PART #13 THE STAFF AND SWORD MINISTRY March 14, 2005

MANIFESTING CHRIST

YOUR APPROACH TO GOD

PROM LAW OR GRACE

by Nancy-TONI Youngbrandt

In my last `Manifesting Christ' article entitled "Consider the Lilies", I had the leading totake a look at the deeper issue in one's walk with Jesus of just what is your foundationalapproach to or with God — are you coming to Him from a position of Law or from one ofGrace? Since Chuck-JOHNEL and I have received some further insight into this same subject,I have the leading to pursue this difference a bit more in this article.

OLD COVENANT VERSUS NEW COVENANT

We are all familiar with the Old and New Testaments in the Bible to one degree or anotherand yet it wasn't until I read a book by Andrew Murray that I learned that the word"Testament" means "Covenant," He then went on to elaborate that the Old Testamentrepresents the Old Covenant that God made with mankind where God said (basically), `Hereare My laws and if you keep My laws, I will bless you and My favor will be upon you.'However, God also knew full well the fallen nature of mankind and knew that mankind couldnot fulfill the law perfectly but made or allowed this Covenant to show mankind our sin andour need for God.

The reason I say that God `allowed' this Old Covenant is that I do not believe this is whatGod's initial and Perfect Will for His people was. I say this because in Moses' time, Moseswould go before God and be so filled with His Spirit and Presence that His face literallyshined with the Light and Presence of God. It was in this state that Moses would come to thepeople urging them to come to God as well. So did the people see this and find themselvesdrawn to God that they too may experience God and His Presence? --- NO, they did not!Instead, they told Moses to cover his face and preferred that Moses would tell them what Godsaid and that they promised they would do what He commanded and thus the Old Covenant

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OLD COVENANT VERSUS NEW COVENANT continuedwas born. Unfortunately, the people still didn't do what God commanded and the Bible is fullof the back and forth relationship of Israel with God. For a time they would be in God's favorand blessing by walking in His Laws and Ways and then they would fall away from God andsuffer the consequences.

Finally, fortunately for us, the Good News came — Jesus Christ. In doing this God made aNew Covenant with mankind by sending His only Begotten Son to take on all of our sin anddie for it, thus fulfilling the law once and for all — for all of mankind. Jesus did it — He paidthe price — and now with our sin under His shed Blood, we can enter into Righteousness anda relationship with God that He desired all along. In this New Covenant, God essentially tookfallen mankind out of the picture and sent His Son to fulfill the law so now we have no excusefor failing to keep God's Law and Covenant relationship as He intended. As long as we arein Christ Jesus, then we have life and can walk in God's righteousness through Christ and HisGrace.

THE LAW

The interesting thing is that the Law itself is not really the problem here because we needthe law to know what sin is — to what is right and wrong in God's eyes. As the Apostle Paulwrote in Romans 7:7 —

"... Is the law sin? God forbid Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I hadnot known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. "

Rather it is the sin — that is the problem. As Paul goes on to explain —

"But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner ofconcupiscence (lust). For without the law sin was dead.

For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin

revived, and I died.And the commandment, which was ordained to li,, fe, I found to be unto death.For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me."

(Romans 7:8-11)

Paul then again makes it clear that, "... the law is holy, and the commandment holy,and just and good,..." (Romans 7:12) but also that the "law is spiritual " (vs 14). Andsince the law is spiritual, then the real problem is that he is carnal and sold under sin (vsl4).It is our fallen nature, our fallen flesh, and our carnality that will prevent us from ever fulfilling

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THE LAW continuedthe law perfectly on our own .-. even with the "best of intentions."

It is just as Paul wrote as he continued on in Romans 7:18-2I --"For I know that in me (that is, in nxy f esh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is

present with me; but how to perform that which is good Ifind not.Or in other words, he wants to do good but he is unable to find within himself the

means to actually do 'good'.]

"For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin dwelleth in me.Ifind then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me."

In other words, the more we know of the law, especially the `letter of the law', the morewe are aware of the sin within us but then the more we try to deal with that sin through thelaw, the more we actually end up sinning. Our self-efforts actually end up strengthening thesin instead of providing victory over the sin. As Paul wrote in I Corinthians 15:57,

"The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law."

In the end, the only answer to mankind's quest for righteousness before God is Jesus Christ.

"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sendingHis own Son in the likeness of sinful f esh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the

flesh, but after the Spirit. " (Romans 8:3-4}

It is vitally important for Christians to realize that they cannot be righteous through theirown self-effort in observing even a portion of the old legal system of law. Take, for example,circumcision, a law of the old temple system which followers of Christ were observing in thetime of the Apostle Paul, who responded by writing --

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be notentangled again with the yoke of bondage-

Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit yi

nothing.For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the

whole law.

