IN GOD'S KINGDOM, BOTH THE LAW AND GRACE MATTER FOR US.

6/17/2019

HAVE YOU EVER FOUND YOURSELF LISTENING TO CHRISTIANS ARGUING ABOUT THE VALUE OF GOD’S LAW VS. GOD’S GRACE ? I HAVE, AND IT CAN BE A VERY DISTRACTING AND DIVISIVE THING TO OBSERVE. IT SEEMS THAT THERE ARE MANY CHRISTIANS OUT THERE THAT TRULY BELIEVE THAT JESUS CAME AND FULFILLED THE LAW AND THEREFORE, WE AS CHRISTIANS DON’T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT GOD’S COMMANDMENTS BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN SET FREE FROM THEM. THE OLD TESTAMENT IS JUST THAT. OLD. GRACE HAS SET US FREE, AND INDEED IT HAS. WE WOULD BE CAUGHT UP IN A PERPETUAL BATTLE FOR FORGIVENESS AND ATONEMENT IF IT WERE NOT FOR JESUS. HE IS OUR SAVIOR AND REDEEMER, AND WE OWE HIM EVERYTHING. HE DIED FOR US, AND HE TRULY HAS ESTABLISHED OUR PATH INTO GOD’S KINGDOM AND HAS SAVED US FROM THE JUDGEMENT OF DEATH AND SEPARATION FROM GOD THE FATHER. BUT WE KNOW THAT GOD IS A RIGHTEOUS GOD. WE KNOW THAT GOD HAS AN ORDER AND PURPOSE TO WHO HE IS. HE SHARED HIS TEN COMMANDMENTS TO SHOW US HOW TO LIVE, AND TREAT EACH OTHER, AND THRIVE AS HIS PEOPLE. SO HOW WOULD IT MAKE SENSE THAT HE WOULD CHANGE HIS MESSAGE THAT OUR LIVES NEED TO BE BASED ON HOW AND WHO HE ASKS US TO BE, AND HOW WE SHOULD LIVE, TO THE IDEA THAT SALVATION GIVES US TOTAL FREEDOM TO DO AND BE ANYTHING. OR, CAN WE SEE THE WAY THAT THEY ARE BOTH OH SO IMPORTANT IN OUR LIFE AND OUR GROWTH IN FORMING US INTO WHO HE WANTS US TO BE ?

I BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE BOTH IMPORTANT IN OUR LIFE. I BELIEVE THAT THEY INTERTWINE IN OUR SPIRIT AND LIVES TO MAKE US COMPLETE IN GOD’S KINGDOM. MOVING WITHIN US IN PERFECT HARMONY TO GUIDE OUR WALK IN FAITH AND AT THE SAME TIME PROVIDING US WITH COMPLETE GRACE AND LIFE, WHICH WE NEVER COULD HAVE FOUND ON OUR OWN, NO MATTER HOW HARD WE TRIED OR HOW WELL WE THOUGHT WE WERE DOING. JIM ADAMS COULD NEVER LIVE UP TO THE LETTER OF THE LAW ON HIS OWN. THE INABILITY TO DO IT WOULD LEAD ME TO ONE PLACE FOR SURE, SIN AND DEATH.

FOR THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH, BUT THE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. Romans 6:23

BUT DOES THAT MEAN I STOP HONORING AND STRIVING TO LIVE BY THE VERY PRINCIPLES THAT GOD ESTABLISHED FOR US FROM THE BEGINNING AS HIS CREATION ? NO WAY ! I’M GOING TO RELY ON MY SAVIOR TO LET ME FULFILL THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW THROUGH HIM ! JESUS SAID HE CAME NOT TO DO AWAY WITH THE LAW, BUT TO FULFILL THE LAW. WHAT I COULD NEVER ACCOMPLISH, HE COULD. HE IS PERFECTION. AND I AM HIS. HE IS IN MY HEART, AND THROUGH HIS LOVE AND GRACE, I CAN BE LIKE HIM. NOT ON MY OWN, BUT IN AND THRU HAVING HIM RULE MY LIFE. IN FULFILLING THE LAW, JESUS HAS SET ME FREE FROM SIN AND LAWLESSNESS TO ABIDE IN HIS KINGDOM, WHOSE VERY FOUNDATION IS BUILT ON THE COMMANDMENTS OF A RIGHTEOUS GOD.

