God Is Love
1 John 4:16 [NKJV] And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. GOD IS LOVE, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
Okay, brace yourselves - This is gonna be a long one. I just might break it up into several parts.
Last year I spent a little time (very little) researching, or I should probably say reading about certain religions that teach this idea that we must continually work to achieve perfect obedience of the law. Only then will we achieve righteousness and receive all the subsequent blessings that follow. Interpretation of the law is subjective and varies from one group to the next but a friend of mine started attending one of these churches. They tell you that your obedience to the law is what identifies you as the “remnant” church; or, the “true” church, particularly whether or not you “keep the Sabbath”. Of course like many groups they selectively choose which laws they must obey and which are no longer necessary.
I had never heard this type of “Gospel” as they would call it but almost immediately I was fired up and anxious to disprove or discredit the “doctrines” that this person was attempting to preach to us regardless of how little I knew at the time but… after reading just a little bit about their theology it didn’t take long for me to realize that I had no desire to waste my time learning about a doctrine that made little to no sense (at least to me) J -Sorry if I come off offensive- I will say that I can see how it would be easy to justify their particular faith if you selectively choose to study scriptures that reaffirm the doctrine, but just the little bit that I read was so contradictory with THE Gospel that it gave me a headache, not to mention around the same time, in the middle of a service my Pastor just so happened to mention from the pulpit that it’d be a waste our time to try and convert people from other denominations, but rather than debating theology we should focus on personal growth and reaching out to the lost souls in our community (at which point my wife nudged me with her elbow).
– So- While I decided not to pursue my quest to convert this friend, it still left me wondering what role the law plays in our relationship with God, and why I had never heard or even considered the idea. Is the purpose of the law to teach us right-living so that we may become acceptable to God? Do we toss out the “ceremonial” laws and keep only the “moral” laws as our guide? Was the law only for a specific people at a specific time? Or does the purpose of the law go deeper than a two-second superficial explanation? Whatever the answer, I knew that truth had to be consistent with all scripture.
I started reading and listening to everything I could get my hands on that touched on the significance of the law, the relationship to God’s grace, and what it means for us as the New Covenant church - post cross. In this blog I'm going to discuss these two subjects (just a little bit). I always try to keep it as simple as possible but I do tend to ramble on at times. There are several other bloggers I follow but honestly, if some of my friends and family were to read what some of these bloggers write, they might have trouble understanding what exactly is being said -so- if I can simplify anything without ommitting substance, than I will. This is simply my opinion, my experience, and my own faith and understanding of what law and grace mean for us. I imagine you could probably spend a lifetime reading, studying, and debating these two subjects and the many different interpretations by the various religious groups, but here’s Adam’s “brief” explanation.
As I said before, for me, everything started out with trying to explain to a friend’s wife why we as Pentecostals do what we do, teach what we teach, and where some of our “rules” come from, particularly those pertaining to standards of modesty and dress. I wanted to reaffirm what we’ve always known to be biblical truths. I’ve come to realize –however- that spending all our time trying to determine which rules we need to follow in order to be acceptable to God and to separate ourselves from this “filthy” world so that we don’t easily get pulled back into the fire, probably shouldn’t be our first priority. Just the same, going around proudly proclaiming the fact that we don’t need any rules at all because we're free to from the law is of equally less importance than understanding grace, and pursuing our mission, to preach the gospel.
As far as the law is concerned, if we’re going to start somewhere we should probably start by identifying the scriptural purpose for the law and what role it plays with respect to God's grace; because while God has laws, he's not defined by his laws. He’s defined as Love. Identifying the purpose for the law might help us gain a better understanding of who he is, and not only what he wants from us, but what he has for us, because his desire is not just to receive, but to provide. When examining the law and the scriptures pertaining to the law we should keep in mind that while all scripture was written for us, not all scripture was necessarily written to us so everything must be considered in context. It’s equally important to account for the fact that the stories we read and the lessons we learn under the Old Covenant (this includes the time while Jesus walked on this earth) are but a shadow of things to come which are revealed in the New Covenant, post cross.
