Should A Christian Keep The Law? (Pt. 1) Series

Today we will tackle the question: Should a Christian Keep the Law? The answer to that question significantly affects the way we live our Christian lives. If I read the Bible with a legalistic mindset, I will live under the bondage of the law—a perpetual effort to measure up and always coming short. That’s why Paul told the Galatians to not be entangled again in the yoke of bondage (Gal. 5:1). He was warning against bondage to legalism. On the other hand, if I read the Bible with an antinomian mindset,i I will indulge in sin that brings me into bondage. Jesus warned against that in John 8:34 when He said, “whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.”ii No one can persistently violate the moral boundaries established in the New Testament and remain free. In contrast to both those errors, a biblical mindset produces freedom in a person’s life. Our behavior is driven by how we are thinking.

There is a lot of confusion about this subject in the Body of Christ. We are paying the price for not adequately teaching on this subject. Some are falling into error by rejecting law altogether. Others are falling into error by coming under ceremonial law that was fulfilled in Christ at His first Advent. In his book, The Chaos of Cults, Van Baalen said “the cults are the unpaid bills of the church.”iii People are going into error because we have not effectively taught them the truth from Scripture. The truth is our best defense against error.

Rather than running behind confused and deceived people, trying to correct them, we need to get ahead of the problem and establish people in truth so that they are fortified against error. Many of our pastors have lost sight of this responsibility. We become so focused on numbers and budgets that we fail to see what’s happening in this regard. In recent years I have had pastors tell me they are not interested in doctrine. They simply want to get people born again and let them figure out the rest. If the apostles had taken that attitude, we would not have the New Testament.

The Great Commission is not to just get people born again and into a church building. The born-again experience is essential (John 3:7). But the Great Commission includes teaching: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you . . .” (Matt. 28:19-20). Paul told Pastor Timothy, “Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (1 Tim. 4:13). He went on to say, “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine . . .” (1 Tim. 4:16).

I recently attended a “Bible Study” in a traditional Pentecostal church in which not one scripture was mentioned except the one I quoted during the discussion. Thinking that was probably not typical, I attended another such meeting and the same thing happened. People were not being taught “doctrine.” They were not being taught Scripture. They were being taught how to live the American dream, and the attendance was good. But they are not being equipped to deal with Satan’s strategies of deception.

Another reason this subject has not been adequately addressed is that it takes a comprehensive study of the New Testament to answer the question fully. People often want a quick proof text that gives an answer without much prayer and study. But the question cannot be answered that easily. When you consider the difficulty that the apostles had with this subject, you realize the challenge we face in clearly articulating how this works in the New Covenant. Fortunately, this issue was a major point of controversy in the early church. Therefore, we have a lot of information in Scripture to draw upon in answering our question. To answer it comprehensively could easily entail a semester-long seminary course. We cannot deal with the matter that thoroughly. However, considering the amount of confusion on the subject, we will put forth a few key principles that will help us rightly divide the word of truth on this matter.iv We will deal with two of those today, then finish next week.

PRINCIPLE #1: Jesus established a NEW covenant at His first Advent.

He did not simply patch and revise the old covenant. Luke 5:36-39 says, “Then He [Jesus] spoke a parable to them: ‘No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. 39 And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'”v