"Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the Law of Moses?
Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?
I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law?
Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.
In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.
What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.
But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”
But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:2-14)."
I love God's grace! Why? Because it has freedom attached to it. Freedom from what? It's freedom from the Law, which attaches all kinds of burdens, rules, regulations, ordinances and principles.
Let me ask, are you saved by obeying principles from the Old Testament? Are you made righteous by observing and following the Ten Commandments? Where you saved by doing good deeds? Can you earn salvation?
No, "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (Ephesians 2:8-9)."
You know, it really bugs me when other Christians say that the Law is NOT abolished. If its not, then why don't you kill disobedient children and Sabbath-breakers like the Law required? Do you not wear shirts of two different fabrics and avoid ham like the Law required? Hypocrite!
Didn't you know that "Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands?" ~ Leviticus 18:5
These Christians, who are just simply misinformed and whom I dearly love, will quote from Matthew 5:17 which has Jesus saying "Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose (NLT)."
Jesus even stated himself that he would do this! In Luke 13:32 and in response to the threat of death from Herod Antipas, Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish my purpose (NLT)."
Well, what was the purpose of Jesus coming to earth? "According to Galatians 4:4, Jesus was born under the Law in order to redeem those Hebrews who were under the Law. When Jesus totally fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law, he set it aside and replaced it with Himself as God's standard of righteousness (Romans 3:21; John 16:8-9; 2 Cor 3:18 and Heb 7:12-18)." ~ (http://russkellyphd.blogspot.com/)
Even the Apostle Paul confirms this when he said, "The longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God (Romans 10:1-4, NLT)."
Is your zeal for God misdirected? Let me reiterate this point.
Romans 10:4 - "For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given (NLT)."
The NKJV says it this way:
"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."
My friend, the Mosaic Law is over, done with, obsolete, not used any more, superseded by something newer, no longer in use and has ended!
Hebrews 8:13 - "When God speaks of a “new” covenant; it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear (NLT)."
No, observing the Law is not the way or the life. Consequently, the Holy Mosaic Law brings a curse and death for anyone who trys to make themselves right by following it. No, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me (John 14:6, NLT)."
"There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law." ~ Romans 3:30-31, NLT
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