Are You Married to Christ or the Law?

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Are You Married to Christ or the Law?

God has revealed the true Gospel of faith through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The message of the Cross is the power of God. The just shall live by faith. Those who walk in the Spirit are not under the Law. Christ Jesus has delivered us from the Law. He has brought us out from under the curse of the Law and into His wonderful kingdom. God's kingdom is one of love and fulfills the Law in Christ Jesus.

The enemy has worked tirelessly over the last two thousand years to stop Christians from understanding the New Covenant. When God's people understand the work of the Cross, then Satan has no power over them. Satan is the god of this world temporarily and has already been defeated. Do not give him any glory or dominion over your life. The Lord Jesus has freed you from the power of sin, the dominion of the devil, and the old, destructive, sinful nature of Adam.

Understanding the New Covenant

God promised to bring a New Covenant.

Hebrews 8:7-9 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

The Word clearly states that the New Covenant is not according to the Old Testament, yet many Christians do not understand this truth.

The Old Covenant was made with the Jews, not Gentiles. God never gave the Old Covenant to the Gentiles. (Also, see Acts 15.)

Hebrews 8:13  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old (obsolete). Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

What does "obsolete" mean? It means that it is finished. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, He said, "It is finished." (John 19:30).

Reflect on Christ's statement for a moment. What did Jesus finish? He finished the Old Covenant!

Wesley's notes clarifies, "In saying a new covenant he has antiquated the first (meaning done away with) He has shown that it is dis annulled and out of date."

As an example, think of food items that you would find at a grocery store with a "use by" date. If you use those items after the expiration date, they could harm or even kill you. In the same way, the Old Testament will kill you if you come under it's jurisdiction now. This is why the Old Covenant is referred to as "the ministry of death" (2 Corinthians 3:7).

Wesley continues, "Now that which is antiquated is ready to vanish away, as it did quickly after when the temple was destroyed".

The Jewish temple was destroyed in 70 A.D.

Believers in Christ Are No Longer Married to the Law

We have been freed from the Law.

Romans 7:1 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

Paul was speaking to the Jews. The Roman church was made up of Jews and Gentiles. There were Judaizers in the congregation, as part of the Jewish Christian church, that were trying to bring the Old Covenant into the freedom that they now had in Christ.

Paul, in preaching to these Jews trying to hold to the Law, gave them an analogy:

Romans 7:2-3 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

The point of Paul's illustration was to show that just as death breaks a marriage relationship, so the death of the believer in Christ breaks the jurisdiction of the Law over him. We have been made dead to the Law by the body of Christ.

Jesus gave up His body in death through His crucifixion.

We are no longer joined to the Law, but we are joined to the risen Christ. One marriage has been broken by death and a new one is formed in Christ. The marriage that is broken in death is the marriage to the Law. That marriage was to the old, sinful nature of Adam. Jesus was referred to as the last Adam, and He became a life-giving spirit.

Many religious Christians cannot understand this truth because they don't have the Holy Spirit. It is only the Holy Spirit that leads and guides you into all truth. These Christians have a form of godliness, but deny the power of God.

Only after you have been freed from the Law can you then bear fruit unto God.

You die when you get baptized. In baptism you are crucified, share in Christ's death, are buried with Him by faith, raised with Him, and then are seated with Him in heavenly places.

You must be baptized INTO Christ. Colossians says the fullness of the Godhead dwells within Him bodily.

The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are one. You have the Spirit of God in you, and He is one.

That makes you a new creation and a new, born-again man who is not held by the Law anymore. You have been freed from the Law. The "Law" refers to the Old Testament laws, all 613 of them.

You Have Been Freed from the Law's Effect

Romans 7:5  For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

This verse relates to Galatians 5:19, which describes the works of the flesh. Legalism won't help you in knowing or pleasing God.

Being in the flesh is the opposite to being in Christ.

Galatians 5:19-21  Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,  idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

These sinful passions of the flesh are the consequence of you trying to keep the law!

