You are going to live this Christian life, either from the position of a Sinner or a Son. Either you are a sinner that needs to be told what to do, or you are a Son that only needs to be who you are. To try and live by both is nothing more than unbelief in the Transformation of our Nature and nullifies the effects of Grace. This is where most of the Church lives, a mixture of Law and Grace. We will empower either system by our faith, and to try and believe both does nothing more than put us back under law. If we believe we are still sinners, in need of external laws, we will continue to manifest sin. If we believe we are Righteous Sons of God, we will manifest Righteousness.
I have since repented of my Law Preacher days, as the Revelation of Grace has freed my heart into a life built on the confidence of the Christ in me. When I see a behavior in my life that I do not like, I can make a vow or a law unto myself, to not do it again, or I can put faith in the Seed of Christ growing up inside me to break that behavior off. I may actually have faith in Jesus to do it, while most of the Church does not, and expects us to do it for him.
This is the only thing that can set us free from the power of sin, faith that we are dead to sin (Romans 6:2 ), and it no longer has power over us. The more believers understand their new nature, the harder and harder it is for them to sin nor can they enjoy it (Romans 6:1-2). The early Church understood this, that’s why all of the behavior passages in the New Testament are centered around Identity, as temples of Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), as new creations (Colossians 3:9) and being led by the Spirit (Romans 8:9). Why? Because sinful behavior doesn’t fit who you are anymore (Epehians 4:17-32).
The fruit of the Spirit mentioned by Paul in Galatians 5:22 are produced by the Seed, not by our efforts. They are a Promise not a Command. The more we know what has been offered to us in the New Covenant, by His Promises and we believe them, the Divine Nature in us goes to work, producing them by the Power of the Spirit in us, to manifest them in our lives. For it is God in us that wills and works in us to do his good pleasure.
2 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
So how do we overcome the World and temptation? By Faith in the Promises. Things like the fruit of the Spirit, which includes things like self-control, and a change of heart to desire the things of God. I don’t overcome sin by Trying Not to sin, I overcome Sin because I believe I am Dead to sin and it has no more power over me. Sin is reduced to a choice, but why would I choose something so beneath me, especially when I know how loved I am by God? Identity, not my effort, produces Righteousness by agreeing with my New Nature.
Grace is about teaching people to live from their New Nature that already Loves God, Loves Righteousness, and is like Christ on the Earth. The New Nature that lives in us, is called the Holy Spirit, and Grace is about agreeing with Him to manifest Righteousness and Holiness that is already present on the inside of us. I have since repented of my law preacher days and now have full Confidence to what Christ has done, and when the Bible says you are dead to sin, and made Slaves to Righteousness, I Believe it, and Preach it until others believe it and it becomes an effortless reflection of your true identity.
The Gospel means almost too good to be true News! So it’s easy to understand why the religious struggle to believe these truths, because to them, it really is too good and too simple so it can’t be true.
Dan Molher talking about the Gospel