You'd think with the evil in our world, with the rampant hatred and mocking of God and those who follow God, with abundant cults, with the atheism and secular world we live in, Christians could find better targets to attack than the act of obeying God's commandments. I'm going to have to try real hard to write this post in love rather than the outrage I'm feeling.
The Law says "restraint!", the gospel says "liberty!"
"The Law shuts the mouth of the very best men, grace opens the mouth of the very worse of men"
Grace delivers us from the Law
The Law is bondage, from which Christ set us free
Grace vs. Works
Grace and Love vs. You Shall and Shall Not
Law and Gospel - Bad News and Good News
Law vs. Faith and Love
Persecution from Legalists, Falling Away from the Faith
Departing from the Faith - turning to Legalism
From Law to Faith
Walking by the Spirit, Not a List of Rules
No Condemnation: Christ has set us free!
Merely skimming these leads one to believe that God's commandments are...
- opposite the liberty of Messiah
- what silences righteous men
- something Messiah delivered us from
- slavery
- opposite of grace
- opposite of love
- nothing but a list of "shall's" and "shall not's"
- bad news
- something that makes you fall away from the faith
- legalism
- abolished
- opposed to faith
- just a bunch of rules
- against the Spirit
Now, I realize some of these things folks aren't really meaning to say, or perhaps are taken out of context. I acknowledge that the folks that posted these things don't actually believe God's commandments are legalism, opposite of love, opposite of grace, etc. At least, I sure hope folks don't believe that. I sure hope we haven't veered off the road that far.
Nonetheless, I'm saddened by seeing folks downplay the importance of God's commandments, something Jesus himself followed, something the apostles followed, something that God created as an eternal, everlasting covenant for His people, which gentiles are now grafted into through Messiah.
Gary, Joel, am I mis-characterizing you guys? Please understand this is what it looks like to the casual observer: "Jesus abolished the Law and we're free in Christ from that slavery; Christ got rid of all that and replaced it with grace and faith." That's what I take away from your posts. Am I misreading this?