What Law Are We Under Anyways

My favorite verse in scripture is an entire chapter really, Romans chapter3. This passage of God’s word I have written about many times before. There is so much revelation of God and His relationship with man in this chapter it is just astounding. The nature of man, the nature of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the perfect justice and wrath of God against sinful man, the love and mercy of God, the righteousness of God through it all, and that it is all of God; man’s only part in all of this is his sin.

I would like to talk today about the very last verse of Romans chapter 3. “Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law” ~Romans 3:31. Up until recently this verse was a conundrum for me. I made the assumption that the writer, Paul, was referring to the Law of Moses (The Ten Commandments) but that did not really fit since he makes it obvious through this chapter that man is saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone. And states in verses 19 & 20 what the purpose of the Law is; to close every mouth and to make all accountable to God, to show that man is not justified by the law in the sight of God, that the Law brings the knowledge of sin. So if the purpose of the Law is to bring the knowledge of sin and close the mouth; what Law then is Paul talking about in verse 31? It seems that he is speaking of a new law, one that is newly established in the heart of the believer.

A brother recently had me listen to a sermon by Charles Leiter called; “The Law of Christ.” After having listened to this sermon and investigating many of the scriptures from the sermon for myself which lead me to many others throughout the new testament, I went back to Romans 3:31 with not only an understanding of this scripture but had began to look at my walk with Christ in a new and exciting way. I began to understand why I thought the way I had since coming to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, and it was quite exciting and liberating indeed.

Let us go to 1 Corinthians 9:20-21 to begin to impart to you this wonderful revelation from the word of God. “To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law.” Throughout this passage we see that Paul did not consider himself to be under “the Law of Moses” since he said; “though not being myself under the Law”. He also did not consider himself to be without law since he said: “though not being without the law of God”. So what law did Paul considered himself to be under?; the answer, “Under the law of Christ”.

So if Paul and all Christians are “under the Law of Christ”, what then is “the Law of Christ”? Do you think then that this may be of up most importance as a believer? The next time “the Law of Christ” is mentioned is in Galatians and this passage gives us a clue as to what “the Law of Christ” is. Galatians 6:2 says; “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ”. So if in bearing one another’s burdens we are fulfilling the law of Christ. What are we doing when we bear one another’s burdens? The answer, we are loving one another. So what is “the Law of Christ”?

In the gospel according to John, on Jesus’ last night with His disciples before His arrest and Crucifixion, He gives a wonderful discussion to His disciples and in that discussion he gives them a new commandment. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” ~John 13:34. So “the Law of Christ” is to love one another. That is the law that we as believers and followers of Jesus Christ are under; “the Law of Christ”, to love one another. This is not a worldly love (I love you because you can give me something I want or need), or effectual love (I love you because you make me feel good), or romantic love. He said to “love one another even as I have loved you”. That is a selfless love. Think about who and what we are; we are sinners from the time we were conceived in our mother’s womb. We have sinned against God our entire lives and yet He loved us. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” ~Romans 5:8. Can you describe a more selfless image of love than that?

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I choose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give you. This I command you, that you love one another” ~John 15:12-17.

You have probably heard someone say before that we are no longer under the Law that the Law of Moses was done away with in Christ; and guess what, they are absolutely correct. “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” ~Romans 8:1. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’” ~Galatians 3:13. If you have repented and put your faith in Jesus Christ you are saved from the wrath of God in Him. There is nothing that you have done or will do that you will be punished for, all of your sin has been paid for in full by the blood of Jesus Christ. “But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter” ~Romans 7:6.

Understand this, I am writing this for believers only, I would never tell an unbeliever that He is not under the Law because that is simply not true, he is under the Law. Who was the Law made for? “But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted” ~1 Timothy 1:8-11.

