Believer, never allow anyone to
bring you into bondage again. Having been redeemed by the
blood of Christ, and hating your conscience purged from the guilt of sin by the
application of Christ's blood to your heart, YOU ARE ENTIRELY, COMPLETELY
FREE FROM THE LAW. You owed the law of God a life of perfect,
righteousness. Do you trust Christ? He is "the Lord our
Righteousness". By his obedience to God as your Representative, Christ did
what you could never do.
He magnified the law and made it honorable in his
life. That righteous life God imputes to you. YOU ARE PERFECTLY RIGHTEOUS IN
CHRIST. You also owed the law death. Had you died, your death must have
been eternal, because you could never satisfy the law's infinite justice. But
Christ, the God-man, died as your Substitute, bearing your sin; and, by his one
sacrifice for sin, he satisfied the very justice of God. So far as God's law is
concerned, you are a dead man. The law has no claim upon you. YOU DIED IN
CHRIST. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in
Christ Jesus!" It would be as foolish for you to try to obey the law for
yourself, as it would for you to try to atone for your own sins. (Rom.
Someone will come along and try to trick you. He will
say, "Well, if you do not live by the law of
Moses, you're an antinomian. You believe every man should do that which is
right in his own eyes." If you wish to be polite to the legalist (I do not
suggest that you should be.), you may reply, "No, my friend, WE HAVE A
LAW TO LIVE BY. Our Lord commanded us to LOVE ONE ANOTHER. That is
our law." Then the poor bondman will argue, "But love is a nebulous
law. You still must live by the rule of the ten commandments." If your patience
is not worn out, you might want to answer that objection too. "Love is not
nebulous at all. We have CHRIST AS OUR EXAMPLE. He has shown us exactly
how to love. Christ is the Pattern we copy and the Example we follow. I am
quite sure that I am safe following my Lord."