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GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION

How does Faith Establish the Law? (Romans 3:31)

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The Bible makes some interesting comparisons between faith and law: We are justified by FAITH, not by LAW (Rom 3:28, Gal 2:16) Abraham and his heirs are blessed on account of FAITH, not LAW (Rom 4:13-14) You can live by FAITH or LAW (Rom 4:14) No one who relies on the LAW is justified for the righteous live by FAITH (Gal 3:11) The LAW is not of FAITH (Gal 3:12) Summary: You can live by faith or law but not both. It’s one or the other. But what about this… Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law. (Rom 3:31, KJV) The scriptures declare again and again that faith has nothing in common with law, and living under one nullifies the other. So what is Paul saying here? Is he contradicting himself when he says faith establishes the law? Here’s the same verse in another translation: Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law. (Rom 3:31 , NASB) Like most grace preachers, Paul was slandered as someone who spoke against the law. He was labeled with the dreaded A-word: antinomian, meaning [...]

610. Gentiles: Never Given the Law; Jews: Do the Law or Die (No Doer Found)

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It comes as a surprise to many Christians who have spent years in church - those of us non-Jewish people (Gentiles) were never considered to be under the Mosaic law. Never. None of it. Not the dietary rules, the sacrificial statutes, or the moral laws. Only Israel had been placed under that law in the Old Covenant, before the sacrifice of Christ. The law brought a curse for those under it - they were required to do it… all of it. Under that covenant, only a doer of the law could be justified. The problem? Nobody had ever done it until Jesus came along and fulfilled the law on our behalf. A New Covenant would be established, where righteousness would be received through faith, apart from the works of the law. Gentiles who were without the law and had no covenant would be gifted with the invitation to enter into this everlasting covenant of life. We died with Christ and have been raised to walk in newness of life.



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606. Faithfulness

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As believers in Jesus Christ, it’s natural to have a desire to be faithful. But our ability to perform may not always be as consistent as we desire. Whereas the Old Covenant was centered on the faithfulness and obedience of the people and their (in)ability to abide by all the commandments and rules under the law, the focus of New Covenant is highlighted in the faithfulness of God. This faithfulness is centered on the obedience of Christ, which will never fail. He is the completion of our forgiveness, our hope, our life, righteousness, sanctification, and so much more. Even when our faithfulness towards Him waivers, His dedication and faithfulness towards us remains forever.



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Law Verses Grace – Which One Gets You Further?

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It’s not until we come to the end of ourself and our own self effort that we begin to see that only in and through Jesus (the person of grace) can we live a life of holiness! In fact, when we determine to live only in and through Him we will naturally find ourselves obeying […]

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The Three Uses of the Law

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This is a pretty special year. If you hadn’t heard, 2017 is the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The key date if you’re thinking of popping champagne is 31 October. It was on that date in 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg. Actually, forget the champagne. Get a hammer and nail something to the door of your church. Your pastor will totally get the symbolism. The Reformation that Luther and others started led to a whole new way of thinking about God, church, and the proper use of the law. In the Formula of Concord, the Lutheran Statement of Faith, the three uses of the law are summarized as follows: The Law was given to men so that (1) men may have knowledge of their sins, (2) wild men might be restrained, and (3) after they are regenerate they might have a fixed rule to live by. According to the Reformers, the law is a mirror, a restraint, and a guide. Since this is the quincentennial anniversary of the Reformation, it is a good occasion for us to discuss these three purposes. Is the law a mirror? Yes. [...]

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A Different Kind Of New Year’s Resolution

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I’ve met some people who really like to make New Year’s Resolutions and some who say, “Nah, that’s not really my thing.” With this being the last day of the year, I was thinking this morning about how my New Year’s Resolution list would look different now, under grace, from how it used to look. […]

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571. The Old Commands Were Weak, Useless and Now Obsolete

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When it comes to Christianity, religious institutions seem to be unable to resist the temptation to mix Jewish law with the good news message of the gospel. The combination of law and grace embedded in church doctrine has caused many believers to wallow around in sin and guilt. Jesus came to deliver us from the ministry of the letter with its commandments that brought death and condemnation, and He transferred us into the New Covenant ministry of the Spirit.



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570. The New Way: “I Will Remember Their Sins No More”

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The ministry of the law from the Old Covenant given to Israel brought a sin consciousness and a constant reminder of sins. The New Covenant would contrast that, with sin being taken away by the blood of Jesus, so that God would remember sins no more. The old way was made obsolete after the sacrifice of Christ, and would begin to disappear in the lives of new Jewish believers as they would grow in their understanding of this finished work.



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569. Are the 10 Commandments Written on Our Hearts?

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In reference to the New Covenant, you may have been told that God would put his law, commandments and statutes in our minds and write them on our hearts. However, in the same passage, God declared the New Covenant would not be like the one made with Israel when they were delivered out of Egypt. Since the old law brought death, condemnation and increased sin, why would God choose to write it on our hearts, since it could not provide life or righteousness to us? There was a change of law with the new priesthood of Jesus Christ, and it brought a new heart to us with a new ministry that would far surpass the old way.



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569. Are the 10 Commandments Written on Our Hearts?

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In reference to the New Covenant, you may have been told that God would put his law, commandments and statutes in our minds and write them on our hearts. However, in the same passage, God declared the New Covenant would not be like the one made with Israel when they were delivered out of Egypt. Since the old law brought death, condemnation and increased sin, why would God choose to write it on our hearts, since it could not provide life or righteousness to us? There was a change of law with the new priesthood of Jesus Christ, and it brought a new heart to us with a new ministry that would far surpass the old way.



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Is Your Christianity Working For You?

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Here’s my message from my first speaking engagement at the 2016 God’s Girls Conference, at Victory Church in Pevely, MO. A huge thank you to Victory Church for recording this message and allowing me to share it! About 4 years ago I had to come to terms with the fact that, although I had tried […]

The post Is Your Christianity Working For You? appeared first on Sandra McCollom.

Is Your Christianity Working For You?

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Here’s my message from my first speaking engagement at the 2016 God’s Girls Conference, at Victory Church in Pevely, MO. A huge thank you to Victory Church for recording this message and allowing me to share it! About 4 years ago I had to come to terms with the fact that, although I had tried […]

The post Is Your Christianity Working For You? appeared first on Sandra McCollom.

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