Paul and the Law – The Kingdom Curriculum I (6)

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Paul and the Law

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The Kingdom Curriculum I (6)

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Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. Romans 3:31

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“I’m not under law; I’m under grace.” I wonder if Paul winces every time some Law-neglecting “believer” justifies his indifference to the commandments of God by quoting Romans 6:14? That certainly reflects the Apostle’s view of the Law when it comes to seeking righteousness unto salvation. That effort will prove futile to anyone who takes it up.

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But that doesn’t mean we throw out the Law entirely, as Paul explained in Romans 3:31. After all, the Law of God is holy and righteous and good (Rom. 7:12). Why would we not make it our business to learn and obey as much of this Law as we can? Indeed we should, or at least Paul would have us to believe. If the Corinthians, for example, had not been so ignorant of the Law of God as they obviously were, they might not have robbed Paul of the wages due him as a servant of God (1 Cor. 9:3-12; cf. Deut. 25:4). Paul put himself under the Law by apologizing for reviling the High Priest in ignorance (Acts 23:1-5). In the Law Paul saw his sin revealed (Rom. 7:7), but He also saw the righteousness which he commanded all believers to pursue in the fear of God (2 Cor. 7:1).

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Paul explained to Timothy that the Law is useful for instructing lawless, disobedient, ungodly, unholy, profane sinners (1 Tim. 1:8, 9). Perhaps that doesn’t describe you. It does describe me. I need the Law because I’m not naïve about my sin (1 Jn. 1:8, 10). The only way I’m ever going to discover the depths of the sin that lingers in my soul is by continuous exposure to the holy and righteous and good Law of God. And the only way I’m going to be liberated from that sin is as the Spirit of God applies the teaching of the Law to my heart, mind, and conscience, making me willing and able to do the Lord’s will (Ezek. 36:26, 27; Phil. 2:12, 13). No, we’re not “under the Law” as a means to salvation. We are, however, or we should be, under the Law as the means to growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Law of God is the curriculum we need in order to prosper in the Lord’s blessings in His Kingdom.

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Order your copy of The Law of God today. Go to www.MyParuchia.com, Publications, Waxed Tablet, to place your order and take up the Kingdom curriculum of our Lord.

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“In the Gates” is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.