The Ten Commandments
While there may be minor variations from one Christian fellowship to the next, I’ve come across what I believe to be the two most common perspectives on the significance of God’s law found within Christian fellowships today. One teaches that the law is the moral code by which we strive to live and that doing so is essential for spiritual health and growth. Any mention of freedom from the law (to some) implies a freedom to kill, to steal, to lie and so forth and so on. Another teaches that the Old Covenant Laws have been cancelled and a New Covenant supersedes and replaces the Old. Like I said neither of the two are new ideas but I think there are some Christians that I know personally who have never taken the time to examine either perspective or the scriptural references which support them.
There are probably those who have never even taken the time to study what it is they themselves believe and why. Not that I’m trying to knock anybody, until recently I had never studied them either, at least no more than what was preached from the pulpit but my point is that it’s well worth knowing not only what you believe, but why you believe it. So we have two explanations for the significance of the law. Whichever is more accurate (if either of them is), it seems to have been and still is to this day an ongoing debate within the church. One thing is for sure, there is one faith and one church and while some may disagree on different aspects of their theology we can all agree that his ways are not our ways, his thoughts are higher than are thoughts and regardless of how much we think we know, he is able to do exceeding, abundant above all that we ask or even think.
So why was the law given in the first place? When you read the books of the law you find detailed instructions on how the people of God were to live and conduct themselves. If they obeyed they would receive all sorts of good things; healing, financial blessing, long life, etc. etc. But, if they broke even one law they would be guilty of all and a number of consequences would follow; curses involving sickness, poverty, and ultimately death. God provided a process for partial atonement. The shedding of blood would push their sins forward for one year but all of this pointed to one final act which would ultimately atone for the sins of the world. Jesus Christ, the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, the perfect sacrifice, hung on a tree, stretched his arms wide, and was judged for all sin once and for all. It was the greatest act of love by a God defined as love all so he could reconcile the world back to himself.
Two Covenants
When was the law given? Most of us know that the law was given at Mount Sinai. But Sinai was not where God made his promise to Abraham. God’s covenant with Abraham was over 400 years prior to Sinai. It’s important to understand that God’s promise was never contingent on the law or our obedience to the law, he had another plan that would guarantee his promise to us, but we’ll get to that a little later. At Sinai God provided the law to the Israelites. I've actually heard some describe this as the first Pentecost. Fifty days after the Passover. At Mount Sinai, the first Pentecost, the law was broken and 3000 died. After the cross and ascension of Christ, the first Pentecost post cross, Grace was received and 3000 were saved. A demonstration of how “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
2 Corinthians 3:6-11 [NKJV]
Who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.
Here we have several references comparing The Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The Old Covenant is referred to as “The Letter that kills”, “The Ministry of Death”, & “The Ministry of Condemnation.” The New Covenant is referred to as the “Spirit that gives life”, the “Ministry of the Spirit”, and the “Ministry of Righteousness”. Even though there is no direct explanation for the purpose of the Law found in this set of scriptures, what’s implied by each of the references is very telling. The “Letter that kills” tells us just that, it kills. The Ministry of Death implies the same, that this Law ministers death. He even adds that its “written and engraved in stones.” We know that the only thing God ever provided written and engraved in stones was the Ten Commandments so for those who believe that he’s only referring to the ceremonial laws and not the moral laws this passage makes no such distinction.
The “Ministry of Condemnation”, implies that the law ministers condemnation, telling you that you are guilty, reminding you that a debt is on your head. You later find that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ and Paul explains why that is, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. One other thing verse 11 indicates is that the law is passing away. Now I’m not saying the law is pointless, that it had no use, or that it has been erased altogether, but it goes much deeper than that. I believe the law represents God’s perfect standard; a standard that we could never meet on our own. So the law condemns us; each and every one of us. When we're under the law even the very best of us are condemned, but when we’re under grace the Spirit makes even the worst of us righteous.
We know that because of one man's disobedience (Adam), all were under sin and Paul says we were "prisoners" to sin. Regardless of how good you are or how much good you did you could never be made righteous by good works and you could never work your way out of the "prison" of sin by your obedience to the law. I think we quickly forget, however (and when I say we I’m talking about people that I know and are connected to. Obviously I can’t speak for everybody) that now, because of one man's obedience at the cross (Jesus Christ) we can be made righteous. How? by faith, through the obedience of faith, we have become "prisoners" to righteousness.
