The Law of Moses versus the Law of the Spirit

How The New Covenant Differs from the Old

[Posted May 3, 2009]

The Law of Moses Versus The Law of The Spirit – Part 1

[Updated November 25, 2023]

Introduction

It was the night of His apprehension by the Jews that Christ revealed to us that His original 12 apostles were not yet converted.

Luk 22:31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

They had been with him for three and a half years. They had been given the gifts of healing and casting out devils. They had witnessed men who were born lame walk, and men who were born blind see. They had fed thousands with just a few loaves and fishes. They had witnessed the Lord walking on the water and commanding the wind and the sea to be calm, and they had witnessed Christ raising the 12-year old girl and Lazarus from the dead. Christ’s original 12 apostles, as types of us, “came behind in no gift [and they] were yet carnal… babes in Christ” (1Co 1:7, 1Co 3:1-4).

Then after three and a half years of being spoon fed the basic doctrines of Christ, the Lord was betrayed by one of his own very closest associates. He was rejected and crucified by “His own”, who insisted that the Roman authorities carry out His crucifixion.

Act 3:13  The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
Act 3:14  But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
Act 3:15  And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

Fifty days after His death and resurrection, the holy spirit was given to 120 people who had remained faithful to the man who had died for their sins. The day of Pentecost was just the beginning of their conversion. There was still much for these new converts to learn about why the Lord had “broken the law” of Moses by healing a man and telling him to “take up [his] bed and walk… on the sabbath day.”

Joh 5:18  Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

They still did not understand why their Lord had taken the time to speak to the Samaritan woman at the well and then spent two days teaching the Samaritans who had responded to that woman’s witness of “a man who told me all I ever did.”

Joh 4:25  The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
Joh 4:26  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
Joh 4:27  And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
Joh 4:28  The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
Joh 4:29  Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
Joh 4:30  Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
Joh 4:39  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
Joh 4:40  So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
Joh 4:41  And many more believed because of his own word;

This mystery of why Christ would speak to anyone who was not a Jew troubled the very apostles of Christ for many years to come. It is after Stephen was martyred, after Saul of Tarsus was converted and after Peter was sent to the house of the Gentile Roman centurion that we are told the disciples “travelled as far as Phenice and Cyprus, and [Syrian] Antioch preaching the Word to none but to the Jews only” (Act 11:19):

Act 11:19  Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.

In our time we might think it strange that the apostles and the whole Jewish Christian church were still ‘marveling that Christ had talked with a Samaritan’ even after Peter had been sent by the holy spirit to the house of another Gentile named Cornelius, a Roman centurion in Caesarea. The whole Jewish Christian church struggled to accept the truth that the law of Moses was being “done away” and replaced with “a better hope, a better testament and a better covenant established on better promises.”

Heb 7:19  For the law [of Moses] made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

Heb 7:22  By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

Heb 8:6  But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

2Co 3:7  But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:

That struggle continues until this very day throughout the entire Christian church which still believes that the Lord regards Abraham’s physical descendants to be “the Israel of God” and that the Lord will bless those who bless physical Israel and curse those who curse physical Israel. That false doctrine has been the basis of the foreign policy of the United States ever since before the establishment of the state of Israel, which still denies their own Savior and are for the most part secular Jews.

Not one Christian in a thousand believes these inspired words of God:

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

The blindness of the Christian world to the Truth of those words is a supernatural work of our Lord who, concerning “the multitudes” of both Christians and Jews, plainly states:

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

There is more to this supernatural blindness than simply speaking in parables. There is also a supernatural blindness to these simple, straightforward words:

Joh 5:18  Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

It is a rare Christian indeed who believes that Christ “broke the sabbath.” The false doctrine which is used of our Lord to keep Christians and Jews from seeing with their eyes and hearing with their ears, “lest they should be converted” is that Christ kept the law of Moses perfectly or He would not be sinless.

Did Christ claim God as His Father? Yes, He certainly did!

Mat 10:32  Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 10:33  But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 11:27  All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Did Christ break the sabbath? Yes. He healed the man and then deliberately told the man to “take up your bed and walk” which was contrary to the law of Moses which forbade any work on the sabbath. In Mattew 12 the Lord confesses to “doing that which is not lawful [and] profaning the sabbath” by not preparing for the sabbath on the sixth day as required by the law of Moses:

Mat 12:1  At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
Mat 12:2  But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
Mat 12:3  But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Mat 12:4  How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
Mat 12:5  Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
Mat 12:6  But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
Mat 12:7  But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
Mat 12:8  For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

When confronted by the Pharisees for “doing that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day” did our Lord deny that accusation? No, not at all! He rather acknowledged that he had indeed done that which was not lawful, and defended His unlawful actions by pointing to David when David unlawfully did eat the shewbread which was “not lawful for him to eat.” The Lord went on to justify “doing that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day” by pointing to “the priests in the temple [who] profane the sabbath, and are guiltless.” Christ concluded His defense of His actions with what the Pharisees no doubt considered to be truly blasphemous words:

Mat 12:6  But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
Mat 12:7  But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
Mat 12:8  For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

Christ confessed that He “did that which it was not lawful for Him to do… [he confessed that he had] profaned the sabbath” and yet He pronounced Himself to be “greater than the temple… guiltless [and] Lord even of the sabbath day.” He never once denied breaking the sabbath.

Yet He did say:

Mat 5:19  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

There is obviously a great misunderstanding of which ‘commandments’ Christ was referring to in Matthew 5, and the goal of this study is to understand the difference between the law of Moses and the law of the spirit.

The law of God is surely a revelation of the very character and personality of God. Yet the scriptures appear to many to be filled with contradictions on this subject.

For example, Christ says:

Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Mat 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [ them], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

From this point on, Christ begins a series of six ‘you have heard it said by them of old time…’ followed by, “but I say unto you…” In every case, the “but I say unto you…” is a dramatic change from “the law” which Christ quotes every time He says “you have heard it said by them of old time…”

In several instances, Christ’s teachings flatly contradict the law of Moses. This is all done immediately after warning us “whosoever… shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven.”

How can this be? The writings of the Apostle Paul contain “these things… which are… hard to be understood” by “they that are unlearned and unstable…” (2Pe 3:16).

Paul asks the question “Do we then make void [Greek: katargeo] the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law” (Rom 3:31). Yet later he says, “having abolished [same Greek word katargeo] in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances…” (Eph 2:15).

Is the law “abolished” or not? These are just a couple of examples of the confusion that is the rule whenever “the law” is discussed.

In this study we will demonstrate that neither Christ nor Paul contradicted themselves. We will do this by showing that there are two completely separate laws under discussion in the scriptures.

It will be revealed that generally the phrase “the law” when it stands alone refers to the law of Moses. It will also be shown in graphic detail how this law is “oldness of letter” and is completely different and separate from the “newness of spirit” (Rom 7:6). It will be shown how in many instances the “newness of spirit” flatly contradicts the “oldness of the letter.” The scriptures will be provided which show that while the oldness of “the letter killeth… the spirit giveth life” (2Co 3:6). Yet the “letter of the law,” while it defines sin, is not of itself sin.

The preordained function of the law of Moses corresponds with the function of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. By both we come to know what sin is (Rom 7:7) and what good is, and therefore both the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the law of Moses become “ministrations of death” (2Co 3:7).

While the “law of commandments contained in ordinances” (Eph 2:15) is a “ministration of death” (2Co 3:7), and is indeed “abolished” (Greek: katargeo) and “done away” (also Greek: katargeo), this is only so “after that faith is come” (Gal 3:25).

“The law” was not a “schoolmaster” just to bring Paul’s generation to Christ and then disappear. “The law” is OUR schoolmaster to bring US to Christ” (Gal 3:24). This statement can be made in its past tense only “after that faith is come”. “Before faith comes” (vs 23) we are all, generation by generation, “concluded under sin”.

Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law [under sin], shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

It will be demonstrated “after faith is revealed” in each generation of believers:

Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

It will be shown that it is only by the law that “all the world may become guilty before God.” (Rom 3:19).

Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

The law is “abolished” and “done away” only for those “in Christ.” “We know that what things soever the law saith it saith to them who are under the law… guilty before God” (Rom 3:19).

We know [and will demonstrate] that the law is good when used lawfully [meaning] “that the law is not made for a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient…” (1Ti 1:8,9). “Lawful use of the law” is for the “lawless and disobedient”. Thank God it is not “abolished” or “done away” for those folks folks whom we all are in our own appointed time.

The scriptures show that “the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2) is as superior to the ten commandments as Matthew 5 is to Exodus 20 and as meat is superior to milk.

The scriptures themselves show the scriptures which show that both laws, like both trees in the garden of Eden, were given by God, and both have served, and continue to serve, their different and separate functions in God’s plan and purpose.

We will show that the law of Moses was for a carnal, Christ-rejecting Israel.

Yes, even “the Israel of God” (Gal 6:16), those who come to know Christ, “also shall be cut off” (Rom 11:22) if not continuing to see that our standing in Christ brings us out from under the “yoke” (Act 15:10) of “bondage under the elements of the world” (Gal 4:3). These “elements of the world” under which the heir is kept until he is brought to Christ, are the ten commandments and the law of Moses.

We will demonstrate that it is our failure to distinguish between these two laws which keeps us from being able to differentiate between the two Israels. That failure is as vital as distinguishing Ishmael from Isaac. One of them is in type the heir, no longer under the “yoke” and “bondage to the elements of this world”, but the other one which is under the law “is the son of the bondwoman and will not be made heir with the son of the freewoman (Gal 4:21-31). Christ cannot “be formed in those under the law” (Gal 4:19-21).

Understanding this subject of the law is just that important!

Finally, we reveal that the perfection of the lamb of God; the blamelessness of the Being without blemish; the perfect righteousness of Christ was not reckoned by His perfect obedience to the “law of Moses” which He deliberately violated on more than one occasion for the sole purpose of showing us that His new covenant law was far superior to the passing old covenant law; yes, even the ten commandments.

Rather, His righteousness was based on the righteousness of the new covenant, “the righteousness of God without the law… being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ…” (Rom 3:20-22).

Christ was not “justified by deeds of the law” (vs 20) any more than we are.

There are two opposing theological thoughts and teachings among Christians today:

1. Most Christians (especially fundamentalists) believe that we fulfill the New Covenant (law) by keeping the Old Covenant (law) in our hearts. In this teaching, grace fills in the gaps should we fall short of keeping the law perfectly.
2. A smaller group of believers (libertarians) believe and teach that we are not under the Old Covenant (law) OR the New Covenant (law). Rather, we are free from ALL law. In this teaching grace covers all of our actions, good or bad, with no consequences for anything we do.

Both views are untrue and unscriptural.

Lest anyone should seriously entertain the notion that the New Covenant is in harmony with the Old Covenant or that it is a modification of the Old Testament or that it is still in force today, consider the following Scriptures:

Old Mosaic Covenant	New Spiritual Covenant
OLD Cov……………………2Co 3:14	NEW Covenant…..2Co 3:6 The “old” is not the “new”.
First Covenant……………Heb 8:7, 9:1 First is not second	Second Covenant……..Heb 8:7, 10:1-9
Came by Moses……………..Joh 1:17	Came by Christ…..Heb 8:6, 9:15 Moses’ law is not Christ’s
Law of God in STONE…..2Co 3:3	Law of God in HEART ..Heb 10:16
Law of MOSES……..Act 13:38-39	Law of CHRIST…..Gal 6:2
Law of flesh……………….Rom 7:5-6	Law of the SPIRIT.Rom 8:2
NOT of faith………………….. Gal 3:2	Law of FAITH… Rom 3:27
Yoke of BONDAGE………..Gal 5:1	Law of LIBERTY  Jas 1:25
Law of SIN………………. Rom 7:5-6	Law of RIGHTEOUSNESS .. Rom 9:30-31
Law of DEATH………………2Co 3:7	Law of LIFE ..Gal 3:11,6:8
Christ removes OLD…….. Heb 10:9	Christ enacted NEW…. Heb10:9
A SHADOW……………Col 2:14-17	REALITY…..Heb 10:1-18
FULFILLED……………Mat 5:17-18	NOW IN FORCE….Heb 8:6, 10:9
Priesthood CHANGED…Heb 7:12	UNCHANGEABLE Priesthood…. Heb 7:24
MANY sacrifices……..Heb 9:12-13	ONE sacrifice for sin….Heb 10:12
IMPERFECT……………… Heb 7:19	PERFECT………. Heb 7:19
Blood of ANIMALS……..Heb 9:19	Blood of CHRIST… Mat 26:28
Circumcision……………… Exo 12:48	Uncircumcision Rom 4:9-12
WORKS of law……………..Gal 3:10	NOT of our works but chastening GRACE ..Eph 2:8-9
REMEMBERS sins……….Heb 10:3	FORGETS sins..Heb 10:17
YEARLY atonement………. Heb10:3	PERMANENT atonement Heb 10:14
SINFUL priests………………Heb 5:3	SINLESS priest…Heb 7:26
AARONIC priests…………. Heb7:11	MELCHISEDEC priest …Heb 5:5-10
MAN MADE tabernacle….Heb 8:5	HEAVENLY tabernacle …Heb 8:2,9:11
Out of LEVI……………….. Heb 7:11	Out of JUDAH…Heb 7:14
WEAK, UNPROFITABLE.. Heb7:18	POWER of ENDLESS LIFE … Heb. 7:16
NO inheritance…………….Rom 4:13	ETERNAL inheritance …Heb 9:15
Sacrifice of ANIMALS….Heb 9:13	Sacrifice of CHRIST ……Heb 9:28
Purified the FLESH……… Heb 8:13	Purged the CONSCIENCE …Heb 9:14
PRODUCES wrath…….. Rom 4:15	SAVES from wrath…Rom 5:9
Perfected NOTHING….. Heb 7:19	Perfects BELIEVERS..Heb 10:14
NO MERCY……………..Heb 10:28	COMPLETE MERCY ..Heb 8:12
NO justification……………Act 13:39	BELIEVERS justified…Act 13:39
BRINGS a curse……………Gal 3:10	REDEEMS from curse…Gal 3:13
ABOLISHED………………2Co 3:13	CONTINUES IN GLORY …2Co 3:11
Brought DEATH…………….2Co 3:7	Brought RECONCILIATION … 2Co 5:18
ISRAEL ONLY…….Deu 4:7-8, 5:3	ALL MANKIND……Mar 14:24, 2Co 5:14-19, Gal 3:28-29

So we have an abundance of scriptures which tell us there was an Old Covenant (for Israel) that was an administration of condemnation and death: it was merely a “shadow” of a better covenant to come and has been “annulled’. Now Christ has given us a New Covenant of the spirit based on spiritual law:

(1) the Law of God,
(2) the Law of Christ,
(3) the Law of the Spirit,
(4) the Law of Faith,
(5) the Law of Liberty,
(6) the Law of Righteousness and
(7) the Law of Life.

These seven (perfect) laws (for all mankind), written on our hearts by the spirit of God, cover every aspect of human life making the Old Covenant of none effect.

This composition is not directed at anyone who wonders “what the definition of ‘is’ is.” While it is conceded that scriptural words and phrases do not always carry their original primary physical meaning, it is also asserted on scriptural grounds that the intended meaning can easily and scripturally be demonstrated to the edification of “those with eyes to see, and ears to hear” (Mat 13:16). To have any rational discussion on the subject of the law of God, we simply must define two words… ‘righteousness’ and ‘sin’.

Righteousness – Definition #1

Let’s look first at the word ‘righteousness’. The first mention of this word in scripture is Genesis 15:6 – “And he [Abraham] believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Paul quotes this verse in Galatians 3:6 arguing that righteousness attributed to oneself saves no one.

God was so pleased with Abraham’s faith that in type He “counted it to him for righteousness.” Is this saying that Abraham wasn’t really righteous at all, but because he believed God, God decided to substitute his faith for righteousness?

No, this is not what is meant by “counted”, neither here in Genesis nor by Paul in Galatians 3:6. The Hebrew word for “counted” is chashab – Strong’s Concordance H2803. This is the word used repeatedly in Leviticus in connection with selling real estate. We today would not call these transactions, sales. We would call them leases of 49 years or less. The land shall not be sold forever: … If your brother be waxen poor, and hath sold his possession… Then let him count [chashab] the years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to whom he sold it; that he may return [the land] unto his possession (Lev 25:22-27).

This was an equivalent value that had to be returned to the man who bought the land: Counting (chashab) from the date of the sale up to the jubilee.

So it is with faith. Faith is the equivalent of righteousness! “Without faith it is impossible to please… God” (Heb 11:6). The author of this verse in Genesis 15:6 assumes that we all already know what righteousness is.

Righteousness – Definition #2

The first time this word is defined is…:

Deu 6:25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.

Psa 119:172 … all thy commandments [are] righteousness.

Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Mat 19:17 … if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

To sum it up, we have two definitions of righteousness:

1) believing God and
2) obeying God’s commandments and sayings.

Combining these two definitions, we can say that doing through the faith of Christ the things God commands seems to be a good, sound, scriptural definition of ‘righteousness’. As we will demonstrate with scripture though, obedience is now defined by “love”, by “spirit”, by “grace [of God]” (Tit 2:11-12) “through faith” [of Christ] (Gal 2:20); by “these sayings of mine [Christ’s]” not Moses (Mat 7:24 and 26); by “the word that I have spoken” (Joh 12:48) not the law of Moses. This is the only righteousness God recognizes (Eph 2:8-10).

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of [our] works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Sin – Definition #1

The Hebrew word for sin is chattaah (Strong’s H2403). Sin was certainly brought in through Adam’s disobedience (Rom 5:12), but the word sin (chattaah) first appears in Genesis 4:7. Cain did not see the need for a blood offering, and the Lord had consequently rejected his offering. Beginning in verse 6, “The Lord said unto Cain, Why are you wroth? And why is your countenance fallen? (Verse 7) If you do well [ righteously], shall you not be accepted? And if you do not well, sin lies at the door…”

There’s our first definition of sin: “… you do not well.”

Sin – Definition #2

In Judges 20, the Israelites are gathering an army to fight against the tribe of Benjamin. Some Benjamite men had killed a concubine belonging to a man of Ephraim.

Jdg 20:13 Now therefore deliver [us] the men, the children of Belial, which [are] in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel:

So the Benjamites gathered their own army against Israel. They numbered 7,700 men. Now verse 16; “Among all this people there were 700 chosen men, left-handed; everyone could sling stones at an hair breadth and not miss” (chata). This word chata (Strong’s H2398) has the same root as chattaah (H2403). This is the only place out of the 220 times it is used in the Old Testament that it is translated miss. It is normally translated sin, sinning, offend, blame, fault and harm. By far the most common translation in the KJV is “sinned.”

Our second scriptural definition of sin is to “miss” the mark. The “mark”, of course, is always understood to be God’s commandments, His law. As Paul states in Romans 7:7, “… I had not known sin, but by the law…”

Sin – Definition #3

In our definition of righteousness, we pointed out that Genesis 15:6 and Galatians 3:6 both say that Abraham’s faith was counted (the equivalent) of righteousness. The flip side of that statement is our third scriptural definition of sin.

Rom 14:23 … what soever is not of faith [the faith of Christ in us (Gal 2:20)] is sin.

Even obedience to the laws of God, when credited to ourselves instead of Christ’s faith working in us, is sin. Romans 2:27 says “You… by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law.” Galatians 2:20 tells us “… The life that I now live, I live by the faith of the son of God…”

The failure to recognize the sovereignty of God in our lives turns our righteousness into sin. “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isa 64:6), and “Whatsoever is not of faith [the faith of Christ in us (Eph 2:8, Gal 2:20)] is sin” (Rom 14:23).

Sin – Definition #4

1Jn 3:4 – “… Sin is the transgression of the law.” Though this might better be translated “sin is lawlessness”, law is still unavoidable if we are to define sin or righteousness. The inescapable truth of any definition of sin is: “… By the law is the knowledge of sin…” (Rom 3:20)

In Summary of the Definitions

To sum it up: whether we’re discussing sin or righteousness, the law of God is central to both. Righteousness is heads, sin (unrighteousness) is tails on the coin of God’s law.

Two Covenants

Having scriptural definitions of sin and righteousness, we are now in a position to evaluate the inspired teachings of the apostle Paul on this subject of the law.

Central to this discussion is remembering that there are two covenants mentioned in scripture. God “… hath made us able ministers of the new testament”, [the Greek word is diatheke, Strong’s G1242, the same word translated covenant in Luk 1:72, Act 3:25; Act 7:8; Rom 9:4 and Rom 11:27], “not of the letter but of the Spirit: for the letter killeth but the spirit giveth life” (2Co 3:6).

Paul is referring to the two covenants mentioned in…

Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Jer 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day [that] I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jer 31:33 But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts [in the spirit, not in the letter], and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Did you catch verse 32: “Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers…?” There is something different about this covenant. It is not according to the “letter but of the spirit” (2Co 3:6).

Verse 33 of Jeremiah 31 tells us that both covenants concern God’s law, but the difference is that in the new covenant there is more to it than simply “that which is written” (1C0 2:4). The writing involved in the new covenant is also “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts…” The “inward man” is the “mind and heart” (Heb 10:16) separate from the carnal mind (Rom 7:22 and Rom 8:7) and separate from the carnal commandment (Heb 7:6). The inward spiritual law isn’t abolished; it is actually “established” and fulfilled through Christ in us (Rom 3:31). The “letter” of the law, while being “abolished” for those “in Christ,” is established as the “schoolmaster” to bring us all to Christ.

What Does The Old Covenant Include?

Now we need to ask, exactly what is the Old Covenant that has been replaced by the new covenant? Does the Old Covenant include the ten commandments? Yes, it does! It is only the ten commandments that are called the “tables of the covenant”.

Deu 4:13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, [even] ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

Deu 9:11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, [that] the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, [even] the tables of the covenant.

We will pause here and continue our study next week.

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The Law of Moses Versus The Law of The Spirit – Part 2

Updated December 2, 2023

It seems today that many who call themselves Christians are so afraid that they will be accused of turning grace into lasciviousness, that they cannot agree with Paul that the “tables of stone” (2Co 3:3) are “the ministration of death” (2Co 3:7) and “the ministration of condemnation” (2Co 3:9).

2Co 3:7  But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
2Co 3:9  For if the ministration of condemnation  be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

It was the ten commandments which were written on two “tables of stone” that Moses had in his hands when he came down from the mount. It was the ten commandments of which Paul says “if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones was glorious…” (2Co 3:7). What was glorious is “that which was written and engraven in stones.”

The “glory of Moses’ countenance” was simply a reflection of the glory of that which was “written and engraven in stones” (vs 7). “But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious [this is the source of the glory], so that the children of Israel could not behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which… was to be done away. The King James bible has “…which glory was to be done away”, but the word “glory” is in italics. meaning it does not appear in the original Greek. Now verse 11 agrees with verse 7: “For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

2Co 3:11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

“Glorious” is an adjective describing “that which is done away.” The ministration of death written and engraven in stones was glorious and is done away. Until we see and agree with this statement by Paul, we will never fully see the “glory of that which remaineth.” Until we see and agree that “that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit we will never understand nor believe that flesh and blood IS corruption and cannot inherit the kingdom of God:

1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

The “law of Moses” is the law of God only in the same sense that the first Adam is called the “son of God” (Luk 3:38). Both are merely types and shadows of The True “law of God” and The True “Son of God” as John so clearly states:

Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

John is not telling us that the law of Moses is a lie, but he is telling us that it is merely a type and shadow of “the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2).

Gal 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Luk 3:38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

Until we acknowledge that the law of Moses is the ministration of death and condemnation, we will never see the difference between the glory of the ministration of condemnation and the “ministration of righteousness” (2Co 3). Until we acknowledge that the law of Moses is the ministration of death and condemnation we will never be capable of believing:“… that was not first which is spiritual [the law of love – Matthew 5], but that which is natural: [carnal old covenant law of Moses, the Ten commandments – Heb 7:16 and Deu 4:13] and AFTERWARD that which is spiritual” (1Co 15:46).

Speaking of the law, the first old covenant, we are told “…He taketh away the first that he might establish the second” (Heb 10:9). “The law [of Moses] is not made for a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient” (1Ti 1:9).

1Ti 1:8 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
1Ti 1:9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
1Ti 1:11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my [our] trust.

Heb 10:8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
Heb 10:9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

There have always been those who will turn the grace of God into lasciviousness (Jude 1:4), but we must not let this keep us from using a “form [Greek: hupotupōsis – pattern as in 1 Timothy 1:16] of sound words” (2Ti 1:13).

2Ti 1:13 Hold the pattern of sound words which thou hast heard from me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

Modern Arguments About The Law

Many today, perhaps afraid of appearing too liberal in their theology, do not believe that the ten commandments should ever be considered a part of the old covenant. “Surely”, they reason, “Paul is not saying that the Ten commandments are done away.”

The argument goes something like this:

“The only thing ‘abolished’, ‘done away’, ‘vanishing away’, ‘disannulled’ or ‘blotted out’ are the ceremonial laws regarding the sacrificial system. Christ has died for us so we no longer need those laws because Christ is the fulfillment of all those typical sacrifices. he death of Christ did not abolish or fulfill the laws regarding the Sabbaths or the laws regarding clean and unclean meats or any of the laws of restitution or tithing, etc. Oh, yes, Paul specifically states that circumcision is now of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter (flesh). If Paul does not specifically mention that a particular part of the old covenant has been fulfilled, we cannot take it upon ourselves to decide what has and what has not been ‘fulfilled’ and ‘done away’ or ‘abolished’, etc.”

This mindset concerning the law of Moses is the conventional (not scriptural) mind set which has bequeathed us our present fractured Christian world.

Arguing that “we can’t just decide for ourselves what part of the old covenant is ‘fulfilled’, ‘disannulled’, etc.,” much of Christendom has done just that. For example, some believe we should observe the seventh day Sabbath. For these folks, if you don’t do that, you are disobeying the fourth commandment. Others have replaced the seventh day with the first day of the week. The fact that they teach that you must be in church every Sunday and observe the days, months, times and years of the traditions of men does not equate to being under the law to those who are of that mindset (Gal 4:9-10 and Col 2:8 and 2:20).

Both schools of thought seem to agree that you still need to tithe. Some are more dogmatic about that than others.

Many, but not all, of the Sabbath keepers maintain that the Sabbath and the holy days and the laws of clean and unclean meats were given to Adam, and kept by Noah, Job and Abraham, and therefore are eternal and are not typical so are not fulfilled, or at least not yet fulfilled in Christ. Volumes could be written on the differences in doctrines concerning the law. Many if not all, denominations have been established based on slightly different or sometimes big differences of opinions concerning the law. Is there any truth to any of their arguments?

We Cannot Pick and Choose for Ourselves

It is True that is that we cannot pick and choose for ourselves what is and what is not “fulfilled” or “done away” in Christ (Deu 4:2, Deu 12:32, Jer 26:2, Rev 22:18-19). These scriptures make it clear that God does not take lightly our adding to or taking away from His Word:

Deu 4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish [ought] from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [ from] the things which are written in this book.

With this stern warning in mind, we think it best to agree with the Lord, the prophet (Jer 31:31-33) and the apostle (2Co 3:3-11) that the old covenant with all its glory has been replaced by the new covenant (Jer 31:31-33 and Heb 8:8-10); that the new covenant is “not according to” the old (Heb 8:9); that “that which is done away was glorious… and was “written and engraven in stones” (2Co 3:11 and 7); that the new is a “better covenant” (Heb 8:6); that the old “is ready to vanish away” (Heb 8:13) and “he taketh away the first, that He may establish the second” (Heb 10:9). He doesn’t parse (break apart) the covenant. It is all “done away” or “abolished” (Greek: katargeo) for those who are now “in Christ.”

Exactly What Was “Written…In Tables of Stone”?

In the Old Testament

2Co 3:11 says: “that which is done away was glorious.” Verse 7 tells us: “the administration of death written and engraven in stones was glorious…” The only question then becomes exactly what was “written… in tables of stone” (2Co 3:3)?

The phrase “tables of stone” appears twelve times in the Hebrew. Every time it appears, it refers to the ten commandments (Exo 24:12, Exo 31:18, Exo 34:1, Exo 34:4, Deu 4:13, Deu 5:22, Deu 9:9-11, Deu 10:1, 3, 1Ki 8:9).

Let’s quote just four of these scriptures which refer to the ten commandments as tables of stone.

Deu 4:13 And He [God] declared unto you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, even the ten commandments; and He wrote them upon two tables of stone.

Deu 9:9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone even the tables of the covenant which the Lord made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor drink water.
De. 9:10 The Lord delivered unto me the two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which Jehovah spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.
Deu 9:11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights that the Lord gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.

In the New Testament

The tables of stone are mentioned only two times in the New Testament.

2Co 3:3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

Heb 9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant.

The “tables of the covenant” were the ten commandments written on stone (Deu 4:13 and 9:11).

The Greek word for testament and covenant are the same – diatheke (Strong’s G1242). It is used 24 times in the new testament in direct reference to the new covenant. (Mat 26.28; Mar 14:24; Luk 22:20; Rom 11:27; 1Co 11:25; 2Co 3:6, 14; Gal 3:15, 17; Gal 4:24; Eph 2:12; Heb 7:22; Heb 8:6, 8-10; Heb 9:15-17, 20; Heb 10:16, 29; Heb 12:24; Heb 13:20; Rev 11:19).

The ten commandments are the heart and soul of the old covenant. All of the other statutes and judgments are based upon and rest upon them. Without the ten commandments there would be no old covenant.

If we want to be careful not to add to or take away from the word of God, we need to simply believe “In that he saith, a new covenant, he has made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away” (Heb 8:13). The ten commandments are the tables of stone of the (first) covenant (Deu 4:13).

A Schoolmaster is Needed in Every Generation

The old covenant was always intended to be our “schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Gal 3:24, 25). “But before faith comes, we are kept [Greek, ‘phroureo’, hemmed in with a garrison] under the law, shut up [Greek: sugkleio, shut up together] unto the faith that will afterward be revealed” (Gal 3:23). Because “the scripture hath concluded [sugleio, to shut up together] all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe” (Gal 3:22).

For Whom are the Ten Commandments Intended?

Those ‘hemmed in with a garrrison’ [‘phroureo’] “under the law” are those to whom the law is addressed. “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God” (Rom 3:19). “Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers” (1Ti 1:9). The Law is not for a righteous man!

Who are those who are “under the law”? As far as God is concerned it is “all the world” and they are “all… guilty before God” because the law (the ten commandments) is a “ministration of death” (2Co 3:7) and “the ministration of condemnation” (2Co 3:9). Why is that? Because the ten commandments were not designed for those who have God’s law of love written on their hearts.

Animal sacrifices were typical of the sacrifice of Christ (Heb 10:10-11). Christ’s death fulfilled that Old Testament type and shadow. Physical circumcision was typical of spiritual circumcision which fulfills that Old Testament law requiring physical circumcision, the type and shadow of “circumcision of the heart in the spirit” (Rom 2:29), and the ten commandments are typical of the spiritual laws first revealed by Christ to his disciples in Matthew 5 in His sermon on the mount. Christ’s “but I say unto you…” laws are now the spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament law of Moses which was a type and shadow of “the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2).

Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]:
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body [ is] of Christ.

It is the words of Christ, the body which is casting the shadow (not the law of Moses), that will judge us.

Joh 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken [not Moses], the same shall judge him in the last day.

Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? [Not Moses]

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Not Moses

None of these verses sre referring to the law of Moses. If they were, the sermon on the mount would never have needed to be delivered.

The Purpose for Types and Shadows

Shadows cannot perfect, and the first covenant is a shadow of the second. “For the law having a shadow of good things to come…” (Heb 10:1). Notice again, no parsing (taking apart and analyzing) of “the law”.

Heb 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

In Matthew 5, Christ is showing what the 10 commandments foreshadowed. Six times he says “You have heard it said of old time”, then he quotes either the ten commandments or the law of Moses. It was all the same to Christ.

The first two “you have heard that it was said by them of old time” concerned the sixth and seventh commandments. The last four concerned statutes and judgments. All had already “waxed old and were ready to vanish away” (Heb 8:13).

Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

In Romans 2, Paul is calling the Jewish believers to task for judging the Gentile believers who “have not the law, but do by nature the things contained in the law” (Rom 2:14). Paul is talking about the Old Testament laws which were also in the laws of Hammurabi. Laws forbidding murder, adultery, stealing and dishonoring parents. The Jews thought that because they had the law of Moses, they alone had the truth.

Rom 2:17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
Rom 2:18 And knowest [his] will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
Rom 2:19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
Rom 2:20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.

The old covenant, which includes the ten commandments (Deu 4:13), was a “form of knowledge and of the truth”.

The Greek word for form is morphosis (Strong’s G3446) and is used only twice in the New Testament. The only other appearance is in 2 Timothy 3:5. In verse one, Paul is telling us what it will be like “in the last days” (vs 2). “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy…”. Then in verse 5, he says “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” Paul informs us that the law of Moses is but a mere “form of knowledge” in the same sense that the Jews have “a form of godliness [which] denys the power thereof”, and he commands us to “turn away” from such empty types and shadows, and embrace “the Truth”.

Paul informs us “if ye be physically circumcised only Christ will profit you nothing” (Gal 5:2).

Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

The very next verse lets us know what Paul means by the phrase “the yoke of bondage”:

Gal 5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be [physically] circumcised [only], Christ shall profit you nothing.

Now Paul was circumcised and goes on to tell the Corinthians that “circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God” [is everything] (1Co 7:19).

1Co 7:19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. [is everything]

Don’t let anyone tell you Paul did not believe in commandment keeping. Neither should you be deceived into believing that “commandments of God” here in 1 Corinthians 7:19 are the ten commandments of the old covenant (Deu 4:13, Exo 20). “For I testify again to every man that is circumcised that he is a debtor to do the whole law” (Gal 5:3). “Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them” (Gal 3:10).

Circumcision is as much a part of the Old Covenant as the ten commandments, and the ten commandments are the heart and soul of the old covenant (Deu 4:13). THERE IS NO SCRIPTURE WHICH SEPARATES or PARSES THE LAW. IT IS “THE BOOK OF THE LAW” (Gal 3:10), AND if we are “under the law” then we are “A DEBTOR TO DO THE WHOLE LAW”:

Gal 5:3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

The “whole law” and “the book of the law” is a mere “form of the knowledge and of the truth”. It is “a yoke… which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear” (Act 15:10).

What Paul is saying is that if we mistake the outward ritual of circumcision for the spiritual reality that “Christ will profit you nothing.” The same is true for Sabbath and holy day observance.

The weekly Sabbath and all the holy days are mere forms of Christ, just as surely as animal sacrifices were mere forms, shadows and types.

Surely no Christian would sacrifice animals and expect animal blood to cover and hide their sins. Why? Because “Christ is our Passover”. Paul did not physically keep the feast once a year with physical bread after the revelation he was given in Ephesians two:

Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Paul put sin out of his life every day all year long. He then kept the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1Co 5:8).

Let us get away from ‘forms’. Let us “keep the feast” not literally once a year, but daily with “the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

Let’s forsake the form of a Sabbath of one in seven and remain in our sabbatismos 24 hours a day seven days a week, for we which have believed do enter into rest…

Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God [did] from his.

“For he that hath entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works” every day. Remember, forms “deny the power thereof” because they are all just ‘forms’ of Christ. Let’s trade in the old passing, powerless form for the permanent, powerful reality of Christ through whom we can do all things and conquer sin all the time.

Matthew 5 reveals to us that the 10 commandments are a morphosis, a form of godliness, not the spirit or power of godliness that Christ is revealing here for the first time. If this is not so, then there would have been no need for the “sermon on the mount”.

The believing Jews who were attempting to Judahize Paul’s Gentile converts, were concerned with the letter of the law and an outward visible show of righteousness and obedience. They wanted the Gentiles to be circumcised (Act 15:1), to observe the holy days (Col 2:15) and to keep the law of Moses (Act 15:5). It was not given to them to see (Mat 13:13) that circumcision must be of the heart (Lev 26:41). They may have realized that the Messiah was to be rejected (Isa 53:3), but they did not see that he was to be a reformer like Moses (Deu 18:15, Heb 9:10).

Yet it was all there in the “law and the prophets” for those who were given “eyes to see and ears to hear” (Mat 13:13). The purpose all the types and shadows serve, being part of the law, is as a “schoolmaster to bring us to Christ” (Gal 3:24).

What are “Good Things to Come”?

“For the law, (notice it simply says “the law”, not any particular part of it; the whole law) having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered, make the comers thereunto perfect” (Heb 10:1).

As with Hebrews 7:12, which some say refers only to the laws pertaining to the priesthood, here also many will argue that this refers only to the laws concerning the animal sacrifices.

It is not any particular part of the old covenant that is being replaced; it is all of the… old” covenant that is “ready to vanish away” (Heb 8:13). So if “the law” is simply “a shadow [a form] of good things to come, and not the very image of the things”, then what is “the very image that makes the comers thereunto perfect” (Heb 10:1)?

When our eyes are opened, and we are given ears that hear, the Bible becomes amazingly simple and pleasantly redundant in its simplicity: “let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: [all part and parcel of the old “vanishing” covenant] which are a shadow of things to come; but the body [casting that shadow] is of Christ.” Once again, they all pointed to Christ who is the center of all scripture (Col 1:19).

Again we ask, what is the “old covenant”? The answer is the same: “And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; [the ones superceded by Christ in Matthew 5] and he wrote them upon two tables of stone” (Deu 4:13). These are the tables and the stones referred to in 2Co 3:3, 7 and 11). The ten commandments are the foundation of the law of Moses.

Mixing The Old Covenant With The New Covenant

We cannot dissect the old covenant and use or discard its parts at random. It is all or none at all. We dare not mix the old with the new. Mat 9:16-17, “No man putteth a piece of new cloth into an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.” I think we all realize that Jesus is not speaking of literal cloths and wine bottles. He is telling us to let the law bring us to Christ and then come out from under that schoolmaster, thereby ‘preserving both’.

It is hard to give up the flesh (the letter of the law). It seems so right, so good to us. Old wine will always taste more mellow to the carnal mind. Christ predicted that this “time of reformation,” this “new covenant,” would not be well received. That is as true today as it has ever been. Here is Christ telling us that the new covenant will be rejected by His people for the old: “No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better” (Luk 5:39). That statement was made to “the disciples of John and of the Pharisees” (Mar 2:18, Luk 5:33), because until this day, it is their disciples who want to go back to the law of Moses.

Keeping the old covenant laws and the ten commandments may seem like the right thing to do (Act 15:5 – “But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”), however, unless we repent of breaking these new commandments of our Lord, just like the men on whom the tower of Siloam fell, “… ye shall all likewise PERISH” (Luk 13:4-5). Mixing the new with the old does not work. It makes things worse. In fact, Jesus said, “they PERISH”! So notice what Paul tells us regarding circumcision: “I testify to every man that is circumcised” [or keeps the holy days, or the clean and unclean food laws, or tithing, etc. etc.] “that he is a debtor to do the whole law” (Gal 5:3).

Upon what scripture therefore, have some decided that, yes, circumcision is no longer needed, but the holy days, tithing, clean and unclean meat laws, etc. etc. are to be observed? It is the “whole law” that must either be kept or it is all “things written in the book of the law” that are “done away” and “disannulled” but only after the law brings us to Christ (Heb 7:18).

Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Circumcision is a type and shadow of putting off the flesh and being given a new heart: “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ [Christ living his life in us] (Gal 2:22, Col 2:11). The type, physical circumcision, has been rejected for the reality, Christ in us.

Who Is Now ‘The Circumcision?’

Php 3:3 For we [those in Christ] are the circumcision, which worship God in spirit, and rejoice in Christ and have no confidence in the flesh [such as being a physical descendant of Abraham].

This is what Paul means when he says “though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more” (2Co 5:16). Paul is not saying that we are no longer to acknowledge Christ’s teaching given while He was in the flesh. To the contrary, he says “if any man… consent not to… the words of our Lord Jesus Christ… he is proud, knowing nothing” (1Ti 6:3). What Paul is saying is that the type, the shadow… being born of David after the flesh, physically being Abraham’s natural seed after the flesh, now no longer matters. Yes, the natural is always first (1Co 15:46). Once it is fulfilled, it “waxeth old [and] is ready to vanish away” being replaced by the spiritual reality which the type and shadow always precedes (Heb 8:13).

Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither [is that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29 But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.

