Thursday, April 25, 2013

In His Righteousness, the Enemy's Weapon, the Law, Does not Prosper

"But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

"For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

"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;" (Ephesians 2: 13-15)

"Abolish" is a strong word -- Yet in Christ's death and resurrection, we are set free from the law, made righteous by faith, and empowered by His grace to live out His life within. The law no longer has any hold on us, because Jesus fulfilled the law once and for all forever:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." (Matthew 5: 17)

That's why Paul wrote:

"Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers" (1 Timothy 1: 9)

Righteousness people do not need the law, because we have now received the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8: 15)

The law is but a shadow of the Life that we receive in Christ Jesus:

"For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect." (Hebrews 10: 1)

and

"Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." (Colossians 2: 17)

The law, the set of ordinances, was nailed to the Cross along with all our sin, and thus the Devil and his messengers lost the one weapon that they had against us:

"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

"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;

"And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2: 13-15)

"Having spoiled" means that the Enemy lost his weapon - the law, which ministers condemnation, and that is why he is called "Ha-Satan" or the "Prosecutor"

Yet Jesus fulfilled the law, and thus made it of no effect.

Now we can be established in His righteousness (Isaiah 54: 14; 2 Corinthians 5: 21) and withstand all the wiles of the Enemy:

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 54: 17)

and

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

"(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

"And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10: 3-6)

The "obedience of Christ" is His righteousness given to us through His Holy Spirit, that thus established every weapon falls weak and beggarly at our feet.

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