The Letter Of The Law

 The Pharisees were guilty of obeying the letter of the Law at the exclusion of the spirit of the Law.  They majored on minors and paid heed to minor  points such as tithing in small matters and ignored the weightier matters of the Law: faithfulness, mercy, and love. (Matt. 23:23).  For instance, one may say that he frowns upon dancing but overlooks covetousness as a minor affair or offense.  Being a legalist leads to judging and even condemning one's brother or sister. We are not to compare us to other persons or our Christian brethren (2 Cor. 10:12). Legalism is one way to end up doing that!  

Sometimes necessity knows no law like when  in the parable of the Good Samarian and the priest didn't want to become ceremonially unclean by defiling himself or even missing his Sabbath. This is an example of "going beyond that which is written!" (1 Cor. 4:4). Besides going against the spirit of the law, that it is fulfilled in loving our neighbor, making up your own rules and adding sins is also legalism. Tradition is often added to the Word of God and counted as a way to gauge sin. The priest was a slave to his tradition and could not see a need to be fulfilled.  Legalism elevates tradition to the level of Law and bind people where the Bible has left them free!  

In my day, good Christians watched the hemlines, movie lines, and hairlines! Spiritualty was something to be seen by men and an external thing noticed by others. Basically, believing that faith plus works equals salvation is legalism; actually faith equals salvation plus works--viva la difference!  One must distinguish that legalism sees sins, not sin!  Remember, the letter kills but the Spirit gives life!  Legalism is a form of spiritual tyranny as one believes he is spiritual but actually still a whitewashed tomb or refined sinner. 

We are forgiven for our sins and what we did, but delivered from what we are, sinners. The problem of mankind is slavery to sin and that can be any sin, even pet ones or presumptuous ones. When one says, for instance, to give up this or that to become a Christian, one fails to realize we are slaves to sin in toto and are sinners by nature. 

The opposite and equally evil distortion of the Law of God is antinomianism! The theme song: "Freed from the Law, O blessed condition, now I can sin all I want and still have remission." Some believers may think salvation is a license to sin or that God overlooks our sins. But Martin Luther wrote a book condemning these heretics: Against the Antinomians. The only way to maintain balance between these two extremes of Bible application is to know the Bible and to understand the definition of sin and what it is not as well.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Are Christians Obliged To Obey The Law?

Jesus not only was obliged as a Jew to keep the Mosaic Law, but He also fulfilled it. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” (cf. Gal. 3:24–25). “For the law is fulfilled in one word, even this: thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (cf. Gal. 5:14). Love is the fulfillment of the Law (cf. Romans 13:10). Jesus summed up the whole law in loving God and our neighbor (cf. Mark 12:30–31).

We are not under the Law but under grace (cf. Romans 6:14). Jesus told us to obey His commandments and they are not burdensome, but His yoke is easy and burden light (cf Matt. 11:30). As Christians, the early church debated as to whether we were obligated to obey the Law like circumcision in Acts 15 and decided it was too heavy a yoke that even the Jews didn't and couldn’t keep. Jesus gave a new commandment, to love another as He loves us.

As Christians, our faith is a new religion from Judaism and whatever is not repeated in the New Testament holds no authority over us. We are not the continuation of Judaism but its fulfillment. “They cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the Law, (cf. Romans 10:4). The Formula of Concord in 1577 outlined the purpose of the Law and did not oblige us. Note, I’m not speaking of the moral code which is timeless and never changes: what God considered wrong is still wrong as to what sin is considering the Decalogue. The Ten Commandments have not been rescinded, expect the case that the Sabbath was not reinstated in the New Testament, and are not obliged to be Sabbatarians anymore (cf. Col. 2;16; Romans 14:5) Let no man judge you on your Sabbath-keeping!

Sin is many things, unbelief for one. (cf Romans 14:23) The law was never given to save us or to be our master but to measure us and convict us. Christians are not lawless but need no law for they are under the law of love. We do naturally what is right because we have the Spirit, not because we are educated in the Law of Moses and try to keep it. “Cursed is anyone who depends on the Law unto righteousness, (cf. Gal 3:10).

Do We Need The Law?

Most believers know they are not under the law, but under grace (cf. Rom. 6:14); however, they are not lawless and do not have contempt for the law, but know it has its place.  The law was never given to be a way of salvation, but only to show our need, to measure us.  The law was given to show us we cannot keep it!  The Hebrews vowed they would keep all the law when it was given, but they should have asked for mercy, knowing such a law was impossible to keep.  The Christian life is not hard, it's impossible too!  We must live by faith and express it through love, for love is the fulfillment of the law.

The law of love is harder to satisfy than any code though!  Thank God Jesus lived it and the law's righteousness is credited or imputed to our account in the Divine Ledger up above.  We all fall short, and perfection is only the standard, the direction is the test as we grow in expressing faith through love (cf. Gal. 5:6, NIV).  In essence, the law is for the lawless and the lawbreaker (cf. 1 Tim. 1:9)!  We don't only have the law to guide us in right and wrong, we also have a conscience, the Holy Spirit, and the totality of Scripture as our plumb line to convict us of wrongdoing.

There are several purposes of the law for the believer (its purpose was formulated in the first Lutheran confession of faith known as the Formula of Concord in 1577):  a mirror to show us what we are like inside with all our guilt, insecurities, sin, and uncleanness--wrinkles and all; a sword to divide soul from spirit; a whip that drives us to the cross for mercy, and a hammer to smash our self-righteousness! The moral code is a guide to enlighten us to the Way, for morality never changes. It's a perfect standard of righteousness that only Jesus fulfilled.

The law was also ordained to restrain evil in society and provide for orderliness. To the Christian, it never loses its ability to convict of sin and to be a light unto our path.  But we must realize that the whole law is summed up in loving God and our neighbor as its fulfillment. The whole idea is to make us realize we cannot save ourselves no matter how righteous we think we are and no matter how good we are to our standards--we always fall short of the divine standard in Christ.

There are four types of laws that I want to mention, and disobeying each one has its consequences,   BUT WE ARE NOT ANTINOMIANS OR AGAINST THE LAW!  NB:  Nowhere in the NT are we exhorted to obey the Law, or to become somewhat Jewish--we must use it righteously--it's only a shadow (cf. Heb. 10:1)!

