The seriousness of NT believers returning to the Law is shown through several verses in Scripture.  Here are just two of them in both the ESV and the KJV.

Fallen From Grace

Galatians 5:4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. ESV

Galatians 5:4 (KJV) Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.  

This verse is pretty clear that you have fallen from Grace if you think the law will justify you.  What does justified mean?  To be counted righteous.  If you feel that being obedient to the law makes you more righteous, than you have fallen from grace. 

Because see then your Salvation becomes Jesus plus the Law and not Christ alone.  Following the Law is a work of the flesh and no one can follow the Law.  Only Christ successfully followed the Law and thus He fulfilled it for each of us.

This commentary by Luther is quite helpful to understanding this passage.

Galatians 5:4 (Underlining added)

Paul in this verse discloses that he is not speaking so much of circumcision as the trust which men repose in the outward act. We can hear him say: “I do not condemn the Law in itself; what I condemn is that men seek to be justified by the Law, as if Christ were still to come, or as if He alone were unable to justify sinners. It is this that I condemn, because it makes Christ of no effect. It makes you void of Christ so that Christ is not in you, nor can you be partakers of the knowledge, the spirit, the fellowship, the liberty, the life, or the achievements of Christ. You are completely separated from Him, so much so that He has nothing to do with you any more, or for that matter you with Him.” Can anything worse be said against the Law? If you think Christ and the Law can dwell together in your heart, you may be sure that Christ dwells not in your heart. For if Christ is in your heart He neither condemns you, nor does He ever bid you to trust in your own good works. If you know Christ at all, you know that good works do not serve unto righteousness, nor evil works unto condemnation. I do not want to withhold from good works their due praise, nor do I wish to encourage evil works. But when it comes to justification, I say, we must concentrate upon Christ alone, or else we make Him non-effective. You must choose between Christ and the righteousness of the Law. If you choose Christ you are righteous before God. If you stick to the Law, Christ is of no use to you.

(from Luther’s Commentary on Galatians, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 1999, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Law is not of Faith

Galatians 3:10-12

10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”

12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” ESV

Galatians 3:10-12 (KJV)

10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

As we know “for whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23) and in Galatians Paul tells us that the Law is not of faith.  All through the OT we see that the just were saved by faith and not by the Law.  The Law never saved any OT saint.  The Law revealed our sin but Jesus fulfilled the Law and He saved us by faith in Him.

Are we justified through faith in Jesus or through the Law?  If the Law is not of faith then we can’t be justified by faith and the Law.

So does it matter that Galatians was written by Paul?  Did Paul change God’s instructions? Can we trust the words of Paul? Next we’ll look at Paul’s writings to see if we can trust them.

I must admit this wasn’t something that I was particularly interested in beyond the general interest I have in all of God’s Word.  But the Lord desired me to really study His Word concerning the Law.  I have had several people email me asking questions about it.  I also got a comment on a previous post about the OT dietary laws.  Beyond that I had been noticing more and more over the last few years an increase in the interest of believers following the OT dietary laws, feast and other regulations.  I’m not talking about Jews who have become believers but Gentile believers whom are turning to follow the Law.

It was clear to me in the NT that believers are not bound by the Law and are even warned to not return to the Law.  However, when I ran across this teaching essentially I ignored it as a wrong teaching and something to pity those who fell into it.  But the Lord has convicted me that this isn’t just some wrong teaching but is a false Gospel.  We are not talking about the differences between denominations but the differences between being a Christian and a Mormon or Jehovah’s Witness.

There is so much of the NT that deals with this return to the Law.  The whole books of Galatians and Hebrews are full of warning about returning to the Law.  All through the NT you can find references to the Law, Covenants and returning to the OT Law.  Paul warns the Galatians of this False Gospel with dire warnings of having “fallen from Grace” or being “under a curse”.  That is downright serious and thus I’m convicted by the Lord that I should not have let that slide without confronting it.

Galatians 5:4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. ESV

Galatians 3:10-12

10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”

12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” ESV

Also as Terry and I discussed those who are teaching this return to the Law also tend to focus on what name they use to refer to Jesus and God.  I don’t know if that is consistent or not just something we’ve noticed.  Many of the differences in interpretation are furthermore blamed upon the differences in Bible translations with of course the KJV being the preferred translation.  I don’t know what significance those features all have with each other though. 

So let us examine the Scriptures and see what they say about the Law and specific portions of it such as Dietary Laws, Circumcision, Sabbath observance, etc.

Because this subject can get so convoluted with different topics and verses I’m going to try to stick with one idea at a time.

