The Importance of the Law

I have always wondered how the Law in the Old Testament is relevant to a believer in Christ, till I read an article by Tyndale, which I am going to attempt to summarize below:

The Law was given by Moses, for the purpose laying down the commands of God to His people, and the consequences of following or not following them. It laid down strict and specific instructions and only those that obeyed ALL of them were considered worthy of God’s love.

As a new covenant Christian, the purpose of the law is to bring us to the knowledge of who we are- so that we can perceive our nature. It is this Law that condemns us for from it we realize that we can never, even if we be ever so good, do anything by and of ourselves to please God. For the Law requires a perfect life and nothing less.
The Gospel is the good news, the news of joyous tidings about Christ and the evidence of God’s love for us by freeing us from this Law. It is Christ telling the whole world that if you repent and believe in Him through faith and grace, the bondage to the law will be broken and we will be restored to life and saved.

Man’s disobedience earned us a nature so evil and corrupt that we are bound by it. Because man chose to disobey God, the devil became our father. We naturally consent to the devil’s will and because of that we are nothing but loathsome and damming in God’s sight. For us to come to this realization of our nature is when we read and or hear the Law, for from it we then realize that we can never fulfill it to the extent that it requires. The Law convicts and sentences us to damnation and offers not a way out, and for this reason, without hope or mercy we are left with guilt and the fear of impending death.

This is what Christ came to save us from, for with His blood, he purchased for us new lives, loosed us from the law and through Him, Our God could then “see” us as His children once more! – This is the Gospel!

For when the Gospel is preached, and believed, then the Spirit of God begins its work in the new believer. Love, kindness, goodness, faithfulness then becomes evident in our lives. We live not to go to Heaven, for this is already obtained for us through the blood, but to love, obey, worship and follow the will of our Father. There is nothing we can do to earn ourselves a place in Heaven, but through Christ, we, by faith, believe that we are co-heirs of all that is promised.

…and now, I hope, I have shed, even if it be a miniature of light, on the value and importance of the law, without which we would never know the magnitude of what Christ did for us and how, without faith in Him, it is impossible to please God.

“By Their Fruit”

The beauty of Christ is seen in the fruit of the spirit because Christ is the tree, and we are the branches. A life touched by and in-built in Christ will show a godly character.

True spiritual maturity is measured by the fruit of the spirit which are goodness, faithfulness, peace, patience et al (Gal 5); and not the gifts of the Holy Spirit like wisdom, knowledge, healing, speaking in tongues(1 Cor 12). Gifts are what God gives us, which we are supposed to use to edify others.

For us to know that we live in Christ and that He lives in us, the fruits of the Holy Spirit need to be part of our character and this is what we give to God by yielding to the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to touch our personality.

So check yourself, do you use your gifts to educate, enlighten and teach others about God, Christ and the Gospel? Do these fruits (character, personality, behavior) continuously worship God?

A carnal person may be able to manifest the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but it takes a person who has dedicated herself willingly to the Lord to manifest the fruit of the spirit.