Jesus still says you have to follow the law of righteousness; 'love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself'.
We do such a dangerous thing when we take the words of Paul and interpret them on their own, in a way that disagrees with Jesus, yet it is so popular today.
This shows that Paul is not talking about being no longer accountable for righteousness, but being actually freed from the law of sin and death.
We do not follow the sacrificial law, rather we walk in freedom of the Spirit. But that means we are free to please him, not do what we want! Are we so foolish that we think somehow we can be neither slave of righteousness nor a slave of sin? That we can be free in that sense? We are called to follow him. He who does this faithfully will be saved.
Really Prentis???? You want to talk about the law of righteousness and compare what Jesus said to what Paul said (and somehow pin it on me that I'm making Paul sound contradictory)? You should really do a study on what that law of righteousness is.
That that phrase you put in bold: "law of sin and death". That's from Romans 8.
"There is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit."
It says there is no condemnation... It doesn't say there's no condemnation because they actually stop sinning.
"For the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death"
Yes, there it is... We are free from the law of sin and death. It wasn't our fleshly performance that did it, it was the Law of the spirit of life, which is in Christ Jesus; not our fleshly performance.
"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh"
The law of sin and death -- which is the law of Moses -- couldn't get the job done, not because it wasn't good and righteous, but because it was too big for our flesh to handle. Moses was the FIRST ONE to break that Law (literally)! The next part says the Jesus who condemned sin in the flesh. What you are going to read about later in this chapter (and by backing up to chapter 7) is that he didn't condemn "us" at all. He condemned sin which was in our flesh. Before you begin thinking that that means we stop sinning and therefore we are free, please read chapter 7 and you will see that Paul said, "no, we still sin in the flesh." We are just not to mind the things of the flesh, even though they still happen.
"that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit."
The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us (by what? Jesus Christ! Not our doings. Its not fulfilled in us because we don't walk after the flesh and do walk after the spirit. We walk after the spirit (and not the flesh) BECAUSE Christ fulfilled the law.
Now, that might be a good time to interject that we have the power to stop sinning. Not true. Remember from Chapter 7 Paul said that isn't so.
"They that are of the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit."
So are you minding the things of the flesh or the things of the spirit? Yes, you are absolutely right that we are free to please him! Absolutely! However, it's not because we actually follow the Law of Moses. It's because there is no condemnation for it. Our sins are covered (remember that arguement, Prentis? "covered doesn't mean "stop doing".), and God no longer is looking at the fleshly performance.
"For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. For the carnal mind is emnity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."
Some of the most carnally minded people are so called Christians who are minding the things of the flesh. "Thou shalt not smoke! Thou shalt not drink! No lusting! No homosexuals!" Who's really looking at the flesh now? Who's trying to make the carnal mind and the fleshly body something that these verses can't be done? It's not the person doing them if he or she is walking by faith. Don't believe me?
"So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God"
While he was saying that, Paul was still in the flesh and writing to people who were still alive in the flesh..."
"But ye are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of God dwelleth in you. No if any man have not the spirit of God, he is none of his."
Paul was talking to the spiritual man (the Roman Church of that era) inside carnal beings. They were still in sinful flesh. Yet, Paul says they weren't in the flesh, while he too was physically in the flesh.
"And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit gives life because of righteousness"
Right here, right now, if Christ is in us, the body is dead! Yet, as I'm actually through fleshly fingers typing this and you will no doubt respond in like fashion... We're still here in the flesh.
It goes on an on.... I could've started at Chapter 5 (or earlier) and kept going... But I am not going to list every verse in the book and show you why not being under the law doesn't mean keeping it.
So, now we know a little bit more about the righteousness of the law. Let's look at what you defined as the law of righteousness and how Jesus defined it and how Paul defined it.
You said the law of righteousness is:
'love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself'.
That's not the law of righteousness, though it is a part of it. What you did is merged two verses together from Matthew 23 (which is fine in this case). Jesus didn't call them the law of righteousness, he said they were the first and second great commandments, which all the law of the prophets hangs upon.
Here's what Paul said the law of righteousness was:
Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Rom 10:5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
Rom 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
Rom 10:7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
Rom 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
That's what Paul said the Law of Righteousness was. Christ was the end (fulfillment, conclusion, result and payment of) of that law. Verse 9 says more specifically how we obtain that law: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
What did Jesus say the law of righteousness was? He never did except through the words of Paul, and Paul said it was HIM. And nowhere did it say anything about stop sinning. Furthermore, I'd like to ask you where it says we are free from the sacrifical law only and not the whole law?
