Under Law
1 John 1:8-9 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 2:1-2 1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
The Bible uses legal terms and the imagery of a courtroom often. That is because God’s dealings with us are based on Law. “But I thought we were no longer under the law?” some might say. And that is a legitimate question.
We are no longer under the Law of Moses. But there is a Law that we as Christians live under:
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
God always deals with mankind through law. The “default” law is “The wages of sin is death.’ (Rom 6:23). This was actually established before the Fall, when God gave the commandment to Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The consequences of disobeying that command, was that death would enter mankind’s experience – both spiritual and physical.
The Jews, God’s chosen people, were given what we normally call “the law”, by Moses.
Christians are under the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.
Higher laws supersede lower laws. This is true in physical, natural laws also. Airplanes and hot air balloons do not abolish the law of gravity, they just supersede it with other laws.
Christians still sin – but in the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, which has made us free from the law of sin and death, there is no condemnation (Rom 8:1).
The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has even altered God’s dealing with people who are not believers. Look at 1 Jn 2:2 again – Jesus is not only the propitiation for our sins, but for the sins of the whole world.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Notice that it does not says He is not imputing the trespasses of Christians against them, but the world. There really is only one sin that can send a person to hell.
John 16:7-11 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;
11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
From this passage we see that the sin that the Holy Spirit comes to convict the world of, is not believing in Jesus. Because if you believe in Jesus, any other sin you may have committed is forgiven and remitted.
God the Judge
God is the Judge of all the earth. Good judges will judge based on law, and not on personal preference or on whim. A good judge is impartial.
In the American system of government, the law making branch (Congress) is separate from the judicial branch, who are only supposed to interpret the law. However, activist judges are stepping outside their limits and making decrees which congress must make laws to enforce. (I’ll get off my political soapbox now).
In spiritual law however, God is the One who makes the law, as well as the One who judges. And He is a just judge. When He judges, He judges according to the laws He has set up. And these laws can work for us, or against us, based on how we position ourselves.
God also loves us. But that does not mean He will set aside His law because He feels for us. People who say “How could a God of love send someone to hell?” think God’s love should just override His justice. But then He would not be a “just” judge – one who rules impartially, and in accordance with law.
Think of it this way: what if a human judge was to always let a criminal go, no matter what the crime? Robbers, rapists, murderers – all shown mercy and set free. The problem is, a lot of those that were shown mercy would go right out again and repeat their crimes. It is also a judge’s responsibility to protect the rest of society.
It was God’s love that caused Him to do something about the sin problem. And He did it in such a way that it allowed Him to be merciful without violating His sense of justice.
John 3:16-17 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
We are living in the Age of Grace, a dispensation where God is extending His grace and mercy towards the human race, and not condemning the world. Sometimes people have a hard time reconciling the God of the Old Testament, and the New. They see a natural disaster, and conclude that God is judging people for their sin. Jesus had to deal with the same type of questions.
Luke 13:1-5 1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?
3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?
5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
Here we have two terrible incidents – one man made, and the other a natural disaster. In both cases, Jesus ruled out that the “reason” that these things happened to these people was because they were being judged for their sins.
It was a prevalent attitude in Jesus’ day. Even the disciples, when encountering a man born blind, wanted to know who sinned – the man or his parents – that he would be born with that condition (Jn 9). And again Jesus answers them in the negative – neither this man nor his parents sinned.
Then there are those who go into the ditch on the other side. They look at the grace and mercy of Jesus, and conclude it has no limitations, or perhaps a better word would be conditions. That because God extends His grace in Jesus towards all mankind, that all mankind must experience it. That there is no hell, because God loves the world. That there will never again be judgment for sin.
But these people forget that God’s grace is conditional on those who believe – it is offered to everyone, but only those who receive it – who take what was offered – will experience it. And Jesus Himself also spoke of the wrath to come. Also the Apostle John – who preached about God’s love more than any of the other New Testament writers – was the one who received the Revelation that describes the events when the age of Grace comes to a close.
