By Pastor James Kimathi
The first trait of the law of God is that it dominates over every man and if another nature is not birthed in a man, this law can birth legalism.
20 [m]Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and [n]neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh (Col. 2: 20-23, NKJV)
Have you noticed the use of the phrase ‘do not’? Unfortunately, this forms the bulk of the teaching in our churches. The problem with this kind of teaching, however, is that it fails to empower individuals to stop doing or to avoid doing what they have been told not to do. Consequently, when such people come before God, they are frustrated, dissapointed and condemned and unfortunately, as we read in 2 Peter, they become short sighted and forget that their sins were forgiven. Within no time they go back to their sinful ways.