Is God's Law obsolete? How does it relate to your life - and to your salvation?
Bill Faith: In II Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul instructs the brethren in Thessalonica concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus and the gathering of the saints to Him. He tells them, "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first" (II Thessalonians 2:3). A falling away from what? Obviously, Paul is talking about a falling away from the truth.
Jesus, along with His chosen apostles and the prophets who came before them, gave us the truth. However, before Christ returns and gathers together his elect there will be a falling away from the truth that they taught.
The Apostle Paul goes on to further explain that, "The mystery of lawlessness is already at work" (II Thessalonians 2:7). In this verse, Paul refers to the falling away from truth as 'the mystery of lawlessness'. How could lawlessness be a mystery? It would seem that either someone is living lawfully or they are not! Yet, Paul calls it the mystery of lawlessness and further says that it was already at work in his day.
Could it be possible that Christianity today is not what the early apostles and Jesus taught? It has been two thousand years since the birth of Christ; and the Apostle Paul wrote that the mystery of lawlessness was already at work in his time. Perhaps we should consider some Christian teachings of our times and compare them with what the Bible states.
Law vs. Grace? Have you ever heard that believing in Jesus Christ is all that is necessary for salvation? That disobedience is wrong but that it has no effect on our salvation because we are saved by faith? Or have we heard that if we are under grace we need not be overly concerned about the law because after all, 'we are not saved by our works'? What does the Bible say concerning this?
It is true that Jesus said that, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have ever lasting life" (John 3:16). But what does it mean to truly believe in Him? If we sincerely believe in Him, would we not do whatever He asks us to do? Did not Jesus say, "If anyone keeps My word he shall never see death" (John. 8:51)? What did Jesus say to do? In Matthew 19:16-17 someone came to Jesus, asking Him, "What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" His answer: "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."
In support of what Jesus said, James writes: "Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (James 2:17). He went on to say vv. 19 and 20: "If you believe that there is one God you do well. Even the demons believe - and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?"
The apostle Paul also wrote that, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit" (Romans 8:1). He continues (v.4): "...that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according the flesh but according to the Spirit." Again, Paul stresses the fact that our sins are hid with Christ as long as we walk according to the spirit. That is, as long as we obey God.
It is true that we are saved by faith apart from the works of the law, but does this mean that works is not to be concerned with? Absolutely not! Notice also, that Jude mentioned that ungodly men had entered into the church, "Who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness" (Jude 4). Licentiousness can mean, "Unrestrained by law; lawless." In other words, these ungodly men taught that if we are under grace we need not have to keep the law. Yet, this contradicts what we just read in Romans 8:1,4.
Have you ever heard anyone teach that once you are saved you can never lose salvation? If a person believes that he can never lose salvation once he accepts Christ as his Savior, then there is no incentive for that individual to strive to keep the law. In fact, they teach that you do not need to keep the law. They teach that Jesus kept it for you. But what does the Bible say about this?
It states that, "If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins" (Hebrews 10:26). This is why Paul was inspired to write, "I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified" (I Corinthians 9:29). Paul understood that to be a Christian meant to be a follower of Christ, not just a listener of Him. "For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified" (Romans 2:13). It was Paul who also wrote that, "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).
In conclusion, some Christians have accepted the teaching of grace without the need of repentance. They have concluded that because we are saved by grace and not by keeping the law, then there is no real need to be concerned about observing the law. But the truth is that once we believe in Jesus and accept Him as our Savior, we are to establish the law into our life. That is why Paul asked the question, "Do we then make void the law through faith?" And then answered his own question by saying, "Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law" (Romans 3:31).
The mystery of lawlessness is a phrase that applies to Christians who think that they can believe in God without having the need to keep the law, because they believe that Jesus kept it for them. Hence, "The mystery of lawlessness." It is a mystery because they believe that you should live a righteous life, yet you need not keep the law of God.
Perhaps we should ask ourselves, Is Jesus our Savior only, or is He our Lord also? Shouldn't we obey him?
To comment on this article or request more information, please contact James McBride by e-mail at the comment form below.
For PDF or mailed copy, see CGOM. Excerpt from New Horizons Issue 35, September/October 2002. Edited by James McBride of the Churches of God, United Kingdom.
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