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Introduction

Have you ever tried building a puzzle without knowing what the final image looks like? You’re reasonably sure that the image will begin taking shape but only after you have correctly assembled some of the key pieces such as the border. However, the ever illusive portrait remains a mystery during the early part of the process. The only real guidance provided are the individual puzzle piece shapes that uniquely fit with its exclusive mate.

I’m currently on a personal mission to understand the Bible completely devoid of the overwhelming religious programming and denominational trappings that are so pervasive in Christian beliefs and literature, not just today but these emotionally held cult-like beliefs have existed ever since the time of Christ. A cursory review of the “church father” writings will confirm my statement.

I’ve been an active disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ for some 30+ yrs. and have on several occasions suffered spiritual abuse at the hand of religious rulers. This abuse has been the result of me questioning my “spiritual authorities” and refusing to obey them without question. Man has an insatiable desire to control other people and there is no difference in the political structure of a modern day evangelical church. I’ve served in church leadership roles and have observed firsthand the behavior of so called church “shepherds”.

One church I attended was holding a pie and ice cream church social after the Sunday night service. I was in line with a plate in my hand ready to serve up some of the delicious pies created by the ladies of the church. The pastor snuck in directly behind me and demanded I give him my plate. I had the audacity to inform him that the plate was mine and there were plenty more plates available on the table right next to him ready for the grabbing. He immediately pulled me from the line and took me to a small private room where he excoriated me for my insolence. He expected, no DEMANDED, immediate obedience of the men attending his church. Notice I said, “HIS” church! Yes, I’ve suffered spiritual abuse! He despised me for being an independent thinker.

The word “government” has the root meaning of “mind control”. Govern = control, ment = mind (i.e. mental). Throughout history, the purpose of governments has always been to closely regulate the thought process of the masses and use corporal punishment to enforce uniformity. Uni=one, form=state of mind.

This coincides nicely with the educational universities that governments have established in countries around the world. Uni means one, and verse (as in university) means thought or idea. Universities are in the business to unify the thought process of all their students. And that’s why graduating students where a square cap because it means their minds and thought process has now been “squared with the uni-verse”.

The result of this “one thought” indoctrination is a global “group think” mentality ubiquitous in countries around the world.

While not all groups think alike, virtually everyone belongs to one or more organized group. Group think, often enforced by peer pressure and the fear of ostracization, is one of the strongest and most divisive motivating forces shaping individual reality. Everyone is afraid of standing alone to support an individualistic thought or idea that they passionately and emotionally espouse. Sheeple would much rather belong to some homogenous group than think independently.

The “group think” ideology is especially pervasive within the unique spiritual enclaves created by religious groups and organizations; each organization teaching the infallibility of its own doctrines while emphatically denouncing the heresies of all other religious systems.

This powerful peer driven domination resulting from mind control did not escape the notice of secular government leaders and psychopathic rulers throughout the years. In fact, many of the historical mainline religious institutions that still exist today began as state churches, meaning the government and the church were co-ruling entities. As an example, in Europe during the reformation, as well as in much of colonial America, the government mandated church for all citizens and severe punishments were issued to those who abstained or refused to abide by the state church doctrines. This synergistic church / state relationship has thrived throughout time in many countries and hundreds of year.

A relatively recent example is the state church in Sweden which was Lutheran until the yr. 2000. In many state churches, including Sweden, the pastor’s salary was actually provided by the state. Can you see the strong possibility of a conflict of interest forming in those church hierarchical organizations?

According to Alan Duke of The Gospel Coalition, “Luther, Calvin, and the rest (of the reformers) simply couldn’t envision a church independent from the state. The religious-political roots ran too deep, so much that Luther referred to the church as the “right hand of God” and the state as “the left hand of God.” https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/4-ways-the-reformation-changed-the-church/

Governments have always used the element of fear to successfully control their populations. Churches and religious institutions have used the same style of fear tactics to control their parishioners.

Regardless of their purpose, or whether they understand that their actions are unscriptural, today’s religious organizations are using the Bible to force members into submission to their ruling powers. Remember the pie plate incident? This little study takes a practical look at the law based on Paul’s epistles. Say it again and when you pronounce the word LAW, imagine in your mind Moses standing alone on the mountain when you suddenly God’s voice thunders from above,

LAW!!

The first important issue we need to address is that not all the Bible applies to doctrinally to you. That’s a tough concept to consider but I’ll prove it to you if you can stick with me through this study. Christian’s make a HUGE mistake when they take the Bible, stick it in their mix-master, select puree, and drink whatever comes out of the vessel as though it all applies doctrinally to them.

Here are a few quick examples that validate my statement. Adam was commanded to abstain from eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Does that apply to ANYONE today? First of all, we don’t know exactly which fruit it was because God doesn’t tell us so how could we obey that command. Abraham was commanded by God to kill his only son Isaac. I’m thinking right now of the disclaimer we see on TV, “Don’t try this at home!” We obviously are not commanded to kill our son. God told Hosea to marry a prostitute. I’m not touching that one. Just because the Bible says something doesn’t mean it requires a global application.

