Genesis 2:16-17 The Lord God commanded him, "You may eat the fruit
from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat the fruit from the tree
which gives the knowledge of good and evil. If you ever eat fruit from that
tree, you will die!"
What did this tree offer to Adam and Eve?
They were made aware of the knowledge of right and wrong and given
the opportunity to choose between good and evil.
Why was it God’s purpose that they should not eat from the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil?
God wanted for them to depend entirely upon Him to give energy and
direction to their lives, rather than depending upon their own ability to
energize their lives and make the best choices between what was right and
wrong.
Galatians 3:11-12 Now it is clear that no one can be made right with
God by the law, because the Scriptures say, "Those who are right with God will
live by trusting in him." The law is not based on faith. It says, "A person
who obeys these things will live because of them."
Why is it a sin for the Christian to build his life around religious rules?
Any conduct that does not originate from Christ’s indwelling life is not
from faith, and …whatever is not from faith, is sin (Romans
14:23).
Is the law sinful?
Of course not, but it stirs up the sin that dwells in every human, even the
saved ones!
The law is for unbelievers. But we know that the law is good if
some-one uses it lawfully. We also know that the law is not made for good
people but for those who are against the law and for those who refuse to
follow it. It is for people who are against God and are sinful, who are not
holy and have no religion, who kill their fathers and mothers, who murder, who
take part in sexual sins, who have sexual relations with people of the same
sex, who sell slaves, who tell lies, who speak falsely, and who do anything
against the true teaching of God. (1 Tim 1:8-10)
The law stimulates sin. The law came to make sin worse. But when sin
grew worse, God’s grace increased. Sin once used death to rule us, but God
gave people more of his grace so that grace could rule by making people right
with him. And this brings life forever through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Romans 5:20-21)
The law ministers death and condemnation. The law that brought death
was written in words on stone. It came with God’s glory, which made Moses’
face so bright that the Israelites could not continue to look at it. But that
glory later disappeared. So surely the new way that brings the Spirit has even
more glory. If the law that judged people guilty of sin had glory, surely the
new way that makes people right with God has much greater glory.
(2Corinthians 3:7-9)
Why is trying to get people to live by Judeo-Christian values a wrong goal
for Christians?
Perhaps the greatest tragedy in the church today is that we have lost our
focus on Jesus Christ and have substituted "Christian values" as our primary
emphasis. To become obsessed with anything besides Him is idolatry, even if
that obsession is religious rules. It is possible, as A. W. Tozer has said,
"…to loose God in the wonders of His word."
One of the most popular radio shows today is "Dr. Laura" who advises
callers on how to solve their moral dilemmas by applying biblical principles
of morality and decency. Few Christians disagree with her directions for
moving from the "evil" branch to the "good" branch of the law tree and never
realize that her "solutions" will improve behavior, but fail to impart "life."
We are not called to live moral lives…we are called to live
miraculous lives that are supernaturally empowered by the indwelling
Christ!
What should be the goal of believers in their relationships with those
outside of Christ?
The highest goal for the Christian’s relationship with unbelievers is to
share the "good news" of their identity in Christ. To invite those who have
not experienced the "Christ life" to come to the party!
What is Christian liberty?
It is freedom from external religious rules. The believer is now governed
by "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:2). The only law
of the Spirit is the life of Christ that now lives inside every believer!
Does grace imply that a believer can live a sinful lifestyle without it
making any difference in his life?
The sinfulness in the lifestyle of a believer has no effect on his standing
with God, but it certainly makes a difference in the quality of his life now!
Romans 6:1-3 So, do you think we should continue sinning so that God
will give us even more grace? No! We died to our old sinful lives, so how can
we continue living with sin? Did you forget that all of us became part of
Christ when we were baptized? We shared his death in our baptism.
Paul said in 1Corinthians 6:12, "I am allowed to do all things," but
all things are not good for me to do. "I am allowed to do all things," but I
will not let anything make me its slave.
The indwelling Christ makes it possible for me to no longer be a slave to
sin. I can now resist, because He lives inside of me!
Do Christians keep the law? Do Christians break the law?
Christians have no relationship to the law.
Romans 8:2 Through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit that brings
life made me free from the law that brings sin and death.
The relationship we have with Jesus Christ is the impetus for a godly
lifestyle. When God is our Life Source, the only thing that matters is Him.
It would seem that our greatest need is to grow in our knowledge of Him and
how He operates in our lives.
