What is sin? Are we under law?

I have not taken part in the discussions we have been having on role of law in New Covenant(NC). But read few, I see lot of confusion on this subject in this forum. I want to tell my view on this.

To understand the role of Law in NC, we need to understand what is sin in NC. The sin under OC was anything that is against law. Hence it is very important for them to hold the law and look everything through the eyes of law so that they know what is Sin.

Even in new Covenant we still define sin as lawlessness -
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4).

But new covenant bar has been set higher than the bar of Law set in Old Covenant.
You can imagine a long jump bars like you see in atheletics. One bar at say 5 feet height called standard of OC law and another bar at say 10 at feet height saying NC life. Now anyone who fails to jump the 5 feet bar (OC Law) has definitely failed to jump 10 feet bar that is NC life standard. That is what the meaning of 1 John 3:4 is, if we live as lawless person we have definitely fallen bellow the standard of NC.

A person who lived absolutely following all laws of OC can still fail to enter NC life. It is like a person who jumped crossing the 5 feet bar, but he is still bellow the standard of 10 feet bar set by NC. That is why Jesus said that the greatest man who lived under OC (John the Baptist) is not greater than the least in the NC.

Now then what is this 10 feet high bar set by NC? It is the life of Jesus.

Romans 3:24:- for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

So anything that falls short of the Glory of God is a sin. This glory of God is the 10 feet high bar set by NC. Now in OC no one knew the glory of God hence God has to give laws to show them what is his glory. But now we know that what is his complete Glory is.

2 Cor 4:6:- For God, who said "Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

So the knowledge of Glory of God was not given in OC, but to us in NC, he has shown this glory in through Jesus. By sending Jesus to earth and live out God's standard to us.

So for a Christian, the standard of life that Jesus lived on this earth is the standard that he has to live. The entire standard of Jesus's life is not written plainly in Gospel. Many things are actually hidden. For example how Jesus used money is hidden in the Gospel. Only the Holy Spirit can show us this hidden Gem based on the need of our heart.

Jesus said the Holy Spirit will take things of him and show it to us. So the Holy Spirit whom we receive when we are born again will show us how Jesus lived in each and every situation. This will now guide us as we live on this earth.

John 1-4:- In him was life and the life was light to all men.

In old Covenant, only God's word (laws) are the light for men to walk. In NC, it is the life of Jesus revealed from God's word by the Holy Spirit is the light to believers. We no longer live by written word alone, but the Spirit behind the word that was lived by Jesus and now will be revealed to us by Holy Spirit.

Now when I read the OC with NC spirit, the Holy Spirit shows me the spirit behind those laws. This exactly what Jesus spoke to the disciples on the way to Emmas in Luke 24. He showed them from OC the spirit of Jesus's life. And their hearts burned when they heard him speak.

So in NC, any act that Jesus will not do is a Sin to us. It might be perfectly acceptable under OC, but not under NC. For example even a simple though of un-forgiveness is a sin to me because Jesus forgave people even before they hurt him (anything said against the son of God is already forgiven!).

Why are people posting this about brokenness in this thread? What is unbroken about what I have written? Can anyone point anything wrong that you find in this writing?

Thank you sister Zsuzsanna, I also thought so that the deleted post was the cause, but wanted to confirm.

What I have written is what I found about Christian standard in recent times. Like most of us here, I too started with living by letter before walking by Spirit. The letter always kills and it is the Spirit that can make us like Christ. There is so much misunderstanding in this forum regarding what it is to walk by Spirit. Hope I have given some clarification.

I see Christianity as completely practical, I try to keep my writings and preaching as practical as possible.

I have not attained Christlikeness but the more I see unchristlikeness in me I repent and keep running to Him.

Do you think Jesus would break the speed limit to get to work on time?

Do you think Jesus would break the speed limit to rescue someone whose house was on fire?

The life of Jesus cannot be placed inside a box. If it was possible then his complete life would have been written in the Gospels. So we too cannot write or answer what Jesus would do at this time, what he would not do at such a time etc.

The same compassionate Jesus went to the temple so many times but never healed the man who sat at the temple door begging. We have an impression that Jesus is so compassionate and he healed everyone he saw who was suffering. Even the animation Jesus movie that my daughter watches portrays Jesus this way.

But Jesus did not live like that, if he lived so why was the beggar at the temple gate not healed by him?

He lived and healed as Father directed him. He sure was compassionate and would have asked father about this beggar but father would have told him that this man is reserved for his disciples Peter and John to heal. Hence he would have walked away.

To answer your question Jesus stayed at his place extra days after knowing that Lazarus was sick. He waited till he died. He loved Lazarus but God the Father wanted to use this sickness of Lazarus for a greater glory. Same way Jesus might have even driven slower so that whatever was God's plan would be accomplished with the person caught in fire.

God will give us the same wisdom that guided Jesus to us based on the situation we were. I once heard from Brother Zac Poonen that he was in a menonite meeting. Once he finished preaching, a person who wanted to accuse Zac, asked him this question. "Zac, is it God who did the mistake by giving you beard or is it you who did the mistake by shaving it off?"

Brother Zac answered, "Did God made the mistake by giving you finger nails or did you make the mistake by cutting them off?". Very similar to some answers that Jesus gave to Pharisees right? God will guide us wisdom according to situation.

It seems this could go either way on both questions depending on which scriptures one used as a reference point... Having said that there is one thing that is for certain regarding these questions you posed,.. Jesus would always do exactly as His Father in Heaven instructed Him to do :)

Luke 6:1-5 And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days? And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him; How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone? And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Jesus is even Lord of the corn and also the Sabbath.

If He takes corn and gives it to you, even if it is unlawful for man, take and eat. What is the Sabbath? A day of rest and worship unto the Lord. This we shall do always, even 24-7. How do we enter His Rest?

Psalms 95:11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. Because of unbelief.

Hebrews 3:11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Because of unbelief.

Hebrews 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

This is belief in Christ, which was finished from the foundation of the world for man.
Being in Christ even before the foundation of the world. The Fathers will even for and by Jesus Christ His begotten Son.. Eph 1.

Hebrews 4:5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Even a second conformation; In Christ our rest and Sabbath.

God has no speed limit. Even to the speed of light; 186,000 mps, God is limitless and all in all.

In Christ: Phillip

The sin that the NT writers mostly address is the feminine noun: a name, a place, a thing.

Very seldom is sin addressed a verb.
It does help to understand what they are actually talking about.
Rom 6 for example, the noun is used 16 times as a noun and once as a verb.

Which sin keeps us from salvation? Unbelief, which sin is this, Noun or Verb or both?

John 3:15-16 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I am no English major but believeth seems to be an action, which I think is a verb. Unbelief seems to be a thing, a noun, correct?

In Christ: Phillip