RIGHTEOUSNESS-CONSCIOUSNESS (Part 1)

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“Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.” (Hebrews 9:14 NLT).

 

The New Covenant is infinitely superior to the Old Covenant because it offers and provides righteousness for men as a gift from God.

The righteousness men under the Old Covenant pursued by the works of the law but still could not attain is now available to all men as a gift to be received purely by faith in Christ and His finished work. That is why it is called “the righteousness of faith.”

Apostle Paul aptly explains this truth.

Romans 9:30-32 – NKJV

 30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;

 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.

 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone.  

Men can have two kinds of righteousness: the righteousness of men and the righteousness of God. These two kinds of righteousness are mutually exclusive; you cannot lay claim to both simultaneously in your relationship with God.

You either hold fast to your self-righteousness or renounce it and embrace God’s righteousness as a gift by faith in Christ (Rom. 10:1-4).

Man or self-righteousness is purely based on man’s performance or works of the law. This is imperfect righteousness because no man can keep the whole law completely and continuously without stumbling at one point throughout his life. No man has ever kept God’s law entirely except God-Man, the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Bible describes our human or self-righteousness as “a filthy rag” in God’s sight (Isa. 64:6). On the contrary, the righteousness of God is apart from the Law or independently of the Law. It is not based on man’s performance, good works, or keeping the requirements of the Mosaic Law. Instead, it is a gift from God and can only be received by faith in Christ and His finished work.

You cannot have, keep, or hold fast to God’s righteousness while still holding fast to your self-righteousness in your relationship or walk with God (Rom. 3:19-23).

It is the earnest desire of Apostle Paul to be found in Christ, not having and holding unto his righteousness but having and holding fast to the righteousness of God, which is apart from his works (Philip. 3:8-9). This should also be the earnest desire of every child of God today!

Having the righteousness of God imputed or bestowed on us independently of our performance, actions, or works is undoubtedly one of the enormous blessings or benefits of the New Covenant in the blood of Jesus Christ.

Sadly, many believers today are not appropriating and enjoying this great blessing because they remain sin-conscious instead of righteousness-conscious in their walk with God.

The blood of bulls and goats associated with the Old Covenant can only purify the bodies of the worshippers; however, it cannot cleanse their minds and consciences from sin. Therefore, the Old Covenant people were not entirely free from guilt and condemnation of sin.

The saints under the Old Covenant still had the consciousness of sin despite all their sacrifices and rituals for cleansing. Their sins were only covered under the blood of bulls and goats but not blotted out, so there was a remembrance of sins every year.

The writer of Hebrew explains this truth.

Hebrews 10:1-4 – NKJV

 1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never, with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.

 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins.

 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.

 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

On the contrary, under the New Covenant, there is no longer a daily or yearly remembrance or reminder of the sins of the believers in God’s sight.

Unlike the blood of bulls and goats of the Old Covenant, the blood of Jesus purifies or cleanses our minds and consciences from sins, blots out all our sins, and obtains eternal redemption for us. Praise Jesus!

Hebrews 9:13-14 – NLT

 13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity.

 14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Under the New Covenant, God has sworn not to remember or keep the records of the sins of believers who are forgiven and cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

God said, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” (Heb 8:12 NKJV).

Although God does not remember or keep a record of the sins of the born-again believers in Christ, sadly, many believers are still stuck in sin-consciousness, keeping a personal record of their wrongs, thereby always remembering, recollecting, or recalling their past sins. Consequently, they remain under condemnation and bondage of sin.

Having sin consciousness is Satan’s trap to hold you under condemnation and keep you from enjoying total freedom from sin. You cannot overcome sin by being sin-conscious or sin-focused. You can only walk in daily victory over sin by reckoning or considering yourself dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:11).

Likewise, you cannot enjoy an intimate and loving relationship with the Holy God with a mind that is stayed on sin. You cannot worship God in spirit and truth with a conscience and mind that is not purged from a consciousness of sin.

You cannot appropriate, possess, and enjoy all the blessings and benefits of the New Covenant with sin-consciousness. This is why the devil wants your mind to stay on your sins!

Beloved, it is not God, but the devil who constantly reminds you of your sins, setting your sins before you and focusing your mind or attention on your sins, thereby getting you stuck in sin-consciousness.

God would have you always remember that your sins (past, present, and future) have been completely forgiven and blotted out and that you are now “the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.” (2 Cor. 5:21).

Therefore, rise today to purge your conscience and mind from sin-consciousness by meditating and focusing on who you are now in Christ in God’s sight – “holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.” (Col. 1:22 NKJV).

How can you escape the trap of sin-consciousness?

