The Flesh - Turning A Good Law Into Sin

Before we move on and learn what it means to "Walk in the Spirit", let's deal with a misunderstanding that many believers have concerning the Law and Grace.

A lot of times you'll hear these two topics discussed as if they were rivals. Many ministers will teach that you can either obey the Law found in the Scriptures or you can live by grace...but you can't do both. This is a silly and Biblically illiterate idea, as we'll soon see.

The truth is: You are either obeying the Law and living by grace both, or you aren't actually doing either.

The Law Is Good

Romans 7:12 "Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good."

Psalm 19:7 "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul..."

Contrary to popular opinion, the Law of God - contained in the commands and rules He gave mankind - is perfect. It is one of the most important gifts we have ever received. Throughout mankind's history, even before Jesus came, the Law has never been the problem...sin was!

There are several things that make the Law good:

1 - The Law reveals God's character.

     He does not break His own rules!

2 - The Law reveals God's standards.

     This is what He expects from us..and there are no exceptions.

3 - It teaches us right and wrong.

     Without the Law, we'd be left to come up with our own ideas.

4 - It reveals to us the need for a Savior

     Without the Law, we'd be convinced that we're basically good people on our own.

So the Law itself is good - the commandments themselves are perfect! But we have to be cautious...because there's an "if" to this.

1 Timothy 1:8 "But we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully."

If you use it right, the law is amazing and produces great results! If you use it wrong, it can (and will) destroy you and everything around you.

When The Good Law Becomes Weak

What are the wrong ways to use the law? There are two of them:

1 - Trying to be justified by obeying the Law.

     (We've already covered this in detail when we discussed righteousness)

2 - And trying to keep the law in the flesh.

(Do you remember what "the flesh" is? If not, you need to - it's critical to know what it is and how to avoid it! To review - read the previous post.)

When you try to keep the law on your own, in the strength of the flesh, this is the result:

Romans 8:3 "For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh...."

Do you see that? Your own efforts to serve God will actually make His law weak and ineffective in your life! This is the reason why Galatians 2:16 says, "for by the works of the law no flesh can be justified." As perfect as God's law is, your flesh is too weak to keep it!

This is what your flesh does, it takes God's perfect law and turns it into an occasion for sin. When you hear God's commands with the mentality of "I'm going to try to obey these myself", you'll end up making it ineffective. You'll never obey God that way!

When you hear the law in the flesh, this is the result:

"But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was supposed to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good." (Romans 7:8-12)

You'll Never Serve God On Your Own

This is why Jesus Himself makes this statement: "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mark 14:38) Settle this right now, my friend - if you're going to serve God, it'll never be in your own effort, on your own strength, and with your own willpower. You ALONE can't do it.

Romans 8:8 "So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

Even with all your good intentions, God is not pleased by you trying to obey Him. This is made even more clear in Romans 7:18, "For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find."

There it is....even when someone wants to obey God, they will not have the ability to do so in the flesh. You cannot serve God by trying! (And this isn't just applicable to the Ten Commandments; you can't do anything for God in the flesh!)

Now that we've exposed the "flesh" for what it is, and explained why you can't serve God in it...let's take a look at the only way we can serve God...in the Spirit!

Romans 1:9 "For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit..."

Are you ready to find out what this means?