Under the Law

“The Law”
Christ fulfilled the law, proving that He could keep every facet of it, thereby doing what no man could do. The law, then, was weakened because it faced defeat in Christ, and became incorporated into grace. Grace overpowered law, having been stronger than it, and the law was “swallowed up in victory” along with death and sin. The law, then, never died, it dwells within the confines of grace; the strictest part of the law is now the weakest part of grace. Law has become “of no effect” unto us now, it has been fulfilled in Christ, our “all” and in all; it has merged with grace. Today, we live under grace, and walk by faith in it; we no longer consider the law to be our master, but have been set free from its grip, and have freedom in Christ and grace.

Under the Law
We hear this phrase often, as applied to the Jew, or usually to an ordinance of the law, such as tithing, but whenever we fail to see the grace of God, we place ourselves “under the law”. “The Law”, according to the letter of the law, is the commands for conduct in the Old Testament; though Gentiles never have been technically under the law, they become a “law unto themselves” when they fail to accept the grace of God, and thereby they are under the law, or rather should I say “A law”? Do not suppose that the Bible, when speaking of being “under the law” excuses the Gentile because he never was under the law in the strictest sense, but realize that there is no middle ground. You either dwell under “a law” (the law) or under grace, there is no other way aside from blatant unbelief; even then man is under the “law of sin”.
We are all under a law of some sort. When the Bible refers to “The Law”, it usually speaks of the Old Testament law which condemns men under sin, the law of Moses, but if we leave it there, then we must claim that the Gentile is not under sin, since he never was under the law! The purpose of the law was to expose man’s sin, but not all law is bad. You see, there are many laws; there is the “Law of the Spirit of life” (Romans 8:2); there is the “law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2); the “perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25 and 2:12); the “royal law” (James 2:8). Again, there are many laws by which we are to dictate our lives, but none is sufficient to deal with our sin, only grace can do that!

So, why should we remain “under the law” when we can walk “above the law” as we know “the law” to be? We have the victory in Christ, and are not under “the law of Moses” and the others. We are only above the law in the sense that we are no longer under its authority, but have made another law, and another authority to guide our lives by, that being, “The law of Grace”. So, as we are freed from the old law, we are subject to a new law--the Law of Christ. In one way or another, it behooves us to remain under “a law“.

Resurrection Sunday

Resurrection Sunday

At Christmastime we are reminded of the birth of Christ, and at Easter, His resurrection. You night say that Christmas was the birth of our redemption, and Easter the completion of it. It is not so much that he was born though, as it is that he died for us; and it is not so much that He died as it is that he lives for us. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Yes, one must remember that without the resurrection, Christmas would be the end of our redemption, and, though precious as it is, it would not be enough. We need a living Savior; and thank God, we have a living Savior.

What good a Savior that has passed on and left nothing tangible behind? Can one live off the legacy of another? Can one find solace in time of need from a ghost of the past? Can one count on promises made when the maker of those promises was not powerful enough to defeat the greatest enemy of mankind? Thank God for Easter. Thank God that we have such a Savior as Jesus. He is the “resurrection and the life”, and we can be assured, by the testimony of an empty tomb, that He is alive today, and sitteth at the right hand of God. Lazarus knows the about Easter better than any of us; he has experienced a bodily resurrection, by the wonderful grace of God. When things get rough, and they definitely do, and will, remember Jesus, and what He did for Lazarus; When things get you down, look up! Jesus us still there making intercession before the Father for us. Thank God for the unspeakable gift of life everlasting, and for a live, and living Savior who cares about you and I.

Without the resurrection, the Gospel would be incomplete. Thank God that He finished the job, not on the cross only, but in the resurrection. Calvary and the blood of Christ took away our sins, but the resurrection provided eternal life for us; it sealed our redemption for us. Rise now to the challenge of Easter, and receive life eternal.

The Seven “I Wills” of God

Psalm 91

1. “therefore will I deliver him” (v. 14)
All of these promises are contingent on the first part of the verse; “Because he hath set his love upon me,”
We must enter into the promise by faith in Christ.

2. “I will set him on high” (v.14)
The Lord will give us our place in His kingdom; He will glorify us because His name is in us.
We will have a place in heaven with Him. Why? “because he hath known my name.”

3. “I will answer him:” (v. 15)
The Lord promises to answer our prayers, especially in time of need.
The only stipulation is to “seek His face”, and call upon Him.

4. “I will be with him in trouble” (v. 15)
A promise we can’t afford to deny.

5. “I will deliver him, and honor him” (v. 15)
Both deliver from trouble,
And honor him with glory.

6. “With long life will I satisfy him (v. 16)
One of many ways He satisfy’s us!
Long life= eternal life.

7. I will “Show him my salvation” (v. 16)
The most precious of promises.
His promise begins with salvation,
And ends with fulfillment.

New and Improved!

“For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.” Gal. 2:19


This earthly body has, many times, resisted God’s grace, but let it be known that it will no more. Once this body is decayed and turned to dust, the real me will be watching from above, as the bones melt away, this old body will be new and improved one day! The seeds it leaves behind, spread in the earth’s soil, will also be trampled under foot by the next generation, and they too, by the grace of God, will watch from above. Yes, The body will have lost its shine; it will have lost its luster, its life, but the spirit of man remains. Out of the ground we were taken, as a piece of the earth, “for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” But… wait! Though this old body will someday be eaten by worms, the spirit goes on; upward…forward to new generations, new worlds, and yet the spirit of man abides within him. Let this my epitaph be: New and Improved! Yes, the body was once new, but has not been improved. It can be new, but never be improved here…from the moment of birth, we begin to die, but the spirit endures forever. The spirit improves upon the body.
Here we are altogether hopeless without God’s grace; There, we see His grace done in every one, and in everything. Though many times our flesh has fought against God’s grace, one day we will see it from the other side, and no spirit shall refute His grace, for it is by God’s grace that we are.

The Issues of Life

Pro 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Do you have a lot of “issues” in your life? Does it seem as though life is against you? Maybe you are not diligent in keeping your heart. Look to your heart; guard it from evil, and many of those issues will be resolved. To “keep”
Your heart you must:
Keep yourself unspotted from the world;
Keep your eyes upon Jesus;
Keep growing in the Lord;
Keep reading, meditating, and studying God’s Word;
Keep your mind on the things of the Lord;
Keep the faith.

This is good advice, but keep in mind that it is written only to the child of God; you must first be born again. Assuming that we are, look to keeping yourself pure, modest, and submissive to the will of the Lord. Those “issues” that trouble you come from the heart, as our verse clearly says; it just seems wise to guard our hearts from all evil.

Armor Provided

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Eph. 6:13)

God provides our armor. Years ago, when I was in the Army, they provided all my needs. I did not have to buy clothes, or weapons, or a flak jacket, a steel pot, or anything of the sort--the Army provided for my protection from the enemy, and from the pangs of hunger as well as the need for clothing. They taught me how to protect myself from the enemy, and gave me the equipment I needed to do it. They even did my laundry, and provided for my cleanliness and health! My friends, the could not the Lord do more?
As we walk through life, we are assailed on every side by Satan’s attacks. We can grow weary and weak if we are not vigilant and properly equipped; we are given what we need to win the battle, but we must wear it before it does any good, and we must walk circumspectly. The Lord is good in providing for us; He doesn’t have to; He could demand of us that we walk circumspectly, and be very careful, and that is all, but He also provides our protection as we do. In the Army, all my needs were met; I did not lack anything that I needed. In the Lord’s Army, it is the same, I have need of naught. Today, I can truly say with David, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psa. 23:1)