Not under the Law

Whenever you talk to a church goer about God's law, in particular the Torah, especially when it comes to the Sabbath, they always say, "I'm not under the law." They say this because they were taught to say it, but they say it without even knowing or really believing what they say.

Let me explain.

 

God's righteousness and truth are based on the Torah, and will never change because they are eternal.
 
Psalms 119:142 Your righteousness is eternal righteousness, and your Torah is truth.

Psalm 119:151 You are near, O Lord, and all Your commandments are truth.

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Romans 7:12 So the Torah is holy and what the Torah says is holy and right and good.

When you talk to a church goer about the seventh day Sabbath they say, "I'm not under the law so I don't have to honor the Sabbath." My response to this will be, "Then it's okay if I steal your car?" They will say, "No!". How is it that I'm not under God's law when it comes to the Sabbath, but I am under God's law when it comes to stealing? The reason for this confusion is because the church is failing it's mission to teach accurate and complete truth.

Let me explain.

Today's pastors are using Romans 6:14 to teach that we are no longer under the law, but under grace and by saying this, they say we don't have to follow the law.

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

The Torah defines God's truth and righteousness, which are eternal. Grace is not the absence of living by God's righteousness and truth, it's the absence of punishment for not living by it. Grace is meant to teach us to live a holy and righteous life based on the Torah, not break the Torah.

Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.

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Even our faith doesn't do away with the Torah. It's just the opposite, by faith we obey the Torah.

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Romans 3:31 Do we, then, nullify the Torah by faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the Torah.

Let me explain it a little better by using an analogy.

Let's say you are stopped by the police for speeding. You were doing 65 MPH in a posted 25 mph zone. The police officer tells you that the fine for going that fast is $500 dollars, but instead of giving you the well deserved ticket, he let's you go. The grace that the police officer showed you changed your driving habits, and caused you to thank him. You now look both ways before you pull out, you put your turn signal on, and you drive off nice and slow. Why? Because your appreciation for the officer's grace, for not imposing the punishment, has changed your behavior.

Now let's use the speeding analogy again to understand sin and the law.

There are two types of negative consequences that come from sin, intrinsic and imposed. Intrinsic means the consequence is built into sin itself, and imposed means the consequence is coming from someone as a punishment.

Speeding is unsafe, it's the cause of many accidents, and has killed thousands of people. Accidents and death are the natural consequence for speeding so they are intrinsic to speeding, whether or not there are police or speed limit signs. Speeding also gets you stopped by the police, and can cost you hundreds of dollars in fines, license suspensions, and even jail time. This is the imposed consequence for speeding. The same principle applies to sin. Sin causes addictions, sickness, financial hardship, broken relationships, homelessness and even physical and spiritual death. All these things are intrinsic to sin, in other words, they are the natural consequences of sin, without any help from God. Why? Because the wages of sin is death.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This means the wage that sin pays is not coming from God, it's coming from sin itself.

When God warned Adam and Eve, not to eat from the tree, He didn't say, "If you eat from the tree, I will kill you." What He did say is, "Don't eat from the tree because you will die."

Genesis 2:16-17 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

God was warning Adam and Eve like a loving father warns his child to look both ways before crossing the street. If the child does not look, and gets hit by a car, that's not the father punishing the child, that's the natural consequence for not looking before he crossed the street. Now let's say the child was about to run across the street without looking, and his father grabbed him, and gave him a spanking for not looking. The spanking is the father's imposed punishment for not looking before he crossed the street.

Now let's carry all this information over to the Bible to learn some powerful biblical truth that is not being taught in church today.

Let's identify speeding, and not looking before you cross the street, as sin, and let's identify the speeding ticket, and the spanking from dad as the imposed punishment for these behaviors.

God's imposed punishment for sin came through the law, but sin was in the word before the law, and yet, people still died because of sin. Why? Because sin's natural consequence is death, both spiritual and physical, even without a law. This is so important to see, and understand.

Romans 5:12-14 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come.

The death that sin brought into the world did not come from God's punishment through the law, it came from sin itself. God's punishment for sin didn't start until Mt. Sinai, which started 430 years after God promised to bless Abraham.

Galatians 3:17 What I mean is that God made a covenant with Abraham and promised to keep it. The Law, which was added four hundred and thirty years later, cannot break that covenant and cancel God's promise.

Let me repeat this using another verse because it's so important.

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Galatians 3:19 Why, then, was the law given? It was added alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people.

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The law that was given at Mt. Sinai is the law that we are no longer under, this is not referring to the Torah and the Prophets. If you take away the Mt. Sinai law, with it's punishment, the holy, righteous and true ways of God are still holy, righteous and true because they are eternal.

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Psalms 119:142 Your righteousness is eternal righteousness, and your Torah is truth.

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Let me use the seventh day Sabbath as an example.
 
The seventh day Sabbath was blessed and declared holy as part of creation week, this was before there was a law protecting it. Today we still have a seven day week, with the seventh day as the Sabbath. Why? Because that's the way God created it. This was before sin, before law, and even before there was Jew. It was a perfect creation.
 
Genesis 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

The Mt. Sinai law, with its fourth commandment, was enacted to protect the holiness of the Sabbath, it didn't make the Sabbath holy. The law protected the Sabbath by using the fear of punishment for those who profane it.

Exodus 31:15 Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.

Here is the fourth commandment.

Exodus 20:8-11 Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

The word, "Remember" in the above verse points us back to creation week when God created, and declared the Sabbath day holy. This means the Sabbath was holy before the law was given at Mt. Sinai, so even if you take away the Mt Sinai law, the Sabbath is still holy.

