Law vs Faith

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Christina

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Apr 10, 2006
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Law vs FaithHebrews 10:1 1For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. The law was not bad, but it was a shadow of that heavenly law that would comeThe Word shadow here (skia G4639) a) shade caused by the interception of light,
cool.gif
an image cast by an object and representing the form of that objectSo we see the Law would have a shadow to come a time when the light of truth, that is Christ would replace the endless sacrifices,2For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. The "conscience of sins" is what we might call guilt today, the sacrafice only satisfied the guilt of the sinner,it covered the sins,it served as the conscience of the sinner, but did not forgive the sin it served to teach a people there was a price for sin and that it must be taken to God in the form of a sacrafice, a shadow of the Sacrafice to come that would forgive our sins As animal's blood was offered for sins over and over, year by year, those sins committed before the cross of Christ were still not released. However, they were a shadow of the event that is perfect when it is accomplished, which is repentance.3But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. It was never possible for the blood of any animal to take away sin, but it was a temporary covering for that year. The reason for the inability of the blood of animals to cover sin, is the fact the Holy Spirit was not brought from the blood of any animal. It is that Holy Spirit teaches, guides and comforts us in our daily lives. That Holy Spirit is the One who stands between you and your enemies. 5Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Burning an animal on an altar could please no one, but it was a shadow of something that would come later. It was a type of would happen when Christ willfully was sent to the cross to die. When they would put their animal on the altar, it meant that they had to take their best animal, and through their sacrifice it became a contribution to the Father. 7Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Psalm 40:7 "Then said I, "Lo, I come: In the volume of the book it is written of me,"From cover to cover, the entire Word of God reflects the coming of the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ. Whatever you need to know about Christ is written within these pages. Our Heavenly Father hid nothing from those that want to study His book, and know all there is to know about the Messiah Jesus Christ. If you don't have Christ's thoughts and instruction through His Word, then how are you going to know what is required to please Him? Everything that Jesus did and said while on earth, was written in the Old Testament, and that why He said over and over, "Haven't you read...", "It is written...", and so on. Every detail was written about Jesus' coming, how His birth would be and where. All parts of His life, and even to the words that the High Priest that caused His death at the time of the crucifixion.8Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Paul was quoting,from Psalm 40:6-8. What our Lord is saying in that fortieth Psalm is; "I don't want your animals and your sacrifices, but I want your love."9Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. God did take away the first [the blood sacrifices and ordinances] when His Son went to the cross. With the death of Christ on the cross the establishment of the second was completed. He took those blood sacrifices and ordinances away because the blood of Christ paid the price for one and all times. God did not take away the law, but the blood sacrifices and those things that were required under those ordinances. 10By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: Galatians 3:2 "This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?"Paul is saying, let me ask you this one question? Paul had taught them that they received the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit by the hearing of faith in Jesus Christ, and now he wants them to answer this question back to him. Did you receive the Spirit of God by ceremonial law, the dos and don't of the law, or was it by your hearing of Christ on the cross paying the price, where by in repentance you are forgiven?12But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; "This Man" was Jesus that took away that obligation to of annually killing of a sacrifice to God.13From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. This verse is the seventh time (7 is spiritual completeness)that Psalm 110:1 has been quoted in Hebrews. Seven in Biblical numerics stands for "completion or perfection". When His enemies are made His footstool, as is written in Psalm 110:1, then this earth age is over and complete. Psalm 110:1 "The Lord said unto my Lord, "sit Thou at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool."14For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 15Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Many times Christians get on guilt trips over sins that they committed yet, have been repented of, and that is a sin within it self. The guilt trip is the act of limiting God and questioning the sacrifice that Christ gave on the cross. If you hang on to that forgiven sin,Faith is believing that God has forgiven you and forgotten it,trust and honor him,and forget it, and throw it out of your life.18Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. When there is no more remembrance of any sin that has been repented, there is no need of an offering for that sin. Why? That sin is blotted out and in God's sight it doesn't exist in any form. It is done away with, and you are not supposed to mention it again. So don't try to offer Christ's blood for a sin that has been already repented of, or it becomes a mockery.19Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21And having an high priest over the house of God; When Christ died