Seven Principles of Finance for the Believer – by Jim & Pam Elliff

One of the most recognizable differences in the believer and the world he lives in is his unusual relationship to money and possessions. However, even serious believers sometimes balk at the seeming extremities in the teaching and lifestyle of Christ and the leaders of the New Testament church. Can we duplicate this New Testament lifestyle in our day?

This outline provides the diligent believer with some key principals preparing him/her for radical, other-worldly financial behavior. Alone, or if married, with your spouse, take some time for reading the Scripture texts and thinking through the obedient thing to do in each area. Then write out what you find. There is only one thing for you to do after this meditation … obey!

1. The Principle of Non-Attachment
I will purchase or receive nothing that I cannot give away.

And He said to them, “Beware and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions. Luke 12:15

Luke 12:32-34; 16:13-25; 1 John 2:15-17

What must be done to obey these verses?

2. The Principle of Liberty
I will owe no man anything but to love him.

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. Rom. 13:8

Pro. 22:7

What must be done to obey these verses?

3. The Principle of Liberality
I will constantly seek to give away possessions for God’s glory.

For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability they gave of their own accord, begging us with much entreaty for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. 2 Cor. 8:3-5

2 Cor. 9:7; Luke 6:38

What must be done to obey these verses?

4. The Principle of Recall
I will keep accurate records of God’s dealings with me financially in order to show others that God answers prayer and provides for His own.

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Mat. 5:16

Prov. 27:23-27

What must be done to obey these verses?

5. The Principle of Security
I will save and invest only if God is leading, with the understanding that I will give it all away at His slightest instruction.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and dust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up your treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal. Mat. 6:19-20

Prov. 28:8; 1 Tim. 6:9-11

What must be done to obey these verses?

6. The Principle of Compassion
I will not pray for someone’s needs financially unless I am willing to be the instrument God uses to meet that need if He should desire.

We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. 1 John 3:16-18

James 2:15-17; Luke 6:30, 38; II Cor. 9:6-15; Prov. 28:27

What must be done to obey these verses?

7. The Principle of Contentment
I will be content to live on whatever God chooses to provide, whether little or much.

Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Phil. 4:11-13

Prov. 30:7-9; Matt. 6:24-34; 1 Tim. 6:8

What must be done to obey these verses?

Copyright © 1996 Jim and Pam Elliff
Christian Communicators Worldwide, Inc.
201 Main, Parkville, MO 64152 USA
www.CCWtoday.org
Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in exact form including copyright
Other uses require written permission. Write for additional materials.

What is the relationship between the Christian and the Law? Does the Law of Moses, including the dietary Law, have any place in a Christian’s life? We are told in 1 Timothy 1:8 that the Law is good, but then Paul goes on in verse 9 to tell us that the Law is not made for the righteous person, but for the unrighteous.

1 Timothy 1:8-10

8 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;

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, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine (KJV)

In other words, the purpose of the Law in this New Testament era is to convict the unrighteous of their sins, not to govern the life of the believer. Paul writes this in the book of Galatians:

Galatians 3:24-25

24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. (KJV)

by Berean Husband

This post is in response to a question from An Abomination.  I’m sure it is many more verses and covers much more than the question asked, but I have run across so many questions lately about unclean and clean foods and the believers duty in relation to them.  So warning this is verbose, but notice it is mostly Scripture and very little of my own words.   That is the way it should be.

I wasn’t sure if your question was due to the perceived need to follow the Jewish dietary laws or if it was just questioning what seemed to be a contradiction between the Lord calling foods unclean and then later calling them clean.  Hopefully, I’ll answer both questions.  I have been amazed lately at the number of people who feel we as believers are to follow the Jewish dietary laws.

The dietary laws were for the Jews.  We believers have a new and better covenant (Hebrews 7:19, Hebrews 8:6-7).  In the New Testament there was much disagreement about what should be required of the Gentiles.  Many Jews wanted the Gentiles to become Jews before they could become Christians, while others such as Paul understood that was not what the Lord demanded.  Thus in Acts we have the following passage:

Acts 15:1-20

1  But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.

3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. 

4  When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them.

5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.“

6  The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.

7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,

9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.

10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?

11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

12 And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me.

14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name.

15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,

16 “’After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it,

17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things

18 known from of old.’

19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,

20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.   ESV

So what was required of the Gentiles was not observing the Jewish dietary laws.  Peter told how the Lord was blessing and giving the Gentiles the same Holy Spirit the Jews had received. 

