TITHE OR HELL YOUR CHOICE - Mike Peralta (first ebook reader txt) 📗

under grace? Does this mean we no longer have to obey the Ten Commandment laws or the other Moral Laws in the Old Testament?

First let's define what sin is according to the Bible. 1 John 3:4 says, “Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

Therefore, if there is no Law then there can be no sin, and for even further clarity Romans 4:15 says, “Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.”

To give clarity to Romans 6:14 above we also look at Romans 5:21 and Romans 7:6-7;

Romans 5:21, “so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 7:6-7, “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”

Notice that Paul uses Commandment #10 of the Ten Commandments to illustrate this last New Testament scripture! So the law as stated in the Old Testament is still supposed to be used to overcome sin. But we do so in the Spirit, under the Lordship of Jesus under His grace.

I hope you noticed the following key words that I underlined: Master, Dominion, Lordship, Lord, Serve, Spirit, Grace. Now the following is the key to understanding Paul’s saying that we are “not under the law, but under grace”: Before Christ the people of God’s covenant were under service to the written code or the law. They were bound up in sin and the law was not enough (by itself) to free them from the power of sin. Under Christ, people – if they choose for Christ - would be freed from being bound in sin. The law was there (and still is there) to show them how far short they fell from God’s righteous law. And the penalty of what breaking that law required was punishment and spiritual death (Hell or Sheol in the Old Testament). “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in (through) Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom 6:23) So by receiving Jesus Christ we receive the grace of God. And so we put ourselves under the Lordship of Christ “under His grace.”

Prior to Christ, the only guidance or lordship or master or dominion that the Jews (or any others who wanted to follow God) could do was to follow the law or the written code (“under the law”). The written code, of course, was given by God and so it was (and still is) Holy, good, and righteous, but the people under the dominion of the law and the dominion of sin (due to man’s pride, sin nature, dullness of understanding, lack of knowledge, etc) just were not able to keep the law perfectly.

But with Christ they now could. And so God, as explained in the New Testament, requires that we now surrender and receive Jesus as our Lord and Master. And in order to do this. The Jews (and any others who wanted to follow God) would have to change from having The Law as their lord and now have Jesus as their Lord. And due to the Power of the Blood of Jesus, and the Power of the Holy Spirit (which one also receives when one receives Christ) permits God’s powerful grace to apply and make one able to now obey God’s righteous laws and holy commandments.

And so (starting with the YLT translation) we can translate Romans 6:14 as follows:

Romans 6:14, for sin over you shall not have lordship, for ye are not under [lordship of] law, but under [Lordship of Christ’s] grace. (YLT)

Paul also makes the analogy, in Romans chapter 7, that the law was our first husband (for the Jews and those who wanted to follow God) but that we would have to let that first husband die in order to now receive Jesus as our husband – our Lord. And so in this way, just like a wife is under her husband, we are no longer under our first husband (the law) but we are now under (grace) our true and everlasting husband, Jesus Christ – who lives forever. Amen !

This same righteousness through Christ (that could not be successfully pursued through the law alone) is also explicitly explained in Romans 9:30-32 and Romans 10:3-4; 

"What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.” (Rom 9:30-32)

“Since they [Israel] did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” (Rom 10:3-4)

Israel (and all unbelievers) did not get salvation because of their refusal to submit to Christ for their righteousness and justification. They were trying to do so through the law instead. And as is stated repeatedly in the New Testament – that pursuit simply does not work and God will not accept any other way except through Jesus Christ His Son. As Jesus told us in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.”

As mentioned many times in the Bible, our righteousness before God must come by completely surrendering to Jesus Christ as our  Lord. And then the Lord will guide us through His Holy Spirit and through our listening and obedience to His commandments, including His commandments in the Law of God in the Bible – and this includes both the laws in the New and Old Testaments – as well as His spoken (rhema) commands that He speaks to our hearts.

Because of our Lordship to Christ and the spiritual obedience of "faith," we obey God’s law freely and spontaneously from the inward teaching and prompting of God's Spirit.

This is very clearly explained in Galatians 5:16-18, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

However, as the next section shows, this does not mean we can be disobedient to the laws of God. Needless to say, the Holy Spirit will never lead us to disobey God’s Laws. The point is, trying to follow only by a set of rules (though the rules may be perfect) can many times lead us along paths of deception. This is because of man’s pride, blindness, sin nature, lack of knowledge, and the other weaknesses of man. But the Holy Spirit, who is One with Jesus Christ our Lord, will always lead us along paths of righteousness.

Another very, very important point here, and one that Jesus kept on insisting that I emphasize here, is that if you have not received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit then it is extremely important to ask God for this gift so that you can truly obey Jesus by the Spirit and not in your flesh. This is also what Paul meant by being under grace and not under law as Galatians 5:18 emphasizes.

In fact the whole book of Galatians had Paul exhorting the Galatians about not trying to serve God through the law, or the flesh, but rather through the Holy Spirit which is what they were originally doing until some of the circumcision group were misleading them back into the old ways without Jesus or His Holy Spirit. So if you have not yet received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit then God is exhorting you to receive the Holy Spirit Baptism with evidence by speaking in tongues. Acts 2:3-4 “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

With the Baptism of the Holy Spirit you will be empowered and be more able to hear and obey God and do all His will, and pray effectively, and serve the body of Christ, and evangelize the lost, and be stronger in avoiding deception. Otherwise without the leading of the Holy Spirit and His giftings, through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, you are much easier prey for deception and the sinful works of the flesh. I kid you not about this point about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. God really wanted me to emphasize this point here, so that you can be fully obedient to hear and do God’s will in your life. This is one area where your commitment to Jesus is revealed. Are you going to obey Jesus about this, or are you going to ignore this as you have been doing for years now? Are you going to keep resisting the Holy Spirit? Remember what Jesus says in Mat 7:21-23 about doing the will of the Father.

In Acts 1:4-5,8 Jesus commands His disciples to be baptized with the Holy Spirit: 4 On one occasion, while He was eating with them, He gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” … 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Later in Acts 2:3-4 they are baptized (filled) with the Holy Spirit and they begin to speak with other tongues. Notice here that Jesus commands us to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit so that we can be effective witnesses and empowered to do the works that Jesus wants - to bring the lost in and to mature the saints. If you want to obey the will of the Father you will receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Notice also in Acts 2:38-39 that the Apostle Peter commands those who want to be saved in the name of Jesus to also receive The Gift of the Holy Spirit - which is another way of saying The Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38-39, “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off —for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

Notice especially that this promise is for them, and their children, and for all who are far off – which is referring to us in the current age. In fact, to all the New Testament age. For all whom the Lord our God will call. And since we in the current age are called, this applies to us. Yes to