If we believe that one act, or one mistake, or one sin even, could pull you right back into the prison of sin, then we bring the blood of Jesus down to the equivalent of the blood of bulls and goats. The blood of animals required reapplication. But some of us would say that HIS blood can only last you maybe a day or two, because it doesn’t take long for us to slip. But the blood of Jesus is not equal to the blood of bulls and goats. The blood of Jesus settled sin at the cross, so much so that sin no longer has any power over us. So two Covenants; one ministers death and condemnation, the other ministers life and the gift of righteousness. Keep in mind that a gift is not something that's earned, but something that is given, unmerited, unearned, and undeserved.
Mount Sinai
The children of Israel were delivered from Egypt but they got stuck at the red sea. Here they began to murmur and complain telling Moses “Have you brought us out here to die.” God parts the red sea allowing them to cross over on dry land. Then they complain again. The water was bitter. So God provides again, giving them sweet water from a rock. A little further and you find the people of God complaining yet again, no food. This time when they complained God said “I will RAAAAAAAAIN judgment.” LOL. Well… not exactly. God provides manna from heaven, and shortly thereafter he provides quail. I believe this to be a picture of God’s grace. The people were in need, and the Lord provided EVEN THOUGH they complained, murmured, and lacked faith. It wasn’t because of Israel’s goodness. It was because of God’s goodness. It wasn’t because of Israel’s faithfulness. It was because of God’s faithfulness.
So we come to Mount Sinai and the law is given. Notice John 1:17 says the Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Something can be given from a distance, but grace and truth CAME personified in Jesus Christ. It’s personal. That’s his love for us. Also I think it’s interesting that truth is paired up with grace, and not law. Not implying that the law isn’t truth, but perhaps this would be consistent with the idea that the law was just a shadow, but grace and truth together came in Jesus Christ. Not just in Jesus who walked on the earth, but in the risen glorified Christ.
So God gives the Ten and 3000 die. Notice the contrast, before the law was given Israel would complain, and God provided, they’d complain, and God provided, but now, under law, if they murmured, they died. If they complained, they died. Now let’s see what Paul has to say.
Romans 7:5-6 [NKJV]
For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
There you have that reference to the Letter and the Spirit again. Notice that our sinful passions were aroused by the law and brought forth death, consistent with what we just read in 2 Corinthians. Now think about that for a second. The law aroused our sinful passions and led to what? Death. Hence the reference, the "Ministry of Death". But we have since died to what we were held by and now we serve in the newness of the Spirit.
Romans 7:7 [NKJV]
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”
The law, the letter that kills, the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of death, you would think that the law was nothing but bad news for us. So Paul asks the question, is the law sin? Of course not! He goes on to explain that he wouldn’t have known sin except through the law. How can you know that something is wrong unless someone tells you right from wrong? How would you know you were a sinner unless there was a law to establish and identify sin and our need for a savior. Have you ever noticed that in the Garden of Eden the one tree that they couldn't eat from was called the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil"? It wasn't the tree of sin. Knowing good from evil seems like a good thing. If you know good from evil you can choose to do good, right? So why then was it a bad thing for Adam and Eve to obtain such knowledge? I believe there’s a reason he didn’t create them to know good from evil. Could it be that when we're conscious of sin we are more tempted by sin? But when we are conscious of who we are in Christ, redeemed, forgiven, righteous, blessed, and much more, we are empowered to live it.
Romans 7:8 [NKJV]
But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire.
Sin taking opportunity by the commandment produced in me all manner of evil desire. Like a Child who’s told not to touch mommy’s stuff. Once you’ve brought it to their attention they’re more likely to do exactly what you've told them not to.
Romans 7:8 [NJKV]
…For apart from the law sin was dead.
Apart from the law sin was dead. This is important to remember. Without the law, sin was dead. Was there sin in the world prior to the law? Yes, but it was dead. Keep that in mind. This is significant in understanding how Jesus fulfilled the law, and how we have all died through him, and are now married to him who was risen from the dead.
Romans 7:9-12 [NKJV]
I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. 12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
So- sin brings forth death and it’s the law that revives sin, but the Law is still holy and just, and good. The bible says that before the law was given, sin was in the world, but it was not imputed where there was no law, because without the law, there can be no transgression. Meaning if people had no law to tell them what was right and wrong, how can they be punished for wrong doing. So while sin was in the world, there was no transgression because there was no law to transgress, or no rule to break and once again there was nothing to establish that we were sinners in need of a savior.
