Why Law and Religion Causes Sin and Hypocrisy

[Robert Pate]

The best example of why law and religion causes sin and hypocrisy is the Pharisees. Don't sell the Pharisees short when it comes to holy living. They were champions of religion. Some even tithed down to the mint in their gardens, Matthew 23:23. Paul said that his life as a Pharisee was blameless, Philippians 3:6.

One would think that Jesus and the Pharisees would have been friends seeing how they were both teachers of the law, instead they were bitter enemies. What was the problem? Jesus said, "They say but they don't do" Matthew 23:3. To say that you love your neighbor as yourself, but you are not willing to share your goods with your neighbor is sin. To not bless those that persecute you and say all manner of evil against you is sin. Jesus elevated the law of Moses and then he spiritualized it, Hebrews 4:12. So now it was not just a written law it was a spiritual law that searched the desires and the intent of the heart. No one has the ability to do or to keep the law, not even the Pharisees.

The purpose of the law is to reveal the nature and the character of God and to reveal the sinfulness of man. That's it. God never intended for his people to live according to rules and laws. This is why Paul wrote, "The Just Shall Live By Faith" Romans 1:17. Living by faith does not mean living by laws, rules and religion. The just shall live by faith in Christ and his Gospel.

Paul said that the law caused him to sin.

"I had not know sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, THOU SHALT NOT COVET. But sin taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law SIN WAS DEAD. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came sin revived and I died and the commandment which was ordained unto life, I found to be unto death" Romans 7:7-10.

Adam and Eve were very happy in the Garden of Eden, until God instituted the law. No one had paid any attention to the tree in the midst of the garden, but now God said, don't eat of it. I am sure that both Adam and Eve had to run to the tree and check it out. Satan was there to entice Eve to partake of it. The law caused Adam and Eve to sin. I believe that God was testing them to see if they could survive the wiles of the devil. They failed. They failed because they wanted to be as God, knowing good from evil, Genesis 3:5. Same reason that Satan was expelled from heaven. He wanted to be like the most high, Isaiah 14:14. Religion is an attempt to be like God or to please God.

The law does not keep people from sinning. There is something in human nature that when told to do something they want to do the opposite. The speed limit on I-94 that runs through Wisconsin was 65 MPH. Everybody was driving faster and faster so they changed it to 70 MPH, now they are driving 80 MPH. Changing the law did not help, instead it made them drive faster. I would bet that if they changed it 80 MPH they would do 90 MPH.

The law and religion causes sin and hypocrisy because no one can do it. The law is the very nature and character of God. Jesus is the epitome of God's law, Romans 3:21. To say that you can do and keep God's law is to say that you are as holy as Jesus. Those that claim that they can keep the law do not understand what the law demands. The law demands perfection. If you fail in one point of the law, you have failed the whole thing, James 2:10. The law is contrary to us, this is why Jesus took it away from us and nailed it to his cross, Colossians 2:14.

 

[Robert Pate]

To be under the law is to be under judgment and condemnation this is why Paul said to the Galatians,

"Tell me that you desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? Galatians 4:21.

The law will condemn you to hell, simply because no one can do it or keep it. No one loves their neighbor more that they love themselves. No one loves God with all of their heart, mind and strength. To say that you do is to put yourself in the same place as the Pharisees. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus referred to the Pharisees as hypocrites 8 times. He also called them "Blind guides" "fools" "serpents" "whited sepulchers". Paul never said that he kept the law. What he did say was that he was "The Chief of Sinners" 1 Timothy 1:15. But before he became a Christian he said that his life as a Pharisee was blameless. That was before he had the Holy Spirit that convicted him of sin.

All that are indwelt with the Holy Spirit will confess that they fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23. In the Gospel we don't have to be good enough to be saved, Jesus was good enough for us. His victory is our victory. We are complete in him, Colossians 2:10.

