Today, I hope to wrap up our study-review of how and why God’s law is still relevant today, whether you are in the ‘church’ or not. The ‘law’ is the first of three parts of a study that I have continued to 'preach' has been missing, or grossly misunderstood and/or mis-taught in many of our modern day churches today. And as you have heard me say here often...as arrogant or pompous as that might sound for me to infer...all I can do is point you to the many scriptures laying there in your own Bible...for you to study and pray over...and then allow God to confirm to you if what I am sharing here has any merit...in spite of what you may have been misled to believe or taught in previous years (Acts 17:11; Rom. 10:2-4).

God’s law which was handed down to Moses 430 years after He established covenant with Abraham (Gal. 3:17,19)...was never done away with, abolished, or set aside, as Jesus testified to in Matt. 5:17.

Let me also make clear that while it says there in Galatians 3 that the law was given ‘because of transgression (sin)’...the law was never designed nor intended to make a person ‘righteous’ before God (Rom. 3:20). Using an example I have shared before...if I go a whole month driving without breaking any traffic laws at all...the city in which I live does not award me the ‘key to the city’ and announce that I am ‘Citizen of the Month’. That is not...the purpose of laws, be it traffic, civil, or criminal laws. Let’s read what Paul had to say the purpose of God’s law was for, in his first letter to Timothy:

“We know that the law is good when used correctly. For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching ...” (1 Tim. 1:8-11-NLT).

Clearly, Paul does not take up the time/space to list every single example of those areas that transgress, or break God’s laws, but in short, any manifestation of the ‘flesh nature’ would fall into this grouping. You can review Romans 1:29-32; 2 Tim. 3:1-4; Gal. 5:19-21 if you so desire. As Paul tells us in Romans 8...to be carnally minded (in the flesh) is to be hostile towards God, incapable of submitting to God’s law...and those who are in the ‘flesh’ cannot please God’ (7-8) which puts us in a really precarious position with God. In fact, it explains why the ‘wrath of God is on us‘ to begin with (John 3:36; Rom. 5:12). Since we had ‘all sinned’ (Rom. 3:23) we were all under condemnation because we all had broken God’s laws (1 John 1:10. That is...what the law brings or produces...’death and condemnation’ (2 Cor. 3:17,19; Eph.2:1; Rom. 6:23;8:13).

Do you know what else the ‘law’ brings, or produces? The law ‘brings wrath’ (Rom. 4:15) and it also brings a ‘curse’ (Gal. 3:10). And guess what Jesus came to do? He didn’t come to ‘condemn us’ because we were already condemned (John 3:17-18). As we read there in John 3:36...the ‘wrath of God remained on us’ or those who do not believe in and follow the Son. And it is the ‘wrath of God...that we are ‘saved’ from (Rom. 5:9).

So how are we ‘saved from the wrath of God’ that comes upon all who break God’s laws? That is a great question and one that really deserves much time and study which is necessary in order to help us ‘unlearn’ much of what we have been tragically mislead to believe (Mark 7:8-0,13).

Given the fact that God’s law brings death and wrath and condemnation...who in their right mind would want to remain in that place? Well...for all you who claim to not be ‘under the law, but under grace’ (Rom. 6:14)...take a quick look at Gal. 5:18 where Paul enlightens us as to who no longer remains...’under the law’. Those who are ‘led by the Spirit (of God)...are the ones who are no longer under or subject to the law and all the wrath and curses it still brings when violated or transgressed. And guess what those who are truly being led by, or who are ‘walking in the Spirit’ no longer do? Take a quick look at Gal. 5:16. I’ll give you a moment with that one.

Remember...those who are ‘led by the Spirit’... are the ‘children of God’ (Rom. 8:14)...not just anyone who ‘says Lord, Lord’, or claims to have ‘received Him’ (Rom. 8:14; Matt. 7:21; John 1:11-12). And IF...you are truly being ‘led by the Spirit’, guess what you are being ‘led’ to do? To ‘put to death all the deeds of the flesh nature’ (Rom. 8:13). If you are not actively engaged with doing this...you shall ‘die’, or be destroyed (Luke 13:3,5; Acts 3:22-23)

Do you know why...the Spirit of God is leading you to do this...long before He leads you to ‘fulfill your ministry, purpose, and destiny in God’...? Because unless that old nature dies, you cannot bear fruit pleasing to God that shows or proves that you truly belong to Him (John 12:24; Gal. 5:24; John 13:34-35; 15:4-5,8).

How else could we possibly fulfill the ‘royal law’ to ‘love God with all our heart and to love one another as ourselves, or as He loved us’...unless we have His nature residing in us? (2 Pet. 1:3-4; Rom. 13:8-10; Gal.5:14; James 2:8).

Yes...Jesus came and He did indeed...’fulfill the law’ in every area (Matt. 5:17)...which is why He then bids us to ‘follow Him’; and as we do...we will no longer be fulfilling the lusts of the flesh (Gal. 5:16) but walking according to the Spirit...and the end result will lead us to that place where all the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:4). So when Jesus says ‘not everyone who says, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven...but those who do the will of My Father who is in heaven...” (Matt. 7:21)...rest assure...the will of God is for us to ‘keep the commandments of God’...which is impossible for us to do unless...we are abiding in Him (John 15:4-5). And those who are abiding no longer break the commandments (1 John 2:3-6, 3:6).

Tomorrow...we will ‘change gears’...I hope you’ll come back for more.