Christian Growth Week 6 — God s Law

Christian Growth Week 6 - God’s Law

Preparation. . . • Turn your assignment into the “In Basket” • Your friend says, “I feel hopeless and fatalistic about my sin-habits. The Bible doesn’t give any direction on how to present ourselves to God as changed people. ” How would you respond to your friend with scripture?

Quiz

Introduction • • • Week 1 - new standing in Christ! Week 2 - deep look at sin & its source Week 3 - new identity, spiritual provisions (needs), growth resulting from operating in our new identity (know-consider-present)

Introduction • Week 4 - role of Biblical faith in growing as Christians • Week 5 - role of the Holy Spirit in helping us grow as Christians

Introduction • Goal for tonight: • To understand our relationship as believers with God’s law as we continue to spiritually grow. • Contradiction? ? • No longer under the law. . . • Yet, still have a relationship with God’s Law. . .

These are not contradictory!! We need to understand the different purposes for the Law and how they relate to Mistakes on this • No longer under the Law us as Christians. issue lead to • Romans 6: 14. . . horrible • Romans 7: 1 -6. . . misrepresentation • Galatians 2: 19. . . s of Christianity, hip relations • Still have a with God’and to twisted s Law views of Christian • Romans 13: 8 -10. . . spirituality. • 1 Corinthians 7: 19. . . • 1 Corinthians 9: 21. . . Introduction

They were not neatly separated into three volumes like we do today in studying them; they were all mixed together and were • 3 Purposes of the OT Law (Law of considered The Law. Moses) No longer under the Old Testament Law • Civil Law - social law for keeping peace and order as a nation • Ceremonial Law - cleansing rituals for approaching God • Moral Law - God’s character and ethical will for humanity

No longer under the Old Testament Law • Identify each verse or set of verses below using a “V” for civil, “R” for ceremonial, and “M” for moral from Leviticus 19: 23 -34. . . • 23 -25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 -34

No longer under the Old Testament Law • Bible teaches that the Law was temporary until the Messiah came • Jeremiah 31: 31 -34. . . • Hebrews 7: 18, 19. . . • Galatians 3: 19. . . Now that Jesus has come, He has changed the way we relate to each aspect of the Law.

COMPONENT & PURPOSE EXAMPLES PRESENT STATUS FOR CHRISTIANS CIVIL: Pragmatic aspects of civil order for Israel. To preserve Israel as a nation until Messiah came. “Normal” penal laws (murder, theft, etc. ), “special” penal laws (witchcraft; idolatry), inheritance laws, sanitary codes. Old Testament civil law has been replaced by national governments during the Church Age (Matt. 22: 21; Rom. 13: 1).

COMPONENT & PURPOSE EXAMPLES PRESENT STATUS FOR CHRISTIANS CEREMONIAL: Israel's prescribed rituals for approaching God. To teach the seriousness of sin & the necessity of atonement. To give Israel a distinct cultural identity. Animal sacrifices, Sabbath & annual festivals, “cleanliness” laws, circumcision, some health and dietary laws. Old Testament ritual law was fulfilled by Christ's work on the cross (Heb. 8; Col. 2: 16, 17). Ritualism is now set aside for a personal relationship with God (Gal. 4: 1 -11).

COMPONENT & PURPOSE EXAMPLES MORAL: A description The two “great of God's character and commandments” to ethical will for humanity. love God & It provides an absolute neighbor morality, & the moral (Deut. 6: 5; basis for much of the Old Testament civil law Lev. 19: 18). Nine (e. g. , sexual laws; of the Ten murder; theft; etc. ). It Commandments exposed the Israelites’ sin to convince them of apply these two commandments. their need for God’s grace. PRESENT STATUS FOR CHRISTIANS Non-Christians are under God’s moral law. It shows them that they are under God’s judgment because of their sin (Rom. 3: 19, 20). •

COMPONENT & PURPOSE EXAMPLES MORAL: A description The two “great of God's character and commandments” to ethical will for humanity. love God & It provides an absolute neighbor morality, & the moral (Deut. 6: 5; basis for much of the Old Testament civil law Lev. 19: 18). Nine (e. g. , sexual laws; of the Ten murder; theft; etc. ). It Commandments exposed the Israelites’ sin to convince them of apply these two commandments. their need for God’s grace. PRESENT STATUS FOR CHRISTIANS Justified Christians are no longer under God’s moral law. We are freed from the judgment decreed by it because of Christ’s atoning sacrifice (Gal. 3: 24, 25). •

