The Law and the New Testament Christian

MEMORY VERSES: Romans 3:19-24; 7:4; Galatians 3:10, 13, 24-26

There is a lot of confusion about the Law of Moses and what place it has in the Christian life, and it is essential for every believer to settle this issue on a solid Scriptural footing.

The following major New Testament passages clarify the matter: Romans 3:19-24

1.   The Law of Moses or the Old Covenant was given to show men that God is holy and that they are sinners (Romans 3:19). Men naturally think that they are righteous. They compare themselves to human standards of righteousness and one with another rather than with God’s perfect law. Men need to see that by God’s standards we are all sinners because we have broken His laws.

 

Take the Ten Commandments, for example (Exodus 20:1-17). Men have broken all of these. We have put other gods before the one true God (Ex. 20:3). We have made idols and worshipped them (Ex. 20:4-5). We worship and serve ourselves more than God, thus making our own selves into idols. We have taken the name of the Lord in vain (Ex. 20:7). We have broken the Sabbath and treated all days the same, neglecting to set apart even one day for the worship of God (Ex. 20:8). We have dishonored and disobeyed our parents (Ex. 20:12). We have killed (Ex. 20:13). We have committed adultery (Ex. 20:14). We have stolen (Ex. 20:15). We have lied (Ex. 20:16). We have coveted (Ex. 20:17).

 

The law of Moses requires perfect obedience (Deuteronomy 27:26). To break one law is to break all (James 2:10).

Jesus taught that God not only requires perfect external obedience to the Law, but internal obedience as well. To hate my brother is the same, in God’s eyes, as murder (Matthew 5:21-22). To lust after a woman is the same, in God’s eyes, as adultery (Matthew 5:27-28).

 

Thus it is obvious that we are all guilty of breaking the law and are sinners in God’s sight.

 

2.  The Law of Moses cannot bring salvation (Romans 3:20).

 

The Old Testament cannot bring salvation because it requires perfect holiness, whereas man is a fallen sinner and cannot live up to its requirements. Thus, the Law of God can only curse us. The word “justified” means declared righteous by God. God cannot declare a sinner righteous on the basis of the Law of Moses, because it requires perfect obedience.

 

3.  Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21-24).

 

The way of salvation is not through the Law of Moses, but through Jesus. The Law demanded that the sinner die, and Jesus died in our place (Romans 6:23). The Law demanded that blood be shed, and Jesus shed His righteous blood in payment for our sins (Hebrews 9:22). Because of what Jesus did on the cross, the believing sinner can receive the very righteousness of God through faith (Rom. 3:21-22). The believer is justified freely. This means that salvation is a gift of God that was purchased by Christ. We are redeemed by His blood. The word “propitiation” means satisfaction of a debt, and that is what Jesus did for us. He paid a price He did not owe to satisfy a debt we could not pay.

 

Romans 7:1-4

 

1.   The Law is not the Christian’s rule in life (Romans 7:1-2). Christ is our new husband and Lord, and He rules our lives through the New Covenant. Our rule in

life is not the Law of Moses but Christ as revealed in the New Testament Scriptures. Trying to serve God under the old Law is like a woman who serves a husband only out of fear. She cooks and cleans house because she is afraid not to. Serving God under the new Law is like a woman who serves a husband out of love. She cooks and cleans house for her master, but not because she is afraid of what he will do to her, but simply because he loves her and treats her so well and she, in turn, loves him.

 

2.  The Law of Moses cannot condemn the believer (Romans 7:3). The believer is as dead to the Law as a wife is to a deceased husband. The Lord Jesus Christ took our condemnation upon Himself on the cross, and we are safe in Him from all fear of eternal judgment.

 

3.   The Christian has a new power, which is the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 7:6; 8:1). The believer serves Christ through the Spirit, not through his own strength. Compare Galatians 2:20.

 

1  Corinthians 3:5-18

 

This passage compares the Old Covenant with the New.

 

1.    The Old Covenant was the Law of Moses (2 Corinthians 3:7, 13). It was “written and engraven in stones.” That specifically refers to the Ten Commandments (Deut. 4:13; 5:6-22).