When God blesses something, and declares it holy, it means it's special to Him and important to Him. The holy and blessed things of God are righteous, they help us to understand what God is like, and help us to draw near to Him. All unrighteousness is sin, so it's unholy.

1 John 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin.

We have to practice righteousness, as Messiah is righteous, in order to be holy, as God is holy.

1 John 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

1 Peter 1:14-16 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
 
Hebrews 12:14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
 
It's unrighteous to profane the holy ways of God so it's sin, but before the law was given at Mt. Sinai, people were not stoned to death for their sin.  God's imposed punishment for sin i.e. stoning to death, started through Moses at Mt. Sinai, which was 430 years after God promised to bless Abraham. This is the law that we are no longer under because Messiah took our punishment on the cross.

Romans 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

 

Isaiah 53:6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the guilt and sins of us all.

The law of sin and death came through Moses at Mt. Sinai. This law says, "You sin, you shall be be put to death." This way of God dealing with sin ended with Messiah.

Galatians 3:24-25 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

This is not saying it's now okay to steal a car, profane the Sabbath, murder, commit adultery and so on. What it does mean is that we are under grace so won't be stoned for these behaviors. Because of grace, we are no longer under the law that required sinners to be put to death for their sin. You could say, "Grace removes the speeding ticket, not the speed limit sign". Today, no one is stoned to death for sin, but that does not mean sin won't destroy your life, and kill your relationship with God, and others.

 

Isaiah 59:2 It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.

 

John 9:31 We know that God does not hear sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will.

Romans 2:12-13 Those who have sinned without having the Torah will perish without the Torah being used. Those who have the Torah and have sinned will be judged by the Torah. Just to hear the Torah does not make a man right with God. The man right with God is the one who obeys the Torah.

Sin still causes spiritual and physical death, sin still ruins relationships, causes sickness, addictions and all kinds of problems. Out of all these natural consequences, spiritual death is the most dangerous because spiritually dead people do not have eternal life, and have no desire to obey God's law.

Romans 8:5-7 Those who are controlled by their sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please God. So letting your sinful nature control your mind is death. But letting the Spirit control your mind is life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.

Spiritual death does not happen all at once, there is a process that goes like this. Temptation comes first, but temptation is not sin. Temptation becomes sin when we allow the sinful action to happen, but we're still not spiritually dead. Spiritual death comes if we continue in that sin by rejecting the convictions that comes from sin so that sin begins to overrun our lives to where we turn away from God.

Here is the process of spiritual death.

James 1:12-16 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

Spiritual death is the danger of sin because it causes us to turn away from God, and His way of life.

Hebrews 3:12-14 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.

If we live by a spiritually dead nature, we will not have eternal life, but if we live in obedience the Spirit, according to truth, the end result will be eternal life.

Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

The Torah and the Prophets teach us what righteousness and holiness is, and how to worship God. If we live a holy life, as God defines holiness, the end result will be eternal life.

Romans 6:22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.

The first five books of the Old Testament is called the Torah, and the Prophets is the rest of the Old Testament. This is what the early church used to form their doctrines, correct their errors, and learn righteousness so that they could be holy, as God is holy.

2 Timothy 3:15-17 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Torah and the Prophets are still our guide, and standard for righteousness and holiness, according to the Way Messiah taught. What the nearly church believed, and how they lived, was all in accordance with the Torah and the Prophets, according to the Way. The "Way" was a term they used to define the life and teachings of Messiah. We are the remnant of the early church.

Acts 24:14 I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a cult. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Torah and that is written in the Prophets.

What we believe, our lifestyle, and our form of worship should all line up with what the Torah and the Prophets teach, as demonstrated by Messiah. Remember, Messiah was a Torah observant Jew.

1 John 2:6 Whoever says that God lives in him must live as Jesus lived.

1 Peter 2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.

Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

So, it's true, we are no longer under the law, but under grace. This means if we practice unrighteousness, by profaning the Sabbath, stealing cars, committing adultery and so on, we won't be stoned, but neither will we inherit the Kingdom of God, because no one who practices unrighteousness will inherit the Kingdom.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

People who are right with God will practice righteousness by obeying the Torah as Messiah did, that's how you know they are righteous.

1 John 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

People who love God will obey Him, that's how you know they love Him and are right with Him.

1 John 5:3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.

1 John 2:6 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.
 
Practicing righteousness is the sign of the new birth.

1 John 2:29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

When we practice righteousness, by living the truth as taught in Torah, and demonstrated by Messiah we are not doing it in order to be made right with God, but rather, because we love God, and are already right with Him. This is what the New Covenant is all about, and the reason for God cleansing us of our sin, giving us His Spirit, and a new heart so that we can obey His Torah, and be His special people.

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Ezekiel 36:25-28 Then it will be as though I had sprinkled clean water on you, for you will be clean—your filthiness will be washed away, your idol worship gone. And I will give you a new heart—I will give you new and right desires—and put a new spirit within you. I will take out your stony hearts of sin and give you new hearts of love. And I will put my Spirit within you so that you will obey my laws and do whatever I command. “‘And you shall live in Israel, the land which I gave your fathers long ago. And you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

God is doing all this so that He can have a big family who will never die, and who will never have to suffer again. They will live forever, as a loving family, in God's eternal Kingdom.
 

Revelation 21:3-5 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said to me, "Look, I make all things new.”” And He said to me, “Write these words down, for these words are faithful and true.”