The Proper Use of New Covenant Liberties

On what scriptural grounds do we tend to think that part of the law (circumcision) is fulfilled in Christ, but that the rest of the law is not? Paul had no such doctrine. Yes, he did “become a Jew to the Jew, and under the law to them that are under the law”, but not because those types and shadows were necessary, but simply “that I might gain the Jew” and that “I might gain them that are under the law” (1Co 9:20). When Paul says, “… I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem…” (Act 18:21),

Act 15:5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
Act 15:6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
Act 15:7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
Act 15:8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
Act 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
Act 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
Act 15:11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

Peter rightfully observed that what he had experienced in the house of the Gentile Roman centurion, Cornelius, demonstrated that the Lord had “put no difference between us (Jews) and them (Gentiles) purifying their hearts by faith”. Having made this very legitimate point the holy spirit still had made the decision that it was not yet time to tell this to the Jewish Christians because they could not yet bear this part of the doctrine of Christ:

Joh 16:12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

It wasn’t that he esteemed it necessary for salvation, but rather “and this I do for the gospel’s sake…” (1Co 9:23).

We should all follow Paul’s example and tolerate those who are “weak in the faith” (Rom 14:1). One Christian may eat things not eaten by another (vs 2 and 3). Another Christian may observe holy days, while another doesn’t (yes, holy days were “esteemed” above other days). What is Paul’s advice? “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind (Rom 14:5). To his own master (God) he standeth or falleth” (vs 4).

How did Paul really feel about clean and unclean meat laws?

Rom 14:14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that [there is] nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him [it is] unclean.
Rom 14:15 But if thy brother be grieved with [thy] meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
Rom 14:16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

So exactly how do we decide how to conduct ourselves among other brothers whose spiritual development differs from ours?

Rom 14:18 For he that in these things serveth Christ [is] acceptable to God, and approved of men.

How do we serve Christ?

Mat 25:40 … Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me.

Therefore the way to “serve Christ” is to become a “servant” to your brother: “And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all” (Mar 10:44). We must not allow our liberty to “become a stumbling block” to our brothers (1Co 8:9). Understanding the liberties inherent in the new covenant is good as long as we do not become puffed up with our “superior knowledge”.

1Co 8:1 … Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.

Eat meat with those who eat meat, herbs with those who eat herbs. Become “all things to all men that you might by all means save some” (1Co 9:22).

1Co 8:9 But take heed lest this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak [in the faith]

Rom 14:12 Everyone of us shall give account of himself to God.
Rom 14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.
Rom 14:14 I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: [Gen 9:3 “… everything that moves is food for you…”], but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

“The kingdom of God…is righteousness…” sends many folks, oblivious to the whole point of Matthew 5, right back to the commandments of God for carnal Israel. “All your commandments are righteousness” (Psa 119:172) they quote, blithely unaware that the same God who commanded carnal Israel to take an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth changed that command to “But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite you on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Mat 5:38-39).

Yes, “all thy commandments are righteousness”, but Christ did not say “Why call ye me Lord, Lord and do not the things in the law or the Torah”. What he did say was “Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say” (Luk 6:46).

Christ did not say “Whosoever cometh to me, and keepeth the Torah or the laws I gave to Moses…” What he did say was “Whosoever cometh to me and heareth MY saying and DOETH them…is like a man which built an house…upon a rock” (Luk 6:47).

Anyone who thinks that “love your enemy” is obeying the law of Moses doesn’t know the law of Moses. Anyone who thinks that “except for fornication” is in the law of Moses, hasn’t read the law of Moses. Anyone who thinks “don’t look on a woman to lust after her” is in Torah doesn’t know Torah. Anyone who thinks that gathering corn to eat on the Sabbath and telling a man to take up his bed on the Sabbath are not breaking the Sabbath, simply hasn’t read the old covenant laws (Num 15:33-35; Exo16:5; Jer 17:21-22).

Christ did not do these things because they were permitted in the “spirit of the law which had been lost in the traditions of the elder.” He did them to demonstrate “that he was greater than the temple and He was Lord also of the Sabbath” (Luk 6:5).

Christ, like Moses, was a reformer and a law-giver. “The Lord your God will raise up unto you a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren like unto me; unto Him ye shall hearken” (Deu 18:15). “Which [tabernacle of Moses] stood only in meats and drinks and…carnal ordinances, imposed on them UNTIL [but only until] the time of REFORMATION…Christ being come” (Heb 9:10 and 11).

Jesus Christ, for the first time in history, brought a spiritual (not a letter) law (Rom 7:6, 14 and Matthew 5). “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Mat 5:27) is letter law; “Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Mat 5:28) is spiritual law. “All these have I kept from my youth up” (Mat 19:20) and “… touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Php 3:6) are statements made by the rich young ruler and Apostle Paul respectively. Yet Christ says they were ‘lacking’ while keeping these laws (Luk 18:22). It is the “newness of spirit” primarily (Rom 7:6), that the carnal mind “cannot be subject to” (Rom 8:7). One can keep the ten commandments from his youth up and be blameless in “the law”, yet violate the “newness of spirit” (Rom 7:6), “the law of God” which is “inward” (Rom 7:22).

You can refrain from murder, adultery and love your neighbor, and still be carnal. But you cannot refrain from hate and lust and love your enemies and still be carnal. It is the spiritual law, not the ten commandments, not the letter of the law, that butns up torments and troubles the carnal mind.

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Law of Moses versus the Law of the Spirit – Part 3

Updated December 9, 2023

Types and Shadows

Four times in scripture we are told that, in the eyes of God, things are not as they appear to us. Scripturally speaking the spiritual is REAL; the flesh is only the TYPE.

1. “Abraham’s (physical) seed” is not “Abraham’s (real) children”. In John 8:38 Christ says “I know you are Abraham’s seed…”, yet two verses later He denies that they are really His seed by saying: “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham” (vs 39). Then Christ tells the Jews that their real father is the devil:

Joh 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
Joh 8:38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
Joh 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
Joh 8:40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

2. Jews are not Jews: “He is not a Jew which is one outwardly…but he is a Jew which is one inwardly…” (Rom 2:28 and 29).

Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

3. Circumcision isn’t really circumcision: “… Neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter…”

Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

4. Physical Israel is not ‘Israel.’ “That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children [Israel] of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed” (Rom 9:4).

Rom 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

Gal 4:28 Now we, brethren (Gentile Galatians, you and I], as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Gal 4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

Gal 6:15 Certainly, it doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
Gal 6:16 Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God. (GWV)

The first chapter of the book of Romans tells us to whom the book is addressed and what its subject is. The book of Romans is written to the Gentile Christians in Rome.

Rom 1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 1:13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

It was also addressed to Jews who lived among the Gentiles. Catholic doctrine notwithstanding, we have no record or indication that any apostle other than Paul had gone to Rome before Paul. The church at Rome was established by Jews who had attended the feast of Pentecost when the holy spirit was first given to 120 Jewish followers of Christ:

Act 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Act 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Act 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Act 2:6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
Act 2:7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
Act 2:8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Act 2:9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Act 2:10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
Act 2:11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

There were three thousand converts added to the church on that first day of Pentecost. This is the flip side of what happened on the first Pentecost in the Old Testament when three thousand men died at the making and worshiping of the golden calf. The contrast between these two Pentecost festivals signifies the contrast between “the ministration of death” which was the law of Moses, versus “the ministration of the spirit”, the words of Christ, which “are spirit and… life” (Joh 6:63). The holy spirit calls the words of Christ “the law of the spirit.” Here is that contrast:

Exo 32:25  And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)
Exo 32:26  Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
Exo 32:27  And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.
Exo 32:28  And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 2:39  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Act 2:40  And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
Act 2:41  Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

The Lord’s words are sent “both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians …both…wise, and unwise”:

Rom 1:14 I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
Rom 1:15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

The Greeks considered anyone who was not Greek to be a ‘Barbarian’, just as the physical Jews considered anyone who was not Jewish to be a ‘Greek’:

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just [whether Jew or Greek] shall live by faith.

There were no Gentiles in the church at the time of the giving of the holy spirit on the day of Pentecost in Acts 6. This strongly suggests that the church at Rome was established by Jews who were converted on that day when the Christian church was birthed, and the holy spirit was first gifted to mankind.

The subject of the book of Romans concerns the “ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” (vs 18):

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

The Greek word translated as ‘hold’ in verse 18 is G2722, ‘katecho’, and it means to hold back or detain, and restrain The Truth:

G2722, Original: κατέχω
– Transliteration: Katecho
– Phonetic: kat-ekh’-o
– Definition:
1. to hold back, detain, retain
a. from going away
b. to restrain, hinder (the course or progress of)

This is the same Greek word translated as ‘withholdeth’ and ‘letteth’ in these two verses:

2Th 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth [G2722: ‘katecho’, holds back the Truth] that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [G2722: ‘katecho’] will let [continue to hold back the Truth], until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Those who “withhold… The Truth in unrighteousness” we are told are men who “knew God, (but) they glorified him not as God …but… changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image… like corruptible man… who changed the truth of God into a lie … who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death (yet they) not only do the same but have pleasure in them that do them” (Rom 1:18-32).

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful;
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Rom 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Rom 1:26 For this cause God gave them up [Aorist tense, as true today as it has ever been] unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
Rom 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. [Lives of misery]
Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Rom 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Rom 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Will anyone reading of those who were “holding (back) the truth” who “knew God but glorified Him not as God”, who know “the judgment of God” yet “have pleasure in them that… God has given over to a reprobate mind…” not agree with Paul as to who these men are? Notice who Paul says they are… “Behold you are called a Jew, and rest in the law, and make your boast of God, and knowest His will, and [are] … instructed out of the law…” (Rom 2:17-18). The rest of chapter 2 is a verbal reprimand to the Jews (who were God’s people, the church of that day – Act 7:38) for their hypocrisy. It concludes with a new revelation:

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Being Jewish and being circumcised is no longer a matter of the flesh as it had been. It is now, because of the arrival, death, and resurrection and the “time of reformation” of the Messiah, being ‘Jewish’ and being ‘circumcised’, a spiritual matter, a matter of a spiritual change, a change of heart, a change of mind and spirit (vs 28 and 29).

While it is overly brief, it is not one bit inaccurate to say that the rest of the entire book of Romans deals with this change revealed in chapter two: “He is NOT a Jew which is one outwardly… He IS a Jew which is one inwardly…”

“… NEITHER is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh… circumcision IS that of the heart, in the Spirit… There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit… the spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we [Gentiles, not physical Jews] are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Rom 8:1, 16, 17).

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

In Romans 9, Paul lets us know that while he has acknowledged the wisdom and sovereignty of God, just like Abraham with Ishmael, he is grieved for “my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Rom 9:3).

Rom 9:1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
Rom 9:2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
Rom 9:3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

In Genesis 16 Abram and Sarai conspire to help God accomplish His promise to Abram to make of him a great nation.

In Genesis 17 God reveals to Abraham that the seed that would be the heir was not Ishmael. Abraham’s response was identical to that of Paul upon learning that his “kinsmen according to the flesh” had been “broken off” and replaced by the “children of promise” (Gal 4:28). We are not called the sons of Isaac because we are told that we, as Isaac, are “the children of the promise”. Why would someone who IS as Isaac be called his son? We are sons of Abraham as was Isaac, and therefore, heirs of the promise as was Isaac. “O, that Ishmael might live before thee” (vs. 18), was Abraham’s response. In chapter 21, Sarah bears Isaac, “… and she (Sarah) said unto Abraham, cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with… Isaac” (vs. 10). “And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son” (Ishmael). Ishmael was Abraham’s son, his “kinsman according to the flesh”. “And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.”

This is exactly what Paul is experiencing in Romans 9: “I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart… for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (vs 2 and 3). This is what we experience as we see our fellow Christians succumbing to falsehoods and deceits, and like Abraham we hate the fact that we are being told that our loved ones who had known God are now mocking and persecuting those who are “born of promise.”

Gen 21:8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
Gen 21:9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.
Gen 21:10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
Gen 21:11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.
Gen 21:12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Gal 4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

The ‘Ishmaels’ and the ‘Judases‘ among us mock and persecute us and are not serious about doing the things Christ tells us to do. They want to eat their own food and wear their own self-righteous apparel, and yet continue to call Christ “Lord, Lord.”

Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Luk 6:47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
Luk 6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Luk 6:49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

If we fail to see that it is the Christian church which is typified by “the [Jewish] church in the wilderness”, then we will get nothing out of any of the gospels, the epistles of Paul or any of the other writers of the New Testament, including the book of Revelation.

We must come to see that when Paul said…

2Ti 1:15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.

…that “they which are in Asia” are “the seven churches of Asia” to whom the entire “revelation of Jesus Christ” is addressed:

Rev 1:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Rev 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Rev 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

The number ‘seven’ signifies that which is complete, and the only thing complete about the seven churches of Asia, for “he that hath an ear”, is that their apostasy is complete. Except for “a very small remnant” the church will remain in apostasy and in opposition to the doctrines of Christ, waxing worse and worse, until the Lord’s appearing “with the voice of the arch angel and with the trump of God” to establish His physical outward kingdom over all “the kingdoms of this world.”

Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Isa 1:9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we [the “few chosen”] should have been as Sodom, and we [the “few chosen” of the Christian church] should have been like unto Gomorrah.

This is the very condition of His church which Christ foresaw when He answered the apostles’ question:

Mat 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world [G165: ‘aion’, age]?

Christ’s answer to this question is contained in Matthew 24:

Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
Mat 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Luke 17, which corresponds to Matthew 24, adds these words of admonition for us:

Luk 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
Luk 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
Luk 17:30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

The answer continues into Luke 18 where Christ wraps up His answer in respect to what will be the sign of His coming and of the end of this age:

Luk 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
Luk 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Christ will find faith because we are promised “the gates of hell [Greek: ‘hades’, the grave] shall not prevail against [His church].”

Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Nevertheless, these three answers tell us that the true followers of Jesus who have built their house upon the Rock, will not be numbered in the billions. Indeed, their numbers will be “as in the days of Noah… as in the days of Lot… a very small remnant.” The billions of professing Christians of today who say ‘Lord, Lord but do not do the things that [He] says” (Luk 6:46) signify the multitudes who come to Christ, listen to His parables, but are “not given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.”

Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them [the multitudes, vs 2] in parables?
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

The billions of rebellious, blinded Christians are “all they in Asia… the seven churches of Asia… Babylon the great the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth.”

Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

The daughters of this great whore are also referred to in scripture as “the son of the bondwoman” of whom we are told “the son of the bondwoman shall not be made heir with the son of the freewoman”, the Lord’s elect.

Why is Paul grieved for “my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites…” (Rom 9:3-4)?

Rom 9:1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
Rom 9:2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
Rom 9:3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
Rom 9:4 Who are [physical] Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
Rom 9:5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

Paul is grieved because he has just told us of the change which is the reformation that takes place upon the arrival of Christ. Being a Jew and being circumcised is now no longer “according to the flesh.” Being an ‘Israelite’ and being ‘circumcised’ is now a matter of being circumcised in the spirit and not in the letter. It is now ‘of promise’ and not of physical descent. Being a Jew and being circumcised is now a matter “of faith” and “of the spirit” (Rom 2:28-29). “He is NOT a Jew which is one outwardly.” Paul is grieved because he has been made painfully aware that ‘his kinsmen according to the flesh’ for the most part have rejected and are still rejecting all these spiritual Truths (Rom 2:28-29).

Here in Romans 9, speaking of his “kinsmen according to the flesh” who are the physical descendants of Isaac, Paul again says: “They are not all Israel which are of Israel” (vs 6). “… that is, they which are the children of the flesh (my kinsmen according to the flesh – vs 3) THESE ARE NOT THE CHILDREN OF GOD;… that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calleth” (Rom 9:8, 11).

Rom 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Rom 9:9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.
Rom 9:10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
Rom 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Rom 9:12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
Rom 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

In chapter 10 we are told: “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved” (vs 12, 13).

Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Aren’t the Jews, modern Israel, still God’s chosen people? Aren’t “the gifts and calling of God without repentance” (Rom 11:29)?

Rom 11:26 And so all [physical] Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Rom 11:28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.
Rom 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

Do not those verses prove that the Jews will be converted after the rapture and rule with us here on the earth as so many of the ministers of Babylon teach?

The answer is, “There is no ‘rapture’ and “the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman” (Gal 4:30).” Yes, “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance”, and yes, “all Israel (my kinsmen according to the flesh) shall be saved”, but “every man in his own order”. It is therefore very important that we know the order in which the scriptures tell us that the outward state of Israel and outward Jews will be saved. The scriptures give us that order if we are given eyes that see and ears that hear.

In this present time, we are told… “they are not… Israel (spiritually) which are of Israel” (physically)… neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children” of God right now. That is, “they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of promise are counted for the seed” (Rom 9:6-8). What we are being told is that anyone who rejects Christ and His doctrines is “not a [spiritual] Jew”, and in God’s eyes is simply “not a Jew.”

Rom 9:6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
Rom 9:7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Rom 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

No, Israel “according to the flesh” will not be reigning on the earth with the saints during the millennium.

How can we know that physical Israel will not reign with the saints? Because Paul tells us that “Hagar (not Sarah) answers to Jerusalem that now is and is in bondage with her children” (Gal 4:25). Hagar and Ishmael are “of the flesh” and “flesh… cannot inherit the kingdom of God”. “Now we brethren (Gentile Galatians) as Isaac was are the children of promise, but as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit, even so it is now” (vs 29). Did you catch that? The Gentile Galatians are “as Isaac was… the children of promise.” They are the same “children of the promise… counted for the seed” of Rom 9:8. And Rom 9:8 also says “They which are the children of the flesh (physical descendants of Isaac) ARE NOT THE CHILDREN OF GOD…”

Rom 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

Notice how Galatians 4 harmonized with Romans 9: “nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son (Jews and Israelites who are not in Christ): for the son of the bondwoman (Jerusalem that now is in bondage – vs 25) shall not be heir with the son of the free woman” (Gal 4:30).

Gal 4:21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
Gal 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Gal 4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all [who are in Christ whether Jew or Gentile].
Gal 4:27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
Gal 4:28 Now we, brethren [Gentile Galatians], as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Gal 4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh [Ishmael, the son of the bondwoman, Jerudalem which now is] persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Gal 4:30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son [Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children]: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. [Physical Israel will not be heir with the Lord’s elect]
Gal 4:31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Who is the true spiritual Israel counted for the seed of Abraham? “So then brethren, we [Gentile Galatians] are NOT the children of the bondwoman, but [WE are the children] of the free” (vs 31). “… If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promises” (Gal 3:29). “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but [what does avail much is] a new creature. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel” (Rom 9:6). “And as many as walk according to this rule [that physical parentage and fleshly circumcision avail nothing, but being in Christ makes us the spiritual circumcision and spiritual Israelites], peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God” (Gal 6:16).

Gal 6:15 Certainly, it doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
Gal 6:16 Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God. (GWV)

The Israel “according to the flesh” of Romans 9:3-4 is opposed to the “Israel of God” of Galatians 6:16.

The “son” of the Israel “according to the flesh” will not be made heir with the son of the Israel of God. “Israel [according to the flesh] hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it.” “The election [the Israel of God] has obtained that which Israel [according to the flesh] had sought (Rom 11:7).

Rom 11:7 What then? [Physical, natural] Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
Rom 11:8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day [unto our day also].

That’s why Paul says of the “Israel of God”, those who are in Christ, “Do ye not know the saints shall judge the world… know ye not that we shall judge angels… (1Co 6:2-3)?

Those in Christ will judge angels AND the world; and will “not be heir” with the son of the bondwoman.

Gal 4:30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Gal 4:31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

The question remains, When will ‘Israel according to the flesh… the son of the bondwoman’, ‘all [physical] Israel’ be saved? We will answer that question in depth in our next study.

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Audio Download

The Law of Moses versus the Law of the Spirit – Part 4

Updated December 15, 2023

We concluded our last study with the understanding that the bondwoman, Hagar, and her son Ishmael, “answer to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children”:

Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

Yet we have also been told by the holy spirit that at the Lord’s appointed time “all Israel shall be saved”, because “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance”:

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Rom 11:28  As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.
Rom 11:29  For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

God’s gifts and calling of God being without repentance does not tie His hands so He cannot judge each of us according to our works and cause us to reap what we sow. Christ being rejected by His own physical flesh gives Him the occasion He is seeking to judge His own people by “blinding [them]… until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in”. Now that we have been told that physical Israel’s blindness will last “until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in”, it becomes very important for us to know when the fullness of the Gentiles will come in. The very next verse firmly asserts that the Lord has still blinded Abraham’s physical descendants:

Rom 11:30  For as ye [Gentile Romans] in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: [Through physical Israel’s unbelief – vs 25-26]

By giving His mercy to the Gentiles, the Lord is also giving His gifts and calling and promises to the Gentiles by giving us a spiritually circumcised heart and ‘eyes that see and ears that hear the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.’ In doing all that, the Lord is seeking to “provoke physical Israel to jealousy” and thereby save a few of them as Paul states in both Romans 10 and 11.

Rom 10:19  But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.

Rom 11:11  I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

Where does Paul come up with all these doctrines declaring that all Israel will not be saved until the fullness of the Gentiles comes, and that God is provoking Israel to jealousy by giving His gifts, calling and promises to the Gentiles??? The answer is that Paul has simply been given eyes that see and ears that hear what has already been written many hundreds of years earlier in the Old Testament. We just read in Romans 10:19 that it was Moses who prophesied that the Lord would “provoke [Israel] to jealousy by them that are no people and by a foolish nation…” Nevertheless, where does Paul get the idea that “the whole house of Israel” and the vision of the valley of dry bones will not be fulfilled “until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in?” Is Paul “speaking above that which is written” after warning us we must never do such a thing? No, Paul is not speaking above that which is written, rather He is simply affirming these words of the 16^th chapter of Ezekiel:

Eze 16:53  When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:
Eze 16:54  That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them.
Eze 16:55  When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

So much for the monstrous, despicable and blasphemous false doctrine of an eternally burning ‘hell’ where we are told that a loving heavenly Father whose “mercies endure forever”, a statement that is repeated in all 26 verses of Psalms 136, will torment His hapless, weak, “shapen in iniquity… conceived in sin” creatures (Psa 51:5) for all eternity with no hope of learning and being brought to repentance and to life. Here we have the Lord Himself telling us that when He brings Sodom to Himself, “then will I bring again the captivity of [Israel] in the midst of [Sodom] (Eze 16 53). He repeats this fact in verse 55:

Eze 16:55  When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

“Return to their former estate” is Bible-speak for God devising means that His banished be not expelled from him:

2Sa 14:14  For we [all] must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.

There it all is, right there in the Old Testament all along. All these words from the apostle’s pen are verified in Ezekiel 16 concerning the salvation of Sodom and Samaria, and in Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones in chapter 37. Ezekiel is told “these bones are the whole house of Israel” who say, “our hope is lost, we are cut off” yet the Lord says He will ‘open their graves and place His spirit within them’:

Eze 37:11  Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
Eze 37:12  Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
Eze 37:13  And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
Eze 37:14  And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

Here we have the statement that “the whole house of Israel”, or as Paul words it… “all Israel shall be saved… when I have opened your graves”.

Now all we need to know is the timeline which the scriptures do give us for when the Lord will open the graves of “the whole house of Israel.” Paul tells us that this momentous event related to us in Ezekiel 37 and the opening of the graves of “the whole house of Israel” will take place “when the fulness of the Gentiles be come in… so, all Israel shall be saved…” (Eze 37:25, Rom 11:25-26):

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

The fullness of the Gentiles means all mankind who were not granted to be part of those who are the first to be resurrected in what Christ calls “the resurrection of life”:

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [G2920: ‘Krisis’, judgment].

The ‘resurrection of life’ is called “the… blessed and holy… first resurrection”:

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

If there is a “first resurrection” then there must also be a second resurrection, and since “judgment must begin at the house of God” in this present life, and since Christ said that all the rest of mankind will “come forth… unto the resurrection of judgment”, it is obvious that “the resurrection of judgment” is the second resurrection. The King James translation calls it “the resurrection of damnation” just to make it fit in with their false doctrine of an eternal burning hell.

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [G2920: ‘Krisis’, judgment].

In 1 Peter 4:17, we are told that “the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.” However, the fact that it “first begins with us” necessitates that it will, at the appointed time, pass upon all others at the second resurrection. Christ said “all that are in their graves” must “come forth… unto… judgment”.

What exactly does ‘judgment’ accomplish? Does ‘judgment’ produce “eternal damnation” as most of the churches of Babylon teach? The answer is that nothing could be further from what the scriptures teach, which is:

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

This accords with Paul’s doctrine that the “fire” of the Lord will save “every man”:

1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

We are all “saved… by fire”. The ‘fire’ of scripture does not torment for all eternity, rather “[we] shall be saved… by fire”. Even those in that “blessed and holy… first resurrection” are saved only through “fiery trials”:

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed [at that “blessed and holy… first resurrection], ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

With all of this in mind, let’s remember that it is only “when the fullness of the Gentiles be come in” that all Israel… the whole house of Israel… shall be saved, as Paul declared. Will the “fire” be a factor in the fulfillment of Ezekiel 16 and Ezekiel 37?

Eze 16:55  When thy sisters Sodom and her daughters shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, THEN thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

Eze 37:11  Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.

“Return to your former estate” is Bible-speak for being delivered from one’s enemies, and we are told that “the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”

1Co 15:26  The last enemy  that shall be destroyed is death.

Is the ‘fire’ of scripture in any way associated with the destruction of death? We will see that it is very much associated with the destruction of the last enemy, death.

Is there a scholar anywhere who doesn’t agree that the perverted Sodomites will be raised in the second resurrection, also known as the “Great White Throne… judgment”, where all the dead are judged and all whose names are not in the book of life will be cast into the “lake of fire” (Rev 20:12-15)? The “lake of fire” is where “all Israel shall be saved”, and it will be at the time of the lake of fire that the “whole house” of physical Israel will be “brought… up out of [their] graves” and restored to their “former estate.” Unconverted physical Israel “shall be saved… by fire… when the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” at the time of “the lake of fire”.

Eze 37:13  And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Here is the scriptural timeline for the destruction of death and the fullness of the Gentiles:

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever [the ages of the ages].
Rev 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life [over a thousand years earlier] was cast into the lake of fire.

Until this present time, physical Israel who even now reject Christ as their Savior, has served as “a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things…” (Heb 10:1). In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul gives us a brief synopsis of Israel’s history of rebellion against God while wandering in the wilderness. In verse 6, he says: “Now these things were our examples…” Again, in verse 11: “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples”.

“Example” and “ensample” are both translated from the same Greek word, ‘tupos’ (Strong’s G5179).

The holy spirit is telling us that the entire history of “Israel after the flesh” (1Co 10:18), including the giving of the law, is a tupos or a type of the “Israel of God” of Galatians 6:16. “The law (had) a shadow of good things to come” (Heb 10:1) which “good things to come” are the spiritual inheritance, the spiritual promises and the spiritual gifts which are given to all who are “in Christ” and who abide in His doctrines. The inheritance and promises made to Abraham are now those things possessed by those who are “in Christ…. [in] this present time” regardless of their pedigree. Those who believe in Christ are now “the Israel of God”, and those who do not believe in Christ are called by the holy spirit “unbelievers” even if they are physically descended from Abraham. This is what Paul tells us of all such unbelievers:

2Co 6:14  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
2Co 6:15  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Gal 3:29  And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

It is they that “are Christ’s… [who are now] the “sons and daughters” of our heavenly Father. Abraham’s spiritual seed has been “graffed in” to the “root and fatness of The Olive Tree” which signifies Christ. As such, even Gentiles who are in Christ are now “heirs according to the promise” including the promise that “I will bless them that bless thee, and I will curse them that curse thee”.

Gen 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

It is only through the Lord’s elect that the families of the earth will be blessed. It is only the elect who will rule with Christ a thousand years and judge angels in the lake of fire (1Co 6:2-3, Rev 20:6). That promise has no application at all to “those who say they are Jews and are not” (Rev 2:9, Rev 3:9). That promise does not apply to those we are plainly told “are not [spiritual] Jews” (Rom 2:28-29). Those words apply only to those who know that “it doesn’t matter whether one is circumcised or not. Rather what matters is being a new creature.” God’s blessings are only on those who bless His Israel, and His curses are on those who curse His Israel, and ‘His Israel’ are those who conform to the concept and “rule” (Gal 6:16) that being an ‘Israelite’ is now a matter of the heart, in the spirit. Being an ‘Israelite’ or a ‘Jew’ is no longer a matter of physical pedigree. It is now a matter only of spiritual pedigree. All men, physical Jews and physical Gentiles, are now viewed by our heavenly Father as His children through the faith of Christ in them, or they are “of [their] father the devil”, even if they are physically descended from Abraham (Joh 8:30-44).

Gal 6:14  But it’s unthinkable that I could ever brag about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. By his cross my relationship to the world and its relationship to me have been crucified.
Gal 6:15  Certainly, it doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
Gal 6:16  Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God. (GWV)

Paul is given the honor of revealing all of this to us, but he also warns us against becoming “high minded [and] wise in [our] own conceits” just like Abraham’s physical descendants who took personal pride in their physical pedigree. In other words, it is entirely possible to take personal pride in our spiritual pedigree just as easily as it is for Jews to take pride in their fleshly descent.

Here is that somber warning to all who are in Christ and have eyes that see and ears that hear:

Rom 11:13  For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
Rom 11:14  If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
Rom 11:15  For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? [in the resurrection of judgment (Joh 5:27-29)]
Rom 11:16  For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
Rom 11:17  And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
Rom 11:18  Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
Rom 11:19  Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
Rom 11:20  Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
Rom 11:21  For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
Rom 11:22  Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
Rom 11:23  And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
Rom 11:24  For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?

It is right at this point of warning us against being “highminded” that Paul tells us when “all Israel shall be saved”. We are never given dates, but we are given the order and timeline of His plan for mankind:

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

We need to understand that when Paul said in Romans 11:26 that “all Israel… shall… be saved”, he was speaking specifically of physical Israel whom he says has not been completely “cast away” (G580: apobole, rejection, loss) but has been temporarily “broken off” (G1575: ekklao), and the Gentiles have been “graffed into the Good Olive Tree.” The physical Jews who have rejected Christ as their Savior are now “the son of the bondwoman” and are temporarily “broken off… until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in… and so all Israel be saved”.  When shall “all Israel be saved”?

Rom 11:27  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

It is here in Romans 11 that the order and timeline of this prophecy of  “the fullness of the Gentiles” and the salvation of “all Israel… the whole house of Israel” is revealed. We are plainly told that Israel has been blinded from knowing their Savior “until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” Only then will “all Israel shall be saved”. One more detail of the timing of this momentous event is revealed as “when I shall take away their sins.”  Paul is revealing to us the timing of “when [the Lord] shall take away their sins, and it  happens to be at the same time He takes away the sins of Sodom when “the fulness of all the Gentiles be come in” (Rom 11:25).

Paul is not making any this up. Every word he has spoken was revealed in the book of Ezekiel among many other prophecies concerning the Lord’s work with the Gentiles. It is here in the book of Ezekiel that the holy spirit tells us plainly that the salvation of all Israel will come to pass “when Sodom and her daughters return to their former estate”. Note closely the qualifying words ‘when’ and ‘then’ in these verses:

Eze 16:53  When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:
Eze 16:54  That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them.
Eze 16:55  When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

This prophecy is directed specifically to physical “Jerusalem”:

Eze 16:2  Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,

However Samaria is also part of this prophecy and Samaria is the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel which means this prophecy concerns “the whole house of Israel” mentioned in Ezekiel 37.  Then, apparently for no other reason than to nail down the timing of this most important event, Sodom is also mentioned as being raised up and restored to her former estate at the same time Jerusalem and Samaria are restored to their former estate. It is the inclusion of Sodom by the holy spirit which reveals to Paul and to us, that Israel will remain blinded “until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in”.

When we put these words concerning Jerusalem and Samaria and Sodom together with the prophecy of Ezekiel 37, then we have ‘book ended’ the timing of when “all Israel shall be saved”:

Eze 37:1  The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
Eze 37:2  And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
Eze 37:3  And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
Eze 37:4  Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
Eze 37:5  Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
Eze 37:6  And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Eze 37:7  So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
Eze 37:8  And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
Eze 37:9  Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
Eze 37:10  So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
Eze 37:11  Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
Eze 37:12  Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
Eze 37:13  And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,

This all accords with this prophecy in Isaiah:

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

It is manifested that neither physical Jews and physical Israelites who reject their own Savior, nor any Gentile who rejects Christ will be in the “blessed and holy first resurrection”, simply because they have not been judged in this present time. The only other judgment is the great white throne judgment, and that is where Sodom and her daughters, and ‘the fullness of the Gentiles will be come in.’ It is only then that “all [physical] Israel shall be saved”:

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

None of what we have discussed in this study can possibly be comprehended by anyone who does not understand how the law of the spirit differs from the law of Moses. The law of Moses keeps our hearts and minds focused on the letter of the law and upon the fleshly pedigree of physical Israel. The law of the spirit teaches us by comparing spiritual things with spiritual so we can know that he is not a Jew which is one outwardly and neither is that circumcision which is done outwardly, but we are inward Jews and our circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter:

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

We will stop here for now, and we will continue to see the differences between the law of Moses and the law of the spirit at our next study.

Law of Moses versus the Law of the Spirit – Part 5

Audio Download – Part 5

There is a Change

We have seen the scriptures which tell us that the law of Moses is but a shadow of good things to come and that it is totally incapable of bringing salvation:

Heb 10:1  For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

Now that the body casting those types and shadows has come (Col 2:16, 17), “there is of necessity a change… of the law” which “the people received under the levitical priesthood” (Heb 7:11).

Heb 7:11  If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
Heb 7:12  For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

Col 2:16  Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Col 2:17  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Let’s put this “change of the law” in modern terms. If I had a contract (covenant) with you last year, and I broke the terms of that contract, you would have every legal right to cancel that contract and draw up a new one. In the new contract, you could change or retain any part of the old contract that you want, but the old contract would be abolished, and the new contract would be established (Heb 7:11).

Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law [of the spirit].
Rom 13:9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Rom 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

In Hebrews 7, Paul tells us that this is exactly what has taken place. Under the old contract, only the sons of Aaron could be priests. In the new contract, the Aaronic priesthood has been replaced by the Melchizedek priesthood, the priesthood that existed before the Levitical Aaronic priesthood; a priesthood that had everything to do with God’s calling and had nothing to do with one’s pedigree or physical lineage (Gal 3:28-29).

Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Under the new Melchizedek contract, everyone in Christ becomes a priest:

Exo 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Hebrews 7:12 is a pivotal scripture: “For the priesthood being changed there is of necessity a change also of the law”. This “change” is not just in the law requiring that priests must be descended from Aaron. It is a change of “the law”… “received”…”under” the Levitical priesthood: “For under it (the Levitical priesthood) the people received the law [of Moses]” (vs 11). The extent to which the law is changed is laid out for us in Matthew 5-7, and throughout Christ’s entire ministry. Every time Christ said the words… “but I say unto you…” He was changing and reforming the law.

Defining Phrases

Speaking of this change in his various letters, Paul uses eight phrases that are misused, abused and misunderstood by many in the body of Christ today. Those eight phrases are:

1… a change also of the law – Heb 7:12
2… that which is done away – 1Co 13:10; 2Co 3:7, 11
3… that which is abolished – 2Co 3:13 – abolishing the law of commandments contained in ordinances – Eph 2:15
4… blotting out the handwriting of ordinances – Col 2:14
5… a carnal commandment… [has been] … disannulled – Heb 7:16-18
6… ready to vanish away – Heb 8:13
7… under the law – Rom 3:19; Rom 6:14,15; Gal 3:23; Gal 4:4,5, Gal 4:21; Gal 5:18
8… He taketh away the first that he may establish the second – Heb 10:9

Phrase #1

What does “a change also of the law…” mean? – Heb 7:12

In this 7th chapter of Hebrews, Paul informs us that the Aaronic Levitical priesthood has been replaced with a priesthood after the order of Melchisedek. In verse 11, he says “the people received the law” under the Levitical priesthood. Paul poses the question, ‘What further need was there that another priest should arise after the order of Melchisedec?’

Heb 7:11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

In verse 12, he makes a statement which bears heavily on the answer to all these statements, concerning the law and its present form and function. “For there being a change in the priesthood, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.” (The law which the people received under the Levitical priesthood.)

Many contend that the only law under consideration here in verse 12 is the law concerning the priesthood only. Let us assume for the moment that this is true. Verse 11 then would really be saying this; “If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood [laws], (for under it the people received the [Levitical priesthood] law)…”

This is obviously absurd. It is the law given by God to Moses, which the Levitical priesthood administered and taught to the people, that is under discussion here in verse 11. This is the law which the scribes and Pharisees mistakenly assumed would perfect them (vs 11). This is the law referred to in verse 12 where we read:

Heb 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

The law just mentioned in verse 11, which was assumed to perfect the people, referred to the law of Moses and all of its animal sacrifices. Laws regarding the priesthood were never assumed to perfect the people. Laws administered by the Levitical priesthood were assumed to perfect the people. I asked a Jewish friend if the Jews believed that the sacrifice of an animal actually removed their sins, and his answer was very emphatically… “Yes, we believe that the blood of an animal does cover our sins!”

Christ demonstrates in Matthew 5 that the law of Moses (the 10 commandments and the statutes and judgments – the Old Covenant – Deu 4:13) are all types and shadows “of the law of the spirit of life” (Rom 8:2).

Notice I did not say that Christ demonstrates the “spirit of the law” in Matthew 5. The phrase “the spirit of the law” is not to be found in scripture. “… In newness of spirit” is a scriptural phrase and is always used in opposition to “the oldness of the letter” (Rom 7:6).

“The letter” is not a phrase for rabbinical or Pharisaical “traditions of the elders” who had robbed the law of its original spiritual intent. The letter always opposes the spirit. “The letter” is “the law of Moses.” There is no spirit to “hate your enemy” or “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”

‘Hate your enemy’ (Mat 5:43), refers to God’s command to Israel in Deuteronomy 20:16 and 23:6:

Deu 20:16 But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:

Deu 23:6 Thou shalt not seek their peace [An Ammonite or Moabite (vs 3)] nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.

King David expresses the spirit of that law many times with numerous statements like this:

Psa 18:40 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.

You simply cannot twist ‘hate thine enemy’ into meaning, “love your enemy” and Christ was not referring to words the elders of Israel had added to the law of Moses when He says:

Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

Israel was taught by the law of Moses to hate and destroy their enemies.

Paul’s statement in…

Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

These words are contrasting the spiritual laws of Christ with the carnal spirit of the letter and “carnal commandments” (Heb 7:16) of the law of Moses. This entire 7th chapter of Romans demonstrates that the letter of the law of Moses leads only to death and the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus leads to life as Paul makes very clear at the beginning of the very next chapter 8. Remember, there were no chapter breaks in the original Greek:

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh [letter of the law of Moses], but after the Spirit [“the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus”].
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death [the “carnal commandments” of the law of Moses]

“Love your enemy” is the exact opposite of “hate your enemy.” If you try to somehow make the old agree with the new, you will end up “making the tear worse;” “breaking the bottles” and “spilling the wine” and the result would be to “perish”!

Mat 9:17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

Yes indeed, Christ does say:

Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I came not to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Mat 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Exactly to what do the Lord’s words… “one of these least commandments” refer? Is Christ saying that anyone who breaks one of the least of the commandments of the law of Moses and teaches men to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven? Is that what “one of the least commandments” means???

It is of utmost importance that we see with our own eyes that the words of verses 17-20 are couched between the so-called ‘beattitudes’ Christ commanded us in verses 2-16, and the many changes of the law of Moses which He makes in verses 21-48. It is His words, “the things He is saying” (Luk 6:46), He refers to when He tells us that ‘whosoever shall break one of the least of His saying and His commandments shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven and whosoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven’.

Immediately after saying “Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled… Whosoever shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men to do so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven” (Mat 5:17-20)… Christ Himself names off a litany of commandments in the law of Moses which He then immediately teaches men to break.

Christ changes, and in many cases teaches us to break, the laws of Moses concerning the subjects of lust (Mat 5:27-30), divorce (Mat 5:31-32), oaths (Mat 5:33-37), retaliation (Mat 5:38-42), and loving your enemies (Mat 5:43-48). Therefore when Christ says that anyone breaking “one of the least of these commandments and shall teach men to do so shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven” He is obviously referring to “the things that I say” (Luk 6:46) and not the law of Moses. It is Christ’s words which must be taught and kept, and definitely not the vengeful and hate-filled words of the law of Moses. “The law [of Moses] is NOT of faith [neither is it] made for a righteous man…”

Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

1Ti 1:9 Knowing this, that the law [of Moses] is not made [by the Lord] for a righteous man [“the just (G1342: adjective form of G1343 righteousness)] shall live by faith… the law is NOT of faith…” , but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
1Ti 1:11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

Rom 1:17 For therein [the gospel of Christ (vs 16)] is the righteousness [G1343 noun] of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just [G1342 righteous, adjective of 1343] shall live by faith.