on the cross, the veil into the Holy of Holies was rent in two, doing away with that form of offering. Once you have come to believe on Jesus Christ, and have repented of your sins, then you have the right to enter boldly before the throne of God. That is a right you have as part of your inheritance as a son or daughter of God. Our right is established in the name of Jesus, for in His name only do we establish the fact that we believe, and we are claiming the blood of Christ as our authority to be there.22Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Your access before our Father is by having your heart or mind set on Him, and through your faith in Christ. Repentance brings about the freedom that you have to release the shame that sin bring upon your conscience. When you sin, it is saying, don't hold back and leave part of the sin in your mind and conscience, for God can see right into the very thought process of your mind, and you can hide nothing from Him. 23Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) Set your minds on the promises that God has given you in His Word, and be secure in your faith to direct your actions from those promises. 24And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: We are to urge each other to get into His Word and to do the works that we are instructed to do. That includes helping and fellowshipping with one another in His Word. "To provoke" is to encourage others in their walk in the Lord. Galatians 3:11 "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, "The just shall live by faith."There is not one of us perfect, and the only way that the just can live is by faith in Jesus Christ. This verse, "The just shall live by Faith", comes from Habakkuk 2:4; "Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: But the Just shall live by his faith". Galatians 3:12 "And the law is not of faith: but, "The man that doeth them shall live in them."If you are going to make you doctrine one of legalism, and your build the doctrine on one of the laws specifically, then you have lost before you have started. This is because under legalism, when you separate one law over another, and hold one in higher stature then all others, when you have broken say the tithing law, or say one of the health laws, you have also broken that law that you hold dear. When you have broken one of the laws, you have broken all of the laws. This is why our life should be guided by faith, and our eyes set on all of His Word, and when we fall short daily we should repent of those sins we know we have failed in, as well as those sins that we have overlooked, or even committed in ignorance. Galatians 3:19 "Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgression, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator."Why then was the law given,? The law was given because of the transgressions of the people, before the Seed would come unto those Israelites, the people to whom the promise was made. Moses was the mediator that went up into the mountain to receive the law from the angels of God. God and the Holy Spirit was present Himself, and spoke to Moses, and Moses then became the mediator between man and God because the people could not see God. If you stop and think for a moment why the people needed a mediator, stop and think what the people were doing when Moses was up on the mountain. Even Moses' own brother, Aaron the head Levite was in the process of making a golden calf, and changing their entire religion from the True God, to idolatry in the form of a calf made of gold. Just a few days after the departure of Moses, the people turned to idolatry. God had to establish a mediator between Himself and the people to pass the law on to them. The law requires a middle man, a priest who is the mediator. The law was given as a guide to regiment the peoples life. Aside from the law, you do not need a mediator, when you have faith in God your Heavenly Father you can go directly to Him without going through the middle man. That is how faith works.Galatians 3:20 "Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one."So without a mediator, God is one, and when we are in Christ, we are also one with God.Galatians 3:21 "Is the law ten against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law."When the people were transgressing against God, and in their ignorance they did not understanding of the promises of God, so what God did is give them written orders and rules as to how to live their lives. God gave them the promise, but they kept messing up, such as making a golden calf, and all sorts of orgies. These people had seen the Red sea open and had been fed with manna from heaven, yet they still were blinded to the love of our Heavenly Father. Galatians 3:24 "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster. to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith."The "schoolmaster" is one that teaches people, and the law was given to teach us what God expected from us. The commandments and the rules taught the people until Christ came to earth and hung on the cross. After Christ hung on the cross, the law was not destroyed, but the guidelines that existed before the coming of Jesus Christ are just as true today as they were then, only now when we fall short of the law, we can go directly to God for our forgiveness. God required blood sacrifices for the temporary covering for sin, and when Jesus died on the cross, His blood became our sacrifice, and all of the blood sacrifices and ordinances were done away with because they were fulfilled in ChristGalatians 3:25 "But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster."We are not justified by law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. Now instead of the law becoming our schoolmaster, we have the Holy Spirit that does the same work as the law of Moses. However the Spirit of God is far more gentle, loving, and He is our comfort in times of need. Galatians 3:26 "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."..........thanks Redletter an Follower for the inspiration
 

