A Gospel Snapshot! Our Diplomatic Immunity, Freedom From Sin, And Exemption From Liability

I got a couple emails asking the same question: what is the biggest thing that separates the New Covenant gospel from the Old Covenant law?

A New Lawyer In Court

I was a young lawyer in court years ago in one of my first cases. After the judge read the charge about my client, I responded saying he was innocent. The judge laughed saying, "Mr. Himes, your client may not be guilty of this charge, but I promise you he is in no way innocent, as are any of us." I took me over 10 years to figure out what he meant.

The Biggest Gospel Change

The biggest change between the Old law, and the New gospel is about this subject. The verdict under the law is, "None are righteous, no not one" (Rom 3:10). The verdict in the gospel is, "All are righteous in Christ (II Cor 5:21). Remember this: the Old demanded what it could not produce; the New produces in us what it does not demand.

Satan's biggest lie is that each of us is responsible for our sin. Jesus become sin for us, and imputed his righteousness to us. We are joint, equal heirs with him (Rom 8:17). John says we have passed from death to life. All of Romans 5 is about this: we are either (1) in Adam, and thus in sin due to his disobedience, or we are (2) in Jesus, and in his righteousness, due to his obedience. II Cor 10:5 says to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. It is about obedience, but the legal issue is WHO'S obedience? In the gospel, it is Jesus' obedience, not ours.

Free From Liability

It might be said we are free from liability in the New Testament gospel, if we have saving faith in Jesus Christ. Paul says this gives us freedom (Gal 5:1-4). This is not freedom to do anything we want, but a release from bondage and liability under the law.

It's Like Being Tax Exempt

Everyone can understand being tax exempt: you don't pay any taxes. That's what the word 'free' means in Galatians 5:1. Only we are 'sin exempt.'

We Have Diplomatic Immunity

It can be said that we have diplomatic immunity for crimes (sins) we commit on earth because we are ambassadors for Christ's Kingdom -- like a diplomat from another country having immunity for any crimes he commits while he is here. The gospel of the Kingdom gives us this immunity from judgment before God.

Even if you are guilty of sin, you can't be charged or convicted in the court of heaven. Why? Due to the finished work of the cross of Jesus. Even Jesus says, "Don't think I'll accuse you before the Father" (John 5:45). This is also the way things were before the law was put into place (Rom 5:13).

We Do Sin, But In God's Eyes We Don't -- Because of the Cross

This is why I John 3:9 says (in the KJV only, due to many modern Bible translators lack gospel revelation): "Whoever is born of God does NOT commit sin, for God's seed remains in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." Hebrews 10:3 says we should have NO consciousness of sins.

Why? It's because God doesn't (Heb 8:12, 10:17). Sin is disobedience to the law (I John 3:4), because it is the law that defines sin (Rom 3:20). We are not under law but grace (Rom 6:14). Gentiles were never given the law in the first place (Rom 2:14). We were all born again after the cross. The cross put the law to death (Eph 2:15-16, Col 2:14).

There Is More To Say

The trouble with these Snapshots is they are too short to teach at length. All I can do is state the gospel facts, and hope you keep reading to learn more. I don't have time to show how all this works out for our good, because God's righteousness is his power in us that causes us to live better by accident than we ever could on purpose (Rom 1:16-17).

It is God's love, by means of his gift of grace and righteousness that causes us to overcome in life (Rom 5:13). The law could never do this, and was contrary to us, against us, weak and unprofitable (Col 2:14, Heb 10:18).