The Role of the 'LAW" for the New Covenant Christian 4

The Role of the 'LAW" for the New Covenant Christian 4
Brad Reiches
Apr 19 2007 04:43AM

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Thursday, April 19, 2007
GodThoughtsWired!

"The Role of the LAW!"

For the New Covenant Christian

4

So, we have seen that the Bible clearly teaches us that for the New Covenant Christian, the Law is not nullified...IT IS CLARIFIED! (see Romans 3:31, Matthew 5:17).  Yesterday I said,

"It is both ignorant and unbiblical to think/believe/teach

that a lifestyle of righteousness is any less important

to the New Covenant Christian."

A TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY TRAVESTY.

The travesty of twenty-first century Christianity is the belief that "righteousness" in the age of "grace" is less important to God than it was in the era of "the Law." 

-Any teaching that "de-emphasises" righteousness because "we are no longer under law but under grace" is a "demonic doctrine!" 

-Any time the statement "we are no longer under law but under grace" is used to justify less righteous behavior than that found under the Law, you are seeing the very thing that scripture (see Matthew 5:20; Romans 3:31; Jude 4; and Romans 6:12-15) warned against!

The biblical phrase, "not under law but under grace" is found in the following portion of scripture alone:

"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body

so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members

of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness;

but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead,

and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

What then?  Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!"

(italics mine)

Do you see it?  The apostle Paul used the phrase "not under law but under grace" to promote a HIGHER STANDARD of righteousness than that found under the Law.  NOT LESS!  Yet, tragically,

"Certain persons have crept in unnoticed...

ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness

and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ."  

Jude 4

Remember the words of Jesus?  "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees, you shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (Matthew 5:20).  The righteousness of the New Covenant is a GREATER righteousness than that under the Law because it is the very righteousness of Jesus Christ.  Through faith, the New Covenant Christian is "credited" with the very righteousness of God Himself! (see Romans 4:1-13).

The preacher that uses "grace" to de-emphasize the role of righteousness in the Christian walk is of his father, the devil.