LEANING ON OUR BELOVED
Choosing Between Law and Grace

Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her Beloved? (Song 8:5)

(Leaning: = H. raphaq, " to recline " Strongs 7514)

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:16,17)

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THE LETTER OF THE LAW:
The Commandments given fifty days after the crossing of the Red Sea (Lev. 23:15,16)

Law written in stone (Ex. 31:18)

Three thousand die (Ex. 32:38)

The ageing prophet trembled as he slowly ascended the smoking mountain. He had come to love and trust the God who had first revealed Himself in the burning bush. He had also come to know Him well enough never to take their friendship for granted. He had seen with his own eyes Yahweh's dealings with Pharaoh, and he feared lest his people might underestimate the gravity of the covenant they had entered into with Him. As he approached the fiery cloud, he again remembered that other mountain where he had first heard the Voice of Yahweh, and how he had hidden his face in fear. "Go", He had said "bring My people out of Egypt". How could he have known then what amazing events lay ahead: the miraculous signs, the plagues, and the sign of the blood on the doorposts? Would he ever forget the miracle at the Sea of Reeds when the great waves had rolled back clearing a pathway for Israel to cross? And now here on this desert mountain he had been summoned alone by Yahweh into the very heart of this terrifying black cloud to speak with Him face to face. He stopped momentarily and sighed heavily, then resolutely moved further into the thick darkness. Regardless of his fate once he entered the cloud, and despite the trembling of his body, his heart was undivided and his mind settled. There would be no turning back. He would trust in the goodness of Yahweh to the very end of this journey they had begun together. As he entered the cloud, deep within his heart, Moses knew he would not leave it unchanged.

THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW:
The Holy Spirit given fifty days after the resurrection of Christ (Acts 2:1)

Law written on our hearts (Heb. 8:10)

Three thousand live (Acts 2:41)

The disciple was lost in thought as he once again climbed the worn stairs leading to the upper room. Below, the streets of Jerusalem were bustling and overflowing with Jews from all over the world. The law required that all Jewish men should assemble at the temple in Jerusalem on this festival of Shavuot (Pentecost), and the sounds reminded him of the noisy crowds who had followed Yeshua not so long ago through the same streets. Fleetingly he recalled having heard that it was on this very day that Moses had received the stone tablets from Yahweh on Mt. Sinai. As he entered the familiar room and greeted those already gathered, he wondered within himself if this might be the day they would see the promise Yeshua had told them about. In the days since He had left them, they had been gathering regularly for prayer in this place just as He had directed, and they would do no differently this day. By law the men at least should be participating in the festival offerings at the temple, but their lives had been turned upside down by the events of recent days. Their thoughts, prayers and conversations had but one focus - they must wait for the Father's gift that Yeshua had promised to send, and, beyond that, they must find a way to follow Yeshua's command to take the message of the Kingdom beyond Jerusalem into the entire world.

And then, as they always did at such times, his thoughts turned to Yeshua and the amazing years they had spent together. He missed his Friend's daily fellowship - His smile, His Voice, and that steadying Hand on his shoulder. He recalled again that day on the lake's edge with Andrew, when he had looked up from his net into those penetrating eyes for the first time. There had been just a hint of playfulness in them. "Follow Me", He'd said as He walked on, and then, turning back, "I'll make you fishers of men!" And, to his own amazement, Peter had followed! He found himself remembering also the day not long after when Yeshua had summoned twelve of them aside and called them His apostles. How could he have known that day the enormity of what Yeshua had called him to? He smiled with embarrassment as he recalled again the glory of the Master on the mountain and his own foolish rush of words. The thundering Voice had reverberated right through his body as he lay trembling on the ground that night. And, of course, there were other memories, too fresh and too painful to dwell on at this moment. How could he have imagined there on that mountain-top how quickly and how violently his journey with Yeshua was to come to an end? How could he have foreseen his own crushing failure at the very hour when his Friend needed him? But then that glorious morning had dawned - just fifty days ago now. Some of the women had come running, breathless, with news he at first dared not believe. But soon he had found himself looking once again into those familiar eyes - eyes he knew could see right through him. There was no hint of accusation in them. And then he had known that no matter where the journey led or what the outcome should be, there would be no turning back. He would love and follow Yeshua to the very end, even if it cost him his life. As he raised his hands in worship, Peter knew in the depths of his heart he would not finish this day unchanged.

