Our relationship with GOD our Father - our Creator and Redeemer
is spiritual,
and it is dependent upon faith - belief.
is spiritual,
and it is dependent upon faith - belief.
IT IS SPIRITUAL
It is what is in the heart and mind. It is freedom from the law.
IT IS NOT CARNAL
It is not [what is in the members of my flesh]. It is not bondage to the law.
This is a principle most critical to the, quote unquote, "victorious Christian life".
The carnal mind is not and cannot be subject to GOD'S law. (romans 8) The difference between carnally minded and spiritually minded is life and death. It must be understood that to be carnally minded is to subject the flesh to law, which is fleshly acts and thinking that can only lead to the death of the spirit in me - not life-death in my spirit.
IF WE ARE TALKIN' SPIRIT
then we're talkin' [liberty,faith, mercy/grace, love, life, justification, righteousness.
IF WE'RE TALKIN' FLESH
then were talkin' [law, sin, dominion over..., bondage, condemnation, death].
The law is against the deeds of the flesh
The Spirit produces fruit that has no law(s) against them.
Though the law be righteous (holy) IT IS ALSO condemning.
1. Rms. 8, the carnal mind is not subject to the law, and it cannot be subject to the law.
2. Therefore I can in my carnal state only break the law.
3. Rms. 6 Hence, under the law I am dominated by sin.
4. Rms. 7 that is why it is written,
"When I do the things I would not I am consenting unto the law that it is good."
5. Rms. 7 We know this breaking of the law as sin -
the law is what makes sin strong -
it is the "motivator" for sin.
The "motions", [the desires], of sin are working in us
because we are under law.
Law is the vehicle by which sin gets around in our life.
6. Rms. 7 So, eliminate the law and you eliminate the power of sin in your life. -
Without the law sin is dead. (Rms. 7)
7. Rms. 6 It (sin) cannot dominate me when the law is not hanging over my life.
We are dead to the law
that
we should be married to another (Rms. 6)
The law once held us
but now
the law is dead
hence,
we are delivered from it's grasp on our life. (Rms.6)
Is the law sin?
NO
The law told me what was sin; and without the law to tell me what was (is) SIN I would not know. (Rms. 6)
Bringing in the commandment revives sin -
The only way I can be dead to sin is to be dead to the law.
If there is law there is sin.
If there is law, sin is alive.
If there is no law, sin is dead.
In effect, 'do and don't' will kill you in your spirit; they will kill you spiritually; they will set the law ABOVE GOD thus seperating us from His fellowship.
It should be noted here that what the 'spirit' is is a topic that must indeed be addressed at some point in time - for I think on the whole believers no not what it is. But the understanding of spirit is for another time.
It has been said that those who say, "I am free from the law, so I can do what I want", are in effect saying, "I can sin and I'll be forgiven; I can do what ever I want." The fact is those of us who believe, "unto salvation", ARE free from the law, and "All things are lawful for me..." (1 Cor. 8/10)
BUT
The totality of the principle is that by being free from the law I am innately, free from the dominion of sin over me. See we as believers - spiritually alive people - are righteous in spirit, - sin is the tenant of the flesh not the spirit. If we walk in the Spirit - GOD'S Spirit - we will not fulfill the lusts ('desires') of the flesh. (Gal. 5 and Rms. 8)
The issue is not the law
THE ISSUE
is do I, or will I, pursue the (s)Spirit?
OR WILL I PURSUE
right and wrong, dos and don'ts? The way to be righteous in thought and deed is not through the law - rules of conduct. And this is where Christianity as a whole has found it's pothole in the road of life that trips us up. Just as the unbeliever has difficulty accepting the FREE gift of JESUS CHRIST death for their atonement, and resurrection for their salvation, by faith without deed: SO likewise the believer has difficulty accepting that 'progressive sanctification' (becoming more and more like Jesus) of life comes any other way but the law - dos and don'ts. The believer teaches law when he or she teaches that a person, (a child of GOD), must do this or that, and not do that or this - i.e. right and wrong as a basis for life is living by the law and that is carnal - carnally minded. Salvation is by faith in what JESUS did (Rms.5)
Sanctification is by faith in what JESUS is doing (Rms 7)
This is what the books (letters) of Galatians and Romans is all about.
