I love the law - it is my best friend and personal trainer.

It does not seem that long ago when I was so blind and self-righteous. As long as we see ourselves living and doing the best that we can, we are under the law of "I've got to be a good person." Now we sure don't want to be evil, but hidden under all this self-goodness is law, law, and more law. It seems so backwards, but the truth is, the more law, the more we sin. Because, the "Strength of sin is the law" (I Cor. 15:56).

The New Covenant has but one law. The Bible calls it the "Royal Law," the law of love: love God, love neighbor, and love yourself. When all this responsibility to love unconditionally falls on us, our hearts sink; for we honestly must admit to failure. We simply cannot love. Yet, why did we think we should try to be like Christ anyway? We would have to be God to love that way. That is the point! Only God Himself can selflessly love.

What we don't understand is that our human vessel hasn't the capacity to love unconditionally. We were created to contain Mr. Love, Himself; but we were not created to produce it. Love is not a commodity to get, it's not a "how to" self-improvement program or an earned achievement. LOVE is a Person. We humans contain, not produce. When we discover that we are radically replaced by Christ, that "We don't live any longer, Christ lives in us," then we know we live by receiving, and not by achieving.

Freedom means that we are free to, or free not to, because we are led by the Spirit of God. "For as many as are led by the Spirit are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14); therefore, all the "I should's" and "I ought to's" of the law have no more claim on us. We are "dead to the law" in order that we can be married to another who raised us up from the dead, even our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 7:4).

As long as you see yourself alive and separate from Christ, you will make a law out of most anything. That is why freedom only comes when you know you are "dead" and crucified with Christ and no longer live; then we know its Christ living in us and manifesting Himself as us.

Romans 6 is a freed self. "Freed" - not "free," made free by identification by faith with His death. A freed self. It says so here in verse 7. "He that is dead is freed from sin." We are freed selves in Christ's death and burial. But that's not the end of it. Oh, no, you come bang up against another problem in chapter 7. Now I'm a freed self, dead indeed unto sin, alive unto God in my Lord Jesus Christ. Now I get about it; now I serve the Lord. Shall I? Bang, I go down again in Romans 7, because Romans 7 says, "Do it then, try it out. Here you are; here are the standards. Serve Him, fulfill His law, try it out." Bang, bang, bang, down you go again because we've to learn the second lesson which is our helplessness - OUR HELPLESSNESS. And the heart of Romans 7 is verse 18, the last half, "for to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find I haven't the power." So the lesson we have to learn next is this: Yes, you are a freed self, but though redeemed, still a helpless self. Romans 6 is a freed self. Romans 7 is a helpless self.

Now we are back in the garden of Eden. Now we are back in the very lesson which Adam failed to learn-his helplessness. The very lesson that Israel failed to learn at Mt. Sinai, was their helplessness. Now we have to learn it all over again. The redeemed self cannot do it, the redeemed self is merely a container that can't do a thing, "in me, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing." It's merely a container. It's a free container now. It's no longer a bound container, it's freed-free from sin free from the world, but it's still only a container. And if you up and try to serve Jesus, down you come again. You can't do it.

The law was my "PERSONAL TRAINER," TEACHING ME THAT I LIVE BY RECEIVING, NOT BY ACHIEVING.

Every time I tried to be good or avoid evil - bang! The law would shoot me and down I would go. I would do this and not do that - Bang!

I would make new promises - redouble my efforts - Bang!

This time I would get hold of "God's Power" and do it right. - Bang!

This time I will be better "FOR SURE" - BANG!

Bang - bang - bang - I was shot down thousands of times before I even started to learn my lesson OF COMPLETE HELPLESSNESS.

I could have never learned this so important lesson if the law did not shoot me. I now thank God for the law and all the bullet holes it put in me. Only the law could slay me of this self righteousness that I had. I had no idea that it even existed before the law shot me. It was the law the showed me that my "I" needed to replaced with Christ Himself.

Are you trying to add Jesus Christ to your life? Are you trying to apply His teachings to your life? This is NOT TRUE CHRISTIANITY! You do not apply Him or His teachings to your life at all. You have died and you have His LIFE. He applies HIs Life to you and in you - it was an total exchange. You died - He lives. You no longer have a life - He is your LIFE!

Gal 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

Now look at this part, "yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." the "I" was replaced with the person of Christ. So the old you that was servant and slave of sin was crucified and buried with Christ. When Christ arose from the dead - the new you was raised with HIM - with HIS LIFE.

