1311. Walking in the Spirit

While Gentiles have never been under the Law, that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from it. Keep in mind that the righteous requirements of Israel’s Mosaic Law are fulfilled in us as we simply walk in the Spirit (Rom. 8:4). How freeing is that? By walking in the Spirit, we are allowing Christ to live His perfectly righteous life through us. We have no rules to follow, including those known as the Ten Commandments. It’s not that they don’t apply to us because they do. My point is that by walking in the Spirit, we will automatically comply with all ten. Jesus knows what each commandment really means and He will fulfill every one without thinking about them since He is their fulfillment.

We don’t have to attempt to obey them in order to be blessed. That was true of Israel but not for us today. We should know them so we can better cooperate with Christ as He fulfills them through us. Do you see it? This is why Paul was so upset with those in the church in Galatia. They were abandoning the freedom of simply walking in the Spirit and placing themselves under bondage obeying rules and ordinances in the flesh.

With this understanding, let’s look briefly at one of the Ten Commandments so we can see why we must let Christ fulfill them through us. If we don’t even know what they really mean, how can we obey them? Most of us are familiar with the 3rd commandment in Exodus 20:7 not to take the name of the Lord your God in vain. We have assumed it means we shouldn’t dishonor His name by using it as a swear word. Actually, it has nothing to do with profanity, nor does it mean worshipping God half-heartedly. So what does it mean?

Believers today are to see themselves as adopted sons of the Living God. As sons, we are joint heirs with Christ. As such, we will inherit all that Christ inherits. What will Christ inherit? All that is the Father’s. Everything! This is our high calling. We have become the beneficiaries of God matchless grace which He desires to shower on all who will call on Him. As sons, we bear the name of our Father. This particular commandment is saying the since we bear our Father’s name, we must not act in a way that gives God’s enemies an opportunity to blaspheme God’s name. It’s all about God and His glorious name. We are to live in a way that brings Him glory, not dishonor.

When we think about our proper response, we immediately think of those things we shouldn’t do like swearing, but this misses the point. We are to live in light of our high calling. We should be reigning as kings (or queens) right now, here on earth (Rom. 5:17) instead of living like spiritual paupers. This is what brings honor to God. This is how we avoid using the name of the Lord in vain.