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There is a very well-known parable told by Jesus about a son who asks his father for his inheritance, and having received it leaves home only to squander it. Coming to his senses he realises the foolishness of his mistake and returns home, hoping his father will at least allow him to live with the servants. Most of us know this parable as the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). Let us focus momentarily, however, not on the prodigal, but on his older brother, for in this story he represents those who attempt to live by law, while the prodigal represents those whose lives are lived under grace.

We find that the older brother is greatly offended to discover that not only has his father received the prodigal home with celebrations and feasting, he has also restored him to sonship. The scripture tells us that the younger brother is given "the best robe", symbolic of the robe of righteousness (Is. 61:10) He is also given a ring, most likely a signet ring signifying authority, and sandals (which were only given to sons, as servants wore no shoes.) To add insult to injury, the young man's father also arranges for the "fattened calf", the best blood sacrifice available, to be killed in his honour.

What was the older brother's problem? Many of us find it hard to understand why he could not rejoice with his father and the rest of the household at the safe return of his brother. Perhaps he would have been better pleased if his younger brother had been made to suffer more for the grief he had caused. Possibly he would have preferred that his father reject his brother's apology for his sinful behaviour outright, or at the very least demote him to the lesser status of a servant. What lies at the heart of the older brother's deep offence is revealed in his bitter words to his father: "these many years I have been serving you, I never transgressed your commandment at any time......" Sadly, hiding within every one of us there is an "older brother" who stubbornly clings to law and rejects the illogical concept of grace. Under pressure, the older brother will always revert to emphasising his own efforts as proof that he is worthy of reward.

Many born-again believers remain bound by the same error that the older brother made concerning the nature of the Father's love. I would go so far as to say that very few of us are entirely free of this attitude - yet. However, if we are to mature into the overcoming Bride that Jesus is desiring us to become, we must allow Him to teach us what it means to be "under grace" and how to walk in the full freedom of this life of grace in which we stand (Romans 5:1-2).


The Law of the Spirit

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are IN CHRIST JESUS, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, for the law of the Spirit of life IN CHRIST JESUS has made me free from the law of sin and death. (Rom. 8:1-2)

The old covenant law was written by the Holy Spirit Finger of God, on stone tablets, through the mediation of Moses, and given to the nation of Israel gathered at Mt. Sinai. The stone tablets, called "tablets of testimony" or "witness", bore witness to the written law. The new covenant law was delivered by the Holy Spirit Breath of God, by wind and fire, through the mediation of Christ, to the church gathered in Jerusalem. The church, called "living stones", became the living tablets of witness to the new covenant (see Acts 5:32). What is new covenant law you may be asking? New covenant law is LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS. This is the law that is being written on the hearts and minds of believers by the Spirit of God (Heb. 10:16). It is that which Paul articulated when he wrote "for me to live IS Christ."

There is a natural law, and there is a law of the Spirit. Please understand that the natural law was given to the natural nation of Israel. Unless you are of Jewish heritage, the natural law was never given to you. Furthermore, we are taught that IN CHRIST there is "neither Jew nor Greek, ...slave nor free,... male nor female...." (Gal 3:28). Does that mean that when a Jewish person becomes a believer, they are no longer Jewish? Definitely not, no more than I ceased being female when I believed on Christ. It does mean, however, that IN CHRIST we have all passed from our earthly heritage to our spiritual inheritance, together becoming "one new man" (Eph. 2:15). However, living under grace does not provide an excuse to do as we choose either, for we are not to walk according to the flesh. The Law of the Spirit of life IN CHRIST JESUS has replaced the natural law, but will never lead us to violate it because God is not divided.

