Obedience Impossible?
But some say it is impossible for mortal man to keep the perfect LAW of God. They insist that because the Israelites never kept it, we CANNOT keep it.
Is this true?
Would GOD impose a Law on people which CANNOT be kept? Is God some kind of fiendish, sadistic monster who expects MORE than we can give? Does He imperiously DEMAND more than we are able to do?
Let's understand! God is love. But He is also supremely wise. God KNOWS what He is doing!
First, it is true that human beings, of their own ability, are not able to keep God's Law in the spirit, because their human nature is filled with weaknesses and downward pulls of the flesh.
But, this fact alone does NOT mean we should forget it, give up, and QUIT! GOD has made a WAY whereby we CAN keep His Law in spirit! And He commands us to follow it!
But HOW? What is the WAY? How does a Christian KEEP God's Law?
Here is the answer: "For what the law [by itself) could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh [that is, people were too weak to keep it spiritually perfect), God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh [HE KEPT it, showing us that God's Law COULD be kept by a human individual]: that the righteousness of the LAW might be FULFILLED IN US, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Rom. 8:3-4). Christ kept the Law through the power of God's Spirit. Of Himself He could not do it. But the Spirit of God in Him did!
God expects us to FULFILL the righteousness of the Law of God, even as Christ did, thereby condemning sin in the flesh — showing there is no excuse for sin. How? ". . . after the Spirit." As verse 2 shows, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." The Law of God, the Ten Commandments, express the character of the Spirit of God.
Paul explained it more fully in Galatians 2:20. Notice! "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but CHRIST LIVETH IN ME: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Through the POWER of the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit, we are enabled to KEEP God's spiritual Law! The Spirit of God WITHIN us makes it possible! Through the Spirit of God, we are to mortify — put to DEATH — the deeds of the flesh (Rom. 8:13).
But if a person does not have the Spirit of God residing within him, "he is none of his" (Rom. 8:9). How PLAIN!
God commands us to KEEP His Law! But, knowing we are weak of ourselves, He provides a WAY. That WAY is Christ in us. Through Him we CAN keep the Law!
Don't EVER let anyone tell you that keeping God's Law is IMPOSSIBLE! It IS possible, through the power of the SPIRIT of God! Those who deny it are denying the POWER OF GOD! They are blaspheming!
"Not UNDER the Law"
Some, however, will still turn to Romans 6:14, where we read, "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are NOT under the law, but under GRACE."
Pointing their thumb at this verse they will likely exclaim, "There, see? Christians are NOT under the law! We DON'T have to keep the law. Paul says we are UNDER GRACE, not law!"
But again — could this reasoning possibly be sound? After having read all the verses we have seen so far, could we believe Paul contradicted himself? If he did, then obviously his words are NOT inspired — and if that be true, the Bible is not inspired, and you have no Savior!
Therefore let's understand,
Begin with verse one. "What shall we say then?" Paul asks. "Shall we continue in sin" — that is, BREAKING God's Law, for sin Is law-breaking (I John 3:4) — "that GRACE may abound?" In other words, is it all right for Christians to transgress God's Law, so they can have more grace to cover their sins?
Paul himself answers this shocking question, "Goo FORBID. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Rom. 6:2) There is your thundering answer! God does NOT save us "IN our sins" — rather, He saves us FROM our sins!
As Christians, we are to reckon ourselves DEAD to sin (verse 11). Paul plainly says, "Let NOT sin [commandment-breaking] therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof" (verse 12). Lawlessness is NOT to reign over true Christians! We are to be law-ABIDING people! We are commanded NOT to yield ourselves as instruments of evil, sin, or law-breaking (verse 13). Rather, we are to be instruments of RIGHTEOUSNESS (same verse). And, what is righteousness? Remember? Read it again in Psalm 119:172 — ". . . for ALL THY COMMANDMENTS are righteousness"!