Gal 3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

It is a miracle of God which has blinded the eyes of most all the ministers of Babylon to the fact that “the law is NOT of faith [and] is NOT made for a righteous man…”

In each and every case where Christ demonstrated the differences between His law and the law of Moses He either raises the bar of the law of Moses beyond human capabilities, or he simply contradicts the law of Moses and teaches us to “turn the other cheek [and] love our enemies”, etc. It is therefore manifested that the phrase “these least commandments” refers, not to the law of Moses, but rather that phrase is referring to the words preceding and following verse 17:

Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil [G4137: pleroo, “to make full, to fill up”].
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled [G1096, “to become, i.e. to come to pass”].

Notice that the Greek word translated ‘fulfil’ at the end of verse 17, is an entirely different Greek word from the one translated as ‘fulfilled’ at the end of verse 18:

G4137, ‘Pleroo’, fulfill
– Original: πληρόω
– Transliteration: Pleroo
– Phonetic: play-ro’-o
– Definition:

1. to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the full
a. to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally
1. of matters of duty: to perform, execute
2. of sayings, promises, prophecies, to bring to pass, ratify, accomplish
3. to fulfil, i.e. to cause God’s will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be, and God’s promises (given through the prophets) to receive fulfilment

G1096
γίνομαι
ginomai, be brought to pass. Be come to pass
ghin’-om-ahee

A prolonged and middle form of a primary verb; to cause to be (“gen” -erate), that is, (reflexively) to become (come into being), used with great latitude (literally, figuratively, intensively, etc.): – arise be assembled, be (come, -fall, -have self), be brought (to pass), (be) come (to pass), continue, be divided, be done, draw, be ended, fall, be finished, follow, be found, be fulfilled, + God forbid, grow, happen, have, be kept, be made, be married, be ordained to be, partake, pass, be performed, be published, require, seem, be showed, X soon as it was, sound, be taken, be turned, use, wax, will, would, be wrought.

The law of Moses is still the schoolmaster which the Lord uses to drag us to Christ, but after the faith of Christ is “come to pass” and has been given to us then we are no longer under that carnal schoolmaster:

Gal 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
Gal 3:20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
Gal 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards [after serving our time under the law] be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

“The Seed [Christ] comes”, (Aorist tense) to each of us at our own appointed time. When Christ does come to us we are no longer under the schoolmaster, but when The Seed does come to us we do not ungratefully turn around and shoot the schoolmaster who brought us to Christ, rather we let him continue to do his job of “bringing [many more] to Christ”:

Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

There will be law, whether it is the law of the Gentiles or the law of Moses, which will be used to drag mankind to Christ in every generation until the Lord returns. This will always be done before mankind is no longer under a schoolmaster.

Christ is not saying that Torah, the law of Moses, would be in effect over His elect until the consummation of the ages. If that were the meaning, then circumcision would be necessary for salvation, because it is one of the most oft repeated, obvious requirements of, and the original token, of God’s relationship with his physical people (Gen 17:13 and Jos 5:3-7).

Gen 17:13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

Gal 3:10 As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things [including physical circumcision?] which are written in the book of the law to do them.

If “till all be fulfilled” (Greek: pleroo – level up, cram, satisfy, finish, fulfill) means that the elect of Christ must continue keeping every “jot and tittle” of “all things written in the book of the law [of Moses] to do them”, then why does Christ in this same chapter urge his disciples to break the law of Moses and “love [their] enemies?

Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Obviously pleroo “fulfilled” has more to do with bringing the law to a spiritual consummation within those who are “in Christ [who] is the end of the law [of Moses, the end product, the goal – the law of love] for righteousness [the sayings of Christ (Luk 6:46)] to every one that believeth” (Rom 10:4), than it has to do with keeping every jot and tittle in Torah, even “after that faith is come”.

Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

What Christ is saying is that when He pleroos (G4137: fulfills all the prophecies of the law of Moses), that will be the time when “all is fulfilled” (G1096, Genomai, has been “found to be fulfilled”, and therefore the law of Moses will “pass away” for all those who are in Christ.

Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words [not Moses’ words] shall not pass away.

Has heaven or earth passed away? No, not yet. Why, then, are we not circumcising and keeping all of the law of Moses?

If “the man which doeth those things [contained in the law] shall live by them” (Lev 18:5) is a positive statement encouraging us to keep the law, as some erroneously contend, why then is Paul contrasting “the righteousness which is of the law” with “the righteousness which is of faith” (Rom 10:4-6)? Those who emphasize the words “shall live in them…”, and proclaim that as a positive statement…

Gal 3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

…Are simply blinded to the first part of that verse which declares plainly “…the law is not of faith”.

“The law of the spirit” on the other hand is “of faith”. “Thou shalt not kill” has been replaced with ‘don’t even hate your brother’ and “thou shalt not commit adultery” has been replaced with ‘don’t even look at a woman to lust after her in your heart’. So there really is a “change also of the law” (Heb 7:12).

The Greek word translated ‘change’ is Strong’s Concordance G3346, metatithemi. This word is used in Jude 1:4, “… certain ungodly men turning (metatithemi) the grace of God into lasciviousness.” The change (metatithemi) here in Jude 1:4 is a drastic change. So is the change in Hebrews 7:12. The “change also of the law” is in the opposite direction from this “change” or “turning” in Jude 1:4. Let us allow Christ himself to demonstrate what is involved in this “change also of the law,” in this “new covenant… not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers…”

Mat 5:17 think not that I am come to destroy [Greek: kataluo – G2647] the law or the prophets. I came not to destroy, but to fulfil [Greek: pleroo G4137].”

The word kataluo “destroy,” appears sixteen times in the New Testament. The first time it is used is here in Matthew 5:17. The next appearance of this word is in Matthew 24:2; “… Jesus said… there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down” (kataluo). Of the sixteen entries of this word kataluo, the translation “destroy” and “thrown down” are by far the most common. Christ did not come to “destroy” or “throw down” the law, but to fulfill (pleroo) the law.

This word pleroo (G4137) appears 90 times in the New Testament, generally in reference to the fulfillment of various Old Testament prophecies about Christ being ‘pleroo’ or fulfilled in Christ in the New Testament.

This is also the word used in Romans 8:4. In verse three, Paul says that God sent Christ to accomplish in us what the law could not accomplish because of the “weakness of the flesh”. So “Christ in us” (Gal 2:20) accomplishes something the law could not do. Christ strengthens us “that the righteousness of the law might be pleroo fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh [the letter] but after the spirit.” This is the “law of love” (Mat 22:37-40) that faith establishes (Rom 3:31-“Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law”). Establishing the “law of love” necessitates the “disannulling of the commandment” (Heb 7:18) as Christ demonstrates in Matthew 5. “The law” is itself a prophecy and type of the kingdom of God. It is through the “fulfilling and vanishing away” of the old testament law that the kingdom of God is “established” in the person and body of Jesus Christ.

The Righteousness of the Law

In Paul’s writings, the phrase “after the flesh” and “after the letter” are used interchangeably (Rom 2:29, 8:1); contrasted to “after the spirit” (2Co 3:6).

Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

The outward circumcision of the flesh is contrasted with the inward “circumcision of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter”. Now Paul goes so far as to call the letter of the law of Moses “the law of sin and death.”

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Rom 8:4 is often quoted by those who want to retain the ten commandments of the law of Moses: “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.”

Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.

If we are walking after the spirit, we are not walking after the letter, “For the letter kills but the spirit gives life” (2Co 3:6). Simply not killing your brother and not committing adultery will not land you in the first resurrection. It will take a “change of the law” to accomplish that because a “change of the law” is also a change “of the heart” “not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart” (2Co 3:3).

2Co 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
2Co 3:3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

It is this changed law; walking after the spirit; that Christ demonstrates for us in Mat 5. In verse 17, he tells us he came not to destroy, but to fulfil the law. Keeping the “newness of spirit” may or may not fulfill the law of Moses (the ten commandments), but the law of Moses (the ten commandments) does not fulfill the “newness of spirit”, the law of love (Rom 13:10). The rest of the chapter demonstrates what he meant by this, and we will see that it involves a drastic “change also of the law.”

Six times in this same chapter, demonstrating what he meant by the word pleroo (fulfill), Christ quotes out of the law of Moses preceding each quote with “You have heard that it was said by them of old time…”, then Christ ‘changes’ what he quotes.

Obedience to the Ten Commandments is Insufficient for Salvation

Christ precedes the changes He has made in the law with this statement, “I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

There are many hypocritical Pharisees (Mat 23:2-3 and Rom 2:23-24) although there were others, perhaps Nicodemas, the rich young ruler and Joseph of Aramathea who, like the Pharisee Saul of Tarsus, were “touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless” (Php 3:6). Even the righteousness of a “blameless” keeper of the ten commandments was still to be “counted as dung” (Php 3:8) and “filthy rags” (Isa 64:6) and “yet lacking” (Luk 18:22).

Luk 18:18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luk 18:19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
Luk 18:20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
Luk 18:21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
Luk 18:22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

Philippians 3:9 is the sum of it,

Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, [this is the ten commandments and though blameless, we must exceed that.] But that which is through the faith of Jesus Christ, [the spirit, not letter, the changes in Matthew 5, etc.] The righteousness which is of God [not of self (Gal 2:20)] by faith [of Christ]” (Gal 2:20).

Let us now examine the changes Christ made in the law.

Change #1 – Thou Shalt Not Kill

The first example of this “change… of the law” is found in…:

Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

This, of course, is a reference to what we call the sixth commandment in the order given in Exodus 20. Notice now how Christ “changes” this law.

Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

That is quite a “change… of the law”. It certainly wasn’t metatithemi “changed” or “turned” into “lasciviousness”. Instead the person who “hates his brother without a cause” is now as guilty before God as a murderer!

1Jn 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

That, I submit, is a demonstration of “a change also of the law” under this new priesthood after the order of Melchisedek; this “new covenant” “not of the letter but of the spirit”. This change is so drastic that it has, for those who walk in the spirit, “done away” with the need for “thou shalt not kill” (Exo 20:13). Parents, schools and courtrooms are still in desperate need of some of the laws of Moses. It is “for the lawless and disobedient” (1Ti 1:9). “… The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ… BUT AFTER THAT FAITH IS COME, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER A SCHOOLMASTER”. But if we live in the spirit, a much higher law has been written on the heart (Gal 3:24, 25).

Change #2 – Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

The next “you have heard it said by them of old time” is the seventh commandment.

Mat 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

Once again Christ is going to demonstrate for us a “change also of the law”, “not of the letter but of the spirit”; a “new covenant”. He will be writing his new covenant law “not on tables of stone, but on fleshy tables of the heart”. The new covenant is not a “version” of the OLD. It is an entirely NEW Covenant. Christ will show us what is meant by “when that which is perfect is come that which is in part shall be done away.”

1Co 13:10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

This “change of the law” concerning the seventh commandment will “abolish… the law of commandments contained in ordinances”

Eph 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

It will “blot out the handwriting of ordinances” (Col 2:14).

Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Col 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

“A carnal commandment will be disannulled.” (Heb 7:16-18). This “new covenant” “… hath made the first old. Now that which is old is ready to vanish away” (Heb 8:13). All of these statements of the Apostle Paul are demonstrated in the changes in the law made by Christ here in Matthew 5. He does not kataluo (destroy) the law, but he does katargeo (abolish) the “law of commandments contained in ordinances [Eph 2:15] by reason of the glory that excelleth” (2Co 3:10).

Mat 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

Now notice how the “law of the spirit of life” contrasts with the letter in verse 28 contrasts with the letter in verse 27.

Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Mat 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Mat 5:30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Under the old covenant, your mind could be filthy as long as you didn’t physically commit the act of adultery. Not so in this new covenant. If our obedience does not come from the deepest part of our being; from the heart (2Co 3:3) “not of the letter but of the spirit” (2Co 3:6), it will not even be counted as obedience or righteousness. You “have committed adultery with her already in your heart”. You “by the letter.. transgress the law” (Rom 2:27).

Rom 2:27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?

Paul agrees with Christ. ‘Letter only’ obedience amounts to disobedience, and is no more acceptable to our heavenly father than it is to us. Any decent parent who tells a child to close the door and is obeyed with a slammed door, will immediately administer the much deserved discipline for what really amounts to disobedience.

We will stop here and continue our comparison between the Mosaic and Christ’s law in the next study.

Law of Moses versus the Law of the Spirit – Part 6

Audio Download – Part 6

The Scriptural Definition and Function of Grace

In our last study we discussed the second change to the law of Moses that Christ made in Matthew 5. It was concerning the subject of committing adultery. What we saw was that the letter of the law, also called “the law of Moses”, “was not of faith” and was therefore incapable of dealing with an evil heart which it truly believed could lust all it wanted just as long as the physical act of adultery was not committed. Paul’s message to us is that the law of Moses was only “for the lawless and disobedient” and was never intended to bringing salvation:

Gal 3:11  But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Gal 3:12  And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them [the law of Moses] shall live in them.

1Ti 1:9  Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10  For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

The Truth is that keeping the “carnal commandment” of the law of Moses, or the carnal commandments of men, does nothing more than make us self-righteous.

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Self-righteousness is the most insidious of sins, and that is what “mine own righteousness, which is of the law” produces:

1Ti 5:6  But she that liveth in pleasure [of sin] is dead while she liveth.

Heb 11:24  By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
Heb 11:25  Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

There are those who point to the words “shall live in them” as if that were any different than being “dead while she lives”, or “living in pleasure”. You can underline, embolden and put “LIVE IN THEM” in all caps, but the truth still remains that “the law is not of faith”, and “without faith it is impossible to please God.”

Gal 3:12  And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them [the law of Moses] shall live in them. [Eye for an eye… hate your enemy… put away your wife for any reason, etc]

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

This is the only way we are saved:

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of works [of the law of Moses… “mine own righteousness” (Php 3:9)], lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them [works of “the faith of Christ” (Rom 3:22) in “the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2)].

When the Lord blinds us, we are truly blinded and deceived, and we will not be able to hear or see what is in plain sight:

Eze 14:9  And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
Eze 14:10  And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;

Mat 6:23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

It is the Lord who tells us that He, Himself, has deceived the prophets of Babylon. It is the Lord Himself who has so many ministers teaching the false doctrine of a substitutionary atonement. In other words, if we truly believe that the words “grace… through faith” means that Christ’s death is a substitute for our own need to “die daily” (1Co 15:31) and to be “crucified with Christ”, (Gal 2:20), and “present [our] bodies as a living sacrifice” (Rom 12:1) to God on a daily basis… if you truly believe that the phrase “grace through faith” nullifies the words “what a man sows that shall he also reap” (Gal 6:7), and you truly believe that Christ’s death is a substitute for all those scriptures being fulfilled in your life, then that supposed “light which is in you” really is “darkness”, and it can be exclaimed “how great is that darkness!” If that is your definition of ‘grace’, then you are no different than a Pharisee who thinks he can lust in his heart just as long as he doesn’t commit the outward act of adultery.

The false doctrine of “substitutionary atonement” must be exposed for the damnable lie that it is. It is being used by the adversary to rob multitudes of Christians of their very lives. Christ’s death on the cross was not a substitute for our death. Rather, His death is the example of how we are to be “crucifed with Christ.” His death and resurrection is an “example” for us that we should “follow His steps”, and not think that His death is a substitute for our “daily dying… with Christ” to this body of sinful flesh. Let us all repent of believing in that darkness and that lie, and let us all rather believe these words of Truth:

1Pe 2:21  For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

That is the Truth of God’s words. Christ’s life and death are not ‘substitutionary’ at all. Christ’s life and death is rather exemplary for us all “that [we] should follow His steps.”

“Grace through faith” is anything but a substitute for our “daily dying.” This is what ‘grace’ accomplishes in the lives of every true believer in the words of Christ:

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching [chastening] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Yes, the King James Version has “teaching” where I have “chastening.” While it is true that teaching can involve discipline, “teaching” is not the best word to convey the severity with which God deals with “ungodliness and worldly lusts” in the lives of His elect. “Chastening and scourging” is the scriptural function of grace.

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

The Greek word for ‘teaching’ in Titus 2:12 is paideuo (Strong’s G3811). It is the same word translated “chasteneth” in Hebrews 12:6: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth (paideuo) and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. “When we are judged, we are CHASTENED of the Lord…” (1Co 11:32).

1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

This gives an entirely new and much more powerful meaning to Paul’s words… “where sin abounded grace [in the form of corrective chastening] does much more abound” (Rom 5:20, Rom 6:1, 2).

Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

There is no “substitutionary atonement”, and we do not “continue in sin that grace may abound”:

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Anyone who believes that they can come as they sinfully are and stay ‘just as I am’, to quote the old Protestant hymn, doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘Father’ or the scriptural function of grace. “Grace… chastens us [to] deny ungodliness and worldly lusts…” (Tit 2:11, 12).

We may certainly come ‘just as I am’, but we had better “go and sin no more lest a worse thing (discipline and chastening from a loving Father) come unto thee” (Joh 5:14).

Joh 5:14  Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

This is surely a ‘wet blanket’ to those who want only to hear about the salvation of all. There is no way around John 5:14 and Hebrews 12:6. It is “EVERY SACRIFICE” and “EVERY SON.” There are NO EXCEPTIONS! The doctrine of universal reconciliation through a false definition of grace is just as nourishing to the Adversary as the false doctrines of eternal death or eternal torment. What do we think the word ‘dragged’ means? Chastening IS certainly a ‘dragging.’ No child goes willingly and cheerfully to be disciplined.

We are “justified freely by his grace” (Rom 3:24):

Rom 3:24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

The Lord’s ‘grace’ is a free gift from a loving heavenly Father. There is no charge, and there is nothing we can do to earn the chastening and scourging [of] “EVERY son whom He receiveth” (Heb 12:6). It is given freely and abundantly:

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

1Ti 1:14  And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the [free] gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of [our] works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Change #3 – Divorce and Remarriage

We now come to the third “you have heard that it was said…”

Mat 5:31  It hath been said, whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement.

The previous two “changes of the law” (Heb 7:12) have been dramatic. Will this change be any less so? Not likely. Before we examine this change, let’s ask the question: what did the two previous changes have in common?

In the first change, being “angry with your brother without a cause” is elevated to the offense of murder. In the second change, “looking on a woman to lust after her” has been elevated to the offense of adultery.

What they have in common is that they have both been dramatically changed and elevated from a “letter” law to a “spiritual” law. “Who hath made us able ministers of the new testament [covenant] NOT OF THE LETTER BUT OF THE SPIRIT, FOR THE LETTER [the law of Moses] KILLETH, BUT THE SPIRIT [The new covenant] GIVETH LIFE” (2Co 3:6).

Before we continue, let us take note that this change has nothing to do with the ten commandments, but only the statutes and judgments. However, there was no difference to Christ. It was all “the law of Moses.”

Continuing; “It hath been said, whosoever shall put away his wife, let him write her a bill of divorcement. But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife saving for the cause of fornication; causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced, commits adultery” (Mat 5:31-32). So what “change also of the law” (Heb 7:12) has been made here? Did Christ really say that “whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery”?

No, he most assuredly did not!!! The changes made here are as monumental as the changes in the sixth and seventh commandments. This change is in fact simply expanding upon the changes made in the “thou shalt not commit adultery” commandment.

Christ is not banning divorce here, and he did not say “whosoever shall marry her that is divorced comitteth adultery.”

The Greek word translated ‘divorced’ here in Matthew 5:32 is apaluo (Strong’s G630). This is the same word which is properly translated ‘put away’ in the preceding verse.

The translators’ mistake here has contributed to mountains of unnecessary misery over the past 400 plus years.

While it is true that a Christian couple would never seek to dissolve “that which God hath joined together”, it is not true that Christ said “whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” What He did say was “whosoever shall marry her that is put away (apoluo) committeth adultery.”

There is a Greek word for divorce. It is apostasion (Strong’s G647). It does not appear in Matthew 5:32. It does appear in Matthew 5:31: “… let him give her a writing of divorcement (apostasion).” Under the law of Moses, a man was never to apoluo (G630) or ‘put away’ his wife without giving her apostasion; a bill of divorcement.

However, men have never kept the law of Moses. Men were ‘putting away’ or apoluo their wives without a bill of divorcement or apostasion. Christ was stating the obvious when he pointed out that legally this “causes” the woman and the man she later marries to commit adultery because she is not legally apostasion or divorced.

Why would Christ mention this? He certainly was not suggesting that this somehow complicated things for the Father to decide who was to make an account for whatever. He is not in any way excusing sinful actions on the part of either partner in the marriage. This was simply a legal statement. It is helpful to realize that before Sinai and the giving of the “law of Moses” the world was governed by the law of Hammurabi.

Under both laws, the law of Moses and the law of Hammurabi the husband was the decision maker, and wives were owned by their husbands.

Under both laws the husband could divorce his wife for many reasons besides fornication. “…if you have no delight in her, then you shall let her go…” (Deu 21:14).

There was one major distinguishing feature between the law of Moses and the law of Hammurabi regarding the subject of divorce. The law of Hammurabi says simply “if a man wishes to separate from his wife… he shall give her the amount of her purchase money… and let her go” (Law 138). “…if her husband offer her release, she may go on her way…” (Law 141). “She shall take her dowry and go back to her father’s house” (Law 142).

Under the law of Hammurabi, women had very few legal rights or protections. Nowhere did Hammurabi require a husband to give his ex-wife a bill of divorcement. The door was wide open for a self-centered, jealous and spiteful ex-husband to deny the fact that he had divorced his wife.

The law of Moses on the other hand required the husband to give the wife a written and signed bill of divorcement. So while divorcing one’s wife was a simple matter under the law of Moses [simply “if you have no delight in her” (Deu 21:14)], the ex-wife at least had the added legal protection of being in possession of a document which proved she was legally free to “go and be another man’s wife.”

Deu 24:1  When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
Deu 24:2  And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife.

Now let’s go to Matthew 19 and see how the KJV translators correct themselves regarding this Greek word apoluo – which is the same word translated ‘divorce’ in Matthew 5:32 – “the Pharisees… came to him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?”

Mat 19:3  The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

Why would the Pharisees ask Christ this question “to tempt him?” Perhaps this was some time after the humiliation the Pharisees suffered when they brought an adulterous woman to Christ. Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act (Joh 8:4). The law says, “If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die” (Deu 22:22).

The emphasis is on the man. The Pharisees had already admitted they had caught her “in the very act.” If they were serious about keeping the law, where was the man? Of course, they weren’t sincere about obeying God; they only wanted to rid themselves of their nemesis who was constantly revealing them for the hypocrites they were. A new tack had to be taken.

So in this case, with the allowances for divorce plainly and explicitly given in the law, the Pharisees, like so many so-called Christians today without the faith of or the spirit of Christ in them, were simply looking for a way around the spiritual new law. This spiritual law had never been given before — certainly not by Moses. The Pharisees knew this and weren’t about to miss a chance to point that out. This is not a new application of the law, this is not some fabled ‘spirit of the law.’ This is a new law disannulling the old law (Heb 7:18).

Heb 7:18  For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.

Our wise all-knowing Savior knew exactly what was taking place here. He knew that the Pharisees preferred their “own righteousness which is of the law” (Php 3:9) to the spiritual law which He was revealing.

So what do these statutes and judgments of “the Lord your God” have to say about divorce? What are the scriptures the Pharisees had on their side? Do these scriptures (yes, these are scriptures) say that a man can put away his wife for any reason or “every cause” (Mat 19:3).

Well, as a matter of fact, they do: “When a man hath taken a wife and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness [ervah H6172] in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement [kerithuth H3748] and give it in her hand, and send her out [shalach H7971] of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife” (Deu 24:1,2).

The “some uncleanness” is certainly not speaking of sexual fraud. The penalty for that was death. “… they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die…” (Deu 22:21). Neither was it adultery. The penalty for adultery was also death (Deu 22:22).

Deu 22:22  If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.

The Hebrew word translated “uncleanness” is ervah (Strong’s H6172). It appears 40 times in the Old Testament. 37 times it is translated “nakedness”. Its first appearance is typical of its use: “And Ham the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father…” (Gen 9:22). Of the remaining 3 verses, it is translated shame. In Isaiah 20:4: “So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners… even with their buttocks uncovered to the shame [or nakedness – ervah H6172] of Egypt.”

In Deuteronomy 23:14, we are given the meaning of this word to be applied here in Deuteronomy 24:1. “For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of the camp, to deliver thee and to give up thine enemies before thee: therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing [or nakedness – ervah H6172] in thee, and turn away from thee” (Deu 23:14).

The church of Laodicea is told that she thinks she is rich and has need of nothing, but in reality, she is “poor and blind and naked. I counsel you to buy of me… white raiment that you may be clothed and that the shame of your nakedness do not appear” (Rev 3:17-18). Nakedness in scripture is a type of sin; not any particular sin but any sin. The white raiment is defined as “the righteousness of the saints” (Rev 19:8). This is “Christ in us” (Gal 2:20) covering any sin.

Clearly the Pharisees were right. Adultery and sexual fraud were punishable by death (Deu 22:21, 22) not “a bill of divorcement” and “she may go and be another man’s wife.” “Some uncleanness” really was all that the law of Moses required for divorcing one’s wife.

In case there is any doubt that the Pharisees were right in their understanding and that Christ wasn’t really “changing the law”, let’s look at one more scripture. If you “seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to your wife; then thou shall bring her home to thine house; … and be her husband and she shall be thy wife. And it shall be, if you have no delight in her, then you shall let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money…” (Deu 21:11-14).

The reason given here to “let her go” (shalach H7971, the same word translated “send her out” – Deu 24:1) is simply “you have no delight in her” or as the Pharisees put it “for every cause” (Mat 19:3).

Modern Theology Versus Paul

Sounds like the Pharisees knew the letter of the law pretty well. Better apparently than some bible teachers of our day who say that in Matthew 5, Christ’s words here are “not to be construed to mean that Jesus is putting away all these divine laws, or that He is replacing each of them with something different or better. It is not the law of God He is discrediting; it is the Pharisaical interpretation of the law and a legalistic spirit that He is disagreeing with… The purpose of the ‘sermon on the mount’ was to improve upon the law’s interpretation and application. The true spirit of the law had been lost through the traditions of the elders” (Divorce and Remarriage is NOT Adultery by S. Jones, pg. 10).

This statement by Mr. S. Jones pretty well summarizes the orthodox Christian teaching on “the law of Moses”, often referred to as “our Judeo-Christian culture”. However, this doctrine does not follow a “pattern of sound words” (2Ti 1:13). It is certainly not in accord with the prophecy which says that Christ’s new covenant was “NOT according to the covenant that I made with their fathers…”

Jer 31:31  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Jer 31:32  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jer 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

To begin with, nowhere in the bible is the “law of Moses” called ‘divine law.’ It is called “the law of Moses” eleven times in the New Testament (Luk 2:22, Luk 24:44, Joh 1:45, Joh 7:19, Joh 7:23, Act 13:39, Act 15:5, Act 28:23, Rom 10:5, 1Co 9:9, Heb 9:19). Secondly, according to Jeremiah 31:32, the new covenant is “not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers…” So it is “different”. According to Hebrews 8:6, it is “a better covenant”. What makes it better according to Hebrews 8:10 is that God’s spiritiual laws, revealed only through Christ, are “put… into their minds and written in their hearts.”

Heb 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

This is called “of the spirit and not of the letter” in 2 Corinthians 3:6. To say “the true spirit of the law had been lost through the traditions of the elders” is to say that in reality there was no difference between the old and new covenant. To say that ‘Christ was simply restoring what had “been lost”‘ is not the teaching of Matthew 5 or the Apostle Paul.

This “new covenant” is “not according to” the old; it is “different”, and it is “better”, because it, not the old covenant, is of the spirit. If we insist on believing that “the true spirit of the law had been lost through the traditions of the elders” (ibid.), we are denying that there is any difference to begin with. “Not according to” the old means that the old NEVER was intended to be written on their hearts and minds” (Heb 8:10). It was designed as a “carnal commandment” (Heb 8:16). It did not carry with it the promise of eternal life:

1Ti 1:9  Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10  For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
1Ti 1:11  According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

These words of the holy spirit through anointed pen of the apostle Paul are not the gospel of the adversary which is committed to Mr. S. Jones and to most of the ministers of all the rest of the churches of Babylon.

“Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers” is what is meant by “not in tables of stone” (2Co 3:3) and “the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2Co 3:6). The old covenant is the ten commandments written on two tables of stone, “his covenant which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone” (Deu 4:13). It was definitely “… not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient”. Read it again:

1Ti 1:9  Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10  For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

Yes, Psalm 37:31 and Psalm 40:8 say “the law of… God is in his (the righteous man’s) heart.” Having God’s law of Moses “within” one’s heart is obviously quite different, as far as God is concerned, from having it “written on our hearts and minds” (Jer 31:31, Rom 8:2, Heb 8:10, 2Co 3:3).

Jer 31:31  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Jer 31:32  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jer 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law [“new covenant” vs 31] in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

If this is not true, then in reality there is no “change also of the law”, and all of Paul’s statements concerning the “letter” of the law are in error.

Gal 3:11  But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Gal 3:12  And the law [of Moses] is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

Now that we have established that the law of Moses concerning divorce was indeed changed, let us consider the direction of this change. The first two changes amounted to requiring the impossible of the flesh. What human being without God’s spirit could live without hate, or what man can live without looking on a woman to lust after her; especially in a time so similar to the “days of Noah” and in a country so similar to Sodom?

What was Christ’s answer to these religious leaders asking the baited question; can a man “put away his wife for every cause”?

Mat 19:3 And he answered and said unto them, Have you not read that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female. And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Had Christ not been “changing… the law”, he would not have allowed himself to be drawn into a discussion with the Pharisees about the law of Moses. Christ was oblivious to the law of Moses. Instead, he changes the source of authority from what was given by God to the physical nation of Israel through Moses (Deu 5:31) to that which comes directly from the mind of God and was never written on “tables of stone”. In other words, once again, Christ introduces the new spiritual law, never before known to man, and certainly not in the words he had given Moses “if thou have no delight in her, then you shall let her go…” (Deu 21:14).

While the “spiritual law” asks what is commendable and ideal, the letter asks “What is permissible, What can I get by with?” The Pharisees, in their divinely appointed role as a type of the flesh and letter of the law, could not receive this changed spiritual answer.

Mat 19:7 Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement and to put her away?”

The way the Pharisees phrased this question you might think we were commanded to seek some little reason to put our wives away. Nevertheless, it is a legitimate question; why did God, through Moses, make provision for divorce? Why did God, through Moses, allow men to divorce their wives simply because “[you] found some uncleanness in her” or “if you have no delight in her?” (Deu 24:1, Deu 21:14)

Here is Christ’s answer to that question:

Mat 19:8  He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

Now for the third time Jesus emphasizes his new spiritual law:

Mat 19:9  And [G1161: ‘de’, same Greek word translated as ‘but’] but I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

The Greek word translated as ‘and’ at the beginning of Matthew 9:19 is G1161, ‘de’. It is the same Greek word translated as ‘but’ in Matthew 5 every time Christ quotes from the law of Moses and then says… “but I say unto thee…” something other than what the law of Moses says. Christ’s instructions in this verse of Matthew 19:9 are once again contrary to Moses who said a man could put away his wife “if you had no delight in her” (Deu 21:14), or “she find no favor in his eyes … then let him write her a bill of divorcement…” (Deu 24:1).

It is clearly manifested that Christ’s new doctrine is “not according to the covenant I made with their fathers” (Jer 31:31-35).

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Audio Download

Law of Moses versus the Law of the Spirit – Part 7

I had hoped to get to the meaning of the phrase “except it be for fornication” in this study, and I had told a couple of you that I intended to do so. However, the study was just much too long, so we will have to wait until our next study to cover that subject.

We concluded our last study with the Christ answering the Pharisee’s question… “why… did Moses command to write a bill of divorcement?”:

Mat 19:3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
Mat 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
Mat 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his [singular] wife: and they twain [not three, as Jacob, who had two wives; Not 70 as King David, who had 70 wives, and not 1000, as Solomon who had a thousand wives], shall be one flesh? [“From the beginning it was not so”]
Mat 19:6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Mat 19:7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
Mat 19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

“What… God hath joined together let not man put asunder.” Show me that anywhere in the Old Testament. Of course you cannot show me those words or that message anywhere in the Old Testament because the Old Testament taught that you could put your wife away and write her a bill of divorcement “if you have no delight in her”. Truly, Christ, like Moses, was both a lawgiver and a great reformer:

Heb 9:9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

Notice carefully that Christ did not appeal to the law of Moses to answer their question about what is now a legitimate reason to seek a divorce. Instead being the reformer He is, He appealed to “the law of Christ”, which existed before Moses, but had never been revealed to the carnal nation of Israel (Gal 6:2). To physical Israel and to Christ’s own unconverted apostles this is indeed a new law which is “not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers” (Jer 31:31-32). In our last study, contrary to the law of Moses, Christ was telling His disciples that they could no longer put away their wives simply because they ‘no longer had delight in them’, as Moses had indeed permitted:

Deu 21:14 And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.

Deu 24:1 When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.

Christ’s reformation of the law concerning divorce and remarriage was such a profound change from the law of Moses with which the disciples had been brought up that it elicited this response from them:

Mat 19:10  His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.

Clearly Christ is not talking about simply remembering to write that “bill of divorcement” before you send her out of your house. The disciples would have had no problem with that, but this was more than they could receive, and Christ knowing they had never heard such a doctrine acknowledged that He realized how radical it was:

Mat 19:11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.

The Importance of Qualifying Statements in Scripture

Without any regard to what Moses had to say, Christ gives us one exception which permits the dissolution of a marriage by a bill of divorcement. Without this exception there would be no scriptural grounds for divorce because as we pointed out earlier Christ had said, “What God has joined together let not man put asunder” (Mat 19:6). The only exception given which would permit the dissolution of a marriage was “except it be for fornication”. Christ twice mentions this one exception:

Mat 19:3  The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
Mat 19:4  And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
Mat 19:5  And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Mat 19:6  Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Notice that Christ appeals to who He was before Moses for His authority. Christ really is “the same yesterday, today, and forever”:

Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Christ is not a different Christ nor a different God from the god of the Old Testament. Rather He had used the entire Old Testament economy and the entire history of the patriarchs, the judges, the kings and the Old Testament prophets as a parenthetical period which never knew Christ or His Father. There was a vail over their eyes in the reading of the Old Testament, and it remains there for all who cannot see that modern day Jews are not Jews (Rom 2:28-29) and modern day Israel is Hagar and is in bondage with her children who are all “the son of the bondwoman” (Gal 4:25-31). Christ came to reveal His Father and in so doing to reveal Himself to His elect in this present time:

Mat 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Joh 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Joh 5:37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

Several men in the Old Testament had spoken with, eaten with, and physically wrestled with ‘Yahweh’ of the Old Testament, but no one had ever “heard [the Father’s] voice at any time, nor seen His shape”. Yet Christ said this to Thomas and to Philip:

Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
Joh 14:5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Joh 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

What Christ is telling Thomas and Philip and all who have ears to hear is that we see Christ and His Father when we are granted to hear and do His Words, and nothing demonstrates our relationship to our ‘husband’, Christ, more than our marriage to Him. That relationship is the subject of His words concerning this subject of divorce and remarriage:

Mat 19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
Mat 19:9 And [G1161: ‘de’, but] I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

This was such a profound change from the law of Moses with which the disciples had been brought up that it elicited this response from them:

Mat 19:10  His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.

Clearly Christ is not talking about simply remembering to write that “bill of divorcement” before you send her out of your house. The disciples would have had no problem with that, but this was more than they could receive, and Christ knowing they had never heard such a doctrine said:

Mat 19:11  But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.

Christ’s answer to “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every (any) cause? did not appeal to the law of Moses for His authority, but He appealed rather to the spirit of God, whose representative he was. Once again Christ ignores the law of Moses and speaks as if He is oblivious to it. His answer is:

Mat 19:4  And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
Mat 19:5  And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Mat 19:6  Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man [Moses] put asunder.

“What… God hath joined together let not man put asunder.” Show me those words or the message of those words anywhere in the Old Testament. Of course you cannot show me those words or that message anywhere in the Old Testament because the Old Testament taught that you could put your wife away and writer her a bill of divorcement “if you have no delight in her”. Truly, Christ, “like Moses” was, is also a great reformer and a lawgiver:

Deu 18:15  The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him [Not the law of Moses] ye shall hearken;

Deu 18:18  I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. [Not ‘All that I commanded Moses’]

Moses was a reformer and a law giver. Christ was a reformer and a law giver. Christ knew that the law of Moses was but a type and shadow of The True Reformation and The True Law Giver, Himself:

1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples [G5179: ‘tupos’, types]: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Heb 9:9 Which was a figure [G3950, ‘parabole’ “ a similitude (“parable”), that is, (symbolically) fictitious narrative (of common life conveying a moral)”] for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. [The time of The Reformer, and new Law Giver, Christ!]

Christ’s answer tells us that the law of Moses permitted men to put asunder what God had joined together.

Christ himself has not changed (Heb 13:8). He has always been the Christ of Matthew 5, 6 and 7, but the law He gave through Moses was for Israel “according to the flesh” (Rom 9:3-5). It was never intended to be the law of the “children of the promise” (Rom. 9:6-8) who are now called “the Israel of God” (Gal 6:15,16) and are now “able ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the spirit… (2Co 3:6):

Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Rom 9:3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
Rom 9:4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
Rom 9:5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
Rom 9:6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
Rom 9:7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Rom 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

The words ‘That is,’ at the beginning of verse 8 are translated from the single Greek word G5123 ‘toutesti’, and it is five times elsewhere translated as “that is to say” (Mat 27:46, Mar 7:2, Act 1:19, Heb 9:11, Heb 10:20). Paul is not speaking above what is written. The Lord has revealed to him that the phrase, ‘In Isaac shall thy seed be called’ (Gen 21:12) means “they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of promise are counted [by God] for the seed [of Abraham].” The ‘letter’ leads us to believe that this still means that the physical descendants of Isaac, who was born “of… promise”, are counted for the seed, but in Galatians 4 the holy spirit makes it clear that the physical descendants of Isaac are nothing more than the seed of Ishmael “the son of the bondwoman”, and only those in Christ, without any consideration of physical pedigree, are now “counted [by God] for the seed… of the freewoman,”

Gal 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Gal 4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. [Physical Jerusalem is now counted by God as Ishmael, the son of the bondwoman, Hagar]

This is what Paul is revealing:

Gal 3:26 For ye [Gentile Galatians and all who are “in Christ”] are all the children of God [“Abraham’s seed”, vs 29] by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The function of the the law of Moses, “the letter”, is to act as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, and then, for the ‘chosen’ person, the letter of the law is “abolished” (Eph 2:15):

Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Eph 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both [Jews and Gentiles] one, and hath broken down [G3089: ‘luo’ to break down, dissolve] the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15 Having abolished [G2673: ‘katargeo’, to fail, to vanish away] in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

1Co 13:8 Charity never faileth [G2673: ‘katargeo’, to fail, to vanish away] : but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away [G2673: ‘katargeo’, to fail, to vanish away].

The new spiritual seed of Abraham (“now if you be Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s seed” Gal 3:29) has been given the new covenant with a new spiritual law (2Co 3:6) written on their hearts (Heb 8:10). The new covenant is the words of Christ in “the new testament”:

Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Some people who do see the vast differences between the old and new covenant conclude that Christ is not the God of the old covenant. In truth, Christ as ‘Yahweh’, is the same God in a different dispensation. He was merely using the entire history of “Israel according to the flesh” (Rom 9:3) along with the carnal law which He had given Moses to govern that carnal nation, as simply a type and shadow of the true “Israel of God” (Gal 6:15, 16), and as such, “Israel according to the flesh” and the “Law of Moses” were both temporary types and shadows of the spiritual “Israel of God” and a type and shadow of “the [spiritual] law of God after the inward man” (2Co 4:16 and Rom 7:22).

Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

2Co 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Gal 6:15 Certainly, it doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
Gal 6:16 Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God. (GWV)

Truly, Christ does not change (Heb 13:8), because He is of the spirit (Joh 3:34), but anything connected to the flesh, especially “the law [which] is not of faith”, must be changed:

Heb 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

The true circumcision is, and the true Jews are, “in the spirit and not in the letter”:

Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Christ appealed to the spirit in his “thou shalt not kill” change of the law, and he appealed to the spirit in his “thou shalt not commit adultery” change of the law. If we do not glean the spirit of this “but I say unto you” here in Matthew 19:9 we will not be able to “receive this saying” concerning divorce and remarriage:

Mat 19:9 And [G1161: ‘de’, but] I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except [G1508, ‘ei me’ but, save for] it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

That Greek word, G1508 ‘ei me’, translated as ‘except’ means just what it says. Fornication is the only exception which justifies the dissolution of a marriage. That same Greek word is translated with two different English words in Romans seven which demonstrate that it is properly translated here in Matthew 19:9:

Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but [G1508: ‘ei me’, but, except] by the law: for I had not known lust, except [G1508: ‘ei me’, but, except] the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

Now let’s take what Christ has said here and analyze it with spiritual eyes and ears (Mat 13:13).

We will stop here for now and continue our study of the law of Moses versus the law of the spirit next week, and Lord willing we will grow in our understanding of what that qualifying phrase “except it be for fornication” means.

Audio Download

The Law of Moses Versus the Law of the Spirit- Part 8

Updated January 13, 2024

The goal of our study today is to understand the spiritual meaning of the one reason we are given which would justify dissolving a marriage. That one reason the Lord gives is “except it be for fornication”.

The Pharisees knew what Christ had been teaching the multitudes back in Mattew 5. It has been argued that Matthew 5-7, the so called ‘Sermon on the Mount’ was delivered to His twelve disciples only, because the phrase “His disciples” is found in the first verse of chapter 5. Nothing is further from the truth. Here is how this ‘sermon’ begins:

Mat 5:1  And seeing the multitudes [G3793: ‘ochlos’], he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

That this phrase, ‘His disciples’ includes “the multitudes” following Him is proven by the words found at the end of this ‘sermon’ at the end of chapter 7:

Mat 7:28  And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people [G3793: ‘ochlos’] were astonished at his doctrine:
Mat 7:29  For he taught them [the multitudes] as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

The Greek word for ‘multitudes’ in Matthew 5:1 is G3793 ‘ochlos’, and it is the same Greek word translated as ‘people’ in Matthew 7:28 where Christ concludes His discourse to the ‘ochlos’ – the multitudes. Christ’s doctrines were being taught to “the multitudes… the people”, and the Pharisees knew that Christ’s doctrine was not the doctrine of the law of Moses, just as surely are your family knows that the doctrines you believe are not the doctrines of their churches; the churches of Babylon.

The scribes and the Pharisees had heard Christ’s teaching in:

Mat 5:31  It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
Mat 5:32  But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced [Greek: apoluō, ‘put away’] committeth adultery.

 We are plainly told that their questioning was for the specific purpose of attempting to snare Christ in His teachings. For that purpose they asked Him here in Matthew 19:

Mat 19:3  The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
Mat 19:4  And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
Mat 19:5  And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Mat 19:6  Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Christ had said something they thought they could use againt Him. Here Christ is teaching the people, the multitudes, and He isn’t even appealing to Moses for His authority. Instead Christ’s appeal is to His own mind which is the mind of His Father, and it is… “He which made them at the beginning made them male and female.” Now they feel sure they have tripped Christ up in His words, so they appeal to “the law… for the lawless” (1Ti 1:9-10), the law of Moses, and they ask Him:

Mat 19:7  They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

It no doubt infuriated the Pharisees that Christ did not even make a pretense of pointing to the law of Moses. Instead, He rebukes them for their hardened hearts, which necessitated the need for “the law… for the lawless”.

Mat 19:8  He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your [lawless] hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
Mat 19:9  And [G1161: ‘de’, But] I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

Wow! Christ’s doctrine, contrary to the law of Moses, is that the only acceptable reason for seeking a divorce is “except… for fornication.” This is such a revolutionary departure from the law of Moses that even Chirst’s own apostles are taken aback by His new teaching:

Mat 19:10  His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.

Never once appealing to the law of Moses Christ immediately acknowledges that He is well aware that His doctrine is not going to be accepted by the multitudes. He goes on to symbolize the paucity of those who are able to receive His doctrine to the eunuchs:

Mat 19:11  But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.
Mat 19:12  For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb [not spiritual eunuchs]: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men [not spiritual eunuchs]: and there be [spiritual] eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it [Christ’s doctrine concerning divorce and remarriage and all of His doctrines], let him receive it.

Many men down through the years have literally castrated themselves thinking they were doing so for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. Some, after having done so and still finding themselves lusting after women in their hearts have committed suicide. Truly, “the letter killeth, but the spirit gives life”:

2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Christ’s response to the shock expressed by His disciples demonstrates that He is well aware of how revolutionary and reformative His doctrines are. The word ‘eunuch’ is as spiritual as any other words He has spoken.  Christ is not encouraging anyone to become a physical eunuch. Like Gideon at “the water” (Jdg 7:5), He sifts out those who are eunuchs “according to the letter” from those who are spiritual eunuchs “for the kingdom of heaven’s sake… eunuchs of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter”:

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew [spiritual eunuch], which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew [spiritual eunuch], which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.

We are even told that married couples who “seek… first the kingdom of God” can be spiritual eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake:

Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

1Co 7:29  But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives [or husbands] be as though they had none;

“Of the heart, in spirit and not in the letter” means that Christ’s words mean what they mean and not what they say. Paul is not advising married couples to ignore each other and act as if they are not married, yet even a married couple should “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” In the same way, being a ‘Jew’ no longer has anything at all to do with whether one is a literal, physical, natural… “letter” Jew, and ‘circumcision’ no longer has anything at all to do with whether one is literally circumcised. What being a ‘Jew’, what being ‘circumcised’ and what being ‘a eunuch for the kingdom of heaven’s sake’ now means is that all those phrases are describing one thing, and that one thing is that anyone who is “in Christ”, whether married or single, is now a spiritual Jew. He is now spiritually circumcised and is now a spiritual eunuch for the kingdom of heaven’s sake, even as he considers himself married to Christ:

Eph 5:22  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
Eph 5:23  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Eph 5:24  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Eph 5:28  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
Eph 5:29  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Eph 5:31  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh [meaning of one mind].
Eph 5:32  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Eph 5:33  Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Christ’s words are spirit, not “letter.” “One flesh” signifies one mind. Walking in the spirit is thinking as Christ thinks.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words [My way of thinking] that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life.

1Co 2:4  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
1Co 2:5  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men [the thinking of the carnal mind], but in the power of God.
1Co 2:6  Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
1Co 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom [way of thinking], which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

Words and phrases which are “in demonstration of the spirit and of power” are “hidden wisdom” because they do not mean what they say, rather they mean what they mean, and that ‘meaning’ is not whatever our flesh may wish it to be. Rather, the meaning of spiritual words is given us in the scriptures “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little” (Isa 28:9-13), and they are always more demanding of the flesh than “the letters” of the Word. A ‘Jew’ now, according to the scriptures, means one who is a “Jew in heart and in spirit.” ‘Circumcision’ now means “circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter.” The seed of Abraham and the nation of Israel are no longer reckoned by physical descent but by whether we are “in Christ.” By that same principle, spiritual ‘fornication’ is also “of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter.”

Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29  And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise [of inheriting ‘the land’ which means conquering the giant passion of our flesh].

Gal 6:15  It does not matter at all whether or not one is circumcised; what does matter is being a new creature. what matters is being a new creation. (GNB)
Gal 6:16  Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God [Those who think as God thinks].

“All things are new” because “the words that I speak unto you… are spirit… hidden wisdom… not in the letter but of the heart in the spirit”.

2Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Does this knowledge that the phrase “except it be for fornication” have a spiritual application that in any way minimizes the sin of physical adultery or physical fornication? No, not at all! What the spiritual knowledge of any subject does is to raise the bar into the spiritual realm as Christ did with hatred (Mat 5:22, 1Jn 3:15), vengeance (Mat 5:38-39) and with the “woman caught in adultery, in the very act” (Joh 8:4-11). The hypocritical Pharisees wanted to stone her to death as the law of Moses required. As always Christ ignored the law of Moses and focused His ire, not on the woman who had committed physical fornication, but on the spiritual fornication of the unforgiving Pharisees who had self-righteously dragged her before Him without bringing the man with whom she had been “taken in adultery, in the very act.” The law of Moses required the death of both the man and the woman:

Lev 20:10  And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

When we are told that “the letter kills, but the spirit gives life” that would also include the letters Christ was writing on the ground in this story. There was present at this would-be stoning no “man that committed adultery” as Moses required. The Pharisees had painted themselves into a corner with no way out. Christ’s every action had great purpose and great power. Therefore what He wrote on the ground with His finger condemned all those men who had dragged this poor weak sinful woman to Him. Those words the Lord wrote on the ground with His finger were also words of life to this poor weak and sinful woman and to all who will “only acknowledge [their] iniquity” (Jer 3:13):

Joh 8:3  And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
Joh 8:4  They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

Self-righteousness, also called ‘iniquity’, is always so quick to see the sins of another while hiding or being totally unaware of one’s own sins. The self-righteous man is quick to condemn others:

Joh 8:5  Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
Joh 8:6  This they said, tempting him [knowing what He had already publicly taught the multitudes in Matthew 5], that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote [something very significant] on the ground, as though he heard them not [All these blocked out words are not in the Greek].
Joh 8:7  So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
Joh 8:8  And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground [something so powerfully convicting and  condemning of those who were present that]…
Joh 8:9  And they which heard [G191: ‘akouo’, “to comprehend, to understand”, BT+] it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
Joh 8:10  When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
Joh 8:11  She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

The Lord did not condone the physical adultery of this woman, but the thrust of this story is against the spiritual fornication of her accusers, more than the weakness of this woman’s flesh.

The Lord said that Moses permitted a writing divorcement “for the hardness of your hearts.”

Mat 19:8  He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
Mat 19:9  And [G1161: ‘de’, But] I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

Hardness of Your Heart

What does “hardness of your hearts” mean? Are these laws on divorce and remarriage the only laws written “because of the hardness of your hearts?” Absolutely not! Any and every law ever written is written “because of the hardness of your hearts” (Rom 2:5). Anyone who thinks as Christ thinks has had a ‘heart of stone’ replaced with a soft heart:

Eze 36:26  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Eze 36:27  And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Rom 2:5  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

1Ti 1:9  Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10  For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine [For those with hardened and impenitent hearts];

‘Hardness of heart’ is self-centered rebellion and self-will against the mind of God. That is the very person the law of Moses was designed to govern. If we are given to understand that the function of the law, and the proper use of the law, is as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, then we will have no problem understanding that the schoolmaster is no longer needed as we are given the mind of God to go beyond the need for a schoolmaster and grow up and mature into the law of the spirit of God in Christ Jesus:

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh [“the letter… the law for the lawless”], but after the [the much higher realm of the] Spirit.

Heb 5:12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe [Still under the “schoolmaster”].
Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil [“Walking  after the spirit” (Rom 8:1)].

Acknowledging the spiritual meaning of “except it be for fornication” is truly “strong meat [which] belongs to them that are of full of age… who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” ‘Fornication’ is not simply physical adultery. This one exception which is so egregious that it justifies the dissolution of the marriage contract includes the fornication of which the great harlot is guilty:

Rev 17:1  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Rev 17:2  With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

We now know that Christ’s words “are spirit” (Joh 6:63) so we are now able to ask, what does “saving for the cause of fornication” (Mat 5:32) or “except it be for fornication” (Mat 19:9) mean? This is, without a doubt, one of the most hotly contested biblical questions of all time. If after we have established that the letter of the law is no longer our schoolmaster, and phrases like “of the circumcision… he is not a Jew”; and the phrases “the seed of Abraham” and “Israel of God”, all have a spiritual meaning which is not in accord with the primary letters of those phrases, and then we consider the phrases “saving for the cause of fornication”, and “except it be for fornication”, to physically mean just what they say, and fall right back into thinking of ‘fornication” only as an outward physical act like outward circumcision, then we will miss the spiritual meaning of this one exception Christ is giving us which justifies seeking to dissolve a marriage.

As with all our definitions of words or phrases, we need to allow God’s word to be our dictionary and our lexicon when we try to understand these teachings of our Lord:

Mat 5:32  But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away [G630: ‘apoluo’, to put away] his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced [NOT ‘divorced’ but G630: ‘apoluo’, put away (Mat 19:9) without a writing of divorcement] committeth adultery.

Mat 19:8  He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
Mat 19:9  And [G1161: ‘de’, but] I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away [G630: ‘apoluo’, set free, release, loose] his wife, except [G1508: ‘ei me’ but, save for] it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away [G630: ‘apoluo’, set free, release, loose] doth commit adultery.

We will pause our study at this point and, Lord willing, we will see the spiritual application of our Lord’s words “saving for the cause of fornication” and “except it be for fornication” in our next study which will be Part 9 of this review of the Law of Moses versus the Law of the spirit.

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Audio Download

Law of Moses versus the Law of the Spirit – Part 9

Updated January 20, 2024

We ended our last study with the conclusion that our Lord’s words are spirit (Joh 6:63), with a spiritual application, and that the words which express the one legitimate reason for seeking to dissolve and put asunder a marriage… “except it be for fornication…” are also spirit and carry with them a spiritual application.

Here is what our Lord has to say about divorce and remarriage:

Mat 5:31  It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: [G647: ‘apostasion’]
Mat 5:32  But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away [G630: ‘apoluo’, to put away without a bill of divorcement] his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced [this word is NOT ‘divorced’ but G630: ‘apoluo’, put away without a writing of divorcement] committeth adultery.
Mat 19:8  He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
Mat 19:9  And [G1161: ‘de’, but] I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away [G630: ‘apoluo’, set free, release, loose] his wife, except [G1508: ‘ei me’ but, save for] it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away [G630: ‘apoluo’, set free, release, loose] doth commit adultery.

Christ had both ‘put away’, ‘apoluo’ (G630), and had ‘divorced’ G647, ‘apostasion’, Mat 5:31], Israel:

Isa 50:1  Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.

Jer 3:8  And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

It is obvious from those two verses that the phrase “except it be for fornication” includes “adultery”. It is also obvious that the Lord had no physical sexual relationship with ancient Israel.

The Lord has said that He hates putting away, and that we must be careful that we do not deal treacherously with the wife of our youth.

Mal 2:16  For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

“Take heed to your spirit, that you deal not treacherously” means, Don’t even attempt to play mind games with the very God who gives you your thoughts:

Psa 94:11  The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.

The Lord knows our thoughts because it is He who sends and evil spirit to give us those thoughts:

1Sa 16:14  But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

Pro 16:1  The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.

The Lord knows our thoughts. Any thought which stems from a deceitful heart is not fooling Him.

Marriage is the most sacred institution God has bequeathed to man. It is by its very nature the most intimate, maturing, loving and nurturing relationship one can experience in this physical life. It is a physical reflection of our spiritual relationship to God

Isa 54:6  For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

Christ is the bridegroom of the bride:

Mat 9:14  Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
Mat 9:15  And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

He tells us plainly that He hates “putting away”.

“Take heed that ye deal not treacherously” is referring specifically to “the wife of [our] youth:

Mal 2:13  And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.
Mal 2:14  Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. [No mind games with God]
Mal 2:15  And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

As King David discovered the hard way, it is a very destructive thing to attempt to play mind games with the person who gives you your own thoughts (2Sa 12:15-23, Pro 16:1). Don’t “put away” (apoluo) your wife, unless you immediately intend to write her a bill of divorcement, and don’t be looking for any excuse to ‘put asunder what God has joined together.’ Divorce is the very last thing any Godly person, man or woman, wants.

When Christ told the woman “taken in… the very act [of]… adultery… Go and sin no more”, what He is telling her is ‘repent before God and your husband, return to your husband, beg forgiveness of God and your husband, and never do this again.’ Christ did not encourage the woman to seek a divorce because she had been ‘taken in adultery, in the very  act.’

So whatever “except it be for fornication” means, it certainly is not meant as an easy excuse to dissolve a marriage. Anyone possessing the mind of God is willing to forgive the weakness of the flesh when a mate repents and begs forgiveness. No one with the mind of God is looking for a way to dissolve “what God hath joined together”. Every God-fearing Christian is seeking to nurture and strengthen the marriage bond. Looking for another mate is certainly not even a consideration for anyone who can truthfully say “I am [being] crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me…”:

Gal 2:20  I am [being] crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Christ forgave Israel repeatedly for many years before he finally put her away and wrote her a bill of divorcement.

Nevertheless, Christ did make this one exception to the permanency of the marriage relationship:

Mat 19:9  And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication [G4202: ‘porneia’ harlotry (including adultery and incest), according to Strong’s definition], and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away [without a bill of divorcement, G647: ‘apostasion’] doth commit adultery.
Mat 5:31  It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away [G630: ‘apoluo’] his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: [G647: ‘apostasion’]
Mat 5:32  But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced [G630: ‘apoluo’ put away] committeth adultery.

The Meaning of Fornication

So with the “Not my will but thine be done” attitude of Christ (Luk 22:42), let us consider the meaning of this word “fornication”. The Greek here for fornication is porneia (Strong’s G4202). The word appears 25 times in the New Testament: Mat 5:32, 19:9; Mar 7:21; Joh 8:41; Act 15:20, 15:29, 21:25; Rom 1:29; 1Co 5:1, 6:13,18, 7:2; 2Co 12:21; Gal 5:19; Eph 5:3; Col 3:5; 1Th 4:3; Rev 2:21, 9:21, 14:8, 17:4, 18:3 and 19:2. These 25 words are all in the noun part of speech.

I will quote but the first entry as an example of how this word is used as a noun:

Mat 5:32  But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away [G630: ‘apoluo’, set free, release, loose] his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery [a noun]: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced [this word is not ‘divorce’ but G630 ‘apoluo’, set free, release, loose, in preparation of ‘apostosion’, divorce] committeth adultery.

The verb form of the noun ‘porneia’ is ‘porneuo’ (Strong’s G4203), and it appears in seven verses in the New Testament: 1Co 6:18, 10:8; Rev 2:14, 2:20, 17:2, 18:3 and 18:9.

Here is the first entry of this verb, ‘porneuo’. This verse just happens to contain both the noun and the verb forms of this Greek word:

1Co 6:18  Flee fornication [G4202: ‘porneia’, a noun]. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication [G4203: ‘porneuo’, the verb form of the noun ‘porneia’. Reading it in English, it appears to be a noun, but the word one word translated “committeth fornication”] sinneth against his own body.

Now let us pose this question. Is this new, “But I say unto you…” law telling us that the only way out of an abusive marriage is ‘except for the physical act of sexual fornication’? That is what many, if not most Christians teach.

For example, here is what Albert Barnes Commentary has on Matthew 5:31-32, which we just quoted:

“Our Saviour brought marriage back to its original intention, and declared that whosoever put away his wife henceforward, except for one offence, should be guilty of adultery. This is now the law of God. This was the original institution. This is the only law that is productive of peace and good morals, and that secures the respect due to a wife, and the good of children. Nor has any man or set of men – any legislature or any court, civil or ecclesiastical – a right to interfere, and declare that divorces may be granted for any other cause. They, therefore, whoever they may be, who are divorced for any cause except the single one of adultery, if they marry again, are, according to the Scriptures, living in adultery. No earthly laws can trample down the laws of God, or make that right which he has solemnly pronounced wrong.” (Emphasis mine)

According to this understanding of the Lord’s words “saving for the cause of fornication”, a man could verbally and physically abuse and beat his wife every day, and she would have no Biblical recourse to dissolve her marriage and free herself from such an abusive husband, as long as he does not commit adultery against her.

On the other hand, a domineering wife could drive up credit card debt to the point of bankruptcy and verbally and physically abuse her husband, and he would have no Biblical recourse to write her a bill of divorcement and free himself from such an abusive wife as long as she does not commit adultery against him.

The Truth is that, as always, the words of scripture have a spiritual meaning which is far more powerful and far more practical that “the letter” of the law. The Truth is that the words of our Lord… “saving for the cause of fornication… are spirit” (Joh 6:63), and therefore they include the meaning of spiritual ‘fornication’ as well as physical fornication.

The Lord tells us that He wrote Israel a bill of divorcement. The Lord tolerated Israel’s adultery and fornications for hundreds of years before doing so. When He finally did so, it was because Israel had bowed themselves down to other gods, the gods of the nations around them, and they did so without any acknowledgment of their spiritual fornications. The Lord Himself refers to this very fact in His words to the church of Pergamos:

Rev 2:14  But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication [G4203: ‘porneuo’, the verb form of G4202: ‘porneia’]

Now Christ was a Jew living with the Old Testament only. To know for certain what Christ meant by porneia, we must find a scripture in the New Testament that refers to a specific act of porneia in the Old Testament. Of the 32 verses listed above where this word appears, the only verse that refers to a specific act of porneia in the Old Testament is:

1Co 10:8 Neither let us commit fornication (porneuo G4203, verb form of ‘porneia’), as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

This is a reference to the seduction of Israel by the daughters of Moab on the advice of the prophet Baalam (Num 31:16). This just happens to be the same act of fornication referred to in Revelation 2:14, where the Lord told us that the church of Pergamos (That is each of us in our own time) is guilty of the same sin of fornication that Balaam caused Israel to commit. If unrepented of, this fornication would justify the Lord removing the candle stick of the church of Pergamos. Removing our candle stick is the writing of a bill of divorcement for the cause of fornication.

Num 31:16  Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass [“fornication” (Rev 2:14)] against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

Rev 2:14  But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

Now notice the spiritual affect of this physical sin which the Lord’s own people committed against Him:

Num 25:1 And Israel abode in Shittim and the people began to commit whoredom (Hebrew: zanah, fornication – Strong’s H2181) with the daughters of Moab.
Num 25:2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
Num 25:3 And Israel joined himself to Baalpeor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

Physical fornication (porneuo, verb, or porneia, noun) led Israel to spiritual fornication or idolatry.

The Hebrew word for fornication is zanah (Strong’s H2181). It appears 82 times in the Old Testament. It is translated variously as ‘harlot’, ‘whore’, ‘whoring’ and ‘fornication’. The first time this word for fornication, zanah appears is in Genesis 34:31: “… should he deal with our sister as with an harlot (zanah)?”

This physical application represents 25 of the 82 entries of this word fornication in the Old Testament Hebrew. The remaining 57 entries are spiritual in their application:

Exo 34:15  Lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring (zanah – fornication) after their gods and do sacrifice unto their gods and one call you and you eat of his sacrifice.

Exodus 34:15 is typical of well over 2/3 of the entries for a spiritual application of this word zanah:

2Ch 21:11 Moreover he [Jehoram, king of Judah] made high places [for idol worship] in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication [Hebrew: zanah], and compelled Judah thereto.”

Clearly “the invisible things…” [spiritual fornication among them] are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made” (like physical fornication Rom 1:20).

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

The primary sin “not after the letter, but after the Spirit” (2Co 3:6) in the New Covenant, is unfaithfulness to God, or spiritual fornication.

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? [Why do you fornicate against Me?]

1Co 6:16  What? know ye not that he which is [spiritually] joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
1Co 6:17  But he that is [spiritually] joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

It is before God that we say ‘Yes, I will be faithful to my mate.’ Physical marriage is simply a type of our relationship with our spiritual Husband, Christ. Our faithfulness to our mate is a reflection of how faithful we are to God, our Father, and Christ, our husband (2Co 11:2).

2Co 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Eph 5:31  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Eph 5:32  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Spiritual idolatry or fornication is more than just physical fornication:

Col 3:5  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness which is idolatry

In the strictest sense, any sin that comes between us and our husband, Jesus Christ, (2Co 11:2) becomes unfaithfulness, spiritual idolatry or fornication.

2Co 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Idolatry is idol worship. Idol worship is spiritual fornication against the Lord. Idolatry is not just a thing of the past. It is more prevalent in society and in the church of this materialistic age than it has ever been in history. Idolatry and spiritual fornication are increasing every day:

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

Notice now how all these physical sins become spiritual sins and spiritual fornication:

2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; [What is all of this?]:
2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2Ti 3:6  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women [Fornicating,  idolatrous, apostate churches] laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
2Ti 3:7  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth [Apostate churches].

What is the point Paul is making? He reveals it in the next verse:

2Ti 3:8  Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. [spiritual fornicators]

What Christ then is saying in Matthew 5:32: “Whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery…” is that anyone putting away his mate for a treacherous and selfish motive is the one causing any adultery or fornication that is  committed.

What would be an unselfish, sincere motive? Let’s let the Apostle Paul answer that question:

1Co 7:15  If the unbelieving depart, let him [or her] depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage [to the marriage] in such cases.

Paul’s doctrine here does not contradict Christ’s ‘saving for the cause of fornication’ doctrine. What does the word “depart” mean? Could that word also conceivably have a spiritual meaning? Indeed it does!

Israel never physically departed from the Lord. Israel was still in the land and wanted to keep the Lord’s name even as she committed fornication against her own Husband by eating her own bread, meaning teaching her own doctrines, and wearing her own apparel, meaning living as she sees fit:

Isa 4:1  And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

Israel was still claiming to be God’s wife while she was in effect, slapping her husband in the face and committing “adultery” and “fornication” with anyone and everyone including “stones and stocks”:

Jer 3:9  And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.

If a man or woman beats and abuses a mate or their children, and deliberately and vengefully attempts to bankrupt the home, he or she is as guilty of leaving that union as Israel was of leaving the Lord , and the Lord put Israel away and wrote Israel a “bill of divorcement” (Jer 3:8).

Jer 3:8  And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
Jer 3:9  And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery [spiritual fornication] with stones and with stocks.

“And whosoever shall marry her that is put away (not divorced) committeth adultery:” There is no respect of persons with God (Rom 2:11). There is neither male nor female in Christ (Gal 3:28). So this verse could just as scripturally read “Whosoever shall put away her husband saving for the cause of fornication” and “whosoever shall marry him that is put away committeth adultery.”

There are those who say, in effect, that the exception clause is no exception. They quote:

Rom 7:2  For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law (of Moses) to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

Those who quote this “bound by the law” verse in support of the ‘no exception’ doctrine, are simply ignorant of the law of Moses. As demonstrated earlier in these studies, there were many reasons in the law of Moses for which a man “by the law [could] put away his wife, [including] she find no favor in his eyes” (Deu 24:1) and “if you have no delight in her” (Deu 21:14).

The only conditions given “by the law” of Moses under which a man could never put away his wife, were if he had falsely accused her of premarital sex (Deu 22:19) or if he himself were guilty of premarital sex with his wife (Deu 22:29).

Deu 22:16  And the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her;
Deu 22:17  And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.
Deu 22:18  And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him;
Deu 22:19  And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.

Deu 22:28  If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;
Deu 22:29  Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.

There are certainly no provisions in the law of Moses for a woman to put away her husband “if he find no favor in her eyes” or “if she have no delight in him.” Instead, “the woman which hath an husband was bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth…” (Rom 7:2) as long as “she findeth favor in his eyes” (Deu 24:1).

Christ, of course, once again acts oblivious to the law of Moses. He changes the law as He sees fit, for He sees things as the Father sees them (Joh 5:30).

Joh 5:30  I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

“The will of the Father” was to send Christ to reform the law of Moses and that is exactly what Christ did. It does not accord with the law He had with ancient Israel. There is no respect of persons under this new law. Both parties must now give an accounting for their own deeds (Rom 2:6, Gal 6:7). We must consider the atmosphere in which Christ lived. Under Moses’ law, a man could put away his wife for almost any reason. Christ was, as always, saying “But I say unto you…” as He went about reforming the law of Moses:

Heb 9:10  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

Jer 31:31  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Jer 31:32  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:

I hope this helps us all better understand the meaning of “except it be for fornication” and that we are all very careful to never deal treacherously with the wife of our youth.

We will pause here and resume in our next study. We will again witness how our Reformer Savior speaks as if He is oblivious to the physical limitations of the carnal commandments of the law of Moses.

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The Law of Moses Versus The Law of The Spirit – Part 10

Updated January 25, 2023

In our last study we saw that the only scriptural basis for seeking a divorce is “for the cause of fornication”, and we learned that the word ‘fornication’, as with all of the words of Christ, is a word with a spiritual meaning which is far superior to the letter of that word. For example the word ‘hate’ is now spiritually elevated to ‘murder’:

1Jn 3:15  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Looking on a woman to lust after her in your heart is now elevated to ‘committing adultery’:

Mat 5:27  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Mat 5:28  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

In the same manner, the ease with which a man can put away his wife has been completely changed and elevated from “if he find no pleasure in her” (Deu 24:1) and “if thou have no delight in her” (Deu 21:14) to “except it be for fornication” (Mat 5:31-32, Mat 19:9). We concluded our study with the demonstration from the scriptures that the words “except it be for fornication” are also spiritual words with a much higher application than just physical adultery (Joh 6:63). This Truth is demonstrated by the words of the apostle Paul:

1Co 7:15  If the unbelieving depart, let him [or her] depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage [to the marriage] in such cases.

The word ‘fornication’ is not mentioned in 1 Corinthians 7:15, and yet it is in complete accord with the spiritual meaning of “except it be for fornication” as we demonstrated in our last study. Neither spouse can consistently abuse the other spouse, abuse their children, bankrupt the family, and claim that he or she has not committed fornication, and claim that the victim of all this abuse has no Biblical grounds for divorce.

In this study we are going to go into some more of the “many things” which the unconverted apostles of Christ could not receive at the time of His death and resurrection. Indeed, many of His disciples cannot receive His words until this very day.

The very evening of His apprehension by the Jews, Christ told His unconverted disciples that there were yet many things which were even more radically different from the law of Moses than all the changes He made in His ‘sermon on the mount’ and the changes in the laws regarding divorce and remarriage. He told His disciples that He had “many things” to tell them that they simply could not at this time accept:

Joh 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

Luk 22:31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

 Christ began “the time of reformation” while He was here in a body of flesh and blood:

Heb 9:7  But into the second [“holy of holies”] went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
Heb 9:8  The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
Heb 9:9  Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Heb 9:10  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

After His death and resurrection, ‘the time of reformation’ continued through the work of His apostles. It took time, but Christ began to show His Jewish apostles, beginning with Peter’s vision of a sheet full of unclean animals being lowered to the earth three times and then three Gentile men from the home of Cornelius the Gentile Roman centurion appearing at his door. Through this experience, which Peter was forced to share with the other apostles at Jerusalem, the Lord continued to reform the law and make a new covenant with a new Israel. However, the greatest changes were made known through the only apostle who never knew Christ in the flesh and who was the only apostle who was called into the ministry while he was outside of physical Israel on the road to Damascus, Syria. That is of course the apostle Paul. It was through Paul that the Lord chose to reveal so many of the spiritual changes which were key elements of His reformation.

It was through the ministry of the apostle Paul to the church at Corinth that the holy spirit tells us, as we noted earlier:

1Co 7:15  But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.

As we noted earlier, this admonition accords with Christ’s admonition that a marriage is not to be dissolved “except for fornication” because both words, ‘fornication’ and ‘depart’, are inspired by the Lord, and both are spiritual words with a spiritual meaning which are even now judging and decreasing our old man while at the same time they are increasing and liberating our new man. Therefore, neither spouse can abuse and deal treacherously with the other spouse while claiming to be sexually faithful. Spiritually leaving a spouse is as bad or worse than doing so physically. Constant physical, mental and emotional abuse is the same as ‘the unbelieving departing’ and the holy spirit knew and provided for such treachery with these words:

1Co 7:15  But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.

This concludes our examination of the third change Christ made to the law of Moses when He declared:

Mat 5:31  It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
Mat 5:32  But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced [G630: ‘apoluo’, put away] committeth adultery.

We will now consider Christ’s next change:

Change #4 – “SWEAR NOT AT ALL”

Mat 5:33  Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
Mat 5:34  But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
Mat 5:35  Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
Mat 5:36  Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
Mat 5:37  But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

 When Christ says: “Again you have heard it said by them of old time Thou shalt not forswear [Strong’s G1964: epiorkeo – commit perjury] thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; … but let your communication be yea, yea; nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil”, is anyone who knows the law of Moses really going to argue that ‘Christ did not come to change the law?’ Will anyone really claim that He is simply explaining the spiritual meaning of the law? It is wolves in sheep’s clothing who argue that Christ is not really changing anything here; that the law was really spiritual all along; that men had simply been unaware of the spirit of the law or had lost the spirit of the law, and all Christ came to do was to restore the law to the original glorious position it had lost through the traditions of the elders? What utter nonsense!

No, that is not the case. Christ is indeed “changing the law”, not just the so-called “law of the priesthood”, a phrase which is not found in scripture:

Heb 7:11  If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
Heb 7:12  For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

This change Christ made was not just a change of the priesthood, but “a change also of the law” of Moses. All we need do is to look at what the law of Moses has to say about swearing, or making oaths, to know whether Christ is showing us ‘the spirit of the law that was lost through the traditions of the elders’ or if His ‘But I say unto you’ statements are truly “a change also of the law”.

Here is what Moses law says about swearing or making an oath:

Deu 6:13  Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

Here is our second witness to this part of the law of Moses concerning taking an oath:

Deu 10:20  Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.

How does “swear by His name” in any way agree with “swear not at all?”

Obviously there is no agreement at all between those two doctrines. Christ is demonstrating that He, like Moses before him, is making drastic changes in the law. Yet most refuse to believe that there is “a change also of the law” (Heb 7:12). Because the ten commandments, “written and engraven in stones”, are the heart of the old covenant, they refuse to apply the words of the holy spirit: “abolished”, “done away”, “disannulled”, “vanishing away”, and “nailed to the cross” to the ten commandments.

Why does Christ tell us “swear not at all”? Because swearing has no place in the heart and mind of anyone who knows and believes that “God is working all things after the counsel of His own will.” Swearing and taking and oath are worthless to those who believe that “it is God that works in [us] both to will and to do of His good pleasure” in us in the kingdom of God.

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

We do not swear because the one greater than the temple is here, and His kingdom is at hand, and we, of ourselves, bring nothing to the table of the Lord:

Mat 5:34  But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:

Mat 5:35. Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
Mat 5:36  Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
Mat 5:37  But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

The Greek word translated as ‘because’ in verse 36, is G3754, ‘hoti’. It is the same Greek word translated ‘for’ in verse 34… “swear not… by heaven for it is God’s throne” and it is the same word translated ‘for’ in verse 35… “swear not… by the earth for it is His footstool: neither by Jerusalem for it is the city of the great King”. Finally we are admonished against swearing by our own hair “because (G3754, ‘hoti’) you cannot make one hair white or black”.

If we consistently translate every G3754, ‘hoti’ as “because” it becomes very clear that the reason the Lord tells us not to swear is that anything we might swear by is either Himself or it belongs to Him, and we have no right to blatantly usurp that which is His.

Christ emphasizes how serious He is about the “change… of the law” in Matthew 23 beginning at verse 16:

Mat 23:16  Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
Mat 23:17  Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
Mat 23:18  And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
Mat 23:19  Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
Mat 23:20  Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
Mat 23:21  And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
Mat 23:22  And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

Christ demonstrated just how upside down and backward the minds of the scribes and Pharisees were. Their thinking was the exact opposite of God’s, and every oath was in opposition to Christ’s newly changed law which now commands us:

Mat 5:37  But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Heaven is the throne of The King of the kingdom of God and we are “not to swear by heaven for [Greek:hoti, because] it is God’s throne”.

Most have at best a very foggy notion about what constitutes ‘heaven’ or what or where ‘the kingdom of God’ is. Jesus Christ is the King of the kingdom of God, therefore His kingdom was within Him in the same way it is within those whom He places into His kingdom (Luk 17:20-21). The gospel is all about “the kingdom of God” (Mat 4:23 which is the same ‘kingdom within us’, Luk 17:21).

Mat 4:23  And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Before the manifested sons of God can bring the kingdom to all creation (Rom 8:18-23), it must first be firmly established WITHIN us. We enter INTO the kingdom of God, just as God (and His kingdom) enters into us.

Joh 14:20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature [all of mankind of all time] waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

“The firstfruits” are those “who first trusted in Christ”:

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Notice that Paul has no qualms about using the plural personal pronouns ‘ourselves’ and ‘we’ when speaking of the Lord’s firstfruit elect. “Ourselves which have the firstfruits of the spirit [are]  waiting for the adoption… the earnest [downpayment] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.”

Our ‘inheritance’ has already been “purchased”, but we have that inheritance only in “earnest” or downpayment form while we are yet in these corruptible bodies of flesh and blood. That will all change at “the redemption of the purchased possession”, which refers to “the resurrection to life… the… blessed and holy first resurrection” (Joh 5:27-29, Rev 20:4-6).

Speaking specifically of the changes He has made in the law of Moses, Jesus admonishes us that unless our “righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees we shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

Mat 5:19  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments [of Mine], and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:20  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Many scribes and Pharisees kept the ten commandments “blamelessly” but they will not be in the kingdom of God. Saul of Tarsus (Paul) was “a Pharisee the son of a Pharisee” (who “… touching righteousness which is of the law, [was] BLAMELESS” yet Saul of Tarsus was unfit for the kingdom of heaven:

Php 3:6  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Likewise, the young rich ruler who came to Jesus seeking to know how to be saved was denied even though he kept all of the commandments from his youth. Why? What did he lack? His righteousness did not exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.

Jesus said to him: “If you will be PERFECT… sell [your “righteousness which is of the law”] give [my doctrine] to the poor… follow Me”:

Mat 19:16  And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
Mat 19:17  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
Mat 19:18  He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Mat 19:19  Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 19:20  The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Mat 19:21  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
Mat 19:22  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions [Part of his ‘possessions’ was his self-righteousness].
Mat 19:23  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 19:24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Mat 19:25  When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
Mat 19:26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Keeping all the old covenant and ten commandments is not good enough to enter into the kingdom of God. Our Lord’s new teaching is that “[our] righteousness must exceed the [blameless] righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees [or we] shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven”.

Here is the problem. The Mosaic law and law-keeping “perfected [matured] NOTHING”:

Heb 7:18  For there is verily a disannulling [G115: ‘athetesis’, to “put away”] of the commandment going before for [G1223: ‘dia’, through] the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.
Heb 7:19  For the law made nothing perfect [G5048: ‘teleioo’ complete], but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

That Greek word G115, ‘athetesis’ is the same Greek word which is translated as “put away” in Hebrews 9:26 where we are told that Christ “put away sin”:

Heb 9:26  For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away [G115: ‘athetesis’] sin by the sacrifice of himself.

The law of Moses was a “carnal commandment” (Heb 7:16) which made nothing complete. Christ has therefore put it away (teleioo) and abolished (katargeo) it, and has replaced it with “a new covenant”, and “a new commandment” based upon the new way of defining our love of God and His Son:

Joh 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another [Defined by obedience to Christ’s new covenant].

1Jn 2:7  Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning [of the gospel of Christ]. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning [of Christ’s ministry as the next verse makes clear].
1Jn 2:8  Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

All the Levitical priests and all their sacrifices perfected nothing. Being under the law of Moses is akin to remaining in the milk doctrines of Christ and refusing to “go on unto perfection” (Heb 6:1-3). Likewise, swearing by God’s name or swearing an oath in the name of God, or the temple, or Jerusalem, did not make their word any more honest nor did it add one bit of stature to their carnal character.

We are now commanded by our Lord Himself “Swear at all.” Peter swore and cursed with an oath to his own dismal chagrin (Mat 26:69-75), for which he repented bitterly. Swearing by “our head” (our name and character) or “by God” or “for heaven’s sake” or “for land’s sake” or “by h-o-l-y Jerusalem” or on “a Bible” or on a “stack of Bibles” will not add one bit of truth to our statements.

If on the other hand GOD should swear an oath, then it is eternally true and it is by an OATH that Jesus Christ is now our High Priest ‘after the order of Melchisedec… made a surety of a BETTER testament (Heb 7:21-22), which does “Make… perfect” (vs 19), which will “NEVER CHANGE” (vs 24), that “SAVES to the uttermost” (vs 25), and all this is by an oath from the word of God (vs 21 and 28).

Heb 7:20  And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest:
Heb 7:21  (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:) [Psa 110:4]
Heb 7:22  By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
Heb 7:23  And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:
Heb 7:24  But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
Heb 7:25  Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Heb 7:26  For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
Heb 7:27  Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
Heb 7:28  For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

Now that Christ has given us this new commandment regarding swearing oaths, it now “… is of EVIL” if we continue to keep the old letter of the law and swear by His name or by anything else.