 

[meshak]

It is hypocrisy claiming to be a Christian and disregard Jesus' word.

 

[Robert Pate]

It is hypocrisy claiming to be a Christian and disregard Jesus' word.

Jesus was born under the law. Taught the law and was crucified under the law.

The purpose of the law was to be a keeper until Jesus arrived. After Jesus arrived they were called to live by faith and not by the law, The law has been replaced by the Holy Spirit. The Sermon on the Mount is a human impossibility, no one can keep it or do it, except Jesus. By the law we know that we are sinners, Romans 3:20 and need a savior.

 

[meshak]

The Sermon on the Mount is a human impossibility,

Jesus gave a high standard to His followers so they can stay humble.

So you are fighting against Jesus' will; spreading saying following Jesus is legalism.

shame on you.

 

[Hawkins]

No any laws ever need to be abolished.

If a Christian rapes and kills can he claim to be more righteous than the unbelievers? He can't. It only means that the laws are still there for him to observe. He can't break them intentionally while claims be righteous. The laws are there and are still there all the times. However, there are various sets of laws covering various scopes of humans.

Back in Paul's days, churches under Paul's ministration are a mixture of Jews and gentiles. The Jews demand the gentiles to observe the Jewish laws. The abolishment Paul is talking about is that Mosaic Law is no longer any part of the New Covenant, the gentiles don't need to observe any Mosaic Law (literally it's the 613 Jewish laws). This is rather an argument in supporting that it's not necessary for the gentiles to observe any Jewish laws in terms of salvation. It's not a statement of declaring the abolishment of any law.

Paul said so simply because people back then don't quite grasp the meaning of what a covenant is. They know superficially what laws are though. It is a superficial consensus to equate the term law to Mosaic law. That's why Paul has to adapt the same superficial concept in order to establish a dialogue with them. That's why under a lot of circumstance when Paul said "law" it means Mosaic Law simultaneously whenever his audience include the Jews.

However in terms of covenant, Mosaic law is just a set of laws came with or attached to the covenant granted to the Jews through Moses. The scope of this covenant only covers the Jews and converts. This covenant accepts gentile converts but only up to point when Jesus declared that,

Luke 16:16-17 (NIV2011)
The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it.
It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.

We no longer preach the Law and Prophets because it no longer has the salvation power. Only the New Covenant has the power to save. However it by no means says that any laws need to be abolished.

Other sets of laws also exist, they can be covenant dependent and covenant independent.



The most important part of God's Law is that Law is used to tell apart the righteous from the wicked, that is, the saved from the unsaved!

That's why when a set of Law no longer serve the purpose of identifying the righteous from the wicked, a New Covenant will be in place. A covenant usually has 3 parts, the core commandments, the law, and grace. In the final covenant, that is our New Covenant, the law part is virtually missing as a result of grace being maximized.

Law, in its stricter sense, is used for the final judgment of humans under its scope. Law thus won't change nor go away until the final judgment is done! The Jews under Mosaic Law will thus be judged using the Mosaic covenant as the standard with Moses as the accuser. This is the big picture.

Gentiles are never put under the Mosaic Law. They are thus judged by yet another set of laws. This set of laws is said to be the Law in our hearts. It's our source of conscience and moral code.

Another aspect of Law is that it has the overlapping effect. Conscience and moral code are used as a judgment standard by the first covenant granted through Noah. Since then, the Jews are granted the Mosaic covenant. However it by no means says that the Jews don't need to follow their conscience to act. It only means that they are not judged that way. Similarly, when we have acquired the New Covenant, it by no means says that we don't need to follow the laws in an older covenant to act. It only means that we are not judged that way on the Judgment Day! Those under the New Covenant will be judged by faith and faith alone!


These 2 sets of laws all come with a covenant. There's yet another absolute set of Law which isn't 'attached' to any covenant. A covenant covers only a specific scope of humans. The absolute set of Law covers both humans and angels. That's the one both Adam and Satan broke in Eden.

