The Daily Word of Righteousness

Dealing With Sin Under the New Covenant, #8

For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20 NIV)

The law of the Spirit of Life is infinitely stricter than the Law of Moses. But unlike the Law of Moses we have been given marvelous grace. We have the atoning blood of Christ to keep us without condemnation as we follow the Spirit of God. We have the body and blood of Christ to strengthen our personality. We have the born-again experience, meaning that incorruptible Divine Life has been born within us. We have been crucified with Christ, resurrected with Christ, and now are at the right hand of God in Heaven.

We have the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to bear witness of the atoning death and triumphant resurrection of Christ, to enable us to build up ourselves and others to maturity as measured by the stature of the fullness of Christ, and to furnish us with the ability to overcome every sin. In addition we can come boldly through the veil until we are before the Mercy Seat in Heaven, there to request help from God as we seek to overcome the world, our flesh, and our self-will.

Infinitely greater demands on us. Infinitely greater grace with which to meet those demands.

What is sin? Sin is much of what we do when we choose to walk in our sinful nature rather than in the Spirit of God.

How does God deal with sin under the new covenant? He forgives the past sins of the new Christian on the basis of the blood atonement made by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.

Then God furnishes him with all the aspects of Divine grace that I have listed above.

If we as a young Christian, or even a Christian of many years, choose to keep on living in our sinful nature we will slay the Divine Seed that has been planted in us, as in the parable of the sower. In the day of resurrection we will inherit corruption and death. We will not receive a redeemed body. Our fate may be the outer darkness or even the Lake of Fire. Or we may pass through terrible fires that will save us into the Kingdom.

If we choose to live in the Spirit of God He will lead us against the sins of our personality. Just as the Israelites conquered the Canaanites one city at a time, as the Spirit of the Lord led them, so it is true that the Spirit of God leads us one city at a time against the worldliness, lust, and self-will in our personality.

If we as a Christian choose to live in the flesh we will die spiritually. We will slay our own resurrection.

If we as a Christian choose to live in the Spirit of God we will be enabled increasingly to break the chains of sin that bind us and to keep the commandments of Christ and His Apostles.

As we keep the commandments of Christ and His Apostles, continuing to observe all necessary Christian activities such as gathering on a regular basis with fervent believers (as possible), praying continually, meditating each day in the Scriptures, giving of our substance, seeking the gifts of the Spirit and ministering to the members of the Body, exhorting our fellow believers to walk in the path of righteousness, always singing and making melody in our heart to the Lord as we do these necessary things Christ will be formed in us.

To be continued.