THE BELIEVERS RULE OF LIFE
WHAT SAITH THE SCRIPTURES? by George Zeller
What is the believers rule of life? By what rule should I live?
How should I walk? How can I live a holy life that is set apart and
dedicated to the service of Jesus Christ? Do I go to Mount Sinai or
do I go to Mount Calvary?
Since we are seeking to find the rule of life for those living in
this present dispensation, we must go to the New Testament
Epistles. The Christians rule of life is not to be found in the
Old Testament. The RULE for living the Christian life is to be
found in the New Testament Epistles. It is there that we must find
our answer.
How did Paul live? What was his rule of life? Did he live by the
works of the law? Did he find his rule of life at Mount Sinai?
Notice what the great apostle says, "I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth 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" (Galatians 2:20).
This is how Paul lived! He lived "by faith of (in) the Son of God."
[Note that in Galatians 3:2 Paul contrasts faith with the works of
the law.] Pauls life was centered upon the Person of Jesus Christ
with Whom he had been co-crucified. The focus of Galatians 2:20 is
upon Mount Calvary. The cross is central. Paul was able to live
because he had died! He was able to live because Jesus Christ was
HIS LIFE: "For to me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21) "For ye died,
and your life is hidden with Christ in God Christ, WHO IS OUR LIFE,
shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Col.
3:3-4). Yes, JESUS CHRIST is the believers rule of life!
There is one place in the New Testament where Paul specifically
sets forth the believers RULE OF LIFE. This passage is Galatians
6:14-16, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and
I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth
any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as
walk ACCORDING TO THIS RULE, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon
the Israel of God."
What RULE is Paul speaking of in Galatians 6:14-16? It is obvious
that Pauls focus is upon Mount Calvary, not Mount Sinai: "But God
forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the
world" (verse 14). His focus is upon the cross. A comparison of
Galatians 5:6 ["For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth
any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love"]
and Galatians 6:15 ["For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature"] is
helpful in seeing what the real issue is. Faith is the root and
love is the fruit (Gal. 5:6); and love is the fulfilling of the law
(Gal. 5:14; Rom.13:9-10; compare Rom. 8:4). Love is not produced as
the believer tries and struggles to keep Gods moral law, the Ten
Commandments. The more the believer tries to do this the more he
fails (Romans 7:12-25). Love is produced by God the Holy Spirit as
the believer walks in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16,22-23; Rom. 8:4).
Thus we are to walk not according to any legal code, but according
to THE NEW CREATURE RULE (Gal. 6:15-16). We are new creatures in
Christ by the grace of God and totally apart from any works of the
law (2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:8-10; 4:24; Col. 3:10). By faith we are to
reckon on the fact that we are new creatures in Jesus Christ,
united with Him in a wondrous union, partaking in His death and
partaking in His resurrection life. By faith we are to reckon upon
what God has already accomplished at the cross (Romans 6). When it
comes to the believers sanctification, Mount Calvary is to be the
central focus, not Mount Sinai.
Mount Sinai has never produced a new creature, a new man. It can
only condemn the old man. Paul boasted only in Mount Calvary: "But
God forbid that I should glory [boast], save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I
unto the world" (Gal. 6:14).
Another key passage is Galatians 3:1-3 where Paul addresses the
deadly problem of legalism: "O foolish Galatians, who hath
bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes
Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works
of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having
begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?"
In verse one Paul reminds the Galatians that Mount Calvary had been
the focus of the true gospel preaching which they had received:
"before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth,
crucified among you." The problem was that false teachers had come
in trying to get the Galatians to focus upon Mount Sinai with
respect to sanctification. Paul reminds them that the Christian
life began when they received the Spirit, not by the works of the
law, but by the hearing of faith. Progress in the Christian life
must come the same way.
In Colossians 2:6 we learn that the Christian life is to CONTINUE
the same way it COMMENCED. Just as we received Christ by faith
(apart from the works of the law), so we are to walk and live by
faith (apart from the works of the law). The problem with the
Galatians was that they COMMENCED the Christian life in one way and
then they tried to CONTINUE the Christian life in an entirely
different way: "This only would I learn of you, Received ye the
Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye
so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by
the flesh?" (Gal. 3:2-3). They began their Christian life at Mount
Calvary and they tried to continue their Christian life at Mount
Sinai. This will never work. This is totally contrary to THE NEW
CREATURE RULE!
