Faith is fruit of the Spirit, and sin is a transgression to the law.

We may say then “Everything that is not fruit of the Spirit, transgress the law.”

IOW, all “deeds” or “works” of a believer, when it is not a fruit of the Spirit, it is sin or a transgression to the law. And when the “work” is not fruit of the Spirit, then it is the deeds of the flesh. Because the deeds of the flesh is contrary to the fruit of the Spirit. One was based on self-love and the other was based on agape love.

Next in Galatians 3:12 we read: “the law is not based on faith but who “does” these things will live by them.”

Is there any one on earth that “does” the ‘things” required by the law? No one, but Christ! That means law keepers are those who breaks the law, otherwise they might live by their obedience and Christ doesn’t need to come and die to redeem them (Leviticus 18:4,5; Galatians 2:21).

The law is not based on faith and whatever does not come from faith is sin! “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not!” – Romans 7:7. So, if the law is not sin, then the deeds of the law that is sin.

I believe this must be a shock for the law keepers. But, is this true?

Since we agree that only Christ is sinless and perfect before the law, on the contrary all men has sinned so that no one would be justified by the law because of no one is righteous before the law (they might be perfect against the letter of the law but all break the spirit of the law), then it is true that the deeds of the law keepers transgressed the law. The deeds of the law keepers is sin! On the contrary the fruit of the Spirit is perfect and fulfils the demands of the law both in the letter and also in the spirit, and this fruit of the Spirit is based on faith. The just shall live by faith!

Why are the deeds of the law keepers (their obedience to the law) transgressed the law? Because the deeds was an act based on self-love, done by the SIN in us. It was not an act that comes from love (agape) as fruit of the Spirit. Thus obedience to the law only results in deeds that is the acts of the flesh. Obedience to the law is sin! The deed of the law is sin! No matter you obey or disobey the law, all men has sinned and must die.

That’s why, Paul tried so hard to explain the gospel of Christ regarding the law, that the law which is engraved on stone tablets kills, it is a ministry of death that ends in Christ, abolished in Christ and so on. That the law is no longer for the righteous believers in Christ because it would only lead man off from faith and puts him under the law judgment and condemnation with eternal death as its wages.

Christ has set us free from the obligation to keep the law in order we might live by faith and released from the power of SIN that deceived us through our law keeping Romans 7:11).

In His love

James S.

When you say that the law is obsolete, are you saying that we now have license to do whatever we want?

When you say that we are saved by faith alone, what is your definition of faith? If the law no longer applies to Christians, how is our faith shown?

We must study the whole to understand the part, and perhaps this is an area that needs to be relooked at in order to fully understand. This is a lawyer writing - I work for lawyers, you sometimes have to look hard to understand the whole context.

I look forward to your answers.

I do not think I fully understand what you are trying to say.... If we continue on in Romans 7, v. 16 Paul says "...I consent unto the law that it is good"v. 22 "For I delight in the law of God after the inward man". Paul is talking about two laws in this chapter - see v. 25 - the law of God and the law of sin...

Unquote.

The law of God is holy, just and good.
The law of SIN in our members opposes the law of God; it doesn’t subject to the law of God and never can be.

Paul delights in the law of God after the inward man, in his inner being, in his mind. Is this the mind of a man that sets his mind on the Spirit or on the flesh? If he sets his mind on the flesh, he will not be delighted in the law of God, it oppose him. So, this is the mind of a man who sets his mind on the Spirit, who sets his mind on what the Spirit desires. This is a man who lives after the Spirit through faith.

But in his members Paul see another law, the law of SIN that took him captive and made him a slave of SIN. And when this two forces met in the mind of Paul, the force of the Spirit and the force of SIN that conflicts to each other, he came to a conclusion: “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the on to the other; SO THAT YE CANNOT DO THE THINGS THAT YE WOULD” – Galatians 5:17.

What are the things that Paul wants to do? If he wants to satisfy the flesh, would be there any conflict? No, that is his nature! Then the “thing” Paul wants to do is not to satisfy the flesh but to please God. And if he wants to please God by his law obedience, he CAN NOT DO THAT! What he can do is only breaking the law!

“So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of SIN”- Romans 7:25.

Paul can only serve the law of God in his mind, all what he can do is having “a desire” to keep/obey the law, but the deeds remain acts of the flesh. He looks as an obedient law keeper but in fact he is a law-breaker, a sinner.

Quote:
When you say that the law is obsolete, are you saying that we now have license to do whatever we want?
Unquote.

The gospel of Christ is “the just shall live by faith” that nullifies the authority of the law in Him. But although there is no law to keep, shall we live in SIN, shall we serve SIN and do whatever the flesh desires? By no means! (Romans 6:1,15; Galatians 5:13). And how could we serve SIN when through faith the Spirit in us who does the “willing and the doing of God?”

Through a life led by the Spirit we will have fruit of the Spirit, the love of God that seeks no self that was imparted to us. This (agape) love will substitute our self-love. The love of God sets us free from hate, anger, pride, selfish ambition, ego, jealousy, love for money, idolatry, sexual immorality, impurity. The love of God sets us free from self-love, and fills our heart with joy, happiness, peace, patience, kindness, sympathy, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Quote.
When you say that we are saved by faith alone, what is your definition of faith? If the law no longer applies to Christians, how is our faith shown?
Unquote.