The Law arouses sinful passions in your physical members. The Law is holy and righteous, and it was God's standard. However, no one was able to live by it and everyone failed. To fail in one part of the Law (any one of the 613 laws) was to be guilty of breaking the whole Law.

No one was able to keep the Law (except for Christ himself). No one is ever justified by the Law. Many Christians are confused over this fact and wrongly strive to keep the Law in order to be accepted by God. They also get the commandments of the Lord mixed up with the Law of Moses, when in fact the Lord's commandments are called "The Law of Christ".

This is where most of the confusion comes in. There are two applications. One is by the works of the flesh, the old Law program (all 613 laws). The other is by faith in the Word by the Spirit in love. That is called the Law of Christ. The Law of Christ is by faith!

You must trust in the promises of God, all of which are fulfilled in one commandment. That is: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. It is love, for love is the fulfillment of the whole Law.

The Law is Not Faith

Romans 7:6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

Unfortunately, some Christians ignore this verse and try to mix the two Covenants. They are trying to put new wine into the old wine skins. They are trying to take the new piece of garment and sew it into the old garment. Doing that will cause a tear. To use the analogy of the wine skin (putting new wine into old wine skins) that will cause the old wine skins to burst.

The two Covenants cannot be mixed. They are not mixable. This is why God said that He would make a New Covenant with the House of Israel, not according to the old one that He made with their forefathers. Again the old refers to the Old Law, the Old Testament, and all 613 laws.

Galatians 3:12  And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

If you have the veil of Moses over you (evidenced by trying to keep the Law), then you must humble yourself before God. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. You must become humble because salvation is not about your works. It is about what Christ has done, not about what you have done.

What you have done is under the Old Testament Law, but what Jesus did was under the Law of Christ. He fulfilled the requirements of the Old Testament Law because you were not able to do that on your own.

You must be careful not to go under the Old Law system. If you go under that Law, you will be judged by that Law. The penalty of breaking the Law is death.

You cannot mix the grace of God with the Law. Many Christians believe that the grace of God is given to keep the Old Law, and when they slip up they've got forgiveness. This is wrong!

That is not how it works at all.

The Old Law is passed away in Christ.

Hebrews 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

The Law is not faith. God is saying that He will not have any pleasure in you if you're not going to walk by faith. The Law is works, not faith.

God is saying that you must make a choice. You can decide to trust God and His Son's finished work on the cross. By dying on the cross, Jesus fulfilled the Law for you. No one else was able to fulfill the Law besides the Son of God. Jesus became the Son of Man, died for your sins, was the atonement for your sins, and was the Lamb of God.

He didn't do all of that for you to go back under the Old Law system.

Ephesians 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

This verse is talking about Jesus abolishing the Law in His flesh. What was the enmity? It was the Law. Sin. Everything that was against you.

The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the Law. Jesus just nailed it all to the cross, completely disarmed Satan, and took away all of His power.

He created in Himself one new man from the two. He slew the old Adam nature. He overcame and destroyed that old nature. Jesus was tempted in every way. He was the Son of Man. Though He was tempted in every way as you are, He did not sin. He did not fall in any way, shape, or form. He fulfilled the Law for you.

God is awesome! No man was ever able to do what He did. So, praise God for the new man, Christ in you, the hope of glory!

Romans 24:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

This is the New Covenant. The New Covenant is about faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these is love. Love is the fulfillment of the Law, and love is Christ. This love is God, for God is love.

Your service to God is now led by love and by faith, not by fear or condemnation.

The Law brings condemnation, but love brings Christ. Love brings the fullness of Christ in every area of your life: Mind, Spirit, Soul, and Body.

You have been delivered from the sinful nature of the first Adam, and now have power over it. You must choose to abide in the new nature, in the new born again man, which is the nature of Christ Jesus.

