Monday, January 25, 2021

What are the Laws written on our hearts? The Love of God

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Hebrews 8:10 NKJV

 We've been in an ongoing study answering the question what are the Laws God has written on our hearts or put in our hearts and minds? Tradition tells us that God has put the Ten Commandments within us. That the Church has the Mosaic Law engraved within, this is how we keep those commandments. Sisters and brothers, nothing could be further from the truth.

 In this study, we have seen how the Law is the ministry of condemnation. That the Ten Commandments are the ministry of death. God isn't putting death and condemnation within us. God brings life and Love not condemnation and death.

 So what has God placed within us? Faith, He has put Faith within our hearts. Romans 12 is clear, all believers have Faith. Faith is a Law in the same sense gravity is a law. It works every time it's used. 

 God also has placed within us the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. That is that we are now the abode of the Spirit, and we have new life in Christ. We who believe have the very life and nature of God within. 

 And finally, God has placed within us His divine Love. The very Love of Almighty God has been shed abroad in our hearts.

And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:5 MEV

 James calls the Love of God the royal law. God loves us and has put His love within us. His Love is eternal and unconditional.

 Too often when hearing about the Love of God it is shared only in the sense of how well you are loving others. How well you are not holding grudges, harboring unforgiveness, or getting into strife with others. What we need to hear is how much God unconditionally loves us. How His Love is matchless and unfailing towards us. That His Love is continually cascading over His Body, the Church, ever reminding us of His steadfast Faithfulness, mercy, kindness, and long-suffering towards us.  

 When we receive His great Love for us within it transforms our thinking. It changes our motives within. It forms and fashions more mercy and kindness than we ever thought possible. It moves us to forgive and go the extra step in goodness to others. 

 When we say the Law and commandments are not written or engraved upon our hearts traditional religion gets upset. They cry out how then will people behave or act morally? How will they live uprightly? 

 The truth is no matter how many laws you pass, no matter how many rules you create, no matter how many regulations you dictate, none empower anyone to actually fulfill those commands. They only cause the flesh to crave the wrong and resist the right. The strength of sin is the law.

 One then asks does Grace then give freedom to sin? The answer is very difficult to receive. Why? Because of the wrong thinking of religious tradition and the negative influence a fallen world has on the patterns of thought of mankind. 

 The truth is this, yes Grace does give the freedom to sin. What?! When reading this you may be incorrectly reading into what I stated. Grace gives you the freedom to sin but it doesn't shield you from the consequences of sin. What am I saying?

 Freedom isn't true freedom if you're not able to make negative decisions. Think of it, why don't you just steal your groceries from the store weekly? Is it only because theft is illegal? If so, then your true heart is that of a thief and not one of love. What if taking all the groceries you wanted without paying was suddenly legal? Would you still pay for your groceries?

 Think before you respond. If you didn't pay, the business owner, his employees, and the various food companies and their employees would be drastically affected. If you would pay regardless of what the law says then you understand the motivation of love within your heart. The love within your heart wouldn't want to afflict financial harm and undue burden and stress on others even though it wouldn't affect your life.

 The same goes for sin. God looks for sincerity. He seeks sincere relationships. He wants to know if your heart truly desires sinful deeds or does your heart long for Him and His ways of conducting your life. This is the Grace of God in action. 

 To help and bring more clarity, you as a Christian are free to commit all the sin you wish. Jesus paid the price for all your sins. God isn't going to punish Jesus for your sins and then turn around and punish you also. That would imply Jesus' work was insufficient and we know that it was.

 God isn't going to punish you for sinning. However, don't misunderstand the statement. You're free to sin, sin all you want. However, you're also free to experience all the consequences that sinful living entails. If you commit adultery, be prepared for major consequences. You will lose the dignity and trust of members of your family. You will pay immensely in divorce courts. Shame and guilt will haunt you. People will speak of you behind closed doors and your reputation will be shattered. People will never forget you're the person that cheated on their spouse. 

