Nailed To The Crosshttp://www.reigningimmortal.com/nailed-to-the-cross/en-US2012-02-16T22:07:29ZSquarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/)Nailed To The Cross, Part IXhttp://www.reigningimmortal.com/nailed-to-the-cross/2009/1/20/nailed-to-the-cross-part-ix.htmlWinston Waldemayer III2009-01-20T22:45:23ZIn this world their are many theological views of Christianity and even more denominations (even cults). So many voices but which one is true? "What is truth?" Pilate asked Jesus. We are all looking for this truth but the truth is found in Jesus. The bible says that the truth sets us free, sets us free indeed. So, this is how we know when we have heard the truth.

Freedom is the identifier of truth. If you don't feel free after you read this, you didn't hear the truth. Jesus set us free from the law of Moses (even the highly coveted ten commandments). He fulfilled the requirements of the law in our place just as He paid the penalty for sin in our place. Nailed it to His cross putting an end to the law and sin 2,000 years ago.

Satan does not want you to know about this freedom. He is a defeated foe. However, if he can convince you otherwise, he has you right where he wants you; under his control. Guilt, fear, feelings of unworthiness, and judgment are how he traps Christians. We give him power despite the fact that he has none. Once you know you are free from the law, he no longer has power over you. His weapon is temptation to break the law so that he can gloat over you but where there is no law there can be no transgression as Paul proclaims. We are not under the law but under grace. Proclaim it boldly to the devil and he will flee from you. I assure you that you are free from the law and no longer held under it's bondage. Satan does not want you to know this because it strips him of his power.

Galatians 3:10-14

10All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." 11Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." 12The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." 13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." 14He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

 

]]>Nailed To The Cross, Part XVIIIhttp://www.reigningimmortal.com/nailed-to-the-cross/2009/1/18/nailed-to-the-cross-part-xviii.htmlWinston Waldemayer III2009-01-18T23:49:58ZWhile I was writing a post on reliance, I came across a passage of scripture in John 1 stating that John The Baptist also declared this freedom from the law that I proclaim in these posts. The law that was nailed to the cross of Jesus. It is a fundamental part of the gospel that I feel has been overlooked and not taught thoroughly to Christians. Jesus put an end to the law and an end to sin once and for all 2,000 years ago.

The law came by way of Moses but grace and truth comes by way of Jesus. The law from Moses was fulfilled (or requirements met) by Jesus. Moses was the beginning of the law and Jesus it's end. All believers are credited righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ and the freedom from the law He provides. He met the requirements of the law for us so that we might become the righteousness of God. How else could Jesus have made us at peace with God if He first did not fulfill the requirements of the law? Dying for our sin would have had to take place every generation if Jesus did not fulfill the law.

God was satisfied with Jesus righteous life and satisfied with His atonement for the sin of the world. Sin had to be punished but what many forget is that the law also had to be fulfilled. Jesus did this for us all who believe in Him. I don't have to live by the law anymore but I do have to live my life according to the new covenant commandment of love that Jesus gave me.

 

John 1:15-17

15John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' " 16From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

]]>Nailed To The Cross, Part XVIIhttp://www.reigningimmortal.com/nailed-to-the-cross/2009/1/10/nailed-to-the-cross-part-xvii.htmlWinston Waldemayer III2009-01-10T11:34:01ZNow that I am free from the law and now under grace, do I live righteously? Yes. However, righteousness is not what it used to be under the old covenant. I am to be righteous but righteousness is attained through different means. If you lived by the law under the old covenant and refrained from breaking those laws, you were considered righteous.

Now you attain righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ instead of obeying the letter of the law. To grow in this faith is to grow in trust and believe more and more. Believe not only that Jesus was the Son of God but to believe in His righteousness that comes by way of faith and to believe in His promises to us and everything else concerning Him. God testifies in His word concerning His Son. Not just a snippet of that testimony but all testimony concerning Him. His power, authority, redemption, way of life, birth, resurrection, and promises are all to be trusted and believed.

Righteousness is to believe in the promise that God gave us about His Son, knowing that salvation and righteousness comes by way of faith and we are promised eternal life through Him.

Romans 4:4-5

4Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.

]]>Nailed To The Cross, Part XVIhttp://www.reigningimmortal.com/nailed-to-the-cross/2009/1/9/nailed-to-the-cross-part-xvi.htmlWinston Waldemayer III2009-01-09T03:25:36ZWe are no longer under the law but under grace. It is easy sometimes as a Christian to forget that fact but if we forget this we become a slave to sin all over again. It must be at the forefront of our minds that we are free from the law through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. The old covenant means nothing to me for it was not written for me. The new covenant is about faith in Jesus Christ and following His one commandment... love one another. It is by faith in Him and everything associated with Him (such as salvation, righteousness, freedom, resurrection, grace, etc) that we are saved.