SIN
the law/the flesh =the weakness = carnal
RIGHTEOUSNESS
the spirit/the liberty = the strength = spiritual
spiritually minded leads to life and peace
carnally minded leads to death
I cannot stress it enough, I cannot say it enough ways; It is absolutely necessarily and pungently important that we here what GOD said through the Apostle Paul in Galatians 2 'that if a man teach any gospel other than this, that man is to be accursed. It is d e a d l y to teach sanctification is accomplished by my doing this and not doing that. Salvation and sanctification, atonement and justification, come one way only, and that is through the Spirit - by faith. ANYTHING else is a perverted gospel and will condemn a man, will tear a man down, will be a stumbling block to the believer , just as faith in CHRIST alone for salvation is a stumbling block to the unbeliever.
Faith is what please GOD. (Hebrews 11) Faith in CHRIST by the unbeliever pleases GOD to give him or her salvation. Faith in CHRIST by the believer pleases GOD to grow him or her spiritually (i.e. 'progressive' sanctification).
The only way I can be dead to sin is to be dead to the law.
If there is law there is sin.
If there is law, sin is alive.
If there is no law, sin is dead.
In effect, 'do and don't' will kill you in your spirit; they will kill you spiritually; they will set the law ABOVE GOD thus seperating us from His fellowship.
It should be noted here that what the 'spirit' is is a topic that must indeed be addressed at some point in time - for I think on the whole believers no not what it is. But the understanding of spirit is for another time.
It has been said that those who say, "I am free from the law, so I can do what I want", are in effect saying, "I can sin and I'll be forgiven; I can do what ever I want." The fact is those of us who believe, "unto salvation", ARE free from the law, and "All things are lawful for me..." (1 Cor. 8/10)
BUT
The totality of the principle is that by being free from the law I am innately, free from the dominion of sin over me. See we as believers - spiritually alive people - are righteous in spirit, - sin is the tenant of the flesh not the spirit. If we walk in the Spirit - GOD'S Spirit - we will not fulfill the lusts ('desires') of the flesh. (Gal. 5 and Rms. 8)
The issue is not the law
THE ISSUE
is do I, or will I, pursue the (s)Spirit?
OR WILL I PURSUE
right and wrong, dos and don'ts? The way to be righteous in thought and deed is not through the law - rules of conduct. And this is where Christianity as a whole has found it's pothole in the road of life that trips us up. Just as the unbeliever has difficulty accepting the FREE gift of JESUS CHRIST death for their atonement, and resurrection for their salvation, by faith without deed: SO likewise the believer has difficulty accepting that 'progressive sanctification' (becoming more and more like Jesus) of life comes any other way but the law - dos and don'ts. The believer teaches law when he or she teaches that a person, (a child of GOD), must do this or that, and not do that or this - i.e. right and wrong as a basis for life is living by the law and that is carnal - carnally minded. Salvation is by faith in what JESUS did (Rms.5)
Sanctification is by faith in what JESUS is doing (Rms 7)
This is what the books (letters) of Galatians and Romans is all about.
SIN
the law/the flesh =the weakness = carnal
RIGHTEOUSNESS
the spirit/the liberty = the strength = spiritual
spiritually minded leads to life and peace
carnally minded leads to death
I cannot stress it enough, I cannot say it enough ways; It is absolutely necessarily and pungently important that we here what GOD said through the Apostle Paul in Galatians 2 'that if a man teach any gospel other than this, that man is to be accursed. It is d e a d l y to teach sanctification is accomplished by my doing this and not doing that. Salvation and sanctification, atonement and justification, come one way only, and that is through the Spirit - by faith. ANYTHING else is a perverted gospel and will condemn a man, will tear a man down, will be a stumbling block to the believer , just as faith in CHRIST alone for salvation is a stumbling block to the unbeliever.
Faith is what please GOD. (Hebrews 11) Faith in CHRIST by the unbeliever pleases GOD to give him or her salvation. Faith in CHRIST by the believer pleases GOD to grow him or her spiritually (i.e. 'progressive' sanctification).
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