Set Free From Law After 30 Years

As I look back on nearly 30 years of being a Christian I recall how I have been involved in everything from Sunday school to prayer groups, pioneering churches to door-to-door evangelism, street preaching to mission in other lands. Well, you get the picture.

I now realise most of this was to please God and was based in law. I have been in all kinds of churches: Brethren, Baptist, Pentecostal, Elim, Faith Churches and Church of England high church. Until just recently I have found I have preached hell fire to law, and in the last ten years law and grace. All this has changed since my Senior Pastor Andy Wall from Grace International Church, Bloxwich, has ministered on Galatians and Romans for about six months.

Romans 6: 14-15 declare: “For sin shall not (any longer) exert dominion over you since now you are not under law (as slaves) but under grace as subjects of God’s favour and mercy. What then (are we to conclude)? Shall we sin because we live not under law but under God’s favour and mercy?” (Amplified Bible). Paul says, “Certainly not!” The sad thing is we carry on sinning to the flesh and if we are honest we will till we die. So how can any of us be free?

What I have learned is we can not by our self-effort win brownie points with God our Father. He loves us the same today as He will tomorrow. I had always seen God as the policeman. If I stepped out of line He would punish me. The problem was I had never seen the Father heart of God. He loves the world so much he sent his Son the Lord Jesus to die for all mankind, past, present and future, on the Cross of Calvary 2000 years ago — and here is the rub — not just the church but the whole wide world.

So tell me why most of us are so judgemental in the Church and outside in the world. I too have been guilty of this and I for one have repented. Galatians 3 is one of the keys. Paul writes: “O you poor and silly and thoughtless and senseless Galatians! Who has fascinated or bewitched or cast a spell over you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified” (Galatians 3: 1, Amplified Bible). In the whole of the chapter Paul is warning the Galatian church not to go back under the laws of Moses as Jesus has set us free from the law by dying on the Cross. He paid the price for sin to his Father once and for all — for all of us. You can believe it or not; that is up to you. But I know my sin is forgiven: past, present and future.

When you understand this you really have good news to tell the world, and we will stop trying to bully people into the Kingdom. All they need is to be introduced to the Saviour and start their own relationship with Him. That is the good news of the gospel: Christ crucified and raised again to life.

Our mission is to speed this message in the church and to the world as the Holy Spirit allows us.