What does it mean to live under the law according to the Bible? Since there is often a misconception about the term ‘living under the law’ and ‘living under grace’. Plizyè fwa, Christians think that by following the moral laws (kòmandman) Bondye, you live under the law. But when do you live under the law? Can a Christian live under the law?
What do you need to understand the Word of God?
It’s so important to understand the Word. You can have a lot of (tèt)knowledge of the Bible, but if you lack understanding, all that knowledge profits you nothing.
When you read to a child from an academic book, the child shall hear the words, but not understand what you are reading. The same principle applies to the Bible.
The new birth is necessary and the Holy Spirit is needed to understand the Word and to teach you in the Word.
Christians often use the term ‘not living under the law’ to release them from keeping the moral commandments of God, and keep doing the works of the flesh, e pèsevere nan peche.
But as long as words and concepts from the Bible are cited and used to justify and do the works of the flesh (peche) it proves that people are not born again and lack understanding and because of that they can’t see nor understand the Kingdom of God. (Li tou: Why do Christians don’t preach a clear message?).
What does the grace of God mean for humanity?
The grace of God didn’t come, so that people can walk in disobedience to God after the will, lanvi, ak dezi lachè (sinful flesh) in all uncleanness, konvwatiz, egoyis, and live in lawlessness (nan peche) without punishment.
The grace of God doesn’t mean that you can live like the world (fènwa a) in sin and receive the wages of the righteous (nan. Women 6:20-23).
But the grace of God is a gift of God to people to be delivered from the power of sin and death. So that sin and death don’t have dominion over people anymore.
Let’s look at the two spiritual laws, that reign in the two spiritual kingdoms; Peyi Wa ki nan limyè (Kingdom of Heaven where Jesus is King and reigns) ak Peyi Wa ki nan fènwa (kingdom of the world where the devil is prince and reigns).
People are conceived of corrupt seed and born in a fallen state as sinners
Adam and Eve were perfectly created and lived in union with God. They were spiritually connected until the fall of man.
Through the obedience of man to the devil and the disobedience of man to God, Grenn moun nan (Adan) became corrupt.
Tout moun, who would be born of the corrupt seed of Adam, would be born in a corrupt state (a fallen state) under the dominion of the devil and death.
Tout moun, ki se pitit pitit moun, possesses the sinful nature of the devil, who is prideful, ak rebèl, and exalts himself above God, and resists the words, kòmandman, and statutes of God and His Kingdom.
Fallen man lives in sin under the authority of death
Since the death reigns in fallen man, fallen man bears the fruit of death, ki se peche, during his life on earth.
And because man lives in sin under the authority of the death, when man closes his eyes he shall return to his owner, whom he obeyed during his life, and who is the ruler of the kingdom of death (lanfè, Adès).
Sinners (òm tonbe) live under the law of sin and death and are slaves of sin and death
The law of sin and death reigns in every person, ki moun ki fèt nan kò a. Every person lives under this law that reigns in the flesh of fallen man and is a slave of sin and death. No one is born under another (espirityèl) lalwa (nan. Sòm 51:5, Women 3:10-12; 7:23, 8:2).
From the fall of man sin and death reigned in the flesh and ruled in people’s lives. Sepandan, man had a conscience with the knowledge of good and evil. Anvan sezon otòn la, man only knew good. But after eating from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the fall of man, man had knowledge of good and evil, just like God his Creator (Jenèz 3:22).
A sinner has always the ability to decide to do something or to not do something. Although a sinner is born under the rulership of the devil in a depraved state and belongs to the perverted generation, in the end, God is still his Creator and no one else (Li tou: Batay ak feblès la nan ansyen nonm lan).
The devil and fallen man can try to take the place of the Creator, but they shall never succeed.
Nan fen a, everyone returns to the only Creator of man and the heaven and earth and all there is within and shall stand on the Day of Judgment before His throne of righteousness and receive the wages of their words and works on earth, whether to life, whether to death.
God chose a people and established a covenant
God chose Abraham and established a covenant with Him and his seed. The circumcision in the flesh was a sign of this covenant. The circumcision in the flesh was a sign that they belonged to God and He was their God and they were in a covenant with Him.
Bondye te avèk Abraram, Izarak, ak Jakòb (pèp Izrayèl la).
