First the Question: It is a spiritual crime to pervert the Grace of Christ by mixing law or religion with the Gospel of Grace. True or False?
Please take a moment to respond at the LLM Question of the Day
And now the answer to the LLM Question of 1-13-2012
Question: The first day of the week is the Christian Sabbath. True or False?
Answer: FALSE! The first day of the week is NOT the Christian Sabbath. Sabbath means cessation and rest. The believer finds rest in a Person, and NOT in a day. That Person was in the sepulcher on Israel’s Sabbath, after the handwriting of ordinances had been nailed to His cross and taken out of the way. Christ arose on the first day of the week to become the Head of a new creation. New creatures in Christ are members of the One New Man of Ephesians 2:15, and being seated in Him and with Him in the heavenlies, they are blessed in Him with all spiritual blessings. Their hope and calling, under the reign of Grace, differs from Israel’s hope and calling, under the reign of Law. Now, out of the 774 responses we received to this question, only 66.7% of you got it right. So we need to do some more work in this area. Therefore, now, let us take a look at,
THE LLM STUDY OF THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS, CHAPTER 5, PART 1 of 3
“Stand fast therefore in the LIBERTY wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of BONDAGE.” Galatians 5:1.
The believer, by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, is freed from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2. Our old man was crucified with Christ. Romans 6:6. “He that is dead is freed from sin.” Romans 6:7. “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under Grace.” Romans 6:14. In the first four verses of Romans 6 we learn of the law that could, and the law that could not, and there we see the believer freed from the law of sin and death.
“Ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ.” Romans 7:4. “We are delivered from the law.” Romans 7:6.
This deliverance from the law of sin and death, and the law of Sinai, has been accomplished by the perfect work of Christ, the Son of God. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36.
In Christ the believer is complete, or full. Colossians 2:10. He is without condemnation. Romans 8:1. But the foolish Galatians, like foolish Christians of our day, preferred to be entangled with the yoke of bondage (the law). An important question is asked in Acts 15:10, “Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” Surely they were bewitched.
The Body of Christ, during the Apostle Paul’s day, was made up of those which were “afar off,” and them that were “nigh.” Ephesians 2:17. They were the “circumcision” and the “uncircumcision”; the “Israelites” and the “nations”; the “Jews” and the “Gentiles”; those who were “under the law” and those who were “not under the law”.
The Jews were turned from Moses and the law to Christ. The Gentiles were turned to Christ from paganism without going by the way of Moses. Inasmuch as they did not have Moses and the law before they received Christ and eternal life, the religious law-keepers were determined that they should have Moses and the law after they received Christ and liberty.
To receive Christ in redemption means to be set free. To go back to Judaism or religion means to go from liberty to bondage. The ritualism and religion practiced by so many Christians today is an abomination in the sight of the LORD. And let me make this clear, it is an abomination in the same way that the Scriptures speak of other abominations! Going BACK to religion after being set free in Christ is a MOCKERY of Christ. GET IT!!
Circumcision or Christ; which? Circumcision and debtor to the whole law. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10. Sabbath-keeping and debtor to the whole law. Do you understand? Sunday is not the Christian sabbath. Some Christians seek to prove by Revelation 1:10 that the first day of the week is the LORD’s day: and so they call Sunday the LORD’s day. But this is not sound exegesis. In Revelation 1:10 John was transported to The Day of the LORD.
Ok, back on point, the first day of the week is not the Christian sabbath. Sabbath means “cessation” and “rest”. The believer finds rest in a Person. That Person was in the sepulchre on Israel’s sabbath, after the handwriting of ordinances had been nailed to His cross and taken out of the way. Christ arose on the first day of the week to become the Head of a new creation. New creatures in Christ are members of the One New Man of Ephesians 2:15, and being seated in Him and with Him in the heavenlies, they are blessed in Him with all spiritual blessings. Their hope and calling, under the reign of Grace, differs from Israel’s hope and calling, under the reign of law.
“Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from Grace.” Galatians 5:4.
Among theologians, especially in the controversy between Calvinists and Arminians, as to the eternal security of the believer, the Arminians constantly appeal to Galatians 5:4 to prove that a saved man can lose his salvation; “ye are fallen from Grace.”
“Ye are fallen from Grace.” That is, “ye are driven out of the course of Grace.” Who? The one who seeks to be justified by the law. Certainly there is no reference whatever here to one who has been saved from sinful or worldly habits and then returns to those habits. There are many religious men and women who have renounced the world and fleshly indulgences, who dwell in some monastery, convent, or religious community, who wear religious clothing to indicate their separation from the world and the lusts thereof, who are the very ones who have fallen from Grace; because they are legalists. Special garments, robes and head-gear, worn daily or during religious services and ceremonies, have no place in the true Bible Church in this dispensation of Grace. They passed away with the priesthood of Aaron and his successor, after the veil in the temple was rent when Christ cried “finished”. Hebrews 7:11-19, Hebrews 8:4.
The LORD Jesus Christ on the cross cried “finished.” John 19:30. He entered with His blood into heaven ONCE, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Hebrews 9:12. God has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Colossians 1:12.
The redemptive work of the Tri-Une God is perfect. God never left His work of redemption to be perfected by human beings. So far as the work of redemption is concerned, man does not help God to save him. The believing sinner is the recipient of God’s abounding Grace, and that is all that is required to become God’s creation in Christ Jesus “unto good works.” Ephesians 2:10. Compare Ephesians 2:8 and Ephesians 2:10…“not OF works”...“UNTO good works.” Believing sinners are not saved by the work of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, PLUS the work of man. No flesh shall glory in God’s presence. Boasting is excluded by the law of Faith. Romans 3:27. God gave man a perfect work...the whole law.
Under the law man had a Sabbath; but no rest. Now the believer has rest; but no Sabbath.
David confessed for the entire human race, “it is time for Thee, LORD, to work: for the people have broken Thy law.” Psalms 119:126. But he also added “Blessed is the man to whom the LORD imputeth righteousness without works.” Romans 4:6. The best Christian of all generations must needs have confessed “LORD, we have done the things we should not have done and we have left undone the things we should have done.” Under Grace, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the believer can walk well pleasing to the LORD and fulfill the righteousness of the law. But if the believer must retain his salvation by keeping the whole law, which means to love God with all his soul, heart, mind and strength, and his neighbor as himself, one hundred per cent of believers would lose salvation. Eternal life is the free gift of God. (Romans 6:23). If the believer must help pay for salvation either before or after he receives eternal life, then it is not a gift.
God is not a merchant, offering salvation for a certain price: God is King who longs to give salvation to as many as will receive Christ.
“Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” Acts 16:31, while there is still time!
So There You Have it!
Spread this message to everyone you know, far and wide. The time is short
Grace be to you and peace, from God: our Father, and The LORD Jesus Christ.
In The LORD Jesus Christ,
The Lion and Lamb Ministry
Pastor David Picos, D.D.
Minister and Ambassador for Christ in the Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-20)
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