The key to "one new man" in the earth
By Warren Schoder
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Rightly Discerning the Covenants The key to "one new man" in the earth By Warren Schoder |
A reciprocal part of this outreach is that Christians are receiving a greater understanding about the origins of their faith from their Jewish brethren. More and more, leaders of messianic congregations are “crossing over” with Christian church leaders to share their respective insights one group to the other. The purpose of this book is to help Jewish and non-Jewish believers alike recognize that much of the unity coming about through these interactions is, in fact, inconsistent with and even contrary to the plan of God to bring about “one new man” as described by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:15. A vital key to God’s marvelous redemption plan lies in rightly discerning the covenants. The Old and New Testaments were each given for a very specific purpose. Failure to recognize this important purpose will leave us vulnerable to deception and allow us to be led seriously astray. The people of God must never lose sight of Satan’s commitment to undermining the plan of God. He is crafty and wiley but “we are not ignorant of his devices.” 2 Cor 2:11. In the pages that follow I hope to show the way in which the “one new man” teaching throughout much of the body of Christ has been misunderstood and incorrectly taught. By rightly discerning the covenants we can be sure that the blood which Jesus so willingly shed for us will not have been in vain.
Relatively few of these teachings speak of obedience to the law as a salvation requirement but a good many tell us that, once we are saved, we have the ability to obey the law and should do so. Since the Old Covenant dealt with the Jewish people and since Jesus Christ ministered under the Old Covenant and fulfilled it flawlessly, many current day teachings emphasize the need for us to return to our "Hebraic roots." This is to be done by digging back into the law or "torah," as many are calling it, so that we can walk out our righteousness. Frequently this particular emphasis arises from an involvement with Messianic congregations which typically follow many of the Old Covenant traditions to varying degrees. Often, in a desire to show oneness with Jewish believers, converted gentiles will join with these seekers at their weekly Shabbat (Sabbath) services either on a Friday evening or Saturday. Conversely, Messianic teachers - often addressed as Rabbi - are invited to share with their non-Jewish brothers and, in so doing, introduce and share many of their Old Testament insights. Arising from this crossover is a sect of non-Jewish believers that are now teaching about the importance of "torah" and raising up "torah observant" congregations. In their zeal to embrace and teach a new revelation, Christian seekers actively pursue this pathway without realizing their departure from Gospel fundamentals. Simple New Testament truth is either ignored or rationalized away in order to sustain this deceptive "other gospel." Tragically, the torah movement is being propagated through sincere people who "have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge." Ro 10:2 The tragedy is that they desperately seek to find life in a place where it can never be found: ". . . for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law." Ga 3:21 . . . who see the joy of their salvation slipping away but don't know where it went, and who want more of Jesus but are looking for it in His shadow instead of in his presence. Unfortunately, many young converts without a sufficient grasp of salvation basics are being drawn off into this dead, lifeless theology. This message is written not because the body needs more information to read but from a passion stirred by the Holy Spirit to bring a clear, biblical teaching on a subject that has long been ignored or incorrectly taught. As you read you will notice that this writing is not founded on personal opinion but, rather, on a compilation of biblical teachings that, hopefully, will put to rest any confusion you previously had about a subject that the Bible presents in a simple, easy-to-understand manner. Please read prayerfully - asking that the Holy Spirit would remove any scales and impart revelation.
"seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." 2Ti 3:13. But, perhaps the most difficult reality to accept is that the deception will frequently come to us through those to whom we are the closest and who we esteem highly as teachers and leaders. When our spiritual life seems to be getting cluttered and complicated, the first step should be to quickly retreat to the word and prayer and find out where we have gone astray. Paul, in dealing with the deceptions that were coming into the Corinthian church, expressed it well when he wrote: "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." 2 Cor 11:3-4 A simple message has no appeal to the natural man because it does not contain the intellectual component that satisfies the pride of the flesh. Paul understood this and recognized that, through subtle deviations, the Corinthian believers could be easily led astray. Knowing the vulnerability of his flesh he guarded himself as indicated in 1Cor 2:1-5 when he wrote: "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." Note that "enticing words" are not given to us by God. Enticing words are words with a particular agenda that spring forth from "man's wisdom" and which are contrary to the plan and purpose of God. The Bible is well able to speak for itself. In almost every case where diverse doctrines are being taught it is because someone has deviated from the straight and narrow path of truth to satisfy some pet teaching. Once this happens the bible must now be twisted and manipulated to conform to this new "revelation." Point #1, then, is to ask yourself if the simplicity of the gospel message is still there. Does the word preached still contain the sound, crisp power of Christ's shed blood, death, and resurrection, or has this vital, fundamental truth been relegated to the back seat and displaced by an alternate doctrine? If that pure, essential simplicity is missing, then your faith is being built on man's wisdom and not God's. Secondly, is the Bible being used to support the message in a responsible, non-manipulative way? One telltale sign of variance is when words are being played with, definitions stretched, and fancy catch phrases used to support the deviant doctrine. This tells us that the teaching cannot stand on its own but needs to be propped up.