The first is the law of nature (SOME FIFTY UNIVERSAL CONSTANTS), e.g., the weak and strong nuclear force, the force of gravity, the speed of light, the speed of sound, the freezing of water, the charge on the electron, and even the nuclear weight of the proton and neutron, et al., and there are some fifty of them to consider and are uniform and consistent throughout the universe.  The laws of motion also come to mind:  an object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion; each force exerted is met by an equal and opposite force; force equals mass times acceleration. 

The second law to consider is the moral law:  there is a moral compass in man's heart and conscience given by God, and guilt is meant to signal that we break it, there are consequences for wrongdoing to our soul's health, we don't toy with sin and get away with it! What was right in Moses' time is still right and what was wrong is still wrong--morality is absolute, universal, and also timeless.  If you ignore your conscience it may go away but this may lead to becoming perverted, degenerate, destitute, criminal, psychopathic, or worse!  It doesn't pay to ignore the signals of what God has ordained to restrain evil in man.

The third type of law is governmental (THE POWERS THAT BE), which is instituted by God and meant to keep evil at bay and provide for the public welfare--we no longer can survive with tribalism or patriarchal society.  Government, according to Augustine, is not a necessary evil, but necessary because of evil.  We are to fear government and submit to it unless it contradicts God and it has been given the power of the sword to enforce its laws--under God!

The last and probably most important law to bear in mind is the spiritual one (THE FIVE ONLY'S):  the way of salvation is only by grace through faith in Christ and saving faith must go hand in hand with repentance--one can imagine this as either penitent faith or believing repentance, but they must bear fruit to be genuine and not bogus.   Faith is manifest by trust in Jesus as Savior and embracing Him as Lord.

The savvy preacher knows how to discern and demonstrate law and gospel: the law is what God requires from us and God's expectations or standards; the gospel is the good news about what Christ has done for us in the cross and resurrection--solving the sin problem or the breaking of the law. NB:  Christ is the end of the Law for believers unto righteousness (cf. Rom. 10:4); Christ abolished the law (cf. Eph. 2:15).

What does this all mean in essence?  What can we take away from this going forward?  Laws couldn't exist without a lawgiver, right?  All these laws are indicators of a Supreme Lawgiver far superior to anything we can fathom!  Law implies a Lawgiver--this is reasonable to believe!  We all must beware lest we violate any of God's laws that apply to us, for God disciplines and chastens His children and they don't get away with sin or lawlessness.  Also, each law has its natural consequence which cannot be avoided any more than we can avoid gravity--we violate at our peril!     Soli Deo Gloria!  

The Christian And Governmental Law...

"Proclaim liberty throughout all the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof" (cf. Lev. 25:10, KJV).
"When Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law" (Rom 2:14, ESV). 
"As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice ["taken away my right" per ESV]..." (Job 27:2, NIV).    "[T]o deny people their rights..." (Lam. 3:35, NIV).   ALL ITALICS MINE.   Pertaining to governance issues.  

Nowhere in the New Testament is the Christian told to obey the Law of Moses directly! We do not become somewhat Jewish to be good Christians!  The law is for the lawbreaker!  The Law was meant to show that we cannot keep it, not as a way of salvation ("For by the law is the knowledge of sin").  This doesn't mean that we are lawless or that the Law doesn't apply at all, though.  There is the timeless moral law of Moses or the permanent code of conduct, which is, not the ceremonial nor the governmental, judicial code or law.  What was moral then is still valid today and this is universal, absolute truth that doesn't ever change!  We all know "natural law" (cf. Rom. 2:15).

We can be assured that the Bible does stand for law and order and the rule of law (cf. Habs. 1:4).  Only God is a law unto Himself and can take the law into His own hands!   God condemns the perversion and mockery of justice and especially when the poor aren't given their rights in court.  In fact, the very concept of human rights is God-given and are conferred from God, not the government, which only secures them.  The only reason we have rights and animals don't is that we are in the image of God and have dignity!  We are no "animals in heat, seeking pleasure and avoiding pain"; God has a higher purpose for us!  Animals should be treated humanely and are stewardship, but have no, zilch legal status, standing, or rights in court.   Facetiously, we might say, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others" (from Animal Farm by George Orwell).

Jesus can relate to us when our rights are denied because He was given a pathetic mockery of Hebrew justice by the Sanhedrin and of Roman justice under Pilate and tried under kangaroo courts.  But Jesus didn't insist on His rights nor even defend Himself, but left His destiny to the Father's will, purpose, and design.  We must recognize that only God is truly a law unto Himself and is autonomous!

We are all subject to a Higher Power and the powers that be, ordained of God.  But that doesn't mean the law is always fair or right, in fact, sometimes it's civil disobedience is the duty because we must obey God rather than man!  The apostles rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer for the sake of the Name.  NB:  Augustine who said that an unjust law is no law at all and Isaiah pronounced woes on those who decree unjust laws.

The Bible is our standard, not our traditions or customs.  The Constitution can be wrong, though it's the highest law in the land, God's laws supersede it.  That's why the Bible is considered part of Common Law in England according to the jurist, judge, and member of Parliament Sir William Blackstone.  The Bible doesn't endorse any system of government (i.e., monarchy, democracy, republic, etc.), but it does insist on the rule of law--no one is above or exempt from the law!  There have been tyrants in history who had delusions that they could lead in their own right and not "under God."  Even King John was forced to sign the Magna Charta in 1215 at Runnymede.  Pastor Samuel Rutherford wrote Lex Rex in 1644 to make them realize that even the king had to obey the law! NB:  The chief purposes of government are to keep evil at bay, maintain law and order, and rendering justice.

This is an important concept because Lord Acton's adage that "power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely" is always a temptation.  The danger in freedom has always been authoritarianism and William Penn foresaw this as he said that "if we are not governed by God we will be ruled by tyrants."  Two specific examples are obvious:  King Louis XIV of France, the Sun King, who said "I am the state," and Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, who said, "Me and God." What they were implying was that what was good for them was good for the state!  Plutarch mused "Who shall govern the governor?"  We must always have a check and balance system to keep authoritarianism, despotism, and a subsequent loss of our civil rights from taking place.  Totalitarian regimes have no such system.