COMPONENT & PURPOSE EXAMPLES MORAL: A description The two “great of God's character and commandments” to ethical will for humanity. love God & It provides an absolute neighbor morality, & the moral (Deut. 6: 5; basis for much of the Old Testament civil law Lev. 19: 18). Nine (e. g. , sexual laws; of the Ten murder; theft; etc. ). It Commandments exposed the Israelites’ sin to convince them of apply these two commandments. their need for God’s grace. PRESENT STATUS FOR CHRISTIANS Justified Christians are no longer under God’s moral law. It shows us that we cannot serve God without the power of the Spirit (Rom. 7: 6). •

COMPONENT & PURPOSE EXAMPLES MORAL: A description The two “great of God's character and commandments” to ethical will for humanity. love God & It provides an absolute neighbor morality, & the moral (Deut. 6: 5; basis for much of the Old Testament civil law Lev. 19: 18). Nine (e. g. , sexual laws; of the Ten murder; theft; etc. ). It Commandments exposed the Israelites’ sin to convince them of apply these two commandments. their need for God’s grace. PRESENT STATUS FOR CHRISTIANS Justified Christians are no longer under God’s moral law. It describes the life of loving God & others when we live by the power of the Spirit (Rom. 8: 4; 13: 810). •

No longer under the Old Testament Law Jesus and Paul taught that • Civil Laws - Christians are not Christians are to obligated to follow these. For Israel submit to not the church. whatever civil government they • Jesus: Matt 22: 21. . . live under. • Paul: Romans 13: 1. . .

No longer under the Old Testament Law • Relevance: Church History Blunders • The Crusades - Series of Holy wars from 11001600 involving western Europe to free Jerusalem from Muslim rule • The Inquisition - Began in 12 th Century by Catholic Church to fight heretics • Cromwell Destruction - English military leader who destroyed many Catholic lives & lands in Ireland Scotland in the 1600’s.

No longer under the Old Testament Law • Ceremonial Laws - Christians are not obligated to follow these. Jesus death has fulfilled most of these rituals! • Colossians 2: 16, 17. . . • Hebrews 8: 4 -6, 13

No longer under the Old Testament Law • This explains the unmistakable diff. between OT Judaism & NT Christianity over the role of rituals: • The hundreds of Old Testament rituals have been replaced with only two New Testament rituals, baptism and communion.

No longer under the Old Testament Law • This explains the unmistakable diff. between OT Judaism & NT Christianity over the role of rituals: • The detailed regulations for Old Testament rituals have been replaced by very little instruction for baptism and communion.

No longer under the Old Testament Law • This explains the unmistakable diff. between OT Judaism & NT Christianity over the role of rituals: • Whereas the Old Testament rituals looked forward to a future Sacrifice, the New Testament rituals commemorate the salvation that Jesus has already purchased for us.

No longer under the Old Was anyone here Testament Law raised in churches • like this, and got Relevance: Churches that emphasize the message that rituals tend toward formalism (ritual you didn’t need to observance without the proper heart be reborn and that attitude) and/or a works. God accepted you righteousness (ritual observance as long as you earns merit with God). observed the rituals?

No longer under the Old The New Testament gives us a multi. Testament Law • faceted view of God’s Moral Laws - Reflected the character purposes for His law of God and his moral will for humans, regarding nonwho are created in His image. As Christians and such, they are universally and Christians. eternally valid, and provide an absolute morality.

Non-Christians: Are under What damns people is not their sin, but God’s moral law their self • Grace righteousness— their belief that they • charity for all who admit that they don’t need grace. deserve God’s judgment and cast themselves on God’s mercy through As long as they hold Christ. this belief, they cannot be saved. • Every human needs God’s grace • but many pridefully assume that they can earn His acceptance by their own good works, moral reformation, etc.