This being the case, we should remind ourselves constantly of Jesus and anything associated with Him. Most importantly His freedom and His mercy that He provides. I am not concerned with legalistic banter or ravings but only in Jesus Christ and His free gift of grace. For the law was nailed to His cross putting an end to the law. Just as Paul proclaims that Jesus Christ is the end of the law for all who believe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Corinthians 9:19-20

19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.

So, in parenthesis, Paul tells us that he is no longer under the supervision or power of the law.

1 Corinthians 9:21-23

21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Paul continues and says though he is not free from God's law, he is under Christ's law. This is the commandment of love which is the law of Christ. Again in 2 Corinthians we find another mention of this freedom in Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18

17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

]]>Nailed To The Cross, Part XVhttp://www.reigningimmortal.com/nailed-to-the-cross/2009/1/4/nailed-to-the-cross-part-xv.htmlWinston Waldemayer III2009-01-04T19:45:57ZWe continue in this post talking about the fulfillment of the law through Christ. Jesus fulfilled the law for us (or in our place) so that we now do not have to meet the requirements of the law in order to be saved or deemed righteous. Instead we are saved by promise. God promised us eternal life to all who believe in such freedom through Jesus Christ and God's testimony of His Son.

The Galatian church were infiltered by men (of the circumcision or Jews) which tried to get them to adhere to the laws of Moses and most importantly circumcision. Paul urges the Galatians to be mindful of the fact that they are saved by grace which is spiritual but these men would rather them perform "physical" acts of the law in order to be saved. In the early church, this was commonplace. Many claiming to be Christian would take advantage of new converts and try to get them to lean more towards the law of Moses and fulfill rites associated with the old Jewish code.

Paul encourages the Galatians to remember that they are saved by grace and not their actions in conforming to the law. He encourages them to live by the "spirit" of the law (which is love) and not the written code of the law itself.

Galatians 5:1-15

1It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

2Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

7You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? 8That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9"A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." 10I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. 11Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 15If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

]]>Nailed To The Cross, Part XIVhttp://www.reigningimmortal.com/nailed-to-the-cross/2008/12/29/nailed-to-the-cross-part-xiv.htmlWinston Waldemayer III2008-12-29T16:28:27ZWe are forever in His debt. The gift of grace given freely to mankind was all it took to set things right. The law has been done away with through the righteous life of Christ and sin against those laws was punished upon His cross. When Jesus said it was finished, it was over. Some Christians are still held prisoner by sin and feel obligated to perform certain aspects of the law. However, you are not obligated for Jesus met those requirements already.

Our job now is simply to fulfill the commandment of love because that is the only thing that is required to follow Him. We are saved by faith. Faith that God promised us eternal life through His Son. Nothing that you can do can change that except a full turning away into unbelief.

It puts Satan in a hard place when you realize that sinning against the law no longer holds power over you. When you truly realize that you are free, what purpose does Satan have to tempt you? He only does so because "we" do not fully realize our freedom and the guilt we might feel places us in a mind set of slavery and doubt. That is where we started not where we are supposed to be.

If you have read my other posts, you understand the point I am trying to get across and you also must realize that I am not condoning sin. Sin is not what we are to be doing. There is however an internal struggle that freedom eliminates but obeying the letter of the law promotes. We live by the spirit of the law and not the letter of the law. The spirit of the law is love. The letter of the law brings slavery and bondage. As a believer there is no longer consequence for sinning against the letter of the law but even though I remind myself of this daily, I must still choose love instead of sin. Faith in that freedom helps us to battle temptations.

Observing the letter of the law does not get us into heaven but performing good works by the spirit of the law is how we serve our King and our God. Now, unbelief and hate are examples of sin and faith and love are examples of righteousness and I will do righteousness because I love Him.

Galatians 3:1-9

1You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 3Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? 4Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? 5Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

6Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." 7Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. 8The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." 9So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

]]>Nailed To The Cross, Part XIIIhttp://www.reigningimmortal.com/nailed-to-the-cross/2008/12/29/nailed-to-the-cross-part-xiii.htmlWinston Waldemayer III2008-12-29T02:31:45ZFree from sin, free from the law, and now free to love. Righteousness is not by right works but by promise. We no longer have to conform to the law to receive righteousness but we believe in God who justifies us by His promise to do so. A gift...a grace. Religious rites and rituals aside, worship aside, our character aside, man's wisdom aside, (instead) a gift of righteousness out of an act of love.