We break God's laws and the Bible commands us to obey the government (cf. Matt. 22:21; Rom. 13:1) or we live at our peril: but they actually break us; we are really breaking God's heart, not His laws!   A good Christian obeys the law of the land, even when in authority, but if the Bible is in conflict, he must resist.  We are not here to sanitize the society but to preserve and add flavor to it!

That means we cannot outlaw every sin and must realize that something can be legal and sin or the other way around, it can be illegal and not a sin.  We must get over the notion that when the government legalizes something that we shall suffer for their sin, for the Bible makes it clear that the soul that sins is the soul that shall die--even the children do not suffer for the sins of their parents.     Soli Deo Gloria! 

The Ultimate Yoke

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light"   (Matt. 11:28, ESV). 
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you"  (Isaiah 43:2, ESV, italics added).

Jesus invited all to pick up His yoke, which would not become overbearing and burdensome, like the yoke of the Pharisees had been (adding hundreds of laws to the Law of Moses and even making a fetish out of the Sabbath).  Jesus did indeed announce His yoke would be easy and His burden light in Matt. 11:30.  No one could bear the yoke of the Law, which was not meant as a way of salvation in the first place, but only to prove us sinners and make us realize our need for grace, (cf. Ex. 24:7: "...All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient." ) though Israel had promised to obey it despite this.  The rule-obsessed Pharisees had become legalistic and lost track of the concept of grace (for the Law came through Moses and grace and truth came through Jesus, per John 1:17).  People who make up rules always decide on ones they think they can keep!

We don't need a Law to obey but grace and mercy because we cannot keep any law!   God gave us the Law to show us we cannot keep it!  When we have a law we are always wondering if we measure up and we end up comparing ourselves to others, as to how they keep the Law.  We can be too hard on ourselves and not be merciful to others by the same token.  The whole purpose of salvation is that we need a whole new heart, and this was no new concept to Israel (cf. Ezek. 36:26), not a code to keep or credo to believe.  We need the heart to know and love the Lord, not to bind us and keep us from enjoying our freedom in Christ.  Paul warned the Galatians that they were trying to finish with the Law what Christ had begun by grace, and they had insulted the Spirit of grace in the process.

So what is our yoke?  Do we have any law to abide by ourselves, or are we antinomians (i.e., against the Law)?  No, we are not under the Law, and it has no power to condemn us nor to enslave us, yet we are free to be under the yoke of God's will as believers, which is a far easier task and can only be accomplished because we have the resident Spirit to testify His will to us.  We have a heart to delight in God's will as David did in Psalm 40:8, ESV, which says, "I desire [delight] to do your will, O my God..." In fact, if you don't have an inner supernatural yearning to do God's will, you have reason to doubt the reality of your profession, as to whether it's genuine or bogus.

God's "commands are not burdensome" (cf. 1 John 5:3) and our love for God is measured in obedience, not ecstasy, for some people can get overly emotional and sentimental, or even maudlin and all over the spectrum going overboard. We can be sure that when we go "through the fire" God will be with us (cf. Isaiah 43:2) and that He accompanies us along the way, even lifting and carrying us through the difficult trials, and we are never alone in our fight for His will in our lives:  God's best plan is not overwhelming but can be accomplished when God is with us, as He promised.

The yoke of His will is perfectly custom designed, adjusted, and fitted to our needs and abilities and God will certainly use us to His glory as instruments of grace.  In sum, it isn't some code of honor, creed, or ethic to learn, but a relationship to gain in Christ as we matriculate in the school of Christ and become learners, or students, that is, of Christ via the Word of God--His disciples at heart.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Preaching Law And Gospel

"But, if in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too are found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin?  Certainly not!"  (Gal. 2:17, ESV). Though we are referred to as saints, we never cease to be sinners.

"...[Repent] and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15).  This is Jesus preaching the Law and the Gospel.

"[A]nd that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations..." (Luke 24:47).  This is the Great Commission with Law and Gospel.

"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ:  (John 1:17).  A proper dichotomy of the Word between Law and Gospel.

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling [dividing] the word of truth"  (2 Tim. 2:15).  The Bible is mostly divided between Law and gospel or promises and we need to differentiate them in view of grace.

Luther said, "He who masters the art of distinction between the Law and the Gospel should be called a real theologian." Get them lost first and tell the bad news before the good news.

An anticipatory synopsis:  The purpose of the Law is to point out sin, restrain evil in the world, and to reveal God's will and how to live.  Note well:  "[Through] the law comes the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). The Gospel is to provide forgiveness and grace and to re-orient our lives ("Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" cf. Gal. 3:3).  By way of definition: The OT contains the Gospel (promises and pertaining to Christ), and the NT contains the Law (what God demands to convict and a code of conduct).  The whole of Scripture is one or the other in general. When the Law is preached people are "cut to the heart" (the accusations of the Law leads to repentance) like in Acts, and when the gospel is preached their hearts are turned from stone to flesh and renewed (it is the power of the Gospel that saves).  Caveat:  It is ill-advised to preach Gospel minus Law, as it leads to spurious faith, easy-believism, shallow faith, pseudo conversion, and worst of all: False assurance.

It is imperative that we distinguish these concepts and know when to apply them.  "[Preach] the Word; be ready in season and out of season" (2 Tim. 4:2).  Preachers need to preach the Law and the Gospel well enough to be rejected as well (the average convert has rejected the Gospel 7.8 times before acceptance).  We are not under the Law, but we are not lawless!  The "Law is good," according to Paul, "if one uses it lawfully" (1 Tim. 1:8).  Too many preachers preach what the congregants want to hear or what is popular and gathers a crowd. This is a sign, though not proof, of a false teacher.  Some preach to scare people into the kingdom and some to make an emotional appeal that leads to an altar call--faith pleases God, not emotions according to Heb. 11:6. Preachers should preach both the Law (what God requires of us and shows us how far we fall short), and the Gospel (the good news about how God solved the sin issue through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ).

