Remember in part 1 I mentioned a Word God gave me regarding the difficulty people have giving up their wrong opinions about what the Truth really says regarding God’s grace. He said to me – “A deeper truth can stand before someone and do no good. It takes a revelation of that truth to bring it to freedom”.
Then I added a statement by Bill Johnson. “Revelation reveals inheritance. Faith explores the territory”. You see, it’s no longer about sin, it's all about sonship and being an heir with Christ Jesus. So, continuing on with this post. Here we go.
The failure is in people not receiving that truth. Romans 5:17 says “those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in this life in Christ Jesus”. The action word in that scripture is “receive”. Many cannot do that. They are still trying to achieve.
Here’s the problem. When you perceive yourself as a servant rather than a son, you’ll wait for a reward from God based on your ” goodness” thereby forfeiting the enjoyment of your inheritance.
Just like the older son in the story of the prodigal. His servant mentality limited him to the anticipation of a wage or reward and kept him from recognizing his freedom as an heir to appropriate what was already his. It was all his. He could have killed a fat calf every night. It was impossible for the father to reward the son with that which already belonged to him.
Back to Romans 3.
21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.
22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
Verse 21 brings out one of the big “buts” in the bible. After showing us in verse 20 that we are all sinful and have absolutely no hope in ourselves of ever getting right, He gives us the key to unlock us from the prison of sin.
Verse 21 says that God has shown (past tense) us a way to be made right without keeping the requirements of the law. Wait a minute. We have a reprieve from the law? We have another way out and it is without keeping the requirements of the law? What is it?
It’s right there in verse 22. “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.” Believing on Him whom He has sent. Beholding the lamb. Believe God. It’s simple. Give up, because you’re done. The law says do, do, do. Grace says you’re done, done, done.
What we must grasp is that God doesn’t see anything wrong with you. He sees what’s missing from your experience of Him. He’s not working on your behavior, He’s working on your identity.
The law temporarily contended with sin, but God never planned to contend with sin, He intended to contend with sinners. This He did with the free gift of grace. God’s plan was to confront the sinner with grace, because only grace could then and can now forever change a sinner into a son.
The law could never give life. Look at Galatians 3:21.
21 Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it.
If God’s law could not give life, then why do most Christians think that church law can ever accomplish that goal? The abundance of life cannot be found in the keeping of the law, so we’ll have to find another approach apart from the law.
We can strive and use all the willpower in our might to keep all the laws imposed on us by religion and legalism. The only thing you will accomplish is that you’ll be the best sinner to ever go to hell. You will still be a criminal, because in the land of the old covenant of law you’re still a wanted fugitive.
So what’s the answer? It’s easy. Give up. It’s not easy to live the Christian life, it’s impossible. Yet in Christ Jesus you not only are perfected and holy, but you are now a keeper of all the law. How? Well, if the law keeper, Jesus, lives in you, and you are in Him and He fulfilled all the law, then you have fulfilled all the law in Him.
Wow. Such sacrilege. Well it would be if I would have said it, but I didn’t. Scripture inspired by the Holy Spirit declares this. Where? In Colossians 2:9,10.
So where is all the fullness of God? In Christ.
10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
Well, here verse 10 says we are COMPLETE through our union with Christ. COMPLETE!!! That means all that He is we are.
Galatians 3:22 tells us how simple it is to get set free from the prison of the law. From the prison of sin and death. It’s simple. Just look.
22 But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.
So God has offered us a simple way to be set free from the bondage of religion, legalism, law-keeping, rules and regulations. It is the offer of grace and it is His only and final offer and it is only by believing in Jesus. Refusing this great gift will keep you in bondage and servanthood to the law of religion and legalism.
God comes to our aid on the basis of mercy and grace. There is no other way for sinful man to be set free. You cannot earn what God has already freely given you through inheritance. To try and do so will only leave you standing at the door of rejection. Legalism is a futile concept. It only leads to failure. Actually it starts in failure and stays there.
Step into the graciousness of God’s great love and mercy. Receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness and be set free from the performance edicts of the legalists and their control mentalities. Remember, we are seated in heavenly places in Christ. That is our present location. It is not a concept, but rather a truth to be experienced. When it becomes an experience it becomes a place from which you see. Grace and Peace.
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