The Bible clearly commands us to:

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Let’s consider the president of a large corporation who writes a letter to the entire company. Some of his letter will be generic applying to all of the employees. Some of his letter may be directed specifically at the finance dept., the service dept., sales, marketing, sales op, professional services, etc. Now let’s say the president, for some reason, mentioned a current challenge facing the company that involves some type of long-term tax liability. The person selling parts has no control over the outcome of that situation since the challenge belongs to the finance dept. Another example is that a poor equipment design would need to be addressed by the engineering dept. not accounts receivable.

The very first question we need to ask ourselves when we study the Bible is, “Who is the audience that the author is addressing and what is the author’s purpose in delivering the message?”

For instance, the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) were written with the express purpose of transitioning the nation of Israel from the heavily works based and law oriented OT (1500 historical years!!) to the radical and revolutionary grace infused NT economy. The purpose of these books was NOT to establish the political structure of a NT church.

That brings me to this little study of the law. My goal is to reveal from scripture answers to the following important questions:

To whom did God give the law?
To whom did God NOT give the law?
What is the purpose of the law?
What is God’s expressed purpose in saving the Gentiles in this dispensation of the grace of God?

1 – To Whom did God give the law?

This study will address several critical questions seldom, if ever, asked by Christians. Ironically, the answers to these questions will significantly affect a person’s understanding of Paul’s writings to the NT body of believers, especially his doctrinal dissertation contained in the book of Romans.

In order to get a better understanding of who God gave the law to, we need to first explore how and when the law was introduced into the world.

John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

John is quite clear and this should come as no surprise, the law was given by Moses. However, this next statement is one few people consider. Since the law was given by Moses, that would mean that the law did not exist PRIOR to Moses. This is a very simple concept but it’s crucial to understand that the law as we know it did NOT exist before Moses. NO LAW!

That doesn’t sound like a big deal at first glance. The first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis, is only 50 chapters long. Moses appears in the first chapter of the second book called Exodus. No big deal, right? Well, how many years did people live on earth without God’s law to direct and guide them? Don’t miss this little tid bit of information.

According to Bishop Usher, the time between Adam and Moses is approximately two thousand five hundred years. WHAT?? You mean to tell me that people lived and died for 2500 years before God got around to giving the law through Moses. Yep!! That’s correct, 2500 lawless years.

The next question is, “How did people live for 2500 yrs. without God’s law to guide them?” They lived the same way most of the people in the world live today. They did what they thought was correct based on their conscience. It’s obvious today that evil people exist all over the world; however, it’s equally obvious today that good people co-exists with the evil archenemies in every tribe and every nation. There are many, many good wholesome people who live beautiful lives in spite of the fact that they are not cognizant of God’s law.

Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

This is one of the most important proof texts in this study and it will appear again later.

While I find it amazing to consider that the children of Israel lived under the curse of the law for 1500 years, it’s almost unthinkable that people lived for 2500 years between Adam and Moses without the law. That’s a long time for mankind to exist living strictly by everyman’s conscience. In fact, billions of people today still have little or no knowledge of God’s law.

Giving of the Law

Let’s set the stage briefly for what happens in Ex. 24. In Ex. 19 the Lord promises that he will speak to Moses.

Exo 19:3 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;

Notice that God commands Moses to deliver his message EXCLUSIVELY to the house of Jacob and the children of Israel. This message is not destined for world wide evangelism, it only applies to one obscure people group.

Exo 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Exo 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Notice that these IF/THEN promises are extremely exclusive to the children of Israel. Embracing this important concept is crucial to understanding the purpose of the law. Nothing good can come of this study without acknowledging this truth.

The IF: The children of Israel need to obey God’s voice and keep his covenant.

The THEN: Then Israel would become a peculiar treasure above all the other people of the earth; they would also be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. All these blessings apply exclusively to the children of Israel, not the world in general (I.e. not to the Gentiles).

Notice how in the next few verses Israel now enters into a fully executed Business Associate Agreement (BAA) by accepting God’s offer.

Exo 19:7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.

Exo 19:8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.

This is an important aspect of the covenant contract God was presenting to the children of Israel. When negotiating a legal contract, terms and conditions are offered by one party and these T’s and C’s must either be fully accepted or negotiated by the responding party. There must be of necessity a “meeting of the minds” in any negotiation process or the contract can be legally and successfully contested in a court of law and ultimately nullified. In Ex. 19:8, 24:3, and 24:7, the children of Israel answer with one voice, “All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.” This means that the children of Israel accepted God’s offer without further negotiation and the covenant was fully executed with mutual consent without coercion. In other words, the agreement was bi-lateral rather than the unilateral agreement we always envisioned. The children of Israel fully accepted God’s terms and conditions without a hint of negotiation and went on record as such.

It’s rather ironic that Israel accepts God’s terms and conditions in ch. 19 BEFORE God even reveals the contract; however, in chapter 24 the children of Israel once again confirm their full intention to voluntarily accept the T’s and C’s spelled out in chapters 20-23. In fact, they accept the covenant not once but twice in vss. 3 and 7. See below.

Exo 24:1 And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.

Exo 24:2 And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.

Exo 24:3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.

Exo 24:4 And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

Exo 24:5 And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.

Exo 24:6 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.

Exo 24:7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.

Exo 24:8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

BTW, this act is mentioned in the book of Hebrews.

Heb 9:16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

Heb 9:17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

Heb 9:18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.

Heb 9:19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,

Heb 9:20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.

This action fully executes the covenant contract God offered the children of Israel.