But the problem is that some don't preach in the proper sequence, perspective or balance--some people are already convicted and know they are unsaved and need to be comforted with the gospel; others are secure in their sins and may be self-righteous and need the Law preached to make them realize they do indeed fall short and need the gospel.  God says in Isaiah 40, "Comfort ye my people..." and this is because they have suffered double for their sins and are ready for it. Martin Luther called the Law the hammer of the Bible that shatters our self-righteousness, a mirror that shows us what we are, and a whip that drives us to God--he that is forgiven much loves much.

But we all need some Law and some Gospel because we need to keep on our spiritual toes and have spiritual checkups.  The power is in the Gospel to change our lives and the power is in the Law to show us our need.  To some, it may seem that the Gospel is too good to be true, but goodness is not the criteria for truth--it is either true or false.  We cannot be convicted too much (we are at the same time saint and sinner) by the Law; in fact, the worse off a sinner realizes he is, the more ready he welcomes the Gospel.  Paul thought of himself as the "chief of sinners" in 1 Tim. 1:15 and the author John Bunyan penned Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners!  This is resultant of preaching the Word, and the whole counsel of God and the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit.  When the Law was given, Israel promised to keep it, rather than sue for mercy ("...We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey" in Exodus 24:8)--they were clueless!

One reason preachers don't preach this sequence is that they are not aware of it (God doesn't sanction nor place any premium on willful ignorance as an excuse),  and think the only way to save people is to scare them into the kingdom, talking about hell or the rapture. There is always a mix of terrified, convicted sinners and secure sinners in a church and that is why both must always be preached and the preacher must never assume his parishioners are all saved.  The Gospel washes, cleanses, heals and sanctifies, not the Law.  Most people, apart from the Law, think they are not quite so bad after all ("Woe to those who are at ease in Zion," says Amos 6:1).  The Law is our "guardian until Christ came" (Gal. 3:24) and after we are saved and have faith we are no longer "under the Law" and it has no power over us, to claim nor condemn us.

Many preachers get too bogged down with the Law and are not "grace-oriented" and have had no "grace awakening" to distinguish the two and if people think they are justified or even sanctified by the Law, they have "fallen from grace" or have become legalists and aren't being saved by grace, but by their own efforts.  We are saved by grace from beginning to ending and we don't need to become somewhat Jewish to be saved.   We use it unjustly to see it as a means of salvation or sanctification. Paul said in Gal. 3:10 that if we rely on the Law we are under a curse! We must realize what Jesus said ("Apart from Me you can do nothing..," in John 15:5) and not rely on the energy or power of the flesh to be saved ("Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit" says Zech. 4:6), but recognize that it is from "faith to faith" that we are saved (Rom. 1:17).

Now, "the law is holy, righteous, and good" (Rom. 7:12) and it must be used correctly--is meant for the sinner to convict him (2 Tim. 1:9 says:  "for the lawless and disobedient, for  the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane."  We never can say we don't need the Law to show us right living, God's will, morality, and ethics (I am not speaking of the ceremonial Law of Moses, but of the moral Law that God requires of us).

You cannot dichotomize the Bible so simplistically and say that the OT is Law and the NT is gospel because if that were so the Old Testament saints couldn't be saved, and the New Testament saints couldn't be convicted and know right from wrong.   There is Law everywhere (if I say this is a free park and it has no laws or rules, how free is it? It's chaos).  John Clare said that "in a madhouse, there exists no law."   We do need the Law and cannot lose track of it or become disoriented--but we must always learn to distinguish the two.  Rom. 10:4 says, "Christ is the end of the Law," and this means He fulfilled it and we are not under its authority to condemn anymore.  "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," according to Rom. 8:1.

The curse was in Deut. 27:26 (ESV) et alia:  "Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them...."  We come to the realization that "the letter [the Law] kills, but the Spirit [the Gospel] gives life, when we get saved and realize that we have a lighter yoke than the yoke of the Law to fulfill, and that is the yoke of the Spirit and being led by the Spirit.  "...For the letter [the Law] kills, but the Spirit [Gospel] gives life"  (2 Cor. 3:6 showing Law and Gospel again).  The Law has the power to kill according to Romans 7:11 because it can seize the opportunity and overcome us. We need to learn to live in the power of the Spirit and be free form the burden (we obey because we want to, not because we have to) of the Law:  "You shall, therefore, keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD" (Lev. 18:5, ESV).

The whole point in preaching is to make everyone, even the saved, realize their need for the Law and the gospel and not to lose track of these, but keep oriented and make regular spiritual checkups.  We don't want to get too comfortable or complacent and we don't want to despair. If people think they need to hear it that is good but if they think it was just interesting or "worth a few moments of their time," as if being entertained,  then they failed--preaching is meant to change lives.  Preaching is the methodology or M.O. of saving souls and it is "by hearing, and by hearing" that a person receives faith (Rom. 10:17).

Ovid was right about human nature:  "We strive after the forbidden things and always lust after the things that are denied us."  When the Law came, it aroused desire just like Eve desired of the forbidden fruit--this is the essence of sin. We wouldn't want to step on the wet paint if no sign said, "Do not step on wet paint." The nitty-gritty of the Law and the gospel is that it is the power of God unto salvation and it is a mystery, i.e., not self-evident.

The answer to the inquiry "What must I do to be saved?" is our fixation.  Man is incurably addicted to doing something for his salvation.  Jesus answered this question in John  6:29:  "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."  We can do nothing--that is the point!  It is God's work in us and we receive salvation as a free gift we didn't deserve, cannot earn, and can never repay."   This is welcome news to those wholly convicted of their sins and having spirits prepared by God to receive His grace message.   If we had to do something most people could accept that, but they cannot understand how salvation can be free.  God just wants us to believe in Him ("...he greatly helped those who through grace had believed" in Acts 18:27).  The statement "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" is nonsensical apart from the conviction of the Law.  Christ came to save sinners, and if you do not regard yourself as a real sinner, then Christ may not seem like a real Savior!  As for me, I am a great sinner, but I have a great Savior.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Against The Antinomians

That's from the title of a book by Martin Luther in 1539 to combat the heresy of his student Johann Agricola (who denied a place for the Law in the believer's life) that you can actually take advantage of your salvation and live according to your own rules, making them up as you go along. This issue wasn't resolved about the purpose of the Law until the Formula of Concord in 1577.  Antinomianism means "against the law" or "anti-lawism (also called libertinism)." Their "distaste for the law" was proclaimed in the slogan:  "Freed from the law, O blessed condition: I can sin all I want and still have remission."  They believed that since we are not "under the Law" that we have the "right" to be a law unto ourselves and live according to whim or our own standards.  Scripture says in Rom. 6:1: "Do we then make the law void through faith?  Certainly not!  On the contrary, we establish the law." This is what God accused Israel of during the theocratic days of the judges when "every man did what he saw fit" (Judges 17:6, NIV)  or "what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25, NIV).

