1Timothy 1: 9: “Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners…”
Joseph lived generations before Moses and before the writen commandments were given. Yet, he lived a life marked with purity, integrity and fear of God. When tempted by Portiphar’s wife, he declared: “How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God (Genesus 39: 9).”
This perfectly illustrates the truth which Apostle Paul wrote in 1Timothy 1: 9: “The law is not made for a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient…” There are many who have the law and claim they live under the law but we see the wickedness they perpetuate and the misery that is their wake. They are unholy, implacable, brutal, headstrong, unloving, without self-control and the like, which Apostle Paul also in 2 Timothy 3: 1 pointed out. This is because righteousness is not a matter of the law, it is a matter of the heart. With the heart a man believe. When a man believe that by works of the law he cannot prevail with a holy God, he surrenders to God’s mercy receive of God the gift of righteousness, for it is indeed a gift. As the scripture in Psalms 53: 3 has concluded all men as unrighteous. “All of them have fallen away; together they have become corrupt; no one does what is good, not even one.” Not even one, the scripture says of man concerning righteousness and therefore by works of the law shall no flesh be justified in God’s sight (Romans 3:20). Why? Galatians 3: 12 says: “Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.” We know from scripture in Hebrews 11: 6: ” Without faith it is impossible to please God.” The righteousness of God apart from the law (Romans 3: 28) was revealed in Abraham (Romans 4: 3) and also in Joseph (Genesis 39: 9; Psalm 32: 1-2). To have a full understanding of righteousness of God apart from the law, one must come to the full knowledge of the fall and the weakness of man and the purpose of the law.
The Purpose of the law and the fundamental weakness of man
The scripture in the book of Romans chapter 3 verse 20 makes us understand that: ” By the law is the knowledge of sin.” So the law essential was to show man his true state. It is the mirror which shows what is embedded in the nature of man. Romans 7: 7 says: “What then shall we say? Is the Law sin? Never may it be! But I have not known sin, if not by Law. And indeed, I had not been conscious of covetousness if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.” So covetousness, murder, adultery, lying and the like are all embedded in man’s sinful flesh. What the law did was to show them up so that man might recourse back to God and not revel in the keeping of the law, which is nothing but holding unto the knowledge of sin instead of running to God who inputs righteousness.
So the law is a school master (Galatians 3: 24), given to show the sinfulness in man and bring us to Christ, but it was never to produce righteousness otherwise Joseph not living under the law (for the law came by Moses years after Joseph), should have fallen into the temptation and sinned against God by committing adultery with the wife of his master. Righteousness is a gift through faith in Jesus, not by the observation of the law which the flesh could not endure because it is weak. We should remember that God made man from dust, and man only became a living soul when God breathe into him. Genesis 2: 7: “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” But when man sinned against God by disobedience to God’s command, the LORD God said unto man in Genesis 3:19: “for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Man lost the glory of God, the nature of God that made him a living soul. How strong can a dust be? That was the lot of earthly man after the fall. The law was given to the earthly man to reveal his fallen nature and made him seek after God. But man rather made the law his ultimate. Instead of looking for the gift of God that came by promise, man sought for his own righteousness by works of the law. Whereas God has declared that by reason of the law shall no flesh be justified, Romans 3: 20. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.
Man who has become earthy, back to the dust that he was made from, had the law to show him his true nature but not the nature of God. He cannot attain Godly nature by works of the law. God is Spirit, man is earthy, physical, and he can only relate to God by faith not by works. The law that was written for man to reflect the nature of man, a nature that is earthy (physical), sinful and apart from God, cannot be the same thing that will justify man before God who is a Spirit and holy. There has to be something higher than the law, that will confer on man a newness of life.
For those who chose to live by the works of the law (thou shall have no other God, thou shall not commit adultery, thou shall not covet, thou shall not steal, thou shall not kill, thou shall not bear false witness etc Exodus 20: 1-17) and pride themselves in it and coerced others to live like them, only confirmed what the scripture says in 1 Timothy 1 verse 9. They are disobedient and profane because they chose not to follow the truth. The law is spiritual, how can the man of dust, the earthy man fulfil that which is spiritual. It is so futile, for as you are keeping one law, if you offend in another law, you offend in all laws and man is never able to attain righteousness by the works of the law. Righteousness can only be by the gift of grace through faith. The gospel of John chapter 3 verse 19 says: “And this is the condemnation, light came into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.” Jesus is the light of the world (John 9: 5). The law shows up the perverse nature in man, but it is grace which brings salvation and confer righteousness, that is godly life, as a gift of God to man through faith in Christ Jesus. It is written, Abraham before the law believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness (Genesis15: 6; Romans 4: 3). So righteousness is a gift, it cannot be earned by the works of the law. Truly, the man who chose to live by the works of the law is disobedient and only affirms who the law says that he is. To coerce others to live by the law also shows utter depravity of truth and an exhibition of what the psychologist called “reaction formation.” Externalising one’s carnal disposition and depravity in forcing others to live by the law that he cannot keep. They thinking that by teaching others and coercing them under the bondage of the law they will escape the law themselves or show that they are serving the LORD God. The book of Romans in chapter 2 verse 21 has this to say. ” You, therefore that teaches another, teaches not yourself?. You that preaches a man should not steal, do you steal?. You that says a should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?. You that abhor idols, do you commit sacrilege?. Verse 3 of Romans chapter 2 asked this: “And thinks thou this O man that judge them which do such things and does the same that you will escape the judgement of God?” Every man is to work out his own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2: 12).
