now, Paul's standard of holiness is defined by the following.

Rom 8:5, Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
Rom 8:6, So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
Rom 8:7, For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.
Rom 8:8, That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
Rom 8:9, ***But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)***
Rom 8:10, And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.
Rom 8:11, The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
Rom 8:12, ***Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.***
Rom 8:13, For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.
Rom 8:14, For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

If we are controlled by the Spirit rather than the flesh (sinful nature), we will supernaturally live as Christ lived (1 John 2:6); He will be living His life in us and through us (Galatians 2:20): and it should be clear that Jesus practiced what He preached.

Therefore if we live as Christ lived, and if He is living His life in us and through us, our practical lives are going to show forth an obedience to the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain (and Acts 15:20).
This is accomplished by faith; for, again, it is written,

Rom 3:31, Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

While the context of this verse tells us something very important:

Rom 3:28, So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

Therefore I say that as believers in Jesus Christ, we seek to be obedient to the moral tenets that we find in the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain (and Acts 15:20); which is, in effect, the New Testament law;

While if we should fail to be perfectly obedient to this standard, we know that we have not been justified through law-keeping but through faith in Jesus Christ.

Nevertheless, if we have come to the knowledge of the truth, there is a reality that we must also consider.

Heb 10:26, Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins.
Heb 10:27, There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies.
Heb 10:28, For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
Heb 10:29, Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us.
Heb 10:30, For we know the one who said,
“I will take revenge.
I will pay them back.” He also said,
“The LORD will judge his own people.”
Heb 10:31, It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Sinning willfully against Jesus Christ will result in His sacrifice for sins no longer availing for us.

However, this does not mean that we cannot come back to Him and lay hold of the original sacrifice; it merely means that there is no other sacrifice that will sanctify us than what Jesus has done for us on the Cross; and if we turn away from the sanctification that comes through His shed blood (cf. v.29, Hebrews 13:12), the only way back into the kingdom is through the same sanctification that you had before; through the same means.

<to be cont'd>
 
<cont'd>

(and Jesus also said,

Jhn 6:37, All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.)

Therefore I exhort the believer who once lived a life of holiness but is backslidden from that holiness, to turn again to the holy commandment that was first given to him.

As it is written,

2Pe 2:18, They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception.
2Pe 2:19, They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.
2Pe 2:20, And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before.
2Pe 2:21, It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life.
2Pe 2:22, They prove the truth of this proverb: “A dog returns to its vomit.” And another says, “A washed pig returns to the mud.”

If you once walked in the grace and holiness of Christ and then turned from the holy commandment that was given to you (you rejected the command to live a holy life) for that you began to believe in today's message of the church (which I will define as "greasy grace" or "sloppy agape"), then today the Lord is calling you back to a life of holiness through faith in Jesus' shed blood which has the power to make you holy.

As it is written,

Heb 13:12, So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood.

You must commit to an obedience to the Holy Spirit and you must ask Him to take control of your life.

For it is also written,

Rom 8:7, For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.
Rom 8:8, That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
Rom 8:9, But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)

In becoming obedient to the Holy Spirit you will become obedient to the Sermon on the Mount, the Sermon on the Plain, and Acts 15:20.

It is never wrong to gauge your success as a believer by looking into the law that sets you free; mentioned immediately above.

It is written,

Jas 1:21, So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
Jas 1:22, But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
Jas 1:23, For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.
Jas 1:24, You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.
Jas 1:25, But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

I will say one last thing.

If you are seeking to be justified through law-keeping, works, or personal merits, apart from faith in Jesus Christ, then you are obligated to obey the whole law and are under a curse:

Gal 3:10, But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”

However, we have just seen that there is a blessing for those who look into the perfect law of liberty and obey it.

A contradiction?

No.

For those who are adequately secure in the fact that their salvation is found through faith in Jesus Christ and never through their keeping of the law, these can move forward into keeping the law, not in order to be justified, but because they love Jesus.

The law being spoken of being the law of Christ (which is the Sermon on the Mount, the Sermon on the Plain, and Acts 15:20).

For it is written that Jesus said,

Jhn 14:15, If you love me, obey my commandments.

Galatians 3:10 applies (as a curse) only to those who are seeking to be justified by the law (see also Galatians 5:1-4).

If you obey the law of Christ because you love Him, then you are blessed according to James 1:25 (above).
 
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Good OP.
Bit of a monologue.
Mind if I join you?

A personal observation on SALVATION and the LAW ...
We have traded a long list of "Thou shall not" prohibitions for a "Now, thou may" empowerment. In Romans, Paul talks about all the things that he WANTS to do and the LAW COMMAND him to avoid, but sin immediately drags him into the very thing that he hates.

It reminds me of the old trick "I want you to think of anything except a Red Car. Do not think of a Red Car. Now close your eyes and concentrate on anything except a Red Car. What do you see?" (If you are like most people, you see a red car.) So the LAW is like that. Do not LIE. Don't even think about lying. Think about anything and everything except lying. ... Then we lie.

GRACE turns it around. The LAW cannot touch us so we are told: "Think about LOVE. Go ahead, think about how much God LOVES you. Think about how much you LOVE God. Think about how much God LOVES them. Think about how good it would be if they LOVED you and you LOVED them. ... Then we LOVE.

THIS comes first ...
  • [Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT] God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
So that we can then do THIS ...
  • [Ephesians 2:10 NLT] For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
 
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