The Bible never sanctions believers to do what is wrong or what is right in their own eyes or to do what is wrong, and right and wrong are absolutes that never change since we believe in absolute and not relative values and standards.  Our conscience is curtailed by that of our brother's.  And we are to do what is right in the eyes of all people, and just like Paul said, "I strive to have a conscience void of offense toward God and man." Christ is to be the "Stumbling Block and Rock of Offense," not us--we don't want to be "offensive" Christians.  Our freedom is indeed limited freedom and not absolute in that we make up our own rules and are "lawless."  We are given freedom in Christ according to Galatians 5:13 but we are not to take advantage of it as an opportunity for the flesh, but to be able to serve the Lord.  We are free from sin, not free to sin, you could say!

If we are walking according to the Spirit we will not bear the "fruits of the flesh."  Real freedom is given in three modes in our common salvation:  we are free from the penalty of sin at the moment of salvation; we are free from the power of sin during our Christian life; and finally, we are free from the presence of sin in eternity.  We never do have an absolute free will in the sense that we can do what we want--in heaven, for example, we will not be free to sin and we cannot say, "From now on I will be good."  However, we don't want to and that is freedom in the ultimate degree.  God is not free to sin, but it is not His nature and He doesn't want to.  We are only free to act according to our nature as God's creatures (He is the Potter; we are the clay--"woe to him who quarrels with his Maker" says Scripture in Isa. 45:9).  We did not choose our nature no more than a dove chose to eat seed and vulture carrion (i.e., we may be born choleric, phlegmatic, sanguine, melancholic, bipolar, extroverted, etc.).  We have to play the deck of cards we're dealt!

And so, we are free to overcome sin, not to sin; this means that when we sin we are proving our slavery, not demonstrating our freedom.  If we do approve of something that is doubtful or questionable and the Bible is not clear on the subject, we are to keep it to ourselves and as private as possible--not to flaunt our freedom and make a show of it so as to offend a weaker brother, who thinks we are sinning.  We don't eat meat offered to idols, as it were, in front of a vegetarian.  The weaker brother does indeed need to grow in knowledge, but the stronger one in love!

In summation, Christianity is not a system of ethics or praxeology, but a living relationship with the living God through Jesus Christ and not involving a given set of dos and don'ts or list of rules to keep--therefore we do not have the right to judge our brother in what he approves or to make him comply with our standards, and if God has convicted us of something, that is between us and God and let the Holy Spirit do the convicting--it's His job. "Who shall bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?  It is God who justifies"  (Rom. 8: 33).  But we live by a higher law:  The law of love; we do not want to displease God, but to obey His commandments willingly, not because we have to, but because we want to.  We are not afraid God will hurt us in some form of punishment because He never does (He disciplines and prunes us instead), but the motive is that we don't want to hurt Him!    Soli Deo Gloria!

Is There Real Freedom From the Law?

"Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes"  (Rom. 10:4, NIV).
"[B]y setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations..." (Eph. 2:15, NIV).


The Law does have a place in the believer's life to be a mirror that  shows us our sinfulness; however, we are not under the authority or tutelage of the Law (Rom. 6:14), which is only a shadow of the real thing--we walk in the Spirit and do the things against such there is no law (Heb. 10:1). I like the J. B. Phillips translation of Rom. 3:20 which reads realistically:  "It is the straightedge of the Law that shows us how crooked we really are."  "By the Law is the knowledge of sin," says Paul. We obey the spirit of the Law, and not necessarily the letter of it.  And we are not to rely on it for our justification nor sanctification because there is a curse on everyone who does (Gal. 3:10).  We don't have to become somewhat "Jewish" to be good Christians, says Chuck Swindoll--not good news to the new "Hebrew movement" sweeping Christendom.

The Law was made for "lawbreakers and rebels" (1 Tim. 1:9) and the unbeliever knows no law, while the believer needs no law. John Calvin said that the believer has the Law written on his heart.  This is part of the New Covenant mentioned in Jer. 31.  The Law should drive us to Christ for mercy and is our schoolmaster to brings us to a grace-oriented way of thinking ("For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty").

Gal. 2:21 says, "For if justification were through the Law, Christ died for nothing."  The Law and the Old Covenant are now obsolete because Christ abolished it in His flesh "with its commandments and ordinances"  (Eph. 2:15).  Watchman Nee, who founded more than 200 churches in China before being imprisoned for the faith, said that the day he was delivered from the Law was a day of heaven on earth.

What basically is legalism, but adherence to the letter of the Law, without regard to its spirit, according to eminent theologian R. C. Sproul.  The Law (which is a revelation of a perfect code reflecting a perfect God) measures men, it doesn't save them.   When given the Law, Israel promised they would keep it, instead of asking for mercy, not realizing the vanity of it.

The first usage of the Law is to convict of sin and that is why Psalm 19 says the Law is perfect (note that it is God's job to do this--not ours), converting the soul--it is good as an evangelizing tool to show people they are sinners.  John Bunyan says, "The man who does not know the nature of the Law does not know the nature of sin.  The world at large is under the law until they are redeemed from its curse."

Paul warned Timothy in 1 Tim. 1:7 about those who want to be teachers of the Law.  The scribes were experts in the Law and Jesus warned of their "leaven."  "But avoid...arguments and quarrels about the Law" (Tit. 3:9).   The Law has no more authority over us than a deceased husband has over his living wife--death cancels all contracts.  "There is, therefore, no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, to those who are called according to His purpose"  (Rom. 8:1).