Non-Christians: Are under How do you think God convinces self. God’s moral law righteous people that God’s they need His grace? Many believe they can earn acceptance. Other Religions Judaism Islam Eastern Mystic Religions (Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc) Christian Cults Mormonism By giving them His Jehovah Witness Scientology moral law

Romans 3: 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole God puts all non-Christians “under” world held accountable to His moral law because it shows them God. 20 Therefore no one that they are under God’s judgment will be declared righteous because of their sin. in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. Non-Christians: Are under God’s moral law •

Non-Christians: Are under God’s moral law • Paul’s conclusion in Romans 1 -3 • Chapter 1. Paul argues that all “pagans” are under God’s judgment because they have violated the law of God written on their consciences (see also Rom. 2: 14, 15).

Non-Christians: Are under God’s moral law • Paul’s conclusion in Romans 1 -3 • Chapter 2. Paul argues that all “moral” people are also under God’s judgment because they have failed to perfectly keep God’s law by which they judge “pagans. ”

Non-Christians: Are under God’s moral law • Paul’s conclusion in Romans 1 -3 • In chapter 3(above), he summarizes that all people are condemned by God’s moral law as guilty sinners who deserve His condemnation.

Paul says that the purpose of the law for non-Christians is to help them to see their Gal. 3: 24* The Law has become our tutor need for the freedom to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. of God’s grace. It • A “tutor” (paidagogus) was not a kindly does this by revealing instructor who helped their students become their moral guilt and ” competent. They were “child-conductors, their inability to gain or household slaves who were in charge of making their master’s children go to school, God’s favor by their do their chores, etc. Children under the own efforts, thus giving authority of these “tutors” longed to reach adulthood so they could be free from them a desire to be set free! Non-Christians: Are under God’s moral law •

Non-Christians: Are under God’s moral law • Jesus view of the Law. . . • When dealing with people who knew they were guilty sinners ➔ He told them about the free gift of God’s forgiveness • When dealing with self-righteous people, he pressed them with God’s Law

Non-Christians: Are under Jesus’ purpose God’s moral law was to show his listeners that • Examples of Jesus’ use of the Law they fell short of • Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5: 20 -48) God’s standards • Told self-righteous, unless they were more • • and needed to righteous than the Scribes and Pharisees, they would never make into God’s kingdom accept his Not enough not to murder people. Even if forgiveness. they ever hated anyone, it was the same as murder. Not enough not to commit adultery. Even if you ever lusted for another person, it was equal to adultery and thus, going to hell.

Non-Christians: Are under God’s moral law • Examples of Jesus’ use of the Law • Rich Young Ruler (Matt 19: 16 -22) • He believed he was good enough to earn • • eternal life. He just wanted to know which commandments he needed to keep Jesus pressed him with the Law. When the man insisted that he had kept the commandments, Jesus told him to give up his money—thus exposing the man’s selfishness and guilt.

Non-Christians: Are under God’s moral law When this is the • case, you will When you share God’need to use the s grace to law, not in a people (religious or non-religious) condescending and it “bounces off, ” it’s often way, but in an because they are so self-righteous objective way! that they don’t believe that they need it! • What should be done?

Non-Christians: Are under God’s moral law • Walk the person through parts of Matthew 5 (21 -22, 27 -30) • Acknowledge your own sins of hatred • • and lust Press them on whether they have every hated or lusted for anyone When they say “yes, ” explain that God says this makes them deserving of hell, or ask, “What does this passage say to you? ”

Non-Christians: Are under God’s moral law • Walk the person through the greatest commandment (Matt 22: 37 -39) • Admit that your have fallen short in this requirement • Ask them if they always loved God most and never used others selfishly • When they say, “no, ” point out that these sins are punishable by death.

Trust that God’s Non-Christians: Are under Spirit will convict God’s moral law their consciences as you declare • Help the person understand that God Once we humble this, as Jesus is not just a kind deity who just wants ourselves to ask God promised in “pretty good. ” us to be forgiveness Jn. 16: 8. through Christ, our • He is morally perfect, and because He is this way, we must be perfect to earn His relationship with His acceptance. moral law fundamentally • God doesn’t “grade on the curve. ” Even changes. . . one act of disobedience fails the test (Adam & Eve, Jas. 2: 10).

