Liberty: Freedom not to sin

No one is able to keep all of the laws of the Old Testament - all of the time, not even the holy men of the Old Testament - Moses, King David and others.

Jesus himself said that even if you only look at a woman lustfully you have already committed adultery in your heart.

Priests and those in leadership within the Church have often been guilty of misusing the laws of Moses by teaching and demanding strict, literal or even excessive conformity to the Old Testament Law. Such practice puts one under the law, and even places the law above the gospel.

In his letter to the Galatians Paul teaches that to be a Christian you do not need to be circumcised and that an over emphasis on keeping the laws, including keeping the Sabbath results in legalism and ultimately brings God's Wrath.

The opposite of legalism is license - doing whatever you want whenever you want and that you are only responsible to yourself rather than a higher authority. This also brings God's wrath.

In this book David Pawson explains how through Christ's death and resurrection, we have been released from the legalism of the Old Testament Laws (which no one is able to keep all of the time), not to do the opposite which will result in sin by doing whatever we please, whenever we want, but through Christ we have been given true liberty ...the liberty to choose not to sin, by walking in the Spirit.