Notice what Peter says “… we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will…” Acts 15:11.  We will not save ourselves by returning to the Law of Moses, the law that even the Jews could not keep.  Jesus is the only Jew who was able to keep the whole Jewish Law of Moses.

Then we also have Peter’s vision:

Acts 10:9-16

9 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.

10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance

11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth.

12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air.

13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”

15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”

16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.  ESV

Peter was commanded to eat the unclean animals, which he vehemently refused and said never Lord.  Then Peter was rebuked and told that what the Lord had made clean was not to be called common or unclean.

NT:2840

koinoo (koy-no’-o); from NT:2839; to make (or consider) profane (ceremonially):

KJV – call common, defile, pollute, unclean.

(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

The Lord can make clean anything that He so desires.  He thankfully has chosen to make clean those of us whom He has called.

Then we have lots of verses from the NT.

Romans 14:2-3

2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.

3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. ESV

Romans 14:20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. ESV

Wow, how much plainer can it get?

“Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean….”

But for the sake of another do not be offensive in what we eat.  That means no matter how clean the foods are now, if I am inviting an observing Jew to my home I will not be serving BBQ Ribs.

Romans 14:21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. ESV

1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.  ESV

Just a few verses before the Romans verse we are told this:

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ESV

Still pretty plain to me.

1 Corinthians 8:8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. ESV

1 Timothy 4:4-5

4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. ESV

Titus 1:15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. ESV

1 Corinthians 10:23-33

23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.

24  Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

25  Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience.

26 For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.”

27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience.

28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience—

29 I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience?

30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

32  Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God,

33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.  ESV

For those that don’t know where the old rule for children and eating came from here it is:

“… eat whatever is set before you without raising any question …”

Now some would say but what about Jesus, as if the red words in the Bible are the only ones that matter.

Luke 11:41 But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you. ESV

Matthew 15:11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” ESV

Matthew 15:16-20

16 And he said, “Are you also still without understanding?

17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 

18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.

19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” ESV

Mark 7:15 There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”  ESV

Mark 7:18-23

18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him,

19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” ( Thus he declared all foods clean.)

20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.

21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,

22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.

23  All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” ESV

Who will not inherit the Kingdom of God?  Does what we eat have any bearing?

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 

10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ESV

But even those may be washed clean by the blood of Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. ESV

The OT separation of clean and unclean food represents the separation of Jews from Gentiles.  There is now no separation.

The law is to reveal our sin to us, not to justify us.

Romans 3:20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. ESV

Plus the whole book of Hebrews.    It would be worth a serious study.

Here are just a few examples:

If we could have been made perfect through the Law, we would need no change to the Law.  We have a different High Priest and a changed Law.  The old covenant is a covenant of dead works. (Hebrews 6:1, Hebrews 9:14)

Hebrews 7:11-12

11 Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron?

12 For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. ESV

A former commandment is set aside and a new one is introduced, a better and more perfect hope, that will draw us to God.

Hebrews 7:18-19

18 On the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness

19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. ESV

Hebrews 8:6-7

6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.

7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.  ESV

We are under a new covenant which was referred to both in the OT and the NT.

Jeremiah 31:31-33

31  “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,

32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.

33  But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ESV

Hebrews 8:8-13

8 For he finds fault with them when he says:   “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,

9 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.

10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.

12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. ESV

Hebrews 9:1, 8-10

1 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness.

…

8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing

9 (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper,

10 but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. ESV

Hebrews 9:15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. ESV

Hebrews 10:15-17

15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

16  “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,”

17 then he adds,  “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”  ESV

 This pretty much sums it up.

Hebrews 13:9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. ESV

I live here in the South, in rural Alabama.  We Southerners are a slightly different bunch than many people.  We have our good points and our bad points.  But we also have some different mannerisms that intrigue those from outside.

One mannerism, or phrase often said, when leaving from visiting another’s house or when your company is leaving is the following:

“Ya’ll Come.”

Here’s a clip of Porter Wagner singing “Ya’ll Come” for those that don’t know what I’m talking about.

Actually makes me sad thinking about it, because it is something that is going by the wayside.  Only the older folks still do that, but I don’t know, maybe I should start it up again.  I can just see my grandmother standing wiping her hands on her apron and saying “Ya’ll come to see us, ya’ hear.”

So “Ya’ll come to see us, too.”