Think of it this way. Instead of just passing sentence, God has offered a new “program” that has the power to rehabilitate sinners. It starts by changing the inward nature of the person, and presents a whole new perspective on how to think.
But the program is voluntary, because it requires that a person choose it – they cannot be ordered into it. And God gives everyone their whole life to choose. So for those who take part in the program, it wipes their slate clean. But for those who refuse it – either actively or by neglect – the charges against them are still there, And one day they will have to answer to them.
The Christian who Sins
What about a Christian who sins? 1 John 1:8-9 says that if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves; but that if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Notice that He is just to forgive us.
just
- guided by truth, reason, justice, and fairness: We hope to be just in our understanding of such difficult situations.
- done or made according to principle; equitable; proper: a just reply.
- based on right; rightful; lawful: a just claim.
- in keeping with truth or fact; true; correct: a just analysis.
- given or awarded rightly; deserved, as a sentence, punishment, or reward: a just penalty.
God’s ability to forgive us is based on law, not based on ignoring sin.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Notice the wording here – Christ was made to be sin for us. He did not just bear our sins like a burden, somehow He absorbed the sins of the world into Himself and became a “sinner”. Not that He ever committed a transgression, but He took on the same nature of spiritual death and separation from God that Adam and Eve experienced when they sinned in the garden.
There is similar wording in Galatians where it talks about how Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law – He became a curse for us.
Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”).
Just as mankind experienced two deaths when we fell – spiritual first, and then physical – so Jesus experienced the same two deaths in order to redeem us.
After three days, when the price for our sins was paid, Jesus Christ was changed back to who He was, the Holy Son of God. His spiritual nature was changed from death and separation from God, back to zoe, eternal life. Then His physical body was raised from the dead.
We experience the same transformation when we make Jesus our Lord. It is called being born again (John 3). Jesus was the firstborn from the dead (Col 1:18), and the firstborn among many brethren (Rom 8:29). Jesus was not the first to be resurrected from physical death, but He was the first to be brought from spiritual death to eternal life. He blazed a path for us by taking it Himself.
In the process, there was an exchange – righteousness for sin/spiritual death. And we who are born again, who are in Christ, experience the same exchange – He who committed no sin took on our sins, and we who committed no righteousness take on His righteousness.
Righteousness is a description of relationship, not behavior. It means to be in right standing with God. The exchange of righteousness for sin was a legal transaction paid for by the death and resurrection of Christ. It was purchased for the entire world, but we as individuals experience it – i.e., we enter into the transaction – when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
On Jesus’ side, it was a one-time exchange. But on our side, it is not. Even now, if we sin, and confess it, the exchange takes place: our sin is taken away, and we are cleansed from all unrighteousness.
Our Advocate
1 John 2:1-2 1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
ad·vo·cate
- verb: to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument; recommend publicly: He advocated higher salaries for teachers.
- noun: a person who speaks or writes in support or defense of a person, cause, etc. (usually followed by of ): an advocate of peace.
- a person who pleads for or in behalf of another; intercessor.
- a person who pleads the cause of another in a court of law.
We’ve mentioned that the Bible uses the imagery of a courtroom in a number of places. So let us imagine a courtroom scene now. The Father is the Judge. We are the Defendant. The devil is the prosecuting attorney (the accuser), and Jesus is our Advocate (defense attorney).
The charges? You have sinned. And guess what? You’re guilty!
The prosecutor accuses us based on law – the “default” law of sin and death; that the wages of sin is death. He wants to see us judged for our sins.
To what purpose and what reason? Here’s a revelation for you: once we are born again, our eternal state is out of the devil’s hands, and he could care less. He’s concerned with the here and now, not the great by and by. His purpose (and Jesus’ also, by the way), is stated in John 10:10:
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
When we are in right standing with God, that entitles us to God’s blessing in our lives, and protection from the devil’s attacks. When the devil comes to accuse us before God, it is not over our eternal salvation – he can no longer do anything about that. It is to give him an inroad in our lives to steal, kill, and destroy. He already lost the battle to keep us out of heaven, so now his aim is to mess up our lives as much as he can and make us ineffective. That is, he wants to neutralize our influence (for God) on the earth.
