Guest Post: Pastor Paul~Important follow up from Sunday

Since last Sunday's sermon related to the Law no longer being in effect since grace has come, I feel it is important to make some follow-up comments to help clarify the natural confusion that inevitably occurs when old long-standing beliefs are challenged.  In the message Sunday, I suggested that mixing the law and grace into some form of "hybrid" gospel defeats grace.  Religion has led many of us to believe that it is grace that saves us, but it is the law that keeps us.  We may not say we believe that statement, but we live like that is the case.

I mainly want to address what we mean when we say that the law has been made of no effect, or holds no sway over the life of a Christian.  Most of us consider that a false statement, but one cannot read the Book of Galatians without arriving at that very conclusion.  So then, are we Christians supposed to disregard the law altogether?  Here again, the scripture is clear that the answer to that question is no.  Take the Ten Commandments for example:  The Ten Commandments were the origin of the law that was later expanded into countless laws.  Because of the finished work of Christ on the cross, breaking the Ten Commandments can no longer condemn us.  But that does not negate the life principles that the Ten Commandments lay down.  If you look at them carefully, you note that the first four of the commandments relate to our relationship with God, while the last six relate to our relationship with each other as human beings.  

The very existence of a civilized society hinges on good citizens keeping these Laws-- "do not commit murder," "do not steal," do not commit adultery," "do not lie," "do not covet."  If these life principles went away, so would the entire social order. So what then do we mean when we say the law has been set aside and rendered ineffective?  We are talking about the power the law has to condemn us when we break it.  Jesus rendered the law powerless to condemn us by taking our sin upon Himself.  But this does not mean that we should ignore what the law teaches us about living in ways that please God. 

Consider the parent who says to the child, "don't do that."  The child responds, "Why not?"  The parent answers, "because I said so."  God never says through the law, "do this because I said so."  When God instructs us in daily living, He does so not to lord Himself over us (even though He is Lord!).  Remember that the law is a "tutor."  It teaches us both the benefits of following it and the consequences that befall us when we don't.  But when we break it, as we all do, the law can no longer destroy us, and that makes all the difference in the world about our attitude as we approach life.

What our staff is seeking to accomplish in this series of team-teaching is to correct the defeat that we see people living under, much of which has been brought on by an oppression we see in people's lives who are living under condemnation when Christ died to set us free.  If you have questions, please contact any of our pastors. We will be happy to meet with you and encourage you in any way.