Galations 3:19 [NKJV]
What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions,…
The law was added because of transgressions. It would be easy to take this one verse and think, ok I see, the law was added because there were so many transgressions, but the word transgression in and of itself implies that there must be an established law to transgress. So if there is no law, there is no transgression. If there's no law saying you can't use your cell phone while driving (for us Californian's) then the law cannot fine me for driving while using a cell phone. You have to establish a law, in order for people to transgress the law. It doesn't change the fact that people used cell phones while driving before the law was established.
Galations 3:19-25 [NKJV]
…till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
The Need for a New Covenant
God found fault with the first covenant and implemented a New Covenant.
Hebrews 8:7-13 [NKJV]
For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 13 In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
So God found fault with the first covenant. We’ve already read how the law empowered sin to bring forth death. He also says he will write his laws on our minds and in our hearts.
Romans 2:14-15 [NKJV]
for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)
I believe that God is able to transform our hearts and make us new even to the point that it becomes our nature to love one another, to walk in love, and to do what’s right not because we’re required to, not because we have a list of do’s and don'ts, but because it’s who we are. In fact it might be more beneficial to spend more of our time learning exactly who we are in Christ, rather than who we were in sin, constantly trying to work our way out of sin into righteousness. Could it be that consciousness of sin ends up producing sin because we take our eyes off of grace and off our identity in Christ? Could it be that when we take our eyes off the mirror of the word which reveals our identity in Christ, the fact that we're righteous, the fact that we're victorious, when we take our eye off of his word, and the word of his grace and walk away, we forget who we are and fall back into our old nature? But that scripture goes on to say...
James 1:25 [NKJV]
But he who looks into the perfect law of LIBERTY and CONTINUES IN IT, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
Back to Romans 2, He also says he will be merciful to our unrighteousness, and our sins and lawless deeds he will remember no more. What a contrast to the law where he promises to remember their sins, and visit the sins of the father to the third and fourth generation. But we have obtained mercy. It’s all included in the New Covenant.
Galations 3:1-9 [NKJV]
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
If we were able to keep every law and every statute written in the law without failing it would have bought forth life and blessing. But now we're blessed and we receive our promise because of our faith in Jesus Christ. But sin taking opportunity by the commandment found a way to use the law to produce evil in our flesh and bring forth death. Have you ever noticed that the first commandment given was “Thou shall have no other God’s before me,” and what was the first thing Moses found at the bottom of the mount, a golden calf. Almost immediately their flesh responded. The very same people that just a few days prior told God “All that you ask, we are well able to do."
In verse five Paul tells us "he who supplies the Spirit to you,". The word “supplies” is not in the past tense “supplied”. He didn't just supply the Spirit the day we were born again, but he constantly supplies the Spirit to us, so for those who think they lose their Holy Ghost because of their mistakes, you may want to keep that in mind. He’s constantly supplying his Spirit to us; just a thought.
One preacher presented the question "Why didn't Satan tempt Eve to kill Adam? He roams around seeking to steal kill and destroy? So why not just take care of all mankind right from the start?" His answer... He believes that the Devil can only tempt you with what God has instructed us not to do. The only temptation the Devil could use in the garden was to eat of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. His only weapon is the Law from God. It's the letter that kills. But we find later on how God has disarmed the Devil, his principalities and powers.
So you might ask “Why would God provide the law if all it did was produce death?” Well we know God doesn't make mistakes and we know that he knows exactly what he's doing even when we don't understand it. He wasn't caught off guard when he provided the law and sin took the opportunity to use it against us. God had a purpose. The law was given so that all of us would become guilty, and condemned, and see our need for a savior. It shows us that no matter how hard we try we cannot obtain righteousness on our own. For the law was never given to justify man by. It was never intended that we would receive justification through our obedience of the law.
I believe that when you consider all scripture, the single most important function of the law was to establish our transgression and condemn us all. Before the law, there was sin in the world, but where there was no law, there was no transgression. If God never gave us his law people would never see their need for a savior. They would never know what they were doing was wrong and that sin required judgment. But now with the law in place we can see that we are transgressors of God's established law. That we can not measure up to his standard of righteousness. When we become transgressors we can see that we are sinners in need of a savior and the gift of righteousness. The law identifies our shortcomings, our sin, and our failure. Not only does it identify sin in us, but the Apostle Paul says it arouses sin in us. If it were up to the law alone, we would never be able to stand in his presents, but now, because of the cross, every act of lawlessness has been punished, and that punishment was exacted on Jesus Christ. That's what he has done for you and I, and for the world, in terms of the law.
