Spiritual Warfare 1: Overcoming Shame By Speaking Truth With Grace
When a child is young, laws (oldness of the letter) are needed to provide clear boundaries and instil discipline through a structure of incentives and punishment. These boundaries indicate where God’s kingdom ends, and where the kingdom of darkness begins. When a man transgresses the law, he enters into the devil’s territory and subjects himself to his attacks.
Through the tutorage of the law, the child learns respect and reverence towards authority that is able to protect him. Nevertheless, other than pointing to the line that must not be transgressed, laws can do nothing more. But once the child matures into adulthood, laws are deemphasised in preference for virtues of mercy, justice and humility.
A mature man is directed by the virtues of Christ: mercy, justice and humility (newness of the Spirit) while keeping himself in check by the boundaries of the law. Laws, in the age of the Spirit remain relevant as they serve as protective boundaries preventing believers from being attacked by the devil. However, it pleases God to usher in a new dispensation of the Spirit, so that man may live in the likeness of Christ. While believers acknowledge the boundaries of the law (oldness of the letter) so as not to transgress them, he lives not out of fear (of being punished) but out of the virtues of Christ (newness of the Spirit).
It is far better to live by the innate virtues of the Spirit, than the fear of punishment. A believer who moves and lives by the virtues of the Spirit (newness of the Spirit) does not fear that he may transgress the law, for the Spirit cleanses him daily from sinful passions. The apostle John says,
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 1 John 4:18
The virtues of the Spirit operates within the confines of God’s kingdom and keeps the believer out of trouble. But an unbeliever who does not possess Christ’s Spirit is left to the devices of the law, being constantly directed by the fear of punishment so that he may not transgress it.
Note: Words extracted from Pastor Gabriel Chong Yew Chan sharing on http://thesolidfood.org/en/spiritual-warfare-1-overcoming-shame-by-speaking-truth-with-grace/