So we tell Jesus our Advocate “I’m guilty, I did it. What am I gonna do?” And He tells us “There is law and precedent to get you off, but you are going to have to only say what I tell you to say.”
You can have the best defense lawyer in the whole world, but if you get up on the witness stand and say “I’m guilty, I did it!” then it’s all over. You are the deciding factor.
The devil says, “The defendant has sinned: he should be judged, he is not qualified for Your blessing and protection, and I have authority over him. I present exhibit A, a record of the defendant’s sins.”
We should say, “Yes, I have sinned. But I confessed my sins, and the blood of Christ cleanses me from sin, He forgives me and cleanses me from all unrighteousness. Now I am the righteousness of God, in Christ.”
Then our Advocate will argue in our behalf: “May I present exhibit B, My blood, shed for the defendant’s sins. And exhibit C, the record of the defendant’s confession of faith in Me as Lord and Savior.”
The judge says to the prosecuting attorney, “Play your evidence.” So the devil goes to play the record of our sins – and it’s blank! It’s been erased!
Colossians 2:13-14 NIV 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
It was the Roman custom to post the charges against a prisoner on their cell door, or in the case of an execution, it was made visible so all would know why the prisoner was condemned. Remember how they nailed a sign on Jesus’ cross that said “King of the Jews”. That was the charge the Jewish rulers brought against Jesus to Pilate, that He made Himself out to be a king.
All the charges that were against us were nailed to the cross! There are no charges that can be brought against us because we have already served our sentence – because we were in Christ during His death, burial, and resurrection.
The judge then says, “I have reviewed the evidence and reached a verdict. Firstly, although the defendant admits to sinning, you can bring no record of what that sin is. Secondly, we have a previous ruling that any sins the defendant has committed have already been paid for by the blood of Christ. Therefore I rule that the defendant is “not guilty”, and that there is no condemnation because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made him free from the law of sin and death. Case dismissed.”
But, if instead we say, “Yes, I did it, I’m guilty. I’m just a miserable unworthy sinner that doesn’t deserve God’s blessing.” We’ve just undermined our defense.
Remember for the Christian, the issue is not about our eternal salvation. Many Christians will believe their place in heaven is secure, but will think that they are disqualified for God’s blessing on the earth.
The Word of our Testimony
Revelation 12:9-11 9 The great dragon was hurled down–that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
This passage talks about the accuser of the brethren, whom we see to be the devil. And notice how he constantly tries to accuse us before God; because, truth be told, there is a cause under the old default law of sin and death.
And notice how it says we overcame and defeat him – by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.
The blood of the Lamb – this is the part that God did. Jesus died for our sins and was raised from the dead.
The word of our testimony – this is the part that we have to do. When we normally think of the word “testimony”, we think of our life and behavior and how it used to be, and then how we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and how our life has changed. The foundation of that is the record that we have accepted and confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior.
But “testimony” is also courtroom terminology. It has to do with what you say when you are on the witness stand. If you are the defendant, it is what you say to the accusations brought against you. Whether we overcome or not is dependent on the sacrifice of Jesus, and the word of our testimony – what we say about it.
Again, the issue here for the Christian is not about our eternal salvation. Satan cannot undo that by bringing new charges against us. The issue here is our daily lives – our fellowship with God. Satan brings accusations against us to make us feel guilty and unrighteous. When that happens, we feel unworthy of His favor. And that ruins our effectiveness.
People who are full of guilt and condemnation do not pray with faith. They do not preach and witness to others with boldness. They draw in on themselves.
They are no longer a threat to the devil. Who cares if you go to heaven when you die? You have been neutralized as a soldier for God on this earth.
It is our faith in the work of Jesus Christ that enables us to overcome. This is true of our eternal salvation, and also true to have victory in our daily lives.
1 John 5:1-5 1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.
2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.
3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
