The LAW - - 1 of 3

We can never be righteous by the 'works of the law' or in essence 'our own works'. It is not by works that one becomes 'righteous', it is by the LOVE of Messiah Christ in us. And if we love God - - we keep his commandments.

LOVE

b.................................. h..................................)

.....................RELATIONSHIP........ THOUGHTS, WORDS..............JESUS
........................of PRAYER....................... ACTIONS

PRAYER

........................ h............................. l........................p........................ t
.........THOUGHTS, WORDS........... HEART...............MOUTH.............. SEALED
.................. ACTIONS

LOVE is Jesus relationship of prayer with His Father. He was obedient to speak and do what His Father showed Him to speak and do. PRAYER is prayer when 'out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks the 'sealed Word of God'.

John 14:15
If you love Me, keep My commandments.

John 14:21
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.

John 15:10
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love,
just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

Romans 13:9
For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder,
You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, You shall not covet,"
and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying,
namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

1John 5
2 By this we know that we love the children of God,
...when we love God and keep His commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.
...And His commandments are not burdensome.

2 John 2
5 And now I plead with you, lady,
...not as though I wrote a new commandment to you,
...but that which we have had from the beginning:
...that we love one another.
6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments.
...This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning,
...you should walk in it.

LOVE is a choice, a decision, and action. It is not an emotion. It is not based on 'how we feel'. It is obedience to God's commandments. Love is DEVOTION and 'devotion is not true devotion until it comes face to face with the cross of Christ. Will I choose 'emotion' (lust of the flesh) or 'obedience' that is LOVE? Love is the 'fulfillment of the law'.

Romans 13
8 Owe no one anything except to love one another,
..for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall
.. not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,
.. You shall not covet, and if there is any
...other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely,
...You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

If JUSTIFICATION ( hkz - to be clean, pure) is not by works, but only by GRACE ax
a the Kingdom Heir's (Christ's)...x life ), what of the LAW? JUSTIFICATION is GRACE which 'beholds the power of the Lamb of God, the power of the gospel [Romans 1:16], the power of the cross [1Corinthians 1:18], the power of the Word made flesh' , Jesus Christ, Messiah, who laid down his life in fulfillment of the REQUIREMENTS of the law.

JUSTIFY
h..................... k......................... z

.................................. BEHOLD..............POWER................WORD
.................................THE LAMB........................................OF GOD

What does the NT have to say about the LAW?

Romans 7
12 Therefore the LAW IS HOLY, and the commandment holy and just and good.
14 For we know that the LAW IS SPIRITUAL, but I am carnal, SOLD under sin.
22 For I DELIGHT in the law of God according to the inward man.
25 ... So then, with the mind I myself serve the LAW OF GOD,
....but with the flesh the law of sin.

Galatians 3:24
Therefore THE LAW WAS OUR TUTOR / SCHOOLMASTER to bring us to Christ,
that we might be justified by faith.

1 Timothy 1
8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully,

If we can not be 'justified' by 'doing the law', by being 'law abiding', does the law yet have validity for the New Testament believer.

Galatians 3
19 WHAT PURPOSE THEN DOES THE LAW SERVE?
....It was ADDED BECAUSE OF TRANSGRESSIONS, till the Seed should come
....to whom the promise was made...
21 Is the law then against the promises of God?
....Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life,
....truly righteousness would have been by the law.
23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law,
....kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.
24 Therefore THE LAW WAS OUR TUTOR / SCHOOLMASTER to bring us to Christ,
....that we might be justified by faith.

Transgressions / sins, whether deliberate or unintentional, have the power of death. The law was added to 'keep one in the way of life' until the SEED / CHRIST came, that death would not have power over man. If we allow him, the thief / the devil still comes to 'steal, kill and destroy
(John 10:10). Paul says:

Romans 7
11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me,
.....AND BY IT KILLED ME.
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.
15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do,
.....that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.
16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.
17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
19 ... but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.
20 Now if I do what I will not to do,
.....it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

Sin killed me - - Without the living Spirit of Christ in us, sin kills spiritually. But Christ came, overcame sin and death, and with GRACE made me alive and separated me from my sin. Even though it is no longer 'I that sin, sin that dwells in me' - - KILLS. If we entertain sin, it will attack and kill physically.

1 Corinthians 11
27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord
....in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself,
....and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment
....to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you,
....and many sleep [ koimaō: DIE]
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord,
....that we may not be condemned with the world.

Galatians 5
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh;
....and these are contrary to one another,
....so that you do not do the things that you wish.
18 But IF you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

IF... IF ... IF...IF... IF we walk in the Spirt - -THEN - -
But IF you do not, the law gives you knowledge of your sin
and is a tutor to bring you back (repent) to Christ.

Romans 3:20
... for by the law is the knowledge of sin.


Galatians 5
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,
.....fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath,
....selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand,
....just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things
....will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
....kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

1Timothy 1
..8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully,
..9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless
....and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane,
....for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10 or fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers,
....and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,

James 1:25
But he who looks into the PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY and continues in
it AND IS NOT A FORGETFUL HEARER BUT A DOER OF THE WORK,
this one will be blessed in what he does.

Romans 2
13 (for NOT the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God,
.....but the DOERS OF THE LAW WILL BE JUSTIFIED;
15 WHO SHOW the work of the LAW WRITTEN IN THEIR HEARTS,...
.....their conscience also bearing witness


To be continued

Shalom!