Many of us have believed that our obedience to the law is the root that produces the fruit of the spirit. But obedience is not the root, but rather, a fruit; a product of our faith in him, and the fact that he has justified us and by his grace we have been transformed. It’s about changing how you approach God.
It's about understanding that we don’t come to service and stand in his presence today because we’ve been good enough this week, or we’ve obeyed well enough. We've dressed right right, talked right, and walked right, now we can talk to God, or if we haven't done everything right, then we get to spend a good part of the service getting back into a right place with God.
Our performance is not what makes us acceptable and able to stand in his presence. It’s not the work of our hands like Cain mistakenly believed, who was a tiller of the ground and presented the works of his hands as a sacrifice, but as Abel demonstrated, it’s the blood that makes us acceptable. We can come into service and stand in his presence and boldly approach the throne ONLY because of the blood of the lamb that has sanctified us and made us worthy. When we make a mistake, we must be repentant, but repentance isn't grieving until you feel release from your self-condemnation, that can take forever (it can also last forever). Repentance is simply understanding that you have fallen (sinned), that by the grace of God he is able to keep you from fallling, and that because of the blood, we are able to get back up immediately and press forward. Why?... Becasue HE has made us sons and has qualified us to be heirs.
The Promise Made SURE Through Faith
Romans 4:13-16 [NKJV]
For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
It was never intended for us to receive the promise of Abraham through obedience of the law but through the righteousness of faith. What is the righteousness of faith? It’s believing that he can and has made you righteous. Ask any brother or sister “What voids faith, and makes the promises of God of no effect in the believer’s life,” and the most common answer would probably be sin. Sin voids faith. There must be sin. There is sin in the camp. And yet the bible has made it clear that sin has no power over the believer.
Romans 6:14 [NKJV]
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
If sin has no dominion over us, does that mean we’ll never sin? Not necessarily. If we’re honest, none of us are without sin at all times. Then how does sin have no dominion over the believer? What empowered sin in the first place? The law! Remember sin taking opportunity by the commandment produced in me all manner of evil desire, and before the law, sin was in the world but it was not imputed where there was no law. So it makes sense that now that we are no longer under law because we've died to the law and are born again and married to another, sin no longer has power over us. Sin can only bring forth death because the law requires it. The strength of sin is the law. But now we are not under law, and although we still make mistakes, sin no longer has that power to use the law to condemn us. The law can longer demand judgment for the believer because every judgment for our sin has been exacted on Jesus Christ at the cross. Sin cannot demand death from us, because the death has already been provided. Can we live above sin? I believe we can, but I also believe that when we fall sin has no dominion over us and there is no condemnation for us because when we fail the blood immediately goes to work. John said these things I write so that you will not sin BUT if you sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, I believe when we make a mistake our advocate immediately steps in demanding justification on our behalf.
Sin, the Flesh, & The Spirit
Now there are those who believe there is no such thing as sin. That God sweeps our sin under the rug. We can live however we like and God loves us anyways, he doesn’t care about our sin, but that is not the biblical perspective of God's goodness. God is good, but all sin must be judged. Thankfully for the believer our sin has been judged at the cross once and for all! I believe John addresses those who believe they have no need for a savior and that Jesus was not the Son of God in the first chapter of 1st John. He begins by explaining how they've seen the miracles first had and the risen Christ, then goes on to say:
1 John 1:8 [NKJV]
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.
There were, and still are those who believe there is no such thing as sin, they can do no wrong, and they have no need for a savior, but in order to receive grace and forgiveness we must begin FIRST by admitting that we are sinners in need of a savior.
I believe in this first chapter John is addressing this particular faction in an attempt to bring them in to the church to have fellowship with them. It wouldn't make sense for him to talk to believers about “believing that they have no sin” when it takes faith and confession of sin in order to become a born again believer in the first place. One other indicator for me was that in the 2nd chapter he addresses the readers as the "beloved", but he doesn't do so at the beginning of 1st John. He begins the first chapter by explaining that Jesus Christ did in fact come, perform miracles, die, and was resurrected defeating death. The "beloved" was often how the church was addressed in the letters to the churches. John references obeying the commandment of Jesus and goes on to identify the believer by their confession that Jesus Chris is the Son of God, and that God abides in those who have love one for another. John also discusses how he who has been born again CANNOT sin.
