It is by walking in the Spirit that we produce the fruit of the Spirit which is really what we want for our people isn’t it? But only the Holy Spirit knows how we should live in any given circumstance and only He knows how to bring that about. And His working in me may be quite different from His working in you. The solution to a whole church full of saints is not a one-size-fits-all answer. A law can convict people of wrong doing but it cannot make them holy any more than a speed limit sign can make people go the speed limit.

Now, if we are dealing with sin, the only acceptable response for the guilty saint is to turn away from that sin and to begin to walk in the Spirit again, and, if his sin has hurt another to make it right. The Bible makes it clear that we are not to use our liberty for an occasion to the flesh. (Gal. 5:13) But sin is not what we are dealing with here but a matter of preference. So, even though we may not like what a Christian does, as long as it is not sin, all things are “lawful”(permissible) even though not all things are “expedient” (profitable). (I Cor.10:23)

People under the law instead of grace will often be more unchristian than the world. One of the families that left a church were grieved because a little girl friend who’s family is still at the Church will no longer allow her to play with her friend down the street because she doesn’t wear the proper clothes. How shameful is that? But that is the result, not of love but of legalism.

Paul confronted Peter before everyone because he enjoyed great fellowship and freedom with gentile believers until some legalistic believers came to visit. Then he refused fellowship with his gentile Christian friends and went right back to his old legalistic ways. (Gal. 2:11-14)

Jesus is the only answer to living the Christian life. So, because He is my life and is the only One Who can live the Christian life, I live it trusting Him at every turn and every moment of every day to be what He promised to be, My Life. And because “the just shall live by faith” (Rom.1:16) and without Him I can do nothing (John 15:5), but with Him I can do anything (Phil.4:13), I live by trusting Jesus (Gal.2:20). It is then that love takes over and my desire is no longer to live unto myself for I can’t stand the thought of hurting Him. And when I sin, because my relationship with Him is based on love, it is only a matter of a short time before I set things right. How freeing and yet how godly that kind of life is!

Replacing grace with the law is always counter-productive. While some may seem to thrive under that system because they are always looking for someone to tell them how to live there will never be spiritual growth. Others come to a church convinced that a certain amount of the Law is needed for Christians to live upright lives or else they will go wild. So they are critical of those who preach grace because it can become “disgraceful”. In both cases these are people who refuse to live by faith. Many are like this in the body of Christ, and we preachers do not help them when we will not trust the Lord to take care of His sheep.

So please dear pastors, take this as from an older saint who also wants you to lead your sheep toward the Good Shepherd and not away from Him. Practice grace toward your flock and let the Shepherd do His work in their lives. He never fails.

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Copyright @ 2010 James R. Owen, Sr.. All rights reserved.

"People under the law instead of grace will often be more unchristian than the world."

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