Now the truth is that you are not separated from Christ. You just do not have Christ but Christ Himself is NOW you!!!! You have died and Christ Himself is your life. This was an exchange of lives - not a change. Your old life was taken away in death and buried. Then Christ gave you His life in the place of your old life. Before you where just an container of sin and the devil's life - now you are a container of Christ's life. A container only contains the life of another it has NO life in it self or any ability to apply anything to itself.

Here is the real truth - you are not separated from Christ - you are a container of HIS LIFE. Christ has united Himself to you - you are NOW one with HIM! CHRIST HIMSELF IS NOW THE REAL YOU! IT IS HIS LIFE expressing it self in your body (container)

Here is the key "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" YET NOT I - BUT CHRIST who is now me! So the old you that was servant and slave of sin was crucified and buried with Christ. When Christ arose from the dead - the new you was raised with HIM - with HIS LIFE.

Christ has united Himself to you - you are NOW one with HIM! Yes He UNITED Himself to you - you did NOT unite yourself to Him!

THERE IS NO SEPARATION between Him and you. CHRIST HIMSELF IS NOW THE REAL YOU! IT IS HIS LIFE expressing it self in your body (container)

Here is the key "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" YET NOT I - BUT CHRIST who is now me!

So embrace the law and hug it till it kills you!

The law, therefore, was the first form of God’s grace, because it imposed an impossibility on man - that the selfish one should be selfless - and gave him the chance of discovering his truly lost condition.

Brethren respectfully I find this title troubling. At the risk of sounding heretical. I do not agree with the Puritan/Calvinistic idea that the law must be preached to plow up the heart to bring one to Christ.

Consider the words of
Jesus in John 16:8-10

... And He (the Holy Spirit), when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and You no longer see Me; and concerning judgement, because the ruler of this world has been judged...

Jesus is inferring that since we are under the New Covenant and the Holy Spirit is the dynamic of the New Covenant. It will be the Holy Spirit that will convict one of their sins.

If we want to see how God deals with sin. Then let us not go to the Mosaic law on Sinai. Let us not preach the law of Moses. But let us preach the cross. Indeed Paul opens up the first chapter of Corinthians by saying he preach nothing but Christ crucified. He preached nothing but the cross. For here we see how God deals with sin.

I have recently been meditating on the hymn, Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted. I think these words by Thomas Kelly illustrate far more eloquently what I'm trying to convey.

"Ye who think of sin but lightly,
Nor suppose the evil great,
Here maybe it's nature rightly,
Here is guilt make estimate.
Mark the Sacrifice appointed,
See who bears the awful load,
Tis the Word the Lord's anointed,
Son of Man and Son of God.

Brethren point a sinner to the cross for both conviction of sin and for salvation in Christ.

Simply my thoughts.

Normally I shy away from confessions of faith. But I found these two articles from the first London Baptist confession of 1646 to be right on. For they depict a New Covenant emphasis on the preaching of the Gospel.

Artcle XXIV or 24

Faith is actively begotten by the preaching of the Gospel, of the word of Christ, without respect to any power or agency in the creative, but being wholly passive and dead in trespasses and sins, doth believe and is converted by no less power than that which Christ raised from the dead.

Article XXV or 25

The preaching of the gospel by the conversion of sinners, is absolutely free; no way requiring as absolutely necessary, any qualification, preparations, or terrors of the law, or preceeding ministry of the law, but only alone and the naked soul, a sinner and ungodly, to receive Christ crucified, dead and buried, and risen again, who is made a Prince and a Saviour, for such sinners as through the gospel shall be brought to believe on Him.

Working through the quaint 17th century language. Tis sufficient to preach Christ crucified and Him alone for the conversion of sinners. One need not preach the law. But only preach Jesus.

Simply my thoughts.

What about these?

Rom. 7:7, "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."

Gal. 3:24, "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith."

check this out if you missed it.

https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=57034&forum=35

Tuk in the scriptures you quoted I believe Paul is speaking more from his experiences as a Jew who was under the law. The law was given to the Jews only. It had no reference to the Gentiles.

In reading through Acts one will see that Paul will use the Old Testament in dealing with Jews. The Jews would know the Old Testament promises would point to a Messiah. Thus it would make sense that Paul would reference Moses and the prophets to preach Jesus.

