Paul communicates that if we are led by the Spirit we are not under the law. The way I am understanding the new covenant is if I have to obey the law, I am under the law, my mind is set on the flesh, and sin in me becomes more sinful. See Romans 7 and Romans 8.

After writing about James 1:27 I realized that none of Jesus’ disciples lived a licentious lifestyle even though they had been set free from the law of Moses. Their theology was antinomianism, but their lifestyle was not antinomianism. This is the big fear of the church. If you set people free from the law they will do bad things. 

Thinking about the parable of the Prodigal Son I wonder if that is actually what is happening there. The son receives his freedom from Moses inheritance, and he goes off and does live a licentious lifestyle. For a time. 

The Christian Standard Bible calls it the parable of the lost son from Luke 15:11-32. The Father does say, this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!  Is Jesus communicating that the son was spiritually dead and spiritually lost? Maybe. Maybe that what he is saying. But maybe that is not what he is saying. 

Jesus is telling this parable to communicate something to us. Luke 15:11 He also said: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets to them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living. 14 After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing. 15 Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to eat his fill from the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one would give him anything. 17 When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. 19 I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers.’” 20 So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. 21 The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father told his servants, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast, 24 because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found! ’ So they began to celebrate.

The son never stops being the son, even though he is living foolishly. Can we say that Christians who are living a licentious lifestyle are not Christians? I’m not sure that this parable communicates that. 

The son finds himself wanting to eat his fill of pig food, he is so hungry. The way I’m understanding this parable is that the son does receive his freedom from the law of Moses inheritance and he does go off and lives a destructive lifestyle. Maybe the fear of antinomianism is being realized here. The son comes to his senses, and he is thinking about how his father’s hired workers have more than enough food. He makes a plan to go home and be a hired worker. He plans to say, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. 19 I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers.’” A hired worker is someone who is living under the law. It sounds like the son wants to go back under the law, because foolish living has not been beneficial to him. Maybe he thinks that living under the law is going to correct foolish living. The Father does not make the son a hired worker. The Father does not put the son under the law of Moses, but instead reminds him of the promise. The Father’s character is not the law of Moses, but rather compassion. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. 

The Father says, Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast,

I understand the best robe is the righteousness of Christ, and the ring on his finger is the promise that our sins are forgiven and we are holy on account of Christ, crucified and resurrected. Sandals on his feet would be a mind set on the Spirit and not on the law, on the flesh. Let’s celebrate with a feast, would be the Lord’s Table.

I was talking about antinomianism with a friend. How the disciples were set free from the law, but they did not live licentiously, which is the church’s fear. As a result the church lives under the law with a mind set on the flesh, and not on the Spirit. My friend was asking, “How do you set your mind on the Spirit? How do you do that?” I’m still learning this new mindset myself, and struggling to understand it.

We have these two truths. I held up my two hands. One hand grasping one truth, the other hand grasping the other truth. In one hand, we break the whole law of Moses all day everyday. In the other hand, our sins are forgiven and we are holy on account of Christ, crucified and resurrected. This is called a paradox. Two contradictory truths are both true at the same time. Like the scale of justice, I lowered the hand that breaks the whole law all day, everyday. I raised the hand that is forgiven and holy for the sake of Christ, crucified and resurrected. When our mind is set on the truth that is higher, forgiven and holy, our mind is set on the Spirit. The lower hand is a mind set on the flesh, a mind focused on law and sin. The Jerusalem above is free of law and sin and she is our mother. We can set our mind on things that are above. On the higher truth. That is how I understand a mind that is set on the Spirit. 

It is possible that when a follower of Jesus is set free from the darkness of the law of Moses maybe some disciples might go into licentious living for a time. When they come to their senses we can remind them of the promise. For other followers of Jesus, the glory of the law fades away as the glory of the Spirit increases. The Spirit’s ministry is to convict us that we are the righteousness of God by faith, apart from works.

Related:

The Law’s Third Use – Are You Feeling Rejected and Condemned? By Mark Menacher

“…perhaps “two-thirds nomians” would be more accurate.”