The Antinomians (literally against the law),  say: "Free from the Law, O blessed condition, now I can sin all I want and still have remission,"  think the Law has no purpose and is in effect a law unto themselves.  Grace doesn't give us the right to do whatever we think is right in our own eyes nor to do what Scripture condemns or what is plain wrong.  They misinterpret the Scripture that says, "All things are lawful [or permissible]..."  (1 Cor. 6:12; 10:13).

 The antidote to legalism and Antinomianism, according to Sproul is a serious and legitimate study of the Word.  The Moral Law, basically the Decalogue or the Ten Commandments, has not been rescinded, because, except for the Sabbath observance, they are reiterated in the New Testament.  What was moral then is moral now.  Many of the 613 commandments and prohibitions are merely elaborations of the Decalogue and common sense deductions.  Christ specifically voided the kosher laws, et al.

 Paul says the Law is good if one uses it righteously.  The Jews couldn't handle the yoke of the Law and the early church in Acts 15 decided not to burden them.  Obedience from the Christian should be a "want to" and not a "have to."  It is not an "in order to," but a "therefore." The Law is summed up in Gal. 5:14 where it says love is the fulfillment of the Law.  Jesus also said that the greatest commandments were to love God and our neighbor.  The Law adjudicates the sinner (points out his shortcomings and failures), but does not exculpate (free him from guilt) him!  The entire Law is summed up in the command:  "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

The Formula of Concord (1577), the Lutheran confession of faith, established the so-called three-fold purpose of the Law:  To reveal sin; to establish decency in the society at large; and to provide a rule of life for the regenerated through faith in Christ, according to R. C. Sproul.   It does have a purpose because of all Scripture, according to 2 Tim. 3:16,  is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Are You An Antinomian?

"Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25).  We are not free to do what we want, but what we ought! 

A word to the wise is sufficient from Romans 14:1-5 as follows:  "Accept one who is weak in the faith, but don't argue about doubtful issues.  One person believes he may eat anything, but one who is weak in the faith eats only vegetables.  One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not criticize one who does,  because God has accepted him. Who are you to criticize another person's household slave?  Before his own Lord, he stands or falls.  And he will stand.  For the Lord is able to make him stand... Each one must be fully convinced in his own mind"  (HCSB).

My goal is to refute those who have become a "law unto themselves."  I want to emphasize that the unbeliever knows no law in effect, however, the believer needs no law in effect--a paradox.

We should never label our brothers, but for the sake of argument, let's analyze the issue.  Antinomianism refers to "anti-lawism," or being against law.  It is sometimes called libertinism, hedonism, or living by the philosophy that says, "Freed from the law, Oh blessed condition, now I can sin all I want and still have remission." It refers to moral liberty run amuck or moral laxity to the extreme.    We don't have the right to do as we want as believers and we are not a law unto ourselves--the Bible doesn't sanction a license to sin.  We never have the right to do what is wrong, and we believe in absolute right and wrong, defined by the Word of God, not our conscience--we are not lawless!  Certain of the more than 600 laws are now obsolete and don't matter to Christians, such as tithing,  cutting our sideburns,  mixing fabrics, or charging interest, but if it is serious it is reinstated in the New Testament in some manner.  Recall that Paul said love is the fulfillment of the Law.    We don't have to become Old Testament scholars to be good Christians--you can never go wrong by placing emphasis on the New Testament.

When we strive to obey the Law, we have "fallen from grace."  We don't have to become somewhat Jewish to become a Christian.  Neither justification nor sanctification is through the Law; instead, we are subject to the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ (Rom. 8:1-2).  The Pharisees were guilty of obeying the letter of the Law, and not the spirit of the Law--"As many as are led by the Spirit are not under the Law [how clear can the Bible be?]," says Gal. 5:18. The difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is that the former needs no law, and the latter knows no law.   Yes, all the Law can be summed up in loving your neighbor as yourself (Gal. 5:14).

There is a question of definition and morality. Some say are obliged to obey the moral law (in fact we are not "lawless", but have an inner law given by God), as opposed to the ceremonial or governmental codes.   There are many moral precepts laid down in the Law that are relevant and are merely addendum's to the Decalogue and are spelled out to a dense nation that didn't know right and wrong.  There are plenty of sins to worry about already, that we don't have to find some obscure one to preach about--we should always keep the main thing the main thing and preach salvation and deliverance from the Law.  

I have heard it said that if we are under the Ten Commandments (except for the Sabbath observance, which is not repeated in the New Testament). and this has not been rescinded.  There are plenty of sins mentioned in the New Testament (see Romans 1 Mark 7,  or Gal 5:20-21), that we don't need a longer "to-do list" or "not-to-do-list," as it were (Christianity isn't a rulebook if you will).

It is a sound interpretation of Scripture that the New Testament trumps the Old and we should interpret each in light of the other.  The fault of legalists is that they see "sins" and not "sin," or the root problem.  The Pharisees strained at a gnat and swallowed a camel!   They neglected the important areas of love, justice, and mercy while being overly legalistic and demanding about the Sabbath, making it a burden to dread, not a joy.

Remember,  Jesus said, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light."  The early church (referring to the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15) did not desire to burden the early church with a yoke their fathers couldn't bear and did not require them to follow the Law of Moses.  Christianity is a new faith and the fulfillment of, and not an extension or continuation of Judaism, which the early church struggled about.  Judaizers were an early heresy and Hebrews was written to combat this.  Soli Deo Gloria!

What Is The Place Of The Law?

The moral code has not been rescinded which is summarized by the Ten Commandments, except for the Sabbath requirement which is a principle more than a legalistic burden (cf. Romans 14:5; Col. 2:16).  The law was made for lawbreakers and rebels according to 1 Tim. 1:9. We obey the law out of gratitude and not out of obligation: because we "want to" not because we "have to." Obedience is a "therefore" not an "in order to." The law is holy, righteous, and good if one uses it righteously. So, we don't have to become somewhat "Jewish" to be good Christians. Judaizers are wrong missing the point and want to burden themselves with the law.

