Part 7B of 7

The “NEW AND LIVING WAY”

After all that we’ve discussed in this series, some might say;

“Okay, now I can clearly see from Scripture that I am now “crucified with Christ” and that with Him …. I’ve died to “the Law” that empowers the Sin nature resident in my flesh

… but I still sin even though I don’t want to; what then could still be the problem causing me to fail?”

First, all believers need to know that so long as we live in these sinful flesh bodies, they will sin at times, but no longer habitually (see 1John 1:8). We all need to learn to walk relying upon and confident in the indwelling “Spirit of Christ.” It is only as we “walk in the Spirit” we “cannot sin” (read Gal 5:16, 1John 3:9).

That aside, it would help us to understand these points below if we are to conduct our daily walk in the grace of being “in Christ,” having “Old Man is crucified with Him” and being free from the burden of “the Law” and thereby we are freed from Sin’s dominion over us.

1.)    We need to really come to a revelatory knowledge of the truths contained in this series, which are based upon Paul’s gospel of CHRIST, ACCORDING TO THE REVELATION OF THE MYSTERY, which was kept secret since the world began” (Rom 16:25). “The mystery” of Christ indwelling believers as His body members and as being their total sufficiency, is an entirely new paradigm for our daily living.

Galatians 2:20 I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST: NEVERTHELESS 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 (from) THE SON OF GOD, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

In summary… these great truths make up the liberating secret that “in Christ” our Old Man is crucified with Him, and thereby we are “dead to the Law”; now we are spontaneously alive by Christ in us as our new life…to spontaneously lead, guide, and empower our living.

2.)    The Lord will bring us to the place of dispositionally “hating” our sinful acts that occur when we trust our self-abilities and do not live by trusting Christ alone as our life!

Rom 7:15what I would, that do I not; but what I HATE, THAT DO I.

Rom 7:24 O WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM! who shall deliver me from THE BODY OF THIS DEATH?

In Romans 7 we see Paul’s frustration of trying to live under the law that empowers the Sin nature. the power of sin is “the Law(1 Cor. 15:56b).

Yet, God uses our failures while under “the Law” to turn our heart to Christ. It prompts us to seek the “Way” to live in rest and peace. Progress is always preceded by dissatisfaction - hating what we do. God wants “the Law” to cause us to become painfully aware of our helplessness under the burden of “the Law.” Religion’s false teaching of “law-keeping” actually serves the purpose of frustrating those who would still cling to “the Law” both before and after salvation.

3.) Praise God, the frustration of Romans 7 is followed by the liberation seen in Romans 8 as one lives “in the Spirit” under the new paradigm of grace through faith in the indwelling Christ as our new life. But for one to enjoy this they need an UNVEILING of the truth. Our heart must become unveiled if we are to walk in the liberty of the “NEW AND LIVING WAY” that the Lord has purchased for us.

Hebrews 10:20 By A NEW AND LIVING WAY, which he (Christ) hath consecrated FOR US, through THE VEIL, that is to say, his FLESH;

Falsely religious people live under a veil” of the flesh, which is perpetuated by attempts to live under “the Law.” When Christ’s “flesh” was crucified on the cross, our “flesh” (our Old Man) was also crucified with Him. When He died we died (Rom 6:3a)… to make the “Old Man of our flesh “of no effect.” (See Rom 6:4-7 below). Our co-death with Christ is the basis of our becoming unveiled and free from the dominion of the Sin nature in our flesh (6:6).  What’s more, when Christ rose from the dead we rose with Him in the NEWNESS of (His) life” (Rom 6:3b) to empower us to live righteously (6:4-5). This is clearly seen in this section of Scripture.

Romans 6:4-7 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so (that) WE ALSO SHOULD WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE.

5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

 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. 7 For HE THAT IS (WE THAT ARE) DEAD IS (ARE) FREED FROM SIN (SIN’S DOMINION).

The Lord works in our lives situationally through the situations and circumstances of our lives to unveil our fleshly heart; He exposes our utter helplessness under “the Law.” The Lord works to turn us from “Moses” (from the Law)… to “the Lord” in order for the veil of “THE FLESH” to be “BE TAKEN AWAY”! These are not my words but those of “the Apostle to the Gentile” (Rom 11:13), Paul.

