BLACK AND WHITE pt. 2

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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BLACK AND WHITE pt. 1

Blessings my Brothers and Sisters in Christ!  I pray you find your strength comes from our Lord!

Over the years there have been times in my walk with our Lord that it has been said of me, "You are just black and white." This statement was not made in defense or with ill will intended at all. It was made as insight of a very close friend of mine in whom I trust explicitly. While driving home a few weeks ago I found myself pondering this statement. Why?  I am glad you asked!

Yes, once again the statement had been made in regards to how I may view things in a black and white manner when it comes to my every day life, when looking through the lens of my understanding of Gods word and my conviction in Christ.

With that being said, I'd like to make mention that conviction is not legalism. We are saved by grace and that not of ourselves but through Christ who died for us.

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; It is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast." (BSB)

Conviction - a firmly held belief or opinion, a view, thought, persuasion, idea, position, belief.

Legalism - excessive adherence to a law or formula, dependence on moral law rather than on personal religious faith.

Again, legalism can be said to go through the motions with no change of heart or motives as discussed in an earlier topic: "The biggest "U" turn you will ever make."  

Whereas conviction has its roots in a particular belief, thought or persuasion. With proper understanding of Gods word, grace is weaved throughout our convictions. We will find in Gods word plenty of times where judgement should've taken place, yet grace and mercy were applied.

I must say that I am indeed fully persuaded that Gods word is true and that He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. I not only believe in faith, but have faith in what I believe.

If we have given our lives to the Lord then we are no longer under the Law of sin and death.  We have been liberated from the Lord above and are free men and women in Christ.

Romans 8:1-2  "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death." (BSB)

I would like you to understand that there is a much higher law that supersedes any and all religious practices that are contrary to Gods word. Practices and religious ordinances that were created aside from the Spirit of God through Christ Jesus. This Law is the Spiritual Law of Love and Grace.

Galatians 2:21 "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness comes through the law, Christ died for nothing."  (NKJV)

Jesus spoke of how this law was fulfilled in two commandments. Let's read in Matthew 22:35.

Matthew 22:35-41 "One of them (a Pharisee) tested Him with a question: "Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the law?" Jesus declared, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments." (BSB)

The Law of Love and Grace complete the Law of God. Which has its judgement against sin in the lives of those who have not received Christs sacrifice in repentance. It does not abolish the Law of God by any means in its authority. But as Jesus has said: "All the Law and Prophets depend on these two commandments." One translation says "Hinge on these two commandments."

First, I would like us to notice that Jesus states that the Law in and of itself was basically incomplete without these two commandments. Second, I would like us to note that Jesus calls these two statements that He made in His reply to the Pharisees, "Commandments."  He Himself was the only One Who was and Is the only One able to add to the Law of God, being God Himself in the flesh! Jesus shared with the religious leaders and all who heard, great wisdom in that statement. We can glean from it today as well. Bless God for His living word!

You see, if we love the Lord God with all that we are, and our neighbor as ourselves, we would fulfill the Law of God! If we love God we will not sin against Him, and if we love ourselves and treat ourselves good and in turn love our neighbors the same way, again we fulfill that law. Remember that our neighbor, as we ourselves, are made in the image of God, in whom we love and will not sin against. So, if we sin against our neighbors, we ultimately sin against not only ourselves but God.

I took a little time to elaborate regarding the Law in order to lay a small foundation. This will be helpful as we continue our study in part two. When one speaks about the Law it generally has no variance whatsoever. Laws are not created to bend or be broken.

Hence, this is where we can say it is "Black and White." When speaking about breaking a law, you would say: "Either you did or didn't."  Now when we look into the Law of the Lord aside from Christs work on the cross, we are condemned, and rightly so. We have been born into sin, via Adams foolishness. However, when we look into the Law of Liberty, love and grace, we find that we are redeemed by the Blood of Jesus Christ via His sacrifice on the cross.  Thank you Lord!

What the Law of Moses could not do, In Christ Jesus the Law of the Spirit of life has set us free from the Law of sin and death. Romans 8:2 (BSB)


Father God, I thank you for Your faithfulness to us. Thank you for making a way where there was no way to You because of sin. We thank you for Your mercy and loving-kindness toward us. Holy Spirit, I thank you for leading and guiding this study with revelation from the thrown room. Deliver many and encourage all that will receive the word of the Lord. To You alone Lord, we give honor and praise. In the precious and Holy name of Jesus our Savior and Redeemer. Amen.


Blessings and healing to you and yours as you continue your week in Him Who is able to save!


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