 

2.    The Old Covenant was a ministration of death (2 Corinthians 3:7) and a ministration of condemnation (2 Cor. 3:9). This is because it required perfect obedience from the heart, and we being sinners are incapable of providing this level of obedience.

 

3.   The Old Covenant has been done away in Christ (2 Cor. 3:11). It is not the believer’s rule of life.

4.  The believer has a new law (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). The fact that the believer is not under the Law of Moses does not mean that we don’t have a law. In fact, we have a higher law. It is the law of Christ. We are conformed to His image (Romans 8:29). As we see Him in the Scriptures, we are changed to His image.

 

Galatians 3:10-14, 24-26

 

1.    The Law of Moses, or the Old Covenant, required perfect obedience in all things; men, therefore, cannot be saved by it (Galatians 3:10-12). Because it requires perfect holiness, it can only bring a curse upon a fallen sinner. We cannot live up to its holy requirements.

 

2.  Christ took the punishment demanded by the Law (Galatians 3:13). He died in the sinner’s place in order to provide us with eternal salvation.

 

3.   The Law of Moses is our schoolmaster to lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). This is the major purpose of the Law. It is designed by God to show the sinner his fallen and lost condition and to lead him to put his faith in Christ.

 

4.   The believer is not under the Law of Moses (Galatians 3:25). The believer’s law is not the Law of Moses. The believer has a new law, which is the law of Christ. This means to be conformed to His image. The believer’s new law is also called the law of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18). By walking in the Spirit, which means obeying the Spirit and yielding to Him day by day, the believer does not fulfill the law of the flesh.

 

Colossians 2:13-17

 

1.   Christ took away the Old Covenant, or the Law of Moses (Colossians 2:14). He did this by fulfilling its demands and paying the price that we owe for

breaking it.

 

2.  The believer does not follow the Old Covenant (Colossians 2:16-17). The Law contains types and shadows that point to Christ, but the believer has Christ Himself.

 

REVIEW QUESTIONS ON THE LAW OF MOSES

 

1. What are the five major New Testament passages that we examine in this lesson? (book and chapter only) 2. What is the purpose of the Law of Moses?

 

3.  What verse says that to break one of God's laws is to break all of them?

 

4.  In what book and chapter does Jesus say that to hate is the same as murder and to lust is the same as adultery?

 

5.  Why can't men achieve salvation through the Law of Moses?

 

6.  What verse says that without shedding of blood is no remission of sin?

 

7.  When the Bible says the believer is justified "freely," what does this mean?

 

8.  What is the believer's rule in life?

 

9.  Why can't the old Law condemn the believer?

 

10.  What is the power by which the believer serves God?

 

11.  What was the Old Covenant?

 

12.  What does Paul refer to when he writes of that which "was written and engraven in stones"?

13.  Why is the Law of Moses a ministration of condemnation and death?

 

14.  What is the believer's law?

 

15.  What type of obedience does the old Law require?

 

16.  The Law of Moses is our                             to lead us to Christ.

 

17.  What is the major purpose of the Law of Moses?

 

18.  What is the law of the Spirit?

 

19.  How did Christ take away the Law of Moses?

 

20.  The Law of Moses contains              and                       that point to Christ.

Position and Practice

 MEMORY VERSES: Ephesians 1:3; 5:8; Hebrews 12:6-8

Another essential thing in the Christian life is to understand the difference between position and practice or relationship and fellowship. What we mean by this is that the believer has a new position and relationship before God that is eternal and perfect and unchanging and that depends entirely upon Christ, but the believer also has a practice in this present world that is less than perfect and that depends on his obedience.

 

Multitudes of professing Christians have become discouraged or even shipwrecked from failure to understand this truth. This almost happened to Harry Ironside, the famous Bible commentator. He began his Christian life as a zealous member of the Salvation Army. Believing their doctrine of a second blessing of sinless perfection, Harry set out to obtain this experience. He fasted and prayed and sought God as earnestly as he knew how. Finally he went out into the woods, determining to stay as long as necessary, and he experienced what he thought was the second blessing. He returned to a Salvation Army meeting and stood up to testify that he “had found it.” Soon, though, he realized that the “old man” was still present in his life, and he became so discouraged that he had a breakdown and ended up in a hospital. He determined to forget about the Christian life, since it “didn’t work,” but God sent two believers to instruct him properly in biblical sanctification. He was then able to establish his Christian life on a proper foundation and go on to be a very fruitful servant of Christ.

