Some are afraid of pure grace… Some want to hold on to the law, just in case…
The law had a purpose when God gave it. The law used the external motivation of fear and was given through Moses to natural, fallen men whose identity was in the flesh with a soul that did not have the life of God inside. The law was an exterior standard that demanded perfection and provided the accountability through the Aaronic priesthood with punishments, even death. The modus operandi of the law was fear of punishment.
When the Mosaic law was given on Mount Sinai, Moses said,
“God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” (Exodus 20:20)1
However, the law was not made for a righteous man! (1 Timothy 1:9)2 The law – the external demands for righteousness on the flesh – was not made for the righteous person. It was not made for those who have been justified by Christ through faith in HIS finished work and filled with the Holy Spirit.
Does this mean that there are no consequences for sin? Of course not. There are natural consequences to sin! What I’m referring to is a spiritual truth concerning being IN the world, but not OF it. It’s about an inner transformation which has made us holy that results in an outward manifestation of holy living. The law of God given to Moses was removed by the cross and replaced with something FAR superior: the Spirit of God inside! Love replaces law.
Under the New Covenant of grace, there is no longer fear of punishment or judgment from God. There is no fear in perfect love!
“By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” (1 John 4:17-18, NASB)3
The fear of the Lord under the New Covenant of grace is the worship and honor of Him and His word above all other. His word is Jesus. His word is that He has removed our sin and joined Himself to us. His word is “Fear not! I am WITH you! Come to ME! Come boldly to My throne of mercy and grace as My very own dear children! I will never leave you nor forsake you! I am near! You are in Me and I am in you.”
If we, the righteous, keep the “safety net” of the law, it is sin for us! (Galatians 2:18)4 Living by the law as a new creation in Christ is not of faith. It is sin!
“Yet the law is not of faith…”” (Galatians 3:12)
“…for whatever is not from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23)
That “safety net” must be cast out! It must be replaced with reliance and utter dependance on the Holy Spirit from within! Today, our safety net is GRACE! When we sin, we look to Him, and He whispers, “I love you. You are My beloved child. You are holy and set apart unto Me. Let Me help you walk through this situation in wisdom.” Then we see the lie of the power of sin that operates in our flesh for what it is and, we repent. We change our minds by setting them on things above where Christ is and where we are hidden in Him, and we walk in newness of life, bearing fruit to God.
(from pages 250-252 of Unveiling Jesus)
Want more from Tricia Gunn? Check out excerpts from the Unveiling Jesus 20-part series!
Unveiling Jesus, by Tricia Gunn, is a verse by verse study of the pure gospel of grace. It’s an amazing journey of love, identity, and freedom in Christ.
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1All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
21 Timothy 1:9
3Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®,Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
4Galatians 2:18″
