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Antinomianism is the teaching of the church at large today, and
is what I was also taught for years. Christians
"should" obey the Lord, but we don't have to. Since we are saved by
grace, obedience is strictly optional, and in fact grace REPLACES obedience.
Is this what Paul the "apostle of
grace" taught? NO! Paul was not an antinomian (antinomian means against
law) and never taught that grace replaces obedience. Rather, he taught that
grace EMPOWERS for obedience.
The following are some notes concerning law
and grace I wrote down for another message board:
He wrote, "Do we then make void the law
through faith? God forbid; yes, we establish the law." Was he saying he
was establishing the law as a vehicle through which to be saved? Definitely
not. The law is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. The law also gives
knowledge of sin. (Rom. 7:7) But he did not say the law of God was done away
with in the life of the believer saved by grace. He wrote, "Do we then
make the law void through faith? Yea, we establish the law."-Rom. 3:31
What does this mean, "we establish the
law" when one is saved by grace and not the works of the law? The
righteousness of the law is fulfilled in one's life when walks not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit. (See Rom. 8:4) So the beautiful, practical
righteousness of the (spirit of the) law is not done away with after grace has
come, but instead, "the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in
us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Rom 8:4)
Paul wrote, But after that faith is come, we
are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by
faith in Christ Jesus. That's right...no longer under a schoolmaster. The law
of Moses was a schoolmaster that did not save. Its purpose was to show the
knowledge of sin and to bring to Christ. The letter of the law was the
schoolmaster, and the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us who walk not
after the flesh but after the Spirit (we serve in newness of Spirit). (See
Rom. 8:1-5)
The letter of the law is gone, but the spirit
of the law is lived out through those who "walk after the Spirit."
"But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were
held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the
letter".-Rom. 7:6
So it is the spirit of the law that is
established; and is fulfilled in those who walk after the Spirit-by those who
are free from the letter of the law (law of sin and death) because they have
the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans
(chapter 7) that "with the mind I myself the serve the law of God; but
with the flesh the law of sin."-The "law of God" was his
purposeful pattern or way of life. The law of sin that operated in his flesh
(fallen nature) was something that was warring against his mind, seeking to
bring him into captivity to the law of sin. (Rom. 7)
Because in the believer the flesh wants to
serve the law of sin and the mind the law of God, Paul spent much time
exhorting believers to "walk after the Spirit", "be led of the
Spirit", "Put on" (bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of
mind, meekness, etc.),"prove his own work"," press toward the
mark", "walk in love", etc. This is walking after the Spirit
and not the flesh.
There is a law in the believer that makes him
free from the law of sin and death: The law of the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus. The righteousness of the law must be fulfilled in the believer's life
by the imputation of Christ Jesus. When the righteousness of Christ is imputed
by faith, one receives the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Those who walk not
after the flesh but after the Spirit (by the power of the indwelling Spirit)
have the righteousness of the law fulfilled in them. (Rom 8:4)
Paul wrote that to be carnally minded is
death. Why? Because the carnal mind is enmity towards God! The carnal mind is
not subject to the law of God! Paul did not give in to the law of sin and
death, but warred against it and delighted himself in the law of God after the
inward man. (Rom. 7:22, 23)
Paul taught that if the Spirit of God dwells
in a person they are not in the flesh, (he also termed it "after the
flesh"-see Rom. 8:5) but in the Spirit. Those in the flesh cannot please
God. Those who are truly sons of God please God! "For as many as are led
by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."
Getting back to the law: those who become
"dead to the law by the body of Christ (those saved by grace are indeed
dead to the law) that ye should be married to another, even to him that is
raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God."-Rom. 7:4
Those saved by grace are delivered from the
law (it cannot save and we were dead wherein we were held) and married to
Christ. What kind of fruit do these bring forth? Fruit unto God! (Rom. 7:4-6)
What fruit is brought forth by those in the flesh and by the motions of sins
which were by the law? Fruit unto death! (Rom. 7:5)
The law is holy, and the commandment holy,
and just and good, but sin slays the one under the law because it is a perfect
standard of righteousness and one cannot keep it by the power of the flesh, it
must be imputed to us by the Lord Jesus Christ.
"But what the law could not do, in that
it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of
sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness
of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit."
Jesus Christ CONDEMNED sin in the flesh!
Those who are under the LAW practice sin in the flesh. They do not have the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus to make them free from the law of sin and
death. They are still under the power of sin and serve unrighteousness and do
not have the ability, through the power of the Spirit of Christ within them,
to reckon themselves dead to sin, and not let sin reign in their mortal body.
Sin has dominion over them because they are under the law and NOT grace. (See
Rom. 6:14, 15)
There is no condemnation for those in Christ
Jesus who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Rom. 8:1)
("For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God") Those who are in Christ Jesus are FREE from the law of sin and
death because they have the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. (Rom.
8:2) We already saw what being under the law of sin and death does to a
person: it slays them.
Paul taught in the letter to the Galatians
that "Christ is of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by
the law; ye are fallen from grace."-Gal. 5:4 The law does not justify and
leaning on the law to justify will cause one to FALL from Grace. Then he
wrote: "For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by
faith." The righteousness that comes through the Spirit is by faith in
Christ Jesus and brings liberty...NOT to sin (Christ condemned sin in the
flesh and those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God, for if ye
live after the flesh ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the
deeds of the body, ye shall live.- Rom. 8) NOT to use liberty for an occasion
to the flesh", but to "by love serve one another" which
fulfills the law of Christ (Gal. 5:13,14)
That is why Paul wrote, "But if ye be
led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law."
We've got a choice: to be under the law or
led of the Spirit. Those saved by grace are NOT under the law and are led of
the Spirit in their lives. Those under the law are NOT led of the Spirit and
are NOT free from the law of sin and death.
Those "under the law" work hard in
the power of the flesh but do not have the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
(which comes by grace through faith) and therefore are not free from the law
of sin and death and do practice sin as a lifestyle.
Those saved by grace have the Spirit of life
in Christ Jesus and are "led of the Spirit" and are NOT under the
law. These people are sons of God and as such are led by the Spirit of God.
These people mortify the deeds of the body, reckon themselves dead to sin,
yield themselves servants of righteousness unto holiness and are servants to
God having fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life. They have the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus with which they are able to walk in the Spirit
and NOT fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
Gary and Lisa Ruby
True Gospel Vs False Gospel
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