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Commentary on "The Road to Faith"
Day 6: Thursday, November 10, 2011 - The Law and the Believer
“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,” Romans 8:16
Obedience to the Law or obedience through the Spirit. What’s the difference? Does it matter? What does Paul say in Galatians? Would it be OK to keep the Law after receiving the Spirit?
In Galatians 1, Paul begins his letter to the Galatians by skipping over his usual beginning praise for the churches, and goes right to the problem: the heart of the issue.
“I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different Gospel -” Galatians 1:6
Remember that a group of people called Judaizers came along after Paul taught the truth and said that in order to truly experience grace, the Christian must keep the Law.
In Selected Messages, Volume 1, p 234, Ellen White said that the Law in Galatians refers to both ceremonial and moral Law.
The Bible never refers to Torah, the Mosaic Law in sharply distinguished parts. In fact, Paul makes it clear in Galatians 3 that if we choose to keep the Law, we must keep the whole Law.
“For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM.”
So, what is the curse of the Law? If you do not perform all things written in the book of the Law (any commandment in Genesis through Deuteronomy), then you are under a curse instead of receiving the blessing of the Lord. Under the Mosaic Law, obedience yielded blessing, disobedience yielded cursing.
What Gospel is Paul referring to in the beginning of the letter to the Galatians? The Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Good News of salvation. Upon our belief in the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit bestows several gifts upon us.
- We are born again by the Spirit. We are given a new nature in Christ Jesus that replaces our old nature which was at it’s core, dead. (Ephesians 2:1-10) In it’s place, we receive a new nature, one fitted for heaven. (2 Cor. 5:17)
- We are baptized into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 12:13)
- We are sealed unto the day of redemption by the Holy Spirit. (Eph. 1:13, 14) (The Sabbath is not the seal of salvation as Ellen White and Adventist doctrine alleges).
- We are led into all truth by the Holy Spirit. (John 16:13)
- We are convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit. (John 16:8-11)
- We are filled with the Spirit, and have the freedom to be filled by Him continually. (Eph. 5:18)
So, when Paul asks the question of the Galatians, “how did you receive the Spirit, by the Law or the flesh?” He’s asking them, “do you believe the Holy Spirit is able to do all these things in you instead of the Law or do you think it’s necessary to keep the Law for conviction of sin?”
The Scripture is clear. We have everything we need to live a godly life through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:1,2 contrasts the law of the Spirit of life with the law of sin and death. What law is the Spirit of life? It is the law the Holy Spirit teaches us. What is the law of sin and death? The Mosaic Law. (Keep in mind that the New Testament does not distinguish between moral, ceremonial or civil laws, but rather refers to the Mosaic Law as a whole.)
So, if the Holy Spirit is the law of life and the Mosaic Law, including the 10 commandments, is the Law of sin and death, why wouldn’t you choose life? The curse of the Law is that it cannot change us.
So often, the assumption is made that if we believe that the Law was for Israel only and has now been fulfilled in Christ, then we will not know what sin is. After all, the Law brought knowledge of sin.
James teaches of the “Law of Liberty.” What is this Law James speaks of? It is the freedom to live by the Spirit of God. Instead of death engraved on a stone, we have life through God’s Spirit. The Law of Liberty is Jesus Himself and holds all things together. Jesus doesn’t simply teach us a new way to do the Law. He fulfilled the righteous requirements and provided a new way to the Father. A cross reference for the Law of Liberty, is Romans 8:1,2: the Law of the Spirit of life. You see, the Law brings knowledge of sin, but along with it condemnation. The law of sin and death works differently.
The Law of Liberty sets us free from the curse of performance based righteousness (blessings if we obey and curses if we do not) to true freedom in what Christ has accomplished on our behalf.
Instead of our example, Jesus is our substitute. We can never keep the righteous requirements put forth in the Law. But, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can live a life dependent and fruitful, and therefore pleasing to God.
The Bible teaches us that we are sinful by nature. At the core of our being, we are rotten with sin and under the wrath of God (Romans 1, Ephesians 2:1,2). However, when we believe Jesus, we are made a new creation in Christ Jesus. (2 Cor. 5:13)
The truth is that because of our old nature (the one that dies at salvation), we have been used to a certain way of living. We are full of bad habits. We have hangups. We are still full of sin.
But, because we are a new creation, with the Holy Spirit at our core being, we are changed...not from the outside in by the Mosaic Law, but literally from the inside out. As we learn to live in surrender to the Holy Spirit, our mind is renewed, we are given fresh perspective to have knowledge of what our sin is. (Romans 12)
God is utterly concerned with holiness, and because of that, He has provided the way for us to be holy.
He gave us Himself.
Copyright 2011 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised November 9, 2011. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.
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