...turning the grace
of our God into licentiousness. – Jud 1:4
There’s a marked distinction between living
under the Old Testament and under the New that we have to be aware of. Under
the Old, holy living is legislated from the outside in; that’s why it is full
of rules, instructions and regulations. How to dress, how not to dress, what to eat, what not
to eat… in fact, it had over 600 regulations that aimed to cover just about
every aspect of life.
The New Testament functions under a different
paradigm. Prophesying about the New Covenant, Jeremiah said, “And they shall teach no more every man his
neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all
know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them.” (Jer 31:34).
But even though it’s not New Testament practice
to legislate morality, many churches and Pastors today still find it necessary
to put in place some form of regulation in order to keep certain excesses in
check.
But the truth is, the Newman in Christ is not
controlled from the outside with rules; rather he or she is led from the inside
by the Holy Spirit. Rom 8:14 says, “For
as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
Controlling people from the outside will only lead to LEGALISM, which results
in bondage and back to the Old Covenant that Christ liberated us from.
Unfortunately, not all Believers yield to that
said inward controlling of the Spirit. Just like in the early Church, some
Believers interpret this newfound liberty as opportunity to live, dress and
drink as they want. This is what the Bible calls licentiousness – using God’s
grace as excuse to live unchecked.
This balance is what the Believer has to keep
continually. We’re free from legalism > we have full liberty in Christ >
but liberty does not mean licentiousness. That’s the balancing formula.
AMEN.
More Blessings await
you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.
GREG ELKAN
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