1011. The Lying, The Which and The Wardrobe (The Phony Ministry of Pick and Choose)

The mixed covenant message found within the majority of church buildings is one of great inconsistency and perhaps even hypocrisy. Traditions of men and false assumptions about the Bible have resulted in discounting the abundance of grace that came through Jesus Christ ... and advocating for an impossible law of obsolete rules and regulations—while focusing on a handful and ignoring the rest.

Therefore, why not make it possible for us to become "doers" by altering the package! For example, murder, stealing and lying may stay on the required list, but which ones out of hundreds of others get thrown out that are also right there in that same law and often the same passage? The truth is that nothing in the Mosaic law was able to bring life or righteousness to the (Jewish) people who were once under it—and we were never under it. God provided a better way inside of a covenant that cannot fail. Any empty religion can trumpet for a code of conduct based upon behavior in the futile attempt to make themselves presentable to God—including the clothes they wear.

Religious zealots who turn the gospel inside out with a works-based approach may suggest we're encouraging people to sin as much as they want because of God's infinite grace. The Apostle Paul was accused in the same way, but it is rooted in self-righteous deceit. Being under perfect grace through faith separates one from any kind of lifeless, religious rulebook, resulting in being made alive to God and dead to sin ... because of what Jesus did. It is rooted in His love.



   
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607. Forgiveness Complete! Now Empowered to Walk in Newness of Life

The issue of the forgiveness of all sins has been fully dealt with once and for all by Christ at the cross. Does this mean we should use our freedom as an opportunity to seek after sin? Of course not! We’ve been baptized into Christ Jesus and into His death (not to be confused with water baptism). One who has died has been set free from sin and we are no longer spiritual slaves to it. We were also raised with Him in order that we can walk in newness of life - the life of God that has been gifted to us. God’s grace now empowers us to live in a way that reflects the righteousness of God. Living in the reality of this will become easier as you begin to understand the identity of who God has already made you to be. As a forgiven, holy, perfected, and sanctified child of the King, we should now consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.



   

517. Dead to Religious Rules, Alive to God

As we recognize the identity of righteousness that belongs to us in Jesus Christ, we can put away our own efforts and rest in him. Before the cross, the Jewish people were in bondage to the Mosaic law as it demanded a perfection the people could not attain. Their works were based on pursuing their own righteousness because they did not understand God's righteousness. We are declared perfected, justified and sanctified. As the Apostle Paul stated, "For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God."

In this podcast we mentioned a couple of past episodes in which we talked about how sanctification is not a process, but is a part of who we are in Christ (our identity). Here they are:
506. The Gift of Sanctification
507. As Jesus Is, So Also Are We