As it has been written: "For IN HIM dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. IN HIM you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ." (Colossians 2:9-16)

IN CHRIST we have each one become new creations, corporately comprising a new nation which is the holy nation of the church. The handwriting of the law given to natural Israel, which was contrary to our sin nature and which no-one but Christ has ever lived up to, was nailed to the Cross with Him. The scripture says it has been erased, obliterated. Satan and his cohorts can no longer use the law to condemn us and have therefore effectively been disarmed.


The Buying of God's Approval
Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. (Romans 4:4 NASB)

It is not possible to keep both the old covenant and the new covenant simultaneously, any more than it is possible to live in two homes at the same time. Either the new must be embraced and the old abandoned, or the old must be embraced and the new rejected. Study of the old covenant is valuable and necessary to teach us spiritual principles and to reveal the attributes of God and his dealings with mankind. However it is from the new covenant that believers are to draw their practices. For this reason the writer to the Hebrews solemnly states that the new covenant mediated by Jesus is superior to the old (Heb. 8:6-13). In fact, the Greek word used for "obsolete" in this passage can also mean "senile", implying that the old covenant has become totally dysfunctional. When we as believers seek to pacify God by applying old covenant law to new covenant lives, we effectively re-introduce an obsolete sacrificial system that discredits and casts doubt on the completed work of the once-for-all sacrifice of God's Son.

Writing to the Galatian church, the apostle Paul compared the law with a schoolmaster, or teacher, employed by God as an overseer until we grow by faith INTO Christ (Gal. 3:24-25). After faith in Christ has come, the schoolmaster no longer has a job and can retire. He goes on to explain that having been redeemed from the law, we should no longer regard ourselves as slaves but as sons. The prodigal returned home hoping to be allowed to live again under his father's roof as a slave, but was welcomed as a son. The older brother always had access to the full rights of a son, but his attempts to earn his father's approval through adherence to his commandments kept him in slavery to law. His false belief that he was able to keep all his father's commandments led him into the delusion of self-righteousness. The unexpected return of his brother and his father's consequent joy could have revealed to the older brother a side of his father he had not yet seen, but he failed to perceive his opportunity to truly know his father. He sought to legally justify his inheritance through service and obedience, which blinded him from understanding that his father's very nature had always ensured his inheritance. He could not distinguish law from grace.

In a similar way many believers are living out their Christian lives failing to perceive the true character of their Heavenly Father. To them, the Christian life is far more about rules, rituals and religion than righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. I am not talking here of any specific denominational background or stream. I have known many Spirit-filled believers who believe that worshiping in a certain exuberant style or attending a "cutting edge" church proves they are free from religious lawkeeping. Unfortunately, the fruit of their spiritual lives has not always born this out. Not everyone who is filled with the Spirit chooses to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25).

What then did the law teach us? Among other things it taught us that goodness and justice are essential to God's character. We need to understand that the law is holy and good (Romans 7:12). Many have been taught that the law is a curse, but the scriptures do not say that at all. What they actually say is that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law - the curse of the law is spiritual death, not the law itself (Romans 7:5). The law is truth but the law does not embody mercy. If we choose to live by law, then we must obey the entire law, or be judged as sinners. However, the law has been fulfilled for all eternity by Christ. The requirements of the law were entirely and eternally met at Calvary when He who had kept all the law bore the punishment for those who can't, thereby satisfying the law's requirement for justice. Righteousness is to be found only in Him for "if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law." (Gal. 3:21).

Most born-again believers would no doubt affirm these truths in theory, yet multitudes of Christians still live in bondage to the old covenant law through blind obedience to doctrines such as spiritual covering, tithing and sabbath keeping. These teachings have their roots in the old covenant and represent only shadows of the new covenant established by Christ. Yet for reasons known only to them and God, many church leaders still insist on imposing these obsolete laws on the people under their leadership.