Jordan

Active Member
Apr 6, 2007
4,875
6
38
(kriss;53280)
Law vs FaithHebrews 10:1 1For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. The law was not bad, but it was a shadow of that heavenly law that would comeThe Word shadow here (skia G4639) a) shade caused by the interception of light,
cool.gif
an image cast by an object and representing the form of that objectSo we see the Law would have a shadow to come a time when the light of truth, that is Christ would replace the endless sacrifices,2For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. The "conscience of sins" is what we might call guilt today, the sacrafice only satisfied the guilt of the sinner,it covered the sins,it served as the conscience of the sinner, but did not forgive the sin it served to teach a people there was a price for sin and that it must be taken to God in the form of a sacrafice, a shadow of the Sacrafice to come that would forgive our sins As animal's blood was offered for sins over and over, year by year, those sins committed before the cross of Christ were still not released. However, they were a shadow of the event that is perfect when it is accomplished, which is repentance.3But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. It was never possible for the blood of any animal to take away sin, but it was a temporary covering for that year. The reason for the inability of the blood of animals to cover sin, is the fact the Holy Spirit was not brought from the blood of any animal. It is that Holy Spirit teaches, guides and comforts us in our daily lives. That Holy Spirit is the One who stands between you and your enemies. 5Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Burning an animal on an altar could please no one, but it was a shadow of something that would come later. It was a type of would happen when Christ willfully was sent to the cross to die. When they would put their animal on the altar, it meant that they had to take their best animal, and through their sacrifice it became a contribution to the Father. 7Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Psalm 40:7 "Then said I, "Lo, I come: In the volume of the book it is written of me,"From cover to cover, the entire Word of God reflects the coming of the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ. Whatever you need to know about Christ is written within these pages. Our Heavenly Father hid nothing from those that want to study His book, and know all there is to know about the Messiah Jesus Christ. If you don't have Christ's thoughts and instruction through His Word, then how are you going to know what is required to please Him? Everything that Jesus did and said while on earth, was written in the Old Testament, and that why He said over and over, "Haven't you read...", "It is written...", and so on. Every detail was written about Jesus' coming, how His birth would be and where. All parts of His life, and even to the words that the High Priest that caused His death at the time of the crucifixion.8Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Paul was quoting,from Psalm 40:6-8. What our Lord is saying in that fortieth Psalm is; "I don't want your animals and your sacrifices, but I want your love."9Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. God did take away the first [the blood sacrifices and ordinances] when His Son went to the cross. With the death of Christ on the cross the establishment of the second was completed. He took those blood sacrifices and ordinances away because the blood of Christ paid the price for one and all times. God did not take away the law, but the blood sacrifices and those things that were required under those ordinances. 10By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: Galatians 3:2 "This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?"Paul is saying, let me ask you this one question? Paul had taught them that they received the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit by the hearing of faith in Jesus Christ, and now he wants them to answer this question back to him. Did you receive the Spirit of God by ceremonial law, the dos and don't of the law, or was it by your hearing of Christ on the cross paying the price, where by in repentance you are forgiven?12But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; "This Man" was Jesus that took away that obligation to of annually killing of a sacrifice to God.13From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. This verse is the seventh time (7 is spiritual completeness)that Psalm 110:1 has been quoted in Hebrews. Seven in Biblical numerics stands for "completion or perfection". When His enemies are made His footstool, as is written in Psalm 110:1, then this earth age is over and complete. Psalm 110:1 "The Lord said unto my Lord, "sit Thou at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool."14For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 15Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Many times Christians get on guilt trips over sins that they committed yet, have been repented of, and that is a sin within it self. The guilt trip is the act of limiting God and questioning the sacrifice that Christ gave on the cross. If you hang on to that forgiven sin,Faith is believing that God has forgiven you and forgotten it,trust and honor him,and forget it, and throw it out of your life.18Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. When there is no more remembrance of any sin that has been repented, there is no need of an offering for that sin. Why? That sin is blotted out and in God's sight it doesn't exist in any form. It is done away with, and you are not supposed to mention it again. So don't try to offer Christ's blood for a sin that has been already repented of, or it becomes a mockery.19Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21And having an high priest over the house of God; When Christ died on the cross, the veil into the Holy of Holies was rent in two, doing away with that form of offering. Once you have come to believe on Jesus Christ, and have