Christ is become of no effect untovon, whosoever ifyou are justified by the law'

ye are fallen from gracc.

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THE LAW continuedFor we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus

Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which

worketh by love. " (Galatians 5:1-6)

In other words, when you are in Christ, observing the law doesn't make you more righteousor even less righteous — it doesn't help (avail) you either way. Only the acts borne of faithworking by love will bear righteousness.

THE STRENGTH OF SIN

To further illustrate the effect of operating from a position of law, I carne across aninteresting analogy by John Bunyan in his book, The Pilgrim 's Progress. In his narrative, JohnBunyan likened the Christian's soul to that of a very large parlor that was full of dust becauseit had never been swept. After looking the situation over a man is then called in to sweep thedust but when the man began to sweep, the dust just flew up into the air so thick that theChristian was almost choked to death. So instead, a lady was called for who would then bringwater and sprinkle the room first, after which she set about sweeping and cleaning the roomwith pleasure.

The interpretation of this parable is as follows:This parlor is the heart of man that was never sanctified by the sweet grace of the

Gospel. The dust is his original sin, and inward corruptions, that have defiled thewhole man. He that began to sweep first, is the law; but she that brought water, anddid sprinkle it, is the Gospel (Grace). Now whereas thou sawest, that so soon as thefirst began to sweep, the dust did so fly about the room by him could not becleansed, but that thou wast almost choked therewith; this is to show thee, that thelaw, instead of cleansing the heart (by its working) from sin, doth revive (Romans7:9), put strength into (1 Cor 15:56), and increase it in the soul (Romans 5:20), evenas it doth discover and forbid it; for it doth not give power to subdue.

Again, as thou sawest the damsel sprinkle the room with water, upon which it wascleansed with pleasure, this is to show thee, that when the Gospel comes in thesweet and precious influences thereof to the heart, then, I say, even as thou sawestthe damsel [settle] the dust by sprinkling the floor with water, so is sin vanquishedand subdued, and the soul made clean, through the faith of it, and consequently fitfor the King of glory to inhabit (John 15:3, Eph 5:26, Acts 15:9)."

I like John Bunyan's example here because it shows how spiritually stifling and unclean thelaw can be for an individual. It shows that the more one operates by law, the more sin is

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THE STRENGTH OF SIN continuedstirred up and prevails whereas by Grace, sin is subdued and removed calmly and thoroughly.It's like what Paul wrote in Romans 5:20 -

"Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin

abounded, grace did much more abound. "

THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINSNow we come to the recent insights Chuck-JOHNEL and I received into a parable in

Scripture which everyone is familiar with in one way or the other — the parable of the tenvirgins. To refresh your memory, the passages are found in Matthew 25:1-13 and go like this:

'hen shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which tooktheir lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were

wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and tookno oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Whilethe bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight therewas a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Thenall those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto thewise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered,saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather tothem that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, thebridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage:and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord.Lord, open unto us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know

you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the

Son of man cometh.

For Chuck-JOHNEL, the first question he raised was— what is the oil? The standard

response is that the oil is the Holy Spirit and yet given that the wise virgins tell the foolishones to "go to them that sell, and buy" for themselves, this didn't add up. Why? Because theHoly Spirit is a gift and cannot be attained through "buying and selling". As Peter said in Acts

2:38 "... Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission

of sins, and ye shall receive the gjfiof the Holy Ghost."

The oil also can't be representative of salvation or eternal life for the same reason — it is a giftfrom God, clear and simple (Romans 6:23, Eph 2:8).

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THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS continued

Then the insight came that the oil is RIGHTEOUSNESS.

This insight was quickened to both of us as being from the Holy Spirit. We could see thatthere is a form righteousness which one can attain out of our own self-effort and arighteousness that comes from God. The first one will eventually run out but the second, asone abides in Christ, is renewed constantly by the Spirit of God.

This can also be seen in the Book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 64:6 we see "our righteousness"spoken of -

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as flit/n'

rags:..."

However, in Isaiah 54:17 we see a contrast as he writes,

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue thatshall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of theservants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lorca "

Once we had gotten this far, we then prayed to know what it meant to go "buy"righteousness and why then after the foolish ones returned, they were still not allowed in andthe Bridegroom tells them, "I know you not " Something seemed to be missing until the HolySpirit had me back up from my point of view to take a look at the foundational approach ofthe virgins and to see that one group was coming from a position of law and the other froma position of Grace. The foolish were those approaching God from the law while the wiseones were approaching God through Grace by faith and abiding in Christ, who provided andsustains the oil in their lamps while the law provides only a limited amount of oil which isquickly used up and is not easily renewed.