Interesting note: There are 7 essential elements of a legally binding contract:

An offer.
Acceptance (meeting of the minds)
Due consideration.
Mutuality of obligation.
Competency and capacity.
Legality,
Desire of both parties to enter into the contract free from coercion.

It’s crucial to recognize that this covenant was not made with the world, nor the people of the world, but was made EXCLUSIVELY with the OT children of Israel. This covenant has NOTHING to do with any Gentile that ever lived and it certainly has NOTHING to do with the NT church!!

It also means that the promises and blessings (remember the IF / THEN clauses?) associated with this covenant belong EXCLUSIVELY to the children of Israel which pro-generated from the Abrahamic blood line. These blessings were never promised to the Gentiles and there is no biblical recording of God establishing a legal contractual covenant agreement with anyone other than the children of Israel.

Remember, this is a Quid pro quo contract. Quid pro quo means “something for something” in Latin and is used in English to mean an exchange of goods or services, in which one transfer is contingent upon the other. God required the children of Israel to obey, and live by, the entire Mosiac law, including the offering of sacrifices, IN ORDER THAT they would receive the rich blessings he promised. Remember those key elements of any contract? One requirement is that a contract needs to enforce “Mutuality of obligation”. In other words, the IF/ THEN agreements from Ex. 19.

Exo 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Exo 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

These promises have not been fulfilled yet but they will be gloriously manifested after the battle of Rev. 19 and during the 1000 yr. kingdom that the Lord Jesus Christ establishes upon his return to earth (Rev. 20).

IMPORTANT! God only expected Israel’s obedience to the law AFTER Israel voluntarily accepted responsibility to DO the Law and obey God’s voice. (Ex. 24:3,7)

Exo 24:3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.

Exo 24:7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.

According to the IF/THEN verses, God will fulfill his promises to Israel IF they fulfill their promises to God. That meets the demand of another key element of a legal contract, the “Desire of both parties to enter into the contract free from coercion”. Israel desperately wanted the promised blessings but they had no idea how long and hard they’d need to work to get them. I don’t know what would have happened if they had refused or attempted to renegotiate the terms and conditions. We can consider how successful Abraham was in negotiating with God when he convince God to reduce the requirement of 50 righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah down to ten righteous people. Nevertheless, we have documented proof that the children of Israel willingly agreed to do ALL of what the Lord demanded.

Something to Consider: This covenant God establishes with the children of Israel through Moses is quite similar to the one God established with Abraham. See the example shown below.

Gen 22:16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

Gen 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

Gen 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Once again God offers a quid pro quo covenant promise!

2 – To Whom did God NOT give the law?

In the first section we learned that the children of Israel and God fully executed a quid pro quo type of legal contract called a covenant. This covenant (contract) met the minimum legal requirements including, God making an offer, Moses presenting (reading) the offer to the children of Israel, due consideration was established, there was mutuality of obligation (Ex. 19:5,6), meeting of the minds, and a voluntary acceptance of the terms and conditions by both parties without coercion.

I am now going to reveal which people group did NOT receive the law from God nor were they obligated to abide by the covenant given to the children of Israel by Moses. This is actually easy to understand since there are only two people groups in God’s worldview; those he calls His people (children of Israel) and everyone else lumped into a category called the “Gentiles” (aka Greeks no NT).

We first need to define the scope of who is included in the group call Gentiles. Who are they? Well, in a word, they are everyone who is not Jewish. We usually think about the Gentiles as the people who lived in Rome, Ephesus, Colossae, and Thessalonica. The real truth is that the biblical word Gentiles includes the people in Africa, South America, Indians of North America, Eskimos in Alaska, the Buddhist of Asia, the Hindu’s of India, the Turkish people, Celtic nations, aborigines of Australia, etc. and so forth. The Gentiles didn’t just include the non-Jews of Europe and Asia Minor; the word Gentiles encompasses every living soul who were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise. Very few of the worldwide Gentiles knew anything about Israel, Moses, or God’s law. In addition to that, the eclectic nature of the widely divers Gentile societies have never been organized into one people group similar to the Jews since the tower of Babel separated them.

So, what about these Gentiles? What obligation did they have during OT days to abide by the law? Frankly, NONE! They were never issued the law, they didn’t have copies of it, they had no spokesperson like Moses to mediate between their people group and God, AND, most importantly, God never presented the Gentiles with a quid pro quo contract to negotiate or accept. They had no chance of accepting an offer, no meeting of the minds, no mutuality of capacity, nothing!! Therefore the Gentiles were in no way responsible for keeping the law.

You can stop laughing now; I’m in earnest. The Gentiles truly were never expected to abide by nor obey the Mosaic covenant given to the children of Israel. I know that’s a big bold statement, but let’s see if I can find scripture passages in the NT that supports this seemingly ridiculous idea of mine.

Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

I told you we’d see this verse again. I’ve read that verse many, many times over the last 30+ years and never stopped long enough to believe what is says. The verse says, “The Gentiles HAVE NOT THE LAW!” In my honest opinion, that’s an extremely clear statement Paul makes in the book of Romans but surely there needs to be more proof than that. A person can’t build an entire doctrine on one obscure Bible passage; actually, I wouldn’t consider Rom 2:14 obscure, but you understand what I mean.

