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Amen!...and amen.

1 John 2:3-6
(How do we know Him?)
3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

(Who is a liar?)
4 He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

(perfected and in Him)
5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

(In Him, walking as He walked)
6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

(pleasing the Father)
1John 3:22 -
And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

...Grace AND the Law

Ro 3:31 -
Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

...Faith AND the Law

Ro 7:12 -
Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

Trent,

I think we agree here but You asked ... "If that same Person came to reside in you by the Spirit, what would you expect Him to cause in you? Would you expect Him to cause Lawlessness? If someone remains in lawlessness, has the fulfiller of the Law come to reside within them?"

I agree with you that the indwelling of Christ and the Spirit does not LEAD to greater lawlessness. Rather it guides us toward actions that are consistent with the Law and gives us the ability to know when we have sinned and fallen short of Christ's perfection and the law. Yet in our weakness, I don't believe that anyone, even Saints, are righteous in ALL things and at ALL times. Rather we have all sinned.

Further, when/if we are righteous, it is because of our faith ... not because of our obedience to the law. When we fall into sin, we may be convicted of it by the Spirit. However we remain Saints because He is faithful and just and purifies us. We no longer depend on our own strength to be Saints.

1 John 1:9-10 (New International Version)--
9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
10. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

If Christ came to give us the power to obey the law and he was able to do so, then by keeping the law saints would be considered righteous and good. But our actions can never give us righteousness. NO ONE keeps the law in it's entirety and for all their lives. And if we fail to keep ALL the law, ALL the time, we fail at being righteous.

Does that mean we are no longer made righteous by Christ's sacrifice? I'm sure you would agree that our actions and shortcomings do not separate us from God.

In Romans 3, Paul spoke to the purpose of the Law when he pointed out that no one is righteous.

10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:

16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:

17 And the way of peace have they not known:

18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Thus we see that we do not destroy the law by our faith and dependence on God's loving graciousness toward us in the gift of Christ. Rather we establish and clarify that the true intent of the law was to make sure that men know and understand they are weak and can not attain righteousness by keeping the law ... for no one can.

If you have the time to listen, here is a good teaching on this by one of your favorite brothers in the Lord -- http://www.realanswers.net/metro/tv/archive/080309.html.

Still abiding in His strength

Trent,

I don't know you face to face but I've been reading what you write from your heart nearly every day for nearly a decade now and I've never known you to be Lawless. You've always been filled with Grace and Grace can't be Lawless. I have always and still do see Jesus in you.

I think Christians confuse leagalism with the Law and leagalism has nothing to do with the Law but is in itself, Lawless for it goes agains the Grace of God. It demands perfection of our sinful flesh not so that it pleases God but so that it pleases other men. Legalism puts you in slavery to other men, those who wish to glory in your flesh. (this is so hard to express) They want the glory for themselves and often, they don't even know what they are doing. Satan love leagalism because it is a manipulative lie and manipulating the truth of God's Word so that it enslaves and renders useless God's children gives him no greater delight.

You and I are gentile believers, Trent. We have been made holy in Jesus apart from the Law but that does not make us Lawless and it does not require that we become Jews. The Jewish religion is a good religion but it does not have the power of Christ. The Law is the form of righteousness and Christ is the substance. He is righteousness. We are of the substance. Having begun with Grace, we do not turn back to Law.

I love you, Trent. God has used you so many ways in my life. I would never tell you anything that wasn't purely the truth from my own heart. I only want what is good for you and Heather. I'm not always right about everything but this I know for certainty.

Pam

I looked up the definition to the word translated "lawlessness" from the greek dictionary before I posted this blog. Here is what I found:

ἀνομία
anomia
ä-no-mē'-ä
feminine noun
1) the condition of without law

a) because ignorant of it

b) because of violating it

2) contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness

Here is the link:
http://cf.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=458&t=KJV

We *should* keep the Moral Law of GOD.
It is Good. It is righteous.
But (as you know) NEITHER the Moral Law OR the Jewish Feasts OR anything else saves us:
JESUS and His Grace and LIFE saves us.
period.

The rest of obedience and surrender is our gift to Him. ... and it is a gift of love and thanksgiving. ... in many ways: this is the fruit and evidence and PROOF of having received the great grace of salvation.

And this also:

The Christian is not sinless, ... but they will sin less and less and less, ... on into and unto perfection IN CHRIST.

blessings & Shalom
in Sar Shalom Yeshua ha adOn.

Pam,

Once again, my spirit sings with your words.

You wrote, "I think Christians confuse leagalism with the Law and leagalism has nothing to do with the Law but is in itself, Lawless for it goes agains the Grace of God."

Thank you for the gentle reminder that legalism equals lawlessness. It has the pretense of righteousness without the substance. It despenses judgement and condemnation in the name of "tough love" but does not understand the heart of love and goodness that gave His life for us. It focuses on inspecting fruit instead of bearing it. It seeks goodness by comparison with perfection but in doing so it focuses on achieving a better grade rather than knowing the ultimate and only source of perfection.

Law and our failure to keep it is one tool that God uses to show man his weakness and need for a Savior. Man begged for the law. They pridefully thought that if God would just tell them the rules then, through their own ability and effort, they could be good enough to meet God's standard of righteousness. As God always new, they failed utterly in both letter and spirit. But God had another plan and the Law was pointing to that plan ... the only begotten Son of God, the perfect sacrifice and the only way to meet God's standard of perfection.

Thank you again for your insight.

To weak to do anything but abide,

Dad

Dad,

According to the Law, we die daily but thanks to Jesus and His resurrection power, we rise again to walk in newness of life! I'm living in Jesus too and I've no desire to ever move. My abode is the perfect place to live!

Have a Jesusful day, Dad!

Pam

"There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks GOD: All have turned away, they together have become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.""The poison of vipers is on ther lips." "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." "Their feet are swift o shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know." "There is no fear of GOD before their eyes."
Romans3:13-18
When it seems i have distanced myself enough so that i will not hear the power that comes with HIS voice. HE soon reminds me of what HE has layed out for me to relay to the hardhearted and infant in spirit. As i begin to write this down, my heart hurts with such grief, that the flow of tears seem sometime endless. For as i think to myself, "how is it that a man or woman can take it upon themselve's to bring so much hate, pain , grief, vengance, and destruction(self or community)upon each other. And now more than ever, bring neglect, unacceptance, and as shockingly and unreal as it sounds, DEATH, yes i said DEATH! to our own children. My brothers and sisters these are are truly troubling times we are living in. As it is plainly stated in the writings of the New Covenant, "the birth pangs will grow closer and closer just as those experienced by a birthing mother." And before we of this filthy, rotting nation of satans people(and yes, those of you who call yourselve's christians, consider yourselve's included), try to turn the attention to other nations as the culprit of earthly destruction and mayhem. For yes, is'nt that what we have been taught to do, point the finger and lay blame on others. WOE!!! i say unto you , shame unto you as you try and hide yourselve's, for the WRATH of our FATHER has been unleashed. For it is now, HIS Wrath has been set loose upon the inhabitants of HIS abused and neglected CREATION, we have spit in HIS face and turned our backs to HIM for the last time.I speak these words not from myself, but from the utterance of the SPIRIT that dwells within me. Take notice of my chosen child, a watchman, and gifted apostle of the LORD JESUS CHRIST."

Brother Jay... even with tears I write: Amen.

Heb 4:12 -
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.