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The Freedom of The Law

Words of Faith Final

The Freedom of The Law
Words of Faith 8-3-2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2021
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Romans 3
 [29] Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, [30] since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. [31] Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

      To the legalist, this "justification by faith" seems to toss the Law aside altogether.   If people throw aside all restraint and indulge in all liberality, where will we be?  But that is not what justification by faith is about at all.
      First, by trusting in Christ and His work, we actually see the Law fulfilled.  We see genuine righteousness fulfilled in Him.  The Law is not nullified; it is fulfilled.  The requirements are not set aside; they are completed.  Such completion would never be possible by human effort.
      Second, this righteousness is extended and available not just to Jews but to Gentiles as well. The Lord is God of both Jew and Gentile.  Before, the Law was only for the covenant people.  So the Law is actually extended and fulfilled in the whole earth.
      Finally, the basic observance of law is not nullified; it simply is no longer our hope for salvation since it was never able to provide salvation.  The basic observance of the Law-- to love God with all our heart mind, soul and strength, to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to live within the ten commands of God-- these basic observances remain but for a completely different motivation.
      We observe the Law not to be justified but because we are justified.  We observe the Law because God changes the desire of our hearts.  We observe the Law because we are born again by His Spirit.  The Law is not an obligation; it is a freedom.  We are set free to live in freedom from sin within the Law.  What could be more free?

      When we are justified by faith, we are set free to love God and walk in close fellowship with Him.  When we are close to God, we are far from sin, and the Law becomes a distant boundary. Rather than walking near the edge of the cliff, debating how close we can get to sin without falling over the edge, we walk as far from the cliff as we can. We only know from a distance the boundaries that God has set.  
      Because of the freedom of the Law, we do not worry whether we might murder because we are set free to love without reservation.  We do not struggle with idolatry because we are set free to walk with the One true God.  It does not occur to us to steal because we are so thankful for His provision in our lives.  We do not wrestle with lies because we rejoice in the truth.  We do not resist Sabbath because we are eager to spend time with God and trust in His provision.  We do not flirt with impurity because we take such joy in the right and pure relationships He has provided.  We do not take the Lord's name in empty ways because we honor and revere Him in every way. We do not dishonor our parents because we are set free to treasure our days with them.  We do not covet anything but the truth and a closer walk with Him.  
     This is the Freedom of the Law.  Once we are justified by His grace received by faith, we are free to walk according to His ways.

         Lord, thank you for justifying me.  Thank You for setting me free to walk with You.  Thank You for setting me free from sin and death. Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2021 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.