Rom_2:12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;

Ps. 147:20 He has not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them,

Paul describes a people group who sin “without law” and says that this group will also “perish without law”. To whom is Paul referring? He contrasts it with another people group who “sinned in the law” and the result is that people group is “judged by the law”.

Once again, according to the apostle Paul, people who have sinned WITHOUT the law (Gentiles, Rom. 2:14) are NOT JUDGED BY THE LAW!! In contrast, the people who “sinned in the law” would be the children of Israel because God gave them the law through Moses.

I direct you back to the first question I addressed; “To Whom Did God Give the Law?” The simple and unmistakable answer is, “God gave the law to the children of Israel”; therefore; they are judged by the law they received through Moses.

Let’s follow this thread a little further. I need to set the stage briefly.

Eph 2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

In this instance, Paul is obviously addressing exclusively Gentiles. First he calls them Gentiles in the flesh, and then he clearly distinguishes between those called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands. In scripture, Israel is often referred to as “the Circumcision” and in contrast the Gentiles are referred to as the Uncircumcision. Now that you have a little background to the story, we can review the message Paul delivers to the Gentiles in Eph. Ch. 2.

Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

Paul describes the Gentiles as being aliens from Israel’s COMMONWEALTH and strangers from the covenants of PROMISE, having NO HOPE of ever receiving the blessings promised to the children of Israel. NO HOPE! The Gentiles were in a sad state of affairs!

We’ve already firmly established that the Mosaic covenant was a legally binding quid pro quo contractual agreement between God and the children of Isael. We also know that a contractual agreement must include Mutuality of Obligation as well as Competency and Capacity. It only makes sense that the Gentiles could NOT have been obligated to fulfill Israel’s portion of the agreement BECAUSE Paul makes it clear that God was in no way obligated to fulfill the blessing portion of the agreement for the Gentiles. Where do I get that? Look once more at Eph. 2:14.

That at that time ye (Gentiles) were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

There could be no quid pro quo agreement here because the Gentiles were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promises. Therefore, since God had no intention of blessing the Gentiles in the way he promised to bless Israel, the Gentiles had no contractual obligation to uphold Israel’s promise to obey God’s covenant of the law. In addition, with no contractual obligation to keep the law, the Gentiles cannot be judged by the law. (Rom 2:12). I know, that’s a lot to swallow but it will sink in better as we more fully develop this doctrine.

In Eph. 2:13 Paul goes on to recognize the dramatic difference between the OT and NT by acknowledging that Gentiles today have great hope for the future. How? By keeping the law? NO, through the blood of Christ!!

Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

3 – What happens to people who have not the law?

OK, we now know that the law was actually a legally binding contract between God and the children of Israel EXCLUSIVELY. We also know that the Gentiles HAVE NOT THE LAW. Now we need to figure out what happens to people “who have not the law?” Does God hold people accountable for keeping his law even though they either don’t have it or have never entered into a contractual agreement with God? This next section actually is quite fascinating. It’s amazing the rich truths hidden in the Bible right in plain sight.

Rom. 5:13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Rom 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

Now that is an absolutely foreign concept to Christendom! Just imagine how religious organizations would lose their fear driven mind control grip and completely unscriptural “lording it over the sheep” authority they have over their congregants if people understood that “sin is not imputed when there is no law”. Reference Rom 4:15 (see below) and 5:14 (see above). This idea will be fleshed out more fully in the next section.

Rom 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

Paul knew there would be naysayers so he makes the same point in a different verse and from a different angle. “Where no law is, there is no transgression!” WOW. Let that sink in just a little. This message instills liberty rather than fear.

OK, Paul says No law = no transgression. John puts it this way:

1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

So, I can hear the wheels turning and feel the darts of doubt being shot my way. Does this mean a disciple of Christ can live anyway he wants to live? Well, in a word, YES! At least that’s what Paul teaches. Honest, he does.

1Cor 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

1Cor 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

Same book, different chapters, same exact message. “All things are lawful unto me!” However, his message is balanced. “But all things are not expedient; I will not be brought under the power of any; all things edify not.

Paul is confirming the fact that TODAY, a Christian believer (Jews and Gentiles, makes no difference) is free from the curse of the law and absolute NO obligation to keep and obey the law. In fact we know that the Gentiles were NEVER under the curse of the law nor in bondage to abide by it, only the children of Israel were under that bondage BECAUSE only the children of Israel received the gift of the promises. He also warns us that a licentious life is dangerous to our spiritual and physical health.

Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Rom 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

Rom 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Rom 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

Rom 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Like Paul, I’m not promoting the idea of living a licentious life doing whatever you desire. Quite the contrary. I am, however, doing my best to utterly destroy the fear instilled in unsuspecting church attenders by the religious establishment. Like the Lord Jesus Christ, the ultimate purpose for my little study is “to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;”.

I have another verse to drop on you that strongly supports the answers to the first two questions but that is revealed in the next section.

4 – What is the purpose of the law?

Let’s recap. So far we’ve learned that the Mosaic covenant (law) was a legal contract that God and the children of Israel willingly agreed to without coercion. The bi-party agreement fulfilled the basic requirements of a legal and binding contract and it was fully executed by both parties. We also learned that, “the Gentiles, which have not the law”, NEVER did have the law. In fact, God has never even provided them the opportunity to enter into a “quid pro quo” agreement similar the one he gave to Israel. God never made them an offer; therefore, they never had the chance to accept nor reject it. We also learned that, according to the apostle Paul, “sin is not imputed when there is no law” and “where no law is, there is no transgression”. This appears to be rather simple to understand so far….however, it is quite difficult to believe after a lifetime of religious programming and indoctrination. But I digress. Let’s “keep er movin”.

Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

According to this verse, the law is directed specifically to those who are “under the law”. By now, this issue should be settled in the heart of the reader. The law is speaking to the children of Israel because they are the only people group under the law. Now consider the last part of the verse.

“that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” This part of the verse is repeating the message, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse” but that’s not always true as we’ve previously seen and we are about to dive deeper. Get ready!!

The bottom line is that all the world IS guilty before God and without excuse; therefore, our mouths are stopped with no defense. Sin is pervasive with or without the law and that’s why death reigns upon EVERYONE without exception.

Rom 5:13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Rom 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

Quick Question: What was Adam’s transgression? What did Adam do or not do that was SO egregious to God that death began to reign over all mankind? Simply put, he broke the only commandment God gave to the federal head of man.

Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

It’s also important to remember the distinct parallels between “the first man Adam” and the last Adam who is Jesus Christ. Both Adams were a son of God.

(Lk. 2:38b Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God).

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The first man Adam was created; the last Adam was “the only begotten of the Father” (John 1). I cover this in much greater detail in my little study of the book of Ephesians. You don’t want to miss it!.

Back to our study of the law. Something important to consider is that inherent guilt is not the same as an actual indictment. I live near a speed trap and yet I rarely see anyone pulled over in it. It’s a deep valley in the countryside and the posted speed limit is a brutally slow 30 mph. It’s almost impossible to prevent exceeding the posted limit as I travel down the large hill on one side and it takes a lot of effort to get back up the hill on the other side without speeding.

I’m always guilty of exceeding the speed limit as I travel in the 30 mph zone but I’ve never been formally indicted by a police officer nor a judge. The honest truth is that virtually every time I drive a car, I travel a little over the speed limit so I’m constantly guilty yet rarely held accountable for the infraction. Now let’s say the county where I live decided to remove all speed limit signs so drivers have no idea what the legal speed limit is nor how fast is too fast. How can the judicial system hold me or anyone else accountable for an un-posted legal limit? In fact, if it’s un-posted it’s actually NOT legal. The law in Wisconsin addresses this possibility in that it clearly states that all un-posted roadways are, by default, limited to 55 mph.

If humans recognize this as grossly unfair, surely the heavenly Father understands the gross injustice holding Gentiles, which have not the law, accountable for keeping the law.

Rom. 5:13, 14 makes a bold statement that I’ve never seen anyone take seriously.

Rom. 5:13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Rom 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

How about this next verse!

Rom 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

Now it’s time to concentrate on these two key phrases, “but sin is not imputed when there is no law” and “for where no law is, there is no transgression.” Just like it’s incumbent upon the county to warn me about the speed limit, God takes responsibility for warning people about transgressing his law. And, if he doesn’t warn them, he is righteous enough that he does not impute sin unto them. BTW, the word impute means, “to lay the responsibility or blame for something” or in other words, hold some accountable.

I know some will accuse me of cherry picking verses so I’ll need to make a stronger case than two simple verses and mere speculation. In section 1 we learned that the law was given exclusively to the children of Israel. We also learned that it was far more that just a mountain top experience that God and Moses had. God and the entire nation of Israel actually entered into a legally binding quid pro quo contractual agreement referred to as the Mosaic covenant. In section 2 we learned that the Gentiles were never given the law. Now I’ve just made the case that “sin is not imputed when there is no law” and “for where no law is, there is no transgression.” Two bold statements to say the least,

What if I were to tell you that sin is powerless without the law? That too would be a bold statement. Let’s see if scripture supports that idea.

1Cor. 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

While sin was in the world between Adam and Moses, and death reigned because of sin, we now discover that sin was absolutely powerless in that God refused to impute sin when there was no law to transgress. “The STRENGTH of SIN is the LAW”. This was an absolutely shocking discovery for me when I realized that Gentiles didn’t have the law and that sin has no strength without the law; therefore, sin is not imputed when there is no law to transgress. Yes, I know I’m repeating myself, but I believe a person needs to see this shocking revelation several times to allow the truth to burrow past the highly effective religious programming and indoctrination we have all received such that it arrives safely intact at our intellectual consciousness.

You need to think independently people! Release yourself from the bane of group think! We have been misled for so many years by mind control masters trying to keep us captive in their denominational domination all the while the truth is ready to set us free from our religious bondage.

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

I know, because I existed in that crowd for many years refusing myself the liberty to believe what I was reading for fear of being “different” and therefore ostracized by my religious crowd. Peer pressure and group think ideology had me imprisoned in man-made doctrines and I was afraid to “believe my lying eyes”. Independent thought gets rather scary when one realize it’s just you and God with Christ as your mediator.

1Ti_2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

In addition, never lose sight of the fact that the Gentiles have NEVER been given the law, and during OT times had little or no access to the OT scriptures because the manuscripts were extremely rare, very expensive, and closely guarded by the Jewish scribes. Remember Paul rebuking Peter in the book of Galatians? Peter was afraid because he was taught that an orthodox Jew should never even be caught eating with a Gentile and Gentiles were strictly entering the temple any further than the outer court. As a whole, the Gentiles were at least as ignorant of the Jewish law and OT writings as I am of the Koran. Keep in mind that the phrase Gentiles included every non-Jew throughout the entire world not just those that lived in the areas mentioned in the Bible.