But Paul would take a different approach with the Gentiles. We see this as Paul was preaching to the Greeks in Athens. In this case Paul took something the Athenians knew which was the phrase to an unknown God. And launch a sermon pointing to Jesus. Other times he would do miracles which would autheticate his gospel message. This happened when Paul confronted the Jewish false prophet bar Jesus in front of the Roman proconsul. In this case the proconsul was amazed at the power or the teaching of Jesus. And this resulted in his conversion.

It is interesting that many Muslims are coming to Jesus Through dreams and Visions without the preaching of the law. All I'm saying brother is that under the New Covenant we don't need to preach Moses. But we preach Jesus and the Spirit draws them.

Granted there are those preachers who preach the Ten Commandments as a means to plow up the heart. Open a sinner up to the terrors of hell Then these preachers will present Christ to them. Tell the sinner they are saved by grace. And then point them back to the law as a means of obedience. Then these poor souls are certainly condemned to a Romans 7 experience. At least this was my experience when I was involved with Calvinism. Particularly among the Presbyterians and Reformed Baptists.

Eventually God did deliver me through His grace and pointed me in the direction of the cross and the New Covenant. Also the Lord showed me that my heart was governed by the Holy Spirit and not by Moses. In other words it is Jesus who dwells in my heart and not Moses.

Simply my thoughts brother.

Brothers if anyone knew the law it was certainly the Apostle Paul. And he certainly knew what the law can do to a sinner given his experiences of Romans 7. However to the best of the apostolic record that is found in Acts, there is no indication that Paul ever preached the law to the Gentiles. At least a preaching the law to drive them and Christ.

Two accounts I reference. The first one is found in Acts 13 regarding Sergius Paulus. When Paul had the encounter with Elymias the Jewish false prophet. Paul rebuked Elymias and told him he would be blind for a time. Paul did this because Elymias was perverting the gospel that Paul was seeking to share with Sergius Paulus. Acts 13:12 says,

... Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened being amazed at the teaching of the Lord...

As far as we glean from the text there was no preaching of the Ten Commandments. But certainly a demonstration of the power of God. Such a demonstration that resulted in Sergious Paulius becoming a believer in Jesus.

The second account I references is found in Acts 16. An account we all are familiar with. In this case Paul and Silas had been imprisoned in Phillipi. At midnight when they were singing hymns of praise to God a powerful earthquake occurred. All the doors of the prison were opened. The Philippian Jailer thinking the prisoners had escaped was preparing to commit hari-kari. Paul stayed his hand by reassuring the jailor all the prisoners were there. Consider the following verses out of Acts 16:30-31

... "Sirs what must I do to be saved?" They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household."
...

The law did not need to be preached. A demonstration of the earthquake power of God was enough to turn the Philippian Jailer and his family to Christ.

I reference the above two accounts out of Acts where Paul preached Christ crucified as a result of the power of God being demonstrated. As far as I can see no law preaching was involved in the above two accounts.

Simply my thoughts.

From the other thread..........

"Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Rom 5:20-21)

The law actually increases our sin, our culpability. It stands as a testimony to our utter sinfulness and hopelessness and then only serves to highlight the beauty and the magnificence of the one who delivers us from its curse without any merit at all and birthed in sheer love!!.......bro Frank"

The law could never be considered as any kind of grace, they stand opposed to one another, one has to give way for the other to rule. Grace is unmerited favor, there is nothing unmerited about the law, the law requires from us what we cannot give. Grace gives us what we could not do by ourselves, polar opposites...........bro Frank

I agree Frank that the law requires from us what we cannot give. That is the whole point. My problem was that I thought I could do it independently until the law proved me wrong.

"I could have never learned this so important lesson if the law did not shoot me. I now thank God for the law and all the bullet holes it put in me. Only the law could slay me of this self righteousness that I had. I had no idea that it even existed before the law shot me. It was the law the showed me that my "I" needed to replaced with Christ Himself."

Now this was a form of God's love to me because I would have never seen my NOTHINGNESS without the law. So God used the law to shot me "FOR MY OWN GOOD". I did need it.

Tuc Jesus said the same thing in John 15. For He said apart from Me you can do nothing. There was no reference to the law.

My thoughts bro.

Granted PP. But there was no indication that Paul was preaching Law to Felix. More likely he was preaching Jesus and the cross to Fekix. And telling him that Jesus would return and judge the world. This is what Paul told the Athenians in Acts 17. In that sermon there was no reference to law.

Again my thoughts.

Yes I agree. All I am saying that I needed the law to show me that. Maybe you did not need the law but I thank God that He let the law shoot me.

Fketch thanks for posting the link bro. I will try to listen to it tonight since I don't have to moderate a prayer call.