This concludes our study of the fourth change Christ made to the law of Moses in Matthew 5. In our next study we will examine the fifth change. The law of Moses required “an eye for an eye”. Christ changed that law to “resist not evil”. Once again we will see clearly that Christ’s reformation is indeed “a change also of the law” (Heb 7:12), and not merely a restoring of the spirit of the law.

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Law of Moses versus the Law of the Spirit – Part 11

Change #5 – “An eye for an eye…”

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” (Mat 5:38-42). This writer had an interesting experience involving Matthew 5:42 which will serve to demonstrate what is meant by “not of the letter, but of the spirit” (2Co 3:6).

A minister in his late 70’s was holding a Bible Conference with “Salvation by Grace Alone” as the theme of the conference. Having attended several similar conferences in the previous few years, it began to dawn on me that what these people meant by “grace alone” was that there was no place at all in the new covenant for “good works.” The emphasis seemed to be more “revel in your liberty” than “showing yourself a pattern of good works” (Tit 2:7). I had yet to hear a sermon at these conferences with the title of “show yourself a pattern of good works.”

This group would have more likely turned grace into lasciviousness than try to ‘earn’ their own salvation, both of which are distortions of biblical truth.

“I don’t want to hear one word about works in this conference” were the opening words of our host. I had traveled many miles for the express purpose of discussing the place and function of works in the new covenant, so I simply waited until the first break and asked what the sermon on the mount was all about, if there was no place for works in the new covenant.

“So you think the words of Christ are for us?”, I was asked.

“Well, I certainly do”, I replied.

“Then give me all the money you have on you”, he demanded. “Christ said ‘give to him that asks of you’, and I’m asking for all of your money. You say you think the words of Christ are for you, so give me all your money.”

I must confess this caught me a bit off guard. “I’m also told to provide for my own household, and I have to get back home, so I can’t do that.”

“See, you don’t really believe the words of Christ are for you or you would give me what I asked for,” he said.

Having had time to reflect on this experience, the meaning of the phrase “of the spirit, not of the letter” has begun to sink more deeply into my heart and mind.

Here was an elderly minister, highly respected by his congregation and many of his fellow ministers, and yet with all of his years of ministry, he was taking the words of our Lord in the sermon on the mount, revealing for the first time a secret concerning the spiritual new covenant, and turning that very spiritual revelation into mere cold, written, legal words to be adhered to without one ounce of spiritual discernment.

Yes, even the New Covenant, by the wiles of the Adversary, can be perverted into mere letters which would have a person showing anything but love.

I was probably made to look foolish to those who were near, but fortunately for us all “whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Rom 14:23). So a loving Father looked down on us all and judged us all as He saw fit, according to our faith and the integrity of our hearts.

For me to have given him my traveling expenses simply because Christ, in His revelation of a new spiritual covenant, had stated, “Give to him that asks of you” without consideration for the effect of doing so, would have been tantamount to breaking the spirit of the law of love.

Christ’s main purpose for making that statement was to draw a contrast between the carnal law God gave Moses (“an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”) and the new spiritual law He was giving through Christ (“resist not evil).” Find that anywhere in the old covenant law of Moses! For that matter, find a Christian today who believes that NOT resisting evil is good advice. Whether or not most Christians ever see it, the truth is “the law [of Moses] is not for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient…” (1Ti 1:9).

Change #6 – Love Your Neighbor: Hate your Enemy

Mat 5:43  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44  But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.

Once again, the law of the new covenant reverses the law of the old. Once again, while being liberated from tedious rituals, the burden of the spirit is impossible for flesh alone to receive. Who among us, without the empowering spirit of God, can love their enemy, do good to them that hate them and pray for them which despitefully use them and persecute them?

Why Abolish the Old Covenant?

Whenever we avoid scriptural terms like “abolished”, “done away”, “disannulled”, “vanish away”, “nailed to the cross”, etc., we have taken the first step away from “a form of sound words which thou hast heard of me” (God through Paul – 2Ti 1:13). There is a reason why the adversary doesn’t want God’s people to see the truth of the abolishment (G2673 katargeo – 2Co 3:13) or the doing away (G2673 katargeo) of that which was made glorious (the ten commandments). The reason is “for if that which is done away (katargeo) was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious” (2Co 3:10 and 11).

As long as the adversary can keep our eyes on the old covenant, we will never fully see the glory of the new: “Even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart” (2Co 3:15). How true this is of all those who want to retain parts, of their own choosing, of the old covenant.

Moses was a mere type of Christ (Deu 18:15). The law of Moses is but a shadow of the spiritual law of God (Heb 10:1). Types and shadows serve a necessary purpose, but are completely incapable of revealing the fullness of the body of Christ to whom we are to be conformed.

Of just what will clinging to the letter rob us? Let’s list a few of those godly thoughts:

• We wouldn’t see that ‘thou shalt not kill” has been replaced with “don’t be angry with your brother” (Mat 5:21-22)
• We wouldn’t see that “thou shalt not commit adultery” has been changed to “don’t look on a woman to lust after her” (Mat 5:27-29)
• We won’t see that “write her a bill of divorcement” has been changed to “except for fornication” (Mat 5:31-32; 19:3-9)
• “Perform your oath” has been changed to “swear not at all” (Mat 5:33, 37) “An eye for an eye” has been changed to “resist not evil, but turn the other cheek” (Mat 5:38-42)
• “Love your neighbor, but hate your enemy” has been changed to “love your enemy” (Mat 5:43-48)
• Outward circumcision is replaced with spiritual circumcision (Rom 2:27)
• We won’t see that the “letter” really “transgresses the law” (Rom 2:27
• A Jew who is an outward Jew only “is not a Jew.” (Who do you know who actually believes this verse of scripture? Rom 2:28)
• We won’t see that Gentiles can be Jews – “he is a Jew which is one inwardly” (Rom 2:29). We won’t see that circumcision is “not in the letter”, “which is outward in the flesh” (Rom 2:28-29)
• We won’t see that “circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit” (Rom 2:29)
• We won’t see that being Abraham’s children has nothing to do with physical descent, but has everything to do with knowing and being in Christ (Gal 3:29) and simply “doing the works of Abraham” (Joh 8:37, 39)
• We won’t see that “in thee shall all nations be blessed” (Gal 3:8 and Gen 18:18) has only to do with Abraham’s “one seed… which is Christ and not his “many” other seeds (Gal 3:16)
• We won’t see that the law brings us to Christ and then (and not until then) “We are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Gal 3:23-25)
• We will think that adoption pertains to physical Israel only (Rom 9:3-4) and fail to see that adoption is now only a matter of being in Christ (Gal 4:5). “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption…” (Rom 8:15)
• We won’t see that the “promises” (Rom 9:4) are only for those in Christ (Gal 3:29)
• We won’t see that “the glory” (Rom 9:4) is only for those “in Christ” (Rom 5:2-3, Rom 6:4, Rom 8:18) “that he might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which he hath afore prepared unto glory” (Rom 9:23, 1Co 2:7, etc.)
• If we cling to the letter, we will not see that “the covenants” (Rom 9:4) pertain to us: “Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament [covenant]; not of the letter but of the spirit; for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2Co 3:6, Heb 8:8, 8:13, 12:24)
• We will wrongly think that “the giving of the law” pertains to physical Israel (Rom 9:4) when in reality, “the law is spiritual” (Rom 7:14). “I delight in the law of God AFTER THE INWARD MAN” (Rom 7:22) “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what [the letter of] the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh: God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law [“of God after the inward man” (Rom 7:22)] might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh [the letter of the law which ‘killeth’ 2Co 3:6] but AFTER THE SPIRIT” (Rom 8:2-4)
• We will erroneously think that “the divine services of God” pertain to Israel according to the flesh when in reality, only those in Christ can serve God: “I beseech ye therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable [ divine] service” (Rom 12:1). The “divine service…” of the “worldly sanctuary” were only “a figure for the time then present… imposed on them until the time of REFORMATION” (Christ, like Moses, was a reformer – Heb 9:1, 10).
• We won’t see that “the promises” (Rom 9:4) are ours! “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God BY US!” [Not by those who reject Christ!] (2Co 1:20). “Having therefore these promises [Preceding three verses, quoted from promises made to “Israel” in Lev 26:12, Isa 52:11 and Isa 43:6], dearly beloved, let us [ the Corinthian Gentiles] cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2Co 7:1).
• We won’t see that the old letter of the law has not only been “annulled”, “abolished” and “nailed to the cross”, but that it has been replaced by a better spiritual law (Rom 7:6).
• We may not have even noticed that the TEN commandments have now been replaced by SEVEN (the number of perfection) SPIRITUAL LAWS. When believers now speak of the “Law of God” we don’t mean the ten commandments, but God’s seven spiritual laws recorded in the New Testament:
  1. The Law of God… Heb 10:16
  2. The Law of Christ… Gal 6:2
  3. The Law of the Spirit… Rom 8:2
  4. The Law of Righteousness… Rom 9:30-31
  5. The Law of Faith… Rom 3:27
  6. The Law of Liberty… Jas 1:25 and
  7. The Law of Life… Gal 3:11, 6:8.

“Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds as of many [physical Israelites]; but as of ONE, and to thy seed WHICH IS CHRIST… If ye be in Christ, then [and only then] are ye… heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:16 and 29).

As long as our eyes are on the old covenant, we will never see what true circumcision is, what a true Jew is (Rom 2:28, 29). We will, like Esau, fail to see our birthright as rulers and judges of “this world” (1Co 6:2). We will give this birthright, as most Christians do, to “Israel… according to the flesh…” (Rom 9:3-4) who are called “Agar… answering to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children” (Gal 4:25). So we have the seemingly impossible situation of those who claim to be Christ’s representatives on earth, the leaders in Christendom, standing as the staunchest supporters of “the son of the bondwoman.” (“Hagar… Jerusalem that now is” who rejects Christ.)

“Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we (those in Christ – Gal 3:29 – “heirs according to the promise”) are not the children of the bondwoman (Jerusalem that now is – Gal 4:25), but of the free” (Gal 4:30-31). “The free” are the “Israel of God” of Galatians 6:16 “And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.”

In Galatians 5:1, Paul opens our eyes to the bondage of the old covenant as opposed to the liberty of the new. If you doubt that this is his point read verse 2: “Behold I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised [live by the old covenant, the letter of the law] Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law” (Gal 5:3).

Once again, yes indeed, Christ “magnified the law and made it honorable” (Isa 42:21), but we do not pick and choose for ourselves what part of the old covenant is to be retained because the “law of Moses” which is the law of God for carnal Israel (Heb 7:16), is “abolished” (katargeo G2673 – 2Co 3:13).

Not just circumcision, not just the laws on divorce and remarriage, not just the laws regarding oaths and vows, but “the law” has been abolished. “He is a debtor to do the whole law” (Gal 5:3).

To make the law “honorable” (Isa 41:21) required the giving of the spirit which could not be done until after Christ had died and been resurrected: “… I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” (Joh 16:7) with “newness of spirit” (Rom 7:6). Receiving God’s Spirit (see article on the Trinity) has everything to do with understanding the “things of the spirit” which “the natural man receiveth not” (1Co 2:16). With the Spirit, we have the mind of Christ.

Yes, it is true. The words of the Holy Spirit are “turned… into lasciviousness” (Judges 4) every day, but that should never be used as an excuse to try to “help God to keep this from happening by avoiding certain words and phrases He has chosen to use to tell us that the old covenant, all of it, is “abolished” and has been replaced with an “honorable law” (Isa 42:21), a spiritual law (Rom 7:6).

The new “spiritual law” of Romans 7:14 is not the “carnal commandment” of Hebrews 7:16, but the “spirit” of Romans 7:6: “But now we are delivered from the law [of Moses given by God for carnal Israel], that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of letter” (as in Matthew 5 and all the epistles of Paul and the other apostles.

Bible Expositors Versus Scripture

Let’s take the time here to contrast this statement of scripture (Rom 7:6) with some prevailing teachings concerning the Old Covenant law.

This writer is certainly casting no aspersions on the character or intentions of those whom he is quoting. It was only ‘yesterday’ that these were my own convictions. They do not conform to scripture, however, which is our only criteria for truth. Notice what one writer has to say regarding the old covenant:

“The fault with the old covenant was not the terms, [He means the law, the Torah] but the fault was that the people did not keep their promise of obedience to the terms, of keeping Yahweh’s law, the ten commandments. To shore up this weakness in the people, Yahweh is going to establish a new covenant with them: ‘This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their El, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach every one his fellow or every one his brother, saying, Know Yahweh, for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” (Heb 8:10-12 RSV)

Notice, instead of writing His laws on tablets of stone, He will put them in their minds and hearts. … The terms on the part of the people haven’t been changed, they still must obey His law, the ten commandments, but He, by putting them into their hearts and minds has made it possible to do so. … Now we have the spirit of the law.” [The Covenants, The Law and Grace by Henry Anderson, pp 9 and 11.]

Is this really why God wants to give us His spirit? So we can “by that spirit… keep the letter of the law”?

What does the above writer think Paul meant when he said “not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2Co 3:6)?

If “the letter killeth” why would the spirit help us to keep it?

These are completely separate and incompatible covenants. We, in Christ, are in a “new covenant.” Contrary to the prevalent teaching on this subject, we are not keeping the “spirit of the letter” or the “spirit of the old covenant which had been lost in the traditions of the elders”. The ‘spirit of the letter’ is like saying the ‘the spiritual carnal mind.’ The new covenant is “not in oldness of the letter” (Rom 7:6), and the “oldness of the letter” had no spirit to lose. “The law [of Moses] is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient…” (1Ti 1:9).

If one is keeping the letter of the law, he is a “debtor to do the whole law” (Gal 5:3); not just the Sabbath and holy days, not just the clean and unclean meat laws, not just the “immutable moral law”, but “the whole law.” The “old covenant” is “waxing old” and is “decaying” and is “ready to vanish away” (Heb 8:13). Once again we ask, what is the old covenant? Once again, we answer “he declared unto you his covenant… even ten commandments; … upon two tables of stone” (Deu 4:13).

“The spirit of the letter” is not a pattern of sound words because it is not in the scriptures. It will mislead you, and you will end up attempting to retain the letter to some degree. “Not of the letter, but of the spirit (2Co 3:6) “… in newness of spirit and NOT in oldness of the letter” (Rom 7:6) and “in the spirit, and NOT in the letter” (Rom 2:29). These verses are a pattern of sound words which if used and adhered to will deliver us from many erroneous teachings.

Apparently the above expositor believes ‘”Now since we have the spirit of the law living in us and by that spirit, we keep the letter.” To him “not of the letter” doesn’t really mean “NOT of the letter”, but rather ‘one can’t keep the letter without the spirit, and one can’t keep the spirit without the letter.’ This is unscriptural nonsense.

Again I ask, is that really why we were given the spirit? So we could keep the letter? Were Christ and His disciples simply lacking the spirit when they deliberately broke the letter concerning the Sabbath (Joh 5:18)? Was Jesus lacking the spirit when He healed the impotent man and told him to take up his bed and walk, contrary to the letter of the law?

The scripture 2Co 5:17 doesn’t say “… old things [the old covenant] have not passed away; behold nothing has become new” or “we can now keep the letter because we have the spirit.”

2Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Decades after Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, Paul said, “Who hath made us able ministers of the NEW COVENANT; NOT OF THE LETTER, but of the SPIRIT: For the letter [the old covenant of ten commandments, Deu 4:13] KILLETH, but the spirit giveth LIFE” (2Co 3:6)! Notice Matthew 5:17: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the PROPHETS; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” Why do we fail to call attention in this verse to the word “prophets”? Jesus came to “fulfill the prophets.” All of the Old Testament prophesies concerning His humble, death-doomed first coming have been fulfilled. Just as surely, there are no more Old Testament covenant laws remaining to be fulfilled (“OLD things are PASSED AWAY” – 2Co 5:17).

We now have New Testament prophesies concerning His second coming in power and glory. Also we have a New Testament law of the SPIRIT (“… behold, all things are become NEW” – 2Co 5:17). Never again will our Lord ride into an OLD Jerusalem on a donkey. Never again will men spit into His face. Never again will they mercilessly beat Him. Never again will they drive nails through His body or pierce Him in the side with a spear. Our Lord drank the last dregs for the last time. Just as surely as Jesus Christ “fulfilled’ all the prophecies concerning Him, He ALSO “fulfilled” the LAW! He filled them FULL! Nothing of them remains to be fulfilled – “IT IS FINISHED” (Joh 19:30)!

2Co 3:6: “Who [Christ Jesus] also hath made us able ministers of the NEW testament [covenant]; NOT OF THE LETTER [engraved on tablets of stone], but of the SPIRIT; for the letter KILLETH, but the SPIRIT GIVETH LIFE.”

Joh 6:63… the words that I speak unto you, they are SPIRIT, and they are LIFE”

Joh 10:10 I am come that they might have LIFE…

Joh 14:6 I am the Way and the Truth and the LIFE

Heb 8:10: … Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a NEW covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: NOT according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt… For THIS is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put MY LAWS into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.

Clearly it is NEW and NOT according to the old. Our Lord did NOT say: “… I will make a REVISED covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; somewhat MODIFIED to the covenant that I made with their fathers…” So why would anyone teach such an unscriptural theology?

“Who hath made us able ministers of the NEW testament [covenant]; not of the letter, but of the SPIRIT: for the letter killeth, but the SPIRIT GIVETH LIFE.” This is a “GLORIOUS” covenant (vs 8), a “ministration of RIGHTEOUSNESS” (vs 9), “Now the Lord is that SPIRIT: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is LIBERTY” (vs 17). Notice our “glorious liberty, righteousness and life, in the SPIRIT”? Where do we find such things in the Ten Commandments? The Old was “DO in the letter or DIE”! The New is “BE in Christ and LIVE”!!

Oh yes, God does indeed have a law, but until we see the vast difference between the old and new covenants, we will be unaware of who we are in Christ, and unaware of the opposition (NOT the compatibility) of the letter to the spirit. “… That which was done away WAS [past tense] glorious…” but “… That which was made glorious had NO glory in this respect, by reason of that which excelleth”. That which excels is “not of the letter” but “of the spirit” (2Co 3:6,10,11).

Mr. Anderson would do well to notice all the “changes of the terms” made in Matthew 5. He would also benefit greatly from realizing that “his law” for ancient Israel was not just the ten commandments, but that “… every man that is circumcised… is a debtor to do the whole law” (Gal 5:3).

“The terms on the part of the people HAVE changed; they must now obey “the law of God after the inward man” (Rom 7:22) also called the “law of the Spirit” (Rom 8:2). These were not even available at the time of Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5). These changes are revealed in Matthew 5. They are not the letter of the ten commandments. What Christ introduced for the first time was a “magnified… honorable” (Isa 41:21) and “spiritual” (Rom 8:2) “new commandment” (Joh 13:34). When we refuse to see the point Christ made by deliberately breaking the letter of the law, we rob ourselves of spiritual vision and spiritual hearing. We are spiritually unaware of “that which remaineth.” We think we know what “remaineth”, yet we cannot cope with the teachings of Paul.

The Letter Breaks The Law!

Few Christians would agree with this heading. Yet, it is scriptural (Rom 2:27 and 29); the “letter… dost transgress the law” (vs 27). Our obedience is to be “in the spirit and NOT IN THE LETTER!” (vs 29)

Rom 2:27  And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?

Failure to follow Paul’s words (words given by the Holy Spirit) on this issue will leave us confused when we read “having abolished in his flesh… the law of commandments contained in ordinances…” (Eph 2:15)

Col 2:14  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.

Much of the confusion on the subject of the law stems from an egregious, deplorable error in the thinking of most Christians. This lie is perpetuated by most ministers, including the late Richard Cardinal Cushing. Cushing was an ardent ecumenical leader. In that role, he wrote an introduction to a book entitled To Understand Jews by Stewart E. Rosenberg. In this introduction, Cushing makes this statement: “It is a well-known fact of history that Jesus was an observant Jew.” If Christ were an “observing Jew”:

Why did his very first “sermon” nearly cost him his life? (Luk 4:16-30)
What was he doing talking to a strange Samaritan woman? (Joh 4:7-22)
Why did he repeatedly break the Sabbath? (Mat 12:1-8, Joh 5:5-18)
Why was he “giving the children’s bread to the dogs”? (Mat 15:22-28)
Why does Christ contradict the law of Moses in Matthew 5?

Six times he changes the law in this one chapter. He concludes his career telling his disciples “I have many [more] things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now” (Joh 16:12).

This was an “observant Jew”? The Jewish leaders of Christ’s day certainly didn’t think so. Undeniably they were hypocrites, and definitely Christ exposed that, but that was nothing in comparison to the reforms Christ introduces in Matthew 5. Here is what Christ truly believed that cost him his life. Here is what was despised by the religious leaders of that day as it is despised by the ecumenical leaders of today: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (Joh 14:6). “I am the door of the sheep” (Joh 10:7). “He that entereth not by the door but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber” (Joh 10:1).

Christ was no doubt raised observing all the Jewish laws and traditions. At the age of twelve, He submitted Himself to His parents (Luk 2:51), but His ministry was anything BUT that of an “observant Jew”. No, Christ was not an observing Jew! Christ was a Christian! His was a “new commandment” (Joh 13:34) in every sense of the word. The “love” spoken of here in John 13:34 is not the love of the ten commandments of Exodus 20, but rather the love of the new commandment, the love expounded by Jesus in Matthew 5.

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The Law of Moses Versus The Law of The Spirit – Part 12

Two Views of The Law

As is so often the case, the Adversary allows us to choose between two evils:

1. The first choice is to turn grace into lasciviousness (Jude 4). This lie teaches that when Paul says “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity even the law of commandments contained in ordinances…” (Eph 2:15), that now we are free from the laws of God. Grace (defined simply as undeserved pardon) covers all our sins. This LIE teaches in effect that no matter how sinful we are, or become, grace will “more abound” to cover our lascivious conduct.
2. On the other hand, we are told a less popular but perhaps more insidious lie: “It is needful to… command them to keep the law” (Act 15:15). Circumcision is specified as unnecessary or you can bet these people would be insisting on it, and quoting the scripture: “he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations … and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant” (Gen 17:12 and 13).

The following is a fairly good summation of this school of thought:

“The civil laws were given to a particular people, at a particular time, and for a particular purpose. Many of them are still valid today, but changing circumstances have of necessity made a change in the application of some of those laws.

The idea extant today among religionists that Yahweh’s immutable, eternal moral law has somehow been disabled, done away, repudiated as bad, or otherwise tampered with to negate it, is ridiculous at best and fatal at worst, unless repented of. Generally, those who teach that the law is “done away”, claim that the Ten Commandments were “nailed to the cross”. And then nine of the ten were brought back, they say, leaving out that old “legalistic” fourth commandment, about the 7th day Sabbath,  the Ten commandments and the rest of the moral law are eternal and will never pass away. They are part and parcel with Yahweh’s very nature and character. He would have to change in order for His law to change.” (A Question About the Law, by Frank Brown, pp. 3 and 4)”

Let’s ask Mr. Brown (as representing this school of thought) a few questions.

1. Are not the Ten commandments the heart and soul of the old covenant (Deu 4:13)?
   

   Deu 4:13  And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

2. “In that he saith, a new covenant (hath) he (not) made the first old? Now (is not) that which decayeth and waxeth old… ready to vanish away?” (Heb 8:13)
3. Where are the scriptures that tell us the “civil laws” are changed, but the “ten commandments” and the rest of the moral laws are eternal and will never pass away?
4. Did not Christ require something more than commandment keeping from a man who had “kept all the commandments from his youth up?” (Mat 19:20, 21)
5. Has not Christ abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments [Greek word entole – Strong’s G1785, same word as “commandments” in Mat 19:17] contained in ordinances (G1378 – dogma; five verses only Luk 2:1 – decree; Act 16:4 – decree; Act 17:7 – decrees; Col 2:14 – “handwriting of ordinances…” (Eph 2:15); “commandments contained in ordinances.”
   

   Eph 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments [G1785: ‘entole’, commandments] contained in ordinances [G1378: ‘dogmas’, decrees]; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

6. Are the ten commandments not dogmas? Were they not decrees? Were they not written by the finger of God (Deu 9:10) in tables of stone? (Deu 4:13)
7. Is not that which was “written and engraven in stones a ministration of death? (2Co 3:7)
8. Did Moses have something in his hands besides the ten commandments (the civil law perhaps) that caused his face to shine? (2Co 3:7)
9. Is the “ministration of the spirit” really the same as “the ministration of death written and engraven in stones? (Deu 4:13)
10. Is there not a new “glory” which “excels” the old glory to the extent that the old glory “has no glory?” (2Co 3:10)
11. If the old covenant (“And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone” – Deu 4:13) is not done away then what, pray tell, is “that which remaineth which is more glorious?” (2Co 3:11)
12. If there is not “verily a disannulling” (G115: athetesis)) of the commandment” (Heb 7:18), does that mean that Christ has “put away (G115: athetesis) sin by the sacrifice of himself? (Heb 9:27) Should Hebrews 7:18 read ‘verily a disannulling of the civil law commandment?’
13. How does “turn to him the other… cheek” accord with “an eye for an eye?”
14. How can anyone choose to keep only certain portions of “All things written in the book of the law?”

This verse expresses the mind of Christ on this subject:

Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written CURSED IS EVERYONE that continueth not in ALL things that are written in the book of the law to do them.

It is “all things that are written in the book of the law” (not ‘the civil law’, not the “eternal ten commandments”, but “the law”; the WHOLE LAW) and “the old covenant” (not any particular part of the old covenant, the WHOLE OLD COVENANT) is “abolished”, “done away”, “disannulled”, “waxing old”, “vanishing away”, “nailed to the cross”, etc., etc. These are the words and phrases selected by the Holy Spirit to make a point completely missed by the “turning grace into lasciviousness (Jude 1:4) crowd and the “It is needful to command them to keep the law” (Act 15:15) crowd. Both are missing what was meant by:

Joh 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

The point is that “a NEW [yes, it is NEW] commandment I give unto you; that… as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

It has been said that “the first four commandments teach us to love God, and the last six commandments teach us to love our brother.” Is that what Christ meant when He said “a new commandment I give unto you; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another?” (Joh 13:34)

If the ten commandments express the love of Christ, why does He call His sayings “a new commandment”?

Matthew 5 demonstrates that the ten commandments and the law of Moses do not express the love of Christ. Matthew 5 truly is “a new commandment.” It is a commandment that is “of the spirit and NOT of the letter.” The ten commandments, on the other hand, are “for the lawless and disobedient” (1Ti 1:8-9). “Whosoever shall break one of THESE [Christ’s] least commandments … shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven… (Mat 5:19)

It is of utmost significance that Christ did not say “by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you keep the ten commandments.” According to scripture, they could have “done all these from their youth up” and still have been lacking that which will give us eternal life (Mat 19:20).

Mar 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
Mar 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Mar 10:19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
Mar 10:20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
Mar 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Mar 10:22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

What was it the rich young man lacked? It was the “new commandment”, not the ten. It was the law of love, the “new covenant” that “fulfilled” and “excelled in glory” (Rom 13:9-10, 2Co 3:10), it was “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Col 1:27). It was lacking these attributes that made him unwilling to “sell that he had… and follow” Christ (Mat 19:21).

We are given two unquestionable examples of the “doing away”, the “abolishing” of “the law” given by God to Moses. We are also shown how it is replaced by the “newness of spirit” of Romans 7:6; the new spiritual law of love. When Paul says “the law is spiritual” in Romans 7:14, he is referring back to verse five where he reveals the “newness of spirit”.

Example #1

Mat 12:1 “At that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.”

Statutes Concerning the Sabbath Under the Old Covenant

What Christ and the disciples were doing here was not in opposition to “added on traditions of the elders.” These actions, gathering food on the Sabbath, were in direct opposition to the principle the Lord had laid down in Exodus 16. In verse 4 “… the Lord [said] unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven… on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily” (Exo 16:4-5). “See, for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day” (Exo 16:29).

The Lord commanded Israel to prepare for the Sabbath by gathering twice as much manna on the sixth day. The same was true for gathering sticks for a fire: “And they that found him gathering sticks [on the Sabbath] brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation… And the Lord said unto Moses, the man shall be surely put to death:… And all the congregation … stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses” (Num 15:33, 35, 36).

Obviously, gathering food or sticks on the Sabbath was not to be tolerated under the Old Covenant.

When the Pharisee demanded an explanation of Christ for doing “that which is not lawful to do upon the Sabbath day…” (Mat 12:2), Christ agreed with them pointing to David who had also broken the law (Mat 12:3,4).

Mat 12:3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Mat 12:4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

Christ was not fleeing from Saul, yet he had not prepared for the Sabbath on the sixth day as was clearly commanded in Exodus 16:4-5 and Numbers 15:33-36.

Again Christ agreed with His adversaries. He and David had done that “which was not lawful for him…”. Those who deny that Christ had broken the Sabbath both disagree with Christ who admits that like David he had done that “which was not lawful for him…” (Mat 12:4), and deny that the law required one to prepare for the Sabbath on the sixth day at peril of death. This, again, was clearly commanded in Numbers 5 and Exodus 16.

Exo 16:5 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.

Exo 16:22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.

Example #2

In John 5:5-9, it is revealed to us that Christ healed a certain man “which had an infirmity thirty and eight years” (vs 5). “Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed and walk” (vs 8). “And on the same day was the Sabbath” (vs 9). “The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the Sabbath day: it is not lawful for you to carry your bed” (Joh 5:10).

Joh 5:5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
Joh 5:6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
Joh 5:7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
Joh 5:8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
Joh 5:9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
Joh 5:10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.

Is this true? Was it unlawful for this man to carry his bed on the Sabbath?

Jer 17:21 Thus saith the Lord; take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;
Jer 17:22 Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers”

“… And some of my servants set I at the gates that there should no burden be brought in on the Sabbath day” (Neh 13:19). “… the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work…” (Exo 20:10).

Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

Neh 13:19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.

Clearly, according to the law, the lame man who Christ healed should not have been carrying his bed on the Sabbath.

Joh 5:16 …Therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to kill him, because he had done these things on the Sabbath day.

Christ does not deny working on the Sabbath, thereby breaking it.

Joh 5:17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work [On the sabbath day].
Joh 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Here we have it plainly stated; He “had broken the Sabbath”. This was not a matter of pointing out unscriptural “traditions of the elders that had been added to the law”. Certainly that had been done, but once again that is not the case here with Christ. The apostle John under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, states clearly “he had broken the Sabbath”.

“Supposed” or Deliberate?

There are those who assert that what is actually meant here is “they supposed he had broken the Sabbath”. These people say the same thing about Christ and His disciples deliberately failing to prepare for the Sabbath, and instead picking and eating corn on the Sabbath.

Here is John Gill’s comments on verse 18. This is typical of all commentaries who do not believe that Christ ever broke the law of Moses:

“because he had not only broken the sabbath; as they imagined; for he had not really broken it: and if they had known what that means, that God will have mercy, and not sacrifice, they would have been convinced that he had not broke it by this act of mercy to a poor distressed object:” (End Quote, Emphasis Mine)

Should this really read “they imagined he had broken the Sabbath”? It is worth noting that in at least one case where some had made a false assumption about our Lord, the Holy Spirit was quick to point it out. “And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph…” (Luk 3:23).

Christ, as we know, was born of Mary, but not of Joseph, and the Holy Spirit corrects this false assumption concerning Christ. There is no such correction here in John 5. Instead, it is plainly stated that Christ broke the Sabbath and claimed to be God’s son, both of which were true.

Christ could easily have healed this man on the Sabbath without instructing him to “take up his bed and walk”. The only question is why did He eat corn from the field on the Sabbath, and why instruct a man to carry his bed, both in direct violation of clearly stated old covenant laws? Christ’s answer:

Joh 5:16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
Joh 5:17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work [on the sabbath].

Christ’s Father never tires although He sustains the universe twenty-four hours a day, SEVEN days a week.

Christ and His disciples were under no duress from the king as David had been. Christ was not a priest or even a Levite, yet He justified Himself and His disciples for working on the Sabbath.

Mat 12:1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
Mat 12:2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
Mat 12:3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Mat 12:4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
Mat 12:5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
Mat 12:6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
Mat 12:7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
Mat 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

In Mark’s account of Christ and His disciples’ flagrant violation of the laws commanding Israel to prepare for Sabbath meals on the sixth day, we read, “And He [Christ] said unto them: the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.”

This is certainly not the message gleaned from reading God’s rebuke of those who gathered manna on the Sabbath, or the stoning to death of the man who gathered sticks on the Sabbath the equivalent of Christ and his disciples gathering corn. Christ’s whole point in gathering corn on the Sabbath was “Therefore the son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath” (Mar 2:27 and 28).

Matthew’s account of this same event concludes with these words from our Lord: “But if you had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the GUILTLESS. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day” (Mat 12:7-8). Christ had just admitted that He, like David, had done that “which was not lawful for him” (Mat 12:4).

Mat 12:3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Mat 12:4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

John states clearly that Christ “had broken the Sabbath: (Joh 5:18) yet Christ rightly claims to be “guiltless”. He isn’t saying He is guiltless because he had not broken the law. He admits that, like David, He was indeed doing that “which was not lawful.” What Christ is telling us is that His ‘guiltlessness’ was based on His new laws which He, as the ‘reforming’ “Lord of the sabbath” was empowered to institute.

Mat 12:6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
Mat 12:7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
Mat 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

Christ asserts that His words in the Old Testament… “I will have mercy and not sacrifice” signify His power as a reformer like Moses was:

Deu 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. [“Until” Christ]

It is very instructive to note that in Mark’s gospel, the narrative of Christ and his disciples’ violation of the Sabbath preparation laws immediately follow this statement of Christ: “No man seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse, And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles” (Mar 2:21, 22).

The next verse (vs 23) begins Mark’s account of Christ and His disciples flagrantly eating corn right out of the field on the Sabbath day as He and they begin ‘putting new wine in new bottles’

Anyone who, in this context, cannot see that physical Sabbath-keeping has now become an old piece of cloth completely incompatible with the new “law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus”, is now in the process of attempting to repair and old garment with new material, and in doing so he is ‘making the rent worse’:

Mar 2:21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.
Mar 2:22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.

The very next verse begins an example of what Christ meant with the analogies of ‘new cloth in an old garment’ and ‘new wine in old wine bottles’:

Mar 2:23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.
Mar 2:24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?
Mar 2:25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?
Mar 2:26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?
Mar 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
Mar 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

If we continue to insist, as many Christians do, that the law of ritualistically refraining from physical work, still insisting on “preparing on the sixth day for the Sabbath”, then that person has no idea what “newness of spirit” means regarding the Sabbath. These people are attempting to put new wine (the new covenant) in old bottles (the old covenant) and as Christ so aptly put it. The result is that they spill and waste the gospel of the new covenant (the new wine) and destroy the significance and lessons of the types and shadows of the law and the old covenant (the old bottles).

The True Meaning of the Sabbath

How many seventh-day Sabbath observers (who generally keep some or all of the holy days, which are also Sabbaths) know what the root meaning of the Hebrew word for Sabbath is? Many Christians following the lead of the Roman Catholic Church, observe the first day of the week as the Sabbath, and refuse to work on Sunday. How many of these people have any idea what this word means, or what the Sabbath and holy days, as given by Moses, foreshadow? Knowing this might help us keep the new wine in new bottles and old wine in old bottles.

The very first mention of the seventh day is Genesis 2:2. “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.” The Hebrew word translated “rested” here is shabath (Strong’s H7673). This word appears 67 times in the Old Testament, but it is used only three times in the book of Genesis. The first two are here in Genesis 2, in verses 2 and 3. In both verses, it is translated “rested”, “… and he rested on the seventh day”, “… in it he had rested from all his work”.

No one in his right mind thinks God was so winded by Friday afternoon that He needed a breather on Saturday. “I have declared the former things from the beginning: and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass” (Isa 48:3). For God, creation was simply a matter of “declaring… things” like “let there by light, dry land, fish, fowls, beasts, etc.” and he did it “suddenly”. So God certainly was not winded and in need of what we think of as “rest” from exertion and exhaustion

Shabath Means “Cease”

The very next appearance of this word gives us a clear view of its real meaning as God meant for it to be understood in Genesis 2:2 and 3 and in virtually every other place it appears. “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Gen 8:22).

The word “cease” is properly translated from the Hebrew word shabath, the same word translated “rest” in Genesis 2:2 and 3.

Now, let us look at a verse which reveals the spiritual significance of the ritual of the weekly Sabbath and of all the Sabbaths. “Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away (Heb – shabath) leaven out of your houses…”(Exo 12:15). It doesn’t take a seminary degree to know that leaven typifies sin. Clearly this Hebrew word ‘shabath’ carries with it the concept of ‘ceasing’ and the concept of ‘putting away’, and that is exactly what the New Testament, law of the spirit tells us the sabbath signifies:

Heb 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

Now we can follow the example of Christ and His Father who worked the works of His Father on the sabbath day as the very next verse admonishes us:

Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Joh 5:16  And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
Joh 5:17  But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.

Those in Christ have ceased from their works, not one day in seven, but seven in seven, “as God did [cease] from his”.

Yet this very verse is used by those devoid of spiritual vision to promulgate a ritual, a shadow of a spiritual reality in Christ; a “vanishing”, “old”, “decaying” “covenant” (Heb 8:13) which Christ went to great lengths to demonstrate was not compatible with the new covenant. The mixing of the two destroys both (Mat 9:16, 17; Mar 2:21, 22 and “the new agrees not with the old” – Luk 5:36-37).

This statement was made to the disciples of John the Baptist and the disciples of the Pharisees (Mat 9:14 and Mar 2:16 and 18). The spirit of the Pharisees is to this day the champion of the old covenant (Mat 16:6 and 12) and John’s ministry signaled the end of the old covenant (Mat 11:13, Luk 16:16, Joh 1:17). “… The new agreeth not with the old: (Luk 5:36). The old covenant is the letter of the ten commandments: “… His covenant… even ten commandments… upon two tables of stone” (Deu 3:14).

Luk 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Some of the “it is needful to… command them to keep the law” school (Act 15:15), have noticed the truth in Christ’s statement “… the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are blameless” (Mat 12:5). The Sabbath is, of course, the busiest day of the week for a minister. This is his best opportunity to “command them to keep the law.” So, without one word of scriptural backing, they assume for their ministers the priesthood. Therefore, in their minds, now the ‘fact’ that the ministers are priests, justifies their working on the Sabbath. “… The priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless.”

There is only one thing wrong with this bit of human reasoning. It has not one word of scriptural foundation.

To whom do the scriptures promise the priesthood? “Unto him that loved US (all of us in Christ) and washed us from our sins in his own blood. And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever” (Rev 1:5, 6). This same promise is repeated to the same group in Revelation 5:10 and 20:6.

It is those “in Christ” to whom “… all the promises of God IN HIM are yea and IN HIM amen…” (2Co 1:10).

Are ministers the only ones “in Him?” Of course not, and the priesthood is not theirs alone, but for all of “us” because he “… loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood. And hath made us kings and priests…” (Rev 1:5, 6).

Here is another exposition revealing the way many today feel about the ten commandments and the law of Moses:

“There is the absurd notion among many of the mainstream organizations of Christianity that the law of God has been abolished… There are many scriptures that confirm that the law is good and is to be obeyed… When Christ returns all of the bizarre arguments against the law will come to an end.” (Eschatology Journal; Vol. 3, No. 2 pg. 2)

This same author, in a front page article of this same issue regarding the war on drugs, makes this statement:

“Making possession of a consumable item into a crime is questionable lawmaking at best and legal malpractice at worst. When will we learn that the prohibition on drugs cannot work any more than the old prohibition on alcohol?”

We might make the same observations about murder and adultery as Christ did in Matthew 5. We might also ask the same question about the entire old covenant (all ten commandments, Deu 4:13).

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me”
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image”
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain”
“Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy”
“Honor thy father and mother”
“Thou shalt not kill”
“Thou shalt not commit adultery”
“Thou shalt not steal”
“Thou shalt not bear false witness” and
“Thou shalt not covet”

Were the sixth and seventh commands the only ones Christ changed in Matthew 5? They were the only ones mentioned there, “Ye have heard it said… thou shalt not kill… but I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother… shall be in danger of the judgment” (Mat 5:21, 22). And “ye have heard it said by them of old time, thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery already in his heart” (Mat 5:27, 28).

Since these are the only two commandments mentioned, are we to assume that these are the only two commandments in the old law that have been annulled and replaced by the new law of the spirit?