I honestly would not be able to intelligently converse with a Muslim person regarding the contents of their holy book. I simply have no desire to avail myself of the Koran. See Rom 2:14.

Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

Paul identifies different people groups in I Cor. 9. He specifically identifies the “Jews”, as “them that are under the law”, and finally a group of people “without law”. This supports the idea that the Gentiles HAVE NOT the LAW.

1Co 9:20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;

1Co 9:21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.

Rom. 5:13 proves that God did not hold people accountable for something they did not know (nor even have available!).

Notice that the sting of DEATH is SIN; therefore, death reigned because of sin. However, it’s crucial to also recognize that the true strength of SIN is the LAW; where no law is, there is no transgression for sin is the transgression of the law. The Gentiles were never held accountable for breaking the commandments God gave to the children of Israel. It also means that the law remains and always has been POWERLESS against the Gentiles since Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law and shed his blood to take the law out of the way nailing it to his cross.

Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Col 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

NOTE: Keep in mind that when Paul says the “handwriting of ordinances that was against us”, this does NOT include the Gentiles. This is a reference to the law that only pertained to the second party of the binding contract (covenant), namely the children of Israel. This concept is covered extensively in the study of Ephesians.

In Rom 7, Paul confirms that sin not only lacks strength without the law, it is completely DEAD without the law. To survive, sin NEEDS (non-optional) the commandment to work (wrought) all manner of concupiscence in Paul’s body. See Rom. 7:8.

Rom 7:8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

Rom 7:9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

Paul describes a time when he was ALIVE without the law. Since Paul appears on the scene about 1500 yrs. AFTER Moses receives the law, I can only assume Paul is referring to a time of ignorance and innocence before he knew the law. I suggest this was in childhood before he was old enough to truly understand the difference between good and evil: otherwise known as the age of accountability. Sin revived only AFTER the commandment came and the result was spiritual death. The death must have been spiritual because otherwise Paul is telling the story post mortem.

Rom 7:10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

Rom 7:11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

According to vss. 8 and now 11, sin needed the commandment to slew Paul. Vs. 8 clearly says, “without the law sin was DEAD!” This confirms that sin is not only powerless, it is also dead without the commandment (a.k.a. the law!).

Final Conclusion

I suspect that most of my audience by this time has checked out intellectually and are mindlessly reading the remainder just hoping for the end. Alternatively, those that are still tuned in the lesson are more than likely incensed by the enormous paradigm shift I’ve identified (suggested) in Paul’s writings. My experience with sharing my faith has taught me that most people become very insecure and slightly paralyzed when long held and emotionally entrenched religious doctrines are challenged.

The primary take-away from this short lesson is the propensity people have for reading and re-reading a popular passage of scripture without taking the time to ask themselves who the author is addressing nor what exactly is the author’s purpose in writing that particular scripture text. For this reason, I will briefly recap what we’ve learned up to now and try following it to a logical conclusion.

In section two we learned that, “the Gentiles, which have not the law”, NEVER did have the law. In fact, God has never even provided them the opportunity to enter into a “quid pro quo” agreement similar the one he gave to Israel. God never made them an offer; therefore, they never had the chance to accept nor reject it. We also learned that, according to the apostle Paul, “sin is not imputed when there is no law” and “where no law is, there is no transgression”.

In section 3 we learned,

The sting of death is sin;
The strength of sin is the law,
Where no law is, there is no transgression, sin is the transgress of the law
Without the law sin is dead

I will now make some general observations regarding the contrast between mainstream Christian teachings and what I learned from this little Bible study of mine.

God gave the law to the children of Israel who were born of the Abrahamic blood line; in other words, physical Jews. This was an EXCLUSIVE offer and non-transferable to any other people group. Period, end of story. No exceptions.
God gave the promises associated with the law to to the children of Israel who were born of the Abrahamic blood line; in other words, physical Jews. This too was part of the EXCLUSIVE contractual agreement that is non-transferable to any other people group. Period, end of story, no exceptions. That means they still belong to the children of Israel; not the Gentiles, and not the NT church.
The Gentiles never entered into an agreement with God regarding the law and therefore they have absolutely no obligation to keep or obey the OT law. None of it. Rather, Jesus gives us a new commandment.

John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

The strength of sin is the law. I Cor. 15:56 couldn’t be any more clear. Since the Gentiles were not given the law, therefore they “have not the law”, as a result God does not hold them responsible for keeping the law, and thus sin is ultimately powerless over them. That does not mean they don’t sin. Hardly!! it simply means they are not held accountable for transgressing the law (for where no law is, there is no transgression). The fact that all Gentiles die reveals their ultimate guilt; Gentiles just are not indicted for it because they have diplomatic immunity.
I can hear the multitude speaking with one voice, “So what happens to Gentiles who die without Christ as their Saviour?” That is a GOOD question, and I’ll be honest, I’m not certain what happens to Gentiles if they die without Christ. I suspect the same thing happens to them as what happened to people for the 2500 yrs. before God gave Moses the law. I figure I’ve gotten you this far, now it’s up to someone else to investigate the follow up questions. Actually, I cover this very issue in great detail in my “Brief Survey of the Book of Ephesians”.
FACT: Governments use fear to control the citizenry. For thousands of yrs. tyrants have known that large groups of people can be controlled through fear, intense indoctrination, and group think. This success of mind control and manipulation has certainly been observed, and successfully implemented, by religions leaders throughout history.