 

Relationship and Fellowship

 

The believer has been adopted into God’s family as a son because of Christ’s blood (Galatians 3:26), and this new relationship will never change. It is a gift that was purchased at great price. God will never “kick” the believer out of His family. At the same time, in this present world fellowship with God depends on

whether or not I walk in the light. Walking in fellowship with God is the subject of 1 John (1 John 1:5-7). If I walk in darkness I am out of fellowship, but this does not change my relationship. God does not throw away His children; He spanks them to bring them back into fellowship (Hebrews 12:6-10).

 

Relationship and fellowship can be illustrated by human relationships. I was born into my father’s family and I am his son. Nothing has ever changed that. There were times when I was disobedient and foolish and I displeased my father, and we did not have good fellowship together during those times. My father still loved me and yearned for my fellowship, but I had to repent and honor him before that could happen. The same is true in God’s family.

 

Position and Practice, Standing and Walk Another way to describe this is position and practice or standing and walk. Consider the book of Ephesians.

 

The first three chapters describe the believer’s new position or standing in Christ, whereas the last three chapters describe his practice or walk in this world.

 

The key phrase in chapters 1-3 is “in Christ” (Ephesians 1:1, 3, 10, 12, 20; 2:6, 10, 13; 3:6, 11). In God’s eyes, the believer is in Christ. He is forgiven, justified (declared righteous), redeemed, adopted, and given eternal life. The believer is “blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). This new position is not based on the believer’s works. It is God’s free gift in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). The price was Christ’s own blood (Eph. 1:7). Therefore, the new position is sure and unchanging.

 

In chapters 4-6 the subject changes to the believer’s practice in this present world. The key word here is “walk” (Ephesians 4:1, 17; 5:2, 8, 15). This word describes Christian living. If the believer doesn’t “walk” in obedience, he does not have right fellowship with the Lord. If he walks in sin, he displeases the Lord and grieves the indwelling Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). But he does not lose his position in Christ. That is settled and sure and eternal.

The two aspects of the Christian life are seen together in Ephesians 5:8. The believer is a child of light “now.” It is a present possession and position that was purchased by Christ and received as a free gift through faith. Since we are children of light, we should walk as children of light. In other words, since we are saved and have eternal life and are children of God, we should live like it.

 

Conclusion

 

1.      If the believer does not understand these things, he can become very discouraged and confused when he sins. Those who believe that a born again child of God can lose his salvation do not understand this clear teaching of Scripture.

 

2.    The fact that the believer’s position is not affected by his daily walk is no excuse to sin. We have already seen in these studies the terrible price that believer must pay if he does not walk in fellowship with his Lord. We have also seen that it is possible to be a professor of salvation without being a possessor.

 

 

REVIEW QUESTIONS ON POSITION AND PRACTICE

 

1.  What did Harry Ironside try to experience?

 

2.  How did God help him to become grounded in the truth?

 

3.  What verse says the believer becomes a child of God by faith in Jesus Christ?

 

4.  What is the subject of 1 John?

 

5.  What does God do His children when they sin?

 

6.  How is relationship and fellowship illustrated by human families?

7.  What is the theme of Ephesians 1-3?

 

8.  What is the key phrase in those chapters?

 

9.  What was the price that was paid to place the believer "in Christ"?

 

10.  What is the theme of Ephesians 4-6?

 

11.  What does the Christian's "walk" refer to?

 

12.  Since we          children of light, we should            as children of light.

 

13.  True or false: Since the believer cannot lose his salvation, it does not matter how he lives.

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Eternal Security Part 3

 

MEMORY VERSES: Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 12:8; 1 John 1:6; 2:1-2

 In this lesson we complete our study on the doctrine of eternal security by answering one final question.

 

If the disobedient believer does not lose his salvation, what does happen to him?

