1. Because of man’s limitations and dependencies
One thing we should try never to forget is that the main reason why man has been given life is to worship God. First and foremost it is in Christ we all live and move and have our existence. Man has absolutely nothing that he/she can call his own as we have been duly admonished saying; “For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)
Whatever gifts, talents or
abilities we have, they are all given to us by God for to each one of us grace
was given according to the measure of Christ's gift for it is by grace we have
been saved through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God, not
of works, lest anyone should boast. And so, in the finale analysis all we owe
is a debt of love, gratitude and appreciation for what the Lord has done for us
and this is manifested and demonstrated in our praise and worship to Him but it
must be done in accordance to His ordained plan since there is another being
vying for this honor and glory.
We must all come to the
realization that man is not an independent creature; one is either a slave of
God or righteousness, or a slave of sin or disobedience which originated from
the devil. For we have been duly admonished saying; “What then? Shall we sin
because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know
that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves
whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the
heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set
free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because
of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves
of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present
your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness” (Romans 6:15-19).
As this passage of scripture
clearly points out our freedom from not being under law does not invalidate
obedience to the law, for the scriptures again states; “Do we then make void
the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31).
And so, although we are not
under the penalty of the law which according to the word, is death and death
comes as the result of transgressing the law, nevertheless, the law is what
teaches us how to live and having been set free from being a slave to sin, we
now have become a slave of obedience to righteousness. We are not independent creatures;
we are either a slave of disobedience or a slave of obedience.
Again the apostle Paul made
this very clear by stating; “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly
not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I
would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not
covet…Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good” (Romans 7:7, 12).
We should also note carefully
what the apostle Paul said to Timothy, he said; “But we know that the law is
good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a
righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and
for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers
of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for
liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound
doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was
committed to my trust” (1 Timothy 1:8-11).
So why is the law not made for
a righteous person? Simply because the righteous person is already living
within the confines of the law and therefore, the law has no jurisdiction over them
just like a driver who is in compliance with all the traffic regulations, the
traffic officer has no power over him as compared to the driver who is not in
compliance to all the traffic regulations.
If there is one thing we who
profess to be believers should always bear in mind is the admonition which
states; “,Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit
who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were
bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which
are God's” (1Corinthians 6:19-20).
Since we are not our own and we are ether a slave of righteousness or a slave of sin and principally, having the adversary vying to be worship just as the Lord is worshiped it is incumbent upon us to serve our master in the way He has ordained and not in accordance to the customs and traditions of men because this will be vain and false worship.
To be continued, stay tuned
With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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