What are the blessings of possessing righteousness-consciousness?

Find out in the second part of this piece!

 Prayer:

My Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of righteousness You have graciously bestowed on me in Christ. My Dear Holy Spirit, teach and help me daily to walk in righteousness-consciousness, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our mandate is to preserve the faith of the Apostolic Generation.

Eniyekpemi Fidelis Oyinpreyebi.

AWH, Blogs.

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THE NEW COVENANT BELIEVERS (Part 2)

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“But if you are guided (led) by the [Holy] Spirit, you are not subject to the Law.” (Galatians 5:18 AMP)

 

God deals with men based on His Covenant with them. Before the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, God dealt with His people based on the Covenant He made with them on Mount Sinai.

Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant, and the blessings or benefits of this Covenant are contingent on the performance or obedience of the people to the written regulations of the Covenant – the Law.

Moses clearly explained this truth to the children of Israel.

Deuteronomy 28:1-3, 15-16 – NKJV

 1 “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.

 2 “And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:

 3 “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country…

15 “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

16 “Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country…”

Under the Old Covenant, the children of Israel enjoyed the blessings or benefits of the Covenant when they obeyed the Law. But they could not enjoy God’s blessings consistently and entirely because they could not keep or obey the Law always and completely. The truth is that nobody can keep the whole Law without stumbling at one point at any time.

The death and resurrection of Christ brought to a close the dispensation of the Law and thus abolished the Old Covenant.

As a result, God is no longer dealing or relating with men according to their self-righteousness, performance, or good works but according to their faith in the person of Jesus Christ and His finished work of redemption.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Mediator, Negotiator, or Guarantor of a New and Better Covenant. The New Covenant is not an elongation, extension, or modification of the former Covenant. It is entirely different from the Old Covenant. It is infinitely greater, bigger, and better than the Old Covenant!

The Scripture aptly states this truth.

Hebrews 8:13 – AMP

13 When God speaks of a new [covenant or agreement], He makes the first one obsolete (out of use). And what is obsolete (out of use and annulled because of age) is ripe for disappearance and to be dispensed with altogether.

Hebrews 9:15 – AMP

15 [Christ, the Messiah] is therefore the Negotiator and Mediator of an [entirely] new agreement (testament, Covenant), so that those who are called and offered it may receive the fulfillment of the promised everlasting inheritance – since a death has taken place which rescues and delivers and redeems them from the transgressions committed under the [old] first agreement.

Sadly, some believers today are not appropriating, enjoying, and walking in the blessings and benefits of the New Covenant because they are still serving God according to the regulations of the Old Covenant.

In the first part of this piece, the truth was presented from God’s Word that God’s dealings with us are no longer contingent or dependent upon our allegiance or adherence to the Law God gave the children of Israel through Moses but upon our faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work. Why?

Because the ultimate purpose of the Law has been fulfilled in Christ!

Because Christ has brought the Law to its completion or fulfillment by His Life, Death, Burial, and Resurrection!

The Lord Jesus clearly states this truth.

Matthew 5:17 – AMP

17 Do not think that I have come to do away with or undo the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to do away with or undo but to complete and fulfil them. 

Apostle Paul also attests to this truth.

Romans 10:4 – AMP

4 For Christ is the end of the Law [the limit at which it ceases to be, for the Law leads up to Him Who is the fulfillment of its types, and in Him the purpose which it was designed to accomplish is fulfilled. That is, the purpose of the Law is fulfilled in Him] as the means of righteousness (right relationship to God) for everyone who trusts in and adheres to and relies on Him.

Through the body of Christ, the born-again believers have become dead to the Law and thus discharged or delivered from the Law.

As a believer in Christ, you are no longer expected to live under the Law or be subject to the Old Covenant’s old written regulations. Your worship, service, or giving to God should no longer be regulated or determined by the Old Testament’s letter, the old written code, or regulations (Rom. 7:4-6).

If the born-again believers are no longer expected to live by the Law, walk with God, worship and serve God, or give to God according to the specifications or regulations of the Law, how then should they live, worship, serve, and walk with God?

By living and walking in the Spirit!

By obeying or following the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit!

Paul reveals and explains this truth in Romans 7:6.

Let us examine this scripture in different versions of the Bible.

Romans 7:6 – NKJV

6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

Romans 7:6 – AMP

6 But now we are discharged from the Law and have terminated all intercourse with it, having died to what once restrained and held us captive. So now we serve not under [obedience to] the old code of written regulations, but [under obedience to the promptings] of the Spirit in newness [of life].

Romans 7:6 – NLT

6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

As a born-again believer in Christ, you are to be led by the Holy Spirit in your walk with God, giving to God and serving God.

