The Law Doesn't Do It!

"Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.” (Galatians 2:16 NLT)

In Paul's first letter to the church in Galatia, he reminded them that following the "letter of the law" was not enough to keep a person in right-standing with God. The "law" that he referenced was in response to Peter's attempt to enforce circumcision upon the Gentiles (non-Jewish sect) and Paul had to remind the people that Peter's only concern at that point was simply to avoid criticism of other Jews.

One of the biggest problems Believers face today is understanding The Word within the context of each conversation or letter. This is one of the reasons that those who have a surface level understanding can promote opposition to The Word because they really have no understanding of the intent of The Word. For many have tried to take this segment of scripture and say--that Jesus changed what His Father had said. Mere circumcision will not keep a person in right relationship with God because it is a physical act--an act that not many will adhere to. Faith--in Jesus Christ, who was with God from the beginning is not about--the physical acts we do--it is about our spiritual growth and understanding that we need to develop a relationship with Him. For we who worship Him, must do so in truth and in Spirit. In other words, our faith--should be based upon our relationship and desire to please God, not man.

Nothing, absolutely nothing changes God's intent for mankind--that we be fruitful and multiply under the umbrella of marriage which is sacred to God! And when we understand that the fulfillment of the law--is love--love for God and each other--we would not deliberately try to persuade others to live in opposition to God's Word.

For those who want to perpetuate a lie--under the guise of saying, "Jesus is all about love and He doesn't care how we live," you lie and we know that all liars have a place prepared for them in the lake of fire. Jesus cares so much about how we live that He was willing to die for us--out of love--so that when filled with His love--we can walk circumspectly among all people--living according to the Truth of God's Word.

There is no more sacrifice to be made for man's salvation because He has already completed it--once and for all. Our role now is to live like we love Him and to obey Him--in Truth, led by Holy Spirit.

We have many "Peters" in the world--those who will deny faith in Jesus--in order to appease others and avoid criticism by mere men. Don't be a Peter in this regard--seek The Lord for yourself and know Him in Truth and how He wants us to live! However, if we have no relationship with Him, we cannot seek His wisdom because we will not hear Him. Get it right, today!

Holiness (excerpt)

How does one define holiness?  According to Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary, “personal holiness is a work of gradual development.  It is carried on under many hindrances, hence the frequent admonitions to watchfulness, prayer, and perseverance” (I Corinthians 1:30; II Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 4:23, 24).  Simply put, true holiness is being as much like God as we can.  We can exhibit love for all, compassion for all, and maintain a right relationship with God so that He may guide us in all that we do.  If we refuse to obey His Word, we cannot be in a right relationship with Him.  We must also remember that we are not gods and we do not have the right to tell Him what He can or cannot do either with others or through others. 

Holiness is not defined by man’s inept attempt to keep people bound to legalism.  “If a woman is truly holy, her clothing will completely cover her extremities; her hair will be covered, and she will be void of make-up and jewelry.”  There are no specifics as to how to define how a man is holy as far as how their dress goes.   So says legalism.

What is legalism?  Legalism is the way of the Pharisees and Sadduccees.  These are the rules by which people determine (not by the Word of God) who is holy and who is not.  Legalism is another word for bondage.  Bondage hinders and prohibits the Holy Spirit from directing and guiding an individual and keeps people controlled by other people based upon their traditions.  Jesus gives us warning about such people when talking about the Pharisees.  “Thus you are nullifying and making void and of no effect [the authority of] the Word of God through your tradition, which you [in turn] hand on.  And many things of this kind you are doing” (Mark 7:13 Amplified).  In this particular passage Jesus is referring to how the Pharisees attempt to control men as it relates to the care of their parents.  It also holds true for much of the church world’s attempts to establish rules.

How many rules does a church have?

There are rules for dressing in order to come into the sanctuary.

There are rules for committing a portion of one’s income to support the church.

There are rules for what one can do outside the church building.

There are rules for which one can hold associations or affiliations.

There are rules for when to come to church.

There are rules for who can teach or preach.

There are rules for where one can sit in the church.

There are many rules for the women.

There are some rules for the men.

There are rules for the young people.

There are rules for the rules.

Does all of this sound familiar?  If one looks closely at all the rules, the majority of the rules are directed towards women.  [Remember when the

Pharisees brought the woman who was “caught in the very act” to Jesus?  What happened to the man?  The “law” states that both should be stoned to death.]  This discovery should not be a surprise since the majority of churches are established by men for men.  Women simply become an    after-thought in the consideration of everything that goes on around them.  This is a fascinating phenomenon since most churches could not continue to function if it were not for the women involved. 

This is an excerpt from Holiness, Not a Look, But a Lifestyle! available on amazon.com