 

1.   The sinning believer is out of fellowship with the Lord and his people (1 John 1:3-7).

 

John was writing to instruct believers in how to maintain fellowship with Christ (1 John 1:3). We do this by walking in the light rather than in darkness. Walking in the light is walking in obedience to God’s Word. Walking in darkness is walking in disobedience. Thus, the sinning Christian is not in fellowship with Christ. He knows Christ as Lord and Saviour, but he is not walking in fellowship with Christ. The relationship

is not broken, but the fellowship is broken. This is a serious loss. To live out of fellowship with Christ means I do not have His wisdom and power and blessing. If I make major decisions while in such a condition, those decisions will invariably be wrong and will take me farther out of God’s will.

 

2.  The sinning believer grieves the Holy Spirit that lives in him (Ephesians 4:30).

 

To grieve the Holy Spirit means that His ministration in my life is hindered. He is the believer’s comforter and strength and guide and teacher. When He is grieved, I lose His blessing; I do not grow spiritually; I do not have spiritual power, enlightenment, and wisdom.

3.  The sinning believer is helped by the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1-2).

 

When we sin, God does not abandon us; we have an Advocate, a Helper. The name “Jesus” means Saviour, and He does not cease to be my Saviour when I sin. Jesus is there helping me, interceding for me, caring for me, seeking to restore me, as He did for Peter when Peter denied Him thrice in one night.

 

4.  The sinning believer is chastened by the Father (Hebrews 12:5-11).

 

God does not let His children sin without consequence. He spanks us. There is even the sin unto death if the believer refuses to repent (1 John 5:16-17). Some of the believers at Corinth sinned this sin (1 Corinthians 11:27-30).

 

5.  The sinning believer reaps corruption (Galatians 6:7-8).

 

There is a price to be paid for sin in this present world. Just because are saved, does not mean that we escape the law of sowing and reaping. Many believers have paid a terrible price, such as losing their marriage over such things as adultery, anger, and worldliness; losing their kids’ hearts; and losing their ministries. Any sin can be forgiven by confession, but sin has consequences. For example, I know many divorced believers who have confessed their sin but the divorce is still a reality, with all of its ugly and hurtful lifelong ramifications.

 

6.    The sinning believer loses irreplaceable opportunities for service and fruit

(Ephesians 5:14-17).

 

The sinning Christian can be forgiven, but he cannot regain lost opportunities. When the Israelites doubted God, they were forced to walk in the wilderness for 40 years even after they repented (Deut. 1:37-45). Many believers have lost irreplaceable opportunities by making important decisions when they were backslidden and out of God’s will, such as marrying the wrong person and

taking the wrong job. We can’t go back and start over in life, so we must live very cautiously and make sure that we are in God’s will every step of the way.

 

7.     The sinning believer will suffer loss at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

 

This is one of the clearest promises of eternal security in the New Testament. The sinning Christian who displeases the Lord and whose earthly works are burned up will himself be saved. His works will burn, but he will not burn. This is a wonderful truth, but for one’s earthly life to be wasted on something other than God’s will, for Jesus to be sorely disappointed in me, to have no rewards for His glory, to not hear, “Well done, thy good and faithful servant,” will be a very tragic loss.

 

Eternal security and problem passages

 

See the article “Eternal Security” at the Way of Life web site for a look at the passages that are used by those who deny the doctrine of eternal security. A more extensive list can be found in the book Things Hard to Be Understood: A Handbook of Biblical Difficulties.

 

 

REVIEW QUESTIONS ON ETERNAL SECURITY PART 3

 

1.  What are seven things that happen to the believer that sins?

 

2.  What book and chapter says that we walk in the light by confessing our sin?

 

3.  What verse warns against grieving the Holy Spirit?

 

4.  What does it mean to grieve the Holy Spirit?

5.  What happens when I grieve the Holy Spirit?

 

6.  What book and chapter says God chastens His children?

 

7.  What book and chapter warns about the sin unto death?

 

8.  In which New Testament church did some of the members die for abusing the Lord's Supper?

 

9.  What verse says that a man reaps whatsoever he sows?

 

10.  What happened to the Israelites when they doubted God?

 

11.  What book and chapter describes the judgment seat of Christ?

 

12.  What happens to the believer at the judgment seat of Christ if his works burn up?