Sadly, some believers today are still worshipping and serving God under the obligation or the bondage of the Law. They give to God by fraction or percentage according to the specification or regulation of the Mosaic Law.

What an ignorance of the liberty they have in Christ!

Paul writes, “But if you are guided (led) by the [Holy] Spirit, you are not subject to the Law.” (Gal. 5:18 AMP).

“But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.” (Gal. 5:18 NLT).

Beloved, are you still walking with God, serving and worshipping God, and giving to God as one who is still under the obligation of the Law or has been delivered from the Law to serve God in the new way of living in the Spirit?

Examine your life and walk with God today!

You are a New Covenant believer and thus a subject of God’s favor and mercy, not a slave to the Law. Therefore, arise today to live as one who is indeed dead to the Law through the body of Christ but alive to the Holy Spirit.

Romans 6:14 – AMP

14 For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God’s favor and mercy].

Galatians 5:1 – NLT

1 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.

Live under Grace and not under Law!

 

Prayer:

My Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for discharging and delivering me from the Law through the body of Christ. My Dear Holy Spirit, teach and help me constantly live under grace, not under the law, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our mandate is to preserve the faith of the Apostolic Generation.

Eniyekpemi Fidelis Oyinpreyebi.

AWH, Blogs.

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RIGHTEOUSNESS-CONSCIOUSNESS (Part 2)

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“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17 NKJV)

 

It is not sinning but sin-consciousness that primarily stops or hinders many New Covenant believers today from reigning in life and enjoying the benefits of the New Covenant.

Through His blood, the Lord Jesus has obtained for us eternal redemption—the forgiveness of sins (past, present, and future).

The Scripture clearly states this truth.

Ephesians 1:7 – NKJV

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Hebrews 9:12 – NKJV

12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Even though the Lord Jesus Christ has obtained eternal redemption (the forgiveness of sins) for us through His blood, many born-again believers today still live under condemnation and dominion of sin because their minds are stayed or focused on sins.

Many believers today are too preoccupied with sins and not with righteousness. They are constantly thinking about their sins and not about the righteousness of God bestowed on them through faith in Christ and His finished work.

While praying, they constantly remind God about their past sins, which He has forgiven and sworn to remember no more (Hebrew. 8:12).

Why are many believers today sin-conscious and not righteousness-conscious?

Because they are still living under the Law!

Without the Law, sin is dead or powerless. The power or strength of sin is the Law (1 Cor. 15:56). While it was not the Law that brought sin, it was the Law that revived, activated, or stirred up sin in man.

The Law revealed sin for what it is and brought us the knowledge and consciousness of sin. Therefore, under the Law, no man can be free from the dominion and condemnation of sin (Romans. 6:14, 7:7-13).

The Scripture teaches and explains that the ultimate purpose of the Law is to bring all men under the guilt and condemnation of sin so that men may detest their sinfulness or wretchedness and then humbly cry out to God for salvation (Romans. 3:19-22, 7:22-25, Gal. 3:19-26).

Through the body of Christ, the born-again believers have become dead to the Law and thus delivered or discharged from the Law. Therefore, the believers in Christ are free from the dominion and condemnation of sin and the curse of the Law (Romans. 7:4-6).

Although, as a believer in Christ, you have been delivered from the Old Covenant Law, if you put yourself again under the yoke of the Law by striving to keep the Law to earn God’s love, acceptance, approval, favor, or blessing; the Law will exert its full power and wrath on you, and ultimately fill your mind and conscience with the consciousness of sin.

Therefore, you cannot escape the trap of sin-consciousness if you still choose to live under the Law or walk according to the written code or regulations of the Old Covenant Law. It is walking in the Spirit that sets free from sin-consciousness.

What are the blessings of possessing righteousness-consciousness?

First, righteousness-consciousness imparts boldness and confidence to you.

Sin-consciousness will erode your boldness and confidence, but righteousness-consciousness will impart boldness and confidence to you.

Nothing emboldens you in life as knowing that you are entirely and eternally righteous, holy, loved, accepted, favored, and blessed by God in Christ Jesus.

The Scripture states, “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” (Proverbs. 28:1 NKJV).

It takes you being righteous-conscious to lay claim to, appropriate, and possess your covenant blessings in Christ. You cannot approach God’s throne with boldness and confidence unless you are conscious that you are completely acceptable to God in Christ (Hebrew. 4:16).

It takes righteousness-consciousness (freedom from condemnation) to have confidence towards God. John writes, “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.” (1 John 3:21 NKJV).

