Part 1 – How Does the Christian’s Life Operate?

This Article is part of a multi-part Study Series called The Flesh Strains, While Christ’s Love Constrains.

On what basis does the Christian life operate? This is a fundamental question that cannot be properly or Biblically answered by most Christians, since the average church organization member replies, “By keeping the Ten Commandments.” There is a problem with keeping the Commandments of the Law. While God’s Word explicitly maintains that the Mosaic Law is “holy, and just (right before God), and good” (Rom. 7:12), we as humans are born incompatible with God’s Law because we are naturally unholy, unjust, and corrupt … due to “Sin (as a nature) in the flesh” (Romans 8:3)!

In this Bible study, we want to remind ourselves of the remedy of the liberty that Christ’s Cross has provided to us. While we are not under the Law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:14) and the way of living righteously is by Christ’s life within us. Paul wrote, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I but Christ liveth IN Me ...”

When we attempt to obey Israel’s Ten Commandments we ultimately fail, we sin. Then recall, “… whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (Jas. 2:10). If we so much as break one of Israel’s commandments of God, the Bible says, we are guilty of breaking every commandment of God.

Does this sound like the kind of life God wants for us as Christians? A life of constant failure and complete misery? Then why do so many churches emphasize that type of ‘Christian living’? This is due to a failure to appreciate “the word of God” dispensationally, negligence of “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). They fail to recognize what in the Bible applies to us in this age of “the gospel of grace of God” (Acts 20:24) versus what applies to Israel under “the Law.”

There was a time, in “time past” (Eph. 2:11), when God instructed Israel to keep all the Mosaic Law. He promised to bless them if they obeyed all of His laws, but He also swore that He would curse them if they refused to follow His laws (cf. Lev. 26, Deut. 28). This was the religion of Judaism, a strict set of laws that governed every facet of the Jews’ daily life and behavior. But of course, Israel consistently failed in law-keeping.

Today there are billions of souls burdened, firmly shackled, by a semblance of Israel’s works-based religious system. They ‘strain’ to please God, hoping that He will accept their performance. Yet, the teachers and pastors of their religious systems reassure them, “Just follow our instructions, and God will be happy with you and you will reach heaven.”

This frankly is the devil’s lie! Only Christ cross-work, and His life operating in and through the believer pleases the Father.

Sadly, it’s not only are lost religious people bound by religion. Also, many true Christians, those who one time trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation, then are taught to believe that they now have to live the supposed Christian life. They’ve been taught that they must work at maintaining good standing with God. But Paul tells us, As (in the same way that) ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord (by grace through faith), so walk ye in him:(Col. 2:6). As saved children of God, we were saved how? It was by God’s grace through faith in His words of the Cross and so we are to live daily in that same way of faith in God “working in us to will and to do of His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13).

Yet, Christendom abounds with this legalism, saying: “If you want to receive God’s favor and blessings, you must give more, pray more, confess more, come to church more, quit doing that and start doing this.”

This flawed theology is due to not understanding the Bible dispensationally, in a way that teaches and values “the grace of God” seen in Christ’s Cross-work for us todayover against that of Israel’s Mosaic Law and Jesus of Nazareth’ New Covenant Law of the ‘Beatitudes,’ both spoken to and for Israel only.

Yes, God did deal with Israel via the Mosaic Law. He did instruct them to keep His commandments (actually 613 laws) so they could receive His favor and blessings (cf. Lev. 26; Deut. 28).

However, our apostle to the Gentiles, Paul (cf. Rom. 11:13), writes of the liberty of our present “dispensation of the Grace of God” (Eph. 3:2), saying, “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are NOT under the law, but under grace (Rom. 6:14).

It is by dispensational Bible study (Pauline dispensationalism) that enables us to see that God, during this age of the “but now” (Eph. 2:13), God has abolished Israel’s performance-based acceptance system (religion), “nailing it (the Law) to His Cross” (Col. 2:14). He has replaced the written Law with His Christ-based acceptance system of grace with it’s inner “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:2).

Thus, our performance is not the issue today. Christ’s performance at the Cross is what saves us and keeps us secure. Our performance is not the basis for our Christian life; Christ’s performance for us at the Cross and His Life now in us that is the issue. (cf. Gal 2:20)