We have been justified by faith in Christ, we believe Him and accept Him as the Son of God, Redeemer and Savior of mankind and we believe His gospel. Now, as a righteous believers (by faith) in Christ we should live by faith alone; “the just shall live by faith,” because through our faith Christ Spirit will live in us and lead our life. I am in Christ (by faith) that justifies me and saved me, Christ in me working out His love for my fellow man. And the first but important step that shows our faith is: we believe that the law is no longer for us (1 Timothy 1:8-11), because in Christ He sets us free from the obligation to keep and obey the written law in order the spirit of the law might be written in our heart by the Spirit that lead our lives.

In His love

James S

quote:

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.....because in Christ He sets us free from the obligation to keep and obey the written law in order the spirit of the law might be written in our heart by the Spirit that lead our lives.

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What do you mean by the spirit of the law?

In His love

James S.

quote:

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Originally posted by James Saptenno:
. . . And the first but important step that shows our faith is: we believe that the law is no longer for us (1 Timothy 1:8-11), because in Christ He sets us free from the obligation to keep and obey the written law in order the spirit of the law might be written in our heart by the Spirit that lead our lives.

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How then, is my life different from anyone elses? For they do not keep the law either - they have no desire and see no need to.... If I throw out the law, I throw out a lot of what the law means. The law points us to Christ and gives us focus. Will I be saved by keeping the law? No, but will I be saved if I don't keep the law?

He asked two questions and received two answers:

1 - Will we be saved by keeping the law? Everybody said no.

2 - Will we be lost by not keeping the law? Everybody said yes, however, the answer is also no, for if we can be lost by not keeping the law, then we should be able to be saved by keeping the law.

What, then, is the problem here?

In Romans 3:31, Paul says, "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."

How, then, can anybody say that the law has been abolished, or made void? Our response should be, "God forbid: yea we establish the law" through faith. Also, don't forget that faith without works is dead.

What is the works that is the result of genuine faith? Establishing the law.

How then do we establish the law? By being obedient to the law out of love for Christ as a response to our faith in Him.

It's so simple that even a child should be able to understand it.

Why do we make something that should be such simple truth so complicated?

What, then, is the problem here?
In Romans 3:31, Paul says, "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."
How, then, can anybody say that the law has been abolished, or made void? Our response should be, "God forbid: yea we establish the law" through faith. Also, don't forget that faith without works is dead.
What is the works that is the result of genuine faith? Establishing the law.

Unquote.

How could faith establish the law? Faith leads us to live after the Spirit, to accept Christ Spirit in our heart. And the job of the Spirit is to eradicate SIN that is SELF-LOVE and replace it with God’s agape love.

Meanwhile, law obedience comes from our own desire to please God. It is our SELF that performs this obedience, that’s why we could only fulfil the legalistic righteousness as per the letter, but fails to fulfil the spirit of the law. Because our deeds of the law were based on self-love, the SIN in us that dominates us. Only through the Spirit we might fulfil the spirit of the law. And He does it all alone, the Spirit can’t work together in a joint forces with SIN to perform the law obedience. They are in conflict with each other.

Genuine faith is establishing the Spirit in the heart, and the Spirit will sets the mind to what the Spirit desires, not only that, the Spirit will do also the “doing”, He doesn’t trust you enough to let you do the doing (Philippians 213). Sanctification is done solely by the Spirit, what is need from us is faith.

The law is not of faith, and whatever that does not comes from faith is SIN or comes from SELF, based on SELF-LOVE.

But the verse said “WE establish the law” and not FAITH establish the law!

Who are these we? The righteous believers in Christ, who were released from the law obligation in Christ, but established the law for those law-breakers and unbelievers so that they all might be led to Christ.

In His love

James S.

Sarah Moss.

There is really no difference between a law keeper that obey and law breakers and unbelievers, in fact they were all the same “law breakers!” You keep and obey the law, still you are a law breaker.
No one will be saved by their law keeping doesn’t mean that because Christ has redeemed us then the way of salvation is by faith in Christ even though they might keep and obey the law perfectly. Justification then MUST be by faith, even though you might keep the law perfectly. It is not so!

Because no one can keep and obey the law perfectly to fulfil the demands of the law, Christ must come and die to redeem those law-breakers and release them from death penalty. Who believe Him will have their justification (by faith as a free gift), a justification that they could never attain from their obedience to the law.

That is the reason that Christ released his believer from the authority of the law and the obligation to keep it. Because the law made nothing perfect, the law that was engraved on stone tablets kills.

Once you believe Christ as your Redeemer and Savior, you acknowledge that you have been breaking the law and will keep breaking it, so Christ sets you free from the law in Him. And the law has fulfilled its function in bringing you and leading you to Christ for redemption and salvation because all the time what you could do was breaking the law through your obedience.

And when you are in Christ now by faith, why do you seek again the law to point you and lead you to Christ? Is there any other Christ? This means that you didn’t believe the person to whom the law lead you to, and keep seeking Christ through your law keeping.

Will I be saved by keeping the law? No, but will I be saved if I don't keep the law? YES!

The above quote is for those who have faith in Christ. There is no law for you to keep and your obedience is not needed because it will be only filthy rags. What is required from you is to have FAITH, FAITH AND FAITH. Your unquestionable trust in God for the things that is unseen and for things that you hope for that needs no proof and evidence. And you will have fruit of the Spirit, because just then the Spirit can work in you to lead your life and working out the willing and the doing of God.

The Just shall live by faith, and if they draw back, God will have no pleasure in them.

It doesn’t matter that you keep or break the law, because before the law you remain a law-breaker that must die (make you know the need for Christ). But it does matter that you have faith or not.

In His love

James S

If so, then are you not in effect saying that a born again Christian will continue in sin?

Are you not also aware that sin is the transgression of God's law?

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John 15:12 This is my commandment,
That ye love one another,
as I have loved you.

Daryl