Blessings to you and yours in Christ!
As we continue in our study there is one thing we need to understand, Gods word is infallible. Gods word is His nature and character. Who He Is.
Infallible - incapable of making mistakes or being wrong. never failing; always effective. Faultless, perfect, dependable, trustworthy, meticulous, reliable, sure, foolproof, unfailing, certain.
While we look at the above words and statements that define the word infallible, we can gain a little more understanding of Who God Is. If we put "God Is" before each word or statement, we will in fact be re-confirming Who He Is and rehearsing in our own hearing (faith comes by hearing) Who He Is to us in our lives.
Now as I had mentioned toward the end of our Study in "Black and White part 1", that when one speaks about law in general, there is no variance regarding breaking the law, either you did or didn't. You will never find a might or maybe. It's clear. It's black or white. The same is true about the laws of God or commandments. Either you obey or you don't. There will be consequences and rewards dependent upon your response to these laws.
Now once again, the Lord God gave the commandments to Moses in Exodus chapter 20. Now let us keep in mind that these laws were delivered from a Holy and Righteous God to a very unholy and unrighteous people. I have heard it said this way: "The Law of God was given to Moses, to deliver to the people of Israel, to live by and adhere to. These laws were perfect and were given to an imperfect people, in order for them to realize that it is impossible for them, in and of themselves to keep any one of them. It was like a mirror that they would look into, and in this know, that they were not able to keep them." No matter how sincere their heart was. This would reveal to them just how Holy and Perfect the God they worshiped and served was indeed.
When any one of us look into the perfect law of God and know what particular sin or weakness we may have been struggling with and might be hidden away in our hearts, we also get a revelation of Who God Is and just how much we truly need His mercy and grace in our lives. By the prompting of the Holy Spirit, this should reveal to us just how Holy and Perfect the God we worship and serve is indeed.
Let's read what James and Matthew have to say:
"For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws." James 2:10 (NLT)
"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a women to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:27-28 (BSB)
With the Law there is just no wiggle room at all. If you break one, you're guilty of breaking them all. Even if you have not done the act, the intent of your heart is more than enough to condemn you by the law. Wow! Oh how we need our Savior. Thank you Lord Jesus!
Okay, I think we understand and realize the difficulty of keeping the perfect Law of God without a Savior.
We find in the Book of Romans chapters 5 and 6, Paul explains to us how we are saved by Grace through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His shed blood. Which is the vehicle in which we are pardoned. However, being pardoned as we are, it is not an opportunity to take the Lord's grace for granted.
Let's begin with Romans 5:12-20
"Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, so death has spread unto all men, because all have sinned. For until the law, sin was in the world. But sin is not counted when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of Adam's sin, who was a type of Him who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if through the trespass of one man many died, then how much more has the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of the Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. The gift is not like the result that came through the one who sinned. For the judgement from one sin led to condemnation, but the free gift, which came after many trespasses, leads to justification.
For if by one man's trespass death reigned through him, then how much more will those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through One, Jesus Christ. Therefore just as through the trespass of one man came condemnation for all men, so through the righteous act of One came justification of life for all men.
For just as through one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One the many will be made righteous. But the law entered, so that sin might increase, where sin increased, grace abounded much more, so that just as sin reigned in death, grace might reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:12-20 (MEV)
Now let's check out Romans chapter 6
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may increase? God forbid! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Do you not know that we who were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
For if we have been united with Him in the likeness of His death, so shall we also be united with Him in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing the is, that our old man has been crucified with Him, so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we should no longer be slaves to sin. For the one who has died is freed from sin.
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death has no further dominion over Him. For the death He died, He died to sin once for all, but the life He lives, He lives to God.
Likewise, you also consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but yield yourselves to God, as those who are alive from the dead, and your bodies to God as instruments of righteousness.
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? God forbid! Do you not know that to whom you yield your yourselves as slaves to obey, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
But thanks be to God, for you were slaves of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of teaching to which you were entrusted, and having been freed from sin, you became the slaves of righteousness.
I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for just as you have yielded your members as slaves to impurity and iniquity leading to more iniquity, even so now yield your members as slaves to righteousness unto holiness. For when you were the slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.
