1.
Freedom in Christ has liberated us
from the letter of the law,
The second freedom that we have in Jesus
Christ is our liberation from the letter of the law but which has not
invalidated keeping the spirit or the righteous requirements of the law. God
has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code
but in the Spirit; for the written code kills, but the Spirit gives life. We
have been delivered from the ministry of death and condemnation, but have been
installed in the ministry of the Spirit and righteousness. But how do we
differentiate the letter of the law from the spirit of the law?
The letter of the law had to do with
food and drink, various ceremonial washings and external regulations which were
simply a type or a shadow of the reality as we have been admonished saying; “the
Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet
made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic
for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which
cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience
---concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly
ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. (Hebrews 9:8-10).
Hence the reason why the apostle
Paul instructed the Colossians saying; “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 2:16-17).
The rationale or intent of all these
external regulations as one can clearly see was to clear the conscience of the
worshiper and make perfect those who draw near to worship which was not
attainable through animal sacrifices as we have been admonished saying; “For
the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of
the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually
year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have
ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more
consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins
every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take
away sins (Hebrews
10:1-4).
But what this freedom affords us is
not a total abolition of offerings but rather a reformation on how we present
ourselves in approaching the throne of grace. It basically has to do with the
substance being offered and not the time appointed to offer the offerings. Instead
of animal sacrifices which cannot present the worshiper perfect before God, we
now have a perfect sacrifice by which we can now draw near to God as we have
been duly admonished saying; “For on the one hand there is an annulling of the
former commandment because of its weakness and un-profitableness, for the law
made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better
hope, through which we draw near to God” (Hebrews 7:18-19).
Therefore, what this freedom affords
us is the freedom from animal sacrifices with food and drink offerings and
instead, a better way by which we can now draw near to God as alluded to by the
apostle Paul who wrote: “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the
Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for
us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the
house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with
pure water” (Hebrews
10:19-22).
Notice also that we have also been
admonished saying, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love
and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the
manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the
Day approaching” (Hebrews
10:2-25).
Freedom from the letter of the law
therefore, does not negate the observance of the Lord`s Sabbaths and the
keeping of His commandments. Keeping the law in Spirit is to fulfill the
righteous requirements of the law by faith through love, without these external
requirements, and a written code, because, “Love is the fulfillment of the law,
and, it is “If you love Me, keep My commandments”. (Romans 13:8, 10; John 14:15).
For example, doing away with the
letter of the law, and observing the law in the Spirit did not abolished the
observance of the Feast of Passover/Unleavened Bread, because Paul’s admonition
to the church is, “Purge out the old leaven (sin) that you may be a new lump,
since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover was sacrificed
for us: Therefore, let us keep the Feast, not with old leaven, nor with the
leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and
truth” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8).
Neither did observing the law in the
Spirit abolished the observance of the feast of Pentecost. Because, not only
were the disciples of Jesus Christ celebrating the feast of Pentecost when they
assembled together fifty days after He ascended to the Father after His
resurrection from the dead, and received the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul also
made it his duty to keep the feast of Pentecost.
He said, “I must by all means keep
this coming feast in Jerusalem; and he sailed past Ephesus, so that he would
not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if
possible on the Day of Pentecost.” On another occasion we are told that, “He
stayed in Ephesus until Pentecost” (Acts 18:21; 20:16; 16:8).
It is of importance to note that the
Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and Tabernacles are interrelated as being ordained times of worship. For thus says the Lord; “Three times a year all your
males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses; at
the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of
Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty handed” (Deuteronomy 16:16; Exodus 23:14-17;
34:18,22-23).
The Establishment of the letter of the law also
did not do away with the seventh day weekly Sabbath, nor changed it to another
day. Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath, so the
Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).
Now the way one shows reverence,
respect, and adoration to the Son of Man as the Lord, is by observing His Sabbaths.
The Lord said, “Observe My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary, I am
the Lord” He also said, “Hallow my Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between me
and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:30; 26:2; Exodus
31:13, 16-17; Ezekiel 20:20).
Here again we see that, our liberty
from the letter of the law has not negated the observance of the Lord’s
Sabbaths which is a perpetual sign between the Lord and His people because, it
is a day which is holy or set apart both to the Lord and His people.
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