In our walk with Jesus, maintaining a good foundation means rightly dividing the Word of Truth and holding fast to the essential truths that brought us to Christ in the first place. A backslidden Christian is one who has allowed the smallest amount of untruth to creep in and to begin eroding that vital foundation. The acceptance of one untruth opens the door for another to enter. In a short period of time the entire spiritual foundation has been compromised and we can literally find ourselves entangled in heresy. Proper use and interpretation of Scripture is of foremost importance if we are to avoid pitfalls in our understanding. A fundamental element is recognizing the fact that revelation is progressive. That is, there is a greater degree of revelation in the New Testament than what we find in the old. "For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;" Ep 3:1-5 "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;" He 1:1 The above scriptures should alert us to the fallacy of trying to use the Old Testament to illuminate the new. The problem here is that a shadow has no light of its own. The Old Testament is not the real. It was given to point the way to the real. But it is only a shadow, a pattern, a figure, and an example of the real. (He 8:5; He 10:1; Col 2:17). To get a clearer understanding of that which cast the shadow, we don’t examine the shadow more closely. Instead, we look at that which cast the shadow since only it has the detail and definition that enables us to fully comprehend that which the shadow represents.
The people of God in times past had a degree of understanding about spiritual truth. But, when Jesus came to earth and left us His Holy Spirit after His resurrection, a new level of revelation concerning spiritual mysteries was given. This being the case, we must give greater place to New Testament truth, recognizing that it is the new and true to which the Old Testament was pointing. The reason we are admonished to hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering (He 10:23) is because the enemy's mission is: ". . to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." Jn 10:10. If he can, he will direct us down a side road to keep us from fulfilling the plan and purpose of God for our lives. The speed at which we can be overcome by doctrinal deception is most alarming. Paul acknowledged his concern about this when he wrote to the believers at the Galatian church: "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. " Ga 1:5 The concern expressed here is clearly - abandoning grace. This was not happening on its own but, rather, as a result of concerted efforts by those with an evil agenda who came in secretly to spy on the believers and divert them from gospel truth so as to bring them back under the bondage of the law. " And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:" Ga 2:4 The grace message is an offense to the one who is steeped in performance since the way we appropriate grace is through faith and not works. If there are no works, then there is no place for boasting or pride. (Ep 2:8-9) To satisfy the flesh, the law must remain in place with all its associated dos and don'ts. This way one can compare himself with others and be puffed up in those areas where he excels.
The recent "torah" teachings referenced earlier, are riddled with subtleties designed to initially separate the believer from key, Gospel truths. Most blatant and obvious is the replacing of the word "law" with the Hebrew word "torah" - giving it a new and expanded meaning. These messages encourage Christian believers to connect with Hebraic roots through a renewed focus on torah. Torah, we are told, doesn't just mean "the law" but, by broadened definition is "the teaching and instruction of God." As such, it encompasses not just the five books of the law or all even all the Scripture writings penned before Christ. Now, through this new definition, many teach that torah includes even the four gospels and the epistles. At face value the use of torah as a substitute for law would appear innocuous and a relatively minor matter. After all, torah is the Hebrew word that is translated law. The subsequent melding of the new and old covenants that emerges from this redefinition, however, is another issue entirely and is clearly the agenda behind the word substitution. It is here where the message departs directly and rapidly from biblical truth and, in fact, becomes "another gospel." Ga 1:6 This stark contradiction is found in the fact that the epistles, in particular, make clear, specific, and emphatic distinctions between the old and new covenants; i.e., their purpose, attributes, provisions, etc. By running these together under the heading "the teaching and instruction of God," the uniqueness of each covenant is blurred and the hearer is left believing that there is no difference. They have now simply become "the word of God." To compile torah doctrine on top of such a false underlying premise is to distort and deceive. Half-truths hardly constitute responsible Bible teaching. Further reinforcement of this comes when torah teachers are left with no choice but to simply ignore these New Testament teachings or try to bring them into agreement with the first error through either weak rationalizations or further interpretive distortions. The only problem with this manner of instruction is that it leaves out very important distinctions, made within the Bible itself, which provide further qualification and clarification about "the word of God." This amounts to "subtracting from" what is written - a gross mishandling of God's word which can hardly be characterized as "rightly dividing the word of truth."
