Sister Liane.
Sinning is not just an act. Since the fall, sin is part of us, we were born in sin as sin is in the flesh (Romans 7:17,20). This sin comes alive and appeared by the law (Romans 7:7,9,13), as without the law sin was dead (Romans 7:, and will not be imputed if there is no law (Romans 5:13).
This sin is not our fault as we inherit that from Adam, and God can not condemn us because of this. But this sin disqualified us for heaven, as we will always remain a sinner in this flesh. Jesus said “ That which is born of the flesh is flesh” (John 3:6), and Paul said “ That flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.” (I Corinthians 15:50). That means a man can never reach sinless perfection in this flesh as it is corrupted by sin, weakened by the desires of the flesh. If sinless perfection can be performed in this flesh, we don’t need to be changed in a glorious incorruptible body at Christ Second Advent and can enter heaven to continue a sinless perfected life there. But as we must experience a change of flesh to a glorious incorruptible flesh, that indicate we are sinner and remain a sinner, and we will sin again in heaven if we are not changed.
We can never have life by keeping the law because of the weakness of the flesh (Romans 8:3), we can never be righteous by keeping the law and claim our eternal life with that. God must do that for us through Christ, so that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who live after the Spirit, so that we might have a holy life (Romans 8:4) as long as we never sinned. But that is impossible (I John 1:8,10), and the NT said that a man could never stand righteous before the law, except by his faith in Christ (Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:16; 3:11).
So, in order to be saved and inherit eternal life, the law must disappear and have no function for believer in Christ, otherwise the law will always condemn us to dead. And if there is no law, sin will not be imputed. This is saved by God grace, He gives us life even we don’t deserve that. But He can’t ask us to keep His law that condemn us while saving us by His grace. This is against each other. One of it must go.
And as it is a fact that sin is part of us, that we can never reach sinless perfection (only Christ can do that) and must be changed in order to enter heaven; then the only other way so that we will not stand under a constant condemnation is by making the law of no effect for us. That is the only solution. So that salvation is by grace, as we who are saved are sinners in the real meaning.
But our faith can not abolish the law as we have no right. Only Christ can do that. And He did it on the cross with His dead. As the law is only for the Jews and will comes to an end at John’s time (at the cross). It comes to an end because Christ has ended it.
Luke 16:16 - The law and the prophets were until John; since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
Romans 10:4 – For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
The preaching of the kingdom of God is the preaching of the gospel of Christ, which is the preaching of salvation by God grace through faith in Jesus Christ. That righteousness could never be reached by keeping the law (Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:16; 3:11) and by that giving life (Galatians 3:21), instead by keeping it everybody will die as all will always be sinners before the law. But righteousness now comes by faith in Christ and with that life. Even though no one is righteous before the law, but all who believe will be saved.
That is why the law has no effect and no meaning for a believer, as a believer is already dead to the law. Romans 7:4 “ Wherefore my brethern, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ……” and Romans 7:6 “ But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held;” and Galatians 2:19 “ For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.”
The written law has no bounds whatsoever to a believer that remain in Christ by his faith. The law can not instruct and judge a believer because the law can not ask and judge a dead man. A believer is dead to the law. A believer no longer keep the written law (the Torah or the 10 Cs), but living a life after the Spirit (Romans 7:6), which is a life controlled and ruled by the Spirit in us. Philippians 2:13 “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”
How could you say “if we sin today, the law stands to condemn us” while believing in Christ and knowing that “in Christ there is no condemnation” (Romans 8:1)? You made a contradiction, because you don’t understand or because you don’t believe.
Don’t you know if righteousness comes by faith in Christ then condemnation comes by unbelief, and not by the law, except you keep the law.
John 3:36 – He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth in him.
Hebrew 10:38 – Now the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, My Soul shall have no pleasure in him.
If you keep the law and believe that the law still stands as a standard of judgment, then you will do your best by keeping it in order not to be condemned by the law at the end. IOW you seek righteousness by the law to save you, but in fact before the law no one will stand righteous. That means you must die. Christ can not save you, as you don’t believe that you are righteous because of your faith in Him, and that you are no longer under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14).
Galatians 2:21 – I do not frustrate the grace of God; for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
By keeping the law in order not to be condemned by the law, you neglect the grace of God, which saved you even you are a sinner, and by that making Christ’s dead of no effect for you. He died in vain for you.
Galatians 5:4 – Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
It is a lie if a believer says that he keeps the law in order not to be condemned by the law, in fact he seeks righteousness by the law. Because what is the purpose of keeping the law if not for standing right before the law, for not to be condemned by the law.
The gospel of Christ did not allow a believer to keep the law while believing he is saved by God grace through faith. You can checked that in the whole NT, and you will find out that it is not the written law to keep, but the spirit of the law. The written law lead to dead, but the spirit of the law gives life. There is a big gap as far as east from west between the function of the law and the spirit of the law.
That is why the law comes to an end in Christ at the cross, blotted out and nailed at the cross. So that no believer in Christ will be judge by the law, as we are dead to the law, and dead to sin (Romans 6:2,6,7).
Colossians 2:14 – Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances (the Torah including the 10Cs written on stone tablets) that was against us (Romans 8:7 – Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be), which was contrary to us (Romans 7:12 - the law is holy, just and good - but ‘m carnal and sold under sin –Romans 7:14), and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross;
Ephesians 2:15,16 – Having abolished in His flesh, the enmity (Romans 8:7 – the desires of the flesh – Romans 7:17,20 – the sin in us), even the law of commandments contained in ordinances (the Torah incl. The 10 Cs); for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace (as there is no enmity comes by the law that was against us and contrary to us); and that He might reconcile both unto God (the Jews and the Gentiles, IOW the whole world) in one body by the cross; having slain the enmity thereby.
Remember! This sin comes alive and appeared by the law (Romans 7:7,9,13), as without the law sin was dead (Romans 7:, and will not be imputed if there is no law (Romans 5:13). This sin is the enmity, the wall of partition that separates the Jews and the Gentiles from God.
As righteousness comes by faith and not by the law, that means no one will stand righteous before the law or no one can keep the law, so the law must go; finish! Otherwise no one will experience the grace of God, and Christ died in vain.
It is the greatest lie of Satan that said a man can keep the law of God. This teaching is to hold mankind under the law, so that man will always be prisoner of sin, and remain in a dead body. But Christ has made us free from the law and from sin (Galatians 5:1), by casting out the bond woman and her son which is the law given at Sinai and the slaves of sin the law has made (Galatians 4:24, 30).
In His love
James S.