GLORIOUS POSSIBILITIES THROUGH THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
TEXT: Romans 1:16-20; 2:14-16
Do the moral laws have any relevance in our lives as New Testament believers? “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” (Romans 1:16-20). In the New Testament, the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and all those who hold the Truth in unrighteousness.
- THE LAW OF GOD, LEGIBLE ON EVERY CONSCIENCE. Romans 2:14-16
(i) The Law in the Conscience of Every Creature – Romans 2:14-15; 1:1819,28-32; John 8:7-9; Galatians 3:24-25
Understand that the ceremonial laws are gone, the Lord did not give that to the Gentiles, what the Lord writes in every conscience on earth are the moral laws. Ungodliness is walking and talking contrary to the moral laws of God, and the anger of God is revealed from Heaven against all those who hold the truth in unrighteousness. God is Righteous, Holy and delights in godliness, and every religion knows that as well. Some people do not want to retain the knowledge that God is Holy and Righteous, and as a result of that, God gave them up to do those things which are not convenient to the obedience of the moral laws, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” (Romans 1:28-32).
(ii) His Law in the Character of all His Converts – Matthew 7:12; 22:3740; Romans 13:8-14; James 2:8-12,26
Those who are men’s and prophets’ converts, will live under the pretence of grace and commits unrighteousness. But the converts of Christ will live by the principle and commandments of Christ as stated, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12). This is the proper interpretation of all the laws, prophets, and the commandments in the Old Testament, that whatsoever you will not want to do unto others, you will not do unto them. That is the character and lifestyle of Christ’s converts. If you love God, you will not take any other image or idol to replace Him, not joke nor jest with His Name like the sinners in the pubs do, you will honour the first day of the week to think and meditate on the Lord, to worship Him, and you will love the Lord with all your soul, mind, and heart. And then you will love your neighbour as yourself. “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”
(iii) His Law for the New Creature in the New Covenant – Hebrews 8:6,10; 10:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3-4;·Galatians 6:2,15-16
“But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:” (Hebrews 8:6,10). The New Testament does not cancel the Old Testament. When we come into the New Covenant and are committed to Christ in the New Covenant, He writes the laws into our hearts, and we are committed to those commandments. “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;” (Hebrews 10:16).
- THE LOVE IN THE GOSPEL OF GRACE IN CHRIST. John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10,19-21
(i) The Compassion and Love of God for us – John 3:16; Romans 5:8-10; 1 Peter 3:8; 1 John 3:16-18.
It is wrong to spit on the Face of the Creator and do what is wrong. But the grace of God through Jesus Christ comes to take away all our sins. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:8-10). Christ came and died on the Cross because we were sinners, and to take away our sins. And now we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him
(ii) The Commandment and Life in the Gospel by us – John 13:34-35; 1 John 2:8-10; 1 Corinthians13:1-7; Philippians 2:3-5
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:3435). It is the moral law that the Lord is still emphasising in a deeper and wider way of interpretation and application. Love will not contradict the commandment of God. (1 Corinthians 13:1-7). Charity, love is kind, and a kind person will not commit adultery or immorality with another person. We keep the moral laws even in the New Testament dispensation. If you are on the path of duty, and you contradict the path of progress, you behave unseemly. He believes all things but does not believe a lie in strong delusion. Only believe the words of Christ and the doctrines of Truth as revealed in the Scriptures. “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” (Philippians 2:3-5). The mind that was in Christ is that you will not kill, nor do anything to hurt others. The moral laws still hold in our lives under the New Testament dispensation.
(iii) Our Commitment to the Law of life in Christ – Romans 8:2-4; James 1:21-25; 1 Corinthians 15:33-34; Hebrews 12:14
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:2-4). The law has made us free. We must awake to righteousness and sin not as we come to the grace of God. We need to have remembrance of this in every situation of life – happiness, Joyful days, sorrowful days, times of trials, temptation, health, sickness, always remember that we follow peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord!
- THE LOT OF THE GODLY LIVING WHOLEHEARTEDLY FOR
CHRIST. Psalm 16:5-9,11
“The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalms 16:5-9,11). When you follow the counsel of God, you will obey the moral laws that He has given unto us. Don’t follow your depraved and other sinners’ counsel, but only the counsel of the Lord.
(i) The Holiness and Healing for the Law-Abiding – Hebrews 12:14-17; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 2 Kings 20:1-6; 3 John 1:2
“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” (Hebrews 12:14-17). You will fall short of the grace of God when you hold that grace in insolation, and continue in your sinful life. We are to perfect holiness in the sight of God. He gives us all these things in proportion to holiness, that we will have holiness and health, holiness and prosperity, holiness, and healing. And not to separate them.
(ii) The Horror of Hell for all Lawbreakers – Matthew 13:40-42; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 13:24-28; Revelations 14:10-11
It was only one sin that made God drive Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden, only one sin made Koran, Dathan, Abiram, and their companions go straight into hell, and only one sin that made Samson lose his divine strength and became blind, only one sin made Judas Iscariot to commit suicide and go into hell, only one sin that Ananias and Sapphira to perish before the Apostles, so you must not excuse sin no matter how small in your life. There is Hell fire, and all those who died in the sins will suffer forever and ever the horrors in hell fire.
(iii) The Happiness in Heaven for Loyalty to the Lord – Revelation 22:12-14; Matthew 13:43; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 2 Peter 3:9-14
The Lord has prepared Heaven for those who are loyal to God, and not for the lawbreakers. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We have this lively hope that we shall see Him, and be with Him. And as we are alive in Christ, in righteousness, in godliness and His goodness, we shall be with the Lord in heaven forever, but the lawbreakers will be in the horrors of hell fire forever and ever.
