THE DIVINE LAW AND SIN

 

By Gary Ray Branscome

 

          Since “sin is a violation of the law,” we need to know what the law says (1John 3:4). And, the words, “There is only one lawgiver and judge, the one who is able to save and to destroy,” tell us when it comes to sin, God’s Law is the only law that counts (James. 4:12).

          The words, “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor shall you take anything from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you,” warn God’s people not to add to or take from what His law says  (Deuteronomy 4:2). That coupled with the words, “Nor are you to be called masters: for you have one Master, even Christ,” tells us that no church, no matter how large, has any authority to create new laws that are binding on God’s people, or do away with those God has given us. (Matthew 23:10).

          The words, “Not one letter or stroke will pass from the law, until everything has been fulfilled,” tell us that the Law is still in place (Matthew 5:18). And, the words, “The law is not meant for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the irreverent and profane, for those who strike or kill their fathers or mothers, for murders, for those who sin sexually, for sodomites, for kidnapers and slave traders, for liars and perjurers, and for any other thing that is contrary to sound teaching,” tell us that the unrepentant are still under the law (1Timothy 1:9-10).

 

At this point let me digress from explaining the law in order to explain what the Bible says about freedom from the law.

          It is important to know that those who trust in Christ have been freed from the law. As it is written, “We have been released from the law, having died to that which once bound us; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter” (Romans 7:6). For that reason, one of Satan’s greatest attacks on our faith is aimed at confusing people as to what freedom from the law entails. On one hand Satan leads people to wrongly assume that if they are free from the law they are free to sin. But, the words, “The law is not meant for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious,” tell us that those who use Christian freedom as an excuse to sin, wind up placing themselves back under the law and its condemnation (1Timothy 1:9). On the other hand, Satan leads people to react to Christian freedom by assuming that faith is not enough. Those under that delusion place themselves back under the law by seeking righteousness through the law. Against that error Paul warned, “Stand fast in the liberty for which Christ set us free, and never again allow yourselves to be ensnared by the yoke of slavery… those of you who seek righteousness by the law; you are fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:1,4).

          Many people have a hard time understanding the freedom we have in Christ because they assume that the law makes them righteous. And, because they think that the law makes them righteous, they wrongly assume that freedom from the law is freedom to sin. However, nothing could be further from the truth! As it is written, “No one will ever become righteous in God’s sight by the deeds of the law: because the knowledge of sin comes by the law” (Romans 3:20). Moreover, the words, “All of our righteousnesses are like filthy rags,” tell us that, apart from faith in Christ, the law condemns everything we do (Isaiah 64:6). In other words, far from making us righteous, it is the law that makes us sinners! And, it is only as we realize that the law is what condemns us that we can understand that freedom from the law is not freedom to sin, but the freedom to be righteous. Because the purpose of God's law is to expose our sin, only those who acknowledge their sins and look to Christ for forgiveness are keeping God's law. And, if keeping God's law involves condemning ourselves as sinners then freedom from the law is freedom from condemnation. In other words, freedom in Christ is not the freedom to sin, but the freedom to be a good citizen, a faithful husband, and a godly father without constantly being condemned by God's law. As it is written, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2).

 

The Ceremonial Law

          By the time of Christ’s sojourn on earth Greek culture had spread over much of the Middle East, and many Greeks had embraced the God of Israel. In the book of John we read, “Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the feast” (John 12:20). The book of Acts tells us that “In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue together, and spoke so effectively, that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed” (Acts 14:1). However, even though these Greeks worshiped the God of Israel, accepted the moral law of the Old Testament, and were living by the Ten Commandments; many of them had not become full-fledged Jews, (which involved keeping all of the Old Testament laws). These converts were referred to as “proselytes of the gate”. And, when many of them embraced the Gospel and turned to Christ, the Apostle Paul saw no reason to require them to be circumcised and keep all of the ceremonial laws (those forbidding certain foods, and requiring ceremonial washings etc.). [See Acts 17:12 and 18:4.]

          In the third chapter of Galatians the Apostle Paul explains why he did not require converts to become Jews by saying, “Before faith came, we were imprisoned by the law, kept under guard by the law for the faith that would be revealed. Therefore, the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be declared righteous by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster, for you are all the children of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:23-26). Now, before going further let me make it clear that it was not the moral law that was being done away with, but the ceremonial law. When Paul was told of sexual sin in the Corinthian congregation he said, “Among you one hears of immorality, and of a kind of immorality that does not even occur among the Gentiles, that one has his father’s wife. And, you are still puffed up. Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with sorrow, and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this” (1Corinthians 5:1-2)?

