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Tares, Wheat and Lawlessness — 2 Comments

  1. Acts 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

    ALL who believe in Jesus are justified from ALL things. The Law cannot and could not justify anyone.

    Romans 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

    The Law speaks to those who are UNDER it. The Law stops the mouths of people. Whether it is the self righteous who thinks they are obeying it or it is the other who thinks what they are doing is not wrong. The Law says to the self righteous, “You think you don’t sin? You think you are holy. Well, look at all these sins you do. Not so holy now are you?” To the other it says, “These are the sins you are doing. The penalty is death.” To both it says, “You are guilty.” The Law leaves a person quiet and silenced. The self righteous cannot boast about how holy they are, for the Law shows they are not. The others cannot declare they do not sin, for the Law declares it to them. It leaves people silenced, their mouths stopped. They cannot say anything. The self righteous cannot say, “Oh, but I’m so holy!” and the others cannot say, “Oh, but I have not sinned!” If a person is in either place, they have not been smacked with the Law. They either think they are holy or they think what they do is not sin or they are not sinners. Both are bad. 

    Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

    Nobody will be justified by the keeping of the Law. The reason is because the Law does not expose our good side but our bad. It exposes our sin. It exposes our shame.

    “I am so glad I am not like all those other Christians. I do not lie. I do not cheat. I honor my parents. I obey the Law.” No, such who think that way only think they obey the Law. The Law, if they looked at it honestly, would show them the sins they do. “True, you may not do those things, but you commit adultery. You stole from your boss the other day. You coveted your neighbor’s pet rock. You are not as holy as you think you are.” Sad fact is some actually think the Law makes or will make them look righteous before God.

    “Do you know why I pulled you over?”
    “Why?”
    “You were speeding.”
    “Well, but the other day I stopped at a stop sign. Aren’t I wonderful officer?”
    “You still broke the law.”
    “But just a bit ago I used my blinker.”
    “You still broke the law.  You will get a ticket.”
    “Officer, I will obey the Law from now on. I’m sorry.”
    “You will still get a ticket.”

    Further let’s be honest. There is not one person out there who claims to obey the Law who actually does or let alone even can. Not one of us can or does. Some think that lawless refers to only “all those sinful Christians out there who don’t obey the Law unlike me.” They have not considered it can refer to those self righteous Christians who THINK they are keeping the Law.

    The Pharisees were that way. They thought they were the perfect keepers of the Law, but it was to them that John the Baptist said to repent. If repent means to keep the Law, then that was a stupid thing for him to say to them. Further is this interesting remark from Jesus:

    Matthew 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

    The Scribes and Pharisees did their best to obey and keep the Law to the t. Yet Jesus said that the same would not go into the Kingdom of Heaven themselves. One would think that if the keeping of the Law was required, that Jesus would have not said that. It is at the very least something to think about.

    Jesus said once

    Matthew 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

    This is scary. Jesus didn’t say that if our righteousness is as good or almost as good as the righteousness of the scribe sand the Pharisees, we will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. No, but it must EXCEED it. That is frightening because the Pharisees and other religious leaders did their best to obey the Law to the T. Even then as seen earlier, Jesus told the same they would not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus’ preaching of the Law was not to get people to think obeying it would save them or keep them saved but to show that such is impossible. Jesus did say that in regards to salvation that it is impossible for men. He did not say, “Yeh, you can. Just obey the Law.” He did not give any of us a slight chance.

    Matthew 19:25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

    26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

    Disciples: Jesus, wow! You can be saved?
    Jesus: This is not possible for men, but with God all things are.

    Yet some rather teach that Jesus lied. It is possible for men. All they have to do is keep the Law.

    Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

    The righteousness of God WITHOUT the Law. Not the righteousness of God found within the keeping of the Law.

    Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

    We are justified by FAITH WITHOUT the deeds of the Law. The Law cannot justify anyone. How can it when it just exposes how sinful a person is?

