Are we under the law- Part 4

So we have searched for understanding in how the Christian uses the law. We have looked as Paul and learnt that there are 3 functions:
1. Deny that the law operates as law (ie rules)
2. Replace the law with the new life
3. Ressaign law as either wisdom or prophecy.

Below is a diagram that Brian Rosner gave that shows Paul in action. Enjoy!

Text	Repudiation	Replacement	Reassign As wisdom	Reassign As prophecy
6:15	believers are “not under the law”	“but under grace”
8:1-4	“you have been set free from the law of sin and death”	“by the law of the Spirit”		“in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us”
4:1-3			Gen. 15:6 quoted, “Abraham believed God …,” to argue that Abraham was justified by faith, in connection with the promise in Gen. 12:1-3, which is now being fulfilled in Christ
5:12-21			Adam as a type of Christ clarifies Christ’s achievement
12:19				Deut. 32:35 quoted, “Vengeance is mine …,” to support the call for non-retaliation

Are we under the law- Part 3

So I have discussed how Christians are no longer under the law.
That's nice (but not very helpful).

So what can we learn from Paul about using the law today?
Brian Rosner believes that has 3 functions for the Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
1. Deny the role of law as law (ie rules) for Christians
2. Replace the law with the new life (the law of Christ)
3. Reassign law as either wisdom or prophecy

So let me run through all of this
1. Deny the role of law as law.
This one is simple. Passages such as Romans 6:14-15 state we are no longer under the law.
Romans 7:1-6 states that we are dead to the law as rules. We are now led by the Spirit.
In Gal 3:6-14 he contrasts living by the law (Lev 18:5) and the life of faith (Gen 12:3, 18:18, 22:18).
The law as rules can only show our sinfulness (Rom 7:7-25)
2. Replace the law with the new life (the law of Christ)
Paul calls for us to fulfill the law (Gal 5:13-14, Rom 13:8-9) and to follow the law of Christ. The change comes with a new age where we are given the Holy Spirit and called to live a new life.

Paul never says that believers in Christ are to walk according to the law. Instead, he recommends walking according to different norms: not as the Gentiles do (1 Cor 3:3; 2 Cor 10:2; Eph 4:17), nor in idleness (1 Thess 4:12), or as enemies of the gospel (Phil 3:18); according to or by the Spirit (Rom 8:4; Gal 5:16), apostolic example (Phil 3:17), apostolic teaching (2 Thess 3:6) and the truth of the gospel (Gal. 2:14); in Christ (Col 2:6), in love (Rom 14:15; Eph 5:2), in newness of resurrection life (Rom 6:4) and in good works (Eph 2:10); as in the day (Rom 13:13), as children of light (Eph 5:15); by faith (2 Cor 5:7); wisely (Eph 5:15; Col 4:5).

3. Reassign law as either wisdom or prophecy
The law is now evaluated from a different perspective. Viewed from the outside, it can assists us to understand the new life (wisdom) and to help us understand the unfolding plan of God (prophecy).

The law is described as wisdom (Deut. 4:6, Ps 19:7, 119:98, Prov 37:30-31, Prov. 28:7) and used in that way too. Please notice that Ephesians 4-6 outline the new life we have in Christ. Here the law is used to highlight what the wise (new) life looks like (Gen 2:24 for marriage, Deut 5:16 for children. There is also a reference to stealing in 4:28)

The acts as prophecy. Jesus explain his actions by opening the law and the prophets (Luke 24:44-45). Paul explain the kingdom of God and Jesus from the Law of Moses (Acts 28:23).

In fact Romans the law and the prophets testify to righteousness by faith (Gen 15:6, 22; see Rom. 4:1-4); to the partial hardening of Israel that has accompanied the gospel (Gen 21:12; 18:10, 14; 25:23 & Ex 33:19; 9:16, see Rom. 9:6-18; to not all Israelites accepting the gospel (Deut 32:21; see Rom. 10:19; and to Gentiles glorifying God (Deut 32:43; see Rom 15:10).

We don't use the law as rules. We read and reflect on the law to understand more about the new life we have in Christ.

In my next post I'll provide a paradigm from Romans of how Paul uses the law.

Are we under the law? Part 2

So we've discussed how the law was for those under the Old Covenant and how it pointed to and exposed sin. Now if that's all the law does, then surely we don't need it today, right?


Brian Rosner recently pointed out in his lectures that Paul is clear that Law should no longer function as LAW, but it can still serve Christians. One way I think it can function is as love.


Romans 13:10 says, "Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."
Paul prior to this verse lists three of the commandments found in the law. It seems to Paul that our debt is not by following a rule but instead a principle (cf Gal 4:1-4). The principle behind the law is love.


I think the same is true when it comes to Jesus. He comes as the Messiah (Matt 1), as the true Israel (Matt 2-4) and so fulfills the law. But then in Matthew 5-7 he calls for us to act out of love. Following rules will only leave us with the righteousness of the Pharisees. Following the principle of love will fulfill the law.


It's interesting to considering the relationship between the law of the Spirit and the law of Christ compared with the law of Moses or the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1, Gal 6:2). There is a dichotomy and yet a unity. I think this is how Jeremiah 31:31-34 works. We are taken from under the rule of the law so that as SONS (Gal 4:1-4) we can follow the principles that under gird them.