repented of your sins, then you have the right to enter boldly before the throne of God. That is a right you have as part of your inheritance as a son or daughter of God. Our right is established in the name of Jesus, for in His name only do we establish the fact that we believe, and we are claiming the blood of Christ as our authority to be there.22Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Your access before our Father is by having your heart or mind set on Him, and through your faith in Christ. Repentance brings about the freedom that you have to release the shame that sin bring upon your conscience. When you sin, it is saying, don't hold back and leave part of the sin in your mind and conscience, for God can see right into the very thought process of your mind, and you can hide nothing from Him. 23Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) Set your minds on the promises that God has given you in His Word, and be secure in your faith to direct your actions from those promises. 24And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: We are to urge each other to get into His Word and to do the works that we are instructed to do. That includes helping and fellowshipping with one another in His Word. "To provoke" is to encourage others in their walk in the Lord. Galatians 3:11 "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, "The just shall live by faith."There is not one of us perfect, and the only way that the just can live is by faith in Jesus Christ. This verse, "The just shall live by Faith", comes from Habakkuk 2:4; "Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: But the Just shall live by his faith". Galatians 3:12 "And the law is not of faith: but, "The man that doeth them shall live in them."If you are going to make you doctrine one of legalism, and your build the doctrine on one of the laws specifically, then you have lost before you have started. This is because under legalism, when you separate one law over another, and hold one in higher stature then all others, when you have broken say the tithing law, or say one of the health laws, you have also broken that law that you hold dear. When you have broken one of the laws, you have broken all of the laws. This is why our life should be guided by faith, and our eyes set on all of His Word, and when we fall short daily we should repent of those sins we know we have failed in, as well as those sins that we have overlooked, or even committed in ignorance. Galatians 3:19 "Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgression, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator."Why then was the law given,? The law was given because of the transgressions of the people, before the Seed would come unto those Israelites, the people to whom the promise was made. Moses was the mediator that went up into the mountain to receive the law from the angels of God. God and the Holy Spirit was present Himself, and spoke to Moses, and Moses then became the mediator between man and God because the people could not see God. If you stop and think for a moment why the people needed a mediator, stop and think what the people were doing when Moses was up on the mountain. Even Moses' own brother, Aaron the head Levite was in the process of making a golden calf, and changing their entire religion from the True God, to idolatry in the form of a calf made of gold. Just a few days after the departure of Moses, the people turned to idolatry. God had to establish a mediator between Himself and the people to pass the law on to them. The law requires a middle man, a priest who is the mediator. The law was given as a guide to regiment the peoples life. Aside from the law, you do not need a mediator, when you have faith in God your Heavenly Father you can go directly to Him without going through the middle man. That is how faith works.Galatians 3:20 "Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one."So without a mediator, God is one, and when we are in Christ, we are also one with God.Galatians 3:21 "Is the law ten against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law."When the people were transgressing against God, and in their ignorance they did not understanding of the promises of God, so what God did is give them written orders and rules as to how to live their lives. God gave them the promise, but they kept messing up, such as making a golden calf, and all sorts of orgies. These people had seen the Red sea open and had been fed with manna from heaven, yet they still were blinded to the love of our Heavenly Father. Galatians 3:24 "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster. to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith."The "schoolmaster" is one that teaches people, and the law was given to teach us what God expected from us. The commandments and the rules taught the people until Christ came to earth and hung on the cross. After Christ hung on the cross, the law was not destroyed, but the guidelines that existed before the coming of Jesus Christ are just as true today as they were then, only now when we fall short of the law, we can go directly to God for our forgiveness. God required blood sacrifices for the temporary covering for sin, and when Jesus died on the cross, His blood became our sacrifice, and all of the blood sacrifices and ordinances were done away with because they were fulfilled in ChristGalatians 3:25 "But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster."We are not justified by law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. Now instead of the law becoming our schoolmaster, we have the Holy Spirit that does the same work as the law of Moses. However the Spirit of God is far more gentle, loving, and He is our comfort in times of need. Galatians 3:26 "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."..........thanks Redletter an Follower for the inspiration
Thanks Kriss for posting this up for old believers (for refreshing) and new believers (for those who want to know)Thanks Red_Letter88 and FollowerofChrist for the inspiration.
smile.gif
 