This raises the question, how is it that a believer can commit sin. We all know that people who are born again do not instantly become perfect people or sinless people, we still struggle with our flesh, so how is it that the born again believers cannot sin, yet some of us still struggle with sin?
This is something that puzzled me for a while. Let’s consider the text where Paul talks about his flesh sinning, but with the mind he serves the law.
Romans 7:13 [NKJV]
Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.
Sin through the commandment became exceedingly sinful.
Romans 7:14-16 [NKJV]
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.
Sounds like a personal struggle between flesh and spirit. As if he's warring internally with sinful acts of the flesh, and his minds willingness to do that which is right. Something I think we all can relate to, at least to some degree.
Romans 7:17 [NKJV]
But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
Interesting, he no longer sins, but sin that dwells in him sins.
Romans 7:18-25 [NKJV]
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
I don't believe he's speaking from the perspective of the sinner. And once again this sounds like an ongoing problem with the flesh, and unfortunately we have to deal with our flesh until we are transformed through death or through the rapture of the church. I'm curious what this set of scriptures means to others, particularly those who believe that when we sin, we become unrighteous and the blood no longer applies to our lives. Does it mean that when Paul struggles with his flesh, he's saying it's only his flesh that sins, but his spirit is willing? What's most interesting to me is that the very next verse (and remember there were no verses or chapters in the original text) goes on to say:
Romans 8:1 [NKJV]
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Does this reference to walking “according to the Spirit” mean that in order to do so we must never sin?
Romans 8:2-8 [NKJV]
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Some might say that until we reach a point of no longer sinning at all in our flesh, then we've reached a place where we walk in the spirit, but while we struggle, we haven’t got there just yet. It sounds to me, however, that when we walk according to the spirit, even though we have flesh which is still willing to practice evil, we are free from sin and death even in our own flesh, because sin no longer has dominion over us, and all judgment for our sin has been satisfied at the cross. When we sin it’s no longer a process to get back to God, but rather a repentant heart that expresses thanks for forgiveness and for grace that allows us to get right back up and boldly approach the throne as sons.
Romans 8:9-10 [NKJV]
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10) And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Now he goes on to declare that we are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, even though we still have the flesh. He says IF Christ is in us, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Even though our flesh wars against our spirit, the flesh is condemned to death, and yet for those who are in Christ there is NO condemnation. Once again does that mean that if we sin we are not of the Spirit? I don’t believe so.
Romans 8:11 [NKJV]
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Sonship Through the Spirit
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Now don’t misunderstand me, I'm not saying that we should sin all we want because it is condemned in the flesh, I'm against sin. My spirit desires to please Him, but that comes from an intimate relationship with him. The more I get to know him, the more I’m willing and longing to please him.
So, could it be that while our flesh still practices sin from time to time, our Spirit delights in righteousness, while our flesh is condemned to death, but through the Spirit we have life eternally because of the Cross. I don't have all the answers but it does raise some questions. If Adam's sin made us all sinners apart from how good we are then it stands to reason that Christ’s righteousness (which is MUCH MORE) has made us all righteous apart from our mistakes. If it wasn’t so, then every sin would remove the blood of Jesus from our lives and place us back in the prison of sin. I'm not saying we should indulge in sin by any means, but i if we make mistakes, if the blood immediately goes to work demanding our justification, then that would be entirely consistent with the fact there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ and we don't have to live in fear, because we've been perfected in love. Because we understand just how much he loves us, and just how much he's done for us at the cross. That he has defeated sin in our flesh and sin no longer has dominion over us and can no longer destroy our spirit.
What I have found are references to the fact that he has forgiven us of ALL sin, and he has given us the "gift" of righteousness, and I have yet to find scripture that says or implies that we're only forgiven for "past" sins, and we need the constant re-washing of the blood to cleanse us much like Israel required annual atonement by the blood of animal sacrifices. The cross was "The Finished Work" that purchased our salvation once and for all.
