Where there is no law there is no transgression. Romans 4:15
blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us. He took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross Col. 2:14
How it was made known to me by revelation Eph. 3:3a
I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! Gal. 2:21
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.’ 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because ‘the righteous will live by faith.’ 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, ‘The person who does these things will live by them.’ 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.’ 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. Gal. 3:10-14
However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:
16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.
17 Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.
18 The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
19 You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.
20 The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him.
Deuteronomy 28:15 – 68 (not all reproduced here – it gets much worse)
10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.’
Acts 15:10-11 (Peter at the council of Jerusalem).
One of the things that strikes me about the Law as given to Moses is why there are always far more curses in it and warnings about the consequences of disobeying it than there are mentions of blessings in it. Moses seems to reach a crescendo of over the top cursing in Deuteronomy 28. Some of it is so dreadful that I would be cautious before I gave it to children to read. And that passage is not alone in being graphic in its descriptions of the things people could end up (and actually did end up) doing if they put themselves under the Law and then didn’t keep it.
The other thing that strikes me is how Paul was able to throw out all the consequences and obligations of the Law on the basis of revelation. His authority to do this is based on the resurrection power of Christ that so mightily worked within him sending him like a burning knife through the world of his time and, by his writings, through all subsequent ages.
Let no one be under any doubt: if we call ourselves Christians we are not under the Law. All things are permissible. But not everything is profitable. (1 Cor. 6:12). All things are permissible (Paul says again) but I will not be mastered by anything (1 Cor. 10:23).
The love of Christ constrains us (2 Cor. 5:14) and it is that wonderful, inworking law of love that we are under, through thankfulness, to a Person internally as we believe. Keeping in constant touch with our Heavenly Guide within, the Holy Spirit, enables us to more than fulfil any law anyone could write down on tablets of stone or anything else.
We are not under obligation to a cold, external written code no one can keep – or even remember or understand properly.
Instead we are in love.
faithfulwon 