That is what the atonement of Jesus Christ's blood has done. It was the perfect atonement for your sin and has delivered you out of the power and dominion of death. The sting of death is that sin nature that you inherited from Adam.

We are delivered from the Law by sharing in his death through baptism by faith. We are now not to touch what we died to. You don't go back and touch a dead body. If you do, you will fall from grace.

Jesus fulfilled all the claims of the Law by paying for all of its awful penalties and curses for you.

No one is justified by keeping the Law, including the Ten Commandments. You have a totally new Covenant now and have been baptized into Christ as a living epistle.

This is not of the letter but of the Spirit, which is shed abroad in your heart.

Jesus Christ Has Fulfilled the Law

Love your neighbor.

Romans 13:8-10 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

You don't need to worry about going under the Law's rules because you have already been justified by faith in Christ.

This love is the nature of Christ. That is your identity! You are righteous. You are justified. You have His identity.

You do not have to try to be perfect through your own self works through the Law. You are already righteous and perfect in Him for what He did, not for what you did or what you try to do.

This is where the message of grace comes in. This is the gospel of grace. It is this truth that religious, legalistic people cannot receive because of the veil of Moses that blinds them.

Through the reading of the Law of Moses that veil remains, but it is taken away in Christ (2 Corinthians 3:15-17).

To sum everything up, all of the Old Testament Laws, including the Ten Commandments, are now fulfilled in love, which Jesus supplied by His spirit. We are freely justified by faith, not by works of the Law.

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

What is the yoke of bondage? It was the Law that was given to Israel! None of them were able to keep it. It was a yoke of bondage that the elders of the church agreed would not be placed upon the new Gentile believers coming into the Church (see Acts 15).

Christ has truly set you free. Make sure that you stay free and don't get tied up again in slavery to the Law.

As clear as this is stated, satan will always try to twist the Word and bring confusion. This is why you must study the Word to show yourself approved.

Freed from the Old Testament Law

Colossians 2:14-17  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy

day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

The Ten Commandments have been abolished. Many Christians of certain legalistic denominations do not understand or try to refute the truth that the Ten Commandments got nailed to the cross.

The Law was only a school master to bring you to Christ. You are not under that system anymore. That is why God said that He was going to make a New Covenant with you that was not according to the one that He made with your forefathers.

Misled Christians will twist this scripture. Satan wants to bring Christians under the Law because the moment he succeeds in doing that, He brings them under the curse of the Law.

Colossians 2:18  Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

The carnal mind is an enemy of God. You cannot understand the Word of God without the mind of Christ. Jesus opened people's eyes for them to see the truth of His Word. He spoke to people in parables so that "seeing that may not see and hearing they may not hear".

People were hearing the truth but they didn't understand it. When God wanted to do so, He opened their eyes and ears to let them hear.

When so-called Christians try to understand the Word of God without the Holy Spirit, they're going to get in error.

The vainly puffed up, fleshly mind is not the mind of Christ. The mind of Christ will lead and guide you into all truth because the Holy Spirit bears witness with the truth.

The increase of God is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, etc. You need to check yourself for these fruit.

Legalistic Christians are judgmental and love quoting scripture at others, but their hearts are far from love. They do not have an ounce of love. They claim to have love but there is only judgmentalism and condemnation.

Jesus disarmed the principalities and powers. These principalities and powers have power over you if you are not walking in the Spirit! If you are not abiding in Christ, they have power over you. But if you are actually abiding in Christ, and have been given the authority of Christ, then they have no authority or power over you.

One of satan's biggest weapons is deception and getting Christians to come under the Law.

Coming under the Law causes you to be estranged from Christ. Estranged means separated. Once they separate Christians from Christ, they turn them into religious nutcases. Always learning and never coming to the knowledge of truth.

This is where the veil of Moses particularly blinds there eyes. This blinding does not only apply to Jews. It applies to whoever goes under the Law of Moses. When you go under the Mosaic Law you receive that veil. This veil is only taken away when you understand justification and sanctification by faith in Christ and Christ alone. It is a free gift.

