Article Posted on November 6, 2010 by Paul Ellis
NOTE: I highly recommend Paul’s Blog and books that you can access through this his website and through the many links to his Blog site below. Paul has an extensive archive that can be easily searched by topic. I support his ministry through Paetron. LR
The Bible is universally known as “the Good Book” and rightly so. Its words are inspired and it will point you to Jesus. Read the whole Bible through the lens of the cross, and you will find redemption and life. Read the written word to discover the Living Word, and it will set you free.
But when handled incorrectly the Bible is utterly lethal.
Buried within lies the law which, the Bible fairly warns, ministers death 2 Corinthians 3:7. For thousands of years, men like Carnegie have been misusing the law-bits of the Bible to control and manipulate others. Their goal is to enslave and dominate and their tools are fear and condemnation.
Paul warned that we become “estranged from Christ” to the degree that we are under law Galatians 5:4. What makes the grace of God ineffectual in our lives? It is getting entangled again in religious notions about what it means to do the right thing.
People have been living under self-imposed law ever since Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. I’d like to think that if I’d been Adam, I would’ve built a fence around that tree. Then I would’ve put warning signs all over that fence.
It’s too late for that now, but it’s not too late to put warning signs around the law. Below are some of the signs that reveal whether you are living under the yoke of law or walking free in his divine grace. My purpose in posting this list is not to judge you, but to see you standing firm and free in Christ!
Seven signs that you may be under law
1. You’re not 100% sure if you’re 100% forgiven
God doesn’t do forgiveness in installments. All your sins were borne at the cross when God the Son abolished sin by the sacrifice of himself Hebrews 9:26. Neither God the Father Hebrews 8:12 nor God the Holy Spirit Hebrews 10:17 remembers your sin any more. Believe it and be free!
2. You believe Christians have a duty or responsibility to serve the Lord
Duty and responsibility are synonyms for obligation so this is a mind-set that says we are obliged, or indebted, to God. I’ve heard it said that “Jesus has done so much for you, what will you do for him?” Indeed, God has given us everything. Ever wondered why? He did it “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” Ephesians 2:7.
He is not just rich in grace, but exceedingly rich. We cheapen his grace by thinking we have a duty or responsibility to pay him back. Our responsibility is to believe that he is good and true. It is not our obligation to serve the Lord, it is our royal privilege. It is not our duty, but our great delight.
3. You suffer from performance anxiety
Performance anxiety is a rational response to the uncertainty of life under the old covenant. But anxiety has no place in the new. We are to draw water from the wells of salvation with joy Isaiah 12:3. We walk under law in anxiety and fear, but we walk under grace with joy and thanksgiving!
God has made us his Sons, and with such a Father we need not worry about anything Matthew 6:32. He is our Provider who delights to give good gifts to those who ask him Matthew 7:11. Those who serve under the law are insecure, but sons are secure.
4. You think, “God will bless me as I do my part”
The essence of a life enslaved by law is the mindset that says, “I must do something for God.” This mindset is anti-Christ and anti-cross. We are not justified by what we do but by grace alone Romans 3:24. Grace and works don’t mix.
Grace, peace, and every spiritual blessing have been given to us by God our Father through Jesus Christ Ephesians 1:3. We are not called to work for God, but to do the work of God.
Grace is God’s part; faith is our part Romans 2:4. Faith is a positive response to what God has done. Faith is saying, “Thank you, Jesus!”
5. You think we need more preaching on repentance
Repentance saves lives, but preaching on repentance doesn’t lead to repentance. A law mind-set emphasizes what people must do (turn or burn), but grace proclaims what God has already done (everything). A law mindset uses inferior incentives (fear, judgment) that lead to temporary changes in behavior, but the grace of God melts the hardest heart. If you want people to genuinely repent, proclaim the goodness of God. Ephesians 2:8.
6. You think you have to overcome lest Jesus blot out your name
It isn’t about you. Jesus is our overcomer and our victory John 16:33. If you believe Jesus is the Son of God, you have overcome the world. Jesus promised that he would never blot out your name. Believe him.
7. You mainly think of following Jesus in terms of giving up things
Christianity is a divine exchange, our life for his. No doubt you’ve heard people say that following Jesus costs you everything, and it does. You cannot call him Lord without renouncing the right to your own life. But see what you get in exchange!
If salvation means nothing more to you than self-denial and personal sacrifice, you’ve missed the point. Christ offers us an unfair exchange; our life for his. God favors us with this exchange. We give him our sinful little selves (through rebirth) and get everything in return. A law mindset looks at what we give up, but a grace mindset rejoices at what he offers in return!
Stop thinking about what you gave up (nothing you could keep) and start enjoying what he has given you (everything!).
My follow-up: Lest you think that Paul Ellis and I are teaching a “lawless gospel” (as some accusers who are living under the Mosaic Law insist), we teach what Jesus revealed to Saint Paul, recorded in Romans 8:2. Like an airplane, which overcomes the downward pull of gravity with specially designed wings that provide “lift,” we Christians choose to live by the Law of the (Holy) Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus that sets us free from the accusations of the (Mosaic) Law of sin and death.
We died to that Law when reborn, Galatians 2:19. So, quit trying to mix your efforts to “keep the Mosaic Law” (to be “righteous”) with Jesus’ efforts. He fulfilled the Law for us 2000 years ago and then gave us His righteousness as a gift. Christians are to depend totally on Jesus’ Finished Work that is now an expression of His Total Grace – God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense – administered to us and through us by the Holy Spirit in us. LR
life, that is, Jesus himself.