Buying Into Another Gospel

Recently I read a rather lengthy article written by a scholarly Christian that set out to prove that all born-again believers are required to keep all of the old covenant feast dates and rituals, otherwise they would be disobeying God. In its extreme form, this kind of teaching also requires new covenant believers to observe old covenant food and dietary laws. The author of this article used several New Testament scriptures to prove his point of view and as part of his argument, reasoned that even the apostle Paul, after his conversion, continued to observe the law. For those who may have been caught up in this stream of teaching, I'd like to suggest that Paul himself would be the first one to dispute its accuracy. While it is true that the New Testament makes reference to specific occasions when Paul took part in old covenant observances, (Acts 16:3; 18:18,21; 21:20-26), his teachings are precise and clear concerning the gospel of grace he preached. Freedom from the law is the central theme of his letter to the Galatians, and features prominently throughout his writings. To the Galatians he wrote "You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love." (Gal. 5:4-6).

It was not wrong for Paul to choose to observe his Jewish heritage when it was expedient to do so (1Corinthians 9:20-2). In a similar way, he also made use of his Roman citizenship when the need arose (see Acts 22:25-28). Neither is it wrong for new covenant believers to participate in and enjoy celebrating the Jewish feast days and worshiping the Lord in Hebraic style if they so choose. Paul, as a Jew, was free and secure enough in Christ either to observe Jewish tradition or not to. The point is that he was no longer compelled to observe it! He no longer identified his own salvation with the keeping of law. On the contrary, he stated that even though was blameless where the law was concerned, he now counted all things, including his former law-keeping, as "dung" for the surpassing excellency of the knowledge of Christ (Phil. 3:6-9).

I strongly believe our Christian lives can be deeply enriched when believers seek to understand the Hebraic roots of Christianity. I believe there is a great need for us to familiarise ourselves as much as possible with the cultural atmosphere and beliefs that Jesus and the early church lived within. After all, Jesus was Jewish and He said "salvation is of the Jews". Furthermore, we need knowledge of the old covenant to value the new. However, new covenant believers have crossed a well-defined line when they begin to rely on old covenant practices to make them righteous. By all means let's re-discover our Hebrew roots. But if you feel the need to keep any aspect of the old covenant law in order to please God, you have fallen from grace and returned to law.

It is time for those who sincerely desire the fullness of Christ to examine our hearts and abandon every aspect of old covenant law that still clings to us. This can only be accomplished by yielding to the Spirit of Grace who is constantly at work in us. It is time to repent of every dead work brought forth from the flesh which are merely deeds of law (Rom. 3.20) continuing only in the works brought forth from faith. It is time to acknowledge that any attempt to seek our Father's approval through our own offerings arrogantly denies Who He is and what He has done for us. It is time to allow the Spirit of Grace to cleanse us from all false righteousness and reveal Christ in us.


Mercy and Truth have Met Together; Righteousness and Peace have Kissed. (Ps. 85:10)

The apostle John understood and taught that the law, which is truth because it is the Word of God, was given through Moses, but that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). We fail to grasp the full meaning of this verse because in our western mindset we tend to separate grace and truth into two single components of God's nature. I believe, however, John was teaching that although Moses was given God's written truth, in Christ we have received both grace and truth melded together - the fullness of the Spirit.

The ancient Hebrews had a deep understanding of the grace aspect of God's character, which they called "chesed". It is a word that has no adequate equivalent in the English language. Usually it is translated "mercy", "kindness" "lovingkindness" or " unfailing love", but to the Hebrews "chesed" had a far richer depth of meaning than these English words convey. Hebrew tradition says that because God is love, everything has been created by His "chesed" or grace. In other words, grace is more than God's love - it is His love born out in action. "Chesed" implies God's character and God's action merged into one.* In Psalm 85 we read "chesed and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed" (v. 10). This is the concept I believe the apostle John meant to convey when he wrote "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ". In Jesus, grace and truth have met together, never again to be separated. In Jesus, God's righteousness is at peace with His grace. Jesus Himself personifies the melding together of the Father's holiness and His active mercy, or "chesed". The law of Moses provided truth, but did not embody grace. In the coming of Jesus, God has added grace to truth.