The following story about Stalin and a chicken represents an important lesson I’ve learned by observing Governments and numerous religious organizations.

“On one occasion, so it was narrated, Stalin called for a live chicken and proceeded to use it to make an unforgettable point before some of his henchmen. Forcefully clutching the chicken in one hand, with the other he began to systematically pluck out its feathers. As the chicken struggled in vain to escape, he continued with the painful denuding until the bird was completely stripped. “Now you watch,” Stalin said as he placed the chicken on the floor and walked away with some bread crumbs in his hand. Incredibly, the fear-crazed chicken hobbled toward him and clung to the legs of his trousers. Stalin threw a handful of grain to the bird, and it began to follow him around the room, he turned to his dumbfounded colleagues and said quietly, “This is the way to rule the people. Did you see how that chicken followed me for food, even though I had caused it such torture? People are like that chicken. If you inflict inordinate pain on them they will follow you for food the rest of their lives.”

Religions throughout history have created spiritual enclaves replete with rules and regulations that they require their congregants to obey without question. These spiritual leaders have convinced their members that they (pastors / leaders / scholars / teachers) alone have unlocked the dark secrets for life and happiness and only they can offer the necessary spiritual food that the proletariat need to inherit eternal life.

These rulers quickly indoctrinate all new members and enforce a group thinking policy strictly adhered to by all. This homogeneity creates an underlying tension among the members to toe the line and uphold the basic tenants of the organization or suffer the consequences of interrogation and possible ostracization. This is where the law gains traction and becomes a significantly important impetus used by the leaders to conform the congregants to their own image. Through indoctrination and programming, the common church goer quickly realizes that only the religious leaders can truly understand what it is that God expects of the church members.

Just like Stalin, the rulers want to fleece the flock regularly so they can build and maintain their empires. Ironically, and unfortunately, the fleecing action actually causes members to remain fiercely loyal to their overlord masters, and these “plucked chickens” will vehemently defend the ruler with their life and all their savings. The final realization is actually quite devastating when it becomes obvious that the vast majority of people not only seek out but also enjoy their religious servitude.

Here’s a quote from Aldus Huxley: “There will be, in the next generation or so, a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude, and producing dictatorship without tears, so to speak, producing a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies, so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them, but will rather enjoy it, because they will be distracted from any desire to rebel by propaganda or brainwashing, or brainwashing enhanced by pharmacological methods. And this seems to be the final revolution.”

Look around folks.

Religious organizations have always focused on the wrath of God because it instills fear and provides a strong foundation that allows them to control the congregants. Unfortunately, this is the perfect recipe for creating a religious prig and Pharisee.

Christians, believers, ascribe far too much power and prestige to the idea of sin. We need to take our eyes off what WE are what WE are doing and rather keep focused on what the Lord Jesus Christ has already accomplished. DONE!! It is finished!! We think we can somehow reduce or eliminate the sin in our lives so we become professional “tare pluckers”; however, we’ve forgotten the moral of the story. Tare pluckers rip up and utterly destroy the good fruit (wheat) and therefore severely compromise (or eradicate!) the joy that God wants to infuse into our lives. Remember this little phrase, “Self pity or self praise; you are still focused on SELF”.

Gal 2:19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Believers today have (PRESENT TENSE!) the righteousness of Christ imputed to them through faith.

Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

1Co 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

Christ Jesus is not only my righteousness; he’s also my wisdom, sanctification, and redemption. How can we improve upon the righteousness of Christ? By works? By obeying the law? By religious rules, regulations, deeds? Baptism? Lord’s supper or communion? Keeping the Sabbath? Attending a church service? Memorizing the Bible? Fasting, praying? Tithing (that’s a big empire builder!!)? The list could continue ad nauseam.

Gal 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

Gal 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Gal 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Gal 3:4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

Gal 3:5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Much of this self-absorption disappears when the intimidation supplied by the law is removed. What will pastors preach and teach if the law and sin are no longer a looming threat? What if believers are truly “accepted in the beloved”? What if there actually is “therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit?”

Most of what is said and preached in church is quickly forgot before we arrive home for lunch. However, once in while something profound sticks and you can’t shake it off. I heard a preacher ask the congregation a question that I’ve never forgotten. He asked, “Are you an object of a ministry or a disciple of the Lord?” That little question has, over time, helped redirect my energy and efforts.

Have you ever noticed that many Christians suffer from fear, analysis paralysis, and an inherent guilt complex because they continuously wonder how much giving of yourself is enough? How much prayer time is enough? How much money is enough? How much soul winning, Bible study, memorization, church attendance and active participation does it take to satisfy God? I remember one gentleman bragging in a Wednesday night service how he and his entire family were able to attend likeminded churches for every sanctioned weekly service while they were trying to enjoy a vacation. He was obviously an object of a ministry in that situation.

Here’s the rub. I’ve mentioned before that humans have this insatiable desire to control other humans, and psychopaths always rise to the top. Many pastors and church leaders are more focused on “empire building” than on teaching the people how to simply love God and love others.

