8.103 Throw off the crutches of law; start walking as a new creation in Christ

Once, Peter Youngren had a broken leg. He had to depend on crutches to walk. For a few months, the crutches were the most important thing in the world for the man with a broken leg. He even made sure that he had his crutches next to him all the time. Without the crutches, he wouldn’t be able to get around. He grew to be dependent on the crutches.

One day, his broken leg had healed. But he had gotten so used to walking on crutches that he felt insecure walking without it. It was quite an adjustment for him. It was difficult to throw away the crutches. But he was glad he could walk again. Soon, he could even run.

Likewise, the law was very important before we received Christ – when we were sinners and we could not walk on our own. Without the law, the sinner will be unrestrained, and society will fall apart. The law restrained sin from the OUTSIDE, though it could never change anyone on the INSIDE. But it was a temporary solution for the sinner until Christ came. The law was the crutches for the sinner. It was the crutches for Israel for 1,500 years. It was the most important thing under the Old Covenant.

Then in the fullness of time, Christ came to redeem the sinner. After He has washed the sinner clean, He came to live inside every believer – you and I. We became a new creation created in true righteousness and holiness according to God (Eph 4:24). He gives us a new heart, with new desires. He causes us to bear fruit of the Spirit and to put on His attributes. We become epistles of Christ in our hearts. He works on the INSIDE.

But the new creation is invisible. We are in Christ and Christ is in us. The only way we can walk in the reality of Jesus finished work is by faith. When we believe we are righteous, then the Holy Spirit helps us to walk in that new life. When we don’t believe we are righteous, we struggle in our own strength. The Holy Spirit is activated only when we walk in faith. He is received by us, and He works miracles among us through the hearing of FAITH alone.

Likewise, it takes faith to throw off the crutches of the law to walk as a new creation in Christ. It takes faith to throw off the EXTERNAL support, and to depend on the ability of Jesus on the INSIDE. Many Christians have been so dependent on these crutches that they struggle to depend fully on Jesus. They get nervous at the thought of leaving the crutches. But if we do not throw off the crutches, how can we ever walk as a new creation in Christ? If Peter Youngren had held on to his crutches, he would never have walked again with his own feet.

Therefore, the Ten Commandments were helpful when you were a sinner. But today, let us take that simple step of faith. Drop off these EXTERNAL crutches and start depending on Jesus who lives INSIDE you. When you do that, you will not only walk, you can start running. You will go further with Jesus. You can live in the higher realm of His grace.