A child was told by his father NOT to get cookies from the jar. That was a command - an order which was stated clearly. It was also clear to the child that a punishment awaits disobedience. But then, the cookies are on the table, and he was tempted to get at leasts one. He knew it was wrong, but he checked if the parents were in the house or not. When he was sure that the parents were OUT... he slowly went near the table and... got one.
A few minutes passed...the child wanted to get another piece. He again remembered the command, there was an struggle not to do it again, but approached the table anyway. However, he heard a noise nearby and was made AWARE of the parents PRESENCE inside the house ... and so he did not get a piece of cookies but ran away from the table as fast as he could.
The story illustrates an important point. The command (even though known to the child) has no power to make him "not to get the cookies". What really determines the child's behavior is his awareness of the PRESENCE or ABSENCE of the parents in the house.
In reality, what actually determines whether a person will sin or not is not the LAW in his mind or even in his heart, BUT his AWARENESS of God's presence wherever he is.
Many Legalists today criticize New Covenant churches when the latter preach that we are not under the Law but under grace. These legalists are afraid that if we gave up the Law, we all will become wayward and immoral.
Legalists embraced the LAW, but they FAIL to see the reality of God's moment by moment presence in the lives of humanity. They believed that humanity is separated from God UNTIL you begin to obey the LAW.
The Bible teaches that the FALL of MAN in Adam was ALREADY REVERSED by the Second Adam Jesus Christ ( Romans 5:18 ) . Because of that truth, ALL humanity are included in Christ.
YES, Sin is serious not because there is a law but because every sin is committed in God's presence.
Every sin happens when a person FORGETS that he is in God's presence. So in our life what is important is not having the law but being aware of God's presence. We are not only with Him but we are IN Him and He is IN us. That is called Communion with the Triune God.
In conclusion, the best way to fight sin is not having a lists of " Thou shalt nots" but knowing and believing that we are always in God's presence because he said " I am with you always... "
