“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
Romans 6:14 King James Version (KJV)
The Bible is clear: we are no longer under the law but under grace. The word sin in this verse refers to the sinful nature (Greek = hamartia) showing us that under the law the sinful nature was empowered to dominate us, but under grace, the sinful nature is now dead (Romans 6:2) and has no dominion (control/ power) over us. I’ve had many people telling me that by teaching grace I’m giving people a license to sin, but the truth is that teaching grace empowers people to live free from sin! Preaching law is what empowers sin in someone’s life!
Paul goes on to explain our freedom from the law (Romans 7):
“I write to you, dear brothers and sisters, who are familiar with the law. Don’t you know that when a person dies, it ends his obligation to the law? 2 For example, a married couple is bound by the law to remain together until separated by death. But when one spouse dies, the other is released from the law of the marriage. 3 So then if a wife is joined to another man while still married, she commits adultery. But if her husband dies, she is obviously free from the marriage contract and may marry another man without being charged with adultery.
4 So, my dear brothers and sisters, the same principle applies to your relationship with God. For you died to your first husband, the law, by being co-crucified with the body of the Messiah. So you are now free to “marry” another—the one who was raised from the dead so that you may now bear spiritual fruit for God.”
Romans 7:14 The Passion Translation (TPT)
Paul uses marriage as a picture to explain the Christian’s relationship to the law. He shows us that while married and in a relationship with the law we were unable to produce spiritual fruit – the law was sterile and caused us to be barren. But now we have a new husband (Jesus) and with Him, we can produce an abundance of spiritual fruit.
“When we were merely living natural lives, the law, through defining sin, actually awakened sinful desires within us, which resulted in bearing the fruit of death.”
Romans 7:5The Passion Translation (TPT)
Having a relationship with the law will only ever produce death. It’s only through a relationship with Jesus that we can have and experience life and peace. The reason why so many Christians are not enjoying the abundant life (John 10:10) is that they’re trying to have a relationship with the law and with Jesus. You could call that spiritual adultery. When we let go of any relations to the law (self-effort to produce a fruitful life) we are positioned to receive the life and power of God which produces a fruitful life, but as long as we’re into self-effort (law) we neutralize the life and power of God (Romans 11:6).
“But now that we have been fully released from the power of the law, we are dead to what once controlled us. And our lives are no longer motivated by the obsolete way of following the written code, so that now we may serve God by living in the freshness of a new life in the power of the Holy Spirit
Romans 7:6 The Passion Translation (TPT)
We have been fully and completely released from the power of the law and the sinful nature that once controlled us under the law. The law is now an obsolete way – it has been replaced by the new and living way (Hebrews 10:19) of a relationship with Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit! Your relationship with your new husband (Jesus) will produce life and peace, and a spiritual life of abundant fruitfulness!
|
|
| Much love, |
 |
|
I will be ministering at FaithHill Church in Johannesburg this coming weekend! If you’re in the area, please join us for an enriching time in God’s presence as we dig into His Word.
Saturday, 5 May – Healing service – 6 pm at FaithHill Fourways: Eagles Nest Lodge and Conference Centre, 373 Leslie Road, Fourways, Johannesburg
Sunday, 6 May – Worship services – 8:30 am and 10:15 am at FaithHill Fourways: Eagles Nest Lodge and Conference Centre, 373 Leslie Road, Fourways, Johannesburg
Sunday, 6 May – Worship service – 18:00 at FaithHill Braamfontein: Bannister Hotel Bassment, 9 De Beer Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg
For more information on these meetings please contact FaithHill Church.
|
|
|
|
|