2 Cor. 3:15-17 But even unto this day, when MOSES (“THE LAW”) is read, THE VEIL (FLESH) (See Heb 10:20) IS UPON THEIR HEART. 16Nevertheless when IT (THE HEART) SHALL TURN (from “the Law”) to the Lord (Himself), the VAIL (FLESH) SHALL BE TAKEN AWAY (periareo, taken from all around). 17Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (liberation is freedom found within the Spirit of Christ).

Heb 10:20 By A NEW AND LIVING WAY, which he hath consecrated for us, THROUGH THE VEIL, THAT IS TO SAY, HIS FLESH;

Sadly, the majority of the church at large today opposes the Lord’s “new and living way” of Christ living within and through the believer as the believer’s trust Him as their total sufficiency. Most of the organized and independent Christians (so called Bible believing) churches still promote “the Law” to one degree or another. They bind the believers to legalistic “law-keeping.” Any degree of external “Law” negates grace (See Rom 11:6).

This kind of is opposition to the sufficiency Christ’s cross-work is not new. Early on Paul wrote that “James” (Gal 2:12) sent men from the Jerusalem Messianic Church to subvert the faith and “SPY OUT (the) LIBERTY”  of the Pauline grace believers at Galatia, that they might be brought back INTO BONDAGE. “And that because of FALSE BRETHREN UNAWARES BROUGHT IN (from James, see Gal 2:12), WHO CAME IN PRIVILY (secretly) TO SPY OUT OUR LIBERTY which we have IN CHRIST Jesus, (So) THAT THEY MIGHT BRING US INTO BONDAGE (of the Law)(Galatians 2:4)

Ever since Paul began to preach “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph 3:8) “according to the REVELATION of THE MYSTERY (Rom 16:25, of “Christ in you, Col 1:27),” religion has worked to bring the genuine believers back under the bondage of “the Law.” The word “revelation” is an unveiling; it’s the antonym to the world “veiled.” When we turn our heart away from “the Law” to the Lord we receive revelation of truth by the Holy Spirit; this is the unveiling of truth. Every believer needs to cling to the unveiled truth of salvation by grace through faith in Christ’s cross-work and in His indwelling life as their new, overcoming, life.

Let us be vigilant to recognize and reject religion’s false gospel of legalism with its demand for external law-keeping. Paul commended the Galatian and Colossian Churches to cling to stand fast in the truth of their liberty “in Christ,” holding Him alone as their “Head.”

“STAND FAST THEREFORE IN THE LIBERTY WHEREWITH CHRIST HATH MADE US FREE, AND BE NOT ENTANGLED AGAIN WITH THE YOKE OF BONDAGE. (Gal 5:1)

“Therefore LET NO ONE SIT IN JUDGMENT ON YOU in matters of food and drink, or with regard to a feast day or a New Moon or a Sabbath. 17 Such [things] are only the shadow of things that are to come, and they have only a symbolic value. But the reality (the substance, the solid fact of what is foreshadowed, the body of it) belongs to Christ. 18 LET NO ONE DEFRAUD YOU BY ACTING AS AN UMPIRE AND DECLARING YOU UNWORTHY AND DISQUALIFYING YOU for the prize, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, taking his stand on visions [he claims] he has seen, vainly puffed up by his sensuous notions and inflated by his unspiritual thoughts and fleshly conceit, 19 And not holding fast to the Head (Christ the head of the body), from Whom the entire body, supplied and knit together by means of its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. 20 If then you have died with Christ to material ways of looking at things and have escaped from the world’s crude and elemental notions and TEACHINGS OF EXTERNALISM, why do you live as if you still belong to the world? [WHY DO YOU SUBMIT TO RULES AND REGULATIONS?—SUCH AS] 21 DO NOT HANDLE [THIS], DO NOT TASTE [THAT], Do not even touch [them], 22 Referring to things all of which perish with being used. To do this is to follow HUMAN PRECEPTS AND DOCTRINES. 23 Such [practices] HAVE INDEED THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE [that popularly passes] for wisdom, in promoting self-imposed rigor of devotion and delight in self-humiliation and severity of discipline of the body, but THEY ARE OF NO VALUE IN CHECKING THE INDULGENCE OF THE FLESH (the lower nature). [INSTEAD, THEY DO NOT HONOR GOD BUT SERVE ONLY TO INDULGE THE FLESH.]” (Colossians 2:16-23 (AMP)

My prayer that all believers, having been delivered from “the Law,” would come to enjoy “THE NEW AND LIVING WAY” of living, by the life of the resurrected Christ within (Gal 2:20) as their new, all-sufficient, life.