 Though God isn't punishing us for our sins, there are some spiritual consequences for sin. It erodes our confidence in prayer. It dulls our spiritual senses. We also shrink back from fellowship. So are we free to sin? Yes, we are free to choose relationship or rebellion. That's what makes for sincerity in Faith. Again, above all God desires sincerity and truth within our hearts and mind. 

 In summation, God has not written condemnation and death upon our hearts. He has put within us His Faith, His Love, His Spirit and given us His life within. We are a habitation of God through the Spirit. God loves us eternally and this Love within brings real transformation that produces sincerity on the part of believers. God is a Good and Loving and Faithful God. 


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Monday, January 18, 2021

What are the Laws written on our hearts: The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Hebrews 8:10 NKJV

 We've begun a new series of study, answering the question of what are the Laws God has written on our hearts. So far we've seen that the Mosaic Law is the ministry of condemnation and death. That God has not engraved death on our hearts.

 In our last study, we saw the God has written the Law of Faith on our hearts. Paul declared in Romans 10 that Faith is of the heart, not the head or mental faculties of man. He confirms that Faith is on our hearts again here

 Today we are going to look at another Law God has written on our hearts. God declared that He would write His Laws on our hearts. Laws plural not singular. 

The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus

 Paul outlines for us yet another Law of God under the New Covenant.
1. Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. Romans 8:1-2 NASB

 Remember the Law is the ministry of condemnation and death. The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ sets us free from sin and death. In Christ, we have God's Spirit and New Life. 
 
 The powerful truth of the Cross is when Christ said it is Finished, it was finished once for all time. We who believed now have the very life and new nature of Christ Jesus within. Jesus became something He never was so we could become something we've never been. 

 In the great exchange, Christ became separated, forsaken, and made sin. He took all the pain and punishment for all transgression of all humanity. He took all our punishment so we would never be punished again for our sins. He became separated and forsaken so we would never be separated or forsaken by the Father. He took our unworthiness, unrighteousness, unacceptance, and insecurity and exchanged them with His perfect Righteousness, acceptance, worthiness, and security. 

 We who believe now have His Spirit within our hearts. Our hearts are the temple of the Living God. We are the habitation of God through the Spirit. We are never alone, isolated, or apart from God, He resides within us forever and all eternity. 

 His Spirit within leads us and guides us to all truth. He guides us into the right choices and the right path to take. He doesn't lead us into sin and wickedness. His Grace teaches us, not any rule or regulation religion can conceive of. 

 We also have His life within. His life is eternal. So are we. We are eternal for we are hidden in Christ. We are therefore eternally secure in Christ. 

 As long as Christ lives is as long as we have complete salvation, and Jesus is the Alpha and Omega. He is the ever-living God. God will never fade away nor His power and might decrease. 

 We have the Spirit and Life of God written on our hearts. We are accepted and approved and eternally secure for all time. Under the Old, the Spirit would merely rest upon God's people temporarily to complete works of service. Under the New, His Spirit resides within forever. 

 In summation, we do not have the Old Covenant engraved on our hearts. God hasn't written death and condemnation within. No, He has put His Life and Spirit upon our hearts. His Life is now our life. His Spirit leads us into all truth and paths of Righteousness. He is a Good Father.


Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

Monday, January 11, 2021

What are the Laws written on our hearts? The Law of Faith

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Hebrews 8:10 NKJV

 We've begun a new study asking the question just what are the Laws God has written on our hearts. In our last study, we saw that the Law is the ministry of condemnation and death. That God is not engraving death and condemnation upon our hearts.

Today, let's begin to examine the three Laws that God has written upon the heart, the reborn spirit, the New Creation in Him. The first Law we find that God has written on our hearts is the Law of Faith. Faith is a Law. 

 This may be surprising to some but Faith is a Law. It works every time. Whenever any person puts their trust in Christ alone they are declared Righteous and made Righteous by virtue of the New Birth.

 27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. Romans 3:27-28 NKJV

 This is the Law that is written on our hearts. Not cold commandments of condemnation and death. Not demands with no power or supply to fulfill all the demands. God desires a relationship, not an obligation. 