Now we come to verse 14, "For SIN" — that is, again, commandment breaking — "shall NOT have dominion," or rule, control, "over you." WHY? Why doesn't sin have POWER over true Christians, as in the case of other people? Paul continues, "for ye are not UNDER the law, but under grace."
Notice! This has to do with SIN having POWER over a person! When does sin — or the penalty of sin — have POWER over a person? WHEN HE HAS BROKEN THE LAW! Transgressors of the Law are in a state of condemnation — doom — awaiting DEATH! Sin holds them captive!
True Christians are not UNDER the penalty of Law — in other words, the LAW is not hanging over their heads CONDEMNING them. They are not under the PENALTY OF THE LAW!
Why NOT?
Because true Christians are "UNDER GRACE" — that is, they have received the grace, the mercy, the unmerited pardon of GOD for their sins, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who DIED FOR them! Their SINS have been pardoned — forgiven — washed away!
A Christian, then, is like a murderer on death's row who has received a PARDON from the state governor. He has received GRACE. He is no longer in a state of condemnation, under the penalty of the law, the law claiming his life, awaiting his final EXECUTION!
Isn't that plain?
This verse in Romans, then, in NO way does away with God's Law. Rather, this whole CHAPTER shows that Christians are supposed to OBEY God, be righteous, and STOP SINNING!
God's Law STANDS! It is SIN which must be abolished — done away — and nailed to the cross! SIN, transgression of Law, is what separates one from GOD!
True Christian LOVE
Yet, some will tell you that they wish to serve God out of love — not out of a guilt-ridden, fearful terror of the consequences of disobedience to Law.
Such people do not even understand WHAT the love of God IS!
Do you?
They seem to think love is but a sentimental emotion welling up in the heart — a "sticky" kind of sentiment.
But what is the love of God?
Here's the BIBLE answer! The apostle John explains it: "For THIS is the love of God, that we keep HIS COMMANDMENTS: and his commandments are NOT grievous" (I John 5:3). Plain and simple! Love is manifested through OBEDIENCE to God's Law! Love flows through the channels of the Law of God, like waters flow down a riverbed and into the ocean.
Paul expressed the same truth. He wrote, "LOVE worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore LOVE IS THE FULFILLING OF THE LAW" (Rom. 13:10). In the preceding verse, Paul lists a few of the Ten Commandments, and shows how they are BASED ON Love — love for God and love for neighbor. Love KEEPS those commandments. Love does NOT abolish, but FULFILLS — that is, fills full, up to the brim — God's Law! God's Law defines the kind of love we should have!
Ministers or teachers who ignore and attempt to do away with God's Law, then, do NOT have the love of God! The very love they profess, they REJECT because they reject the Commandments of God which EXPRESS that very love!
What deception! What self-contradiction!
"Law OR Grace"?
Let's set it straight, once and for all! The truth is plain. It does not require a genius to understand the Word of God. It is SIMPLE, easy to understand. But sometimes previous false conceptions and erroneous ideas stand in the way and effectively block truth from entering a person's mind.
Those who have misunderstood the subject of law and grace need to get the spiritual "cobwebs" out of their minds. They need to strive to approach the subject with an OPEN, unprejudiced mind. They need to have the moral and spiritual COURAGE to admit the truth when they see it proven before their very eyes.
Few, sadly, are really WILLING!
They all too often are willingly deceived. They are adamant. They are firm. They are convinced, and no amount of logic or reasoning or scripture will cause them to change their minds. They are set in their ways. They are confused with error, and their minds are like concrete — all mixed up, and permanently set.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Are you willing to accept, and cling, to God's TRUTH? Do YOU tremble before the very Word of God, and FEAR to misinterpret, and misapply Scripture? Are YOU willing to repent, and OBEY God, when you see you have been in error?
Understand this!
The LAW of God defines RIGHT from WRONG. It tells us what to do and what not to do. It defines SIN for us, so we can know how to live!
On the other hand, the grace of God is His unmerited pardon for our many past sins, Grace is forgiveness for the sins we have committed and repented of. When God bestows His GRACE on us, He forgives us for our past transgressions of His Law! He blots out our sins and removes the death penalty from us. CHRIST died in our stead, paying the penalty FOR us.