Does the law of Moses serve any purpose today? There were 613 laws in the books of Moses. They were of three classifications: ceremonial (ritual); governmental; and moral. Only the moral laws are still in effect and are fulfilled in the command to love our neighbor as Paul said. "The entire law is summed up in one single command: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself'" (Gal. 5:14).  We are under a higher law:  the law of love  The law is the schoolmaster to bring us to Christ as Paul said in Galatians 3:25. "If you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law." "Cursed is everyone who relies on the law for righteousness" (Gal. 3:10). Paul said in Rom. 6:14, "...You are not under the law but under grace."

The law has been set aside as a way of life, either justification sanctification, or obedience. "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness for those who believe" (Rom. 10:4). "For if justification were through the law, Christ died for nothing" (Gal. 2:21). "The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming not the realities themselves..." (Heb. 10:1). The law is obsolete for Christ "by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and ordinances" (Eph. 2:15) has made it irrelevant to us as a way of life, except for the moral code (it is still wrong to murder, for example).

Our relationship to the law is like a husband and wife and when one dies the other is free from the union. We are free in Christ and shouldn't be yoked again in bondage. The Law adjudicates or declares a man to be a sinner and does not exculpate him or free him from guilt. Only in Christ can we be free even though we say, "Mea Culpa" (I am to blame).

Romans 3:20 says that by the Law is the knowledge of sin. Paul wouldn't have known himself as a sinner unless he heard that he shouldn't covet. It is by the Word of God that the Holy Spirit convicts and it is His job to convict of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (Isaiah 55:11; cf. John 16:8). One law that is not repeated in the New Testament is the Sabbath law (cf. Neh. 9:14). This law was given as a sign (cf. Ezek. 20:20) to Israel that they were His people and comparing Rom. 14:5 and Col. 2:16 we see that this is not commanded or re-instituted in the New Testament. Finally, we serve not in the old written code of the law but in the new way of the Spirit (cf. Rom. 7:6). Watchman Nee said that the day he was delivered from the law was like heaven on earth.

The Formula of Concord (1577), the Lutheran confession of faith, established the so-called three-fold purpose of the law: To reveal sin; to establish decency in the society at large, and to provide a rule of life for the regenerated through faith in Christ. (this is according to R. C. Sproul). On the other end of the spectrum is Martin Luther's Against the Antinomians which refuted those who thought the law had no purpose (literally "against the law"). Sproul says that the law (here the moral law) does not sanction the idea that everyone has the right to do as they please in their own eyes or the right to do wrong just because we are not "under the law."

The law prepares us for grace and if we love Jesus we will do His commandments. "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). The law is a mirror according to Luther that shows us our true selves. The Hebrews, upon receiving the law, didn't pray for mercy but said they would obey it--what a mistake! Legalism is mainly adherence to the letter of the law and exclusion of the spirit of the law according to Sproul. He says, "The antidote to legalism and antinomianism is a serious study of the Word of God."

The law should be used in witnessing because the "law is perfect, converting the soul" (Psalms. 19:7). Billy Graham says that the law is not a panacea but a diagnosis. "It condemns but does not convert, it challenges but does not change." Charles Finney says, "By a convicted sinner, I mean one who feels condemned by the Law of God as a guilty sinner. I remark that this [the Law] is the rule and the only just rule by which the guilt of sin can be measured." Psalm 19:7 says, "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the sinner."

D. L. Moody says, "God, being a perfect God, had to give a perfect law, and the law was given not to save men, but to measure them...They try to save themselves by trying to keep the law, but it was never meant for men to save themselves by...This, then, is why God gives us the law--to show us ourselves in our true colors." John Wesley says, "The first use of [the Law], without question, is to convince the world of sin." Yes, when He comes He will convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (cf. John 16:8). John Bunyan says, "The man who does not know the nature of the law does not know the nature of sin. The world at large is under the law until they are redeemed from its curse. 

The Law was given to convince us we cannot keep it!     Soli Deo Gloria!

Cutting It Straight

We are told to "rightly divide the Word of Truth," which literally means "cutting it straight" or rightly interpreting according to proper hermeneutic principles. I have heard that we should interpret the Old Testament in light of the New Testament or vice versa. Well, you can sometimes interpret the Old in light of the New and sometimes the reverse. All Scripture is profitable for doctrine and so forth. Examples are Jesus talking about the abomination of desolation and referring to Daniel and about Isaiah talking about the virgin birth and Luke saying Christ fulfilled it. Or Peter saying that Pentecost was the fulfillment of Joel 2.

We have teachers that say, "Where in the New Testament are we told to obey the law?" Is this fair? We are not under the law as it says in Rom. 6:14 (the ceremonial and governmental institutional law) but still must obey the moral code. Morality doesn't change, but Christ said that all the law is fulfilled in loving God and our neighbor. "Love is the fulfillment of the Law." The messianic Jews, though sincere, are plainly wrong, seeking to put themselves under bondage again when they have been set free (cf. Gal. 5:1).

There is the argument that we don't have to obey the sabbath laws because this is the only commandment not repeated in the New Testament. We ought to live in the New Testament and not in the Old Testament. I realize that the only Scripture the early church had was the Old Testament but they also had the prophets and apostles. There are 613 laws in the books of Moses and the only ones that apply to us are repeated in the New Testament. The New Testament is to be looked upon as the fulfillment of the Old. The law does have a purpose: to convict of sin and lead one to Christ. Paul said that if it wasn't for the law to not covet he wouldn't have considered himself a sinner. It is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ says Paul in Galatians.

So, one must be very careful to know the place of the law when interpreting the Scriptures. "For by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). Or "Indeed, it is by the straight edge of the law that we realize how crooked we really are" (J. B. Phillips).

Christianity was a break from Judaism and not another sect of that religion. Thus the New Testament stands alone as the fulfillment of the Old Testament, just as Christ is the fulfillment of the Law. The Old Testament looks forward to Christ while the New Testament presents Christ. The Old looks forward to Christ and We look back to Christ; the important thing is that we are both looking at Christ.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Freed FromThe Law?

The antinomians (now sometimes called hedonists or libertines) say, "Freed from the Law, Oh blessed condition, now I can sin all I want, and still have remission." This is also called the abuse of grace. Watchman Nee says that God gave us the Law to break, not to keep. Rom 3:20 says that the Law gives the knowledge of sin. Nowhere in the New Testament are righteous people told to keep the Law.

