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- Royal Law is Matt 7:12 Treat everyone how you would want them to treat you- Romans 13:9 Love is the fulfillment of the law

Law Discussion-- Define it in your own words.

- It is a generalization narrowed down until there are no exceptions. Something thathappens over and over.- Why did God hand down the Torah (i.e. Law?) Romans 5:20, Galatians 3:21-24 The

law is a tutor- What does it teach?

Romans

2 - The Law is a standard by which all will be and are judged. It resides in the heart,even if no man has heard it. (vs.12-16)

3 - All are condemned by the law, because no one can meet up to its demands. Throughthe law comes the knowledge of sin, its a mirror showing us our inability to meet up toGods holy standards.(vs. 10-11, 19-20) Justification (freedom from a death sentence) isa gift given by God through Jesus Christ. Ex.- courtroom w/ God as judge and Jesus asadvocate. (vs. 22-25)

4 - Paul proves that faith was what justified Abraham, because God accounted himrighteous before circumcision. (vs.7-11) God promised Abraham blessings, not becauseof what Abraham had done (i.e. circumcision) but because Abraham was faithful. (vs.13-14)

5 - Justified by faith, we have peace (i.e. no wrath upon us) from God. Through theobedience of Jesus, we are made righteous in Gods eyes. (vs. 1-2)

Discuss Adams Seed and how we were in Adam. (vs.18)

6 - We are baptized into Jesus death and resurrection. In other words, we are unitedinto his life and death. Our old self, the self revealed by the mirror of law, was crucifiedwith Christ. (vs.3-4)Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (vs.11)Present yourselves to God as alive from the dead, not to sin as slaves. (vs.13)

We have become free from sin and obedient from the heart. (vs.17-18)

It is possible for something to be true, but not lived out. This is why Paul uses words likeconsider and present. Ex. the Japanese pilot in Hawaii who didnt know the war hadended.

7 - As long as we are alive, the law applies. Paul illustrates this by talking about awoman who wants to marry another man, but the law binds her to her first husband or

James 2:8-13

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shed be an adulteress. The solution is for her to die and be resurrected, so that indeath the law no longer applies, but in life she can live with her new husband. (vs.1-4)

As for us, in the flesh we were bound by the law, aroused to sin by the law. But then wedied (as it says in Chapter 6) with Christ and were released from the law. Now we serve

in newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. (vs. 4-6)

Without the law, sin doesnt exist. Just as without light, we cannot see. The law showsus that we are utterly sinful. (vs. 13)

In fact, when we try and act out the law we find out that we cannot do it. The lawexposes the principle that evil is present within me. Even when my conscious tells me itis good to do it, I cannot. (vs. 14-24)

So, thanks be to God, He has set us free. (vs. 25)

8 - There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Galatians 2:20 Nolonger I, but Christ who lives in me. It is not a changed life, but an exchanged life. IICor. 5:17. We are new creature; the old things have passed away, behold new thingshave come.

What we need is not the gifts of the Spirit, we need the Spirit. We need Jesus Himself tofulfill His work in us. 1 John 5:11-12 He who has the Son has life.

Ex. Story of the rich man and the picture of his son.

Your abilities (flesh) cannot please God. But, Philippians 4:13, I can do all things

through Christ who strengthens me.

We have received a spirit of adoption whereby we cry out Abba, Father! We are awareof our need and desperation.

The law of sin and death vs the law of life (Summary)

Paul encounters the law of sin and death during Romans 7. Over and over (like a law ofnature) he found that his flesh nature presented the same results.

The law of the Spirit of Life is to not depend on our will or nature to produce, but to

depend on Gods Spirit working through us to produce his works.

James 2:8-13

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Application:

Faith - in Gods redemptive work inside you, in your identity in Christ i.e. you are a newcreature. This may be a process that takes years as we work through a corruptedunderstanding of ourselves outside of God.

Faith - in Gods ability to work through you. Will you believe that God can produce hisfruit (see Gal. 5:16-24)?

Ex. A typical man struggles with lust. At the moment of struggle, he might believe that heis a slave to sin and yet still struggle with his will to combat it (an endeavor which manymen find to be fruitless and frustrating). Or he could understand and confess that he is aSon of God, heir of Gods promises, pure and holy in Gods sight, and know that whilehe cannot fight lust from within himself, Jesus can perform that work in him.

So, what does James 2:8-13 mean in light of this?

- James is simply showing what Paul says, that those who obey the law must fully comeunder its commands, an impossibile feat for human nature to succeed in.

- James then commands us to speak and act as those who are to be judged by the lawof liberty, the law that says I am free indeed, my yoke is easy and my burden is light,because God has, and will, meet the demands of the law within me and for me.

This way of living, while it seems passive, is actually the most active faith you canpursue.

Further reading:

- The Normal Christian Lifeby Watchman Neehttp://www.amazon.com/Normal-Christian-Life-Hendrickson-Classics/dp/156563456X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236136015&sr=8-1

- Sidetracked in the Wildernessby Michael Wellshttp://www.amazon.com/Sidetracked-Wilderness-Michael-Wells/dp/0800753860/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236136049&sr=1-1

James 2:8-13