Could it be that those who insist on keeping the Law are the lawless ones? Many accusations are thrown at people who preach Grace by the Law keeper section of the church. They love to quote the anomia word as in Matthew 7:23 and other places. It is true that Grace is not a license to sin. But on the other hand trying to “live for God” by keeping laws does away with the Grace of God altogether. So we have two camps of people, one majors upon Grace and the other upon Law. Who is right?
The issue here is not who is right or who is wrong. The issue is always Jesus Christ Himself. That whole world of right and wrong died when you died on the cross. It appears to be carrying on everyday…but the substance is Christ Jesus.
The true reality in which we live is Jesus Himself. The pretender reality is right and wrong.
The one who has died and now lives only inside of Jesus is living in true reality.
The one who imagines that the Christian life is doing good and not doing bad- lives in unreality, some place God does not inhabit.
The one in Jesus knows he can do nothing of himself therefore he is not trying hard to be like Jesus. He rests in the certain knowledge that he already is like Jesus by God’s doing not his own.
The one trying to be like Jesus thinks that in himself there is some ability to be like God. He imagines that Jesus lived this way too. He thinks that Jesus was a good man who chose moment by moment to do good and not to do bad. Nothing is further from the truth!!
Oh you say…”Are you saying Jesus was a bad man then?”
God is Good. No one is good but God. And Jesus like us had died to any idea that He of His own self could do anything. “I of mine own self can do nothing!!”
Act 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
God was with Jesus. God is with you. The difference is that one imagines that in himself he has ability to do good–while another has come to see that he has NO ABILITY WHATSOEVER so do anything of himself. That all he does is the outflow of God’s Spirit.
The wilderness is for us to learn that we can do nothing of ourselves.
All this is important to answer the question ‘who are the lawless ones’?
The ones who run around trying to be like the Jesus they imagine to have been a good man–these are the lawless ones.
The ones trying to keep laws and not break laws, these are the lawless ones.
The ones who see themselves as separate individuals who have the responsibility to be good before God–these are the lawless ones.
The ones who imagine that they have a sinful heart which they must try very hard to clean up–these are the lawless ones.
The ones who imagine Jesus far away up in the sky who will come back one day to sit upon a throne in a temple in Jerusalem -these are the lawless ones.
Jesus says depart from me for I never knew you.
You see, you only exist in God and nowhere else.
If you insist on imagining yourself to be next to God, trying to be closer to Him, then you are already in outer darkness!
If you imagine that Jesus is far away and God is watching your performance so He can judge you on it, then you already dwell in Gehenna, in torment and agony of soul.
I never knew you!!
2Co 13:4 For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.
2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
The verses above are exactly what Jesus was saying in Matthew 7:23.
We are in UNION with Jesus. We are the weak one that lives ONLY by the power of God in us. It is Galatians 2:20 lived out in truth.
Gal 2:19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.
Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Gal 2:21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
Being lawless then, is to imagine yourself to be separate from Jesus having the responsibility to be a good Christian.
These lawless ones , throw stones at those found only inside of Jesus. They cannot tolerate those who rest in Him because they themselves know NO rest.
But God loves all, and brings all to Himself through fire if need be…and fire is needed to for all of us in order to burn away the chaff and expose the true in each of us….setting us free into the liberty of being ONE with Him.
Bless you!!
Total KJV Occurrences of ANOMIA/ἀνομία : 17
iniquity, 9
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Mat 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity
Mat 23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Rom 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Heb 1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
iniquities, 3
Rom 4:7 Saying, “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered”.
Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Heb 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
law, 2
1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
1Jn 3:4 Every one committing sin, also lawlessness commits; and sin is lawlessness. (ABP)
transgresseth, 1
1Jn 3:4 -SEE ABOVE
transgression, 1
1Jn 3:4- SEE ABOVE
unrighteousness, 1
2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