Is it a lesser thing to be under “the Law of Christ” rather than the Mosaic Law? I think not, it is in all since of the word a much higher standard of Law, a standard that an unbeliever does not have the ability to abide in. I did not know love until I was born again in Christ Jesus, receiving the Holy Spirit. So until a man or a woman is born of the Spirit of God he/she is under the Law. But once born of God into the faith of Jesus Christ he/she is not under the Law but under the Law of Christ; which is to love one another even as He has loved us and he died for us. Think about this! If I love my neighbor am I going to murder him physically or by hatred in the heart? If I love my neighbor am I going to commit adultery with my neighbor’s wife either physically or by lusting for her in the heart? If I love my neighbor am I going to steal from him and won’t I instead rejoice with him over how the Lord has blessed him rather than coveting the things he has received from the Lord? I could go on with this but I think you see the point. The law of Christ, to love one another even as He has loved us is a much higher standard of Law. And it is the Law of Christ, by the grace of God I intend to live for His glory!



Mike Peek a slave of Jesus Christ

Abortion is a Man's Sin Issue!

The worldly saying that abortion is a women's health issue is a lie. The truth is that abortion is a man's sin issue. In the garden; "The LORD God commanded man, saying, 'From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat from it you will surely die" ~Genesis 2:16-17. The man and the woman consumed the forbidden fruit and sin and death entered into the world.

“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” ~Genesis 1:27. “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” ~Genesis 2:7. “So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.’ For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed” ~Genesis 2:21-25.

God gave marriage to be between one man and one woman, “they shall become one flesh.” That’s right I’m talking about sex, “And the man and his wife were naked and were not ashamed.” The LORD God created the Garden of Eden and commanded man that he could eat anything in the garden except, “from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Man and his wife ate the fruit and sin and death entered into the world and they died.

God created man and woman in His own image, and out of man He created woman, “and they shall become one flesh.” God gave marriage as being Holy, created by Him and given by Him. The man and woman become one flesh and it is good. Adultery and Fornication are perversions of what God has given as good, consuming what is forbidden; man takes what God has given as good and uses it for evil. God has given marriage to be between one man and one woman; the man and woman can consume all the fruit in the garden of marriage that they want.

In the Garden man and woman ate the forbidden fruit and they died. Fast forward to America in 2012 man and woman eat from the tree of Adultery and Fornication and murder their child. Is abortion a woman’s health issue? The truth is abortion is a man’s sin issue.

Jesus the perfect Man has paid in full the price for sin in His own blood, He died for the sins of men and women, He was buried, and on the third day He arose from the grave defeating sin and death. What you must do is repent and trust in Jesus Christ alone and you will be saved from the wrath of God against sin.

Mike Peek a slave of Jesus Christ

Judge What is Right

“And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right? For while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to settle with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent.”~Luke 12:57-59

In this parable your opponent is The Lord, the magistrate and judge are God, the officer are His angles, and the prison, hell.

This parable is telling us to take a look at our sins and judge what is right, to look into the mirror of God's law and judge ourselves according to His Holy standard, on our own initiative before we go before God in judgment. Don't think that your going to be able to go before the judge and plead your own case, then it will be to late. Look at your sins now and judge yourself by your own initiative and make an effort to settle with your opponent before coming before the magistrate and judge; it is God whom you have offended, so it is with God you need to settle.

God has made a way for us to be made right with Him and Christ Jesus is the only way; "whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith." Judge yourself by God's Holy law, then repent and believe in the gospel.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." ~Ephesians 2:8-9

Mike Peek a slave of Jesus Christ

Why is it that you were looking for Me?

I went out with my cross today. I see people that rejoice in seeing the cross, and some scorn, but most ignore. There are many brave Christians that go to killing places to plead for the lives of babies as they are being slaughtered in the womb. In my community to the glory of God that is not happening yet, and it will be my prayer that it never does, abortions that is. I took my cross, a 4ft’x2.5’ stained wood cross with 3” letters on the cross beam that say, “ARE YOU READY”. I got this idea from an evangelist in California named Tony Miano, many others have taken up this idea across the country and made their own crosses and go out with them in their communities. “ARE YOU READY” it’s a good conversation starter because people will ask; ready for what?

I took my cross today to the location of Planned Parenthood in Tyler, TX. Why? Because first of all it is on Broadway Ave, one of the busiest roads in Tyler; and secondly, were do most of the women come from who are scheduled to have their babies aborted at the Planned Parenthood abortuary in Dallas? Outlying clinics like this one in Tyler, TX. So my thought and prayer was if I go to this location there just might be a woman who decides not to schedule an abortion after seeing the cross with its message, or cause a man to take responsibility for his child. The cross is a symbol, nothing more. You cannot reach God praying to the cross as some try to do. It is a symbol, a symbol of God’s word. The message of the cross is that we have all sinned against a Holy and just God, that every sin without exception must be punished, that God is love so He made a way for man to be right with Him, and that way is His Son, Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publically as a propitiation in His blood through faith.

