29/08/10

Dying to the Law and living by the Law

Romans 7:4 - Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.


Day before yesterday I was taking interviews of candidates for one of our very critical sites which my organization handles most of its IT works. This site has lots of government restrictions, procedures and is a 24x7 site therefore we cannot afford to change people very soon. Due to this we have a HR policy under which a person once joined should not leave for a minimum period of time. To make sure it is implemented we have put a penalty clause to this policy. We work under the biggest banner in the IT world and this client is also one of the best locations to work at in our country.

As I was explaining this policy to one of the candidates, he became very uncomfortable. We had given him all his future growth options both in work profile as well as financial growth, yet I could see him hesitant to commit himself.

I asked him why he was uncomfortable of this clause which we have in our recruitment policy. If he is going by his verbal commitment to work for that period of time, being given the best he can get, then he should not worry of the penalty.

The law of the country says if we rob we will be put in prison. Do you and I worry of going to prison? It is only those who rob need to worry of consequence of prison.

We need to understand before Christ we did not know the Law. What man used to follow was the shadow of the Law. It is only in Christ, but His Spirit that we have started to understand the true Law of God, because the Law now is living in us.

It was the Spirit of God (Finger of God) Who gave the Ten Commandments and other Laws to Moses. But because Moses and the people at that time did have the Spirit of Truth (which is given to us after the Sacrifice of Jesus) in them they never understood the Law but only the shadow.

God does not change nor does His Word. His Word is Law and the Law does not change. We in Christ are coming to know the true Law and thus die to the Law as understood by Moses (people in Moses). Today the Law lives in us, guides us and makes us like Christ.

God knew man being weak in the flesh that he lives in, He cannot keep the Law by himself. Jesus by His coming as man has added grace to the consequence of the Law. The Law demands the offender to be put to death as a price but grace says the price has been paid for those who believe in Him. If we believe in Him then we do not have to worry of the consequence of the Law.

Believing in Him does not mean to just know Him or acknowledge Him in words. It requires our actions both external as well as internal to also follow our words. If in words we say we are Christians but our actions deny Christ then can we really say we are Christians?

If you and I believe in Christ we have received the promise of the author of the Law. He Who dwells in us convicts us by our conscience. Let us listen to Him and walk by Him under the grace of Jesus Christ being dead to the consequence of the Law but yet abiding by the true Law.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord God, You made man to overcome darkness which existed before this creation. You gave us the Law to build us and shine your light in us. You came as man and paid the price of the Law. Your Spirit given to us by your sacrifice now reveals the Truth to us and leads us to walk in your Law so as to be a righteous and holy nation. Lord, we pray for your people who have still not claimed the promise of the Holy Spirit and are not baptized in Him. We pray that they abide by Him and in Him, to receive your inheritance in Heaven...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scripture ]
Jeremiah 31:33-34
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Galatians 5:13-18
13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Hebrew 7:28
28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

John 1:17
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:20-26
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Romans 6:14-18
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.


The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others.
(All rights are with God)