LIVING UNDER LAW VS. GRACE

What is the difference of living under the law and living under grace?  Until Jesus came in obedience to His Father and willingly sacrificed Himself for the sins of man and provided the Holy Spirit as the earnest seal of our position in Him, man was subject to the provision made for him through the law.  The principles that were true then are true now.  The problem comes when we try to take a teaching specifically addressing a time of judgment under the law and applying the specifics to those living under grace.  Personally, I believe a man of true faith under both covenants is proved by his continuance in that faith.  I believe that those who choose to “leave” or “turn from” that faith never really possessed that faith.  That principle is explained in the New Testament.  John wrote about it when describing “antichrists” that would appear during the last days.

1John 2:18-19 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

Peter described it in a different way.

2Pet. 2:20-22 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

I think some comments from my journal on verse 2Peter 2:22 apply here.

The first half of this verse is a quote from Proverbs.

Prov. 26:11 As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.

The second half of the verse is emphasizing the first. The whole verse emphasizes the truth of being born again and becoming a new creation.  You can train a dog and clean a dog up and feed it the best of foods, but you can’t change its nature.  A dog is a dog; it’s going to do the disgusting things that dogs do.  You can take a pig and clean it up, but as soon as you turn the pig loose, it’s going to search for the mud.  A pig likes mud.  

Until we are born again and become a new creature in Christ, we are going to continue to be subject to the sin nature that we inherited from our fathers (all the way back to Adam). 

2Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

[end excerpt]

Another significant distinction is regarding the purpose and presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.  In the Old Testament times the Holy Spirit did not function among men of faith in the same way.  Since Jesus returned to heaven, believers are privileged to possess the indwelling Holy Spirit as a “down payment” so to speak of his inheritance for eternity and as a seal of protection and preservation to get the believer to that inheritance.  

2Cor. 1:21-22 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Eph. 1:13-14 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

It is God who gives us the Holy Spirit at salvation, and His gifts are irrevocable.

Rom. 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

It is also God who gives us the gift of salvation.

Eph. 2:8-8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Although I’ll never be able to explain it well this side of heaven, I know that God has said that He is not willing that any should perish and that we are responsible for making the choice to follow Him in faith and obedience or not.  He is also the one that gifts us with the faith and grace to accomplish our salvation, and once He begins that good work in us through giving us that gift, He is going to finish the work He started. 

Phil. 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ….

I don’t have to be able to explain it all to accept it all as true by faith.  I claim the truth presented by the prophet Isaiah:

Is. 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

In both Old and New Testament times, salvation is by faith in God, and that faith is evidenced by our obedience to Him in accordance with His word.  

Jer. 7:23 Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.

1John 2:3-4  And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

The works of the unbeliever are recorded in “the books” of records that are kept in heaven and will be used at the great white throne judgment.

Revelation 20:11–12 “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”

WHO OWNS THE LAND OF ISRAEL?

The deed for the land of Israel was given first to Abraham and inherited by his descendants through Isaac and Jacob.  God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to affirm their right to possess the land.  As the Creator, it is God’s sovereign right to give property to whomever He chooses.

Genesis 12:1   Now the LORD said to Abram,  “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;  And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;  And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”  [That blessing was the sacrifice of God’s Son, Jesus, to provide salvation from our sins and a home with Him for eternity.] 

Genesis 15:18  On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying,  “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates….

Genesis 17:7-8   “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.  “I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” .

Genesis 26:1-4   Now there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines.  The LORD appeared to him and said,  “Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you.  “Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham.  I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed….

Genesis 28:10-14   Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran.  He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place.  He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.  And behold, the LORD stood above it and said,  “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.  Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”  

Israel is not the only nation to whom God states He had given land.  Scripture records that He made land grants to Esau and the children of Lot, but I can find no mention that these land grants were eternal.

Deuteronomy 2:5 Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.

Deuteronomy 2:9 And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give you of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.

Deuteronomy 2:19 And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give you of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.

God’s word, His truth, is eternal.  His promises are sure—no matter what man may try to do to thwart them.  In His providence, He will bring everything to pass according to His word in His time.

 

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades: but the word of our God shall stand forever.

Isaiah 55:11 So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Isaiah 46:9-10 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure….

