Sexual Morality - ‘Not under Law but under Grace’
According to the National Association of Evangelicals, 80 percent of unmarried evangelical Christians between ages 18-29 admit to having had premarital sex, a shocking figure when compared with how God wants his people to live. What is causing the growing chasm between our Christian belief and sexual purity? Why does how people live not matter?
A young Christian man was being criticised for the way he drove his car, clearly breaking speed limits. His response was smug, but striking, as he quoted a Bible verse,
“But I’m now not under law but under grace.”
When Paul says "You are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:14), he is not saying that Christians do not need to obey God’s law but that the law of Christ differs from and fulfils the Old Testament laws. He is saying that Christians are not condemned by God’s law because of what Jesus has done.
It is all too easy for modern Christians to so emphasise the free gift of God of salvation and forgiveness so that we attract the numbers that we become so casual about our sin and the disciplines of the Christian life that we become flabby and inconsequential Christians. Western churches are full of such people.
Judgment
The Bible is clear that we will all face God’s judgment and this judgment will be based on how we have obeyed his wishes as revealed in God’s law. Christians are not exempt from this judgment.
“Just as man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment. . . ” Hebrews 9:27
“Since you call on a God who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.” 1 Peter 1:17
The early churches had this same problem as we face today. Some church members loved the teaching about salvation but not the subsequent obligations.
“Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body has done with sin. As a result he does not live the rest of his earthly life for human evil desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagan’s choose to do – living in debauchery,, lust drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. . . But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” 1 Peter 4:1-5
What an incentive this is, for those who have trusted in Christ for forgiveness, to determine to live for their Saviour in the way he wants. We are warned that God hates sin wherever it occurs,
“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” Hebrews 10:26-27
Paul reminded the Athenians,
“For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed (Jesus). Acts 17:31
We will frequently be criticised by others around us but Paul reminds us that it is God’s judgment that really matters and he knows that that he will not be exempt from that judgment.
“It is the Lord who judges me. . . He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the darkness of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.” 1 Corinthians 4:4-5
It is very foolish to trivialise God’s hatred of sin in us.
Religious law and God’s law
Jesus spent a lot of time emphasising that religious law, however well intentioned it may have been is not God’s law. Jesus called the Rabbinical laws the ‘traditions of men’.
One Sunday morning a friend heard a knock on the door of his country home. Three orthodox Jews were standing there. They lived about 400 yards down the lane. They expalined that their central heating wasn’t working. Being a practical man my friend agreed to go with them. However when he reached their house the problem was obvious for all to see. A switch had to be turned on. However for those orthodox Jews to turn on the switch was work and that was prohibited on the Sabbath.
In the second century AD these rules were written down in the Mishnah. It was a compliation of the oral laws that had been around for centuries. The Mishnah says,
“Tradition is a fence around the Law.”
On the Sabbath it is against the Law to look in a mirror. Why? The reason given is that a person might see a grey hair and be tempted to pull it out and that would be work on the Sabbath. Flase teeth may not be worn on a Sabbath. Why? They may fall out and then the temptation would be to pick them up – and that would be work!
The Old Testament itself has 613 regulations, The negative commandments number 365, which coincides with the number of days in the solar year, and the positive commandments number 248, a number ascribed to the number of bones and main organs in the human body. It was to protect these Laws that the traditions were erected.
Jesus had continued conflicts with the Pharisees and teachers of the Law who attacked his disciples for eating food with bothering to ceremonially clean their hands. Jesus replied that true worship reflects what is in our hearts and reminded them of what the prophet Isaiah had said,
“These people honour me with their lips but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules of men.” Mark 7:6-7
Jesus kept repeating that no-one worships God by keeping rules but worship is what goes on in our hearts. We can be outwardly religious but not have a personal love for God or his Son. Jesus said,
“What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean’. For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean’.” Mark 7:20-23
Every person has to admit that our hearts are unclean and that we are guilty of thinking such thoughts. This is why we all need a Saviour as, on our own we have no hope.
The danger Christians face is the same. We can so easily rely on the fact that we believe the Bible and try to follow its regulations – as far as they are convenient. We go to church, accept biblical doctrines and can ‘speak the lingo’. However it is what is going on in our hearts that matters to God.
The Bible is clear that God wants to live closely with his people. This is why prayer is vital. Daniel prayed three times a day as was the habit of godly Jews (Daniel 6:10). King David also prayed three timers a day,
‘Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress and he hears my voice.” Psalm 55:16
Jews divide their prayers into thanksgiving, prayers of praise, and prayers that ask for things.
Jesus and the apostles he taught prayed regularly so why is it that we individually pray so little today?
A true Christian sees himself as God sees him and realises that the only hope we have is to depend on the forgiveness that Christ alone can give us. C.S.Lewis said that ‘a common symptom of a regenerate life is that we know what we are!’
