Freedom in Christ

Hi Friends, 

I am writing today about a very important topic, and one that should not be so difficult. I feel that I have been thrown into controversy because of differing opinions.  It behooves us to take time to seek God’s guidance and his divine wisdom.  It is the truth of God’s word and his revelation that is most important.  And we know that “the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth.”  John 16:13

This topic is about the law: the Old Testament law, Jesus’ fulfillment of the law, and what the Lord requires of us.  

Recently, I went to a Bible Study that a friend and prayer partner of mine asked me to attend.  She told me that the leaders were planning to start a church, and have their services on Friday night or Saturday because they thought it was important to “Keep holy the Sabbath day.”  She said that they believe salvation is by faith, but that all Christians should still keep the laws of the Torah.  

I told her that it sounded as if they were off base.  The word of God tells us that “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 tree.’” Galatians 3:13

We were redeemed of the curse of the law so we are no longer under the law but under grace.   I believe that there is a disconnect with their understanding of the Word of God, for this is a gross misinterpretation of the Bible and of the gospel.  When people make broad statements of belief like this, they can become trapped in their own belief system.  This is an example of faulty doctrine and a departure of the true faith in Jesus as Lord, God and Sovereign King.  Rather than a church they will be building a cult following.  We’ve seen this play out  in history.

This topic is multifaceted.  We have the written Old Testament, line for line and word for word.  We have the New Testament with Jesus’ words as recorded by the apostles and Luke who made a careful study of the eye witness accounts of Jesus and his teachings.  We have the four gospels, and the revealed will of God which comes through Paul’s writings, and the letters of John, Jude, Peter, James and the writer of Hebrews.  We also have the revelations given to John in his last book, the book of Revelation.  

So where do we begin?

We begin with the I AM.

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit were together from the creation, when he created the heavens, the earth and mankind.  It was good….until sin entered the world through disobedience.

Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden by eating fruit that was expressly forbidden. The command of God was his law and his perfect will, but Adam and Eve chose to disobey.  This was a trespass of the command of God.  It was a willful choice.  They chose to follow their own desires rather than to honor God’s command. He was their creator who had given them life and everything that they needed.  This was an act of rebellion, instigated by the devil’s temptation.  Eve saw the fruit as a means of achieving power and knowledge and to “be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4

Rebellion was the very act that caused the devil to be thrown down to the earth. 

 “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God;

I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.

I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”  Isaiah 14:13-14

Satan wanted to be equal to God.  He wanted to be worshiped as God was worshiped.  As the serpent, the devil tempted Eve to sin as he had done himself.  He first cast doubt on what God told them.  Then he cast doubt as to what was God’s motive for telling them to not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Then he lied, and said to her, that “You will not surely die.  For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 

Satan tempted Eve to eat the fruit, promising her that her eyes would be open and she would have the same knowledge as God.  She took the bait, and ate the fruit and gave some to Adam who also ate.

So through this act of disobedience, sin entered into the world.  The children born of Adam and Eve from that moment forward were born with a sinful nature.  Before we are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, we have a propensity to sin, to be selfish and to want our own way.  We want to call the shots and make our own decisions.  

Throughout man’s history on this earth, there have been some who have pleased God: Job, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Moses.  The prophets of God submitted themselves to his Lordship:  Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and others.  But time and time again, we have allowed our selfish, sinful nature to rule our hearts and our actions.  We have put God’s patience to the test.  Within the first generation of people, Adam’s first two sons were at odds:  Cain murdered his brother Abel because of jealousy.

By the time of Noah, God had run out of patience, with mankind: “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.  And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”  Genesis 6:5-6

God chose Noah out of all people on earth, for Noah loved God and was faithful to him.  So God destroyed the entire world, its animals and people, with a great flood.  He began a fresh start with Noah, his wife and his three sons and their wives.

Noah knew God, he heard his voice, and he was obedient to his instructions.  He presumably taught his three sons to fear God and know his voice, but the sinful nature was still part of man.  It had not died in the flood.  Noah’s youngest son saw his father’s naked body, and told his brothers, thinking it was funny.  Because he did not show respect for his father and cover him up, his own father placed a curse on him.  

This rebellious sinful nature of man has been the source of all earthly strife, and wickedness.  The sinful nature of man desires to have what it sees, to be exalted in the eyes of everyone, and to control and exert its power over the lives of others.  The sinful nature of man separates us from God.  We see the effects of sin on our nation every night in the evening news.

Moses saw the rebellious, idolatrous hearts of his people, and was grieved by them.  So the Lord gave the law to Moses who presented it to the people. From that moment on, they would know what they should and should not do to please God.  The law did not stop people from sinning but declared what was considered sin. The law also established just punishments for transgressing the law. 

One day in the camp, Moses in his frustration, spoke out what he knew would be the answer to the sin problem. 

“So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and made them stand round the tent.  Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied – but did not do so again.

However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp.  A young man ran and told Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’

Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ assistant since youth, spoke up and said, ‘Moses, my lord, stop them!’

But Moses replied, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!’  Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.  Numbers 11:24-30

Moses had a wish, a prayer that the Lord would put his Spirit on ALL of them and that they would be prophets!  That same desire was prophesied by Joel. Then on the day of Pentecost nearly 1440 years later it would have its fulfillment.  

Jesus commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift the Father promised, which you have heard Me discuss.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Also remember that John the Baptist said:   “I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”  Matthew 3:11

Hallelujah!  Ever since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon believers.  The Holy Spirit helps us to overcome our sinful nature and please God.  Now we can be overcomers, as Jesus had asked of us to be in the Book of Revelation, (chapters 2 and 3).  An overcomer is one who is victorious, winning the battle over their own sinful nature, through the Holy Spirit.