We are, therefore, FORGIVEN! We come under God's loving pardon or grace.
But — does this mean, therefore, that the Law of God is suddenly done away? Just because we are no longer under the penalty of the law, for sin, are we now free to live however we please, without fear of future consequence if we break God's Law?
Of course NOT!
Grace is NOT license to do evil — to sin! God gives us grace to remove our PAST sins. But now He expects us to surrender to His authority, and OBEY the spiritual Law which He ordained from the beginning for our good!
God's grace removes the death penalty from us. But we are NOT free to go out and SIN, commit idolatry, steal, murder, profane the time God made holy, or break any of the other commandments of God!
Isn't this clear?
Grace is NOT contrary to Law. Rather, grace is the interposition of the mercy of God in regard to the death penalty which we WERE under. Grace merely removes the DOOM or condemnation which we were under. Now, to remain in God's grace, we must OBEY God's Law through the help and power of His Holy Spirit!
Perhaps this knowledge is new, even strange to you, if you've never heard it before.
There is NO CONFLICT WHATSOEVER between God's Law and the grace of God! It is not a question of "Law or grace." Without Law there would be no need of grace. Law and grace go together like hand in glove. One is DEAD without the other. One is useless without the other.
Law, apart from God's grace, is impossible for men to keep perfectly!
But grace, apart from God's Law, is not grace but license to do evil!
The Law of God works WITH grace; grace makes it COMPLETE. For, it is through the GRACE of God that we can have our sins forgiven, and can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, so we can in the future have strength to KEEP God's holy, eternal, spiritual LAW!
Now do you see?
It is not a matter of "Law OR grace." It is a matter of LAW AND GRACE! It was the "law of Moses" — a law of physical works — which was temporary, and pointed to Christ. But God's eternal, spiritual LAW, in force from Creation, ENDURES FOREVER, and is mightily in force, TODAY!
Even as faith without works is dead (Jas. 2:20), so GRACE WITHOUT LAW is dead! And dead grace will not save a single soul! It is USELESS — worthless — EMPTY!
DANGEROUS Knowledge
You have just read what is dangerous knowledge. Those who possess this knowledge of the LAW of God will be held accountable for it. It is precious! It is priceless! And God does not expect it to be treated with disdain.
With the knowledge of God's truth comes the sincere obligation to OBEY that truth — or have to face Almighty God in the judgment and fully explain why you did not.
How could you answer?
What could you say?
What does God say will happen to those who trample all over His holy Law? What will be their FATE?
Jesus Himself warned, "Howbeit in VAIN do they worship me" — some even WORSHIP Christ in vain — "teaching for doctrines the commandments of MEN." He went on, "For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men . . ." (Mark 7:7-8).
Those who LAY ASIDE the commandments of God are literally worshiping Christ IN VAIN! That is what Jesus plainly said!
And He said further, "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that DOETH THE WILL of my Father which is in heaven" (Mat. 7:21).
What about those who reject God's Law? — who transgress His Law? Christ will profess to them, "DEPART FROM ME, ye that work INIQUITY"! (Verse 23) Those are plain words!
Those who repudiate God's Law will wake up one day, too late, to find the very Law they condemned will CONDEMN THEM — to the lake of fire! Those who work iniquity — or lawlessness — will find themselves staring in the face the horrible prospect of eternal DEATH in the lake of fire!
These things are SERIOUS!
May God help YOU to understand. May God give you the WISDOM to comprehend the truth, and eyes to see clearly how vital BOTH Law and grace are to a true Christian! And may He help you to find your way OUT of the chaos of confusion created by those who twist, distort, and reject the truth of God, so YOU can reap the rewards of saving faith and loving obedience!
God wants YOU to enter His eternal Kingdom! He wants YOU to receive the glorious GIFT of salvation and eternal life in the Kingdom of God! Will you?