Christians: Are no longer Our acceptance under God’s moral law by God is now based entirely on • We are freed from the judgment Christ’s finished decreed by the law because of work for us, and Christ’s atoning sacrifice not at all on our imperfect work • Once we receive Christ, we never need to for God!! worry again about God’s condemnation for our sins (Rom. 8: 1) Gal. 3: 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

Rom. 7: 6 But now we have been released Paul calls this from the Law, having approach serving died to that by which God in the we were bound, so • “It shows us that we cannot serve God oldness of the that we serve in without the power of the Spirit. letter. ” newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of • Once we receive Christ, His Spirit lives the letter. within us to motivate and empower us to Wrong Right serve God (Phil. 2: 13, 2 Tim 1: 7) Actions • The problem: our pride—we tend to Little or no assume that we can serve God by our own REAL moral will-power: “Just focus on God’s Change moral law and try to keep it. ” Christians: Are no longer under God’s moral law

. . . this law [stealing] Examples: remains for the Christian as a ➔ Prohibition necessary guide for ➔ RT 3 rd use • Unfortunately, many believing his path of holiness. of the Law By this Law we know churches teach, or imply, that what God expects and although Christians are no longer the high goal of under the law for their justification holiness to which we • they remain under the law for their should aim. sanctification. . . Christians: Are no longer under God’s moral law • they must obey God’s moral law by their own moral will-power.

Christians: Are no longer under God’s moral law • Until we are convinced that serving God by our own power is doomed to defeat, we will not depend on God’s Spirit to empower us to serve God. • the law serves as a “pedagogue” to break us of our prideful self-sufficiency so that we learn to depend on Christ’s Spirit

Christians: Are no longer under God’s moral law When does Paul cast himself on Christ to • liberate him ➔ Paul relates 2 discoveries in Rom 7: 7 -24 trying to serve God “in the oldness of the from the power letter” of his sinful Only when we are • The law exposed his sinfulness on a deeper level. nature so he convinced that we The commandment against coveting increased can do God’s are unable, can we his knowledge of how deeply covetous he was will? (7: 7 -13). trust that He is able. • The law convinced him that he was impotent to the drowning man. . . reform himself. No matter how hard he tried to stop coveting, he was unable to change his heart (7: 14 -24).

Christians: Are no longer under God’s moral law • When we walk according to the Spirit: • We are free from God’s moral law as a • • “pedagogue. ” We focus on relating to Jesus and depending on His Spirit to gradually change us and to empower us to serve God. We can view God’s moral law in a positive light: it describes the life of loving God and others when we live by the power of the Spirit.

Christians: Are no longer under God’s moral law • Let’s read Romans 13: 8 -10. . . • God’s moral law is not an impersonal set of ethical rules • It is a description of what it looks like to love God and other people.

Christians: Are no longer under God’s moral law • When we Walk according to the Spirit. . . • we do not have to take from others to gratify ourselves. • Instead, we can serve them for their good. • So love fulfills the law, and the law describes love in action.

Christians: Are no longer under God’s moral law • When we Walk according to the Spirit. . . • we are motivated, guided, and empowered to thrive from a life of selfgiving love! • So, the moral imperatives of the New Testament become concrete opportunities to actively trust God to live His life of love through us.

Christians: Are no longer under God’s moral law • This is why the NT urges us to aggressively seek progress in Christlike character: • 1 Timothy 4: 12. . . • 1 Timothy 6: 11. . . • 2 Timothy 2: 22

Christians: Are no longer under God’s moral law • Is it possible for two people to be doing exactly the same “works” with one operating under law and the other operating under grace? • What are some ways you might be able to tell which person is under law and which is under grace?

Living Under Law vs Under Grace • Living under grace by the Spirit produces a very different kind of spirituality than living under law. • Table on page 9 of your notes. • Help to diagnose yourself and friends • In a groups of 2 -4 people, read through and identify potential Areas where you are living under Law

Conclusion • Is the following statement true of false? Support your answer with Scripture. • God’s moral law provides a pathway to holiness for which believers in Jesus must strive.

Conclusion • Goal for tonight: • To understand our relationship as believers with God’s law as we continue to spiritually grow.

Questions?

Next Week • Community as a Means of Growth

Memory Verses • Gal. 3: 24, 25* • Romans 7: 7 -25**

Assignment • Mc. Callum, Walking In Victory, Chapter 7 “Law School” • De. Lashmutt, “Legalism Diagnostic Questions” • Write up on either of the reading assignments above, but NOT both

Corporate Prayer