The phrase, ‘We are not under the Law, but under grace,’ has been often used as an excuse to live unrighteously. By declaring that Jesus nailed the Old Testament Law to the cross, there are those that have chosen to interpret the meaning to suggest that there are no longer consequences for our behavior. Such thinking is not only unbiblical, it is delusional.

Ephesians 2:15 says, ‘Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances…’
And in another passage Paul states in…
Colossians 2:14 ‘Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.’

It is clear that the ‘law of commandments contained in the ordinances,’ was nailed to the cross. But what were these ordinances?

Simply put, I believe that all those applications in the Law that specifically referred to the Jews are gone; no longer to be held over us as expectations. These would include the feasts and the offerings, the circumcision and the dress regulations. All that would put a distinction between the Jew and the Gentile were done away when Jesus died on the cross.

With the ordinances out of the way, does that mean, therefore, that we can now live however we like? I think the answer to that is found in the issuance of the Law. In several places, God said that He put His Law in our hearts (Rom. 2:15). This Law refers to His moral law. We are still commanded not to kill and not to lie. They do not become a judgment against us regarding our eternity, for all our sins were done away with in His blood. They are a guide to help us live our lives righteously.

The truth is, the more we learn of Christ, and submit ourselves to Him, the less reminders we need of the moral law. If I have the love of Christ in my heart, I am not going to be plotting someone’s death. Therefore, I am not subject to the law of ‘Thou shalt not kill.’

Paul wrote Timothy with a similar explanation in…

1 Timothy 1:9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

The law is not necessary for someone living righteously; it is made for the disobedient.
We can either choose to live in freedom from the law, or painfully weighed beneath its oppressive weight. The choice is ours.

Peter and John were heading to the Temple to pray, and a man who had been lame since birth met them and asked their help. Peter called upon the name of Jesus Christ and the lame man stood up and walked. So dramatic was his healing, it caught the attention of all those around. Before long a crowd had gathered to see the man who could now walk.

Peter seized the opportunity and began preaching to them. His message was fresh, passionate, and powerful. Many of the Jews listening to him chose to believe him, realizing their own sinful condition and need for a Savior. So great was the response, however, it drew the attention of the religious leaders who were not believers in Jesus. When they recognized the impact Peter and John were making among the people, they gathered support and took them away. The account is given in…

Acts 4:1 And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,

They arrested Peter and John and kept them overnight waiting for a hearing the next day. They were given a chance to defend themselves, at which time Peter and John preached to them the same message of salvation in Jesus as the Messiah. Their unexpected boldness caught them off guard. They threatened them, charged them to refrain from any more preaching in Jesus’ name, and let them go, obviously unaware of their determination.

A fire had been ignited. The Gospel of Jesus Christ had found its way into the light and it would never be extinguished. The coming days would bring far more intense persecutions and attempts to silence them, but the church that was being established just kept growing. Amazingly, it seemed the harder the religious leaders tried to end the ministry of Jesus, the more it expanded.

When Peter and John spoke to the gathered crowd following the healing of the lame man, it wasn’t long before they were arrested. They could have been discouraged, thinking that all of their efforts had made no effect. They had seen the hardness in the eyes of many in the crowd. That hardness was like stone in those who arrived to arrest them. Standing before the high priest, they came face to face with their opposition. However, the narrative continues in…

Acts 4:4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.

In spite of their efforts to silence Peter and John, many believed. How encouraging. What a challenge that should be to each of us. Just because we don’t immediately see results from our efforts to share Christ, we should not quit, but just keep sharing.

We never know but what that many are actually believing the message and coming to Christ because we shared the Good News with them.

When Paul came to a new city or village, his intention was to share the message of Christ with the lost, and encourage believers. Of course, the Scriptures give tribute to Paul’s amazing successes. In towns throughout the Roman world, Paul won folks to Christ and started churches. The man who had initially tried to arrest Christians, and see them put to death, now put his own life on the line to spread the Good News.

In Paul’s day, and in every generation since, there have been evil men who got involved in ministry with carnal motives. For many, the following that Paul enjoyed became envied and sought after. It looked so alluring to have so many people seek Paul out for spiritual counsel and help. They longed to experience that kind of following for themselves, and were willing to do anything to get it.

There were men who would do practically anything to attract a crowd. The depths that were explored by some, simply to gather a following were appalling at best, and wickedly sinful at the worst. Some men pretended to exercise great power from God. There were those who faked miracles simply to create excitement.

Churches would be built by such tactics, and the deceptive leaders could continue their charade for some time; that is, until it became obvious that their motives were selfish, and the real needs of the people were not being met.

Over and over again, such ministries began to implode when it became obvious that the church was there for the leader, instead of the other way around. When the average church member felt like he could get no attention from its leaders, the church was in danger.

Paul knew well of churches like these; ones whose leadership were in it for what they could get out of it. Whether for fame or fortune, their intentions were not honorable, and eventually God could no longer bless the work. Whether a ministry was begun with improper motives, or eventually slid in that direction, the end result was always the same; God would remove His hand and the church would begin to falter.

Paul reminded the church at Thessalonica that he came to them with a pure heart, and with godly intentions. His goal was to share Christ with them, and see them grow in their walk with Him, and their witness to others. He did not come with any selfish overtones or desire for fame. He wrote in…

1 Thessalonians 2:5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:

No flattering words, and no covetousness in his heart; that was the testimony Paul had left there, and at each of the churches he had a part in starting.

Such a testimony is good for each of us as we seek to minister to others for Christ.

Jesus brought to the people a miracle working power that had not existed in Israel for over 400 years. In Jesus was the perfect fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies taught about the coming of the Messiah. This had to be the Christ, the Son of God, they marveled. No other could perform the mighty works that follow Him. No other voice could expound the Scriptures other than the One spoken of in so many places in God’s Word. The common people were willing to believe that this is Christ indeed.

However, because His primary energies were not spent in freeing them from the Romans, the religious elite decided this could not be He. This Jesus must be an imposter, and from then on, they worked tirelessly to discredit everything He did.

Because Jesus failed them politically, they envied all of His successes, and tried to convince the people to reject Him. Their efforts were highly effective, sadly. However, there were some who believed in spite of their best efforts. It was the faith of those who chose to believe in Jesus because of what they saw in Him, ignoring the detracting voices of the religious leaders, that became the powerful catalyst for the establishment of the New Testament church.

When one’s faith stood the challenge of controversy or criticism, it became a powerful force of influence to others. It is to that kind of faith that we are dared to aspire; the kind of faith that is visible and unshakable. It is the kind of faith demonstrated by the friends of a man with a physical weakness who could not walk.

A man ‘sick of the palsy’ had friends who learned that Jesus the Healer would be within walking distance. They were so convinced Jesus could help their friend; they carried him in a bed of sorts to where Jesus was. When they arrived, Jesus was thronged by people, making it impossible to get near Him. Instead of being discouraged, the men carried their friend to the roof, opened a hole in the roof, and let the man down to where Jesus was.

Jesus’ response is given in…

Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

Jesus not only forgave the man’s sins, but later completely healed him, with the lame man walking out whole. Notice, the passage clearly states that it was when Jesus saw their faith that He forgave and healed him. Powerful things happen when faith can be seen.

Believing the truths of God’s Word in our hearts is vital to our spiritual walk, however, if we want to see God’s power, our faith must be visible. We must take outward steps of faith, actually taking God at His Word.

Let’s let Jesus and the world around us SEE our faith.