One glaring example of this is the change which came about in the early part of the 20th century wherein media and political leaders began referring to the United States as a "democracy" instead of a "republic." Unknown to many, the founders of our great nation gave us a republic, not a democracy. The problem this presents for today’s free-thinking political establishment is that a republic is guided and constrained by the provisions of the constitution that governs it. For those seeking to operate outside those constraints, public attention must first be diverted away from their intentions. This takes place primarily through the media and educational systems by reshaping public perception and awareness through the subtle introduction of what, today, is called “politically correct” language. While the word “democracy” has pleasant connotations - inferring fairness and equality, in reality a democracy is nothing more than mob rule. It speaks to the idea that the will of the majority is more important than the legal provisions of the constitution. Probably few ever recognized the word substition when it was introduced but this subtle alteration eroded, in the minds of the American people, the significance of the constitution in maintaining a strong, ethical standard for both present and future generations. As such it paved the way for the courts of the land to give greater credence to mass consensus than to the laws on which our nation was founded. Sad to say, modern Hebrew interpretation has progressed to the point where, through sufficient "research," words can ultimately come to mean anything you want them to. Surely this is a dangerous practice and one against which a child of God should be alert and discerning. Catchy clichés like "torah-based" and "torah-observant" appear nowhere in Scripture. Rather, they are words that torah teachers often use to try to bridge the obstacle of rigid compliance presented by the law. But the law makes no provision for such partial attempts to fulfill it. So long as the law is in place it must be obeyed to a "T" or we become subject to its penalties. Once place is given to word manipulation, the door swings open to outright fabrication. One example of this is seen when Jesus is referred to as the "living torah." Not only does this term not appear in the bible; it is actually a contradiction since the bible tells us that the law cannot bring life. . . for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law." Ga 3:21
We could say, for instance, that a mortgage covenant is your agreement with the mortgage lender about the responsibilities each party has to the other pertaining to the loan being granted. As the "mortgagor" (debtor) making payments to the "mortgagee" (lender) you are obligated to continue those payments for a specific period of time and until the full balance is paid off if you wish to continue living in your home. Once all the conditions are met, however, the agreement is "fulfilled." From this point on, the home is yours and you are under no further obligation to continue making payments.
But, when it comes to interpreting Scripture, believers are all too ready to follow instructions not being given to them. Such failure to recognize the defined parties to God's covenants is a dangerous pitfall when it comes to rightly dividing the word of truth and brings about much unnecessary confusion among believers. A good example of this is in Romans 3:19. In the first two chapters of Romans and the early part of chapter 3, Paul discusses the matters of the law - the benefits for those that follow it and the penalties for those who don't. His ultimate conclusion, however, is that: . . there is none righteous, no, not one. Ro 3:10 But, in verse 19 we see that the law was never given as a means by which people would come into relationship with God but rather, as a means by which the guilt of all mankind would be firmly and irrefutably established. Only when confronted with his wretched, depraved, and hopeless condition can man comprehend his need for a savior. Once that revelation has been received, however, the truth of God's grace made known, and Jesus is received by faith, the work of the law in our life is complete. Hence, Paul goes on to say: "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Ro 3:19 To make sure there's no misunderstanding about where we stand in all of this, Paul gives clarification: "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." Ro 6:14 When a sinner gives his life to Jesus and becomes "born again," he receives righteousness as a free gift from God. (Ro 5:15-18) He is now the righteousness of God in Christ and according to what Paul wrote to Timothy the law is not made for a righteous man. "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, . . 1Ti 1:9;
Paul's teachings, in particular, reveal to us the fact that there are two kinds of righteousness. To confuse these and/or not recognize the difference between them is to miss the greatness of what Jesus did on the cross and to remain in needless bondage as a born again child of God. The two kinds of righteousness spoken of in the Bible are presented most simply and clearly in Philippians 3:9. "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:" This verse tells us of righteousness:
The righteousness which is of the law is explained in the Old Testament. The righteousness which is of God is revealed in the New Testament. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." Ro 1:16-17 The word therein above is referring to the gospel of Christ of which Paul says he is not ashamed. Why is it that the natural man is ashamed of and offended by the Gospel of Christ and constantly gravitates back to things of the law? It is because, in acknowledging Jesus, we must admit our own inability, weakness, unworthiness, sinfulness, and unrighteousness. We are lost, wretched, hopeless, and in need of help. We recognize the need for a righteousness that cannot be produced by the works of the flesh. We need the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God, as we just read, is revealed in the Gospel of Christ - not in the law. Therefore, if we desire to understand His righteousness, we must look to the Gospel or Good News. The Good News is that our eternity is no longer dependent on our own righteousness. Because God has given us his righteousness by grace through faith we are assured of victory and life everlasting. The temptation and seduction continually faced by the believer is to come back under the law; to revert back to works where, once again, pride can rise up and works can prove our own worthiness. For this reason it should not surprise us that many will come teaching that we must fulfill the law once we are saved. This is why Paul admonished the believers at the church in Galatia saying: "This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" Gal 3:2-3 Our salvation is not perfected or completed by returning to the law but by continuing the walk of faith in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Ghost.
"Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith." . . . and that its interaction is with the flesh: "For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" He 9:13-14 In John 1:17 we see that grace did not come to us through Moses but through Jesus: "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." The old covenant or law of works was not God's actual redemption plan. It was an example of the redemption that was to come which would actually "purge your conscience from dead works . . ". It demonstrated God's mercy in that those who failed to meet the law's demands could find forgiveness through the atonement of an animal sacrifice. But, as we saw in Hebrews 9:13-14, the old covenant could only sanctify "to the purifying of the flesh." The old covenant provided a covering for sins, but through the new covenant sin are remitted, i.e. they are washed away. The Old Testament was given with a very specific intent and purpose. This intent was not made clear within the Old Testament itself but is well revealed to us in the new. Here we read that the Old Testament's real purpose was:
But the law had flaws and shortcomings that made it impossible for God's ultimate salvation plan to be manifest through it: "For 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:"
Consequently, another or successor plan was needed that would bring about this great salvation plan. "For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise." Gal 3:18 This was not a new plan that God thought of subsequent to the law. It was, in fact, part of God's original design. But since grace had not yet come, the law was added "till the seed should come to whom the promise was made." "And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before
of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise
of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the
promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator."
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God - not of works, lest any man should boast." Ep 2:8-9 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 Contrary to what is often taught, faith is not given to us so we can use it to obey the law. Paul explains this when he says: "And the law is not of faith: but, the man that doeth them shall live in them." Ga 3:12 The law and faith are two different things just as the Old and New Testaments are two distinct covenants. Performing the works of the law leaves room for pride and boasting. Grace, on the other hand, dispels boasting as there is no work or performance involved in receiving a gift. The New Testament is the covenant of grace and promise. Faith is the means by which we access God's grace and receive these promises. It is the door through which we must walk to avail ourselves of those things which are freely given to us. The Holy Spirit is the one who brings this revelation. "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." 1 Cor 2:12 To hear some speak we might think that faith just takes us so far and then it's time for works to kick back in. Misinterpretations of James' epistle, in particular, are largely responsible for this error. Hebrews 11:1 tells us what faith is: "Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen," But we see how faith works in Romans 4:21. Here, where Paul is speaking of Abraham's response to the promise from God that he would be the father of many nations, he says:. "And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform." Ro 4:19-21 Here we see an excellent definition of what faith actually is. Verse 21 clearly tells us that faith is "being fully persuaded that, what he (God) had promised, he was able also to perform." To be fully persuaded means to know; to be confident of; to have no doubt about. To have faith in Jesus Christ is to be totally secure in our salvation; to know what Jesus said is true and that God did what he said he would do through Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection.