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.

Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Did you catch that last statement? On these two commandments HANG ALL THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS! Even if the law were applicable to the Gentiles (which it’s not!), Jesus is instructing the Jews, who were still under the curse of the law at that time, that all the law and the prophets are supported by two simple commands; love God and love others.

I believe that religion has created a horribly skewed perspective of God based on a patently false belief regarding the purpose of the law.

Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

They could spend a lot more time preaching and teaching about the goodness of God since that’s the key to repentance.

Unanswered Questions

The astute reader is viewing the end of this document with a certain amount of dread because this little Bible study is a cliff hanger in that it generated more questions than it answered. Of this the author is fully aware.

The Practical Look at the Law was actually generated as a result of my original study of the book of Romans. The Romans study is the genesis for a number of additional studies I currently have in various stages of completion. I set the Romans study aside several months ago so I could focus on the Practical Look at the Law. Ironically, the Practical Look at the Law led me to begin a study of Ephesians. If you enjoyed this little Bible study, you will be thrilled with my study of Ephesians.

I’m currently working in the fourth chapter but I’ve already encountered numerous Ah Ha realizations in the first 3.5 chapters. My Ephesians study has completely reformed my understanding of the book and given me a deeper appreciation for Paul’s NT epistles. I know what you’re thinking. That sounds like hyperbole but it’s truly not.

The Practical Look at the Law was simply a primer for a much deeper dive into Paul’s epistles. My Ephesians study will address the following questions:

I’ve identified a huge percentage of the world’s population that has never been under the law and therefore will not be judged by the law. What happens to them? That’s a hot topic and I believe you’ll be intrigued by what I found.
Exactly who was Paul’s target audience when he wrote the book of Ephesians? That’s a million dollar question and it’s covered in detail in my study. I suspect you’ll be surprised; I was.
Eph. 1:5 talks about the mysterious predestination doctrine. What did Paul mean by predestination? A huge unwieldy doctrine has been created surrounding the topic; in fact Calvin invests 14 entire pages in his Institutes of Religion book trying to explain it. Entire books have been written on the subject and sharp divisions formed between the two most prominent opposing opinions. The answer I discover in my study of Romans and Ephesians is so incredibly simple that you’ll wonder how we missed it for so many years.
What’s the big difference between the New Testament and the new covenant? Things different are not the same. That’s an interesting side study.
What did Paul mean when he writes “one baptism” in Eph 4? That question has troubled me for many years because I can easily identify at least five unique baptisms recorded in the Bible. Once again, the answer is so obvious but it was hidden in plain sight.
Why does Paul use two distinct phrases in the book of Ephesians to reference the same dispensation? Yes, dispensation is a Bible word and Paul uses it several times.
What was Paul talking about when he writes, “Eph 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Who exactly are the two (twain) people that become one new man?
What purpose do the Gentiles serve in the body of Christ? If you’re looking for a good reason to be humble, the answer to this question will more than suffice.
Why did Jesus get baptized twice? Did you even realize he was twice baptized?
Have you ever wondered why God gave Eve one of Adam’s ribs? The answer to that question provided one of my Ah Ha moments.
Paul calls Adam “the first man Adam” and he identifies Jesus Christ as “the last Adam”. God provides a bride for both. We’ll look at the amazing parallels between the two Adams and their brides.
Abraham’s faith was counted for his righteousness but he was justified by works. We’ll unpack that truth in Ephesians. We’ll also discuss why Abraham’s bosom was named thusly.

Well, I hope that provides enough of a teaser that you’ll want to request the Bible study for the book of Ephesians. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the Practical Look at the Law as much I enjoyed studying the topic.

You can send me an email at:

Lablover04@mail.com if you’d like me to email you a copy of the Eph. study.

I’m also building a new website at myLibertyPursuit.com

Liberty Pursuit / Searching for Truth!

P.S. I realize that many (probably most?) of the readers have not enjoyed reading this little Bible study because it made them feel uncomfortable and insecure. That’s a normal reaction when someone challenges a historically established, long held, and emotionally charged core belief.

That’s exactly what I hope this study has done for the reader. I trust it has challenged my audience to move outside their comfort zone and entertain ideas that momma and daddy didn’t teach. I can imagine the questions that are just now whirling around in reader’s minds: What will the people at church think if they learn that I believe differently than they do? What about your pastor? How can I maintain my leadership role in the church if I espouse beliefs alien to my religious affiliation? Unfortunately, these questions are all about YOU!

I’m not looking to start a movement or build an empire; the last thing I want is someone associating their doctrinal beliefs with my name. I simply want to alert people that the law should never be used by pastors and Bible teachers to heap guilt and condemnation upon their unsuspecting hearers.

Luk_4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

I see a lot of brokenhearted and bruised Christians who have been misled regarding the purpose of the law and misunderstand the true liberty we have in Christ; therefore, I want to preach deliverance to the captives.

That said, look at the results Jesus Christ experienced when he brought his message of deliverance to the Jews. The truth is that most people would rather remain comfortably within their religious group and continue to group-think than to stray into uncharted waters and make new discoveries. Face it, sheeple gravitate toward a place of spiritual control and bondage, and our churches are full of sheeple.

Introduction

1 – To Whom did God give the law?

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