Jesus Has Set Us Free From the Rituals of the Law to Serve in Spirit and In Truth
Paul said, lets not frustrate the Grace of God, if we have been crucified with Christ, we have
died with Christ. So why do we keep sacrificing something that is dead, and why do we keep
trying to pay a price for our salvation, when Jesus already paid the price? It is as if we can not
believe that what Christ did on the cross was good enough that we need to do something else
beside it. His grace was sufficient. Jesus will not die again for our sins, He did it once and His
atoning blood can cleanse us for ever, as long as we trust in Him, obey Him and we continue to
seek Him in spirit and in truth.
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and he life which I now live in
the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the
grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain (Galatians 2:20-21)."
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. This should be the case in our church today,
but unfortunately our church still is bound today as she was bound before the death and
resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul said that those who have received Jesus by faith have been set free from the yoke of
bondage of the Law of Moses. He also said that those who do part of the Law are required by
the Law to do the entire Law, for the Law says that those who do not perform the entire Law
are kept under a curse. Paul also wrote that those who have tried to become justified by the
works of the Law have fallen from Grace
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke
of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.For I testify
again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect
unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for
the hope of righteousness by faith (Galatians 5:1-4)."
Jesus came to set us free, and He freed us indeed. However after having given Himself as the
ultimate sacrifice for sin, the Church has returned to the same weak and unprofitable traditions
and religious practices that once kept us bound and did not allow us to express the joy, peace
and freedom that our Lord Jesus intended for us to have. One sacrifice was sufficient to
present us as righteous before our Father. He gave us rest from all of our works so we could
serve Him in the spirit, but are we resting indeed? He gave us joy, but are we rejoicing
indeed? He gave us freedom, but are we experiencing this freedom indeed?
The unfortunate truth is that the same traditions, legalism and Laws that were fulfilled by Jesus
Christ's death and resurrection, still bind the church today. Many Christians today walk full of
sadness, sorrow and troubled by doctrinal rules that prevent them from worshipping God with
the freedom that He intended for us to express when we worship and fellowship with Him.
Jesus died and resurrected to set us free from that which held us bound to sin. He brought us
the truth of how to worship and serve our Father in spirit and in truth. He taught us that He
rather for us to show mercy than to do sacrifices, and He warned us to stay away from the
leaven of the Pharisees and the scribes. However, today more than ever, the Church is bound
by the same leaven that caused may of the Pharisees, and Sadducees not to receive Jesus as
their savior. The leaven which Jesus was talking about when He warned us to stay away from
the leaven of the Pharisees it is the traditions of men and fleshy interpretation of the scriptures
which cause many not to enter into the Grace of the kingdom of God. In fact many sinners don’
t come to the Lord, because those who are in church are more bound to sin than the sinners
who are outside. For if those who are inside were walking the way that Jesus Instructed us to
walk, then the sinners would be drawn to those who walk in righteousness.
Jesus reminded us to be just, righteous and merciful and told us not to forget the orphans the
poor and the widows. He showed us compassion, righteousness and mercy and He taught us to
be like Himself.
What happened? Why some members of the body of Christ walk in worse shape now that they
did before the accepted the Lord into their hearts? Why the Church is so sad? Why new
believers after accepting the Lord do not continue to fellowship among the congregation of the
saints today? Why even though we are in the last days, the number of people that are coming
to the Lord today have considerably reduced in comparison to the number of people that came
to know the Lord in previous years.
The truth of the matter is that the body of Christ (the Church) needs to know the truth about
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Gospel of Grace as it was preached by Paul. Paul prophesied
that after his death savage wolves would distort the Gospel and he commissioned the elders of
the Church at Ephesus to watch over the flocks.
"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you
overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after
my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men
arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them (Acts 20:28-30)."
Just as he prophesied, it has happened. Our gospel has been distorted. What once could be
achieved through faith alone, now it is believed that we must achieve it by works of the Law
and through traditions of men. Pagan traditions have been added to our form of worship and
our flocks are being manipulated by manipulators who just want to fill their wallets and purses
in exchange for encouraging words that often do not tell the truth about ones' salvation.
The same way that Jesus was not pleased with what had happened at the Temple 2000 years ago,
Jesus is not pleased with what is happening to the Church today. He said that in the last days
His Spirit would be pour out upon all flesh and His truth would be reveal. We are in those
days and He is raising men and women like He did with Isaiah and John, to cry out the truth so
His Church would be set free. Jesus asked if in the last days when He would returned to the
world, would there be faith left in the earth?
Just as with any truth that has been revealed in the past, it will happen again that Satan will use
anyone to distort the truth that is revealed from God to His people.
The truth have set you free, do not frustrate the Grace of God and become entangle again with
the bondage of the Law, instead walk in the righteousness of His Spirit.
Praised be God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.