Grace, the Forbidden Gospel - Online Christian Library

Law Grace
Commands In the New Covenant
The Bible is not to be considered as a set of principles to try and live up to, neither are the commands found
under the New Covenant a set of orders to try and follow. By the same token though, they are also not to be
seen merely as suggestions either. No, the Word of God is forever true and filled with life and power!
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to
the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents
of the heart. (Heb 4:12 NKJV)
However when we are given a command under the New Covenant (especially throughout books like James
and Peter), this is not for us to use as a measure of how obedient we are, because this would mean that we
are putting ourselves under law again and just calling it something else, namely a command.
Instead these books are to be seen as an example of what a Christian life can look like when people under
the power of God manifest the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. When we live a life of praise and delight
ourselves in the Lord, we are walking according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1) and we will automatically execute
the commandments and manifest the fruit of the Spirit.
Unlike the Old Covenant Law, commands under the New Covenant are not to be seen as a benchmark to
measure our performance against and neither can it earn us God’s blessings. A key revelation that we as
New Covenant believers need to have is that we have been made fully righteous and this forms the basis of
us receiving anything from God. There is nothing that we can do that will add even a single ounce to this
Godly righteousness that was imputed to us as a free gift.
It’s easy to misunderstand some of the verses in the book of James if we read them in the wrong context. In
the context of the New Covenant, which declares we have been saved by grace through faith (Ephesians
2:8-9), as well as the fact that we can’t do anything to earn God’s blessings or approval, let’s look at a few of
these verses:
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (Jam 1:22 NKJV)
Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (Jam 2:17 NKJV)
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (Jam 2:26 NKJV)
These verses are not supposed to condemn us and make us feel we have not been doing enough. In fact, if
any preacher ever tries to force believers into “doing more for God” by using manipulation, laying on guilt or
condemnation, they are actually trying to bring people back under the Old Covenant Law!
In the Flesh or in the Spirit?
Before we tackle the three James verses however, let’s quickly look at a commonly misunderstood principle:
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to
the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Rom 8:1 NKJV)
So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if
indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
(Rom 8:8-9 NKJV, emphasis added)
When we are born again we are placed in Christ, but our conduct doesn’t necessarily portray our true born
again nature, which means we don’t necessarily do everything right 100% of the time. Yet there is no
122