Can we for example proclaim outwardly:

• We have no other gods before thee, while in truth we worship our families, careers, money or whatever?
• We have no graven images outwardly, but inwardly we are slaves to “idols of the heart”, (false, unscriptural doctrines with which the “prophets deceive” – Eze 16:1-11).
• We don’t take the name of the Lord our God in vain outwardly, we even use Yahweh for God and Yashua for Jesus and yet “through breaking the law……the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you…” thee, who by the letter…dost transgress the law” (Rom 2:23-27).

Dependance upon and obedience to the letter of the law for our salvation “doth transgress the law [of Christ]” (Gal 6:2).

We can remember to keep the seventh-day Sabbath outwardly, but inwardly it is an idol of the heart, that refuses to acknowledge that while Christ “did that which was unlawful to do on the Sabbath”, for the specific reason of taking our minds off outward, letter, obedience, yet he, like “the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath” are blameless (Mat 5:6). We refuse to believe “as he is, so are we in this world” (1Jn 4:17). So we argue that he didn’t really profane the outward Sabbath, even though he says he did. Not seeing that “as he is, so are we in this world, we can’t see that this makes us the true temple of God (1Co 3:16-17, 1Co 6:19, 2Co 6:16), and like Christ, infinitely greater, in the eyes of God, than the outward temple (Mat 12:6), and we, through Christ, have become “Lord even of the Sabbath day” (Mat 12:8).

Mat 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

It sounds radical but it was Christ Himself who called us “Jesus of Nazareth”:

Act 22:7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

“ As He is so are we”.

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The Law of Moses Versus the Law of the Spirit – Part 13

Christ is our Spiritual Sabbath/Rest

Because of the spiritual blindness imparted to us by our innate inability to hear Christ’s words, (Joh 8:43) and our stubborn refusal to relinquish our self-righteous attachment to the outward letter of the law, we cannot see that the reason why Christ and we can “profane the Sabbath: and yet be “blameless” is because Christ is our spiritual Sabbath: “There remaineth therefore a rest [Greek: sabbatismos – Strong’s G4520] to the people of God” (Heb 4:9). Christ replaces outward circumcision because He died daily and then sacrificed Himself for our sins. Christ has replaced outward animal sacrifices because “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us (1Co 5:7); Christ has just as surely fulfilled and replaced outward resting, outward ceasing from our works and outward Sabbath keeping: “For we which have believed do enter into rest…he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His” (Heb 4:3 and 10). Our rest in Christ is now seven days in seven, not one day in seven.

Heb 4:3  For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

How do we enter into this rest? “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest… For we which have believed [not ‘we which keep the outward Sabbath’] do enter into rest…(Heb 4:3). In spite of these very clear words pointing to the spiritual significance of the sabbath, our flesh tends to cling to the type, the shadow, the symbol, the letter, the escort, the physical day of rest, and thereby we never truly enter into Christ’s rest by ceasing from our own works.

Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into His rest [G2663: katapausis, place of rest, a noun], he also hath ceased [G2664: katapauo, to cause to be at rest, a verb] from his own works, as God did from his.

Spiritually the only reason God “ceased from His own works” on the seventh day, was to give us an example of how we are to cease from our own works every day.

Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished , and all the host of them.
Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested [H7673, ‘shabath’, sabbbath] on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested [H7673: Shabath, sabbath] from all his work which God created and made.

Moses, the representative of the letter law, could not lead Israel into the promised land. The only reason Moses could not do so was to typify for us that the law of Moses cannot lead us into salvation. The actual reason we are given is that he had taken credit for bringing water from the rock. Moses had not sanctified and obeyed God. His disobedience, and the disobedience of Aaron, signified the fact that the letter of the law cannot sanctify and cleanse us and cause us to enter into Christ’s rest.

Num 20:7 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 20:8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
Num 20:9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
Num 20:10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
Num 20:11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
Num 20:12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye [the two men who signify the letter of the law] shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

The fact that Moses and Aaron did not sanctify the Lord in the eyes of the children of Israel, “happened to them and it is written for our edification”, to signify why “[our] own righteousness which is of the law” cannot bring us into our salvation.

Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

The law of Moses is “mine own righteousness” typified by Moses and Aaron who disobeyed the Lord in striking the rock when he was commanded to “speak to the rock”. Even worse, typifying the “[self]-righteousness which is of the law” Moses and Aaron took the glory unto themselves in saying “must we fetch you water out of this rock”, as if it were possible for them, of themselves to do so:

Num 20:10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
Num 20:11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

“For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect” (Heb 10:1). Moses and Aaron of themselves could not bring forth water out of the Rock, and neither could “the law of Moses… make the comers thereunto perfect”.

Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

John represents the end of the law. “The law of Moses up through the time of John the Baptist was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Gal 3:24; the faith of the son of God Gal 2:20).

Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

This faith is “not of ourselves” (Eph 2:8).

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

“But after that faith is come (Christ is come), we are no longer under a schoolmaster (the law)” (Gal 3:25). The “schoolmaster” is not the civil laws, the statutes, the judgments or the animal sacrifices or circumcision, or any particular part of the law. It is “the law”, the whole law.

Gal 5:3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

Do you doubt this statement? “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in ALL things which are written in the book of the law to do them” (Gal 3:10). “For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law” (Gal 5:3).

Paul says “I testify again” referring back to his quote in Galatians 3:10, which is from Deuteronomy 27:26 and Jeremiah 11:3 “Cursed is everyone that continueth not in ALL the things that are written in the book of the law to do them.” Circumcision is only one of 613 laws (“all the things that are written”). There is absolutely no scriptural basis for parsing “the whole law” into ‘the civil laws and the eternal spiritual laws of Moses’.

Jeremiah puts it like this: “… Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant” (Jer 11:3).

What is the purpose of the weekly seventh day Sabbath, the new moon Sabbath, the annual holy day Sabbaths, the land sabbaths, etc? Their purpose, as with circumcision and all the words of “this law”, is to point us to their ultimate fulfillment, to Christ, our Sabbath, our Passover, our Days of Unleavened Bread, our Pentecost, our Day of Trumpets, our Day of Atonement, our Feast of Tabernacles and our Last Great Day. Christ is our Jubilee. He is the Tree of Life, the river of Life. Through us He is also the cherubim on the veil of the temple, and every offering (yes, even the leper’s dove and the scapegoat) in the Old Testament. “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by Him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell” (Col 1:15-19). “IN HIM SHOULD ALL FULLNESS DWELL!” Christ is the center of all scripture. All scripture revolves around him.

It does no violence to scripture at all to say that in him all is fulfilled. It was He Himself who said with His dying breath “It is finished” (Joh 19:30). It is His blood (Rom 5:9), His faith (Eph 2:8), that saves us. It is Him living His life in us through His faith in us (Gal 2:20) which empowers us to walk as He walked. “… One jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, til all be fulfilled” (Mat 5:18). There are many jots and tittles in the law, and in Christ, they have all, like circumcision, the Passover, the animal sacrifices, and “all things written in the book of the law…” (Gal 3:10), been fulfilled: “For Christ [not Torah] is the end [Greek: telos, Strong’s G5056: goal, conclusion, end product] of the law, for righteousness to everyone that believeth” (Rom 10:4). Torah is “for the lawless and disobedient” (1Ti 1:8-9).

“… Enter into Rest…”

I’ve spent so much time on this fourth commandment because, for those Christians who are or have been involved in outward holy day observance, it is one of the most difficult parts of the letter of the law to understand as being fulfilled in Christ. Yet this is one of the clearest statements in scripture: “For we which have believed do enter into rest…” (Heb 4:3). What exactly does that mean? Does it mean that we which have believed, observe the seventh day Sabbath? Not if Christ is our example, and not if Hebrews is to be considered as worth our consideration. Christ is our circumcision (Rom 2:27-29). Do we therefore continue to circumcise? He is our sacrifice. Do we therefore continue to make sacrifices? No, of course we do not. We have “entered into rest” because all our works are of Him in Him and through Him, and not of ourselves:

Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Righteousness is not a Synonym for Salvation

What the Greek word G4520: sabbatismos means is “he that entered into his rest [G2663: katapausis, “a putting to rest”], he also hath ceased [G2664: katapauo, “to cause to be at rest”] from his own works, as God did from His” (Heb 4:10). “His own works” does not mean disobedience to the old covenant. It actually means obedience to the old covenant, without acknowledging Christ. What Paul is saying here is the same message Isaiah gives us… “Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags…” (Isa 64:6). It does not say “our unrighteousnesses are as filthy rags.”

Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

With this new view of ceasing “from his own works” in mind, Paul’s statement “What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. Once again we reiterate, this is the faith of Christ. It is not our own faith (Eph 2:8, Gal 2:20).

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

“…Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness [Israel had not “ceased from his own works”], hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law…” (Rom 9:30-32). Paul calls “the works of the law”… “mine own righteousness”, and that is exactly what it is:

Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

“For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: [what curse?] For it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in ALL things which are written in the book of the law to do them” (Gal 3:10). Why is it a curse to be “of the works of the law”? Why did Israel not attain to the law of righteousness? “… For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; As it is written, behold I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed” (Rom 9:32-33). “Because they sought it not by faith” is a reference to “the faith of Christ” (Rom 3:22; Gal 2:16; Gal 2:20; Gal 3:22; Eph 3:12; Php 3:9; ). If you are an outward Sabbath keeper, or if you think that your own personal faith saves you, then you must also be keeping the other 612 laws in Torah or this curse is pronounced on you:

Gal 5:3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

If you think you can keep all the law by adding Christ’s faith to your faith, then you are putting new wine into old bottles, and both will perish.

Mat 9:17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

Alas, as Peter admitted, it is “a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear” (Act 15:10). We have always thought that Peter was referring to circumcision alone, but the truth is, as Peter knew, “cursed is every one that continueth not in All things which are written in the book of the law to do them. That no man is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident: for, the just shall live by faith, and the law is not of faith: but, “the man that doeth them shall live in them” (Gal 3:10-12).

Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

One cannot “live in them” and in the law of faith laid down in Matthew 5, because it is impossible to love your enemy and hate him at the same time; because one cannot harmonize “except for fornication” and “if she find no delight in your eyes.” One cannot keep the changes made by Christ in Matthew 5 and keep the law of Moses at the same time. One cannot keep the spirit and the letter at the same time. In Colossians 2:16-17 we read that Christ is the spirit and the reality of the law, which ‘law’ was but a shadow. Now that we have the reality, it is sheer foolishness to try and spiritualize and pay homage to the shadow.

Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

5. Getting back to the rest of the ten commandments, we come to the fifth: Honor your father and your mother. What is the primary purpose for this command? Is it primarily to teach us respect for our physical, letter, fleshly parents? Is it not obvious that all the physical, fleshly, letter experiences we have in life are primarily to teach us (there’s that schoolmaster again!) to honor our heavenly Father? Obviously, it is.

6. Thou shalt not kill and…

7. …Thou shalt not commit adultery, we have already covered extensively in our discussion of the specific changes in the law mentioned in the “sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5.

8. Thou shalt not steal. “I’m no thief!” we would all, as Christians, proclaim. Yet this is possibly the most commonly broken of God’s spiritual law. Taking that which is not ours is almost universal in the body of Christ. While loudly proclaiming God’s sovereignty, we steal from Him that for which He claims the credit, the responsibility, and for which He will receive the glory. For example:

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Through our stubborn adherence to the “idol of the heart” (Eze 14:7), known by the unscriptural phrase “free moral agency”, we rob God of His “gift of God” and we are essentially calling Christ a liar when He tells us:

Joh 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Rom 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

For years I quoted this verse to prove that we do have a will that is free to choose as we see fit:

Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

I was shocked when the Lord finally opened my eyes to see what is in the very next verse:

Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

I had been robbing God of His true role in the affairs of men. Certainly we make choices based on our will, but there is nothing free about our will: “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you…” (Joh 15:16). “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw [G1670: helkuo, “to drag”] him…” (Joh 6:44). “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy…Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth” (Rom 9:16, 18).

There is just one ‘free’ will in the universe, and that is God’s. All others are either shown mercy and drawn to Christ or “whom He wills He hardeneth.”

This is a subject for a paper of its own, but we will do well to give God ALL the credit for our salvation (and our blessings) and dispense with the false doctrine of free moral agency: “Man’s goings [good or evil] are of the Lord, how can a man then understand his own way?” (Pro 20:24). “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jer 10:23). Let’s stop robbing God of His sovereignty in the affairs of men.

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. What primary spiritual purpose is it toward which this letter of the law points us? Is it not true that every false doctrine, every “idol of the heart” (Eze 14:7) besetting the body of Christ bears false witness against our Lord and our Father? The most grievous lie of all, no doubt, is the false tenet of eternal hell fire for those “whom he hardeneth” (Rom 9:18).

While God claims to be love (1Jn 4:8, Eph 2:4), and while we loudly proclaim outwardly to agree with Him, inwardly we make Him a liar, capable of spiteful vengeance, of which even we, our own wicked selves, are not capable. Who among us could justify eternal, everlasting, unending torment in literal fire for all eternity for our children? The enormity of this false witness against the character of the Father who truly is a Father of love, is blasphemous! Indeed He “chasteneth every son he receiveth…” (Heb 12:6, 7), but He is nevertheless “the Savior of ALL men, specially [NOT ONLY] those who believe” (1Ti 4:10). “As in Adam all die, SO IN CHRIST will ALL be made alive” (1Co 15:22). “Who will have all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1Ti 2:4).

1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and notfor ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promises, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2Pe 3:9). Did you choose to be “in Adam”? No, your fabled ‘free moral agency’ had nothing to do with the fact that you are “in Adam”. While we will all choose to be “in Christ”, our ‘free will’ will have nothing to do with it. We will all be drawn to that decision. It is only God who is sovereign.

Job 23:13 But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth [1Ti 2:4], even that he doeth.
Job 23:14 For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.

Let us rid ourselves of all “bearing false witness” against the word of God and the character of a truly loving heavenly Father who will “draw all men” to Himself through Christ (Joh 12:32).

1Jn 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1Jn 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.

This is the last commandment of the ten. At this point, you might be asking yourself, did the Spirit really change all ten commandments?: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new [covenant] creature: old things are passed away [the old covenant ten commandments – Deu 4:13]; behold all things are become new” (2Co 5:17).

Does “old things have passed away; behold all things are become new” really exclude the ten commandments? Are the ten commandments God’s immutable still-in-force, moral law or were they not already “waxing old” when Christ revealed the reality of what was previously just a shadow? “In that he saith a new covenant he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away” (Heb 8:13). This, of course, is a direct reference to the old covenant, and the old covenant is the ten commandments and the rest of the “book of the law” (Deu 4:13). And this “vanishing away” was already taking place nearly 2000 years ago and continues to take place generation by generation as the law brings us to Christ!

Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

So “all things” have become new to those “who are in Christ Jesus”. “Thou shalt not covet…anything that is thy neighbor’s” has been replaced just as much as “thou shalt not commit adultery” was replaced by Christ in Matthew 5. When we proclaim that we chose Christ of our own free will, we are coveting our Lord’s sovereignty and stealing that which is His alone.

Note: Each individual commandment is not changed or modified. There was a “change in the law”. When we have a change of the guards, we have a new and different guard. When we change our clothing, we do not modify our old or dirty clothing. We discard our old clothing and replace it with new white robes which signify Christ’s righteousness in us.

Definition of “The Law”

Adultery is often the end product of lust, and Paul says: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet” (Rom 7:7).

The phrase “the law” is used three times in this verse concluding with a quote of the tenth of the ten commandments. There should be no doubt what is meant by “the law”.

Deu 4:13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

Since the Old Covenant is clearly defined as “… His covenant… ten commandments [written] upon two tables of stone” (Deu 4:13), then EVERY part of that Old Covenant, the glory of which made the face of Moses to shine (2Co 3:7-10), now has “no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away is glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious” (2Co 3:10-11).

What Replaces “The Law”?

What is “that which remaineth” that so excels the ten commandments that they are said to have “no glory” by comparison? “That which remaineth” tells us that we are not talking about a vacuum. There is something “which remaineth”: “Therefore by the deeds [doing] of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20).

Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

Gen 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

These verses demonstrate that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, signifies “the law “, because “I had not known sin but by the law”.

Does the “knowledge of sin” have anything in common with the knowledge of evil? Yes, it surely does! Adam did not know what sin was until he ate of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Paul just told us that he would “not have known sin, but by the law”.

The knowledge of evil, like sin, produces death. It also produces, of necessity, a knowledge of good. Good and evil are from the same tree – “out of the ground made the Lord to grow…the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen 2:9). This knowledge of good is obtained through directly transgressing God’s command ‘don’t eat of it.’ “… Working death in me by that which is good…” (Rom 13:7). This is the ‘good’, the ‘righteousness’ that Job knew before his conversation with God in the whirlwind: Job “disannulled [God’s] judgment [and] condemned [God] that [he, Job] mayest be righteous” (Job 40:8). We are told in the first verse of Job one that Job “was perfect [good] and upright and one that feared God and eschewed [hated] evil.” How can one “fear God” and at the same time “condemn” God?

The answer is that Job had the same “knowledge of good and evil” that Adam and Eve had. Adam feared God for we are told that he said “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid…” (Gen 3:10). Like Job, Adam “disannulled [God’s] judgment [and] condemned [God]” when he believed the serpent’s lies. Both Job and Adam were ‘good men who feared God and eschewed evil’, but neither had a spiritual understanding of God’s sovereignty and therefore acted in rebellion to God. Even our good works, when not recognized as Christ in us, produce death. Such is the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eating of this tree produces death until this very day because the righteousness we have in the law is “[our] own righteousness”:

Rom 10:5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

Paul tells us that “the righteousness which is of the law” is “mine own righteousness, which is of the law”:

Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

“Mine own righteousness” is self-righteousness, and that was the sin that brought all of Job’s trials upon him:

Job 40:7 Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
Job 40:8 Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?

The rich young ruler had kept the law ‘from his youth up’, and he was still “lacking one thing.” That “one thing” was more than he was willing to do. Like Job, that rich man considered the righteousness he had in the law sufficient, and he could not accept that he had to give up all he owned to inherit eternal life:

Mar 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

This young man’s physical possession signify how self-righteous he was:

Mar 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
Mar 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Mar 10:19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
Mar 10:20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.

If simply keeping the ten commandments is not enough to be worthy of “eternal life”, how, then, do we attain life? Life is not to be found on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Life is only to be found on a totally separate tree; “a new garment”. The fruit of this tree must be put in new bottles. It is a tree without evil, and the only such tree is the tree of life, Jesus Christ.

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

What is life?:

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the [tree of] life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Christ is “the tree of life” and the only way to get to that tree is to go through the fiery sword which guards the way of the tree of life. Christ alone is both “the way … and the life”.

Christ “bore the sins of many” “… He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2Co 5:21), but when he returns, it is “unto them that look for him” and this time it is “without sin unto salvation”. Christ was spotless. He never sinned, but God “made Him to be sin for us”:

2Co 5:21 Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him. (ASV)

The Law is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

The law is simply a “tree of knowledge”. It is a knowledge independent of and separate from God: “knowledge [independent of Christ] puffeth up…” (1Co 8:1). “Thou…restest in the law…thou…makest thy boast of the law…[yet] through breaking the law dishonorest thou God” (Rom 2:17, 23).

Rom 2:17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,

Rom 2:23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?

How were they breaking the law? Do we break the law simply by disobeying its precepts? No, that is not what Paul is saying. What he tells up plainly is that when we simply keep the letter we do “by the letter and circumcision transgress the law” [of Christ (Gal 6:2)].

Rom 2:26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
Rom 2:27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?

Gal 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Circumcision was as lawful a precept of the law as Sabbath keeping, but they are both fulfilled in Christ. To continue the practice of things Christ has fulfilled does “by the letter…transgress the law.”

The law is not sin, but it is the knowledge of sin: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law… (Rom 7:7).

So life is not to be found in the tree Christ became when He was offered up at the end of His first coming. How do I dare say that it is not the flesh of Christ on the cross which saves us?

Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

This verse helps us better understand why Paul tells us that we are to no longer know Christ after the flesh:

2Co 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. [Including the law (Heb 7:12)]

Heb 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin…” (2Co 5:21). “… God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law…” (Gal 4:4). This is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. “Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more” [after the flesh (2Co 5:16)]. Life is to be found in another totally separate tree “unto those that look for him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Heb 9:28). Of course, Christ did not sin Himself. Was He not really a tree of knowledge of good and evil? Through us as the scapegoat, which also bears the sins of the congregation, we, “His body” become the trespass offering. The spiritual significance of the scapegoat is discussed in this article:

The Scapegoat

God considered Him “to be sin… that we might (through his sacrifice) be made the righteousness of God in him” (2Co 5:21).

As the scape goat we fill up in our bodies what is behind of the afflictions of Christ:

Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

Christ, the Word, is the Tree of Life.

Christ is now the tree of life to all who believe:

Rev 2:7 To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit and they are life [the tree of life].

We have confirmation that Christ is the tree of life as Revelation 2:7 tells us, when He told the disciples:

Mar 14:22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.

“The flesh profits nothing”. Flesh is doomed, even the flesh of Christ. “… Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more” (2Co 5:16). Our flesh is our worst enemy. It sets itself up in the temple of God proclaiming itself to be God, demanding our total subservience. Our flesh is a beast” (Ecc 3:18) lying to us telling us we cannot make war with the beast. Indeed WE CANNOT, but “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Php 4:13).

Let’s go back now to Romans 3: “Therefore by the deeds of the law [the tree of the knowledge of good and evil] there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin [and good]. But now the righteousness of God [Christ] without law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets: even the righteousness of God which is by faith OF Jesus Christ unto ALL and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference” (Rom 3:20-22).

“The righteousness of God [is] without law” because life is an entirely different tree from the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. “Good” isn’t good enough. It is the words of Christ, which most assuredly are not the words of Torah, which “give spirit” and which “give life” (Joh 6:63).

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

“The righteousness which is by faith OF Jesus Christ” (Rom 3:22) is the same as “the words that I speak unto you” that “are spirit and…are life” of John 6:63. They are even called “the word of faith which we preach”:

Rom 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
Rom 10:7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
Rom 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

The Function of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

While life is not in “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen 2:9); nor is life to be found in the law which reveals what sin is (Rom 7:7); nor is it in our corruptible flesh (1Co 15:50), yet it is only through the death of our old man that we can inherit life:

Col 1:22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

The translators have done mankind a great disservice by translating ekthanatos as “from death.” “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong cryings and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared” (Heb 5:7). Christ was not saved “from death”. He died, but he was saved, as we will be, through death. All saints are saved through the death of the flesh. Even those who are alive at the return of Christ must exchange their fleshly bodies for spiritual bodies.

It is THROUGH the flesh (Gen 1:27), THROUGH sin (Gen 3:7), THROUGH evil (Isa 45:7), THROUGH the law (Rom 7:7, Gal 3:23-24), THROUGH “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” and THROUGH death (Heb 5:7) that we must first pass before we can come to the “tree of life”, to Christ.

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him [to judge them is this present time (1Pe 4:17)] shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

It was all “predestinated” (Eph 1:11). That’s why we were called in Christ before the world began (2Ti 1:9); that’s why Christ was slain from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8).

Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world [The names in the book of life are placed there “through death” “judgment” in this present age].

1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it [judgment] first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

When we do come to the tree of life, we find it is guarded by “cherubim, and a flaming sword which turneth every way to keep the way of the tree of life” (Gen 3:24).

These mere letter-words take on great revealing spiritual significance as the light of the spirit is shined upon them.

Before we examine the message revealed in God’s word concerning the “cherubim and fiery sword” guarding the “way of the tree of life”, we will complete our examination of the eight phrases used by Paul to drive home the need to “be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage”, the old covenant (Gal 5:1).

We will pause here and examine those eight phrases in our next study.
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The Law of Moses Versus the Law of the Spirit – Part 14

Updated February 24, 2024

The better part of this paper has been a demonstration of the depth of the first phrase:

Phrase 1) “A change also of the law” (Heb 7:12)

We have demonstrated how Matthew 5 conflicts with the 6th and 7th commandments as well as four of the statutes and judgments. These, of course, are simply examples given by Christ to show that the entire old covenant was being fulfilled in Christ. Christ could not very well cover the 613 laws of the old covenant in one lesson. Christ cannot very well be speaking of the law of Moses when He said…

Mat 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

…Then in the very next verse, and the rest of the entire chapter, go about changing the law of Moses, at times blatantly contradicting what the law of Moses teaches:

Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

“Fulfilling” includes superseding, or else these two examples alone demonstrate that the Sermon on the Mount is a self-contradictory message. We have quoted the scriptures showing that the new covenant is spirit, is NOT in “the letter” (2Co 3:6).

Phrase 2) “That which is done away…”:

2Co 3:11 For if that which is done away [G2673: ‘katargeo’, “fail… vanish away” (1Co 13:8)] was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

This phrase (done away – used once as ‘put away’) is used five times by Paul in relation to the old covenant. It is used here in 2 Corinthians 3:11 and in the following entries in the New Testament:

• 1Co 13:10 – “When that which is perfect is come [the law of love] then that which is in part [the ten commandments and the old covenant] shall be done away.”
• 1Co 13:11 – “When I was a child I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child…” (Hate your enemies as opposed to love your enemies; don’t kill as opposed to don’t hate; don’t commit adultery as opposed to don’t look on a woman to lust after her, etc.) but when I became a man, I put away [Greek: katargeo) childish things” (1Co 13:11). (“… the heir as long as he is a child…[is] under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father…to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons, Gal 4:1-5). The Greek for ‘child’ in Galatians is G3516: nepios – an infant or toddler, NOT G5207 – huios used in verse 5, which signifies an adult son. Huios in the King James is translated son, sonship and adoption. It has nothing to do with our present concept of adoption, but means a mature adult son about to take over his father’s trade. Paul says “the heir as long as he is a child [nepios] differs nothing from a servant” [a bond servant, a slave] (Gal 4:1). As a spiritual ‘huios’, adult, we are to “put away [our] childish, ‘nepios’” Old Covenant ways .
• 2Co 3:7 “But if the ministration of death [the old covenant (Deu 4:13)], written and engraven in stones was glorious so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory [ministration of death] was to be done away…” (2Co 3:7).
  

  Deu 4:13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

  Paul is saying that Moses’ face with its temporal glory which resulted from the giving of the ten commandments, is a type of the temporal old covenant “ministration of death and condemnation.” As we so often do, we have taken the type, “Moses’ face”, and made it the antitype, the reality, the ‘glory’ that comes “in the face of Jesus Christ”:

  2Co 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

• “Moses had a normal face before the two “tables of stone” were placed into his hands. When those two tables with the ten commandments written on them were placed in Moses’ hands, his face began to shine, but that shining and that ‘glory’ did not last very long. In that story, God is telling us that that covenant was a temporary covenant with a fading temporay glory. It was the covenant, the ten commandments, that made Moses’ face glorious, and that glory was “katargeo… done away… to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”.
• 2Co 3:14 “But their minds were blinded for until this day remaineth the same [blinding] vail not taken away in the reading of the old covenant which [old covenant blinding] vail is done away [G2673: ‘katargeo’] in Christ” [the new covenant (2Co 3:14)].

Summary of “Done Away”

Five times we are told that:

1. The ‘in part’ is replaced by the ‘perfect’ and the ‘in part’ was “done away.”
2. We are to “put away” childish things when “that which is perfect is come.”
3. The ministration of death written and engraven in stones was glorious and “which glory was to be done away”.
4. (If) The “ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.”
5. The veil that was put over Moses’ face to hide the glory of the old covenant remains and serves as a veil that covers the glory of the new covenant, and in so doing, hides Christ. “In Christ”, however, that veil is “done away.”

That veil typically is the adherence to the old covenant. After making all these statements concerning the old covenant, Paul says: “… we have…not handled the word of God deceitfully…but if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost” (2Co 4:13).

2Co 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

The Greek word for ‘done away’ or ‘put away’ in all these verses is katargeo (Strong’s concordance G2673). It appears 26 times in the New Testament:

Luk 13:7; Rom 3:3; Rom 3:31; Rom 4:14; Rom 6:6; Rom 7:2; Rom 7:6; 1Co 1:28; 1Co 2:6; 1Co 6:13; 1Co 13:8; 1Co 13:10; 1Co 15:24; 1Co 15:26; 2Co 3:7; 2Co 3:11; 2Co 3:13; 2Co 3:14; 2Co 15:26; Gal 3:17; Gal 5:4; Gal 5:11; Eph 2:15; 2Th 2:8; 2Ti 1:10, Heb 2:14

This Greek word, katargeo, has been assigned thirteen different translations in the Kings James Version.

The most common translations are ‘destroy’ and ‘done away’ with five entries each.

Here are the five entries for where the English word ‘destroy’ is used to translate this Greek word, ‘katargeo’:

Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him [Christ], that the body of sin might be destroyed [G2673: ‘katargeo’], that henceforth we should not serve sin.

1Co 6:13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy [G2673: ‘katargeo’] both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed [G2673: ‘katargeo’] is death.

2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy [G2673: ‘katargeo’] with the brightness of his coming:

Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy [G2673, ‘katargeo’] him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Romans 6:6 is typical of the five entries of the word ‘destroy’. It is important that we know that the verbs ‘knowing’ and ‘serve’ in Romans 6:6 are both in the present tense while the verbs ‘crucified’ and ‘destroyed’ (‘katargeo’) are in the aorist tense, which tells us that a process is presently taking place within us, as our old man is diminishing and our new man is increasing:

Joh 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

Here are the five entries for where the English words “done away”; “fail”; “vanish away”, and “put away” are used to translate this Greek word ‘katargeo’:

1Co 13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail [G2673: ‘katargeo’]; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away [G2673: ‘katargeo’].

1Co 13:10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away [G2673: ‘katargeo’].
1Co 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away [G2673: ‘katargeo’] childish things.

2Co 3:14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away [G2673: ‘katargeo’] in Christ.

‘Without effect’ or ‘none effect’ is the third most common with three entries.

Rom 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? [G2673: ’katargeo’]

Rom 4:14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect [G2673: ‘katargeo’]:

Gal 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect [G2673: ‘katargeo’].

The next most common translation of the word katargeo brings us to our third phrase:

Phrase 3) “… That which is abolished”

This Greek word, katargeo, is the exact same word translated ‘abolished’ three times in the New Testament:

2Co 3:13 And not as Moses which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished” [G2673, ‘katargeo’]

Eph 2:15 Having abolished [G2673, ‘katargeo’] in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments [the ten old covenant commandments] contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.

According to the dictionary ‘commandments’ and ‘ordinances’ are one and the same:

ordinance
ôr′dn-əns
noun

1. An authoritative command or order

2Ti 1:10 But now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ who hath abolished [G2673, ‘katargeo’] death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel”

While this last verse is not directly concerned with the law, it does demonstrate the meaning of the word katargeo in relation to the law. That which happens to death is that which happens to the law. Being “in Christ” in no way denies death; yea it establishes “the law of sin and death” of the flesh and in so doing, brings in “the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:2).

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh [the letter of the law], but after the Spirit [“the law of the spirit of life”]. Rom Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Without the destruction of the “weak and beggarly elements” of the law of Moses (Gal 4:9-10), the “law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus”, also called “the law of love” (Rom 13:10, 1Jo 5:2-3), could not be established. Why is that? Simply because “that [only] through death he might destroy him that hath the power over death” (Heb. 2:14):

Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through [the destruction of the law of sin and] death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

It is the law of Moses, the old covenant, on “two tables of stone”, which, is according to the word of God, the “ministration of death” (2Co 3:7).

2Co 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
2Co 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter [the Old Testament], but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
2Co 3:7 But if the ministration of death [“the letter… the law of Moses”, the ten commandments], written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: [G2673: ‘katargeo’]

In other words:

1Ti 1:9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

1Ti 1:11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

It is this law of Moses which carries with it the fleshly inclination of thinking one’s own righteousness can save oneself which makes “all the world guilty before God” (Rom 3:19).

Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

What is Meant by “Nature”?

Paul tells us that the Gentiles do by nature the things contained in the law:

Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

The Gentiles absolutely do not “naturally” love their neighbor by the nature inherited from Adam. However they can, and indeed they often do, “by nature… love their neighbor”.

Lev 19:18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am Jehovah.

This is Christ’s observation about the law of Moses concerning who we are to love:

Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Most all scholars declare that the first part of Matthew 5:43 is in the law of Moses but the last half “is the addition, or wrong interpretation of the Scribes and Pharisees” (Gill on Matthew 5:43). Gill apparently thinks that since the law of Moses says:

Exo 23:4 If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
Exo 23:5 If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.

That therefore Moses never said “hate thine enemy”, and he even asserts that Christ was not referring to the doctrine of Moses when Christ said… “You have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt… hate thine enemy” – nothing could be any further from The Truth. “Thine enemy” whose ox you are to “bring back to him” is your fellow Israelite, and “the ass of him that hateth thee” is also speaking only of the ass of a fellow Israelite.

When Christ said “it hath been said”…

Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

…This is the enemy Moses explicitly told Israel to hate:

Deu 20:16 But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:
Deu 20:17 But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:

“Save alive nothing that breatheth… utterly destroy them”. That is what the law of Moses taught concerning Israel’s enemies, and Christ changed those words to “Love thine enemies”. The contrast cannot be more stark between the law of Moses and the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

The most transparent part of the personality of every infant ever born, Jew or Gentile, will be his complete and total self- centeredness from the very beginning. “… Both Jews and Gentiles…are all under sin”:

Rom 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Yet it is entirely possible for sinful, wicked men to love their neighbors. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil which signifies the law of Moses reveals our nakedness but it does not change our hearts as only the spirit of God within us can do. It is not called ‘the tree of sin’, nor is it called ‘the tree of nothing but evil and total depravity’. It is called “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” because we are both good and evil “by nature”, whether we are Jews or Gentiles.

Mat 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

When Paul says by the spirit that “the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law” (Rom 2:14), he is referring to the Adamic nature which “the carnal commandments: of the law of Moses, the “law… for the lawless” was designed to govern. We are all, by default born “under the law… for the lawless… until faith comes”:

Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Let no false prophet tell you that ‘he has never been under the wrath of God and He never will be under the wrath of God.’ This is who the scriptures teach has been under the wrath of God:

Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Since we are all born as unbelievers, we have all been under “the wrath of God” by default:

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

The Greek word for nature is Strong’s G5449: phusis.

Circumcision, tithing and Sabbath keeping are not natural to the Gentiles, because those parts of the law of Moses signify spiritual principles not to be found in the law of Moses. Nevertheless it is the law of Moses to which Paul refers when He says:

Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Rom 2:15 Which shew the work of the law [“carnal commandment” (Heb 7:16)] written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

Heb 7:16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

It is the “law of the spirit of life”, the law of love, which is kept only by “being partakers of the divine nature having escaped [through this “divine nature”] the corruption that is in the world through lust (2Pe 1:4).

We will pause here and resume of study of the law of Moses versus the law of the spirit by examining Paul’s fourth phrase… “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances… (Col 2:14).

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Part 15

Phrase #4 – Blotting out the Handwriting of Ordinances

“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” (Col 2:14). The Greek word here is exaleifo – Strong’s #1813. This is the only place it appears in Paul’s writings. This Greek word does appear four more times in the New Testament, however:

Act 3:19 – “Repent…that your sins may be blotted out.”
Rev 3:5 – “He that overcometh…I will not blot out his name out of the book of life.”
Rev 7:17 – “… And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
Rev 21:4 – “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

It is translated “blotted out” three times and “wipe away” twice. Once again the “handwriting of ordinances” has the same fate as sin. Sin is destroyed (katargeo – Rom 6:6) and here the “handwriting of ordinances” is exaleifo – blotted out.

So we really need to know what the “handwriting of ordinances” is. The Greek word for “handwriting” is cheirographon – Strong’s G5498. It is a compound of G5495 cheir, the Greek word for hand and G1125 grapho, to grave or write. This just happens to be the exact description given the two tables of the old covenant: “And he declared unto you His covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote [Heb: kathab – to (en) grave] them upon two tables of stone” (Deu 4:13).

How were they graven? “And he [God] gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of stone written [kathab – graven] with the finger of God.”

How about the word “ordinances”? The Greek here is dogma, Strong’s G1378. Strong defines it as “a law (civil; ceremonial or ecclesiastical) a decree, ordinance.”

The most prominent handwritten “dogma” in the history of mankind is the old covenant, ten commandments, written with the “finger of God.” “Thou shalt” and “thou shalt not” are about as dogmatic as you can get.

We have demonstrated that the carnal mind can be subject to the law of Moses. After hearing Christ quote the ten commandments, the rich young ruler answers “all these have I kept from my youth up” (Mat 19:20). “… touching the righteousness which is in the law [I was] blameless” declares Paul of himself before his conversion (Php 3:6). But Christ teaches us that righteousness which is in the law is yet “lacking”. Outward obedience to the ten commandments does nothing to cleanse the inner man, any more than outward circumcision would give one a circumcised heart. “Cleanse first that which is within…” (Mat 23:26). This admonition can never be performed by obeying the ten commandments and the law of Moses.

How can we say this? Because they are carnal commandments for carnal men: “The law is not made for a righteous man but for the lawless and the disobedient…” (1Ti 1:9).

This is clearly stated in Hebrews 7. In verse 11, Paul points out that the people “received the law” under the Levitical priesthood. He maintains that the priesthood now, under Christ, has reverted back to the priestly system in place before Levi or Aaron, a priesthood “after the order of Melichisedec”.

“The priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law” (received under that priesthood) (Heb 7:12). Why change the law? “For by the law is the knowledge of sin…”

We are told clearly “for the law made nothing perfect…” (Heb 7:19). “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: FOR BY THE LAW IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN” (Rom 3:20). This is the reason given for changing the law. This statement brings us to our fifth phrase. Phrase #5- A “Carnal Commandment Has Been Disannulled” – Heb 8:13 “Who [Christ] is made [a priest] not after the law of a CARNAL commandment, but after the power of an endless life” (vs 16). “For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the WEAKNESS AND UNPROFITABLENESS thereof” (Heb 7:18)

This verse doesn’t say the law “was weak through the flesh”. “The weakness and unprofitableness thereof” is a verbal description of the subject preceding it; ” the commandment”. Which commandment?

Matthew 5 only mentions two commands – against murder and adultery. How did Christ demonstrate their weakness? By showing us that outward obedience to any law does nothing for the inner man. What has a man gained if he abstains from murder and yet hates his brother? What spiritual profit is it to abstain from adultery while lusting after a woman in our hearts?

This law is so weak that it tells you to hate your enemy. It favored the concept of an eye for an eye.

Paul says “the law is good, if a man use it lawfully” (1Ti 1:8). How does one use the law lawfully? By “knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient…” (vs 9).

Many a sermon has been preached quoting “All thy commandments are righteousness” (Psa 119:172) and “sin is the transgression of the law” (1Jn 3:4) as if Christ had never said ‘love your enemy’ contrary to the law of Moses; as if he never told a man to pick up his bed on the Sabbath, contrary to the law; as if his teachings on divorce and remarriage were not contrary to the law of Moses.

Christ is our spotless and blameless Savior not because he kept the law of Moses. If he had done so, he would not be spotless. You do “… by the letter…transgress the law.” How can that be? How can one keep the letter and break the law? If you can’t answer that question, then Mat 5 means nothing to you. The letter is the problem. It is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; “I had not known sin but by the law” (Rom 7:7). “… The law is NOT made for a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient” (1Ti 1:9). “The letter killeth” (2Co 3:6). It was “the letter” that killed Christ, and by breaking the letter Christ kept the law of love.

Let us at this point give a couple of examples of how one “by the letter…dost transgress the law” (Rom 2:27). These examples will also demonstrate the “weakness and unprofitableness thereof” (Heb 7:18).

We will examine the two most distinguishing parts of the old covenant in the days of Christ and Paul – Sabbath keeping and circumcision.

One could be a Gentile in those days and honor parents, abstain from murder, adultery, lying, stealing, etc. and still not be distinguished as a keeper of the law. IF one kept the Sabbaths and practiced circumcision, in those days, one was definitely recognized as a “son of the covenant”.

Outward Sabbath Keeping

How did Christ feel about the Sabbath? As demonstrated above, He broke the Sabbath regulations repeatedly, admitted it and defended it: “David…did….[ that] which was not lawful…” and “the priests…profane the Sabbath…” (Mat 12:4-5). That sounds like a confession to me.

Yet Christ called himself “the guiltless.”