1. Deception 2. Religious spirit 3. Flesh wants to boast. 4. Intimidation of the enemy 5. Lack of an intimate relationship with Jesus. Before Jesus gave up the Ghost on calvary's cross he uttered the words: "It is finished." Jn 19:30. Embodied in that very statement is the reality that all the terms and provisions of the old covenant had been fulfilled. The work was complete. "He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second." He 10:9. This statement tells us that, as long as the first (old) covenant was in force, the second (new) could not be established. The first had to be completed before the second could be started. Trying to live under the second while still "flirting" with the first, we are told, constitutes nothing less than spiritual bigamy. In Romans chapter 7 the apostle Paul uses this very analogy about trying to serve the law once we have become believers. "For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man." Ro 7:2-3. To make sure we don't miss the correlation here, Paul says: "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. 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." Ro 7:4-6
Some might expound on this - saying that fulfill means "to teach more clearly." In the absence of many other clarifying Scriptures this might be an acceptable interpretation. But the Bible deals with the real meaning so sufficiently that, to arrive at a conclusion other than that Jesus "put away" the law is outright rebellion against God's word. The following Scriptures should eliminate any misunderstanding about this. Here are just a few examples:
If a mortgage agreement is fulfilled or satisfied it is done; complete; no longer in effect; put away. All the terms and conditions have been met. As long as one "jot or tittle" of the mortgage remains unsatisfied, the debtor is still under obligation to all of its provisions. But once the debtor can say: "It is finished," it no longer has any legal hold over him. HALLELUIA ! ! The obligation is already fulfilled and you hold full legal title to the home. There's nothing you can do to make it any more paid off than it already is. Should someone come to you and instruct or demand that you continue making payments once the mortgage is satisfied, the only reason you might do so is because of ignorance or intimidation. This can only happen if you are not sufficiently acquainted with the provisions of the mortgage agreement and fully confident of the fact that, once the terms are fulfilled, the home cannot be legally taken from you. Continuing to make payments once the mortgage terms have been satisfied or fulfilled is, in fact, a self-imposed bondage. It doesn't give you any more title or privilege than you already have. All it does is drain you of resources you need not be expending and frustrate you because you know that you shouldn't really be making those payments anyhow. Another reason why one might continue to make payments on the fulfilled mortgage is if he is not fully convinced that the legal system will uphold his claim. In the spiritual realm, if we are not sufficiently acquainted with Jesus, our advocate, we could have doubts about whether our stand against the claims of the law is valid. If we are not fully aware of what he accomplished on the cross and that his name is above every other name, we might very well succumb to the incursions of one presenting false claims against our lives. This is exactly what the enemy seeks to do against every blood-bought child of God. If he can keep us in bondage to the law we will be diverted from attending to the plan and call of God on our lives.
"I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." Ga 2:21 When one conveys a gift there is an expectation that the gift will be received with appreciation. For the recipient to scowl or scoff at a gift would be most unexpected and unwelcome. We could say that such a response would "frustrate the grace" (unmerited favor) of the giver. In Galatians 2:21 Paul says that this is exactly what happens when a Christian, after receiving Jesus and enjoying the good things of God's grace, decides to return to the tenets and trappings of the law. Taking the above paid-off mortgage scenario one step further - let's assume that someone paid the mortgage off for you as a gift. For you to continue making payments beyond this point would not only be foolish - it would also be an insult to the one from whom the gift was given. It says that you don't really believe the mortgage is paid and is, in fact, unbelief. It is unthankfulness and a true insult. This is precisely what happens when we elect to forsake faith and return to the law. In effect we say to God: "Thanks for sending your son to die for me but I can handle it from here." The Bible refers to this as having "fallen from grace." In his letter to the Galatians Paul put it this way: "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." Ga 5:4 In other words, if a gift has been given to you but you reject it choosing, instead, to go out and work so you can buy the item yourself, you have fallen from grace; i.e. you have chosen works instead of grace. What a terrible thought. Yet this is the reality of such action. In Hebrews 10:29 such denial of our Savior is described more specifically: "Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" Notice these three things:
These are serious charges and certainly not ones with which any Jesus-loving person would want to be associated. We are free to choose to have our eternal destiny determined by our own merits. But to make such a choice is to turn from, reject, and frustrate the grace freely given to us by God. Current day torah teaching says that a Christian doesn't obey the law because he is required to but because he wants to. It is a way, we are told, of walking out our righteousness and of showing our love for God. Using the above mortgage example, however, we can see that, once again, we can't add anything to a fulfilled commitment. Attempting to do so is an insult to our heavenly father - not an act of love.