 For further proof look at how Paul describes Faith in Romans 10. Faith is of the heart it is not emotional. It is not mere mental assent. It's of the heart, the recreated spirit man. 

 Now when we speak of Faith many believe that the opposite of Faith is fear. They preach the dangers of living and abiding in fear. While I will readily agree that fear and anxiety are not something we want to think about and fill our hearts and mind with, it's not the opposite of Faith. What is the opposite of Faith? Works and performance. 

11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.” Galatians 3:11-12 NKJV

 This masterful statement uttered by Paul through the unction of the Spirit is so life-changing. The Law is not of Faith. That means any attempt to earn, work for, strive for, perform enough for, any promise of God means you are not in Faith. You don't earn what's free, you freely receive what's free by Faith believing not striving.

 Faith is written upon our hearts. We now can trust God that what He said is true. It doesn't matter if we feel it, experience it, or see it, we know it's true because He said it. We don't have to feel Righteous, accepted, and approved. We just know we are because He said so.

 Faith says I trust you God regardless of what it looks like. Faith is released by the words we speak. Therefore don't speak fear and doubt. Agree with what God said. 

 God declared we have peace with God. So our words agree with that. God declared that we are forgiven once for all time. So our words agree with that. God declared that we are the Righteousness of God in Him. So our words agree with that. 

 Briefly, often the way growing in Faith has been taught makes it seem like a chore, like striving and never achieving. Want strong Faith? Just begin to reflect and meditate on how much God loves you. Faith works by Love, not how well you love people but by how much God Loves you. In the Love of the Father, your Faith will flourish.

 In summation, the Law written on our hearts are not commandments carved in stone. Rather they are the Laws of the New Covenant. The Law of Faith. Faith works every time. Put your trust in Him, this beautiful Gospel is so simple, God Loves you eternally. 


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Monday, January 4, 2021

What are the Laws written on our hearts?


For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Hebrews 8:10 NKJV

 Ever since the ratification of the New Covenant, there has been one question asked by many. Not the only question pertaining to the New Covenant and new life in Christ, but still a question asked often. What are the Laws God has written on our hearts? 

 Often the answer given is that the laws written on the hearts of the believer are in fact the Mosaic Laws. That the 613 commands of the Law are what God has written inwardly. Some just answer that the Ten Commandments are the Laws written on our hearts. Is this correct?

 Based on the New Covenant, I must say no. Am I right? Is this just my opinion? Let's go to the Word of God and see what God declared.

Our study text in full context lets us in on the truth. The Old Covenant is obsolete and passing away. Why would God place Laws that are fading away on our hearts?

 Paul reveals even further proof in Ephesians 2. Look at this in full context. Paul reveals something about the Old Covenant Law. 

having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. Ephesians 2:15-16 NKJV

 Why would God write Laws on hearts that have been abolished through the Cross? What profit would there be in the engraving of abolished laws within us? If God abolished the Old Covenant Law then He wouldn't put it on our hearts.

 We must also look at what Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3. This is one of the most powerful passages concerning Law vs Grace recorded in the New Covenant. Look how Paul details the Mosaic Law.

 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.  2 Corinthians 3:6-9 NKJV

 Paul declares the Mosaic Law to be the ministry of death and condemnation. God is not writing death on our hearts. God is not engraving condemnation upon our hearts. The Spirit gives life but the Letter kills. The Spirit is within our hearts, not the Letter. God has not inscribed that which kills within but that which gives life and imparts Love and His Goodness. 

 So we see from the Word, that it is NOT the Letter of the Law that has been written on our hearts. So what has been written on our hearts? Because the Ten Commandments are not written on our hearts, does that mean that we can now freely lie, cheat others, commit adultery and murder? In the next couple of articles, we will answer these questions plus more. For now, let me just say, the Life of God within wouldn't lead us to harm others. 

 In summation, we must know and be confident in the truth that God is a Good God. He wouldn't write death and condemnation on our hearts. He wouldn't engrave the abolished and obsolete on our hearts. Grace is greater than Law and that is a truth that we must never relinquish. Stay tuned, more to come on this important subject. 


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