The difference is one that the Apostle Paul expounds upon in depth to the Romans and theGalatians. For example, in Galatians 3:21-26 he explains,

"._. for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily

righteousness should have been by the law. But the Scripture hath concluded allunder sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them thatbelieve. ... Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that wemight he justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under aschoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ. "

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THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS continuedBut even more importantly, in Galatians 2:21 Paul tells us --

"I do not frustrate the grace of God: fr if righteousness come by the raw, then

Christ is dead in vain."

Wow, just think about that .... if you believe righteousness comes by the law, then Christ's

death was for nothing!

And to top it off, once you start doing just part of the law (as shared earlier), you are thenobligated to observe the whole law perfectly, which you can never do, and which means thatChrist has become of "no effect to you" and you are fallen from Grace (Galatians 5:3-4) -

Whew!

The question could be raised as to how is it that the foolish were working by law? How canthat be seen in their behavior? Well, it can be seen in the "fruit" of their actions since theydidn't have any oil to renew their lamps with once the initial oil ran out. It can also be seenby the fact that they went to try by self-effort to "buy" some oil, to "buy" righteousness. Truerighteousness comes from God through Jesus Christ and cannot be bought or sold but anotherform of righteousness — self-righteousness -- can be attained through acts of self-effort.

As for those that "sell" righteousness, these are those in the Church System of man thatoffer righteousness through works, through the observance of law and through acts of self-effort on your part to attain righteousness. These are offering a form of righteousness whichis ultimately carnal and as "filthy rags" and not the righteousness that is of and from God.

By the way, I believe that it is an assumption that because the wise instruct the foolish togo this route it is in any way an endorsement of that path. Instead, I see that the wise virginsare simply speaking to the foolish ones from the position of knowing where the foolish onesare coming from — which is law, and they are telling those foolish ones to go to the placethey've been going all along to obtain "righteousness." The wise can't give of their "oil"obtained through Grace and know that each must obtain it on their own from Jesus Christ.

ARE THE `FOOLISH' THEN NOT SAVED?At the end of the parable we see that even though the foolish virgins returned, they were still

not allowed in and the Bridegroom said, "I know you not" However, does this mean then

that these do not have salvation? Well, the answer is no — not necessarily.

Again, salvation is a gift so if a person in law has accepted Jesus Christ as his or her Saviorand repented of their sin, then the soul is saved. However, that person will not be able to enter

directly into the Presence of God.

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THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINSARE THE FOOLISH' THEN NOT SAVED? continued

Sin has one main effect — it separates us from God.

It isn't that God can't stand to be in the presence of sin but rather it is sin and those filled with

sin that cannot bear to be in the Presence of God.

To understand Heaven, it helps to keep in mind the way the Lord laid out the old templein Jerusalem. First you had the "Outer Court", where just about anyone could gather andassemble. Then there was the "Inner Court" which only priests and anointed ones could enter.Then even closer to God still, there was the Holy of Holies, where only a special few wereallowed and able to enter to come in the direct Presence of God. In the parable of the tenvirgins, we believe the virgins would have been waiting in an area not unlike the "Inner Court"as they had been prepared and purified as represented by the fact that they were called virgins.These had been made "clean" and chaste to come before God -- half by law and half by Grace.The Bridegroom would be coming for them from the Holy of Holies and they would beallowed to enter in if they had the Lord's righteousness in their lamps.

Chuck-JOHN:-L and I have both been in Heaven and about a year ago, the Lord God wascalling Chuck-JOHNEL up to His Throne to cast down the Wrath of God. In preparation forthat time, we spent a special time in prayer and fasting and Chuck-JOHNEL was aware ofAngels coming to him to prepare him for coming into the Presence of God. To do this, our sinwas being replaced constantly with the Light of Christ and His Righteousness. Only those whowere filled with Christ and His Pure Light could even pray with us in an area that was justoutside of the Throne Room of God. I saw one person there who looked dirty who wasquickly removed from the area we were in. Nothing unclean could remain in that "InnerCourt".

Likewise, our own outer and inner courts must be made clean by the Spirit of God. The lawcan help us to know what it is that must be cleaned but we must let Grace through Jesus Christenter in to make us clean rather trying to clean ourselves up. The more we attempt it on ourown, the more mess we are likely to make. Instead, we just need to abide in Christ and HisGrace and receive of His Love unconditionally and He will do the work within us. Christ willclean us up and make us pure before God ... HIS GRACE TRULY IS SUFFICIENT FOR US!