Satan and not God condemn us by filling our minds and consciences with the consciousness of sin.

Second, righteousness consciousness makes your prayers powerful and effective.

Sin consciousness will empty your prayer of its power and render it ineffective. But righteousness-consciousness will make your prayer powerful and effective.

The Scripture states, “…The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (Jam. 5: 16 NLT).

Many believers today are not wielding the incredible power of prayer and enjoying the tremendous blessings of prayer because they are not righteousness-conscious.

They traverse cities and nations seeking anointed servants of God to pray for them because they erroneously think servants of God are more righteous or holier than them in God’s sight and thus more acceptable to God than they are.

Your prayers will not be powerful and effective, producing wonderful results, if you fail to see yourself as “the righteousness of God in Christ.” (2 Cor. 5:21).

Similarly, if your mind is fixed on your sins, you will be unable to resist the devil and put him to flight as you wield your God-given authority.

It takes righteousness-consciousness to enforce and enjoy the victory that Jesus Christ has won for you through His death on the cross. The devil wants you to be preoccupied with your sins, mistakes, and shortcomings.

Lastly, righteousness consciousness enables you to reign in life.

Sin consciousness will reduce you to a captive or victim in life. But righteousness-consciousness will set you above every adversary and adversity in life.

Paul testifies, “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Romans. 5:17 NKJV).

You cannot reign over sin, sickness, poverty, failure, death, and the devil while struggling under the condemnation of sin. It takes a heart, mind, and conscience free of any condemnation to reign as a king and priest unto God in this evil world.

It takes you walking in the light of the truth that you are always holy and righteous in God’s sight, independently of your actions, to reign as a winner, victor, and champion in life.

Many born-again believers today are constantly experiencing defeat, failure, and frustration in life because they allow the devil to beat and hold them down with guilt and condemnation. If you allow him to preoccupy your mind with your sins or mistakes, the devil will continuously harass, afflict, torment, and defeat you.

It is not sin that often kills and destroys men, but the guilt and condemnation of sin!

Beloved, stop listening to, meditating upon, or yielding to any accusation and condemnation from Satan! In Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation for you.

Paul affirms, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (Romans. 8:1 NLT).

Embracing condemnation from Satan opens the door to depression, affliction, and oppression. You cannot maximize the grace of God available to you in Christ without possessing and walking in righteousness-consciousness.

Grace reigns through righteousness!

Paul writes, “So that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans. 5:21 NKJV).

It takes seeing yourself as righteous in Christ to appropriate the riches of God’s grace in Christ Jesus, notwithstanding your weaknesses or mistakes.

Don’t allow the devil to continue to rob you of the riches or benefits of grace through guilt and condemnation of sin.

Don’t submit to the condemnation of sin from Satan. Yield only to the conviction of sin from the Holy Spirit. Don’t continue to muse over your sins or wallow in your sins, and so give the devil an inroad to your life.

Friend, if you are under a conviction of sin, repent of it immediately, confess it to God, and receive and appropriate by faith the forgiveness of sins purchased for you by Christ with His precious blood.

John assures, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 NKJV).

You are not a sinner by your disobedience but by the disobedience of the first man, Adam. Similarly, you are not righteous by your obedience but by the obedience of the second and last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul states, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” (Romans. 5:19 NKJV).

Therefore, as a born-again believer in Christ, you are eternally righteous in God’s sight, not based on your obedience or good works, but the obedience and finished work of Jesus Christ.

Righteousness is not just a gift you have received from God; it is who you are now in Christ. Nothing can change who you are now in Christ!

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21 NKJV).

Arise today and begin thinking, praying, talking, and walking as “the righteousness of God in Christ.”

Don’t ever lose your righteousness consciousness!

 

Prayer:

My Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for making me “the righteousness of God in Christ.” My Dear Holy Spirit, teach and help me think, pray, talk, and walk as “the righteousness of God in Christ,” in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our mandate is to preserve the faith of the Apostolic Generation.

Eniyekpemi Fidelis Oyinpreyebi.

AWH, Blogs.

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THE NEW COVENANT BELIEVERS (Part 1)

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“When God speaks of a new [covenant or agreement], He makes the first one obsolete (out of use). And what is obsolete (out of use and annulled because of age) is ripe for disappearance and to be dispensed with altogether.” (Hebrews 8:13 AMP)

 

God does not deal with people arbitrarily or haphazardly, but He deals with people per His covenant with them. You will know what to expect from God if you know and understand His covenant.

God has been the same throughout the ages; however, God’s covenants and dealings with men have never been the same. The Bible teaches that there have been different dispensations or divinely ordered ways of God’s dealings with humankind throughout the ages.