"And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." Romans 11:6 The choice is ours. We can either live by the law or by faith. But an attempt to do both is an affront to God's gift of grace to us. There's no fence straddling here. God's grace doesn't need our help. Paul made this clear when he said: "And the law is not of faith: but, the man that doeth them shall live in them." Ga 3:12. The decision to walk either by the law or by faith is ours to make. What is not an option is for us to walk in both places simultaneously. If we choose the law which is fulfilled by works then, as Paul said, we "shall live in them." That is, we are then required to fulfill the law completely or suffer the associated penalties. If we fail in one point of the law we become guilty of breaking the whole law. Without an accurate understanding of how Jesus' death purged our sins (i.e. by putting away the law - 2Co 3:14) we become easy prey for religious sounding teachings and doctrines that undermine the power of his precious, shed blood. It is essential, therefore, to understand both the purpose and the attributes of the law if we are to steer clear of this subtle and seductive snare. Once we properly understand the law we recognize that, as long as it remains in place, sin is still imputed. "For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law." Ro 5:13. Only by its removal are we free from sin and its penalty. Here we see the true miracle and power of the cross. A proper understanding is essential if we are to be fully set free from the captivity of sin. If Jesus took the law "out of the way" (Col 2:14) so that it could no longer hold us captive to sin, far be it from us to invite it back into our lives. Yet this is the deceptive snare into which many God-loving believers are walking. By re-establishing the law's authority in their lives they are restoring the very thing that Jesus came to deliver them from. Ro 7:6. In Galatians 2:18 the apostle Paul said: "For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor." With the law fulfilled and no longer holding us captive to sin, the only sin remaining to beset us is our own decision to raise it back up and give it authority in and over our lives. This becomes a most perilous choice since, as we saw in Hebrews 10:29, by doing so we tread under foot the Son of God, we count the blood of the covenant wherewith we were sanctified, an unholy thing, and we insult the Spirit of grace. The book of Galatians is devoted almost exclusively to admonishing the believers to be on guard and to avoid those who come giving instruction that they should obey the commands of the law. Paul said they were: "unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:" Ga 2:4 The reason there is so much difficulty comprehending this truth is because of the abundance of renegade, religious spirits running rampant within the church that have deceived Christians to believe that they must walk in both places. This is exactly the type of deception which Paul warned us to be vigilant towards. If we allow these untruths to come in and steal our liberty for which Jesus died, then we will return to the bondage of the law and be stuck in a performance/works way of living.
Within the Galatian church were those who taught that Christians must obey the law. Paul was clearly not of this persuasion. Aware of how contentious the issue was among the Jewish believers, Paul first emphasizes that what he is teaching is not a product of man's wisdom but, rather, a revelation received directly from God: "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." Gal 1:11-12 In Galatians, Chapter 4 Paul speaks to the issue regarding the relationship between the law and the believer. Beginning in verse 21, he addresses these false teachers in no uncertain terms by saying: "Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?" In a paraphrase: Here you are professing to be teachers of the law and you don't even understand what the law is saying. He then goes on to explain the relationship of the believer to the law: 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the
other by a freewoman. Can it get any more clear than this ? ? In case a question remains, let's look at the greek word "ekballo" which is translated in the King James: "cast out." Strong's Concordance defines the term this way: "drive out, expel, thrust out, put out, send away." Using the allegory that Paul presents, it is clear that "cast out" is what we are to do with the law (the bondwoman) and everything it has produced or wants to produce in our lives (her son) outside of driving us to our knees before the cross of Christ. Paul uses an allegory here describing the law as the bondmaid and the promise as the freewoman. Notice that the covenant from mount Sinai (the law) "gendereth" to bondage. This word means "begets," "leads to," or "brings forth." As long as we are of the law we are in bondage because bondage is what the law produces. To say that we must fulfill the law by the power of the Spirit is a contradiction and totally inconsistent with the teachings of the New Testament. The New Testament puts the believer in a higher place than the law just as complying with the law of aerodynamics can bring us to a higher place than obeying the law of gravity. One can obey or be perfectly in subjection to the law of gravity and still never be able to fly. Flight requires adherence to a totally different set of laws. So, also, it is in the Spirit. The law is truth just as the law of gravity is truth. But not until we recognize and align ourselves with the higher truths can we soar above the carnal and into heavenly places. You have probably heard that any time we see the word "therefore" in scripture we need to know what it is