DO NOT THINK THAT I HAVE COME TO ABOLISH THE LAW OR THE PROPHETS; I HAVE NOT COME TO ABOLISH THEM, BUT TO FULFILL THEM. Matthew 5:17

WE ARE TOLD IN 1 JOHN THE FOLLOWING : EVERYONE WHO COMMITS SIN PRACTICES LAWLESSNESS; AND SIN IS LAWLESSNESS. YOU KNOW THAT HE WAS REVEALED SO THAT HE MIGHT TAKE AWAY SINS AND THERE IS NO SIN IN HIM. EVERYONE WHO REMAINS IN HIM DOES NOT SIN; EVERYONE WHO SINS HAS NOT SEEN HIM OR KNOWN HIM. CHILDREN, LET NO ONE DECEIVE YOU. THE ONE WHO DOES WHAT IS RIGHT IS RIGHTEOUS, JUST AS HE IS RIGHTEOUS. 1 John 3: 4-7

FOR ME, WHAT THIS IS SAYING IS THAT SIN IS LAWLESSNESS. CONVERSELY, FOLLOWING THE LAWS FOR LIVING A RIGHTEOUS LIFE ALLOWS US TO HONOR WHAT IS RIGHT, AND LIVE ACCORDING TO THE MORAL AND SPIRITUAL STANDARDS THAT GOD ESTABLISHED FOR US A HUMAN BEINGS. I DO THIS BY THE POWER AND GRACE OF JESUS. I CAN’T DO IT ON MY OWN. I CAN ONLY DO IT IN AND THROUGH HIM, WHICH I AM STRIVING TO DO. THEREFORE,

WE PROCLAIM HIM, ADMONISHING AND TEACHING EVERYONE WITH ALL WISDOM, SO THAT WE MAY PRESENT EVERYONE MATURE IN CHRIST. Colossians 1:28

IN MY LIFE, I KNOW THE WAY TO MATURITY LIES IN UNDERSTANDING HOW GOD WANTS ME TO LIVE, AND WHO HE WANTS ME TO BE. I NEED TO BE LIKE JESUS, AND THAT MEANS LIVING IN THANKFULNESS FOR THE GIFT OF SALVATION BY HIS GRACE, AND STRIVING TO UNDERSTAND AND FOLLOW THE CHARACTER AND COMMANDMENTS OF HIS FATHER. I NEED TO MOVE FROM MY SALVATION AND HIS GRACE INTO GETTING DEEP INTO HIS WORD, DEEP INTO HIS HEART, AND PREPARING MYSELF FOR HIS RETURN. I WANT TO BE READY. I WANT TO THRIVE. I WANT HIS KINGDOM, AND I WANT HIS LOVE, HIS STRENGTH, AND HIS WILL FOR MY LIFE. I WANT HIS GRACE, AND I WANT HIS LAW. I WANT BOTH OF THEM !

GOD GAVE US HIS LAW, AND GOD GAVE US JESUS. WHAT A GIFT. MY PRAYER IS THAT YOU MAY FIND MEANING AND GRACE IN HOW THEY BOTH MAKE YOUR LIFE MORE COMPLETE AND BLESSED AS THEY BRING EVERYTHING INTO THE LIGHT OF GOD’S TRUTH IN HIS KINGDOM. BE BLESSED/JA

DO WE MAKE VOID THE LAW THROUGH FAITH ? GOD FORBID: YEA, WE ESTABLISH THE LAW. Romans 3;31