A mind that is set on law and sin, is a mind that is set on the flesh, and cannot please God. Wherever we have the good and holy law we have sin. We cannot separate the two. The law is the ministry that brings death. The law of sin and death.

The power of sin is the law, 1 Corinthians 15:56.

You have died in relation to the law through the body of Christ, now you are released from the law to bear fruit for God, Romans 7.

A mind set on Christ and righteousness as a gift, is a mind set on the Spirit, and pleases God. God is already pleased with us on account of Christ, crucified and resurrected. We are holy and righteous as a gift. We are saints, without sin, solely on account of Christ’s merits.

The church’s job is to set us free from the law so that we can walk spontaneously in the Spirit, living moment by moment in the Spirit and our spirit, using whatever gifts God gives us to be of some benefit to our neighbor. As we are willing and able. This is not a law. It’s an open permission, an appeal to a freed conscience. 

The gifts are not gendered.

Pastors are only talked about once in scripture, and it’s plural, not singular. We practice pastors as an ordained office, but scripture doesn’t support ordination the way that we practice it today. Often the way we practice pastor is the pastor is the voice of Moses. He tells you what to do each week. This is our understanding of “pastors”. We might be wrong on our understanding and practice of pastors. We need a better understanding of pastors. There might be more pastors in the local churches than we realize. 

Spiritual Gifts

Ephesians 4:11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 equipping the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.

Romans 12: 6 According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; 7 if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; 8 if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.

1 Corinthians 12: 4 Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are different activities, but the same God produces each gift in each person. 7 A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good: 8 to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, 9 to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of tongues, to another, interpretation of tongues. 11 One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as he wills.

Unity Yet Diversity in the Body

12 For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body — so also is Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free — and we were all given one Spirit to drink. 14 Indeed, the body is not one part but many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted. 19 And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you! ” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you! ” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable. 23 And those parts of the body that we consider less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unrespectable parts are treated with greater respect, 24 which our respectable parts do not need.

Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, 25 so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. 26 So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it. 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in other tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But desire the greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way.

The All Nations Bible translation calls Jesus, the Creator who sets us free. Imagine a scenario where a slave is expounding on scripture about how Jesus sets us free from wrath (Romans 5), sin (Romans 6), law (Romans 7), and a mind set on the law (Romans 8), and the master is there learning in quiet submission to the slave. One-sided authority and one-sided submission is not being practiced. Slavery is not being practiced. The slave is not a slave, but free. The master is not a master, but free. Systematic oppression is gone.