That's why the final judgment is actually a 2 layer judgment. One is a covenant judgment, the other is the law judgment using the absolute set of Law.

In a nutshell, you still need to follow the laws in an older covenant to act. You are however expected to fail (or else you don't need a newer covenant). The New Covenant is to save you from the point where you failed. It's not for you to ignore the laws to sin at will.

 

[Hawkins]

Covenants - made up of core commandments, laws, and grace.

Core commandments such as don't kill, honor your parents etc. can possibly be found in each and every covenants. Core commandments have the flexibility to be used as laws in judgment or not. They can be laws in the Mosaic covenant, and are not laws in the New Covenant as the judgment is by faith alone.

Laws, there are there for the judgment with an accuser. They are minimized to virtually zero in the New Covenant as a result of with Grace being maximized.

Grace, refers to the salvation power. Humans (but not angels) can be judged by a covenant instead of God's absolute set of Law simply because God's Grace are in each and every covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ. Each and every covenant granted possesses the power of salvation in separating/identifying the righteous from the wicked because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Whenever the salvation effect of a covenant is going to be lost, it signifies the need of a new covenant, in order for the righteous to be told apart from the wicked.



If you declare yourself a Jew by bloodline, you thus need to,

1) act by conscience and moral code (Noah's covenant), you won't be judged this way though on the judgment day.
2) observe the Mosaic Law, it won't save you though theologically speaking (God is an extremely clever person, so I can't say for sure that today's Jews are not savable at all). You can choose not to observe the Jewish laws, in this case you are a gentile in God's definition. You need to hop over to the New Covenant in order to secure your own salvation.
3) You are born with the Mosaic Covenant if you are circumcised on the eighth day. If you are not circumcised, you are a gentile.


If now you are a gentile, you need to,
1) act by conscience and moral code, you won't be judged this way if you are a Christian.
2) you don't need to observe the Jewish laws. It won't save you. You need to hop over to be under the New Covenant in order to be saved.
3) You are born with an older covenant (assumed to be Noah's covenant). The New Covenant is not a covenant one can be born with. It's a covenant chosen with consent.


How about the scope of humans after Adam but before Noah? The Bible says not much about it but I believe that it hints that somehow they are covered by the New Covenant, the same as that of today's humans. It's a kind of mystery.

 

[Robert Pate]

Covenants - made up of core commandments, laws, and grace.

Core commandments such as don't kill, honor your parents etc. can possibly be found in each and every covenants. Core commandments have the flexibility to be used as laws in judgment or not. They can be laws in the Mosaic covenant, and are not laws in the New Covenant as the judgment is by faith alone.

Laws, there are there for the judgment with an accuser. They are minimized to virtually zero in the New Covenant as a result of with Grace being maximized.

Grace, refers to the salvation power. Humans (but not angels) can be judged by a covenant instead of God's absolute set of Law simply because God's Grace are in each and every covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ. Each and every covenant granted possesses the power of salvation in separating/identifying the righteous from the wicked because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Whenever the salvation effect of a covenant is going to be lost, it signifies the need of a new covenant, in order for the righteous to be told apart from the wicked.



If you declare yourself a Jew by bloodline, you thus need to,

1) act by conscience and moral code (Noah's covenant), you won't be judged this way though on the judgment day.
2) observe the Mosaic Law, it won't save you though theologically speaking (God is an extremely clever person, so I can't say for sure that today's Jews are not savable at all). You can choose not to observe the Jewish laws, in this case you are a gentile in God's definition. You need to hop over to the New Covenant in order to secure your own salvation.
3) You are born with the Mosaic Covenant if you are circumcised on the eighth day. If you are not circumcised, you are a gentile.


