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What it means to be "Under the Law"I would begin with a warning that this study is somewhat deep. This study will require a certain level of concentration. Please pray before reading this. May Yahweh guide us all. To all I would like to ask the question "Are you under the law?" According to scripture, IF you are 'under the law'... then: 1) The law was written just for you. While this study is deep, we cannot underestimate its importance. Those who are under the law are in a lot of trouble! They have no salvation! The interesting thing about these 4 characteristics I listed is that they couldn't possibly be speaking of someone who is walking in obedience to the law. Instead, they indicate that those who are 'Under the law' are faithless, unsaved, unrepentant and have sin reigning over them. Now let's examine the scriptures in question: Romans 3:19 - Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before YAHWEH. This verse speaks of those who are 'under the law'. This group of people is whom the law is speaking to. ie "what things soever the law saith, it saith to them" One characteristic of this group of people is that when the law speaks to them, their mouths are stopped, they are guilty before Yahweh. Could this be speaking of those who are walking in obedience to Yahweh's law? Impossible! If this group of people were walking in obedience to Yahweh's law, then why would their mouths be stopped and declared guilty before Yahweh when it is read to them?? This makes no sense! In fact, it MUST be saying just the opposite. It must be saying that those who are 'under the law' are those who are not obeying the law...therefore their mouths are stopped and they are guilty before Yahweh. Let's look at this verse again: Romans 3:19 - Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before YAHWEH. It says here that 'all the world' is guilty before Yahweh. Does this mean every person in this entire world who has heard His law either is or has been under the law at some point? It must! But why? The answer is that EVERYONE at some point in their life has sinned 1John 1:8 - If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. Therefore it makes perfect sense that those who are 'under the law' are those who have sinned. They are 'guilty before Yahweh' Now let's look at the next verse: Romans 3:20 - Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. This point is driven furthur home by this verse. The important word here is "Justified". By the deeds of the law (elsewhere translated "works of the law"), no man will be justified. Why is this? The answer is in the previous verse. "All the world" is guilty before Yahweh because of the law. The law can't justify us when we have not kept it. The law only tells us what sin is! Paul even says by the law is the knowledge of sin! Let's read on:
Romans 3:20 - Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 - But now the righteousness of YAHWEH without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; There is a certain righteousness that was predicted in the law and the prophets that was to be given unto men. However, it is written in the law and prophets that this righteousness was not going to come from the law. This righteousness was going to come from Yahweh Himself: Jeremiah 23:5 - Behold, the days come, saith YAHWEH, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6 - In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, YAHWEH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. This is a prophecy about Yahushua the Messiah. Why is He called "Yahweh tzidkenu" (Yahweh our righteousness) ? Isaiah 45:23 - I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. 24 - Surely, shall one say, in YAHWEH have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. Only in Yahweh can we have righteousness and strength through Yahushua the Messiah! It is because Yahushua died for our sins and paid the penalty for our sins that we can have eternal life! Why can we have eternal life? Because when we accept Him, it is not our righteousness that Yahweh sees..but the righteousness of Yahushua the Messiah covering us! Galatians 2:20 - "I have been impaled with the Messiah; it is no longer I who live, but the Messiah lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of YAHWEH, who loved me and gave Himself for me. So in this Yahweh became our righteousness in Yahushua the Messiah. In fact, this is what the next verse declares..now in context: Romans 3:21 - But now the righteousness of YAHWEH without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 - Even the righteousness of YAHWEH which is by faith of Yahushua the Messiah unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of YAHWEH; These verses sum up well what the true meaning is here. It isn't our righteousness (keeping His law) that saves us. It isn't our righteousness (keeping His law) that justifies us. It is HIS Righteousness that we will have to rely upon..through faith..that is going to save us, justify us and make us His sons and daughters! Oh, some thought this was just some Pauline doctrine..but this is not true! This is straight from the law and the prophets as well! Isaiah 54:17 - No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of YAHWEH, and their righteousness is of me, saith YAHWEH. Kepha (Peter) also knew this doctrine: 2Peter 1:1 - Simon Kepha, a bondservant and apostle of Yahushua the Messiah, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of YAHWEH and of our Savior Yahushua the Messiah: So don't think for a moment that the doctrine of 'not being justified by the works of the law' is a Pauline idea. This doctrine is clearly stated in the so called "Old Testament" as well. Let's now move onto other scripture dealing with those who are 'under the law' Romans 6:12 - Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Paul is telling the Romans to not let sin reign in their "mortal body". Yes, we are at this time in our lives 'mortal'. There will come a time when we will no longer be mortal..but be immortal when we rise from the dead..at that time we will be totally sinless people....but we should