there for. This is certainly a wise question to ask concerning Galatians 5:1 which says: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." The "therefore" is there to tell us that, because the law is behind us and no longer has the power to bring us under its bondage, we are now free to walk "in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free." The law is, in fact, a "yoke of bondage" that will work in opposition to the grace of God if we purpose to hold on to it and try to fulfill it in our lives. Because we now have become the righteousness of God, the law no longer pertains to us. "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners," 1Ti 1:9 To remove any doubt about his strong stand on this issue and to be sure that the disciples were not being hypocritical between what they were teaching and what they were practicing, Paul took Peter to task for the double standard he was presenting: "But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled (acted hypocritically in concert with one another) likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation (hypocrisy). But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? Ga 2:11-14 Paul was continually taken to task by many believing Jews who still wanted to hold on to the law; who did not recognize the law's design and purpose as described above. In Acts chapter 15 we see that the dispute over this matter stirred up such a fury in Antioch that Paul and Barnabas had to return to Jerusalem to get it resolved before continuing on in their ministry. Seemingly, no sooner had they begun sharing about all that took place in Asia when some of the Pharisees also challenged what they were teaching. "But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses." Ac 15:5 Peter first responded saying: "Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" Ac 15:10 Paul and Barnabas then shared more about their ministry after which James said: "Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood." Ac 15:19-20 The apostles and elders agreed. With the matter resolved, they prepared a letter regarding their decision and sent it out with Paul and Barnabas along with Judas Barsabas and Silas back to Antioch to announce their determination. Here is what their letter said: "The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well." Ac 15:24-29
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." John 13:34 But he did far more than give us the commandment to love. He also gave us the desire and ability to love each other. When we walk in love, we are in a place high above the "weak and beggarly elements" (Ga 4:9) of the law. The law is directed toward and limited by the flesh. (He 9:13; Ro 8:3) The law makes demands the flesh cannot fulfill and holds us captive to it. The displacement of the old covenant by the new lifts helpless man out of the terrible bondage and hoplessness faced through the law and gives us a new heart of love whereby our lives rise up into a high place totally unconceivable to and unattainable by the flesh. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Gal 5:22-23 Never underestimate the deceitfulness and wickedness of the flesh. The reason we are so prone and willing to forsake the goodness, mercy, and grace God brings to us through Jesus is because the natural man is always looking for a way to regain a foothold in the life of the believer. We like the law and its demands because it offers a way by which we can compare ourselves to others - particularly those whose lives don't seem to match up to ours - and raise ourselves above them. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jer 17:9 Perhaps a good way to see the difference between the Law of Moses and the Law of Love is through a parable: A man hires a young woman to work for him as a housekeeper. He prepares a list of duties for her to perform and checks to be sure they are all being done properly. The man is very strict about what he wants done and deducts from her pay for failures to comply. The checklist review creates a fear in her and becomes a bondage to her. Down the line the man comes to love the housekeeper and takes her as his wife. When this happens a change takes place. The man no longer looks to her with a checklist in his hand and the woman joyfully performs household chores above and beyond what the man ever expected because of her love for him. Neither does his wife go back and prepare a checklist for him to review each day when he returns from work. To do so would be an affront to the man who chose to take her as his wife. If we fail to identify and comprehend this vital distinction between the law and grace we miss, completely, the entire mission and purpose for which Jesus came to earth. It would appear that this lack of understanding (or our plain rebellion against the whole concept of love) is the reason why, within the body of Christ, the divorce rate is no different than that of the world. Believers have simply failed to comprehend what love really is. Instead of allowing the spirit of love that God implanted within our being when we became born again to rule and govern our lives, husbands and wives continue to look at one another with "measuring sticks." One is forever evaluating and criticizing the performance of the other. We live "under the law", one to the other, and we reap the fruit thereof. The pride, anger, resentment, bitterness, etc. that arises from the dissatisfaction with the performance of our spouse results in the "death" of the marriage. All this comes about because the love, mercy, and grace that Jesus gave to us when he ushered in the new covenant is nowhere to be found in the marriage. Should we be surprised, then, that Christian divorce rates match those of unbelievers? Hardly ! !
