I have given you an example

'I have given you an example'

— John 13:15

Read, John 13:1-17, 31-35

Believer, never allow anyone to bring you into bondage again. Having been redeemed by the blood of Christ, and having your conscience purged from the guilt of sin by the application of Christ’s blood to your heart, you are entirely, completely free from the law. You owed the law of God a life of perfect righteousness. Do you trust Christ? He is the Lord our Righteousness’. By his obedience to God as your Representative, Christ did what you could never do. He magnified the law and made it honorable in his life. That righteous life God imputes to you. You are perfectly righteous in Christ. You also owed the law death. Had you died, your death must have been eternal, because you could never satisfy the law’s infinite justice. But Christ, the God-man, died as your Substitute, bearing your sin and, by his one sacrifice for sin, he satisfied the very justice of God. So far as God’s law is concerned, you are a dead man. The law has no claim upon you. You died in Christ. There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus!’ It would be as foolish for you to try to obey the law for yourself’, as it would for you to try to atone for your own sins (Rom. 6:14; 7:1-4; 10:4; Gal. 3:24-26; 5:1-4; Col. 2:14- 16).

Someone will come along and try to trick you. He will say, ‘Well, if you do not live by the law of Moses, you're an antinomian. You believe every man should do that which is right in his own eyes.’ If you wish to be polite to the legalist (I do not suggest that you should be), you may reply, ‘No my friend, we have a law to live by. Our Lord commanded us to love one another. That is our law.’ Then the poor bondman will argue, ‘But love is a nebulous law. YOU still must live by the rule of the Ten Commandments.’ If your patience is not worn out, you might want to answer that objection too: ‘Love is not nebulous at all. We have Christ as our example. He has shown us exactly how to love. Christ is the pattern we copy and the example we follow. I am quite sure that I am safe following my Lord.'