Not under the law

"So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’" Zechariah 4,6-7 (NKJV)

2 Corinthians 5,17-18 tells that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away. And the author makes this exclamation: “Behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God.”

The day a person gives their lives to Jesus and accepts Him as their lord and savior, that person becomes united with Christ and they are ‘placed’ in Christ Jesus. They may or may not feel as if something has changed, but everything changes in that moment.

[If you’ve never made that decision, today is a good day to make Jesus the Lord of your life]

In fact, some ungodly affections, desires, dispositions may still be very alive in the person’s heart and mind after that. Furthermore, there are many things they don’t even know that they are doing wrong. But that doesn’t change the fact that they have become born again. Henceforth, we see a duality here: the old man and the new man. The old man representing the fallen nature, the sinful nature of the human being. The new man being the new creation, the spirit man born of God.

However, these two cannot rule at the same time. One has to ‘die’ for the other to live. In fact, through the Apostle Paul, God gives us this language: the old man died, crucified with Christ and now the new man lives.

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2,20 NKJV).

This is the language of the new covenant. This is the language of grace.

“When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: About sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” John 16, 8-11 (CSB)

In John 16, 8-11, Jesus is the one speaking, talking about the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit convicts of sin those who have not yet believed in the Lord Jesus. But for us who believe, the Holy Spirit convicts us of righteousness.

God does not use the law on his children. The law, that is the written rules of dos and don’ts that defined what sin is. The purpose of the law was to show human kind, that God is holy and that His standards of perfection are humanly unattainable. And what’s even more disturbing, the Bible says: “...when the commandment [of the law] came, sin sprang to life...” (Romans 7,9)

As believers, our righteousness is not the righteousness of the law but the righteousness of God that comes through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3,21-22). God has put on us His righteousness. And now, He teaches us what His righteousness looks like. This is very key! I would even say this is a key to freedom: freedom from sin.

God changes us by showing us who we are in Christ (what He has made us to be) and by complying to His way, the old man dies and the new man finds life. Our obedience and agreement with God kill our sinful nature and give way to experiencing the life of God practically.

For example, the commandment of: "You shall not steal". Instead of taking it as 'stealing is sin', as new creations we take it as 'the righteous does not steal', 'godliness does not steal'.

The Scriptures will always be relevant, even those written in the old covenant of the law. But to apply it today, we need the Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus told His disciples that because He would go and be with the Father and therefore not be around to explain everything: the Holy Spirit would do that work.

Child of God, don’t focus on sin or on your self. Or else, you’ll only see weaknesses.

Focus on God’s righteousness because your righteousness is of Him.

By being righteousness-conscious, you’ll find yourself staying away from sin.

For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

“Sin is a dethroned monarch; so you must no longer give it an opportunity to rule over your life, controlling how you live and compelling you to obey its desires and cravings. So then, refuse to answer its call to surrender your body as a tool for wickedness. Instead, passionately answer God’s call to keep yielding your body to him as one who has now experienced resurrection life! You live now for his pleasure, ready to be used for his noble purpose. Remember this: sin will not conquer you, for God already has! You are not governed by law but governed by the reign of the grace of God.” Romans 6,12-14 TPT

Hosea 14,8