The Law of Christ
The whole Bible stresses that God has saved a people to be set apart to live for him, to be a holy people. He has chosen people from all walks of life to be his ‘chosen people’. We have been selected for His glory and we must never forget this. Those who are living as a ‘set apart’ or ‘holy’ people should have great peace. We can look forwards to the return of Jesus and his judgment because we know that in Christ we are secure because we are aligned with him. Towards the end of his final letter Peter wrote,
“Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forwards to the day of God and speed his coming.” 2 Peter 3:12-13
What a joy it is to know that those who are committed to Christ and are living His way are completely secure. Paul wrote these awesome words,
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of Christ set me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2
The law of God is that sin will result in eternal separation from God but those subject to the law of the spirit of Christ’ will not be condemned. When we turn fro relying on our own efforts to please God and turn to put our trust in christ and his forgiveness we become subject to a different kind of rule or law, we are the subjects of Christ and are subjected to living to please him.
The doctrine of ‘salvation by grace’ must never be put against the fact that we have been chosen and empowered by God’s Spirit to be a holy people. Many misunderstand this word ‘holy’ which really means ‘set apart’ for God. The be holy is to be obedient. Peter wrote,
“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. . . . Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written, be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:14-16
Jesus emphasised that real love for him is demonstrated by our obedience. This is repeated three times for emphasis
“If you love me, you will obey what I command.” John 14:15
“If anyone loves me he will obey my teaching.” John 14:23
“He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.” John 14:24
In the first of John’s letters he again stresses that obedience to the commands of Jesus is the mark of a true Christian,
“We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is is truly made complete in him. This is how we know that we are in him; Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:3-6
If people attend an emotional moving evangelistic service they can be so moved that they go forwards and make a show of accepting Christ and the forgiveness he offers but too seldom the cost or requirements are not emphasised. So why is salvation as a free gift, which the Bible offers, not more publicly linked to repentance and the necessity of obedience? Paul linked the two aspects,
“For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith – and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no-one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10
“He saved us, not because of righteous things we have done but because of his mercy. . . so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.” Titus 2:5-8
We do not become Christians so that we can be forgiven and go to heaven through believing in Jesus. That would be very self-centred. God has chosen us to be a people who live with and for God our Saviour.
There are 1,050 commands in the New Testament for Christians to obey. Due to repetitions these can be classified under about 800 headings. They cover every phase of man's life in his relationship to God and his fellowmen, now and hereafter. The difference between these principles and Old Testament laws is that they are not the way to holiness but demonstrate how God wants his saved people to behave. We are to help each other to be godly but must be careful not to impose our values on others.
“Brothers, iof anyone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions.” Galatians 6:1-5
These laws of God are personal and obedience is to be taught not dictated upon by church authorities. When Paul was addressing the issues of Sabbath observance and the sort of food christians can eat he wisely concluded,
“So then, each one of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling-block or obstacle in your brothers way.” Romans 14:12-13
My prime concern should be for my own walk with God; to keep my conscience clear in the light of what he teaches in his word.
Cheap Grace
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German church minister, who was arrested by the Nazi’s in Germany and hanged just before the end of the war, was concerned about the casual, easy, compromising, superficial faith of many which is not Biblical Christianity. In his book ‘The Cost of Discipleship’ he wrote,
“Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks' wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices. Grace is represented as the Church's inexhaustible treasury, from which she showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price; grace without cost! The essence of grace, we suppose, is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing. Since the cost was infinite, the possibilities of using and spending it are infinite. What would grace be if it were not cheap?...
Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.
Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.
Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.
Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”
A young lady came to my clinic wearing a beautiful silver cross on a necklace. I commented on this and asked,
“Does that cross you are wearing mean that you are a Christian?”
“Yes,” but then she hesitated and added, ‘It all depends what you mean by Christian.”
In a busy clinic there wasn’t much time so I simply replied with a smile,
“Isn’t a Christian someone who has ‘sold out’ to the Lord Jesus?”
To this she replied simply,
“Oh, then I’m not.”
We cannot become christians by being baptised, whether as a child or an adult, by going to church, by believing Biblical doctrines without being ‘born again’, making a new start in life by centring our new lives on living with and for Jesus.
Disciplines of the Christian life
When a person gets married they take on new disciplines that they keep up if they want their marriage to work. So it is with Christ. When a person becomes a Christian they commit themselves to living a new life. A Christian disciple must be disciplined. We have to spend time every day with our Lord. The Jews in Old Testament times prayed three times a day in a disciplined way. They were expected to attend the synagogue regularly. So today when we commit ourselves to Christ we need to be disciplined in gaining a deeper knowledge of what God has done for us and what he expects of us. We must spend time with him and in his word every day so that we understand him better. We must determine to live only in a way that honours him. When people look at us they should see something of Christ. We need to develop skills to talk to others about our Saviour. Christians are those who are sold out to Jesus and have disciplined their life accordingly. A good marriage is a good analogy of the Christian’s life.
The Lord knows we have many responsibilities in life. We must care for our husband, wife, children and friends. We have our work responsibilities that we must fulfil as to him. But we also have our responsibilities to him. He wants others in our society to come back to him, the children, youngsters couples and the elderly. We have been chosen for a purpose.
BVP