There are several verses that relate to this: Gal. 2:21 says that if righteousness were through the Law, then Christ died in vain. Gal. 3:10 says that those who rely on the Law are under a curse. Heb. 10:1 and Col, 2:17 say that the Law is a shadow of things to come. Rom. 6:14 says that we are not under the Law. Eph. 2:15 says that Christ abolished the Law. Rom. 7:7 and 3:30 say that the Law brings the knowledge of sin.

When we strive to obey the Law we have "fallen from grace." We don't have to become "somewhat Jewish" to become a Christian. Neither justification nor sanctification is through the Law. Instead, we are subject to the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ. Remember: The Pharisees were guilty of just obeying the letter of the Law and not attending to the "spirit of the Law." "As many as are led by the Spirit are not under the Law."   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Law And The Believer II

Watchman Nee explains the meaning of Romans 7 very well and says that God gives us the Law to break, He knew full well we wouldn't keep it. Gal. 3:10 says that those who rely on the Law are under a curse. Eph. 2:15 says that Christ abolished the Law for the believer. The Law is merely a shadow of things to come and is obsolete (Col. 2:17; Heb. 10:1). If the Law could do away with sin, there would be no need for a new covenant, the old covenant was faulted. The Law says we do for God, grace says that God does for us. The Law says we have to, while grace says we want to. The purpose of the Law was to make us knowledgeable of sin (Rom. 7:6-7;3:20), not to be a panacea, but a diagnosis. "...[Indeed] it is the straight-edge of the Law that shows us how crooked we are" (cf. Rom. 3:20 in the J. B. Phillips).

We live not under the Mosaic Law, but we live according to the "Law of the Spirit of life in Christ" (Rom. 8:2). Nowhere in the NT are we exhorted to obey the Law!  When we say to God, "Oh wretched man that I am ...," this is "music to God's ears," according to Nee. "Our end is God's beginning," says Nee. Remember, 1 Tim. 1:9 which says, "The Law is not made for the believer, but for lawbreakers and rebels." Martin Luther called the Law a hammer that smashes our self-righteousness and a mirror that shows us our true nature, and a whip that drives us to the cross. It is meant to drive us to Christ as a tutor (see Gal. 3:25).

The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. The Pharisees were guilty of obeying just the letter of the Law and not the spirit. "As many as are led by the Spirit are not under the Law." We don't have to become "somewhat Jewish" to become Christians or grow in Christ. Christianity is not a branch or wing of Judaism. A good rule of thumb is that if a prohibition or command is not repeated in the New Testament it is probably not valid for the Christian, e.g. observing the Sabbath Day. The ceremonial laws and governmental laws are obsolete and the moral principles are still valid because morality never changes.

God never gives us the right to do what is wrong, or to just do what is right in our own eyes, or to be lawless. Martin Luther wrote a book, Against the Antinomians, which was a polemical book against those who thought they could live as they please after salvation. Today this kind of thinking is close to hedonism.

The Reformers who wrote the Formula of Concord in 1577 had a threefold use of the Law: to convict the unbeliever of sin or as a tutor to drive us to Christ; to bring order in society and restrain evil, and to be a light for what pleases and offends God. The Reformers were not as grace-oriented as modern-day evangelicals tend to be, e.g., they had strict Sabbath laws and rules in Calvin's Geneva and in Puritan New England. Actually, the Christian is under the higher law of love with the higher standard of Christ.  In sum, the Law doesn't save mankind it measures them.   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Law And The Believer I

The relationship of the believer to the law is analogous to a wife and her husband who bound to him as long as she lives. She has died and has no further obligation. She is exempt from his demands. They hold no authority over her any longer but have been fulfilled. It is also like being discharged from the military and not having to live by the old rules anymore. The Law is obsolete and we live under a higher law, the law of love. Love is the fulfillment of the Law. He who loves has fulfilled the Law, according to Romans 13:8.

We are not lawless but are subject to the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ. The old nature knows no law, while the new nature needs no law.  Because we have the Law written in our hearts and don't need anyone to tell us to live according to the letter of the Law rather than the spirit of the Law. The Pharisees lived according to the letter of the Law and thought that was enough. "The letter kills, but the Spirit is life" (Rom. 7:6). He who is led by the Spirit is not under the Law according to Galatians 5:18. Cursed is anyone who relies on the Law says Gal. 3:10. We have no choice, but to walk in the Spirit! We don't need a to-do list!  Soli Deo Gloria!

Freed From The Law

"Freed from the Law, Oh blessed condition, now I can sin all I want and still have remission!" What nonsense! Being free form the Mosaic Law doesn't mean we are lawless. This libertine approach to living the Christian life is a dangerous heresy and is also called antinomianism (against "lawism" or justification apart from sanctification). Works do play a part in salvation, but not works done in the energy of the flesh. We do works because we want to, not because we have to. The difference is between legalism and true justification. The formula of the Reformers was:  "We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." True faith always produces bona fide works done in the power of the Spirit. "For we are His workmanship." We are a people "zealous of good works" (Tit. 2:14).

"For faith without works is dead." Mere profession or lip service is not enough--without works, faith is bogus.

"Sin shall have no dominion over you, for you are not under the Law, but under grace." (Rom. 6:14) God didn't give us the Law to keep, but to break. But we don't really break God's Law, we break His heart!  To show us our vulnerability and how exacting His requirements are. We need to be discharged from the Law as well as from sin. The law is but a shadow of things to come (Heb. 10:1) (Col. 2:17) We would not realize our sin and weaknesses if it hadn't been for the Law. (Rom. 7:7).  "By the law is the knowledge of sin" (cf. Rom. 3:23).   When we come to the realization like that of Paul: This anticlimax, "Oh, wretched man that I am ..."(that is music to God's ears).

Law is doing for God, while grace is God doing for us. He gets all the glory. Soli Deo Gloria!  Don't pat yourself on the back! We are no more virtuous because of our faith, which is a gift.
See Rom. 12:3: To each of us is rendered a measure of faith.  Soli Deo Gloria!