Page 134 - Laying Down the Law

Closure

t is not possible in a single book to answer every question, or objection, raised by
Ithose who have adopted the belief that the Law continues in its authority over the
lives of those who are Christians. If I included the proofs I have presented to the
saints from every correspondence I have had on this topic over the years, this book
would run to hundreds of pages. My intent has not been to answer every spurious
argument, no matter how sincere, but rather to lay a foundation for understanding
the purpose and limitations of the Law.
I find the testimony of the Bible to be consistent. The Law was given for a
determined period of time until Christ should come. It was not made for the
righteous, but rather for men who were slaves to sin. It contained only a shadow of
the righteousness of God, pointing forward to the substance which would be realized
in His Son. The saints in Christ have died to the Law that they might be joined to
Another. The Law’s role as guide to men has given way to a much fuller revelation of
the will of God as men and women are directed by the indwelling Spirit of Christ.
Despite, having declared these things with patience and clarity, utilizing a vast
array of Scriptures as evidence, there will no doubt remain some questions. It is
difficult for the mind of man to adjust itself to a new paradigm. Moving from a life
ruled by the Law to life in the Spirit constitutes a profound alteration of a person’s
life. Even those who are able to embrace the truth may find it difficult to break free
of the habits formed while under the rule of the Law.
I am reminded of a brother in Christ many years ago who gave up smoking after
becoming a believer. He testified that he would find his body acting as if it still
smoked for a significant time after he had quit. He shared that after eating a meal, or
when fishing, he would at times find his hand fumbling in his pocket as if to retrieve
a cigarette, though the cigarettes were no longer there.
A sister in Christ wrote to me yesterday after having read this teaching series.
She expressed difficulty adjusting to the truth that those who walk by the Spirit are
no longer bound to keep the shadows of the Law of Moses. Although, as previously
shared, the majority of commandments cannot be fulfilled today, for they were
written for a specific people with a unique form of government, some still have
difficulty grasping that the Law’s jurisdiction ends at Christ.
Are you, as a saint in Christ, bound to keep the dietary laws set forth by Moses?
No you are not. You are, however, to be led of the Spirit in knowing what to eat. Are
you bound to observe the weekly Sabbath, or the feast days? No, you are not. They
were given as shadows to teach spiritual truth.

Colossians 2:16-17
Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect
to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day - things which are a shadow of
what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.