1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

If you are following the Law, you must study this understand it. The strength of sin is the law does not mean that the Law is sinful. The Law is holy, righteous, and good. But breaking the Law brings a penalty, which is death.

If you go under the Old Law system, you will be judged by that Law system.

Remember, anyone who broke a single one of the 613 laws was guilty of them all. Jesus Christ laid his life down and destroyed that Law. He was slain and no sin was found in Him.

He broke that Law of sin and death. He was the last Adam. He became a life giving spirit because no sin was found in Him.

When you enter into Him, you enter into victory over that Law! You can abide in the victory that Christ won for you. The way you do that is not by keeping the Law but by faith in Christ.  It is a free gift.

Satan's claim against mankind was sin. Sin's strength was the Old Testament Law, which was God's standard. If anyone broke that Law, they had to pay the penalty: "An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth."

If anyone had been able to keep the Old Law in it's entirety, then Jesus Christ's death was in vain. The Bible says that if righteousness came through the Law, then Jesus Christ died in vain. Man was never able to keep it, so Christ removed it so that we would not be judged by it.

If you try to go under the Law program thinking that you are pleasing God, you will be judged by that. Break one of the laws, and you are guilty of them all.

This is a message of faith, hope, and love if you understand it.

The Old Testament was hostile to you.

Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

The Law was hostile to you and brought judgment.

2 Corinthians 3:7-11 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

The Ten Commandments are called the ministry of death and the ministry of condemnation.

The glory of the Law was passing away means that it was not permanent.  The ministry of the Spirit is the ministry of the New Covenant. The ministry of righteousness is the ministry of Christ in the New Covenant.

The Old Covenant does not even compare to the New Covenant. The glory of the New Covenant excels because that is through Christ Jesus. It is the glory of the Father through Christ in the power of the Spirit.

Why would any Christian choose to go under what is passing away and is called the ministry of death and condemnation? Why would you even consider going under such a program?

2 Corinthians 3:12-14 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished. But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.

When you go under the Law of Moses, your mind will be blinded. Satan loves getting Christians under the Old Law program.

Even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on the heart of those choosing to come under the Law. Those who do so will never understand the message of the Cross.

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

"It is not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit", says the Lord.

It is not by the Law, but by the Spirit that you are transformed and made holy. You were circumcised into Christ not with human hands but by the power of the Spirit.

You were baptized into Him and given a new heart, a new identity, a new nature, and are made righteous before God. This miracle occurs not through your own works but by a free gift by grace through the power of the Holy Spirit through the atoning blood and work of the Cross.

What an awesome gift and miracle that is. That is where the Old Testament Law and the keeping of the Law was never able to achieve.

Are you Led By the Bible or the Holy Spirit?

Many Christians say, "I follow the Bible". That's where people can get themselves into a lot of trouble as terrible as that sounds.

They may read the Bible but don't study the Bible to show themselves approved by the Holy Spirit.

When people are led by the traditions of men and false gospels, false teachers, and false church systems, they may receive another Jesus as well as a whole pile of religious spirits which are specifically assigned to lead them into deception.

What looks good on the surface is actually deadly, just like the original sin with Eve.

To a rat, rat poison is alluring. It may be 99.995% nutritious, but .005% deadly!

This is what Jesus warned us about when speaking of the leaven of the Pharisees. It sounds righteous and holy but the truth is that death is laced into it. It will separate you from Christ and actually kill you.

To understand the true Gospel, make it your mission to know Jesus's great commission in truth and spirit by seeking to understand the message of the Cross and Jesus Christ crucified.

You need to test all things, especially the spirits and examine yourself to see if you are of the faith.

Ask yourself what are the signs of a true believer?

• 1 Corinthians 2

• Mark 16:14-18

• John 14

• ...and others.

Do not be deceived by dead religion. The Message of the Cross is the power of God!