Mat 12:7 If you had known what this meaneth I will have mercy [on those breaking the outward Sabbath] and not sacrifice; ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

What was Christ’s purpose in doing what he admits was “unlawful” and “profane”? His purpose was to “enter into [the real] rest” (Heb 4:3). The real rest (Sabbath or ceasing) has no more to do with outward physical rest than the lamb slaughtered on the alter of the temple was the real sacrifice for sin. The real Sabbath has everything to do with ceasing from our works, not one day in seven, but twenty- four hours a day seven days a week! “Not my will, but thine be done” (Luk 22:42). “My Father WORKS hitherto, and I WORK.”

According to Strong ‘hitherto’ (G2193: heos) is “a conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance.” In other words, “My Father is on the job seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day and so am I.”

As mentioned earlier in this paper, creation had not tired our Creator. He simply ceased from his work because he had finished it. The fact God hallowed the seventh day and made it holy, makes it no more permanently holy than the holy ground in Arabia where Moses was told to take off his shoes. The seventh day Sabbath was given to ancient Israel as a type and shadow of Christ: “For we which have believed do enter into [Christ, our] rest…there remaineth therefore a Sabbath [Christ in us] to the people of God. [Because] he that is entered into his rest hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His” (Heb 4:3, 9-10). This “ceasing from our own works” is the Sabbath that “remaineth”, and it isn’t a one-in-seven Sabbath.

One can ask how does observance of the weakly (no, I didn’t misspell it) Sabbath break the law of the new covenant?? By clinging to a “carnal ordinance” (outwardly entering into rest) imposed on them only until “the time of reformation” (Heb 9:10), we admit that we are reserving six days of the week for our own works just as surely as the scribes and Pharisees were bearing witness against themselves by “garnishing the sepulchers of the righteous”.

“Woe to you scribes and Pharisees…because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous. And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore you bear witness to yourselves that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets” (Mat 23:29-31).

Had Christ kept the seventh day Sabbath, He would have been bearing witness against Himself that six days in seven He was doing His work, not the work of His Father.

The Law – All or None at All

He would also have been required to keep the whole law:

Gal 3:10 … cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them.

“For I testify again [Paul had been here before] to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law” (Gal 5:3).

James agrees with Paul. After encouraging us to “fulfill the royal law [not torah] according to the scripture”, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”, he then makes the same point about the law that Paul makes. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all…So speak ye and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. [Because] he shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment” (Jas 2:8, 10-13). This is the same “liberty” Paul speaks of in Galatians 5:1 and which Paul also calls “the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2).

Modern Theology

Those who think that the law of Moses is to be kept by those in Christ will tell you “the only thing nailed to the cross (besides an innocent man) was the animal sacrifices and the blood offering and the rituals surrounding them. All the other laws of God are still in effect today…” [Was Jesus a Racist? by Glen Myers]

While most professing Christians are not willing to go so far as Mr. Myers, “all the other laws are still in effect”, they do agree with him in varying degrees. Most professing Christians think more in line with Mr. Frank Brown quoted earlier. The common reasoning is that the ten commandments are not part of “the law of commandments contained in ordinances” “abolished” in Ephesians 2:15 and “blotted out and nailed to his cross” in Colossians 2:14.

That the phrase “the law”, when standing alone, always is intended by Paul to include the ten commandments is demonstrated above by the scriptures quoted in the previous segment The Law – All or None at All: “for I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law” (Gal 5:1). This means the whole law, not just the ten commandments. In other words, if one believes that Torah (the law) will help to save him then he is required by Torah to keep it all: “Cursed is everyone that continueth not in ALL THINGS WHICH ARE WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW to do them” (Gal 3:10 which quotes from Deuteronomy 27:26 and Jeremiah 11:3). The words “written and graven in stone” (2Co 3:7), the ten commandments, are in the “book of the law” in Exo 20 and Deu 5. That the law includes the ten commandments is unquestionable: “… I had not known lust, except the law had said, thou shalt not covet” (Rom 7:7).

“The law” is a single package. Any attempt to dissect it so as to preserve some part of it will bring the curse of these verses down on those who do so.

Circumcision

Why then does Paul mention circumcision so often? If the whole law is meant by the phrase ‘the old covenant’, why does he make it so clear that circumcision is no longer required? Why, for example, did he not say “I testify again to every man that keeps the Sabbath that he is a debtor to keep the whole law”?

The answer is that the Sabbath, important as it was to the old covenant, was only a sign, a token (Hebrew – owth; Strong’s H226) of the covenant. “Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep for a sign between me and you throughout your generations” (Exo 31:3).

Circumcision on the other hand, is called “the covenant of circumcision”. “And he [God] gave him [Abraham] the covenant of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed to them also” (Rom 4:11).

Circumcision is the original sign of the old covenant and is used by Paul as a single word to express the thought of being a physical Israelite and considering that physical pedigree to be of some consequence to God: “And they of the circumcision which believe were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Act 10:45).

It’s obvious from this scripture that even Jews who believed in Christ at the time of Peter’s visit to Cornelius’s house still had a degree of “confidence in the flesh” (Php 3:3 and 4).

Paul’s use of the phrase “of the circumcision” encompassed both the “confidence in the flesh” and the confidence in “works of the law”; circumcision being “the sign” of the old covenant.

God’s “Tabernacle” and “Rest” are the Same in Scripture

With this in mind, let’s continue the thought in Hebrews 9: “Carnal ordinance[s] [were] imposed on them [only] until the TIME OF REFORMATION. But Christ being come an high priest of GOOD THINGS TO COME by a GREATER AND MORE PERFECT TABERNACLE, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this [stone and mortar] building” (Heb 9:10 and 11). And what is that “greater and more perfect tabernacle? It just happens to be the same as his real rest: “For the Lord hath chosen Zion: he hath desired it for his habitation [his tabernacle]. THIS IS MY REST forever; here will I dwell; for I have desired it” (Psa 132:13 and 14). “… The tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them…” (Rev 21:3). It is those who are “in Christ” who are the Zion of Psa 132:13 and 14 and the “… a bride adorned for her husband” the “holy city New Jerusalem” of Rev 21:2.

Christ is our rest, and we in Christ are God’s: “On that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you” (Joh 14:20). If we are in Christ, he is in us and we are all in God through Christ.

If we insist on observing the seventh day Sabbath and all the holy days, why are we not still offering sacrifices? If we don’t offer sacrifices because the type is fulfilled in Christ, why are we still observing all the other types Christ has fulfilled? His own words are “it is finished” (Joh 19:30). “For we which have believed do enter into rest…” (Heb 4:3). Christ is our Sabbath every day. Is he not also our Passover every day, living his life in us, is he not also our days of unleavened bread every day? Is he not the Spirit coming to us, our Pentecost, every day? In Christ we are not those “that put far away the evil day and cause the seat of violence to come near” (Amo 6:3).

In Christ we “lift up our voice like a trumpet and show God’s people their transgressions” (Isa 58:1). Therefore Christ is our festival of trumpets every day.

Being “seated with him in heavenly places” (Eph 2:6) are we not at one with God? Is he not our day of Atonement?

Knowing that “as in Adam all die SO in Christ shall ALL be made alive” (1Co 15:22), is he not our festival of tabernacles and last great day?

YES HE IS! “All my Sabbaths” were festivals because they were all a celebration of Christ and his accomplishments.

Good Things To Come

In Colossians we are told “Let no man judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect [Strong’s G3313 – meros – the particulars] of an holy day, or [the particulars] of the new moon or [the particulars] of the Sabbath days WHICH ARE A SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME; but the body [casting that shadow] is of Christ” (Col 2:16, 17).

There it is; holy days and Sabbaths are all “shadows” of Christ, as were the millions of animals sacrificed for the sins of Israel. Jesus is now “a minister of the true tabernacle…[that’s us]…if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests [the temple was still standing] that offer gifts [sacrifices] according to the law. Who [both the priests and the gifts or sacrifices] serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things…[they all foreshadow Christ]” (Heb 8:2-5). Paul goes on to say that this is true of the law as a whole: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect” (Heb 10:1).

So who is our priest foreshadowed by the Aaronic priesthood? Who is our sacrifice, foreshadowed by millions of dead lambs and bulls and goats? Who is our Sabbath and holy days? Who can make the comers thereunto perfect?

I never before realized how anything so repetitive and so redundant could be so exciting. Yes, it is ALL Christ!

“According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall you make it” (Exo 25:9).

“And look that you make them after their pattern, which was shewed you in the mount” (Exo 25:40). Christ is that ‘pattern’ and we, too, must be careful to follow the pattern.

“For Christ is the end (G5056 – telos) of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth” (Rom 10:4).

That word, telos, is the same in 1Pe 1:9; “Receiving the end (telos) of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.””For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Gal 5:14)

“These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the psalms concerning me” (Luk 24:44).

This is what Christ was talking about when he said “think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. …I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Mat 5:17 and 18).

Christ knew who he was. He knew he was the “till all be fulfilled.”

“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Mat 5:19).

Is this a comment concerning the ten commandments and/or law of Moses? If it is, then Christ himself will have to “be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” Why do I say that?

I say it simply because the entire remainder of chapter 5 of Matthew consists of Christ teaching his disciples to break the law of Moses:

Law of Moses	Law of Christ
Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy.	“Love your enemy, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.” (vs 43).
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. (vs 38)	“But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also…”
Thou shalt not foreswear (perjure) thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths (vs 33). Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God …and swear by his name” (Deu 6:13 and 10:20).	“But I say unto you, swear not at all…(vs 34).
Whosoever shall put away his wife [“if you have no delight in her – Deu 21:14] let him give her a writing of divorcement (vs 31).	“But I say unto you that whosoever shall put away his wife saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery…”(vs 32).
Thou shalt not commit adultery.	“But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (vs 28)
Thou shalt not kill (vs 21).	“Whosoever is angry with his brother…is in danger of the judgment” (vs 22).

Four of these six teachings are in direct opposition to the law of Moses. The other two are certainly not “one of these least commandments” but are two of the ten, and have been changed beyond recognition

It should be clear that “one of these least commandments” refers to the column on the right, the commandments of Christ; not those given by Christ to Moses. Carnal commandments are for a carnal people.

The Meaning of “Made Under The Law”

All the commandments of Christ, all these “But I say unto you…” in direct contradiction to the law of Moses, are apparently hidden from the orthodox Protestant and Catholic churches and from the “command them to keep the law of Moses” groups in the Christian world. Here is the lie that is believed by all three schools of religious thought. The following quotation is from The Two Covenants and the First Resurrection by Brian Convery:

“Now let’s cut to the chase. In 1Jn 2:3-6, we read a very sobering measuring stick as to the degree we are led by the spirit of God.

:3 – Now by this we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. [The implication here is very clear. If we don’t keep His commandments, all of them, we don’t know him. The professing Christian world says they know Him but preaches His commandments were nailed to the cross, done away. If that’s the case, the Bible is lying to us. There is no gray area. It is one or the other.]

:4 – He who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. [Very simple, isn’t it? No compromise, no second- guessing, no ifs, and or buts about it. Many denominations of Christianity today say they keep His commandments but fail to observe the Sabbath the seventh day, the same one that has been in place since creation week. They instead take their lead from Rome and keep the day of the pagan deities, Sunday.]

:5 – But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in him.

:6 – He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. Jesus Christ observed the Sabbath and the annual Holy Days. He kept them holy, all of them. Over seventy times in the gospels, He tells us to follow Him. Following Him has just been clearly defined here in I John. If we are following Him, we are going to do what He did. Do not lose sight of who Jesus was in the O. T. scriptures. He was the Word, that Being who created everything. He was the one who authored all the commandments, etc., of the O. T. scriptures. That’s why we read in Hebrews that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is not changing it. If you do not follow Him as He has just described in I John, then you are not led by the spirit of God.” (The Two Covenants and The First Resurrection by Brian Convery, Part 3, page 1.)

I have no doubt Mr. Convery is as sincere a man as I am, but he has failed to notice that Christ brought “a NEW commandment …That ye love one another as I have loved you…(Joh 13:34). Christ did not love his disciples according to Exodus 20. He loved them according to Matthew 5. He has failed to notice the outright contradictions between the “NEW commandment” of Christ and the ‘abolished, disannulled, nailed to the cross, handwriting of ordinances’ that are “old covenant” law of Moses. This very John whom Mr. Convery is quoting, never calls the holy days ‘God’s feast of Passover’ or ‘God’s feast of Tabernacles’.

John demonstrates his understanding of their fulfillment in Christ; their passing, fading nature. John always refers to “the Jews feast of Passover” and “the Jews feast of tabernacles, etc.” John sets us all a good example. Christ fulfills ALL. Those who refuse John’s example are not following Christ. They are following “the outward Jews” (Rom 2:27). Christ did not keep the seventh day Sabbath holy. He broke it repeatedly as you can read in Matthew 12. You are right, Mr. Convery, “If we are following him, we are going to do as he did.”

“Do not lose sight of who Christ was in the Old Testament scriptures. He was the Word; that being who created everything. He was the one who authored all the commandments, etc. of the Old Testament scriptures…” [Ibid]

Yes, we would do well to never “lose sight of who Christ was in the O.T. scriptures”, but if we have never known him to begin with, how then can we “lose sight” of something we never saw.

To demonstrate what I mean, here are a few things concerning the O.T. scriptures which very few have ever “had sight of” to begin with:

Cursed be he that confirmeth not ALL the words of this law to do them (Deu 27:26; Jer 11:3)
As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them (Gal 3:10).

These verses do not say “the ten commandments, all of them.” It says ALL THINGS which are written IN THE BOOK…” This would include the very things Christ taught against in Matthew 5. Yes, Christ is the author of the ten commandments. It is the ten commandments that are called the “covenant” (Deu 4:13).

Christ is also the author of you shall fear the Lord your God…and shall swear by his name (Deu 6:13, 10:20) What agreement does that have with the commandment of Christ but I say unto you, swear not at all (Mat 5:34, 37)?
Christ was the author of an eye for an eye (Exo 21:24, Deu 19:21). What agreement does that have with but I say unto you, that ye resist not evil (Mat 5:38-42)?

I could go on and on with the changes in the law which Christ made, but we have already covered this subject in this paper.

Mr. Convery, as does most of Christendom, thinks “his commandments” of 1 John 2:3 are the same as the ten commandments of Exodus 20. Nothing could be further from the truth. The ten commandments are “for the lawless and disobedient” (1Ti 1:8-9). The “but I say unto you” of Matthew 5 are “his commandments” spoken of in 1 John 2:3, and the “one of these least commandments” of Matthew 5:19).

The obvious truth is that the only time Christ was made “under the law” (Gal 4:4) was when he was “made to be sin for us” (2Co 5:21).

“The professing Christian world…preaches his commandments were “nailed to the cross, done away”…” [Ibid.]

Those are Paul’s words, Mr. Convery (Eph 2:15, Col 2:14). Your argument is not with the professing Christian world as they agree with you on everything but the fourth commandment. Your argument is with Paul and the Holy Spirit. The professing Christian world, like you, Mr. Convery, picks and chooses which parts of “all things written in the book of the law” they want to keep. They pick nine commandments and holidays. You pick all ten commandments and holy days.

A Synopsis of Galatians

It is actually holy days, not holidays, to which Paul refers in Galatians 4:10: “Ye observe days, months, times and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain” (Gal 4:10-11). Paul is reprimanding these Galatians (and Christians today) for observing the days and festivals of Moses!

Is Paul worried that the Galatian converts are slipping back into their old pagan holidays observance? No doubt pagans had holidays they observed just as the Jews had days which they also esteemed above other days. However, paganism is not the concern or subject of the book of Galatians.

Galatians 1

What is the point of this book? (Gal 1:6-7) “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from them that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another, but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ.” THAT is the subject of this book! Paul spells it out right up front. The Galatians are being influenced by someone preaching “another gospel which is not another but…pervert(s) the gospel of Christ” and “removed” (them) from him “that called you into the grace of Christ.”

What is this “gospel which is not another but pervert(s) the gospel of Christ”? It is obvious that what is troubling Paul is “the Jews religion” (Gal 1:14). The entire book of Galatians is concerned with this problem, NOT with the influences of pagans: “… I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus” (Gal 1:17).

If pagan influences have anything to do with this book, why would Paul place distance between himself and “them which were apostles before me” in Jerusalem?

Galatians 2

What is the subject of Chapter 2: “For before that certain [men] came from James. [Peter] did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself fearing them which were of the circumcision” (Gal 2:12).

Here again is the subject of this letter to the Galatians. To say Galatians 4:10 has to do with pagan holidays is to miss the point of this entire epistle.

“We who are Jews by nature…know…that a man is not justified by the deeds of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ…and not by works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified…” (Gal 2:15-16).

Does this sound like something you would say to people who were being seduced by pagan holidays and traditions? What does the next chapter concern?

Galatians 3

Gal 3:1-3 Oh, foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth…This only would I learn of you, received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

This seems to be the same subject of chapters one and two, “removed from…the grace of Christ unto another gospel” (Gal 1:6) and “certain (men) from James” (Gal 2:12), and now here in chapter 3; “received ye the spirit by the works of the law…?”

Paul, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, continues in chapter three attempting to take the eyes of these Galatian converts off the things pertaining to the law: “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for the just shall live by faith…” (Gal 3:10-11).

The rest of this chapter is devoted to Paul’s attempt to get the Galatians to see that the promises made to Abraham are actually “to thy seed which is Christ” (Gal 3:16).

Gal 3:18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

The subject still hasn’t changed. The “another gospel, which is not another…but pervert(s) the gospel of Christ” is a gospel which promotes the “law of Moses” which Christ (in Matthew 5) and Paul, here and in all his epistles, say is incompatible with the “law of Jesus Christ” (Gal 6:2).

Gal 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made…

What was “the law” of Moses added to? It was a temporary addendum to the “law of the spirit of life” (Rom 8:2), also called the “law of Christ” (Gal 6:2) the NEW commandment of Matthew 5, the law of love of Romans 13:10. God is not a ‘new’ God. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today and forever” (Heb 13:8). What is ‘new’ about the new covenant is that it was never before revealed to mankind. Christ came to reveal the Father, because the Father had never before been revealed (Luk 10:22). The only ‘eternal’ immutable law of God ever revealed in scripture is the law of Christ revealed in Matthew 5-7, also called the law of love in 1 Corinthians 13: “Love never fails…” (1Co 13:8). God always has been and always will be – LOVE.

This ‘new commandment’ (Joh 13:34) is a NEW COMMANDMENT. It is not the “spirit of the letter lost in the traditions of the elders”. Letter obedience is only to rule over us “till the seed should come to whom the promise was made”.

Then what? “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed” (Gal 3:23).

Here is Paul’s concern for the Galatians. Here is the “another gospel”. The law keeps us “shut up” and “under the law”, until “faith comes”. Paul says the same thing, with even more force in Romans 6:14: “… sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law but under grace”. Sin dominates those “under the law”, because they are not yet brought to Christ (Gal 3:22 and 23).

The true character (law) of God was never revealed until Christ came “to reveal the Father” (Mat 11:27, Luk 10:22). While it had not been revealed, the law of Love (God) was still being transgressed, and this is what necessitated the “addition” of the law of Moses “because of transgressions” of the unrevealed, yet present (law of God) law of Love (Gal 3:19). The law [of Moses] entered that “the offence might abound…” (Rom 6:20), not to reveal the Father. Reading the law without accepting Christ “vails” the Father (2Co 3:15).

Paul is obviously desirous that the Romans and Galatians not be under the law “after faith comes.”

“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Gal 3:24).

Then…? “But after that faith is come we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Gal 3:25).

Why are we no long under a schoolmaster? “For ye are all the children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:28-29).

Now, the formula laid down by the Holy Spirit through the pen of the Apostle Paul is:

• • • • • a. The law is good if used lawfully; meaning you understand that it is for the lawless and disobedient (1Ti 1:8,9).
        • b. After faith is come, we are no longer under the schoolmaster (the law) because we are not disobedient and lawless as defined by the “new commandment”, “the law of Jesus Christ”, as revealed for the first time in Mat 5.

Yes, this was the first time. While God’s law is as old as He is, it was not revealed until Christ came:

“Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the son, and he to whomsoever the son will reveal him” (Mat 11:27).

If the law of Moses had revealed the Father, as all Christendom seems to believe, Matthew 5 would have been unnecessary. Christ Himself would have been unnecessary and salvation could have been by the law. But the law of Moses, the old covenant, the ten commandments (Deu 4:13) are for the lawless and disobedient and the “law of Christ”, the “law of love” is not revealed until Christ comes. Until then we are “kept under the law” (the letter).

Galatians 4

We now come to Galatians 4. Does the concern suddenly switch from the Galatians being seduced by Judahizers to pagan philosophers?

No, paganism is not even under consideration in this chapter. Paul is still concerned that the Galatians are allowing themselves to be influenced by those who want to keep them under the schoolmaster. He has just informed them that in Christ “we are no longer under the schoolmaster, for ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:25 and 26).

The whole weight of Paul’s point is lost by translators who fail to make clear the huge difference between the “children” (Greek – huios, Strong’s G5207) of Galatians 3:26 and the “child” (Greek – nepios, Strong’s G3516) of Galatians 4:1.

Paul’s entire point is that in Christ we are huios, mature sons, able to carry on with our Father’s profession.

This is contrasted with being “under the schoolmaster” and still “under the law”. Chapter four concerns this same subject “now…the heir, as long as he is a nepios, (a minor) differeth nothing from a servant (Greek – doulos, Strong’s G1401, a slave) though he be lord of all, but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father” (Gal 4:1).

Being “under the law” is to be a minor, “an immature Christian” according to Strong; according to Paul “differing nothing from a slave.”

Being under “tutors and governors” and “differing nothing from a slave” while under these “schoolmasters” is to be “nepios (immature)…in bondage to the elements of the world” (Gal 4:3). The subject of this chapter is: “…God sent forth his son…to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Greek: huiothesia, Strong’s G5206 – Gal 4:4-5).

This “adoption” is to take on the father’s business and has nothing in common with our modern meaning for the word adoption.

Paul’s concern for the Galatians is that “another gospel” is seducing them to remain immature (nepios) Christians, robbing them of their true standing in Christ as mature sons (huios) and “heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:29).

“Thou art no more a servant [slave] but a son [mature Christian]; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Gal 4:7). Paul says being an immature Christian and remaining under the law even after Christ has fulfilled it, is to do “service to them which by nature are no gods” (Gal 4:8). These are the “zealously-affect-you” crowd of verse 17.

How was this desire to remain an immature Christian, “under the law”, “no more than a slave”, “doing service to them which are no gods”, “believing another gospel”, manifesting itself in these Galatian converts?

It was manifesting itself in three ways:

• • • • 1. “Ye observe days, months, times and years” (Gal 4:10)
        2. They were desiring to be under the law (vs 21)
        3. They were submitting themselves to physical circumcision (Gal 5:2 and 3). They were doing this to avoid being “excluded” from the fellowship of what really amounted to “enemies of the cross of Christ” (Php 3:18).

Nothing has changed. This spirit is here today. If you do not submit to the law of Moses, you will still be excluded from their fellowship. Let us not be as the Galatians who were “bewitched” by “the works of the law” (Gal 3:1-5).

Of course, those who are “bewitched” by the “works of the law” of Moses will tell you that since it was God who gave Moses the law, therefore this must be the same as the “law of God”.

Yes, Mr. Convery, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever”, but if you truly believe “he is not changing it” (the law of Moses), then I can only conclude that your eyes are blinded to the virtual “reformation” (Heb 9:10) revealed by Christ in Matthew 5.

Matthew 5 is a new wine in a new bottle, a new garment made of new cloth. It is not compatible with the old covenant and attempting to make it so will only “break the bottles…spill the wine” and “make the rent worse.”

You are right, “there is no other way”, but that way is Matthew 5, not Exodus 20, or any other part of the “things written in the book of the law.”

You are right, “If you do not follow Him as He just described in I John, then you are not led by the Spirit of God.” What he just described in I John, however, has nothing to do with the ten commandments or the old covenant “letter” which are one and the same (Deu 4:13), and which are the “ministration of death” (2Co 3:7). The commandments referred to in I John are revealed in the gospels; Matthew 5-7 in particular. They are certainly not in the law of Moses, the old covenant.

As mentioned earlier, it was this same Apostle John who calls the holy days “feasts of the Jews”:

“After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem” (Joh 5:1).

“And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh” (Joh 6:4).

“Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand” (Joh 7:2).

Apparently John did not have the Sabbath and holy days in mind in I John. In all my years in a certain church, I never once heard a single minister, student or church member use John’s terminology for these days. These were “God’s Holy Days”, and we took pride in the fact that we did not keep pagan holidays. Colossians tells us holy days were “a shadow of things to come” (Col 2:16-17).

Hebrews 10 tells us the entire law was a shadow “for the law having a shadow of good things to come…” (Heb 10:1).

Yes, indeed, “If you do not follow Him as just described in I John, then you are not led by the Spirit.”

What is “the Spirit”? Does it have anything to do with the things “which you have heard said by them of old time?” Perhaps there is some agreement, but if so, it is incidental:

“THE WORDS THAT I SPEAK UNTO YOU, THEY ARE SPIRIT and they are life” (Joh 6:63). These words were penned by the same apostle who wrote I John. It is the words of Christ that give life and which will judge us (Joh 12:48).

You are right; “in 1Jn 2:3-6, we read a very sobering measuring stick as to the degree we are led by the Spirit of God.” However, it is the words of Christ, not the law of Moses, which are the “commandments” of 1Jn 2:3-6. Christ’s words are our “measuring stick” of spiritual maturity, not the law which is “not for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient” (1Ti 1:9).

“The words that I have spoken” are not the words of the old covenant. Those who persist in being under that law, “shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman” (Gal 4:30).

Phrase #6 – Ready to Vanish Away – Heb 8:13

“In that he saith a new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away” (Heb 8:13).

To Paul, as it should be to us, God’s word is reality. As far as Paul was concerned, the old covenant had been “vanishing away” from the time of Jeremiah. “…Your burnt offerings are not acceptable nor your sacrifices sweet unto me” (Jer 6:20).

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers…” (Jer 31:31-32).

As Christ pointed out, we don’t put new wine in old bottles (Mat 9:17). In the revelation of the new covenant, we are told that the new does not “accord” with the old. “No man putteth a piece of new cloth into an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse” (Mat 9:16).

There have always been, and still are today, plenty of ‘worn out’ garments around. If we attempt to repair our carnal old fleshly bodies with the ten commandments, we will only make sin appear sinful. Our righteousness must “exceed” that of Job, the rich young ruler and Paul before his conversion (Mat 5:20).

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts…’ (Jer 31:33).

However, the “old is ready to vanish away”. The Greek here is not katargeo for once. It is aphanismos, Strong’s G854. This is the only place this form of this word is used in scripture. However, it is taken from aphanizo, Strong’s G853 which appears five times: Mat 6:16, Mat 6:19, Mat 6:20, Act 13:41, Jas 4:14.

“Behold you despisers, and wonder, and perish…” (aphanizo G853 – Act 13:41).

“…What is your life? It is even as a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and vanisheth away” (aphanizo G853 – Jas 4:14).

“Aphanismos” may not be “katargeo“, but they do seem to have a lot in common.

Phrase #7 – “Under the Law”

The phrase ‘under the law’ appears in seven separate areas of scripture. When two connected verses contain the phrase we consider it as a single section of scripture, even though the phrase appears as many as three times in a single verse.

We will demonstrate with these seven sections that in God’s eyes obedience to the law of Moses is the spiritual equivalent of being “under sin”. The reason given is “because by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20). In other words, “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Paul is telling us that the law is equivalent to the tree placed by God in the middle of the garden of Eden, which man must eat of before he can partake of the source of life.

Yes, it was God who had told them not to eat of this tree, but the goal and purpose in creating Adam and Eve was to: “bring many sons unto glory” (Heb 2:10). Since Christ was “slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8), Adam had to sin in order to need a Savior. “I had not known sin but by the law” (Rom 7:7). “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that THROUGH DEATH he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb 2:14). Now “the tree of life” is not “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. The fruit of one is life and the fruit of the other is death. “For this cause he is the mediator of the new testament [covenant] that BY MEANS OF DEATH, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance”.

There it is: “…transgressions…were under the first covenant”. Sin no longer dominates us because we “are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom 6:14).

A. “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God” (Rom 3:19). Again it’s the ten commandments that make “all the world…guilty before God”. But what does Paul mean by this next verse? “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20).

What he means, as we have said before, is that life can no more come through the law (the knowledge of sin and therefore of righteousness also – Rom 7:7) than it can come through the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Bringing life is not the function of this tree (the law, the ten commandments). Its function is to bring man to the point that he sees his need for a Savior. It accomplishes this by revealing our sinful dying condition (earthy, naked) that we have from creation. Christ was slain “from the foundation of the world”, before Adam and Eve even sinned. Man was created flesh and blood, naked. He would have died if he had never eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: “Now this I say brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth CORRUPTION inherit incorruption” (1Co 15:50). Adam simply needed to come to see his sad corruptible composition and condition.

B. Now notice this next verse carefully: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: (and why not?) For ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom 6:14). If there is a scripture anywhere in God’s word which demonstrates that there are two laws in view whenever Paul talks about “the law”, this is that scripture.

Our carnal-minded reasoning is: “if we keep the law, then we are not dominated by sin, sin has no dominion over us.” Paul says “…sin shall not have dominion over you for [because] you are NOT under the law.” If you are under the law, you are a sinner.

There are those who will tell you that ‘under the law’ simply means ‘under the curse of the law’ which they interpret to mean the curse of death.

Those who follow this doctrine completely miss Paul’s point that the law of Moses is itself, along with the ten commandments, the curse of death; “the ministration of death written and engraven in stones” causing Moses’ face to shine (2Co 3:7).

I am well aware that one cannot force a blind man to see, but if you have been given “eyes to see” and you have read Matthew 5, then you will see that the ten commandments once and for all have lost their glory by reason of that which excels. You will further see that to cling to them and the entire Torah is to be embracing death itself: “Therefore by the deeds [Greek: ergon Strong’s G2041; doing, works] of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

The knowledge of sin saves no one, and the law, the ten commandments, are the knowledge of sin (Rom 7:7).

Those who cling to Torah and the ten commandments will quote Galatians 3:12; “…The man that doeth them shall live in them.” This seems to be the only part of this verse they see. They jump on the word “live” and give it a positive connotation and deride detractors for being against life. God has simply not given them eyes to see the first part of this verse: “The law is NOT of faith…”

With that reasoning, one could take “she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth” (1Ti 5:6) and give the word “liveth” a positive connotation and completely miss the point. Paul’s point is that “the law is not of faith”. To live by the law, “the deeds of the law” (Heb 11:6) will have the same effect as “living in pleasure.” You will be “dead while you live” because “the law is not of faith.” Now the most casual student of the scripture is aware that “without faith it is impossible to please [God]” (Heb 11:6).

Paul’s point, which it seems the whole of Christendom has missed, is that Torah, the law, including the ten commandments, IS itself the curse. It gives us the knowledge of sin (Rom 7:7) and of righteousness (Psa 119:172).

Our ‘idol of the heart’ (Eze 14:3-7) tells us “God’s commandments could not possibly produce death; after all they are of God, and God would never give us anything that would bring forth death.” The laws God gave Moses seem “pleasant to the sight and good for food” and they are placed right there in the midst of the garden of God’s word, put there by God himself who would never put anything poison to our spiritual well being right in front of us and make it appear so good and good for us. God would never do that. “And out of the ground made the Lord to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food…the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen 2:9).

Life Comes Through Death

Is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil good for food? That seems to be what Gen 2:9 says.

Doesn’t it produce death though? Of course, it does: “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse [of death]: for it is written, cursed is every one that continueth not in ALL things that are written in the book of the law [Torah] to do them” (Gal 3:10). This verse precedes the one quoted above and used in defense of keeping the law: “the man that doeth them shall live in them” (vs 12). Peter says concerning the law it is “a yoke…which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear” (Act 15:10).

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; THAT THROUGH DEATH he might destroy him that hath the power of death, that is the devil” (Heb 2:15).

“In the body of his flesh THROUGH DEATH, to present you holy, and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight” (Col 1:22).

“Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from [out of or through]DEATH…” (Heb 5:7).

There are three scriptures explaining why the tree of the knowledge of good and evil serves as food in the middle of the garden of Eden and why the ten commandments, “the ministration of death written and engraven in stones” (2Co 3:7) are placed right in the middle of God’s word.

“Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption” (1Co 15:50).
“For ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Col 3:3). If flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, then it stands to reason that life comes only THROUGH DEATH; the death of the flesh: “For ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
“Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” (Joh 12:24).

While this last scripture concerns dying to the flesh, it serves to demonstrate the creator’s modus operandi: “As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ once was offered to bear the sins of many…” (Heb 9:27,28).

These two scriptures, John 12:24 and Hebrews 9:27,28, reveal much of the mind of God on the subject of death. Being under the law and therefore being subject to death, are all an integral part of God’s plan. Before God ever created Adam, He had a plan of salvation for Adam and all his children.

Appearance and Composition of Sin and Death

Adam’s need for a Savior is revealed from the beginning in the description of his appearance and his composition. He was composed of dust, the very thing we are told furnishes nourishment for the Adversary who is represented here by the serpent (Gen 3:14). Another clue to Adam’s predestinated fate is that he was CREATED naked. Adam came into this world just as every person ever descended from him…NAKED. As surely as dust represents flesh, nakedness depicts the sinful nature inherent in being made of dust: “The first man [Adam in each of us] is of the earth, earthy: the second man [in each of us] is the Lord from heaven” (1Co 15:47).

All are by Nature the Children of Wrath

“And so it is written the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit” (1Co 15:45). Those who teach that the statement “the man that doeth them (the works of the law) shall live in them”(Gal 3:12) is a positive statement, will miss the fact that the “living soul” here is contrasted with the quickening (life giving) spirit. Any “living soul” is also a dying soul: “the soul that sinneth it shall die” (Eze 18:4,20). Also, anyone living in the “deeds of the law” is “not of faith” (Gal 3:12). Being “not of faith” is not a positive position to be in with God.

Adam was “not of faith” because he followed his wife who believed the serpent rather than God. Having believed the serpent, Eve, typifying the deceived church of God, ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, just as some churches today teach that the ten commandments are the same as the sermon on the mount. “And Adam was not deceived” (1Ti 2:14) but was so attached to his wife [his church] instead of his maker that he followed her instead of God.

How many sons of God see the contradictions between scripture and church doctrines but cannot face the thought of possibly losing all their friends and their family to remain true to the command of God “thou shalt not eat” of “the tree of the KNOWLEDGE of good and evil”?

As God had predestinated, both Adam (the “son of God” Luk 3:38) and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They could not be given life having eaten of this tree because “By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for by THE LAW is the KNOWLEDGE of sin” (Rom 3:20).

Adam was not deceived. He did not want to disobey God, but he was persuaded by his wife. Any student of scripture knows that women typify the church whether faithful or “fallen”. The moment they both ate of this tree, they became aware of a truth that had been the truth before they became aware of it. “They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed” (Gen 2:25). This is virtually the same condition describing the “lukewarm” Laodicean church in the book of Revelation: “Because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue you out of my mouth. Because you sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods and have need of nothing; AND KNOW NOT THAT THOU ART wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and NAKED” (Rev 3:16,17).

So it was with Adam and Eve. They had the whole world to themselves. They were communing with God, and He had given them this beautiful garden, His word. Not being aware that they are inherently sinful by their earthy composition and their naked condition, like all their descendants they partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and “all the world” henceforth becomes guilty before God” (Rom 3:19). “And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Gen 3:6).

The word of God does not say Eve ‘thought’ the tree was good for food; it says “the tree was good for food… pleasant to the eyes…to be desired to make one wise.”

The law, in fulfilling its function as a schoolmaster, nourishes us much as the umbilical cord nourishes an unborn infant until the time of its birth. At that point the umbilical binding must be cut, and the infant must receive a more mature nourishment. If that cord of the law of Moses is not cut and the infant does not begin partaking of the more developed nourishment of the “milk of the words” of Christ, he will die. “As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1Pe 2:2). At the Jerusalem conference in Acts 15, it was Peter who called the law a “yoke… which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear” (Act 15:10). He obviously is not referring to Torah or the law of Moses when he mentions the “sincere milk of the word”. He is rather speaking of “the words that I have spoken.” “He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words [as opposed to Torah] hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). “The sincere milk” is for “newborn babes” IN CHRIST. That ‘milk’ is “Christ and Him crucified” (1Co 2:2; 3:1-2). While milk is the best food for ‘babes in Christ’, it is NOT the best food for a more spiritually mature person. “Howbeit we speak wisdom [not just ‘Christ and Him crucified’] among them that are perfect [mature]” (1Co 2:6).

On the other hand, the law, Torah, is “a tree to be desired to make one wise” (Gen 3:6). What does that mean? How does the law which “had no glory” (2Co 3:10) make one wise? “Before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should AFTERWARDS be revealed” (Gal 3:23).

So Paul tells Timothy: “…From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures [Torah, the old covenant] which are able to make thee wise unto salvation [“the law…brings us to Christ – Gal 3:24] through [the new covenant] faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2Ti 3:15).

The law of Moses is the law of God only in the sense that Adam in “the son of God” (Luk 3:38). The law of Moses testifies of and typifies the true law of God just as Adam “in the image of God” testifies of and typifies the true “image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature” (Col 1:15). The true “express image of His person” (Heb 1:3) is someone the first Adam must ‘put on’. “Put on the NEW man, which is renewed in knowledge [a new man with a new covenant] AFTER THE IMAGE OF HIM [Christ] who created him [the first Adam]” (Col 3:10).

We were born the typical image. We must “put on” the true image.

Did Adam Fall?

What is the function of the Old Testament scriptures. They make us aware of our inherent nakedness: “Behold, I was shapen [of the dust of the ground] in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psa 51:5). The purpose of being “shapen in iniquity” (being made under the law) is to justify the judgment of God. Adam did not “fall”; he simply became aware of how low he already was – “of the earth, earthy”, “of the dust of the ground”, “naked”. This was no accident, but was by Divine design. Adam eating of the tree was “of the Lord [because] He sought an occasion against [the flesh – Adam] for at that time, [the flesh] had dominion over [Adam] (Jdg 14:4). When the flesh dominates, God “seeks an occasion against [it]. “The Lamb [was] slain from the foundation of the world” in preparation and anticipation of Adam’s sin (Rev 13:8).

We have no reason to suppose that David, who was the youngest of his brothers, was born of an adulterous mother. We are told specifically he was the son of Jesse. David is in no way slandering his mother when he says “I was shapen in iniquity”. He is rather acknowledging the earthy composition and naked condition of ALL who are born in Adam. We are all born in need of the law, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to make sin (our nakedness) appear sinful to us. The tree itself is not evil; it is “good for food”. Its fruit is the KNOWLEDGE of …evil”. “By the law is the knowledge of sin.” “Was that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might appear exceeding sinful” (Rom 7:13): “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew they were naked;” (Gen 3:7).

David explains in the preceding verse why we are “shapen in iniquity and born in sin.” See what he reveals to us in Psa 51:3,4: “I acknowledge my transgression: and my sin is ever before me…that thou (God) mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear [of unrighteousness] when thou judgest.” David understood God’s purpose in creating evil; “that thou [God] mightest… be clear [of evil] when thou judgest.” David knew what judgment was all about. He knew that the day of judgment is the day when the Almighty and All Powerful God would chasten and discipline and save even the most wicked person in the universe. The “condemnation of the world” is but another less desirable “judgment” or “chastening”. “When we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world” (1Co 11:32). Once again, JUDGMENT IS CHASTENING.

Rom 6:16 What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey; his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

This verse drives home the point Paul is making that sin is no longer defined by the inadequate idea of the law that so long as you make a good outward show of righteousness, you are therefore righteous. Simply not killing your brother is no longer sufficient; simply restraining oneself from adultery is no longer tolerable to please God; simply not stealing is not acceptable behavior.

In reality, all these “cleavings” to the ten commandments and all the works of the law, were never sufficient to please God to begin with. The law is not of faith, and without faith it is impossible to please God. Keeping the old law is the equivalent of Adam obeying God’s command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He would no doubt have thought something like this:

Rev 3:17 I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that [I am] wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

Adam, as are all his descendants, was so spiritually blind that he did not realize that he was created naked and in need of clothing. That clothing was provided by God in the form of a sacrifice; Christ is the clothing for our sins, our nakedness, that we are born with.