His Blood is More than Enough, His Grace is More than Sufficient

There was one very significant element I noticed about the teaching article I mentioned above, and that was that not once did it make reference to or acknowledge in any way at all, the Blood of Jesus. Though I looked hard for it, it simply wasn't there. And therein lies the reason for this Bread for the Bride teaching.

Many of us have inherited a lie that has been around as long as Christianity has. Many of us have submitted to a gospel of religion instead of a gospel of grace. However, any gospel that subtly seeks to lead us away from the shed Blood of Christ as our sole and total provision of righteousness is a false gospel, and we must acknowledge and reject it as such. It often seems easier for us as believers to actively DO something to deserve the Lord's love, than to simply accept His free gift of grace. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." It takes humility to stand in Christ's grace alone.

Have you ever voluntarily relinquished something very precious to you so that someone else could benefit? If so, and if you remember how that felt, you may have the smallest inkling of what Jesus experienced at Calvary. Now go one step further, and imagine that the person for whom you suffered loss spurned your precious sacrifice, choosing not to take up your offer. And finally, allow yourself to imagine that the person in question was not just an acquaintance or distant relative, but the very person you love most - the person for whom you would give all you own, endure any hardship or suffer any torture. Even in our deepest moments of insight, we cannot grasp the fullness of what it cost Jesus to shed His Blood for us.

Beloved church, we are that one for whom He gave all, endured all and suffered all. When we embrace a different gospel, and that is exactly what we do when we submit again to the bondage of old covenant law, we openly deny the eternal sufficiency of His sacrificial Blood, we insult the Spirit of Grace and make mockery of His death and resurrection. We align ourselves with evil principalities and powers declaring that, contrary to God's Word, we are not complete in Christ and that His death was in vain.

"In Him we have redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence....." (Eph. 1:7-8)

It is Christ, not us, who made His grace abound toward us; it is Christ, not us, who came to initiate a new covenant and accepted its terms; it is Christ, not us, who rendered the old covenant obsolete by His life and by His death; and it is Christ's life in us, not ours, that pleases the Father and establishes us as righteous in His sight.

Let us not grieve the Bridegroom. Let us not add the least weight to the Lamb's suffering. The Bride that He is returning for is not a Bride still striving to earn His love. The Bride He is returning for is secure in the knowledge that she is already accepted in the Beloved. The Bride He is returning for is already embracing the riches of His grace. The Bride He is returning for is a Bride coming up from the wilderness of religious bondage leaning ONLY on her Beloved - entirely dependent on and secure in His Blood alone as her robe of righteousness.

We need a fresh grace revelation in the church. We need eye salve applied that we might see and know grace in all its richness. Grace reveals that in Christ the law has been fulfilled and we are circumcised in Him; grace reveals that in Him we have entered our Sabbath rest once and for all; grace acknowledges He is worthy not of ten percent, but one hundred percent; grace says freely you have received, freely give, and we freely give ALL because our lovesick hearts can in no way deny Him anything He asks; grace reveals that in Him alone we are reconciled to the Father and frees us from the need for any other mediator; grace reveals that in Him all the old covenant feasts find their fulfilment; grace says worship Him solely because He is worthy, and in Him worship becomes our delight instead of our duty; grace reveals the corporate church as a royal priesthood and does away with an elite priestly tribe; grace reveals that in Him every promise of God is yes and amen; grace is appropriated by faith and not reason; and grace is accessed through Christ alone, through whose Blood we have been justified and now live at peace with our holy Father.

And, most importantly, grace reveals the Son in us! (Gal. 1:15)

Let us repent of every vestige of law we cling to. Let us lay aside every bondage that denies the power of His Blood. Then let us stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free.

"I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." (Gal. 2:21)