Tout moun, who was born of the seed of Abraham, Izarak, and Jacob was born in this covenant.
And the carriers of the seed (of this covenant) were circumcised in the flesh on the eighth day according to the word of the Lord. (Li tou: What does the circumcision in the New Covenant mean?).
Although they were born in this covenant, they were still born in a fallen state and lived under sin; under the law of sin and death that reigned in their flesh.
But because they were born of the seed of the circumcised, they entered in this covenant with God, e li te fè pati Bondye, and were separated from all other pagan nations.
The Law of Moses came 430 years later and became after 430 years part of this covenant.
The Law of Moses was meant for fallen man with the sinful nature, ki moun ki te pou kay Izrayèl la
After the deliverance of the children of Israel from the rulership of Pharaoh and slavery, God led them through the wilderness to the promised. While they were on their way to the promised land, God revealed His nature, Pwal, and Kingdom by giving them His Law to Moses. The Law of Moses originated from God’s Law that reigns in the universe but was ‘adjusted’ to fallen man. (Li tou: Poukisa Bondye te di, Thou shall not… and Jesus, Thou shall… ?).
The law of sin and death was already working in the flesh, before God gave His Law to Moses and before His Law was instituted by Moses, the representative of God, and Aaron, granprèt la, and Miriam the prophetess.
The purpose of the Law of Moses was to separate God’s people, who were born in iniquity (just like the other people, who were born in iniquity) from the pagan nations and walk holy as children of the Most High in the will of God, and to represent their God and His holiness and righteousness on earth by keeping the law and walking in kòmandman l yo.
Why was the Law of Moses weak?
The law was weak, in the sense that, the law could not do anything about the (espirityèl) fallen state of man, who was sick through the corrupt seed and separated from God. The Law could not give life. Nor could the law make the people, who kept the Law of Moses with all its (sakrifis, manje) lwa, rituèl, kòmandman, ak fèt, drèt.
The law revealed sin to the carnal man through the righteousness of the law. By keeping the Law of Moses, man could show through his obedience his love for God and walk righteous in the will of God.
Through the keeping of the sacrificial laws (tanporè), reconciliation was made for the sin and iniquity of the fallen man, who was born of the seed of Israel and was circumcised in the flesh. Whereby God could have communion with His people.
The children of Israel lived under the Law of Moses (Torah)
Se sèlman sa yo, who were born of the seed of Israel or strangers that sojourned in Israel and were circumcised in the flesh and kept the Law of Moses, belonged to the house of Israel and lived in the covenant with God under the Law of Moses.
The Law of Moses was a schoolmaster and kept God’s people until the coming of the promise of God; the coming of His Son Jesus the Christ the eternal Savior (and Deliverer of the sinful nature and the power of the devil and darkness), King, and High Priest for humanity.
Everyone is born under the law and needs salvation
Ki sa ki lè sa a? are we better than they? Non, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; Jan li ekri, Pa gen okenn moun k'ap mache dwat, Non, pa yon sèl: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. Yo tout soti nan wout la, yo ansanm vin rantabilite; pa gen pesonn ki fè byen, Non, pa yon sèl (Women 3:9-12)
Tout moun, who is born on earth is born under the law of sin and death, ki gouvènen nan kò a, even the house of Israel. Because although the children of Israel are God’s holy covenant people through natural birth and the circumcision in the flesh, no one was (e se) born in righteousness.
They are born in a fallen state in the covenant under the Law of Moses. Lwa sa a, which was meant for the carnal man, who lives in a fallen state from the sinful flesh, kept them until the coming of Jesus the Christ, the Savior and Deliverer.
But everyone needs salvation and deliverance, including the children of Israel. Pa lafwa ak rejenerasyon nan Kris la, everyone can be saved and delivered from the power of the devil and the law of sin and death that reigns in the flesh.
That’s the grace of God, that God gave His Son to take all our sins and iniquities upon Himself and carry the punishment for sin, which is death and enter hell to destroy for us the covenant between man and death and the agreement with hell, so that we could live through and in Him in freedom.
Can a Christian live under de Law?
Have Christians lived under the law? Can a Christian live under the law? If you mean the Law of Moses, then the answer is no.
Janti yo, who have repented and through the spiritual new birth in Christ became Christians (children of God), can’t say that they no longer live under the law. Since they didn’t belong through natural birth to God’s covenant people and didn’t live before their repentance and new birth under the Law of Moses.