You'll have to decide for yourself and I know there are those who would disagree. It hardly seems fair that a believer could commit a sin, and not be punished for it but once again, thankfully, grace is not fair. How much is he willing to forgive us then? I guess that would depend on how deep the riches of his grace are. But if his mercy endures forever, and he's not willing that any should perish, but all should come to repentance, I would argue that the riches of his grace are far deeper than we could possibly imagine. How much would you be willing to forgive your own child, and yet if we being evil can love our children, how much more can our heavenly Father who is defined as love forgive us.
Romans 8:14-17 [NKJV]
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Please don't misunderstand, my point isn't to try and justify sin so the believer can indulge in sin, but to see if in fact we are no longer under any condemnation, and we are free from fear and shame because all that he's done at the cross has defeated sin even in our flesh. If we no longer have to go through the cycle of grieving and begging for forgiveness from service to service, but we can be forever thankful for our gift of righteousness in spite of our flesh and we can die daily having already been crucified with Christ, perhaps some of us who struggle from week to week with self-condemnation could reach a point where we not only focus more on our commission to share that gospel with the lost, but we can forgive others in the church who struggle in different areas and who might even hurt us at times because we realize just how much we ourselves have already been forgiven.
The Law Condemns
The problem with the law is that it makes us dependent on our flesh; on our ability to obey. And if you think you’re going to become heirs of the promise because of your obedience, because of your goodness, and because of your righteousness then faith is made void, and the promises of no effect. That’s a scary thought. Faith made void and the promise of no effect.
The Pharisees believed they had it all figured out. They kept the law, they knew the scripture, and they felt that they met the standard that God had set for them. They set themselves apart from even other Jews because they lived a holy and separated lifestyle. They obtained a level of righteousness through their obedience to God’s law, or so they thought, until Jesus came along and knocked them off their pedestal by demonstrating that although they may have kept the law as written, in their hearts they still fell short. They may have never committed adultery, but if they even lusted after a woman they were guilty. They may not have murdered their brother, but if they even hated their brother they were guilty. Jesus operating under the law raises the bar even higher than the law and it brings all of us… even the best of us under condemnation, because none of us can meet his standard. Sometimes we forget that the new covenant didn't begin when Jesus walked on the earth. There were many times where he would operate under the law, but if you never take the time to distinguish between the two covenants, you may have trouble seeing that distinction.
Back to the promise; God ordained it in such a way that our promise could be SURE through faith. How? We’re blessed because of his goodness. We’re blessed because he is faithful. It’s not based on my goodness and my faithfulness, but it’s based on my faith in his grace to me. If our blessing was based on our performance we’d all come up short and we would never inherit our blessing. You’ve heard of the law of the harvest, you reap what you sow; while that principle is important, it has to come through the cross. Reaping what you sow is an example of the law. If you do ‘good’, you get ‘good’, but if you do ‘bad’, you get ‘bad’. But we reap goodness, righteousness, salvation, and blessing not because we’ve sown anything to deserve it, in fact, based on the sin that we’ve sown in our lives we should reap death, but that’s where grace comes in. He did ‘good’ and reaped all our punishment at the cross so that we who did ‘bad’ could reap all his ‘good’ and all of his righteousness freely and unmerited. In the end it’s all dependent on him. It’s all dependent on HIS righteousness and his faithfulness.
The Changeless Promise
Galations 3:15-18 [NKJV]
Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,”[i] who is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
Galations 3:26 [NKJV]
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
God in his wisdom as part of his covenant with Abraham made a promise to Abraham and to his Seed. Not meaning all Abraham’s children, but the seed being Christ. Why? Because eventually we would all be "in" Christ, and in so doing we are made heirs. The promise was guaranteed long before the law was given and it would come through Jesus Christ. We don't have to worry that our failures and our miss-steps will cause us to lose our promised blessing. No wonder it can become difficult to believe in our promises, because underneath it all we have believed that it was dependent on our performance. But if any of it was dependent on us, we would never inherit. Thank God it’s not dependent on our goodness, but it’s dependent on his faithfulness. We have to stop thinking that we could somehow earn our blessing, and start believing that HE has already qualified us and has already blessed us based on his goodness!
The Goodness of God
Some might say "Well that's not fair, we have to pay some price. When we fail, when we sin, there must be a process before he grants us repentance, if we’re lucky enough for him to grant us repentance at all" But Grace isn't fair. Fair would be us paying the debt we owe, but Grace is receiving ‘good’ that we never deserved because he took all our bad that he never deserved.