Righteousness is a gift of Grace
It is impossible for the physical to inherit the spiritual except the spiritual comes down to man and man embrace this by faith. What we see, that is, the physical is created by what we do not see, that is the spiritual (Hebrews 11: 3). Salvation comes by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, not by the works of the law by which man was condemned because he sinned and inherited a sinful nature that is in enmity with God. Our Lord Jesus came from heaven and was made manifest in the flesh. He came for a purpose, to save man from their sin (John 1: 29). By His death on the cross, He paid the wages for our sins, abolished the enmity and reconciled man back to God. The scripture says in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 19 that “God was in Christ Jesus, reconciling the world unto Himself.” Not to accept this truth and grace in Christ and choosing to live by the works of the law is to chose enmity with God over reconciliation. The law that man sinned against is spiritual and eternal. Meaning condemnation of man is equally eternal but thanks be to God, our Heavenly Father who so much loved man that He gave His only Begotten Son that whosoever believe in Him will not perish (be consigned to eternal condemnation) but have eternal life.
Sin is an affront against God. It is God who can forgive sin and confer His righteousness on man, but man must come in repentance and in faith. Repentance come with faith in Christ Jesus, whom God made a propitiation for our sin. Such faith affirms this reckoning like Apostle Paul said: “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died.” (2 Corinthians 5: 14). If all were accounted dead, it means man need a Saviour by which we might live.
If Joseph not living under the law could die to sin, then everyone should embrace this grace of God to live a righteous life. God wants us to come out of the old life and touch no more the unclean thing of the works of the flesh. This is the acceptable time for salvation of the LORD for every man that lives, for it is appointed for every man to die but once and afterwards judgement. The judgement for our sins was already laid upon Jesus. His resurrection affirms that His sacrifice was well pleasing to God. He who knew no sin became sin for us, and He who is Life tasted death for us that we might be reconciled to God and be imputted with His life. Indeed, the Grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It is now left to us to accept this Grace by faith and live after Grace. How do we live by Grace after that we have received Jesus Christ the Lord into our lives.
The first step is to reckon ourselves dead to sin. Romans 6: 11 reads:”Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It is a daily intentional choice, counting ourselves dead to sin, dead to all ungodliness and every worldly lust. Each of us should reckon that he is dead to lust, fornication, adultery, hatred, murder, lying, grudge, backbiting and the like. Since am dead to these and do not practice them, am not under the law that brings up the knowledge of this in my life, but I live under grace which teaches me and empowers me to be holy, godly and upright.
Secondly, we must hide the word of God in our hearts. Scripture says in Psalms 119: 11: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” We cannot live and walk godly like our Lord Jesus did without living by the word. We must hid the word in our hearts and let it be our meditation.
Thirdly, Galatians 5: 16 says: “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.” Our conscience and consciousness must be open and sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Our thoughts, words and actions must be word and Spirit based and Spirit led. This parameter must rule our actions, conversations and thoughts: Is it right, true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report; is it virtuous, and is it praiseworthy. This should be the parameters for our walk in Grace.
For those who understand Grace, it is not lawlessness. Joseph was not lawless. For him, it was something greater than the law that constrains him. It was love for God and love for his master and because he loved God, he did not commit sin in the face of the temptation. Our Lord Jesus who is the Author of Grace says in Gospel of John chapter 13: 34 ” A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” This is the new law under Grace that “we love God with all of our hearts, our souls, our minds and strength. And we are to love others as ourselves”, Luke 10: 27. A man that loves God will keep God’s word, and he will do no evil to his neighbours. The law that came by Moses was not transformative, for it was given for the sinful, lawless man to show his exceeding sinful nature. But Grace by its new commandment reveals the nature of God that we are to change into. Grace is the transformative power of God for every believer to be transformed into the likeness of our Lord Jesus, who is the image of God the Father (Hebrews 1: 3). The scripture in 2 Corinthians 3: 18 says: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
Grace is the transformative power of God that enables believers to bear fruit of righteousness, which are by Christ Jesus unto the praises of God (Philippians 1: 11). We are no more the man of dust, earthy but are new creation in Christ, spiritual beings though we live in an earthen vessel with a new law written in our hearts, the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus because we are heirs of eternal life in Him. This is the pattern of Grace, it provides us access to power to grow more and more into the nature of God being dead to sin and the strength of sin which is the law (1 Corinthians 15: 56) that has held us captive till the Grace that came by Christ Jesus and which brings Salvation (Titus 2: 11) to all men was made manifest.
Embracing Grace
Grace and Truth came by our Lord Jesus (John 1: 17). As many as received the Lord Jesus as Lord and Saviour, to them, He gave power to be children of God. Power to live the newness of life which He gives having abolish sin in the flesh for us, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8: 2). Sin no more reign in our members because we were dead together with Christ vicariously in baptism and raised up together with Him into life. Through Grace in Christ we have access to the Spirit, the Word to dwell richly in us, and we have the Blood of Jesus that speak not condemnation but grace, grace unto us. The law does not bring salvation, but grace, which came through Jesus Christ, and it has appeared to all men to be embraced.
