The Strength of Sin is the Law
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 1 Cor 15:56
Did you know that the law strengthens sin? Did you know that this is the reason why many Christians struggle with sin in their lives, because most churches today preach the law instead of grace?
What is the law
Biblically speaking the law is the complete body of instructions given by God to the children of
Practically speaking the law would also include any list of rules or instructions by which you believe you should be living. Many churches today will be quick to tell you that we are no longer required to live by the Old Testament laws given to natural
What kind of new laws am I talking about? How about churches that promote the Laws of Faith, or the Laws of Righteousness? When I was in the prosperity camp I spent a lot of time studying God’s Laws of Prosperity! How about Gods Laws of Health and Nutrition, that’s a big one today. Take a look at the best selling books by Christian authors today and you’ll see an abundance of legalism. Seven secrets to this, six steps to that, twelve fundamentals to achieve something or other. None of this promotes being led by the Spirit. All of it puts people under the bondage of the law.
The flesh loves the law
All these laws, principles, and secret keys are popular because the flesh loves to keep the law. Whether it’s the Ten Commandments, the Old Testament dietary laws, some form of Sabbath keeping, or any other of a million forms of law keeping, the flesh revels in it.
Why? Because when we keep a set of laws, our flesh feels justified. Our flesh feels like it has something to brag about. Keeping a set of rules allows us to feel a sense of self justification. Self righteousness replaces Christ with self on the throne of the heart. This is the very essence of our ongoing struggle between flesh and spirit. When you live by a set of rules or principles you are strengthening that sense of self righteousness in your flesh. That is why Paul said the strength of sin is the law.
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Rom 8:13-14
All false religion has at its core the justification of self by keeping a set of rules or principles. Whether it’s Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, New Age, or the false worship that today masquerades as Christianity, all of it is designed to foster a sense of self worth through law keeping.
All people everywhere, even atheists and agnostics have an innate desire to see themselves as essentially good people. Living by a set of principles or creeds gives place to that fleshly desire and eliminates any thought of the necessity of a savior. But God see’s us a little differently.
The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Psalm 14:2-3
The purpose of the law
Why did God give the law in the first place? The law was given to make us aware of the sin which was working in us. The only purpose of the law is to make us aware of sin and thus our need for a savior.
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Rom 3:20
The law is like a giant mirror reflecting the utter darkness of our human hearts. Without this mirror we would never know that we even needed a savior. This is the true love of God that first shows us our sin nature with the Ten Commandments. Then, the ceremonial law demonstrates the process of being cleansed from sin. This is the entire purpose of the law. But did you know that God never really wanted to put us under the law?
For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: But this thing commanded I them, saying, 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. Jer 7:22-23
When God brought the children of
But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward. Jer 7:24
People today are exactly the same. We refuse to listen to God. We would rather be given a set of rules or principles by which to live. But did you know that when you do that you are actually causing yourself to fall from grace?
Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. Gal 5:4
What do you think it means to be fallen from grace?
What is the answer then?
The answer is really very simple. If you will learn to be led by the spirit of God rather than a set of rules you won’t have to worry about breaking the law because the Holy Spirit will never lead you to do anything that is against God’s holy law.
But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Gal 5:18
Again, remember the purpose of the law. It was lead you to a knowledge of sin. Sin is reflected in the lusts of the flesh.
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Gal 5:19-21
Aren’t these the very things the law tells you not to do? And aren’t these the very things you seek to avoid when you use rules, principles and faith formula’s to overcome sin or the effects of sin? Now look at this,
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Gal 5:16
If you walk in the spirit you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Do you see the difference? When you allow yourself to be led by the spirit you will perfectly fulfill the law. Isn’t that what Jesus did?
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. Mat 5:17
Isn’t this what we are instructed to do, to walk as Jesus walked?
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. 1John 2:6
This is the normal Christian walk, to be led by the spirit in all that we do. Unfortunately this is virtually untaught in the modern apostate church. It is much easier to teach principles. You draw much larger crowds when you teach faith formulas that allow the flesh to feel good about itself. Self justification is big business in
The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD. Psalm 14:2-5
We call not upon the name of the Lord because it is easier to rely on the law. To be led by the spirit requires a level of personal responsibility that most do not wish to step into. To be led by the spirit requires one to spend time in the presence of God. It requires one to spend time in his word and in prayer.
But we are just like the children of
And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. Ex 20:19
Next time we will examine more of the effects of the law. For example did you know that the law stirs up wrath? Were you aware that the law shuts up faith and blinds men to the truth?
More to come in part 2
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Steve Lumbley 2006 http://www.apostasywatch.com/
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