So I stood there with my cross. There was not much foot traffic today, the usual case in Tyler, it seems that no one likes to walk. Car after car drove by, some smiled and waved, some looked with scorn, and most ignored. As the afternoon sun light dimmed into evening light, I saw a woman in scrub attire leaving Planned Parenthood for the end of the day. I watched her talk on her cell phone as she waited to pull into traffic, to busy with the trappings of this world to notice the cross and off she drove as so many do.

As the lights dimmed I prayed for all of those who drove by today that in seeing the cross that God would do a work in their heart that they just might ask the question. Am I ready to face God in judgment? And then seek Jesus.

I was reading in (The Gospel According to Luke) how young Jesus was missing from the caravan returning from Jerusalem, His parents went back to look for Him and found Him in the Temple and He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” ~Luke 2:49. Where is He today? He is right where He said He would be, in His Father’s house. “’In my Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.’ Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” ~John 14:2-6


Mike Peek a slave of Jesus Christ

Don't Be Forsaken of God, Repent and Live

I'm a wicked sinner undeservedly saved from the wrath of God against my sin by the grace if God through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ on the cross alone. Because He has saved me my life is not my own I have been purchased at a high price; the price, the precious blood of God the Son, Jesus Christ. I'm a gospel preacher and go into the world and proclaim His gospel as The Lord has command that I do.

All sins can be forgiven of all who repent of there sins and put there faith in Jesus Christ alone. To repent is a change of mind to the way you see God and the way you see sin, to turn from sin and self turning to God by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

Have you ever told a lie? Is it not true that if you even tell one lie that you are in fact a liar? And the word of God says; "and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Jesus said; "You have heard that it was said, ‘ You shall not commit adultery ’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."Have you ever looked at a woman to lust for here? And the word of God says" Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor adulterers will inherit the kingdom of God." Those are but two of God's Holy Ten Commandments and this is the third; "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain." These are God's laws, His standard by which we are to live life, breaking these laws is called sin. Jesus said; "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." God's eyes are so Holy that the prophet Habakkuk said; "He cannot even look upon sin." God is just and because He is just He cannot let sin go unpunished, every single sin without exception will be punished by God and the punishment for sin is death; not the death of your body but the death of your soul in eternal punishment being forsaken of God in hell. And if you are honest with yourself you know that the just thing that God should do is punish you and I in hell, it is what we deserve. But God is love so He became a man in the person of Jesus Christ, He was fully God and fully Man and as a man He did something that no other man had done, He lived a sinless, righteous life before God the Father, never breaking the laws of God once; and at the command if God the Father He went to the cross and bore the just penalty for the sins you rightly deserve to be punished for. "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." God the Father allowed His only begotten Son to die a death we deserve being forsaken of God, Jesus died, He was buried and on the third day He arose from the grave defeating sin and death proving who He was, the Son of God and that the wrath of God against sin had been satisfied in Him. God did this to demonstrate His own righteousness so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. You can be made right with God today; if you will repent (confess your sins and forsake them) and by faith alone receive Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior.

“ Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."
There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent and believe, but know this; "For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of A fire which will consume the adversaries." All sins even the sin of blasphemy is forgiven him who repents (confesses his sins and forsakes them) and by faith alone receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. "Repent and Live."

May God bless you all,
In Christ alone
Mike Peek a slave of Jesus Christ

Carnal Christians Need Not Apply

For the past three days I have been slowly reading through the gospel of Mark and each day I have asked the Lord to show me something that I haven’t known before. Today as I read I came to a passage in Mark chapter 8 and realized something. Here is that passage: “And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.’” (Mark 8:34-38)

When I read that today my first thought was “That’s the narrow gate and the narrow way from Matthew 7.” I live in what many call the Bible belt. “The Bible belt is defined as the area if the country in which Christian church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's average.” (Wikipedia) The Bible belt western border begins in Texas and Oklahoma and spreads eastward to the Atlantic Ocean consisting of the South Eastern states of America.