A dispensation is simply a period in which God deals with humankind in a certain way. Each dispensation is based upon a specific covenant.

There was a period when God dealt with men based upon the Law, which He gave the children of Israel on Mount Sinai through Moses.

This period spanned about 1500 years, from Exodus until the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This period is called “the dispensation of the Law,” and it was based upon what is called “the Mosaic Covenant” or “the Old Covenant.”

Under the dispensation of the Law or the Old Covenant, God dealt or related with the children of Israel based on their performance, good works, or obedience to the Law of Moses.

Whenever the people of Israel obeyed the written code of the covenant, they prospered and enjoyed the blessings of the covenant.

But when they transgressed the written regulations, they came under the curse of the l received condign punishment stipulated in the book of the Law (Exo. 19, 20, 24:1-8, Lev. 26, Deut. 28).

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ marked the end, completion, or fulfillment of the dispensation of the Law or the Old Covenant. It ushered in a new dispensation, covenant, or ways of God dealing with humankind.

This is called “the dispensation of Grace” or “the New Covenant.” This new dispensation will continue until the rapture of the Church.

The writer of the Book of Hebrew states, “[Christ, the Messiah] is therefore the Negotiator and Mediator of a [entirely] new agreement (testament, covenant), so that those who are called and offered it may receive the fulfillment of the promised everlasting inheritance – since a death has taken place which rescues and delivers and redeems them from the transgressions committed under the [old] first agreement.” (Heb. 9:15 AMP).

He further explains, “When God speaks of a new [covenant or agreement], He makes the first one obsolete (out of use). And what is obsolete (out of use and annulled because of age) is ripe for disappearance and to be dispensed with altogether.” (Heb. 8:13 AMP).

Despite the Bible’s clear presentation and ample explanation of the truth that God has made the first or the Old Covenant obsolete, many believers today still strive to serve God according to the old written code (the Mosaic Law). Consequently, they miss out on the unique benefits and blessings of the New Covenant in the blood of Jesus Christ.

God is no longer dealing with humankind based on the written code or regulations of the Old Covenant. God has made the Old Covenant obsolete (put it out of use) and has established a New and Better Covenant with humankind through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The New Covenant is not an extension, elongation, or modification of the Old Covenant but an entirely new and different Covenant. Sadly, some believers and ministers of God today confuse or seek to merge these two incompatible covenants (Heb. 8:6-13).

God does not demand or expect the born-again believers to serve Him, walk with Him, relate with Him, or respond to Him according to the old written regulations or requirements of the Old Covenant He made with the Jews on Mount Sinai.

The Mosaic Law is not made for the New Testament saints. Sadly, many New Testament believers still strive to live by the Law today.

What sheer ignorance and foolishness!

Apostle Paul presents this truth in his letter to Timothy.

1 Timothy 1:9-11 – NKJV

 9 Knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

 10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,

 11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.

As a born-again believer in Christ, you have been delivered from the law, having become dead to the law through the body of Christ. Therefore, you are no longer under the law or expected to serve God in the oldness of the letter as the Old Testament saints did.

The New Covenant believers have been discharged from the Law (released from the old code of written regulations). As a believer in Christ, you are no longer a slave to the Law. You have been discharged, delivered, or released to serve God in the newness of the Spirit (Rom. 3:19, 6:14).

Therefore, Apostle Paul admonishes the believers in Rome to serve God in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

Romans 7:4-6 – AMP

4 Likewise, my brethren, you have undergone death as to the Law through the [crucified] body of Christ, so that now you may belong to Another, to Him Who was raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God.

6 But now we are discharged from the Law and have terminated all intercourse with it, having died to what once restrained and held us captive. So now we serve not under [obedience to] the old code of written regulations, but [under obedience to the promptings] of the Spirit in newness [of life].

Beloved, you are no longer under the Law as a slave if you are in Christ. Christ has freed you from the old written code and curse of the Law. Therefore, you must ensure that you stand fast in the liberty Christ has given you and allow no man to put a yoke of slavery on you again.

Paul warns the church in Galatia about the danger of becoming entangled again with the yoke of bondage (the Law).

Galatians 5:1-4 – NKJV

 1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.

 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.

 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

If Christians are not to give to God, serve God, or walk with God according to the Law, how should they give to God, serve God, or walk with God?

Find out in the second part of this piece!

Prayer:

My Dear Holy Spirit, teach and help me daily to understand better and walk deeper in the blessings and benefits of the New Covenant, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our mandates to preserve the faith of the Apostolic Generation.

Eniyekpemi Fidelis Oyinpreyebi.

AWH, Blogs.

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