A couple of Thursday nights ago at Redeemer Church we studied Romans 7:1-6. In that examination of the text we addressed the different attitudes believers have toward God’s law. What we said is that people generally fall into three different categories: legalism, antinomianism, and Christian freedom.

  • Legalism is the commitment to obey God’s laws in order to please Him for salvation.
  • Antinomianism (anti=against; nomos=law) is the commitment to disregard God’s laws because they have no authority in the believer’s life.
  • Christian Freedom is the commitment to honor God’s law in the power of the Holy Spirit as a response to the salvation He has given you through Jesus Christ.
  • Legalists – are in bondage to the law and imprisoned by it. Therefore, they fear the law.
  • Antinomians – reject the law and scoff at it. Therefore, they hate it.
  • Christians who are free – rejoice in their freedom from the law for salvation AND in their freedom to honor it. Therefore, they love the law.

On Sunday mornings we have been walking through the book of Exodus. That sermon series can be found here: The Redeemer Revealed. This last Lord’s Day we began our study of chapter 20, which contains The Ten Commandments. What we must understand about the Ten Commandments is that God established them NOT so that if Israel kept them they’d be saved, BUT because they’d been saved already they could honor His holy character by the way they lived. That is the LORD’s point by strategically placing His statement in v. 2 immediately before the Commandments in vv. 3-17. “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” In other words, the LORD is saying: ‘This is who I am: I am your Deliverer. I am your Savior. I am the One who redeemed your lives. And because you are My people and I am your God, I want you to reflect my holy character. I want you to live in a way that honors my personal purity and reflects my love for mankind. Therefore, Israel’s obedience was designed to be a joyful response to the LORD’s amazing grace in their lives!

Look, there are many nuances to the Christian’s relationship to the Old Testament Law (not the least of which is our participation in the New Covenant, which is a better covenant). Clearly I can’t address all the nuances in a single blog post. However, I do want to say this: Pastorally, I don’t want any of you to be legalists. I don’t want any of you to be antinomians. I want all of you to be Christians who are justified by faith and are now free to respond to God’s law joyfully and obediently. Do you have to keep the OT Law, with all its stipulations? No. Do you get to honor the intent of the OT Law, in order to reflect God’s holy and loving character to the watching world? Yes. And by the power of the Holy Spirit you can do just that!

 

Ryan Limbaugh, Elder/Pastor

by Ryan Limbaugh

One Thought to “Do I Have to Keep the LAW?”

  1. Sweet, Prof.! That’s a great succinct summary; thanks for sharing. I’ve covered these matters in recent years in our congregation – teaching through the OT sure helps shed light on it! I’m curious about your take on a couple summaries I’ve used.

    First, God gave His Law to sinners as sinners. People already in debt to His justice and in need of His grace. Trying to circumvent the Pharisaical reading of the OT, that there was ever a place to “earn” anything.

    Second, Christians strive to obey God not because we have something to earn, but because we have nothing to lose. Trying to encapsulate Christian freedom as the freedom to confess sin and fight to obey (repeatedly!) because He is for us and with us. Again, to circumvent the Pharisaical tendency to self-justify before God and others, which hinders obedience.

    Anyway, some semi-formed thoughts. Good “talking” with you. 🙂

    Blessings to you guys, we miss you. May the Lord use Redeemer for His glory in Jesus. Press on, Prof.

Comments are closed.