Should We Obey The Law Or Not?
Question : We're hearing a lot of messages on the love and grace of God. There is no balanced teaching. They're saying condemnation is coming from the devil. Jesus has fulfilled the Law. We, the New Testament Christians are not under Law. Romans Chapters 6,7, and Galatians Chapter 3, are some of the Scriptures, their examples.....really confusing to me. They're preaching, 'you need not obey Law.' 'But I can't understand how could they claim 'tithe'? But I'm not against tithing.
Answer : We need a balanced spiritual food to stay hale and healthy. Too much of anything is good for nothing. As it applies in the physical so it is in the spiritual life too (1 Cor 15:46). Now there is no condemnation for all believers is true and the devil is the one who uses those opportunities of unconfessed sins to accuse us within to bring condemnation to us many times (Rom 8:1, 9; 14:22; 1 John 3:20-21, 22; 1:7, 9), at the same time this happens when we are not making a turn around when the Holy Spirit convicts us and give us a opportunity to turn to the way of God (John 16:8-9). We are not under the law of Moses now, but under the law of the Spirit which is greater to keep than it (Gal 4:6; Rom 8:15-17). The law of the Spirit is something that the Holy Spirit quickens the law and also gives the strength to believers to keep it (Rom 8:2). To say that we are free from the Law and follow nothing leads believers to a dangerous state of worldliness and destruction of their spiritual lives (1 Tim 1:19-20; 6:9; 2 Tim 4:10). In Galatians, Paul emphasizes the believers who are freed and live in the Spirit to walk in the Spirit which will keep them from the works of the flesh because He is the one who is appointed for all of us believers to do the tutelage faithfully until we become mature sons and daughter of God (Gal 5:25, 16). In other words, if we keep the law by our own strength we become religious and legalistic (Rom 4:4), if we fail to walk by any law because of claiming the freedom of liberty which Jesus has given to indulge in the flesh, we become worldly and fleshly (Rom 6:16). Only when we walk in the Spirit because of Christ freeing us from the law (Rom 6:1, 15), it will given us meaning and satisfaction to live a true spiritual lives for the Glory of God (Rom 6:22; 8:13; Gal 6:8).
In short, trying to keep the law with our own strength can be likened to taking a map which is the Law of God in our own hands and from it using our understanding to find our way to God where heaven is and walk pleasing to Him in our day to day life which is impossible to impeccably walk without mistake at all times because our strength is limited and our knowledge is also limited, walking in Law of the Spirit is like having a personal guide from God who knows the map of God inside out, and also as He is the One who designed it, He will tell us moment by moment how we should draw near to God, how we can walk pleasing to Him by avoiding and overcoming the lust and indulgences of the flesh, how we can live a victorious overcoming life of faith over sin, sickness and death and finally how to live this earthly life abundantly with joy, peace and righteousness of God and then helping us, lifting us and guiding us with his own eyes and hands whenever we have no strength to fulfill it. So it is a choice to make every day to walk by the Law which is the heavenly map or by the Spirit who is a personal guide to whom we give the map and trust him to lead us in the right way until we enter in to heaven.
Even tithe in the New Testament is not a demand, but out of love, thankfulness and cheerfulness for what the Lord has already done for us in every realm of existence, we give back to Him willingly what He has already given to us (Eph 1:3; 1 Chron 29:14; 1 Cor 4:7).
New Testament giving is (1) Cheerful Giving and constant habitual giving (2 Cor 9:7; Php 4:15-16), (2) Sacrificial Giving (Rom 8:32; Mark 12:44; Luke 21:4; 1 Kings 17:13, 15), (3) Liberal Giving (2 Cor 8:3), (4) Abundant Bountiful Giving (2 Cor 9:6, 8; Acts 2:45) and (5) Extravagant Giving (Matt 26:7; Luke 7:46).
None of these gifts in any way pressurize or coerce us to give to God out of compulsion. So in the Old Testament if people have given tithe out of the law, we give still in a greater way in the New Testament out of the strength the Spirit gives us to give out in the spirit of higher blessedness which Jesus described (Acts 20:35). If we really mean giving out our whole body as a living sacrifice to God, our giving in percentage will always be without doubt more than the Old Testament Tithe at any point of time in our life (Rom 12:1). We give our best to the one whom we love, and that applies to God (Rom 8:32), if we think about boasting about what we give it will be a mockery to even mention it again, and will be utterly despised as it mean to be not a genuine one out of true love in the heart of the giver (Sos 8:6, 7). In other words, the committed and loving heart towards God and men behind the giving is more important than giving itself (Mark 12:41; Luke 11:42; Matt. 6:1-4). God rewards us not according to how much we give, but with what heart of love we give towards Him.
