Originally Posted by Red33

There is always merit to the written letter of God's word and never forget that. We know that the law is holy, just and good (Rom 7:12) and the written letter of the law has told us to not commit adultery (Ex 20:14). That is a holy command that has come from the finger of God (Ex 31:18) and has not been done away with (Jm 2:10,11). Look at what happen to people, whether believers or people of a society, that violate that written letter of a mandate. They will suffer, in a measure, the wages of their sin, the effects of sin and the reaping of corruption and a wound that will not go away (Prov 6:32,33). All this will take its course in the life of the one who has transgressed. The way of the transgressor is hard (Prov 13:15). God is not condemning the person but it's the result of making the wrong decision in your body (1Cor 6:18). Without that written letter we would not have known what adultery was let alone committing it (Rom 7:7).

If the Holy Spirit is grieved within me as a believer and I am tempted with adultery, I have the written letter that is in my conscience and in my heart (Rom 2:15) to instruct me to not give place. Even though the Spirit is grieved within me, the written letter of the law has given me what I need to not conceive sin or continue in it by making sin exceedingly sinful (Rom 7:12,13). So even the written letter of the law, that is in me, is a measure of grace so that sin will not abound in my life (Rom 5:20). I might not be walking in the Spirit to keep me from fulfilling the lust of the flesh but I am responding to the written letter to keep lust from conceiving in me and bringing forth more sin (Jm 1:13-15). As a believer I am to walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:16) and I am under grace and not the law (Rom 6:14-16), but if I am not walking in the Spirit, thank God for the goodness of the law that has been given and has the written authority to keep me from sin if I obey it. God is not displeased if I obey the law that discourages me from sin, but the law does not define my righteousness that has been imputed to me without the works of the law (Gal 2:16, Rom 4;1-6). When I obeyed the law it did nothing to justify me but it did keep me from sin and thank God for the law. Does the law give wrong or sinful instructions when it tells us not to commit adultery, not to kill, not to covet, or not to steal or bare false witness (Rom 3:19)? No, not at all. We actually feel safe with these commands and have peace living in that kind of environment. However, if I sin the law must condemn me because it has no power to restore me through mercy and grace. The righteousness of the law demands the penalty for violating it and being found by the law as a transgressor (Jm 2:11).

So the Lamb of God came and without sin fulfilled the righteousness of the law. On the cross he took upon his body all our sin and through the shedding of his blood and through death paid the penalty for all our unrighteousness that included transgressing the law. He became sin on the cross and put away all sin by crucifying it and made the works of the law obsolete (Rom 10:4). No longer did man have to keep the works of the law for righteousness and no longer was man justified by the works of the law (Gal 2:16). Through the Lamb man could believe unto righteousness by faith (Rom 10:10) and be justified by grace and through the blood of the Lamb (Rom 3:24, 5:9). We are no longer under the law but under grace because of the finished work of the Lamb upon the cross (Jn 19:30). We do not have to fulfill the law because we are in the one who fulfilled it. All we do is abide in him who is our righteousness (1Cor 1:30). Our righteousness comes from him through grace and by faith when we believe. Our only work is to believe upon the Son, the one that God sent (Jn 6:29).