What fruit did you have then from the things of which you are now ashamed? The result of those things is death. But now, having been freed from sin and having become slaves of God, you have fruit unto holiness, and the end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6 (MEV)
I wanted to allow God's word to speak for itself. Paul gave us a wonderful explanation of sin and death, along with righteousness and life.
At this time I'd like to share how I apply Gods word to my life. You have probably heard a statement that goes something like this, "God said it, I believe it, and that settles it!" Well, in a nut shell, that about wraps it up. Now, I am still working out my own salvation with fear and trembling as stated in Philippians 2:12.
Gods word is the same today, yesterday and forever. Hebrews 13:8. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8 (BSB) Jesus Christ is the Word of God: John 1:14.
As we continue to grow in the Lord, as we give ourselves over to the studying of His word, we gain more revealed truth, a deeper knowledge of Who He Is and what He expects of us. We develop a relationship with Him. While in prayer we may sense impressions of His desire for us or a Rhema word (a revealed truth) that we must apply to our situation as an answer to prayer or a direction from the Lord for a particular time.
The more we die to ourselves and the sinful nature (like we read above in Romans) the further we move away from the things of the world, and move toward the light and life in Christ Jesus. We may find ourselves in a position, where we once did certain things, but now we have no desire for them. Or maybe we used to feel a certain way about something and could've been quite passionate. But after giving your heart to the Lord, once again, you and others find that your view points have changed and are now more aligned with the Lords perspective and His word.
What I am describing above would be called "convictions." A great example of a conviction is; when our brother Peter Simon, who walked with the Lord, was going to be crucified, he wanted to be hung on the cross upside down. His explanation was that he felt he wasn't worthy to be crucified in the same position as his Lord and King had been.
Now, Peter was passionate about this. This was Peter's personal conviction. This does not mean that everyone after Christs' death on the cross, should've been hung in a different manner, and if you didn't you would be deemed irreverent. Not so.
To bring it a little closer to home for us today, I will use another example. "To drink wine or not to drink wine, that is the question?" Okay, there may those of us BC (Before Christ) who may have at times drank while in the world, before we were regenerated from above. There may be some who had never drank an once in they're lives before asking the Lord into their hearts or after that fact.
Our Brother Paul reminds us to do all things, regardless of what it may be, with moderation. If you indulge yourself in anything too much, you have now become its slave.
If your conviction is to not drink at all, then praise God! If you have wine with dinner and on special occasions, praise God! I like the way John says it in 1 John 3:20-21. He makes a statement that says "as long as our hearts do not condemn us we have confidence before God." If we find that our confidence turns to guilt and or conviction (a sense of right or wrong) then it's something to take a deeper look at with the Father. However, if your confidence is steadfast toward God, then to you it is not sin.
The most difficult thing to do is to not hold others accountable to our own personal convictions. If it is in the word of God, then share it, if so led. If there is a sense of urgency and the beloved brother or sister is definitely violating the word of God and can or is causing harm to themselves or others, then share with them in love as stated in Jude 1:23 "snatching others from the fire..."
However, on the other hand, if the Lord placed it upon your heart not to drink even a glass of wine with dinner "EVER!" That is only between you and the Father. There may be something specific He is working in your life, that He is not working the life of another at that time. We are not the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the One, Who in conjunction with, the will of God brings conviction and deliverance with it. What a blessing! Whereas if we try, we more times then none, will bring condemnation upon a brother or sister. Then we are violating the law of Liberty through Christ Jesus, and behaving more like a pharisee then one saved by grace ourselves. Then we may find ourselves in contempt when we look into the perfect law of love in Christ Jesus! Ouch! Stay prayerful and humble always, preferring others more than yourself. With this you can't go wrong.
When we operate in Law of love, the complete Law of God penned by Moses is fulfilled. The thing we must be aware of, is that there is a thin line that separates the perfect Law of love and the Law of the Pharisees. We ourselves at any given moment are able to, out in the flesh allow the carnal man to rule, the fruits being unrighteousness and condemnation. Christ has come to set all men free and to liberate the captives from the Law of Sin and Death. Just as He has done for us, as believers in Him.
Blessings, blessings and more blessings to you and yours. In the Mighty name of Jesus!
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