          The ceremonial law created a cultural barrier between Jews and gentiles. During the Old Testament era that was important. However, after Christ’s resurrection it hindered the spread of the gospel. That is why God inspired Paul to say, “If you died with Christ to the elemental things of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules, Do not touch; do not taste; do not handle” // “Do not let anyone judge you by what you eat, or drink, or in regard to a holyday, or the new moon, or the Sabbath day” (Colossians 2:20-21 and 2:16). That is why Peter said, “I now realize how true it is that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation those who fear Him, and do what is right, are accepted by Him” (Acts 10:34-35). And, that is why the Council of Jerusalem said to the gentile converts, “It seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these essential things: That you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these things you will do well” (Acts 15:28-29). And, no church has the authority to reinstitute what God has abolished.

          In addition to what was just said, the book of Hebrews explains to the Jewish believers why animal sacrifice should be abolished, saying, “The law being only a shadow of good things to come, and not the actual embodiment of those things, can never make those who come perfect by offering the same sacrifices continually year after year… Thus He does away with the first covenant, that He may establish the second. And by that will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:1,9,10).

         

Walking In Newness of Life

So, what law should we live by? Jesus answered that when He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). So, “Give to all men what you owe them: taxes to whom taxes are due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, You will not commit adultery, You will not kill, You will not steal, You will not bear false witness, You will not covet; and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, namely, You will love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:7-01). Those words tell us that love should never be twisted into an excuse to break God’s commandments [See 1John 5:3.]

The words, “That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty,” tell us that the freedom we have in Christ is not the freedom to sin, but the freedom, “to do what is right, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God”  (1Timothy 2:2, Micah 6:8).

          The words, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness,” warn us that a Christian should never excuse or justify wrongdoing (Isaiah 5:20). The words, “We are buried with Him [Christ] by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life,” tell us that we should walk in newness of life; conducting ourselves as if sin has been removed from our nature (Romans 6:4). The words, “A bishop must be blameless,” tell us that a Christian should conduct himself in a way that is above reproach (1Timothy 3:2). The words, “Put aside all filthiness and every hint of naughtiness,” tell us that we should not do anything that looks shady (James 1:21). And, the words, “We are motivated by the love of Christ; because we are convinced, that if one died for all, then all died: And He died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them, and rose again,” tell us that our motivation in doing this should be our love for Christ, not some vain attempt to make ourselves righteous (2Corinthians 5:14-15). [See Romans 9:30-32 and 10:3-4] “The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth and we should conduct ourselves accordingly (Ephesians 5:9).

 

Government

The words, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God, and those that exist are established by God,” tell us, not only that we should obey the law of the land, but that rulers are given their authority by God (Romans 13:1). However, any laws enacted by men are binding only if God Himself has given men authority to make them. And, God has never given any ruler the authority to promote homosexuality or any other form of wickedness. Nor has He given them the authority to require us to send our children to schools that attack their faith and teach them the false religion of secularism. In understanding how to deal with a government that actively promotes evil, the words, “You need to be subject, not only to avoid wrath, but also for conscience sake,” tell us that we need to work for reform in a way that will not bring down the wrath of government upon ourselves, or other Christians, and can be done with a clean conscience (Romans 13:5). If rulers actively try to force us to act contrary to God’s Word, the rule is that, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

 

Parents

          Paul tells us that the words, “Honor your father and your mother: that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God gives you,” // “is the first commandment with promise” (Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6:2). However, the words, “All the promises of God in Him [Christ] are yea, and in Him Amen,” tell us that God’s promises can only be received through faith in Christ (2Corinthians 1:20). That fact tells us that the purpose of this commandment is not to make children our slaves, but to warn them to take our instruction seriously, so that they have a tender conscience before God, do not rationalize sin, and trust in His promise of forgiveness. On the other hand, any father that teaches his son to sin ceases to be the child’s father, and becomes an agent of Satan, who is trying to alienate the child from his true Heavenly Father.

 

Conscience

          The words, “I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. But if your brother is grieved because of what you eat, you are not walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food, him for whom Christ died,” stress the importance of doing nothing that you cannot do with a clean conscience (Romans 14:14-15). I realize that when it comes to conscience people often either harden their conscience to the point that many sins do not bother them, or torment themselves over things that God has not forbidden. For that reason, it is important for every believer to train his or her conscience so that it condemns what God condemns, without either excusing sin or forbidding what God has not forbidden, while “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2Corinthians 10:5).