SIN, LAW AND GRACE 2
(week 14/12)
OLUBI JOHNSON
In our article last week, we saw that we are to keep spiritual and moral law by grace through faith in Christ: we will see how to do this in detail this week.
It is not law or grace, it is law by grace!
Now because of sin, God formalized moral law in the Ten Commandments given to Moses in Mount Sinai:
Romans 5:13 KJV: For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
These moral laws are and have always been in the consciences of all men before the law was formally given through Moses:
Romans 2:14-15 KJV: For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: (15) Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
Now in addition to this moral law, God added an elaborate set of ceremonial laws to symbolically show man that the way to remove the nature, guilt and power of sin from the human heart would be through the blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus whom the animals killed in the observance of the ceremonial laws represented.
Galatians 3:19 KJV: 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.
Of course God knew that no man could keep the ceremonial laws perfectly: they were just a guide to show man that justification from sin would only come through faith in the blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus.
Galatians 3:21-26 KJV: Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. (22) But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. (23) But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith, which should afterwards be revealed. (24) Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (25) But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. (26) For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
So it is grace, which comes through faith in Christ that will now give us divine life and ability to keep moral and spiritual law, while totally freeing us from ceremonial law.
Now grace is God’s favour that causes Him to release a measure of His life into your spirit through the cleansing of the blood of Jesus.
1Peter 3:7 KJV: Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
Romans 3:24-25 KJV: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (25) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
The life of God so received by His grace gives us the divine ability to keep both moral and spiritual law.
Philippians 2:13 KJV: For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
We speak, think, pray (in the Spirit: with tongues and travail), and act on God’s Word; as we do this, the Holy Spirit gives us divine life, that is processed through prayer to become divine creative power which enables us to will and to do God’s moral and spiritual law fulfilling
Romans 8:2-4 NIV: because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (3) For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, (4) in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
So we overcome sin and fulfill God’s moral and spiritual law by faith in the grace in Christ Jesus!