So it's important that we study the first five books of the Bible to understand how they inform our thinking on love. 
We'll need to contemplate what we learn about how we treat God, our family and others. We need to remember that we are not under law (circumcision now has no value). Instead what we want to do is to express our faith through love (Gal 5:4).

Are we under the law? Part 1

Christians are not under the law (that is, the first five books of the Bible). We live in the realm of grace (Rom 6:14). That makes sense. A lot of the Old Testament doesn’t seem relevant, except the 10 commandments and some other moral laws. So we keep them and get rid of the rest.

Let me state it again. Christians are not under the law. In fact, if you’re a non-Jew, you never were (Rom 2:14. 1 Cor 9:21 and Gal 4:8).

Paul uses the term 'under the law' some eleven times in eight verses spread over Galatians, Romans and 1 Corinthians. It refers to those who are Jewish or Jewish Christians. For Paul, there is a freedom that they can now experience. This is also why he is against placing Gentiles under the law.

So what do we make of the law?

Firstly, it helps to reveal our sinfulness (Rom 5:21). Christians are not under the law as letter, commandments, book, decrees or covenant.  1 Timothy 1:8-10 says that the law used lawfully is not for the righteous (believers), but to condemn the lawless. So the law reveals our need for salvation. It points out how terribly sinful we are. Let’s face it, we over estimate our strengths and ignore our weaknesses. The law helps us to understand our old nature.

Secondly, we get a better picture of love. I believe this is how Jesus uses the law in Matthew 5. He shows what the exemplary love is behind the law. It is the principles that govern loving relationships which those in Christ want to follow.

But if we're not to throw it out, how should we use it? More to come

Why I won’t commit to loyalty

A virtue that we often hold up today is loyalty. It is expected in marriage, at work and between friends. But is loyalty a virtue that we should hold above all others?

My answer is no. There are circumstances when breaking a confidence is a good thing. For example, when a work colleague commits fraud, when you are aware of sexual abuse or when your marriage could be saved through counselling.

The problem is that we have confused loyalty with faithfulness. Faithfulness is about committing yourself to the good of someone else.

It means that you are dependable, that you will consider how you can express love towards someone, what is in their best interests. Loyalty on the other hand is about obedience. It is doing what the other person has told you to do, even if you believe the behaviour is wrong.

Faithfulness will commit me to working through difficulties, whereas loyalty only commits me to silence. Faithfulness promotes a desire to care, whereas loyalty maintains the status quo.

Faithfulness is always better than loyalty because it stems from love. It can applied is so many different contexts (work, family, church, friends). Faithfulness sees relationships enriched, it sees people doing abundantly more out of love, it develops a deep generosity that benefits everyone.

To change from loyalty to faithfulness begins with our language. Instead of saying,  “Will you do what I ask?”, try “I was wondering if you could help me”. Instead of saying, “I will do what you have asked”, try “I’d be happy to _________, if that would help you.”

Trust develops relationships, so lets work at being faithful and reap the benefits.

Missional vs confessional church

I must admit that I am using this as a means of thinking aloud. So I look forward to your responses, and I hope you will forgive me for my errors.

I was reading the book The Church Planter by Darrin Patrick. I enjoyed the challenges he gives to the type of character a church planter should have. When it came to the How of Mission Darrin spoke of contextualising.

“The attractiveness of contextualizing the gospel is that we actually listen to the questions people are asking. We are able to listen patiently to the hopes, challenges, and fears that people in a culture express through art, theatre, literature, and film and to communicate the gospel in a way that connects…Many unbelievers in our cultural setting will be attracted to the gospel as they come to understand how it connects to them in the deepest possible ways.” Pg 195

I think this is a good definition of a missional church. You understand your community and you show how the gospel impacts on their lives and it makes a difference. This is smart and relevant. But is it what we’re called to do?

I think that we are called to be a confessional church. I think this makes sense of Matt 16:18, Eph 2:19-20 and 1 Cor 3:10-15. I think that the priority is NOT to the world but to our Lord (Matt 28:16-20). We proclaim Him (Col 1:28, 2 Tim 4:1-5) as the Christ, the one who is the firstborn over creation and the church. He is the one who is reconciling all things in heaven and on earth (Col 1:21). Isn’t this relevant enough?

I think we need to be a confessional church. Why?

1) It’s biblical. As I’ve shown above and throughout the Pastoral Epistles, the task for a minister is to preach the word of God.

2) It recognises the sinfulness of humanity. The gospel will always appear foolish (1 Cor 1:18-31). It is the power of the gospel that can overcome hard hearts (Rom 1:16).

3) It impacts on what and how we preach. We can become so aware of the issues in our community that we look for passages that are relevant. A confessional church will be exegetical in practice because it is not only circumstances but our mindset and behaviours that need to be modified in light of resurrection of Jesus and the redemption of creation

Now I believe that we ought to know our community. Demographical material is of value. But I will preach that Jesus is Lord to the accountant who is about to go on their ski trip. I’ll preach Jesus is Lord to the lady whose husband just left her for another woman. I’ll preach Christ to university student who is considering what they will do with their life. To them this isn’t the highest priority, but to our God there is no great confession that we can make.