Se sèlman sa yo, who belong to the house of Israel and by faith in Jesus Christ and the spiritual new birth in Him became Christians can say that they no longer live under the Law of Moses.
Sepandan, a Christian can always leave the faith in Christ and reject the grace of God, put off the new man and submit and be led by the beggarly worldly spirits, convert to Judaism, return to the Old Covenant, and be circumcised in the flesh, and not only keep the sacrificial laws, lwa manje, fèt, elatriye. and rely on their works but also reinstate the punishment laws (including the death penalty), since they were also part of the Law of Moses. (Li tou: Poukisa kretyen yo retounen nan Kontra fin vye granmoun lan?)
But that’s ridiculous! Moun, who do this are foolish and are not born again and don’t have the Spirit of the living God abiding in them. Paske, how can you exchange God’s sacrifice of His beloved Son, Jezi Kri, and His inheritance, Lespri Sen an, for the Law, which was meant for the sinful flesh of the carnal man in his fallen state and can’t quicken (make alive) and heal the people and make them righteous, but only revealed sin and kept the people through the keeping of the Law (nan. Galat 3:19-22).
A Christian doesn’t live under the law of sin and death, men anba favè
Paske, lè nou te esklav peche, nou te libere anba jistis. Ki fwi nou te genyen lè sa a nan bagay sa yo nou wont kounye a?? paske fini bagay sa yo se lanmò. Men koulye a, yo te libere anba peche, and become servants of God, nou gen fwi nou pou sen, ak lavi ki pap janm fini an. Paske, salè peche a se lanmò; Men, kado Bondye a se lavi etènèl grasa Jezikri, Seyè nou an (Women 6:20-23)
Koulye a, pa gen okenn kondanasyon pou moun ki nan Jezi Kris la, ki pa mache dèyè kò a, men apre Lespri Bondye a. Paske, lalwa Lespri Bondye a ki bay lavi a nan Jezikri, te libere m anba lalwa peche ak lanmò (Women 8:1-2)
A Christian can also not live under the law of sin and death anymore. Since a Christian is born again in Christ and has become a new creation and lives by the grace of God under grace.
Nan la batèm nan Kris la, a Christian has laid down the sinful flesh, in which the law of sin and death reigns ).
Through the baptism with the Holy Spirit a new law reigns in the new man, jistis, the law of the Spirit of life.
Granmoun nan, ki moun ki chanèl, is ruled by the law of sin and death (nati peche).
Men, nouvo nonm lan, ki espirityèl, is ruled by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Nati Bondye a).
Se poutèt sa, if anyone says to be a new creation and be delivered in Christ, but still bears the fruit of death (that reigns in fallen man), ki se peche, and habitually lives in sin, then this person is not delivered from the law (of sin and death) and doesn’t belong to God and doesn’t live in union with Him. But the person is still the old creation, who belongs to the devil and lives under the law of sin and death as a slave of sin and death (nan. Women 6 epi 8, 1 Jan 3).
The sons of God bear the fruit of the Spirit and of righteousness
Paske ou te pafwa fènwa, Men koulye a, nou limyè nan Seyè a: mache tankou timoun limyè: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Pwouve sa ki akseptab pou Senyè a (Efezyen yo 5:8-9)
If you have become a new creation and received God’s nature, you shall no longer live in rebellion against God in anachi epi mache dèyè kò a (according to the sinful nature) e pèsevere nan peche. But you shall hate the darkness and the works of darkness (peche) just like God and remove them from your life and reveal the truth to others by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and calling them to repentance.
God has given to all His sons (sa a aplike a tou de gason ak fi), who are made holy and righteous by the blood of Jesus and are seated in Christ, the power to reign together with Christ as king and rule over sin, the death and the whole army of the darkness.
If you truly live under grace, then sin and death shall have no dominion over you. Therefore you shall not walk according to the sinful nature and live in sin.
But you shall live according to the Law of the Spirit in Christ Jesus and walk in obedience to God and His Word in righteousness and bear the fruit of the Spirit and of righteousness (nan. Women 6, 8, Galat 5:22-25, Efezyen yo 5:9-10)
Your words and works determine whether you live under the law or under grace.
'Fè sèl latè a’