Red_Letters88

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Jan 5, 2008
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Ha! I knew that idea would come into use sooner or later. Good one Kriss
smile.gif
Edit: I should share something for new believers to see...This topic that Kriss made a post on was by far the most crucial stone for me to step up and get on top of...You see, I grew up in a Christian family- with my dad as my pastor for about 17 years. But soon after I left home and practically went to the other side of America- i realized something...Your parents faith is not your own.I hadnt fully grasped the concept of Gods perfect grace. I was still in the mindset that God was picking me up by the tail and ready to drop me the second I screw up. The constant focus on works to supply my faith was a battle I could never win. I spent night after night asking for forgivness because I found myself crawling back to the same sins that made me a slave. In my own strength- I tried to overcome these things. I figured- the law explains these things and it is up to me to make sure I succeed. But this mindset was quickly torn down by my lack to follow it (the law). One night my uncle, my brother and I were discussing some of the OT laws- and punishments. I found one verse in particular- I dont remember the verse just its message- that pretty much doomed me where I stood. IT WAS AT THIS MOMENT! I realized I can not live by this law- It is too perfect and I am too sinful. My own strengths are not strengths at all if they are not from Christ. After admitting defeat I could so easily and clearly see the need for Gods grace through Christ Jesus. Once I let go- I felt the need to start reading His word...I started on page one (no more pick and choose for me). Oh and what a relief it was! TO LET GO AND GIVE IT TO GOD. The sins that made me a slave disappeared and I never went crawling back to them. I no longer stayed up at night wondering if God might just "let me go" due to my own failures. Now looking back and after reading the OT books and law- I see the PERFECT purpose of the law in the big picture. The law is blameless and I am not. My strengths were no strengths at all. Gods law still stands but Grace has been added to us- because of Gods goodness and our failures. Amen!
 

Christina

New Member
Apr 10, 2006
10,885
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Thanks for sharing that Redletter, a good lesson for us all, after talking with you the other day and then having a conversation with Followerofchrist, I took advantage of my power outage for a good part of yesterday I opened my Bible and it opened to Hebrews I started reading. And things just started coming together I was taken with the first verse in Hebrews 10 Hebrews 10:1 1For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. a) shade caused by the interception of light,
cool.gif
an image cast by an object and representing the form of that objectAnd realized this little statement said so much A shadow of good things to Come it was clear to me that from the very beginning the Laws was to perfect for man and was pointing to Jesus Christ, I knew Christ had come to fulfill the Law,but this put it more in perspective in that little phrase the Law a shadow pointing straight to Christ that through his Grace, by Faith we have the good thing that was Shadowed in the Law
 

Jordan

Active Member
Apr 6, 2007
4,875
6
38
(Red_Letters88;53300)
Ha! I knew that idea would come into use sooner or later. Good one Kriss
smile.gif
Edit: I should share something for new believers to see...This topic that Kriss made a post on was by far the most crucial stone for me to step up and get on top of...You see, I grew up in a Christian family- with my dad as my pastor for about 17 years. But soon after I left home and practically went to the other side of America- i realized something...Your parents faith is not your own.I hadnt fully grasped the concept of Gods perfect grace. I was still in the mindset that God was picking me up by the tail and ready to drop me the second I screw up. The constant focus on works to supply my faith was a battle I could never win. I spent night after night asking for forgivness because I found myself crawling back to the same sins that made me a slave. In my own strength- I tried to overcome these things. I figured- the law explains these things and it is up to me to make sure I succeed. But this mindset was quickly torn down by my lack to follow it (the law). One night my uncle, my brother and I were discussing some of the OT laws- and punishments. I found one verse in particular- I dont remember the verse just its message- that pretty much doomed me where I stood. IT WAS AT THIS MOMENT! I realized I can not live by this law- It is too perfect and I am too sinful. My own strengths are not strengths at all if they are not from Christ. After admitting defeat I could so easily and clearly see the need for Gods grace through Christ Jesus. Once I let go- I felt the need to start reading His word...I started on page one (no more pick and choose for me). Oh and what a relief it was! TO LET GO AND GIVE IT TO GOD. The sins that made me a slave disappeared and I never went crawling back to them. I no longer stayed up at night wondering if God might just "let me go" due to my own failures. Now looking back and after reading the OT books and law- I see the PERFECT purpose of the law in the big picture. The law is blameless and I am not. My strengths were no strengths at all. Gods law still stands but Grace has been added to us- because of Gods goodness and our failures. Amen!
It is so true Red_Letter88. If we live life trying to follow the law perfectly, we will fall short sooner or later. (Romans 3:23) Without God, we are nothing. (Romans 6:23)When I wanted Christ, I let myself go, because living by self (as in do whatever you want) is just pointless because we humans well keep up messing ourselves really badly...