Part 7A of 7

Law Teaching Is Not A Mere Minor Error.

The teaching of “the Law” today is among the “doctrines of devils” that are intended by the Devil to emasculate the believer, by robbing him of the truth and experience of the new and living gospel. Paul instructs and warns Timothy concerning the false doctrine teachers who deviate from properly “edifying (building up the body) in faith,” and Paul exposes their source as being… “SEDUCING (DEMON) SPIRITS.”

1 Timothy 1:4-8 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than GODLY EDIFYING WHICH IS IN FAITH: so do. ⁵ Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: ⁶ From which SOME HAVING SWERVED HAVE TURNED ASIDE UNTO VAIN JANGLING; ⁷ DESIRING TO BE TEACHERS OF THE LAW; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. ⁸ But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;

      1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that IN THE LATTER TIMES SOME SHALL DEPART FROM THE FAITH, GIVING HEED TO SEDUCING SPIRITS, AND DOCTRINES OF DEVILS;

I pray that the spiritual ears of the students of this series will become sensitized to recognize when they hear “the Law” and any deviations from the truths of “the faith.” Paul’s teaching of “the faith” consists of God’s grace in the cross-work of Jesus Christ, the sufficiency of the indwelling Christ, and our liberty “in Christ.”

Sadly, “the Law” is still preached in so many pulpits and heard most every Sunday to one degree or another. They substitute, “Law” for God’s continuing grace, self-effort in place reliance upon the indwelling life of Christ, and bondage of the Law for the believer’s liberty in Christ. I pray that you will be delivered from giving any regard to the false teachings of law-keeping religion.

Paul here describes the “elders” of the church as those who;

“…HOLD FAST to the sure and trustworthy Word of God as he was taught it, so that he may be able both to give stimulating instruction and encouragement in SOUND (WHOLESOME) DOCTRINE and to refute and convict those who contradict and oppose it [showing the wayward their error].  ¹⁴ [And may show their soundness by] CEASING TO GIVE ATTENTION TO JEWISH MYTHS AND FABLES OR TO RULES [LAID DOWN] BY [MERE] MEN WHO REJECT AND TURN THEIR BACKS ON THE TRUTH.” (Titus 1:9, 14 (AMP)

Believers today are FREE to “walk in (under the influence of) the Spirit (of Christ)” (Gal 5:16, 18. 25). They are to live by the indwelling “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:2a). Believers have “a New and Living way” to live. Only His indwelling “Spirit of life” is able to deal with “…Sin in the flesh” (Rom 8:3b) and yield life and peace.

Romans 8:13 …you… through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live (shall enjoy the fruit of His life).

Romans 8:6b … THE MIND SET ON THE SPIRIT IS LIFE AND PEACE,

Again, Christ redeemed us from the penalty of the Law and from the burden of “the Law.” “…To redeem them that were under “the Law” (Galatians 4:5a). When our “Old Man was crucified with Christ” (Rom 6:3, 6, 7) we were liberated not only from the burden of “the Law” and also from the tyrannical power of the Sin nature that indwells our flesh. The “Sin spirit” (Eph 2:2) that works “in the flesh” (Rom 8:3) has been “condemned” (meaning “judged,” Rom 8:3), but not yet executed.

All believers who now know and live by the truth, formerly had operated separate from the indwelling Christ, by trying to keep “the Law” through self-effort. Paul says we believers don’t need to pay attention to the outer or written “Law” at all ( Col 2:16).

Colossians 2:16 ^Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Colossians 2:20-21 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, ²¹ (Touch not; taste not; handle not;

Formerly, “the Law” had us operating on our own, trying to keep it all – and burden is the built-in curse of “the Law.” So we failed (if we are honest). We were in a hopeless law-state of separation. Living in “separation” from dependence upon the indwelling Lord; we were impotent, on our own; so Sin in the flesh had its way to reign over us! We could never be genuinely fruitful by our self-effort.

Now it’s a matter of to whom we yield ourselves as servants. “Servant” as seen in the KJV in Greek is “doulos,” meaning “a bondman or a slave.” Christians are no longer bond slaves to Sin, or even “the Law” of the Lord; rather, we are willing slaves of the Lord who indwells us.

Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Romans 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

How are we saved from Sin’s tyranny subjectively, personally, practically, in our daily lives? By now we should know we individually died in & with Him; and that death is the basis of our freedom from Sin’s rule over us. Dead people don’t respond to instruction very well. Thus, we as dead people are free from Sin’s dominion. Sin as the dominating nature in man is thereby “made of no effect.”

Rom 6:3 so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ WERE BAPTIZED INTO HIS DEATH?

Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that OUR OLD MAN IS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM, (so) that the body of sin might be destroyed (kartargeo, MADE OF NO EFFECT), that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Rom 6:7 HE THAT IS DEAD IS FREED FROM SIN (FREED FROM SIN’S DOMINION).

But how do we actualize or experience our freedom from “the Law” and Sin? Paul’s epistles show us we “SERVE IN NEWNESS OF SPIRIT” by seeing ourselves as dead (as to our “Old Man”), and seeing ourselves as alive from the dead, now as a properly dependent female to the Lord (as our male spouse)… as being “married to (or subject to) “Another (Christ)” (7:4 below).

Romans 7:1-6 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know “the Law”) how that “the Law” hath dominion over a man (the independent believer’s Old Man) as long as he liveth? ²For the woman (the believer) 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 (her Old Man).

³So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but IF HER HUSBAND (THE OLD MAN) BE DEAD, SHE IS FREE FROM THAT LAW; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. ⁴Wherefore, my brethren, YE ALSO ARE BECOME DEAD (Ye = Old Man of Rom 6:6) to “the Law” BY THE BODY OF CHRIST; (so) that YE SHOULD BE MARRIED TO ANOTHER (Christ), even TO HIM WHO IS RAISED FROM THE DEAD, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

⁵For 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. ⁶But 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 (Law).