(Chapter 17)
Does Faith Make Void the Law?
As we continue to address areas and beliefs that have confused and even misled sincere people, keep in mind that we are here discussing the law of the Ten Commandments. You see, we are often told that the law cannot be obeyed, therefore God's grace must call us righteous when in actuality we are still sinful. We will find the truth as we proceed to talk with Paul and study the life of Jesus.
Paul asked the Romans,
"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law" Romans 3:31.
"...for ye are not under the law but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid" Romans 6:14,15.
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein" Romans 6:1, 2?
Obviously, God's grace does not enable us to break His law. What was it that made Christ's death necessary? It was our sin.
"Who [Jesus] his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed" 1 Peter 2:24.
But what is sin?
"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law" 1 John 3:4.
Our breaking or disobeying the law is sin. This disobedience therefore is the cause of His death. Yet many seem to think that the death designed to pay the penalty for man's breaking the law in the past was to also give man the ability to break the law without penalty in the present. What irony to think that because the price is paid we are therefore free to go back and do the very thing that caused His death! Jesus did not die so that the law could be broken, but because it was broken!
Christ's purpose in coming to earth was to show the entire universe that the law of God was fair and could be obeyed. In order to do this He had to come as a human, in human form, and with our fallen nature. It was in our imperfect nature that He lived a perfect, sinless life. He was tempted in the same ways that we are, yet He overcame.
"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" Hebrews 4:15.
Now watch closely, because the next verse tells us where He found, and where we will also find, the power to be overcomers.
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" Hebrews 4:16.
The Gospels are full of examples of Christ coming boldly before the throne of grace (see Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; 6:46; Luke 5:16; 6:12; 9:18,28). Because He was in continual communion with His Father, He knew and understood His Father's will. This is the first step in the victorious life, to be in continual communion with our Heavenly Father. In Luke 22:41-43 we find Christ demonstrating the second step.
"And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done."
Did you see the sequence? First He prays, "remove this cup from Me." This is what He wants, and what His human nature craves. But then He adds, "Not My will but Thine be done." He humbly submits Himself to His loving Father's care. Then notice what happens.
"And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him" Luke 22:41-43.
The angel never could have come to Him had He not surrendered His will to His Father, but because He was yielded, the angel came and gave Him the strength that He needed to carry out His Father's will. This is how it will be for us as well. If we refuse to surrender, or even attempt to obey, in our own strength, we will not have Heaven's help. We will be on our own. But when we submit our wills totally to God's, then, although perhaps invisible, angels will attend and give us strength and wisdom to succeed.
Throughout His life, Christ fought and won the victory over every inherited tendency to sin, and now He offers this victory to us. It was by His continual communion with His Father, and an absolute abandonment of self and surrender to the will of God, that made Him victorious. This is the only way we too will find success and victory in our lives. As we through faith lay hold on Christ's victory and continually commune with our Father and surrender to His will, then His victory will become our own. Then in His strength we also will be victorious over sin, as He was.
So often we fail to have victory over the sin in our lives. Why? Because we have attempted to conquer the sin rather than self. You see, Christ has fought and won the battle over every sin. There is no sin that He has left unconquered. It is not for us to battle against sin; that has already been done. The one and only battle that we have to face is with ourselves. Our self-will must die. When self is surrendered we will have nothing but absolute victory over any and all sin. Yes, the law can be obeyed, not out of obligation but as a natural byproduct of a continual growing surrender to Him Who has overcome the world—Jesus Christ!
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