The spirit of the law which is to love God and our neighbor above even our own selves we should uphold at all costs but there are no requirements (in the letter of the law) for me to meet in order to be a child of God. We are no longer under the law but under grace as Paul claims. Jesus has forever placed those who believe in Him and such freedom next to Him. An heir to the throne and a child of God through His perfect atonement and righteous life.

As I have said in other posts, I can do whatever I want but what I "choose" to do with my freedom that He has given me is now the most important question of all. Now that it doesn't matter, to choose God now, has to be motivated by love and desire for Him. What other motivation is there? For Jesus has removed all other motivation there might have been. To be obedient to the spirit of His law is not something that I have to do but choose to do. Obedience to the spirit of the law (which is love) is our perfect worship and the fruit we bear for Him.

Romans 3:27-31

27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

]]>Nailed To The Cross, Part XIIhttp://www.reigningimmortal.com/nailed-to-the-cross/2008/12/24/nailed-to-the-cross-part-xii.htmlWinston Waldemayer III2008-12-24T17:59:22ZJesus took the law and fulfilled it for us so that we (as believers) do not have to meet the requirements of the law in order to be saved. My righteousness has been fulfilled forever in Jesus. This does not mean that I do not live to mimic His nature wherever I can because we all should do that for He is God and the one we serve.

I serve Him out of duty towards the king I have chosen to bow to. It is no longer laws that I live by but the spirit of the law (which is love). We love Him and His Son and we live our new life for His cause. This is our freedom. We can not be free if Jesus did not fulfill the requirements of the law for us. Also, His sacrifice on the cross would not have been once for all because of the new sins against the law committed by future generations. The law is still in effect for unbelievers and they will be judged by it but the law is not in force for me. I am saved by grace, faith, and love, not by my actions.

However, my actions are still important because of the commitment I have made to Christ Jesus. My actions now show my love for Him. So, Christ's fulfilling the law put an end to sin and an end to the law once and for all. Now, I must serve Him and be obedient to Him because of my love for Him and not my own redemption. To me, in all humility, this is the meaning of sanctification. We are instruments for His glory, honor, and cause. Doing the best we can to shine His light on this broken world.

 

2 Corinthians 3:6

6He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18

17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

]]>Nailed To The Cross, Part XIhttp://www.reigningimmortal.com/nailed-to-the-cross/2008/11/14/nailed-to-the-cross-part-xi.htmlWinston Waldemayer III2008-11-14T02:19:34ZAnother post on the fact that Jesus solidified our righteousness through His own righteous life. It is not a righteousness we obtain by following laws and regulations but a righteousness that comes by way of believing in God. I am not merely talking about believing that God or Jesus exists but also to believe in the freedom and redemption that is testified by the Apostles.

God promised. Just as He promised Abraham that He would provide Abraham with a son. Abraham believed in this promise God made to Him and believed that (despite the obstacles and clear impossibility of such a thing being able to happen) God had the power to bring it to pass.

The devil's major scheme is to get us to believe otherwise and to fill us with doubt that God would ever save us considering what we have done. The devil wants you to think it is all up to you whether you obtain salvation or not. However, it is not up to us. Of course, we have to have faith and we have to choose Jesus and accept His righteousness that He credits to us by way of faith, but it is still a gift. Free from the law and free from sinning against that law (for where there is no law there can be no transgression.)

Despite this we honor the law and honor God by keeping a new covenant commandment that Jesus gave us in lieu of the old code. Love one another.

Philippians 3:8-11

8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Romans 10:1-4

1Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

]]>Nailed To The Cross, Part Xhttp://www.reigningimmortal.com/nailed-to-the-cross/2008/11/13/nailed-to-the-cross-part-x.htmlWinston Waldemayer III2008-11-13T03:35:59ZGod, through His Son, fulfilled the law of the Old Testament (given to the Israelites). Now, there is no need for us to meet the requirements of the law any longer in order to receive salvation. Jesus is our righteousness and all the righteousness that we will ever need. It is not "our" righteousness that justifies us but His. Many Christians fail to see the freedom from the law and only dwell on the blood covering our sins but Jesus fulfilled the law too.

Jesus did this through His obedient life. He became "right" with God for us when we were still considered sinners. Then He died for the sins against the law that He just fulfilled and just like that... it was over. Done. There is no need for you to fulfill the law or become righteous. Salvation is through belief in Christ or faith. However, as His servants we wish to obey and become like Him in character. Why? Because we love Him. There is the mystery because love is what God wants from us and this love generates change in our lives despite the fact that change is not needed to be saved. Righteousness is credited to us through Christ and so we don't HAVE to be righteous but instead we WANT to be righteous.

Pay close attention to the last verse.

 

 

Hebrews 7:11-19

11If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come—one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law. 13He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17For it is declared:
"You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek."

18The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19(for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

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