I live in the Tyler, TX area (North Eastern Texas) and you could say that there is a church on every corner. Most church attendees in this area would affirm that there is a Narrow Gate and Jesus Christ is that Gate, but when pressed about the Narrow Way they would be reluctant to agree to say the least. The day that The Lord gave me repentance and faith in Jesus Christ I knew that I had to go out and tell people the gospel. I wasn’t sure how to go about it and no one at my church was doing it and I didn’t know of anyone sharing the gospel at all, no one at that point had ever tried to share the gospel with me. I was saved through the word of God, six years prior I decided to read the Bible and have not put it down since, I can’t. In combination with reading God’s word and the law and the gospel being spoken through the movie Fireproof, God by His grace gave me repentance and faith in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Shortly after the Lord had saved me I came upon a wonderful ministry called; Living Waters/The Way of the Master. The ministries purpose is to teach and equip Christians to fulfill the great commission. To “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Fast forward a few years, I now go out into East Texas preaching the law and the gospel in open-air, in my community of Tyler, TX at least once a week.

One of the things that I have learned and the thing that is most difficult in preaching the gospel in an area that is so religiously rich but at the same time is spiritually dead is apathy. Most people could care less about the gospel, which is a sign that they have not been converted. You try and talk to someone about Christ and they will say, I go to church every Sunday. Well my friend church attendance cannot save you. Or you will here I got saved when I was 6 years old and in the mean time they are living in sexual immorality with their live in boy friend or girl friend.

When you read this Bible the Lord has given us, it is not passive and it doesn’t read like the things Jesus said are suggestions, it is pretty serious. In verse 34 Jesus said; “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” Here he is telling us to repent and die to ourselves. Whatever sins give you pleasure, He is telling us to leave them behind and follow Him; the cross, at the time Jesus said this was an instrument of death.

Then in verse 35 he says; “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” This one speaks directly to the people of the Bible belt. They want to have Jesus but keep their life just the way it is. I have heard many of these things said: “It’s ok to live with your girl friend if you have Jesus”, its common place to have unmarried young men and women living together and attend a church every Sunday. “It’s ok to go out and get drunk on weekends as long as I’m in church on Sunday.” “It’s ok if I divorce my husband or wife if they are not fulfilling my needs, besides Jesus would want me to be happy wouldn’t He?” “It’s ok if I’m dishonest in my business practices everyone does it.” That’s not what scripture says at all, it says; “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9). What Jesus is calling for here in verse 35 is a total sell out. Dropping everything and following Him alone, for Him to have complete and total lordship over your life. If He says don’t, you don’t and if He says do, you do, to become His slave; a slave does what His Lord tells him to do. Why would anyone be willing to do that? Because He purchased our lives with His own blood, that’s why.

“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37) Think about that rationally; the fleeting pleasures of sin for a season verse eternal pleasure in the presence of God, my greatest desire is to look upon the face of Jesus Christ. Are you going to chose sin verses seeing the face of Jesus Christ on the throne? “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.” (Hebrews 11:24-26)

And here is the heart of the matter; are you willing to deny yourself, to die to self so that you can preach the gospel of Jesus Christ? “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38) Like I said earlier, it has been difficult to find anyone out in East Texas preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. I did happen upon one man about a year ago who handed me a gospel tract outside of a restaurant; now he and I go together and preach at events and festivals in the East Texas area. For something that is so Biblically mandated, for something that Christ repeatedly says to do, for something that every one of the apostles was willing and did give their lives for; wouldn’t you think there would be more people doing it?

If you are saying to yourself that’s works he’s talking about. Guess what? Your right, that is exactly correct; but we are not saved by works are we? We are saved by the grace of God alone; by faith alone; in the person and works of Jesus Christ alone. Read this, one of my absolute favorite passages in scripture. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10). We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious standard, the only way anyone of us can be made right with God is by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins through faith in Him alone. No amount of good works can accomplish our salvation but God did save us so that we would walk in the good works that He has prepared beforehand for us to do. If God the Father by His grace has granted you repentance and faith in His Son Jesus Christ, you will be willing to deny yourself, take up His cross and follow Him!



Mike Peek a slave of Jesus Christ