The Law’s NOT for YOU! November 7 Notes from Papa via Paul Gray
To My child, who is free indeed because Jesus made you free,
Many of My children hear from well-meaning but misguided religious people that they are to strive to do everything “in the red letters” … everything Jesus said that’s recorded in Scripture.
People who believe that are misguided because they don’t understand that Jesus taught while the law was still in effect. He didn’t end the law and inaugurate our new covenant of grace until His finished work at the cross. The new covenant couldn’t take place until the Testator died, as with any will or covenant.
Before the cross, Jesus taught Jewish people who were still under the law… people who put their hope and trust in their ability to keep the law in order to gain and maintain Our favor. Jesus had a two-fold mission. First to raise the ante of the law so absurdly high that people should realize no one can keep it (as in “pluck out your eye” and “cut off your hand”). The second part of His mission was to reveal what I am really like by living and giving grace to everyone– Our love in action.
So when you read things like, “You must forgive or God won’t forgive you,” you can now know that was taught under the law… and it’s obviously impossible for anyone to do!
As you live in the new community grace life, you can now understand that those things that Jesus said while the Old Covenant of the Law was still in effect, do not apply to you. They never did! Instead focus on how Jesus actually lived (loving and forgiving unconditionally, not judging, accepting and including everyone), and use that picture of what God is like to be the filter for everything you read or hear.
You are under grace… not law!
~Love, Papa
From Paul Gray: My new 365 day devotional book, “Notes from Papa”, is now available at Amazon.com