    “I shall stand before God and show Him how holy I am and how I kept the Law!” That person will stand before God be judged by the Law and be found guilty. That is what will happen to all who try to be justified by the Law before God. It is far better to humble ourselves now and admit that we cannot keep the Law, and Jesus is our ONLY hope for salvation vs to think that our keeping of the Law will save us and one day be humiliated and shocked. Humiliated because we thought we were so righteous only to be shown how sinful we really were. Shocked because, “But all those other bad Christians!” News flash. Those who look down on other Christians they think are sinners, you sin too. Only difference is that you, for those who think that way, just do not think you do.  You are deceived. You are blind. I once was that way. I did not realize what a self righteous arrogant snot I was being. Thinking I was keeping the Law? What a joke. What an absolutely joke. It’s time to be honest with ourselves.

    Granted we should not just sin just because we are not under the Law. No, but we need to be honest that we still sin. Does that mean we want to? No, but it is truth. So we should not look down on others as being sinners when we are no better ourselves. Some seem to have this idea that heaven is a reward for good behavior. It’s not. Good thing of NONE of us would get in.

    Romans 7:Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

    2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

    3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

    4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

    We are to be married to Jesus not to the Law. The Law is not our husband. It is not our Savior.

    Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

    4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

    If we go about trying to establish our own righteousness, we have not submitted ourselves unto God’s righteousness. Christ is the END of the Law for RIGHTEOUSNESS to EVERYONE to BELIEVETH. It does not say Christ is the beginning of the Law for righteousness to only a few individuals.

    Truth of the matter is some people WANT it to be about keeping the Law so they can feel superior and puffed up and can boast. In other cases people are just believing what they been taught and are not looking into it for themselves.

    1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

    The STRENGTH of SIN is the Law. It does not say that the weakness of sin is the Law or even hints that the Law in some way destroys or diminishes sin.

    Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

    We are NOT justified by the works of the Law but by the FAITH of Jesus Christ. By the works of the law shall NO FLESH be justified. NO FLESH. NO ONE. The Law justifies NO ONE.

    Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

    If we could be made righteous through the obedience to the Law, then Christ died in vain. His death was pointless a waste of time. Why bother dying if all we have to do is just obey the Law?

    Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

    NO MAN is justified by the Law in the sight of God.

    Galatians 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

    The implication is that righteousness and life CANNOT come through the law contrary to what some are led to believe.

    22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

    23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

    BEFORE faith came, we were kept under the Law.

    24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

    The Law was our school master. Why for? To BRING us to Christ so we might be justified by FAITh. Not to bring us to trying to keep the Law to try to be justified by WORKS.

    25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

    AFTER we have placed our faith in Jesus, after faith is come, we are no longer under a school master. We are no longer under the Law.

    26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

    We are ALL the children of God NOT by our keeping of the Law but by FAITH in Christ Jesus.

    Galatians 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

    It is either Jesus or the Law. One or the other. Pick the Law to attempt to be justified and Jesus is of NO EFFECT to a person. It is not Jesus + the Law. It is Jesus OR the Law. Choose wisely.

    Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

    Interesting. “Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law.” So in other words our own righteousness or self righteousness is of the Law. The righteousness of God is by faith in Jesus Christ.

    Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

    ALL of OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSES are as filthy rags. Therefore, the keeping of the Law is self righteousness or our own righteousness. ALL our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. So the keeping of the law is self righteousness and ALL of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Do tell how exactly that is going to make anyone righteous before God?

    James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

    11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

    To be saved by the Law a person MUST keep it PERFECTLY from the first day they are born to their last breath. That is something no one has ever done or ever can do…except for Jesus. Now either we will accept what He did on our behalf or we will try to do it ourselves. One is a wise choice. The other is a foolish choice.

    One SIN, just ONE offense, and that person is guilty of ALL. Who amongst us has not offended even just once? Further that person if he/she may not lie, BUT he/she covets is still a sinner. They are not righteous because they keep ONE part but not the other. It does NOT work that way.

    The Law CANNOT save anyone. It CANNOT keep anyone saved. There is NO HOPE for any of us to be found in the Law.

    Our hope is built on NOTHING less than Jesus’ Blood and righteousness.