be living that way now! Next verse: Romans 6:13 - Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto YAHWEH, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto YAHWEH. We need to yield ourselves unto Yahweh as one immortal, alive from the dead and let our members be instruments of righteousness...not unrighteousness. Next verse: Romans 6:14 - For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. It is promised that sin shall not have dominion over us because we are not under the law, but under grace/favor! What does this mean? According to the other scripture in Romans we discussed, being under the law is referring to those who are relying on their own righteousness/law-keeping to be justified on that final day...they will be judged guilty for their sins. But those who have accepted Yahweh's righteousness through Yahushua the Messiah are 'under grace/favor'! They have been forgiven for their sins now and are relying on Yahshua's righteousness to justify them. Can we go back and sin/break that law once again? Romans 6:15 - What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under favor? By no means. Why would we go again into that life we led before? We sinned! Sin is transgressing His law! 1John 3:4 - Whoever commits sin trangresses also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law. We sinned, this is why Yahushua had to die for us in the first place! As Paul said "Yahweh forbid!" or more accurately translated "By no means!" Romans 6:16 - Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? So are we going to serve sin 'unto death' or be a servant of Yahweh walking in obedience unto righteousness? Sadly, the idea of disobeying Yahweh's law because we are 'under grace' is a concrete doctrine of mainstream Christianity! Indeed the entire world is decieved by this teaching! Now let's look at one final scripture that is very popular among those who believe in this doctrine: Galatians 3:21 - Is the law then against the promises of YAHWEH? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. In context of Galatians 3, the law is not against the promises of Yahweh that we would be justified and blessed through a son of Abraham..Yahushua the Messiah. We CAN'T be justified by keeping His law when we have broken it. We NEED the righteousness of Yahweh! Galatians 3:22 - But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Yahushua the Messiah might be given to those who believe. We were all 'under the law' and 'under sin'.
In this, the law was our schoolmaster....guarding us from sin but in our failures it was also teaching us that we were sinners! In our sins it taught us that we have no choice but to be justified by faith in Yahweh alone. We needed a Righteous One to be a mediator between us and a holy Elohim! Galatians 3:25 - But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. The law was our tutor, we were "under the law." But now that we have put our faith in Yahushua the Messiah, trusted in the one called "Yahweh our Righteousness" and been cleansed, sanctified and redeemed by His blood...we are no longer 'under the law'! If we were under the law, the only way we could possibly be saved is if we NEVER SINNED. There is only ONE who 'never sinned'. He was born under the law...yet without sin Galatians 4:4 - But when the fullness of the time had come, YAHWEH sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 - to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. We are adopted sons of Yahweh through the righteousness of Yahushua the Messiah! We are saved from having to live a perfect and sinless life.. Therefore, again our salvation cannot come by our own righteousness/law-keeping..but by HIS righteousness alone. Galatians 5:18 - But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now if we were to take the conclusion that many would love to take in this verse, we would be saying "If we are led by the Spirit, we don't have to be obedient to Yahweh's law". But how can this possibly be? Every verse we have examined thusfar has said just the opposite. Fact is, we have found out that those who are DISOBEDIENT and apart from the Messiah are the ones under His law. Indeed even the following verses in this Galatians 5 prove that one who is walking in the Spirit is NOT free to be disobedient! Galatians 5:18 - But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 - Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 - idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 - envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of YAHWEH. 22 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 - gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. The works of the flesh are disobedience to Yahweh's law. The fruits of the Spirit is obedience to His law...how clear! To say we are not 'under the law' can't possibly mean we are free to break it! In fact, it means just the opposite! So who is this group of people who are 'under the law'? In Paul's day, it was those Jews who were trusting in their righteousness to be saved rather than accepting Yahshua the Messiah and letting Yahweh be their righteousness. Today though, it is those that do not have Yahushua or those who have chosen to purposely sin/break His law again after accepting the Messiah. They are putting themselves right back under the law! If this is what you have been taught to do then I warn you today that you have been taught a serious error! The law of Yahweh has been blasphemed for 2000 years, it's time to lift it up as the standard for all men to live by. Once we are justified by the Righteousness of Yahweh, we need to let all men know that we are not to go back to that old sin again. Yahweh hasn't removed the standard, He has merely forgiven us for not living up to that standard. To have Yahweh as our righteousness..truly there is no greater blessing in the world! Yahushua died for you so that you would be forgiven for failing to live up to that standard. Let us not return and insult the spirit of grace...but let's live a new life... Walking in HIS obedience.. Walking in HIS mercy... Walking in HIS Spirit! Written By Eliyah
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