If now you are a gentile, you need to,
1) act by conscience and moral code, you won't be judged this way if you are a Christian.
2) you don't need to observe the Jewish laws. It won't save you. You need to hop over to be under the New Covenant in order to be saved.
3) You are born with an older covenant (assumed to be Noah's covenant). The New Covenant is not a covenant one can be born with. It's a covenant chosen with consent.


How about the scope of humans after Adam but before Noah? The Bible says not much about it but I believe that it hints that somehow they are covered by the New Covenant, the same as that of today's humans. It's a kind of mystery.

You have been doing a lot of studying about Covenants and laws. You should know by now that it is impossible to do or keep the law. The law demands perfection, no one has it to offer. This is why Jesus abolished the law after he fulfilled it, it was contrary to us, Colossians 2:14. Christians are no longer obligated to live according to the law. From now on, "The Just Shall Live By Faith" Romans 1:17. Mainly faith in Christ and his Gospel.

 

[meshak]

This is why Jesus abolished the law

You continue to lie. Jesus commands us to obey His commands.

Just becaseu you cannot or not willing to follow Him, you have no right to spread lies against Jesus' word.

Jesus did not abolished the law.

On the contrary, He upgraded them.

You are classic example of misusing Paul's teaching.

 

[Robert Pate]

You continue to lie. Jesus commands us to obey His commands.

Just becaseu you cannot or not willing to follow Him, you have no right to spread lies against Jesus' word.

Jesus did not abolished the law.

On the contrary, He upgraded them.

You are classic example of misusing Paul's teaching.

Do you love your neighbor as yourself? Do you love God with all of your heart mind and strength? Do you bless those that curse you and do good to those that persecute you? Do you give to those that ask of you?

If you say that you do, you are a liar and the chief of all hypocrites.

 

[meshak]

Do you love your neighbor as yourself?

why do you switch the topic.

The topic is not about my fruit.

I already told you many times I am not sincless or claim to be saved.

You are one of the chief liars of Jesus' gospel.

And you claim to be saved.

Your self assurance go along with your lies.

 

[jamie]

After Jesus arrived they were called to live by faith and not by the law, The law has been replaced by the Holy Spirit.

Faith is how Paul said we establish the law.

"Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law." (Romans 3:31)

You consistently teach the opposite of Paul. Establish doesn't mean it is done away.

 

[jamie]

What causes people to sin?

It's their character.

That's why Satan sinned.

Christ wrote with his finger the rules to define character.

 

[Robert Pate]

What causes people to sin?

It's their character.

That's why Satan sinned.

Christ wrote with his finger the rules to define character.

One of the purposes of the law is to bring us to Christ so that we can be saved and justified by faith and not the works of the law, Galatians 3:23-25.

 

[jamie]

One of the purposes of the law is to bring us to Christ so that we can be saved and justified by faith and not the works of the law, Galatians 3:23-25.

Yes, we establish the law by faith.

That's what Paul said. You quote some things and ignore others.

Why not tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing else?

 

[jamie]

One of the purposes of the law is to bring us to Christ so that we can be saved and justified by faith and not the works of the law, Galatians 3:23-25.

Moot point. No one has ever been saved by the law.

No one will ever be saved by the law.

The law is inanimate and can't save anyone.

The law doesn't even know we exist.

The law requires an Enforcer.

Violators require a Redeemer.

 

[Jacob]

Romans 7:13 NASB 13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.

 

[Robert Pate]

Romans 7:13 NASB 13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.

The law is good because it shows us that God is just, merciful and righteous.

You need to be led by the Spirit and not the law, Romans 7:14.

 

[Jacob]

The law is good because it shows us that God is just, merciful and righteous.

You need to be led by the Spirit and not the law, Romans 7:14.

If you are led by the Spirit rather than the flesh, the requirement of the Law is fulfilled in you. The law is not the flesh.

 

[Robert Pate]

If you are led by the Spirit rather than the flesh, the requirement of the Law is fulfilled in you. The law is not the flesh.

Trying to live by law is living by flesh and not Spirit.