But I do remember as a child when someone was leaving and they said “Ya’ll Come.”  My evil little heart would think what would they do if I did.  I can’t believe I would think that, because I know most of them would have all been perfectly willing to take me right along with them.  But even as a child, I knew that a general “Ya’ll Come” wasn’t the same as a personal invitation.  Nothing like my moma calling me by name and saying get in the car.  Or being mailed an invitation to a party with my name on it.

Is the gospel call a “Ya’ll Come” or is it a more personal invitation?

It is a personal invitation.  We are each one called by name; from the foundation of the earth we were called by name to inherit the Kingdom of God (Matthew 25:34).

Isaiah 43:1-3

1 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:  “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.  ESV

Ephesians 1:3-5

3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

4  even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

5  he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, …  ESV

Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.  Zaccheaus is called by name.

Luke 19:5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” ESV

Mary Magdalene in John 20:11-18.  Mary was called by her name not just a general call.

John 20:16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). ESV

Saul/Paul in Acts 9:1-18.  Saul called by name.

Acts 9:4 And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” ESV

Have you been called by name?

Aren’t you glad that the Lord calls us directly and specifically and not just a general easily ignored -

“Ya’ll Come back, ya’ hear!”

Many people don’t think twice about taking a wild baby animal and raising it.  Most babies, human and non-human, are so cute, who can resist?  I have helped rehabilitate lion cubs that someone thought would be cute to have as pets.  However, they out grew the cute stage and ate large amounts of meat.  You can’t raise a large feline on cheap ground beef!  The poor lions ended up with serious fractures of all four legs due to the poor nutrition.  Can you imagine having four broken legs?

But actually the poor care for the lions was a blessing in disguise.  See someone that knew so little about the care of an exotic wild animal, such that they would be so severely damaged, also doesn’t understand the complexity to raising a wild animal.  Those cute, fuzzy, wobbly kittens, the size of a 6 week Labrador, grow up to be 300 – 600 lbs of pure muscle that reacts on instinct.  They are deadly! 

But what is worse are the lions who have been coddled and babied; loved on, toted around, and walked on a leash like a giant dog, those are downright dangerous creatures.  See they have lost their natural fear and reluctance around humans.  Not only that, they have learned that humans are the source of food!  Since a lion’s instinct is to kill to eat, they don’t understand that distinction too well.  Many people are killed or seriously injured by the wild animals they thought would never harm them.

Our sin is like those exotic animals.  Sin often starts off small and in the case of children maybe even cute.  You’ve seen it before, the parents laughing at a small toddler’s temper tantrum and then giving them what they wanted.  Sometimes with little children it is hard to not find some behaviors cute.  But imagine that behavior in a grown up body!  That temper tantrum that was cute when under two can quickly become deadly.

Or what about our ignoring our own “little” sins? 

That snappy temper?

Those selfish tendencies?

That self-righteous attitude?

It is Never Safe to Make Pets of Tigers!

“Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.” Genesis 4:5
“Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him!” Genesis 4:8

See here, the fearful growth of the evil feeling in Cain’s heart. It was only a thought at first–but it was admitted into the heart and cherished there. Then it grew until it caused a terrible crime! We learn here, the danger of cherishing even the smallest beginning of bitterness; we do not know to what it will grow!

Some people think lightly of bad temper, laughing at it as a mere harmless weakness; but it is a perilous mood to indulge, and we do not know to what it may lead.

“Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you!” In His reproof of Cain, the Lord likens his sin to a wild beast lying in hiding by his door, ready to leap on him and devour him. This is true of all sin which is cherished in the heart. It may long lie quiet and seem harmless–but it is only a wild beast sleeping!

There is a story of a man who took a young tiger and resolved to make a pet of it. It moved about his house like a kitten and grew up fond and gentle. For a long time its savage, blood-thirsty nature seemed changed into gentleness, and the creature was quiet and harmless.

But one day the man was playing with his ‘pet’, when by accident his hand was scratched and the beast tasted blood. That one taste, aroused all the fierce tiger nature, and the ferocious animal flew on his master and tore him to pieces!

So it is, with the passions and lusts of the old nature, which are only petted and tamed and allowed to reside in the heart. They will crouch at the door in treacherous lurking, and in some unguarded hour–they will rise up in all their old ferocity!

It is never safe to make pets of tigers!

It is never safe to make pets of little sins!

We never know what sin may grow into–if we let it abide in our heart!

“Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him!” That is what came of the passion of envy in Cain’s heart! It was left unrebuked, unrepented of, uncrushed–and in time it grew to fearful strength. Then in an evil moment, its tiger nature asserted itself!

We never know to what dreadful stature–a little sin may grow!

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J. R. Miller from Grace Gems - Cain and Abel