Romans 4:4 [NKJV]
Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
We must remember that it's the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. One example that I've heard was the story of Peter's first encounter with Christ. Peter was fishing all night and caught nothing. The Lord comes and tells him to cast his net on the other side and they catch a load of fish so great that their nets break. Peter realizes who Jesus is and falls to the ground and says "Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man,” Which came first, Peter's repentance, or the blessing? Some of us think we have to grieve and beg and plead and prove something to God before he grants us repentance but I believe when the message is conveyed that he is faithful and just and willing to forgive us, when people realize just how good God has been to them and all that he's accomplished for them at the cross, that will lead them to repentance. But we have to reveal God's love for them and I think that's something that I personally have failed to do; probably because I never truly understood his love for me. I don’t believe we have to scare people into repentance. I don’t think we need to tell them how bad they are until they feel so bad that they beg for forgiveness. Too many people are already conditioned to believe that God is angry with them and he expects them to prove their love for him but if they only knew how good God is, it's the goodness of God that leads to repentance. Thank God for his goodness.
One thing I’m noticing, and I haven’t read every account yet, but Jesus didn’t heal people and bless people because of how good they were. He didn’t even rebuke them nor have a conversation with them about their sin before he blessed them, it wasn’t conditional on their obedience but on their faith in his goodness. Even the woman caught in adultery wasn’t rebuked. The first thing he did for her was save her from those who would condemn her, the religious folks, then he forgave her, before she even asked for forgiveness. When he blessed people they were so grateful, their lives were never the same. Another great example and this is such a powerful demonstration of God’s love for people, is the thief on the cross. He never asked for forgiveness. He simply identified that they (the two thieves) deserved to be there but the Lord didn’t. All he asked was to be remembered, and the Lord, without any hesitation, without any rebuke, without any demand for proof of his repentance, saves him at that very moment. That is how much he loves people and we haven’t experience just how deep the riches of his grace truly are. You could say, “That was under a different dispensation,” but I believe that God is not confined to our understanding of dispensations and our understanding of a plan of salvation. He’s more than able to save whomever he wishes in whatever place and at whatever time. He’s not stuck in our little box. One could argue that the thief on the cross was still under law, which once again demonstrates God’s grace, because obviously the thief didn’t keep the law. The blessings of God produce a grateful heart; the goodness of God will produce repentance.
Romans 5:5 [NKJV]
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2) through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Justification comes only by faith, not through the Law. Abraham was justified by his faith; Israel sought to establish righteousness through obedience of the law and missed it.
Romans 10: 3-4 [NKJV]
“For they, being ignorant of Gods righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Romans 10:9 [NKJV]
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Romans 5:18-19 [NKJV]
“Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19) For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
With the heart one believes unto righteousness. Just like it was accounted to Abraham for righteousness because of his faith. Through Adam’s sin we were all brought under condemnation, but through Jesus Christ’s obedience we are all made righteous. Everything always depends on our faith in him.
Romans 3:21-26 [NKJV]
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
He justifies us freely, and makes us righteous because of our faith. God wants us to depend on him not just for justification & salvation, but for wisdom, for healing, for financial blessing, for strength, for peace, for love etc etc.... And yet it feels as though we are bombarded by the world from all sides with a substitute for Christ and dependence on anything and everything but our faith in him; a form of anti-Christ if you will. Whether it's our jobs, our finances, our health, our doctors, our medications, our retirement plans, none of which are inherently bad, but the world has an answer for almost anything and everything and it all leads us to dependence on self rather than dependence on Christ. They substitute faith for man's way of doing things, and man’s self-sufficient answer.
In Closing
1. Is it our mandate to obey law in its entirety?
2. Are we only required to obey the moral laws?
3. Has the law been erased and therefore set us free to do as we please without fear of punishment because of the absence of law?
I believe all of the above are a distortion of truth and a distraction from the message that his word reveals to us. The final word’s Paul gave to the leaders in Ephesus; to continue in the word of his grace. A message that reveals God’s love for us, all that he’s already done for us, and what it is that he’s saved us for. If we start with revealing the goodness of God and the love that he has for all of us and always come back to that simple fact, I believe people will be freed from fear and condemnation and realize that they can approach God as their father, rather than as a judge. They’ll be free to develop an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ which will produce fruit and people’s lives will never be the same.
