The Investigation: The Two-Headed Lie
The enemy has circulated two primary lies regarding the Law of God to keep the believer in bondage:
- The Legalist Lie: “You must keep the Law to maintain your standing with God.” (This denies the finished work of Christ).
- The Antinomian Lie: “Because I am under grace, the moral Law of God no longer matters.” (This denies the holiness of God).
Exhibit A: The Purpose of the Mirror
The Law was never intended to be a ladder to heaven; it was intended to be a mirror to show us our filth.
“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20)
The Lie: If you try hard enough, the Law can save you. The Truth: The Law was given to shut your mouth and show you your need for a Savior. It is a “schoolmaster” to bring us unto Christ (Galatians 3:24).
Exhibit B: The Lie of “Lawless Liberty”
A modern deception suggests that because we are “not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14), we are free to disregard God’s moral standards. This is a perversion of the Word.
- The Exposure: Paul anticipates this very lie: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.” (Romans 6:1-2).
- The Verdict: Grace does not abolish the Law; it fulfills the Law within us. Christ said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Matthew 5:17).
Exhibit C: The Distinction of “Handwriting”
To expose the lie that we must still offer sacrifices or follow Jewish dietary customs, we look at the “forensic” evidence of the Cross.
“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.” (Colossians 2:14)
The Ceremonial Law (the shadows of things to come) was nailed to the Cross because the Substance (Christ) arrived. However, the Moral Law (the nature of God) remains the standard for holy living.
The Forensic Verdict: The Law in the Heart
The ultimate exposure of the lie is found in the New Covenant. The lie says the Law is gone. The Truth says the Law has been moved.
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts.” (Hebrews 8:10)
The believer does not keep the Law to get life; the believer keeps the Law because they have life. Any teaching that suggests a Christian can live in habitual, unrepentant violation of God’s moral Law while claiming “Grace” is a lie from the pit.