Ephesus:

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” Revelation 2:7

Smyrna:

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.”  Revelation 2: 11

Pergamum:

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.”  Revelation 2:17

Thyatira

“To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—‘He will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’— just as I have received authority from my Father.  I will also give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  Revelation 2: 26-29

Sardis:

“He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge him before my Father and his angels.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  Revelation 3:5-6

Philadelphia:

“He who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  Revelation 3:12-13

Laodicea:

“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  Revelation 3:21-22  

Can we hear what the Spirit says to us, the church?  Yes we can—we can hear the Lord’s voice. Yes, we can be led by the Spirit of God, for:

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.  He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”  John 16:13-14

Through the centuries, we have had many Biblical scholars and theologians who have given us their opinions. And without a doubt there were those who were willing to  pervert the truth of God for personal gain.  Today is no different than it was in years gone by.  We all must contend for the faith.  Every generation has its leaders, teachers, prophets, and evangelists, some are good and some are not.  Jesus told us that we would know them by their fruit.

Let’s look at the Word of God to determine what should be our relationship to the Old Testament Law. Let us decide for ourselves whether Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law for us.  Or—as Christians, are we required to adhere to the law?

Did the Old Testament reveal God’s plan for a new covenant?

Yes!  Jeremiah spoke of God’s new covenant 580 years before Jesus was born as “Emanuel,” God with us.  

With whom was this covenant to be? 

It was a covenant to be made between the Lord and with the House of Israel.  This New Covenant between Israel and God was to replace the Old Covenant, for it would no longer be needed. The Lord declared: “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.”  Jeremiah 31:33

Now in the New Testament the writer of Hebrews quotes this entire prophecy of Jeremiah and explains that the New Covenant causes the Old Covenant to be obsolete:

“ For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.  But God found fault with the people and said:

“The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.

It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand, to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.

This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

 “By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.”   Hebrews 8:7-13

So the writer of Hebrews, declares that the Old Covenant is no longer in effect, for the New Covenant has come. The Bible is the inspired word of God, and we should take this as God’s word on the topic.

The Full Life Study Bible explains this well in an article entitled:  “The Old Covenant and the New Covenant” p.1926-7  1992  Zondervan Publishing

“...(3)  Jesus is the one who instituted the new covenant or new testament (both ideas are present in the Greek word ‘diatheke'), and his heavenly ministry is far superior to the ministry of OT earthly priests.  The new covenant is an agreement, promise, last will and testament, and a statement of intention to bestow divine grace and blessing on those who respond to God in obedient faith.  Specifically, it is a covenant of promise for those who through faith accept Christ  as God’s Son, receive his promises, and commit themselves personally to him and to the obligations of the new covenant.

…(5)  With the coming of the new covenant through Christ, the old covenant became obsolete (Hebrews 8:13).  In doing so, however, the new Covenant does not render the entire body of OT Scripture obsolete, but only the Mosaic covenant whereby salvation was gained by obedience to the law and its sacrificial system. 

We are not required to follow the Mosaic covenant with its laws, because the Lord created a new covenant to replace the old.  As a matter of fact there are many scriptures that demonstrate this.  Please read this and know, without a doubt, that all the Old Covenant with its laws is no longer needed - circumcision is an example of one such law, and the same line of reasoning applies to all the laws:

“We have freedom now, because Christ made us free. So stand strong in that freedom. Don’t go back into slavery again.  Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you start following the law by being circumcised, then Christ cannot help you.  Again, I warn everyone: If you allow yourselves to be circumcised, then you must follow the whole law.  If you try to be made right with God through the law, your life with Christ is finished—you have left God’s grace.  I say this because our hope of being right with God comes through faith. And the Spirit helps us feel sure as we wait for that hope.  When someone belongs to Christ Jesus, it is not important if they are circumcised or not. The important thing is faith—the kind of faith that works through love.

You were doing so well. Who caused you to stop following the truth?  It certainly wasn’t the one who chose you.  Be careful! ‘Just a little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise.’  I trust in the Lord that you will not believe those different ideas. Someone is trying to confuse you. Whoever it is will be punished.”  Galatians 5:1-10

These people in this Bible study are trying to convince everyone that they need to follow the law of the Old Covenant.  This is blatantly wrong and they must recognize their error.  ‘Just a little yeast (a false teaching) makes the whole batch of dough (believers in the group) rise (believe it to be true).’   Paul makes a point to declare that whoever is trying to confuse a believer will be punished.  It would behoove them to understand truth before they teach false doctrine to others.

They will use a statement like this made by Jesus to justify their position:  “For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”   Matthew 5:18

The important line here is “until everything is accomplished.” What Jesus came to do was accomplished or “finished” on the cross.  “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst!’ Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.  So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.  John 19:28-30

His death on the cross put an end to the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant.  His perfect sacrifice ended all sacrifices.  We are no longer bound to keep the law.  We are free of the “law of sin and death.”  We now live under the law of the Spirit of life instead of the law of sin and death.

"But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code" Romans 7:6

Hallelujah!  God is Good! “We are released from the law”. because we live in a “new way of the Spirit and Not in the old way (of the Old Covenant, the Mosaic law, the Torah), the written code!” Hallelujah!

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself'.’” Galatians 5:13

Please share this post with those who have become confused by teachings that lead us into bondage.  Christ has set us free, so live for him!

“For in him we live and move and have our being.”  Acts 17:28

God bless you!