Much Blessings.....
Answer : We need a balanced spiritual food to stay hale and healthy. Too much of anything is good for nothing. As it applies in the physical so it is in the spiritual life too (1 Cor 15:46). Now there is no condemnation for all believers is true and the devil is the one who uses those opportunities of unconfessed sins to accuse us within to bring condemnation to us many times (Rom 8:1, 9; 14:22; 1 John 3:20-21, 22; 1:7, 9), at the same time this happens when we are not making a turn around when the Holy Spirit convicts us and give us a opportunity to turn to the way of God (John 16:8-9). We are not under the law of Moses now, but under the law of the Spirit which is greater to keep than it (Gal 4:6; Rom 8:15-17). The law of the Spirit is something that the Holy Spirit quickens the law and also gives the strength to believers to keep it (Rom 8:2). To say that we are free from the Law and follow nothing leads believers to a dangerous state of worldliness and destruction of their spiritual lives (1 Tim 1:19-20; 6:9; 2 Tim 4:10). In Galatians, Paul emphasizes the believers who are freed and live in the Spirit to walk in the Spirit which will keep them from the works of the flesh because He is the one who is appointed for all of us believers to do the tutelage faithfully until we become mature sons and daughter of God (Gal 5:25, 16). In other words, if we keep the law by our own strength we become religious and legalistic (Rom 4:4), if we fail to walk by any law because of claiming the freedom of liberty which Jesus has given to indulge in the flesh, we become worldly and fleshly (Rom 6:16). Only when we walk in the Spirit because of Christ freeing us from the law (Rom 6:1, 15), it will given us meaning and satisfaction to live a true spiritual lives for the Glory of God (Rom 6:22; 8:13; Gal 6:8).
In short, trying to keep the law with our own strength can be likened to taking a map which is the Law of God in our own hands and from it using our understanding to find our way to God where heaven is and walk pleasing to Him in our day to day life which is impossible to impeccably walk without mistake at all times because our strength is limited and our knowledge is also limited, walking in Law of the Spirit is like having a personal guide from God who knows the map of God inside out, and also as He is the One who designed it, He will tell us moment by moment how we should draw near to God, how we can walk pleasing to Him by avoiding and overcoming the lust and indulgences of the flesh, how we can live a victorious overcoming life of faith over sin, sickness and death and finally how to live this earthly life abundantly with joy, peace and righteousness of God and then helping us, lifting us and guiding us with his own eyes and hands whenever we have no strength to fulfill it. So it is a choice to make every day to walk by the Law which is the heavenly map or by the Spirit who is a personal guide to whom we give the map and trust him to lead us in the right way until we enter in to heaven.
Even tithe in the New Testament is not a demand, but out of love, thankfulness and cheerfulness for what the Lord has already done for us in every realm of existence, we give back to Him willingly what He has already given to us (Eph 1:3; 1 Chron 29:14; 1 Cor 4:7).
New Testament giving is (1) Cheerful Giving and constant habitual giving (2 Cor 9:7; Php 4:15-16), (2) Sacrificial Giving (Rom 8:32; Mark 12:44; Luke 21:4; 1 Kings 17:13, 15), (3) Liberal Giving (2 Cor 8:3), (4) Abundant Bountiful Giving (2 Cor 9:6, 8; Acts 2:45) and (5) Extravagant Giving (Matt 26:7; Luke 7:46).
None of these gifts in any way pressurize or coerce us to give to God out of compulsion. So in the Old Testament if people have given tithe out of the law, we give still in a greater way in the New Testament out of the strength the Spirit gives us to give out in the spirit of higher blessedness which Jesus described (Acts 20:35). If we really mean giving out our whole body as a living sacrifice to God, our giving in percentage will always be without doubt more than the Old Testament Tithe at any point of time in our life (Rom 12:1). We give our best to the one whom we love, and that applies to God (Rom 8:32), if we think about boasting about what we give it will be a mockery to even mention it again, and will be utterly despised as it mean to be not a genuine one out of true love in the heart of the giver (Sos 8:6, 7). In other words, the committed and loving heart towards God and men behind the giving is more important than giving itself (Mark 12:41; Luke 11:42; Matt. 6:1-4). God rewards us not according to how much we give, but with what heart of love we give towards Him.
Much Blessings.....
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