As we can see from the above discussion, the contention that arises from the opposing messages of law and grace is not unique to our time. Its origins go all the way back to the time of Jesus when, through his finished work on the cross, the reality of God's grace was a glaring affront to the works of the law that emanate from performance and pride. It is, in fact, the true essence of spiritual warfare. This is why Peter refers to Jesus as a "stone of stumbling and a rock of offence." 1Pe 2:8. The concept of grace is offensive to the natural man and the thought of having no way to glory in fleshly performance and accomplishments is repulsive to the flesh. "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. 1Cor 2:27-29 Is it any wonder, then, that the enemy of our souls would relentlessly attempt to convince us that measured performance is key to walking uprightly before God? No one was confronted with this issue more than the Apostle Paul. A brief review of his background reveals why he was the one chosen of God to receive such a great revelation regarding God's dispensation of grace. Of all those called of God to carry the Gospel message, Paul, more than any, had reason to boast as an adherent to the torah. He was steeped in the law both through heritage and in lifestyle and derived a great sense of purpose from striving to fulfill it flawlessly: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Ph 3:5-6 When it came to the law, Paul had every "i" dotted and every "t" crossed. Yet, despite the high level of perfection to which he met the law's demands, his ultimate realization was that it was all for naught. "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ," Phil 3:8 All the striving regarding the law was in the past. It was no more a part of his life. Paul recognized it to be futile and worthless and nothing more than history. God had now made possible a new and better way and he chose to walk in it and leave the old ways of the law behind. He had been liberated from the law and its demands to walk in a new and glorious way that was far and above anything the law could even begin to offer. There was a better prize ahead in the "high calling" that God had given him. "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Phil 3:13-14 Clearly the matter of the law and grace was not an issue for Paul. It was over, settled, and done with. A new and better way had come. "For 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." Ro 8:3-4 The law had done its work by showing Paul the vanity and futility of all fleshly strivings. "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." Gal 3:24-25 Now he was free to embrace the glorious salvation bestowed upon him by the mercy and grace of his heavenly Father who sent his only begotten son to shed his blood and die for his sins. To continue to strive to comply with the law would be to reject God's most precious gift and to discredit Jesus' sacrifice for him. This, Paul knew, would be a serious reproach to the Gospel message. This brings us back to our opening comments. The process of redemption to which the Old Testament pertained was only part of the salvation plan. We have seen in the foregoing pages that the summary purpose of the law was to make us aware of our need for a savior. The law was not only a wall between man’s relationship with God; it was also a wall between the Jew and the Gentile. Through his death on the cross Jesus removed this wall between man’s relationship with God: "And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost; and the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. Mk 15:37-38 . . . as well as mak ing a way for an end to the division that stood between Jew and Gentile. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, so making peace. Ep 2:13-16 So while all the teachings about the need for the believer to obey the law have a nice, spiritual ring to them, it should be very evident to any who would hear the full counsel of God that the law is what Jesus came to deliver us from. "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. Ro 7:6 By lifting up or restoring in our lives that which Jesus fulfilled; i.e. the law; we, by our own choice, make ourselves transgressors (Ga 2:18) and leave between the Jew and Gentile the very wall that Jesus came to tear down. This is most paradoxical since so many Christian believers today are attempting to bring about a unity between the two through the use of the law. Clearly this is in total opposition to what the Bible teaches. Jesus' fulfillment of the law and the new testament emphasis on grace through faith does not diminish the importance of the law in making a sinner aware of his lost condition. The law still serves to convict the unbeliever of his need for a Savior. This is why it is vital that the ten commandments remain at the core of our national legal framework. Without them society will continue to degenerate as people rationalize their wicked behavior more and more. If there is no law there is no means by which the lost can see their need for salvation. Jesus' work on the cross was to remove the burden of the law from the believer. But once it has accomplished this, the work of the law is finished in that person's life. For detailed teaching on how unjust weights and measures in our national monetary and economic system rob individual citizens of wealth, click on the link below. |