829. Things Seldom Heard in Church: We Live By the Spirit - Not Written Commands

The law from the Old Covenant was holy, righteous and good. In fact, it was so good, nobody could ever achieve the required standard. Because of being taught a phony mixture of law and grace, the majority of church attendees have assumed the written commandments—at least a small portion of them—are meant to lead and guide us into a state of righteousness and approval from God. When they hear us talk about living under grace … and not being under the ministry of the stone tablets, they automatically jump to the false conclusion that we’re telling people it’s okay to sin as much as they want.

Instead of trying to live by the written letter (which kills), the more effective approach will be for believers to come to a greater knowledge of the truth about their identity in Christ and who God already declares them to be as a righteous, holy and perfected person, having inherited the very nature of God through belief and spiritual birth. As one who is described as a partaker of the divine nature, believers can begin to live from this place, thereby allowing the Spirit of God to more effectively bear His fruit through us, apart from the law of works. He is the one who will lead, guide and teach us as we allow Him to do so. The goal is not to work at becoming someone we think we are not, but to live and rest from who God has already declared us to be.

   
Get the book

817. Beginning in the Spirit - But Perfected by the Flesh?

Doing good, avoiding evil. Those four words would seem to be a no-brainer within almost every religious creed. And this seems to be the foundation upon which Christianity has been built, at least within many church denominations. So if this is supposed to be the goal for believers in Christ—if this is the primary purpose—what is it that makes our faith unique?

Paul spoke to the Galatian churches in frustration because after receiving the Spirit of God freely by faith, they had been persuaded to begin trusting in the works of the old law in addition to faith in Christ. Paul called this a work of the flesh. Its roots go back to the same tree Adam ate from when everything collapsed. It was called The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It was an unbelief problem as Adam decided to turn from trusting in the sufficiency of the life of God … and chose to begin trusting in the knowledge of both good and evil. He was told it would make him more like God, but it had the opposite result.

Many believers today are struggling with the same thing. They are working at trying to become more like God, and it becomes more about doing—or not doing—instead of being or resting in who God has already made them to be.

   
Get the book

478. The Pursuit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

Trying to avoid bad and striving to do good. This is what man has been chasing since the first two people were placed on the planet. So what's wrong with this approach? Choosing the tree of the knowledge of good and evil brought death and positioned man in a state of hopelessness. The Mosaic law also brought the knowledge of sin and left the Jewish people in a place of unsuccessfully attempting do right and avoid wrong. The gospel provided us with something entirely different. It removed us from the pursuit of the knowledge of good and evil and placed us into a fruitful tree of life in Christ, where we now abide.


Download

---

YouTube version of this episode.

---

This week's GIG Bite - A bite-sized chunk of this week's program.

---

477. No Life in the Morality Tree

Generally, religion has portrayed the foundation of the Christian message to be about making bad people into good people. But there are thousands of non-Christian religions with a similar message, so what is it that should separate the message of the gospel? The tree that Adam and Eve at from was the morality tree that represented the Mosaic law and man's efforts to pursue God through the command of right living. Both the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the Mosaic law brought death. It was all meant to show us that man could not find life by trying to do good things and avoid the bad. We needed life to be restored in us


Download

---

YouTube version of this episode.

---

This week's GIG Bite - A bite-sized chunk of this week's program.

---

460. Establish the Law?

Those entrapped with a legalistic mindset have been known to proclaim that we are supposed to be trying to "establish the law," referring to the Mosaic commandments. They attempt to make the case for this by referring to a verse in Chapter 3 of Romans. But what did the Apostle Paul say before this verse and just as importantly, what was said after it? The way we establish the law is not to live by it, but to proclaim the promise of righteousness by faith apart from works. So we don't nullify the law by proclaiming the promise, but the promise is nullified by trying to keep the law.


Download

---

YouTube version of this episode.

---

This week's GIG Bite - A bite-sized chunk of this week's program.

---

407. Giving Up Commandments To Gain Christ

This week's podcast is a follow-up on last week's chat about religious flesh. Often when you hear someone give a Christian testimony it will be based on all the bad stuff they used to do that they don't do any more. But the Apostle Paul revealed how he gave up his efforts to abide by the good commandments of the law and the attempt to establish his own righteousness. Why? Because being in Christ is better. Under the Old Covenant of law and works sin increased (not decreased), and the law aroused the passion to sin. But in Christ sin will not have dominion over you. Why? As Paul stated, because you are not under law but under grace.

---

Download Giving Up Commandments To Gain Christ
(Click to Play or Right-Click to Download.)

"Watch" this episode on YouTube.

---

This week's GIG Bite - A bite-sized chunk of this week's program!

---

406. What is the Flesh? (The Good, the Bad, the Ugly)

When referring to "the flesh" in the Bible the first thing that comes to mind is probably going to be sinful actions. But walking after the flesh can also at times appear outwardly to be very positive spiritually, and even fruitful. We call it religious flesh. We discuss the differences and offer some encouragement on how to avoid falling into it. Whether it appears to be good or bad, walking after the flesh is ugly compared to life in the Spirit.

---

Download What is the Flesh? (The Good, the Bad, the Ugly)
(Click to Play or Right-Click to Download.)

"Watch" this episode on YouTube.

---

This week's GIG Bite - A bite-sized chunk of this week's program!

---

395. Choices - Good and Bad

Our discussion centers around making choices in the context of our life in Christ. We have His life and it has brought forgiveness and righteousness. Nothing can ever separate you from Him nor can anything change the new creation that you are in Him. Yet with this incredible freedom remains the ability to make choices. Sometimes we'll make good decisions and other times not. Grace will encourage us to make better choices in life. Bad choices are more likely to occur when we forget our new identity in Him. While all things may be lawful not everything will be profitable. Yet guilt and condemnation have no place in the life of a believer. Never.

Choices - Good and Bad (14 Min, 9.6 MB)
(Click to Play or Right-Click to Download.)

---

"Watch" this episode on YouTube.

This week's GIG Bite (A quick highlight from this week's program.)

---

371. Avoiding the Morality Tree

The basis of the Christian life is not to attempt to live by Christian morals but rather we live by the very life of Christ. When Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, man entered the era of works. He would now determine good and evil on the basis of performance. God's life and grace in us can produce good works. But trying to focus on avoiding evil and doing good because we think we have an obligation to do so will only result in frustration, guilt and condemnation. There are two trees to choose from. Abide in the Tree of Life (Jesus).

Avoiding the Morality Tree (14 Min, 9.6 MB)
(Press Play Button or Right-Click to Download.)

---

"Watch" this episode on YouTube.

This week's GIGBite (A quick audio sample of this week's program.)

---

196. Delivered From The Law

Download/Play MP3

This week we talk about our relationship with the Law. The Law is good, holy and perfect. Is it "good" to remain in a relationship with the good, holy and perfect Law? This "marriage partner" points out all our faults and demands perfection... but yet is powerless to provide it! The end result is nothing but guilt and condemnation. And so somehow we needed to be delivered from this bad relationship. Using Paul's illustration from Romans 7 and his words from Galatians 2, Mike and Joel discuss what needed to happen in order for us to be "delivered from the law."