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Why I Believe I'm Free from the Mosaic Law
Part 1
When I was a little girl, my Daddy taught me a number of things about rightly handling the Word of Truth. One thing he taught me is not to base a doctrine on one verse or solitary passage. He also taught me not to use one verse or solitary passage as some sort of rule to interpret a whole bunch of other verses. Scripture does not contradict itself. Let Scripture interpret Scripture. Let the plain, easily interpreted Scriptures interpret the more difficult ones. I'm sure this is all old hat to everyone on this list.
Of course one lone passage---the Matthew 5 passage we've been discussing at length---did not convince me of my relationship to the Law. Let me share the passages that, taken together, proved compelling.
> Acts 15:6 ¶ And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
> 7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto
>them, Men [and] brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made
>choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the
>gospel, and believe.
> 8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the
>Holy Ghost, even as [he did] unto us;
> 9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
> 10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the
>disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
> 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we
>shall be saved, even as they.
We've discussed this passage already. Note: the yoke of which verse 10 speaks does not refer to salvation through the Law. The salvation of the Gentiles was not in dispute. The question in dispute was their obligation to the Law. Do we want to tempt God?
> Acts 15:23 And they wrote [letters] by them after this manner; The apostles and
>elders and brethren [send] greeting unto the brethren which are of the
>Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:
> 24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have
>troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, [Ye must] be
>circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no [such] commandment:
Note: those to whom God had entrusted the gospel had never commanded that Gentiles were to keep the Law. Why should we do so?
>Acts 15:25 It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen
>men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
> 26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
> 27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell [you] the
>same things by mouth.
> 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no
>greater burden than these necessary things;
> 29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from
>things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves,
>ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
> 30 So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had
>gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle:
> 31 [Which] when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation.
Personal note: I am now beginning to understand in a small way what "they rejoiced for the consolation" means. It is our heart's response to the liberty that Christ has given us.
As I read on through the epistles, a number of verses literally jumped off the pages. Just a sampling of those I found compelling:
> Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the
>law, but under grace.
> 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under
>grace? God forbid.
I remember hearing a preacher once say that any preacher who has not bee confronted as Paul was ("What are you saying? That it's OK to sin?") that he is not preaching Biblical grace.
>Rom 7:1 ¶ Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how
>that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
> 2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to [her]
>husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed
>from the law of [her] husband.
> 3 So then if, while [her] husband liveth, she be married to another man,
>she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free
>from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to
>another man.> 4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body
>of Christ; that ye should be married to another, [even] to him who is
>raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
> 5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the
>law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
>6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were
>held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not [in] the oldness
>of the letter.
We've discussed this one before, of course. It especially hit home in light of my mil's widowhood and what that really means. This is a powerful analogy!
> Rom 10:4 For Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness to every one that
>believeth.
Wow! The end of the Law to everyone who believes? This stunned me.
> Rom 11:5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to
>the election of grace.
> 6 And if by grace, then [is it] no more of works: otherwise grace is no
>more grace. But if [it be] of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise
>work is no more work.
> Gal 3:1 ¶ O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey
>the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth,
>crucified among you?
> 2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of
>the law, or by the hearing of faith?
> 3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect
>by the flesh?
> 4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if [it be] yet in vain.
> 5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles
>among you, [doeth he it] by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
This cut me to the quick. I was a foolish Galatian! I knew that I had been saved through faith---not through the Law---and yet, having begun in the Spirit, I was attempting to work out my sanctification through the Law. I had been, according to the Word of God, bewitched.
>10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it
>is written, Cursed [is] every one that continueth not in all things which
>are written in the book of the law to do them.
Well, that verse---taken within the entire context of Galatians---demolished my argument that I had been freed from the *curse* of the Law only.
> 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse
>for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:
>19 ¶ Wherefore then [serveth] the law? It was added because of
>transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made;
>[and it was] ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
Galatians 3 is an especially powerful chapter, but the above verse simply stunned me at first. Who is the seed? We are taught clearly that this is referring to Christ. The Law was added because of sin---*until* Christ came! But wait---it gets even better:
> 23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the
>faith which should afterwards be revealed.
> 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that
>we might be justified by faith.
> 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.> Galatians 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how
>turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again
>to be in bondage?
This was convicting, to say the least. Had I returned to the weak and beggarly elements? Look at the context of this verse---what is it referring to?
> Galatians 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.> Galatians 6:13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but
>desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.
> 14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord
>Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
> 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor
>uncircumcision, but a new creature.
To be continued...
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