According to God’s word, Israel will stand as a nation before Him as long as you see the sun, moon and stars!

Jeremiah 31:35-36   Thus says the LORD, which gives the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divides the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is His name: If those ordinances depart from before Me, says the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever.

Those who refuse to accept this truth and refuse to recognize Israel’s right to the land and continue to push to divide the land are in direct rebellion against God. They are essentially placing themselves in the position of cursing as stated in God’s covenant with Abraham.

Joel 3:1-2  “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land….

Because the nation of Israel failed to recognize Jesus as her Messiah, God set her aside for a while and established the church to declare the gospel message of the saving faith available to all through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God in flesh.  However, it has always been a part of His plan to restore the people of Israel and bring them to saving faith and establish His kingdom on earth where Jesus will rule from the throne of David for 1,000 years before the final judgment of man and ushering in the new heavens and earth. Only those who names are written in the book of life, those who have placed their faith in Jesus as their LORD and Savior, will live with God for eternity.

Romans 11:1-2 & 25-29   I say then, Has God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people which He foreknew….For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer [Jesus], and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.  As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.  [brackets mine]

Luke 1:30-32 The angel said to her,  “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.  “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.  “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David….

Revelation 20:4-5   Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I [saw] the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. 

Revelation 20:11-15   Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.  And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one [of them] according to their deeds.  Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.  And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. 

Revelation 21:1-4   Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer [any] sea.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying,  “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be [any] death; there will no longer be [any] mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” 

THOUGHTS FROM 2CORINTHIANS 7:1

2Cor. 7:1 ¶ Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 

“dearly beloved” - I think it is significant to note again that Paul is writing to people he cares about and wants to encourage in spiritual growth.

What promises?  The promise that declares the believer a new creation in Christ clothed in the very righteousness of Jesus and positions him as a son or daughter of God the Father.  Though the Father sees us as righteous through the blood of His Son, we still have to deal with sin in this body of flesh and blood.  It takes work and commitment to stay clean from the filthiness of the flesh and spirit.  The Greek for filthiness is a direct reference to immorality.  It is important to note that this immorality is reflected in both flesh (physical activity) and spirit (thought activity).  This is the point that Jesus was making in the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:27-28 “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

Until we receive our glorified bodies, the flesh will continue to struggle with the spirit of the child of God.  Paul was very clear about this struggle in his letters to the Romans and the Galatians.

Romans 7:18-19 “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”

Galatians 5:16-17 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”

“perfecting holiness” – This is a reference to the process of sanctification or becoming more like Jesus as we grow spiritually.  What is the key to sanctification?  to staying clean before God?  Becoming immersed in the word of God.

John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

Ephesians 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

Immersing oneself in the word of God is key to fighting spiritual immorality.  Many Christians find it easier to discipline the flesh for fear of what others may think.  The sins of the spirit, however, are not always as easily conquered.  Personally, I continually struggle with a spirit of pride and selfishness.  The more time I spend in God’s word and in fellowship with the LORD in prayer, the less opportunity I give the enemy to attack me through those weaknesses.

What is our motivation for working to become more holy?  The fear of God.  We tend to try to soften the impact of this phrase by relating it to reverence and awe and ignoring the truth that God is to be feared with alarm and fright (from the Greek) due to His amazing power and authority.  I think it is important to understand that reverence and awe spring from an understanding of the power and authority of God that should provoke fear.  Jesus referenced this truth as well when talking to His disciples about having a bold witness.

Matthew 10:28 “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

True fear of the LORD produces obedience to His word.

Deuteronomy 13:4 “Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.”

Fear of the LORD results in deliverance from your enemies.

2 Kings 17:39 “But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.”

Psalms 34:7 “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.”

Fear of the LORD will always benefit us.

Psalms 34:9 “O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.”

Ecclesiastes 8:12 “Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:”

Fear of God eliminates pride in one’s life.

Ephesians 5:21 “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”

When we fear God, it pleases Him.

Psalms 147:11 “The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.”

When we fear God, we will hate evil.

Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”

Fear of the LORD produces wisdom.

Psalms 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”

Fear of the LORD empowers us to have a bold witness and have no fear of man.

Psalms 118:4-6 “Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever. I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?”