Whatever the law says... (Part 3)

I think we really misuse Jesus' "law" words in the church today. We wrongfully and woefully treat them as if they are aimed at Christians, when in reality they are words to those who are under the law. (Can I mention enough, that the purpose of those words would be to stop their mouths and make them understand how far short they really fall - and ultimately that the purpose of the law was to charge the world with the guilt of their sin?)

I think many people have come to Christ for the wrong reasons. They think they have come to Christ so that they can start living better. And if they aren't doing so well in that, they go back to the law or to any or all of Jesus' law words and get "convicted" all over again (and again and again and again). They have missed the whole point of the Law, and ultimately of what it means to be in Christ!

Here's the key to all of this. Once a person who is under the law has heard what the law says and has had their mouth stopped by it, they then die to the law (Gal 2:19) (see also Rom 7:1-6, which contrary to popular application is not a passage about Christian marriage, but is an example of lawful Jewish marriage that Paul uses to show how we had to die to the law in order to be married to Christ). Then by faith (not law), they are raised up and made alive together with Christ. They are then no longer under the law. "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace" (Rom 6:14).

Under the law, sin had its reign over everyone. It's only by dying to the law and being raised together with Christ that sin no longer has dominion over that person. Having died to the law, that person is no longer under the law (and again, no longer under the dominion of sin!). The law has done it's job! The law has spoken and the person has finally understood the message. "Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor" (Gal 3:24-25). The law no longer has anything to say to that person, because it's job has been accomplished. The law doesn't go on convicting a person once they've come to faith. From that point on, the person is led by the LIFE of Christ, not by law.

The person now has LIFE, which is the very reason Jesus came. As mentioned above, He came to fulfill the law, He came to redeem those under the law... and He came to give Life. The law could never give life. "For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law" (Gal 3:21).