Are we encouraging disobedience to God? Are we saying “let us sin that grace may abound”? Should we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? “God forbid”. We are pointing out that Adam’s earthy composition and naked condition from the hand of the creator signifies a work in progress: “The first Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam a quickening [life giving]spirit. Howbeit that was not first which was spiritual, but that which is natural, and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven…As we [ALL MEN] have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood [Adam’s composition even before he ate of the tree] cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption” (1Co 15:45-50).

“The Time of Reformation”

C. “And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law. To them that are without law, as without law, (being NOT WITHOUT LAW to God, but UNDER THE LAW TO CHRIST) that I might gain them that are without law” (1Co 9:20, 21).

Paul says he is “not without law to God but under the law to Christ. Paul was certainly not under the law of Moses, or he would have encouraged circumcision, and he would have kept “all things written in the book of the law”. So what law was he “under…to Christ?” He was under the “new commandment” (Joh 13:34); he was under “the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2).

Here is the scripture that explains why the apostles seemed to carry on so many Jewish, Mosaic, Old Covenant traditions even after the death and resurrection of Christ. The “law of Christ” through love, permits, and in many instances necessitates, that we submit ourselves to the “weak and beggarly elements of the world”, the law of Moses (Gal 4:1-9). But for what reason? Because Sabbath and holy day keeping was necessary? No, but “That I might by all means save some” (1Co 9:22).

Despite the fact that many people do not believe it, there was of necessity a period of transition called “the time of reformation” (Heb 9:10). Christ made it clear to us that there were “many things” even his closest associates could not “bear…now”.

“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now” (Joh 16:12). This is a principle that applies to each believer individually. How much more time is involved in reforming whole bodies of people?! “Peter…and the other Jews dissembled (and) Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation” (Gal 2:11-13) simply because in that “time of reformation”, that time of transition from the old to the new covenant, they were “not able to bear” some of the truths of the new covenant even at this late date. Paul saying “I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem” (Act 18:21) is more of a statement of where he wanted to be at that time than expressing his determination to retain and practice the Jewish tradition of esteeming one day above another, of “observing days, months, times and years” enumerated in Leviticus 23 and 25 and in Numbers 28 and 29. Immediately after chastising the Galatians for observing days, months times and years, Paul says “tell me you that desire to be under the law…” (Gal 4:21). Obviously the days, months, times and years were the Sabbaths, holy days, new moons and land rest and jubilee years cited by Moses in the scriptures in Leviticus and Numbers given above. There are no days, months, times or years to be observed under the new “law of faith” (Rom 3:27).

D. “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed” (Gal 3:23)

Let’s examine the context of this scripture and see if we can grasp what Paul means by this oft used phrase “under the law”. This chapter begins with Paul rebuking the Galatians: “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you; received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” (Gal 3:1,2). Maybe you didn’t catch that. Paul considers the keeping of the law equivalent to “not obeying the truth”. Could it be that if one believes he must keep the law that he believes a lie? He reminds them that he is the one who introduced them to Christ and he had not instructed them to perform the “works of the law”. Paul’s teaching is based on higher laws which are given seven different names:

• • the Law of God (Rom 7:22,25)
  • the Law of Christ (Gal 6:2)
  • the Law of the Spirit (Rom 8:2)
  • the Law of Faith (Rom 3:27)
  • the Law of Liberty (Jas 1:25)
  • the Law of Righteousness (Rom 9:30-31)
  • and the Law of Life (Gal 3:11, 6:8).

He never refers to the law of Moses, the old covenant, as anything more than a schoolmaster, a tutor, a governor to be abandoned upon coming to Christ. While Paul is emphatic about not being under ‘the law’, his readers knew what this meant: “I myself serve the law of God” with “the flesh”.

“Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit are ye now made perfect in the flesh?” (vs 3) “With the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin” (Rom 7:25). Paul equates the keeping of the law with “the flesh”. In verse 7, he says that those of faith “are the children of Abraham. Verse 8 says the promise, that “in thee [Abraham] shall all nations be blessed” was actually an allusion to the calling of the Gentiles.

Gal 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse: for it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in ALL THINGS which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Gal 3:11 …no man is justified by the law, (for) the just shall live by faith.
Gal 3:12 And the law is not “of faith”…
Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law…

As far as Paul is concerned, the law has made us all “guilty before God”, both Jew and Gentile. The promises to Abraham are only through his singular seed, Christ (vs 16). The physical promises; land, good health, wealth, etc, don’t even enter into the equation: “For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise” (vs 18).

So, why the law? It was added to demonstrate how evil WE are, to give us the knowledge of sin. For those in Christ though, it is only until “the seed should come to whom the promise was made” (vs 19). The law itself is not against the promises of God. Prophecies of the promises are within the law, but: “righteousness is not by the law” (vs 21). “But (since righteous-ness is not by the law) the scripture hath concluded all (Jew and Gentile) under sin (“by the law is the knowledge of sin” – Rom 7:7) (so) that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe” (vs 22).

Where are we all before we come to know Christ? “But before faith came we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith that should AFTERWARDS be revealed” (vs 23). That’s pretty clear language. All are in sin (vs 22), under the law until faith comes and delivers us from the law (vs 23). So the law serves as the means to show us our sin and thereby bring us to recognize our need for Christ. Is there anyone who doesn’t know Christ? They will be brought to comprehend their necessity for him by being “under the law”.

Once we come to know Christ, we become aware of Matthew 5 and the new law, “the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2), and we no longer need the schoolmaster who brings us to Christ. No one associated with the teachings of Matthew 5 has any need for the law of the old covenant.

The laws of the old covenant become as obsolete and redundant as the sacrifices, holy days, clean and unclean meat laws and all the statutes and judgments.

They are all types and shadows of spiritual realities we obtain in and through Christ. There are no exceptions. Christ (love) has fulfilled the law for those who are in Christ.

Those who do not yet know Him NEED the law as surely as a fetus (nepios) needs an umbilical cord. This is what Paul means when he says “the law…is good…when used lawfully”; meaning that one must “know first that the law is NOT for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient…” (1Ti 1:8,9). In Christ, we are not “lawless”.

We are simply under a changed law, a higher law: as high as Matthew 5 is above Exodus 20. Those in Christ, on the other hand, just as surely must cut that umbilical cord and begin taking in a more mature form of nourishment. Until they do, they will still be “under tutors and governors” and will never be more than a “slave”.

“The adoption of sons” will make him “lord of all” only when he comes out from under the “schoolmaster, governor and tutors” (Gal 4:1,2).

The law, the “schoolmaster,” will always serve as a tutor and governor to “bring us to Christ”. Each generation of the “predestinated”, “the children of promise”, will be brought to see that they need a Savior through their own “road to Damascus” experience. We are all, as only God knows how to accomplish, struck down and made to see our sins. It has never been and never will be anything less than a “fiery trial”. So “think it not strange” when the trials come (1Pe 4:12).

Once again here in Gal 4:4, being “under the law” is equated with being under sin: “But after that faith [Christ] is come we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Gal 3:25).

Elements of the World

E. “When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His son, made of a woman, made under the law” (Gal 4:4).

We have just stated that “under the law” is the same as being under sin. Chapter four simply continues on with the concept of being under a schoolmaster: “Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child [Greek – nepios] differs nothing from a servant, though he be Lord of all” (Gal 4:1).

Those are Paul’s words of warning to all those who observe the days, months, times and years of the law. He asserts that you are denying yourself your inheritance. One “differ[s] nothing from a servant [slave]“. “But (you) are under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the Father (vs 2). Even so we [Paul himself when he was under the law] when we were children [under the “schoolmaster”] were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Gal 4:3, 4).

Christ Became Sin and Death

In case you didn’t grasp that, Paul said that those who were under the law and were redeemed by Christ had been “under bondage to the elements of the world”. Just another scripture telling us that clinging to the law is like clinging to sin; not because the law is sin, but because “by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom 7:7). It is through sin that we die. “The wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). It is through death also that we receive life: “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that THROUGH DEATH he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb 2:14). So life comes through death, death comes through sin and sin comes through the law. Are we saying, then that Christ as stated in this verse, was “made under the law”, was made sin??? That’s right, Christ was sin: “For he [God]hath made him [Christ] to be a flawless sin offering for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God IN HIM” (2Co 5:21).

That’s why all of ancient Israel’s sacrifices had to be “spotless” and “without blemish”. Ancient Israel typifies the world without Christ, and their sacrifices typify our “spotless”, “blameless”, “without blemish”, sacrifice – Jesus Christ, the son of God.

F) “Tell me ye that desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?” (Gal 4:21).

The obvious answer to this question is, no, or the Galatians would not be submitting themselves to the law. The rest of this chapter reveals the hazards of placing oneself under the law. Let it be noted that what the apostle warned would happen to those who place themselves under the law is exactly what has happened to the church which to this day continues to situate itself “under the law” while at the same time proclaiming its freedom from it:

In verse 22, Paul tells us that Abraham’s two wives typify those in the church who place themselves under the old covenant on the one hand, and those who are under the new covenant on the other hand.

The two wives were Sarah, Abraham’s only true love and his real wife all along. The other wife was given to him by Sarah!

In this allegory, Abraham, the father of the faithful, represents Christ and the wives represent two facets of the church;

• • Those under the law, fallen from grace, those who receive bad advice (doctrines) from Sarah…
  • and those in Christ who know what grace is and what it does.

If we are IN CHRIST, we are “Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise” and “the children of the freewoman” (Gal 3:29). If we are Abraham’s seed “we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise”; “the adoption” (Gal 4:25); “the glory” (Rom 2:7 and 10; Rom 8:18; 2Co 3:8); “the new covenant” (2Co 3:6); the giving of the new spiritual law “after the inward man” (Rom 7:6 and 22); “the service” (Rom 12:1) and the promises (Gal 3:16 and 29).

Take careful note of who this true wife of Abraham becomes as Paul draws this allegory. Only those with spiritual eyes seem capable of following the mind of God as clearly expressed in this chapter.

As God sees it, those under the law (those who believe that “through the deeds of the law some flesh can be saved”, are the bondwoman. “JERUSALEM that now is and is in bondage with her children…is Agar (Hagar)”. Hagar was the mother if Ismael, the rejected son of Abraham who is called “the father of the faithful”. Abraham’s physical, fleshly descendants are “the bondwoman and her son” who were cast out (Gal 4:25-31).

“For this Agar [Hagar] is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and ANSWERETH TO JERUSALEM WHICH NOW IS AND IS IN BONDAGE WITH HER CHILDREN” (Gal 4:25).

Paul’s teaching here is diametrically opposed to the teachings of Christendom. Much of Christendom teaches that since “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Heb 11:28), therefore Christ must remarry his divorced wife as soon as he returns. That is tantamount to teaching that the first Adam in the flesh can inherit the kingdom of God. Christ is already married to another. He is married to those who “are become dead to the law” (Rom 7:4). If Christ returns and remarries physical Israel, he would be an adulterer: “I have espoused you to an husband that I may present you a chaste virgin to Christ” (2Co 11:2).

Insisting that Christ remarry physical Israel not only makes Him an adulterer, but it also flies in the face of the spiritual types of the old covenant: “Her former husband which sent her [physical Israel under the Old Covenant Law] away, may not take her again to be his wife…for that is abomination before the Lord…” (Deu 24:4). It negates dozens of old covenant statements concerning Israel of which the following is typical: “The end is come upon my people of [physical] Israel; I will not again pass by them any more” (Amo 8:2). “The end is come upon my people” means what it says – the end of the ages; the “Great White Throne Judgment” and “the Lake of fire”, when there will be “no more death” (Rev 20:14-21:4). Any doubt about the timing of the salvation of Israel should be removed by simply reading and believing Ezekiel 16:55: “When your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate…THEN you [Jerusalem that now is] and your daughters shall return to your former estate”. “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance”, but their fulfillment will not be according to our time-table. The “fulness of the Gentiles” will not happen until Sodom and Samaria are “returned to their former estate”. Then physical Israel and her daughters will return to their former estate.

Paul was well aware of this scripture in Ezekiel, and it grieved him greatly. Nevertheless, he reiterates the scripture “…cast out the bondwoman and her son [Jerusalem]: for the son of the bondwoman [physical Israel] shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman” (Gal 4:30).

So much for any doctrine which teaches that anyone (Jew or Gentile) can be saved by the works of the law. Those under the law are the bondwoman and her son. “By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight…” And why is that? Again, we point out how Paul links the law to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; the tree which can in no way lead to life: “…for by the law is the KNOWLEDGE of sin” (Rom 3:20). That is all in one verse, and that is why there can be no such thing as a gospel which is a “mixture of law and grace”. “No flesh” means not even any Jewish flesh.

To paraphrase Ephesians 2:11-19: We are no longer “Gentiles in the flesh.” Christ has broken down the middle wall of partition between [Jews and Gentiles]…now in Christ Jesus [we] who were sometimes afar off [from “the commonwealth of Israel] are made nigh by the blood of Christ…for to make in himself of two ONE NEW MAN so making peace…Now therefore ye are no more [Gentiles] strangers and foreigners [from the commonwealth of Israel] but are fellow citizens [in the commonwealth of Israel] with the saints and of the household of God” (Eph 2:11-19).

There is no room in scripture for the two to remain two. There is only one “truth of the (singular) gospel” that Paul appeals to when confronting Peter. He tells Peter “We…Jews…know that a man is not justified by the works of the law…”

So while some may be confused as to the function of law and grace “we…Jews… [Peter, Barnabas and Paul] know that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by the faith of Jesus Christ…for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified” (Gal 2:14-16).

If Peter, Paul and Barnabas, who were all “Jews by nature” (vs 15) knew this bit of truth, who are we to say the Jews are justified by works?

Don’t stop with verse 16. Follow on with Paul’s thought: “If while (we) seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid” (Gal 2:17).

This is consistent with Paul’s teachings in Rom 6: “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (vs 18). Again in verse 22: “But now being made free from sin, and become servants of God, Ye have your fruit unto holiness…”

Paul doesn’t say “but now that you have no sin”, but rather “but now being made free from sin…” Being free from sin is not to be understood as having no sin, rather “sin shall not have dominion over you.”

“For sin shall not have dominion over you”…” Why doesn’t sin dominate us now? “Because we are not under the law, but under grace.” (vs 14)

How clear it is that anyone who is yet governed by sin is yet under the law!

A Harmony of James and Paul

Let’s continue Paul’s thought in Gal 2: “For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.” “If I build again the things which I destroyed” is a reference to the law. “For I through the law am dead to the law”, is the very next verse. If we “build again” the “old man” of sin which we had destroyed, we make ourselves transgressors. Christ is not “the minister of sin” even if “I make myself a transgressor” (vs 18).

This is consistent with Rom 3:5-7, where Paul poses the same question: “If our unrighteousness [rebuilding the “old man” whom we had destroyed] commend the righteousness of God [which of course it doesn’t, any more than our sins make Christ ‘the minister of sin’], what shall we say; is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? I speak as a man. God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world? For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?” (vs 7).

Paul is asking if our calling does not make us “free from sin”; if we are to simply continue in sin, why would we be considered sinners at all? “And not rather as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say, let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just” (vs 8). This “our righteousness commending the righteousness of God” and “the truth of God abounding through our lie” were both “slanderous reports” of Paul’s teachings.

What Paul did teach was the same thing James taught. While James says “faith without works [the working of Christ in us] is dead” (Jas 2:26), Paul puts the SAME TEACHING in other words: “know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1Co 6:9). Again Paul instructs: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap” (Gal 6:7).

That sounds pretty close to ‘faith without works is dead’; certainly much closer than the slanderous reports being circulated that Paul taught that our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, or the truth of God abounds through our lie. Paul says of those who say he teaches such things “their damnation is just.”

We come now to a crucial scripture in Paul’s discourse on the law in Galatians 2: “For I THROUGH THE LAW am dead to the law, that I might live unto God” (Gal 2:19).

If this was true for Paul, it is just as true for us today. It is through the law that “all the world may become guilty before God” (Rom 3:19). It is also through the law that we today “become dead to the law.” Every child ever born must be taught right from wrong, “that all the world might become guilty before God”. So while we are not under the law after faith comes, we certainly are before it comes. The law is not against the promises of God, but rather leads us to them (Gal 3:21-23) because life comes “through death” and death comes through sin and the “strength of sin is the law.” It becomes apparent that if God had not intended for Adam to sin, He would not have made him of the dust of the ground, and naked. Since He did, He also had to make the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the law, to reveal to Adam his intolerable condition and justify God’s judgment.

God chose Isaac over Ishmael to tell us today that being physically descended from Abraham as Ishmael was, is to be counted as dung. Paul said he himself was “of the stock of Israel…an Hebrew of Hebrews…but…I count all things but loss. And do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Php 3:5-8). If it had been possible to remain a law keeping physical Jew, and still “win Christ”, Paul certainly would have. He didn’t say “I count them all but dung that I might become the apostle to the Gentiles” Paul knew better than that. There was only one way to “win Christ” and that was through the one and only gospel. The one Peter temporarily forsook when he “compelled Gentiles to live as do the Jews” (Gal 2:14). Living under the law robs even the Jews of their salvation. “We who are Jews by nature…know…that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ” (Gal 2:15-16). That’s what Paul told Peter and Barnabas when they separated themselves from the Gentiles at Antioch.

Ishmael was Abraham’s first born, but he was the son of the bondwoman and therefore had no claim to the promises or the inheritance: “He who was of the bondwoman was after the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise” (Gal 4:23). “We, brethen, as Isaac was are the children of promise” (Gal 4:28). “So then brethren we are not the children of the bondwoman, but of the free” (vs 31). Those who are the children of the bondwoman have no claim at any time to the promises. As Paul explained to Peter and Barnabas in chapter two when they separated themselves from the Gentiles, “we who are Jews by nature… know that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ” (Gal 2:15-16). Some things bear repetition!

Paul has just been explaining in the last half of chapter 3 and in the first half of this chapter 4 that Israel “according to the flesh” (Rom 9:3), the people of God physically descended from Abraham, are under bondage: “…the heir as long as he is a child [under the escort of the law] differs nothing from a slave…” “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage…”; all of us “before faith comes”.

There will be no mixing of law with grace, ever. “…By the deeds of the law there shall… NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:30). We’ve covered this point before, but it is worth repeating: “for by the law is the knowledge of sin” is the same as saying “for the law is the tree of the knowledge of evil,” and the tree of the knowledge of… evil is not the tree of life. The tree of life is separated from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil by death. “The strength of sin (and death) is the law” (1Co 15:56). The strength of life is “the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2), “Christ liveth in me” (Gal 2:20). These are not dispensational statements; they are eternal principles. Life does not spring from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Life does not come through the law, not even for a physical Jew.

Why “The Law of the Spirit” is not “The Law of Moses”

2 Corinthians 5:21 says Christ “knew no sin”, and the following scriptures demonstrate that righteousness is not of the law. It follows that the righteousness of Christ, “the righteousness of one” [Christ] (Rom 5:18) had nothing to do with the law of Moses. “…If righteousness come by the law, Christ is dead in vain” (Gal 2:21), “for Christ is the end of the law FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS to everyone that believeth” (Rom 10:4). The righteousness of God… WITHOUT THE LAW is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God” [Matthew 5 as opposed to Exodus 20] which is by the faith of Jesus Christ…” (Rom 3:21,22).

A good portion of this paper has demonstrated that the sermon on the Mount was a systematic refutation of the law of Moses. It was delivered to Christ’s disciples. “He went up into a mountain and when he was set, his disciples came unto him” (Mat 5:1). After demonstrating the inadequacies of the righteousness of the law, Christ makes this statement in the sermon on the Mount: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and HIS righteousness” (Mat 6:33). His righteousness is throughout the New Testament contrasted with the law of Moses: “we who are Jews by nature know that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ” (Gal 2:15-16). “For by the works of the law, shall NO flesh be justified” (vs 16). Peter was reminded of this fact by Paul, but he first learned it from Christ himself.

“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin, but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested [in Christ] being witnessed by the law and the prophets” (Rom 3:20-21).

What is “The Faith of Jesus Christ?”

Eph 2:8 tells us “By grace are ye saved through faith and that (faith) not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

Does this mean that since we are saved by grace through faith that therefore there is nothing for us to do, nor anything with which to concern ourselves? HARDLY!! Paul’s epistles are full of his concern for the spiritual well-being of both himself and those under his charge.

Paul considered it a real possibility that he himself could “fall from grace”. This is not to say he feared for his salvation at the end. His anxiety was that he and those to whom he preached might not attain to the “mark for the prize of the high calling…” It is the “high calling” for which we are encouraged to strive: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1Co 9:27). “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them [of the people of God] which fell severity; but toward thee goodness, IF YOU CONTINUE IN HIS GOODNESS: OTHERWISE YOU ALSO SHALL BE CUT OFF” (Rom 11:22)

Not “continuing in his goodness” was a real and present danger to Paul; one to be avoided by all means. What, then, is to keep us from “falling from grace”, from “continuing not in his goodness”, from becoming a “castaway”?

The answer is always the same; grace through faith. Both are active, vigorous, very much alive and hard at work. As has already been pointed out, Titus 2:11 and 12 tell us that grace “teaches” us to “deny ungodliness and worldly lusts”. The Greek word for ‘teaches’ is paideuo (Strong’s G3811) the same word translated ‘chasten’ in Heb 12:6: “Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth”. This is the reason the “lake of fire” is called a lake of fire. It is through the mercy of God that all receive the grace [chastening] to be saved (Rom 11:30 and Heb 4:16). “Even so have these (unbelieving) also now not believed, that through your mercy (the mercy we have received) they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief that he might have mercy on all” (Rom 11:31 and 32).

Who administers this chastening grace to “all in unbelief”? “[Those] who… dwell with the devouring [lake of] fire, [those] who… shall dwell with everlasting burnings. He that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly, he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from the holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood and turneth his eyes from seeing evil” (Isa 33:14 and 15).

Grace, then, is active and hard at work and will be so right through the lake of fire which is the second death. So how about faith? “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life that I now live in the flesh I live BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20). “In Christ” we live by the “faith of Christ” actively living His life in our flesh.

Php 1: Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

None of this, of course, has anything to do with the physical descendency of anyone. If physical lineage counts for anything more than dung, and if there is an “administration” in which these things play any part, “…faith is made void and the promise [to the fathers] made of none effect” (Rom 4:14). Justification is by and through “faith without the deeds of the law” for both Jews and Gentiles (Rom 3:28-30). “Therefore we conclude that a man [any man] is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is He the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also”(vs 28-29).

Where in all scripture is there even a hint of salvation by works for anyone – Jew or Gentile? If this were possible, then life would have been through the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and there would have been no need for a second tree, the tree of life. Salvation would have been by the law and not by grace through faith.

G. “But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law” (Gal 5:18). This scripture is preceded by the statement: “This I say then, walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that YE CANNOT do the things that ye would” (Gal 5:16,17).

Paul is not saying that the law makes anyone sin, any more than guns make people kill people. What he is explaining is that keeping the law cannot be mixed with grace. Teaching that works save anyone (even Jews) is to say that the sacrifice of Christ wasn’t really necessary.

When Paul says “for all the law is fulfilled in one word, even this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Rom 5:14), he is not saying that this sustains the law of Moses. When Christ fulfilled the sacrifices, which were typical of Him, they were not continued – they were ended! Yet the law in which they were found was established in that it had been proven true. THIS is what Paul means when he asks “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid. Yea, we establish the law” (Rom 3:31). Christ was speaking to Jews in Matthew 5 when He told them the sixth and seventh commandments were insufficient for life in the kingdom of God. Any scripture contrary to Matthew 5 is contrary to the “law of Christ” (Gal 6:2). This includes any and all of the Old Testament scriptures that happen to contradict the new covenant as revealed in Matthew 5.

Law keeping with salvation in mind is as offensive to God as offering a sacrifice after the ultimate sacrifice has been made. It amounts to rejecting the sacrifice of Christ as insufficient for our sins; so is our obedience to the old covenant. In placing ourselves under it, we are saying ‘we don’t really need the “sermon on the mount, and there isn’t any real need for a new covenant. All we need is to keep the “spirit of the old covenant”‘.

Such thinking and teaching is a bastardization of the new covenant and of the sacrifice of Christ;… “by the deeds of the law there shall NO flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20). “…A man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ…” (Gal 2:16).

What is the New Jerusalem?

What then do we do with all the old covenant scriptures declaring that yet future offerings will be sacrificed, holy days will be observed, and the nations will bring their wealth into Jerusalem? We now understand, in Christ, that the only offerings God now recognizes are our “bodies as a living sacrifice” (Rom 121). We understand that we now “keep the feast with [spiritual] unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1Co 5:8). We now understand that Christ is our Sabbath (Heb 4:3 and 10). Since all the feast days are sabbaths, (Leviticus 23), Christ has fulfilled them all.

It is interesting to note that the only holy day specifically mentioned as being required to be observed by “Egypt, and… all nations” (Zep 14:16-19) is the festival of Tabernacles.

Tabernacles and the Last Great Day, of course, are the latter harvest, the last of the ‘Jewish feasts’ as the Apostle John would word it (Joh 5:1; 6:4; 7:2).

Prophetically and eschatalogically Tabernacles typifies the final harvest of souls and as such is closely associated with the Great White Throne judgment. Rest assured “Egypt… and… all nations” will come up to Jerusalem to this final harvest of the souls of all men “for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1Co 15:22).

This prophecy in Zec 14:16-19 is simply old covenant language and typology of the fulfillment of 1Co 15:22.

Even Abraham was actually “looking for a city… whose builder and maker is God.” Physical Jerusalem doesn’t fit that bill.

The New Jerusalem is the “Jerusalem which is… free [from the bondage of the law] which is the mother of us all” (Gal 4:26). It is “the bride, the lamb’s wife” (Rev 21:9).

It is widely believed that because New Jerusalem is mentioned after the revelation of the Great White Throne Judgment, that Christ therefore does not marry his bride until after “the thousand years are expired” (Rev 20:7).

Paul tells us in 2Co 11:2 that we are ‘espoused to one husband’. In Rom 7:4, he tells us “ye… are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be MARRIED to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead…”

The question now arises; are we married to Christ or are we to “be priests of God and of Christ, and… reign with Him a thousand years” (Rev 20:6) as brides-in-waiting? In Ephesians 5, he tells us what it takes to make a marriage work. He concludes: “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (vs 32). Indeed we ARE “married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead” (Rom 7:4).

No doubt our relationship will be even more glorious after the thousand years, but it is also true that “the time is AT HAND” (Rev 1:3). New Jerusalem is Christ’s “new name”; “He that overcometh…I will write upon him…New Jerusalem…my new name” (Rev 3:12).

Being “in Christ”, New Jerusalem will automatically become our new name also because “as he is so are we in this world” (1Jn 4:17): “I will make them… which say they are Jews, and are not… to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee” (Rev 3:9).

It is generally understood that the “woman” of Revelation 12 is the true church. It is the true church which brings forth “the man child” (Rev 5:12). This explains why Paul says “Jerusalem… above is free, which is the mother of us all” (Gal 4:26). The “woman” who brings forth the man child is the church. In biblical language, the church that brings forth the man child is also the “body” of the man child.

The “Body” and the “Bride” are the Same

The inability to see double truth is one tool used to blind the Jews until this day: “…But some said, shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was” (Joh 7:41,42).

Christ was of both Bethlehem and Galilee, but the religious men of that day did not know this double truth, and so they were blinded.

There is also a double truth concerning the body of Christ. While “we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him…” (1Jn 3:2), it is also true that “now are we the sons of God” (same verse). While we are indeed still “crucifying the flesh”, we are “now… the sons of God” (1Jn 3:2). God “hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:6).

“The heavenly things themselves… (being purified) with better sacrifices than (the blood of bulls and goats)” (Heb 9:23) speaks of us. We are the heavenly things that have to be cleansed by a better sacrifice than the blood of animals. We wear Christ’s new name (Rev. 3:12); we are the “espoused virgin” (2Co 11:2); we are “as Isaac” (Gal 4:28); we are “the children of promise” (Gal 4:28); we are “the adoption” (Eph 1:5; Gal 4:5; Rom 8:15, 23); and we are “the circumcision” (Rom 2:27-29 and Php 3:3). We are married to Christ (Rom 7:4), and as such we are NOW the “bride, the Lamb’s wife” (Rev 21:9).

The ‘Body’ and the ‘Israel’ of God are the Same

Yes, we are also “the Israel of God” who “walk according to this rule” that “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumsion but a new creature” (Gal 6:15, 16). As that “new creature” we were “in times past Gentiles… at that time aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise… but now, in Christ Jesus… he hath made both ONE… for to make in himself of twain [Israel and Gentiles] ONE new man… that he might reconcile BOTH unto God in ONE BODY by the cross… now… ye are no more strangers and foreigners [from the common-wealth of Israel] but fellow citizens [in the commonwealth of Israel]” (Eph 2:11-19).

We don’t want to belabor this scripture, but Paul is NOT saying: ‘If you choose to subscribe to my gospel, I would appreciate that, and besides you can avoid all those do’s and don’ts of the law of Moses. On the other hand, Peter and all the other apostles have an alternative gospel with alternative promises and blessings which I personally consider to be inferior to the blessings of my gospel which are heavenly blessings. The blessings of the other apostles with their gospel of the circumcision, are mere physical blessings. So there it is! You choose and Christ’s grace is sufficient to save you whichever you choose.’

That is NOT the point Paul is making. His point is “by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh [not even circumcised flesh] be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20). “Therefore we conclude a man (any man and every man) is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Rom 3:28). Deeds of the law are not part of the equation for salvation. Our “free will” had nothing to do with our being “in Adam” and while we will choose to be “in Christ”, it will be because “the Father drags us”, not because of our “free will”.

Those “in Christ” are the “Israel of God” and are also the “bride of the lamb”, “the New Jerusalem”. “…Him that overcometh… I will write upon him… the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem” (Rev 3:12). “The seed of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein” (Psa 69:36).

The Rewards of the Gospel of the Circumcision

On the other hand, anyone who chooses the gospel of the circumcision is said to be returning to “bondage under the weak and beggarly elements of this world” (Gal 4:3, 9). They are the “children of the bondwoman” and instead of being given a choice as to which road to salvation they prefer, they are “cast out” and “not to be heir with the son of the freewoman” (Gal 4:30). These people “suffer loss” even though they themselves will be saved. This is not a guarantee of being in the first resurrection. Our salvation is secure apart from works, but not so our reward: we “run to receive the prize” (1Co 9:24), and we will receive “every man according to his deeds” (Rom 2:6).

This business of being “under the law” is far more serious than a simple matter of preference. Returning back to keeping the law is equated by Paul with “bearing thorns and briars and is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned” (Heb 6:8). What is at stake is “the mark for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus” (Php 3:14). What is at stake is the “blessed and holy” prize of being in the first resurrection and avoiding the “burning” of the lake of fire (Rev 20:6).

Phrase #8

We now come to the final phrase used in Hebrews in relation to this matter of the law and the covenants.

“…He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second” (Heb 10:9). The first part of this verse is “Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.” It is followed by “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (vs 10).

Here once again scripture declares we are sanctified by the will of God and not our own will, but our focus here is “he taketh away the first that he may establish the second.”

What exactly is taken away? The answer is universally understood to be the old covenant which is “taken away” and replaced by the new covenant.

The depth and scope of the differences in these covenants is not universally understood. On the contrary, it seems that few indeed are willing to believe the plain and straight forward scriptures detailing the meaning of this phrase “he taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.”

The many other examples which are listed under the heading “The New Covenant is not a Modification of the Old Covenant” demonstrate the truth of Paul’s statement “…we are the circumcision, which worship God in spirit… and have no confidence in the flesh” (Php 3:3).

The flesh has been taken completely out of the equation for salvation. In reality, it has never been anything more than a necessary evil to bring us to Christ in the spirit. “…though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more” (2Co 5:16).

In Rom 3:31 Paul asks the question, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law.” This whole paper has established that only for those in Christ is the law of Moses “made void”, “done away” and “abolished”; all forms in the King James translation of the same Greek word katargeo.

The law itself is established by this fact. The understanding of Rom 3:31 is to be found ten verses earlier in verse 21: “But now the righteousness of God without the law [of Moses, “for the lawless” – 1Ti 1:9] is manifested, being witnessed by the law [of Moses] and the prophets.”

Had the law, the old covenant, “the ministration of death written and engraven in stones”, not been “done away” for those in Christ, the law would have proven itself a false prophet. Now, only for those in Christ, it is “abolished” (Eph 2:15) and replaced by a much higher, much more honorable and spiritual law. “The Lord is well pleased for HIS righteousness’ sake; he [Christ] will magnify the law and make it honorable” (Isa 42:21). If it were already honorable, He wouldn’t need to do that, would he? If, on the other hand, it were a carnal commandment (Heb 7:16) used “lawfully” only for “the lawless and disobedient” (1Ti 1:8-9), then a new law along the lines of Matthew 5 would be in order.

You do not “magnify” a house during construction and expect the contractor to eat the difference in cost. A new contract must be drawn up to deal with the changes. Neither do you move from the “carnal”, “lawless” and “disobedient” to the spiritual without a completely new covenant with a “change also of the law”.

Thus, the law is “established” and proven a true “witness”. As long as there is flesh on this earth, the law will be “established” for that “lawless and disobedient” flesh, to show the flesh its naked condition and make it aware of its decaying earthy composition. Generation by generation “the law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ” and generation by generation “after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster”. “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that EVERY MOUTH may be stopped and ALL THE WORLD may become guilty before God” (Rom 3:19).

The law of Moses is equated by Paul to the elements of the world (Gal 4:3). Notice I said ‘equated’. Not all law is the law of Moses, but all law is equated with the law of Moses as far as scripture is concerned (Gal 3:22-23 – “But the scripture hath concluded all [all Jews and Gentiles] under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were [all] kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed”, Gal 4:1 – “Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child [Greek: nepios, infant-under the schoolmaster, tutors and governors, under the law G3516]), differeth nothing from a servant [slave to sin], though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.” The ministration of death is katargeo and we, in Christ only, are “free from the law of sin and death” (the ministration of death) (Rom 8:2).

It is hoped that this article will help someone, somewhere to take his eyes off the things of the flesh. Yes, Christ was born in the flesh, and yes, He died on the cross for our sins, and yes, God “made him sin for us, who (Christ) knew no sin” (2Co 5:21). These were but necessary evils. “Yet now henceforth know we him no more in the flesh.” We have all been born in the flesh, and we will all die in the flesh, but it is far more edifying and encouraging to know that “NOW are we the sons of God and… we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1Jn 3:2). As we see Him we “are changed into the same image from glory to glory… by the spirit of the Lord” (2Co 3:18). So while we have demonstrated the inadequacies of the law in this essay, we conclude with this reminder for any who might attempt to turn God’s disciplinary, chastening grace into lasciviousness: If we truly see him as he is, every man purifieth himself even as he is pure” (1Jn 3:3).

Summary

What we have pointed out, in effect, is the sovereignty of God in all things. “That they may know… that there is none beside me. I am the Lord and there is none else. I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil: I the Lord do all these things” (Isa 45:6,7). Yes, it was God who created the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It was God Himself, who placed that tree right in the middle of the garden. While He had told Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, this was done only because “the Lord… sought an occasion against” Adam (Jdg 14:1-4). God had already determined that Adam would eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and would come to see his naked, decaying, earthy condition, and be brought by the law to see his need for a Savior. “All that dwell upon the earth shall worship… the lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8).

In God’s all-knowing mind, Christ was slain as the sacrifice for the sins of the world before Adam was ever created. This gives the lie to the teaching that ‘God could know what choices you will make, but he chooses not to know.’ No, God chose to know all things because “all things are of God”. “To us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things…” (1Co 8:6).

Has God chosen to know the number of the hairs of your head, but not to know what you are going to do with your life? Hardly! We are plainly informed that God reveals Himself to some and deliberately blinds others. “…the election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded… God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear” (Rom 11:7, 8).

So what does understanding the total sovereignty of God have to do with a proper understanding of the function of the law? It has everything to do with it, because it is through the law, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that God has decreed that all the world becomes guilty before Him. “What things soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Rom 3:19). “Wherefore then serveth the law?

“It was added [to the law of God] because of transgressions [of the law of God], till the seed should come to whom the promise was made… the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we (all of us) were kept under the law… Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ… But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Gal 3:19-25).

God does not change (Mal 3:6). Christ came to reveal the Father (Mat 11:27 and Luk 10:22). This He accomplished through His sacrificial life which revealed for the first time in the history of mankind the “new covenant”. The new covenant “show[s] the work of the law [of God, not Moses] written in their hearts” (Rom 2:15). Under this new covenant Christ reveals to us the Father: “I delight in the LAW of GOD after the inward man” (Rom 7:22). “…The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the LAW OF GOD neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom 8:7, 8). The LAW OF GOD, the “least commandments”, which Christ revealed in Matthew 5 to 7 are the “LAW OF THE SPIRIT” (Rom 8:2). This is the true unchangeable character of God: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but MY WORDS shall not pass away” (Mat 24:35).

The law of Moses, on the other hand, is only “good, if a man use it lawfully… [meaning that we know that this law of Moses, written and engraven in stones, this ministration of death] …is not made for a righteous man [the man who is not carnally minded and delights in the LAW OF GOD, the new covenant, after the inward man] but [the law of Moses is] for the lawless and disobedient” (1Ti 1:8, 9).

Understanding that the law was added to the law of God because of transgressions of the law of God helps us to see that the “lawful use of the law truly is not for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient…” (1Ti 1:8,9).

This should help us to appreciate, yes, appreciate, the function of Mystery Babylon the mother of harlots and of abominations of the earth. Mystery Babylon is not the Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist religions. Mystery Babylon is “that great city… where also our Lord was crucified” (Rev 11:8). Mystery Babylon is Christendom still under the law, still under tutors and governors, still looking to men to tell them what God says just as Israel did at Mount Sinai. “And they said unto Moses, speak you with us and we will hear: but let not God speak with us lest we die” (Exo 20:19). Until we are willing to die, to be “crucified with Christ”, we will be under the law, “shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed” (Gal 3:23). That is the function of Mystery Babylon, to keep us under the law, no better than a slave to sin, under tutors and governors, under the elements of this world (Gal 4:1-3). Mystery Babylon claims to be Christian. She deals in “gold, and silver and precious stones… and souls of men” (Rev 18:12,13).

“Gold, silver and precious stones” which can under the right circumstances endure the fire (1Co 3:12,13), are good works and good doctrines. If we fail to see and acknowledge the sovereignty of God in “all things”, our righteousness (our “gold, silver and precious stones”) becomes as “filthy rags” in God’s sight (Isa 64:6). Mystery Babylon is full of “good works”, and it is these “good works” which provide the “strong delusion” which “God shall send” to those who “received not the love of the truth… That they all might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2Th 2:10-12).

This “unrighteousness” is not blatant. It is so subtle, it is called “strong delusion”. It will all be accomplished through the law, “and when the woman [Mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots] saw that the tree [the law] was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes [an outward display of righteousness] and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Gen 3:6).

The woman giving the law, the ministration of death, to her husband is the slovenly tendency of most “sons of God” to allow the church, “princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown” (Num 16:2) to tell them what to do instead of having a personal relationship with God through personal knowledge of His word. These are those who have not come out of Babylon. Their obedience is not based on love, but on outward signs like Sabbath (or Sunday) observance. They “observe days and months and times and years” (Gal 4:10). Thus they testify against themselves that they have not yet entered into rest. “For we which have believed do enter into rest…” (Heb 4:3). These are those who call Israel according to the flesh God’s chosen people. God, of course, has said they are His “broken off people” (Rom 11:17-20) and “will not be heir with the son of the freewoman” (Gal 4:30). Thus, they testify against themselves that they are not the sons of the freewoman but are still “under the law” (Gal 4:21).

Thus Mystery Babylon the Great, the Mother of harlots is serving God’s purpose. She is raising up “false christs and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, she shall deceive the very elect” (Mat 24:24). It will all be accomplished through “the law”, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

In so doing, Mystery Babylon will, in spite of herself, be used as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. She will keep us under tutors and governors; no more than a slave to sin, “until the time appointed of the Father” (Gal 4:1-2).

You “by the letter… doest transgress the law” (Rom 2:27). “The letter”, the law of Moses, is obviously not the law of the spirit of God, but is rather a type and shadow of God’s spiritual law. If we insist upon returning to the law, we “crucify the son of God afresh and put him to an open shame” (Heb 6:6). “…Strong meat belongeth to them that are full of age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb 5:14). Yes, God intended all along that we should become like Him to know good and evil. Remember it was “to those… which believed on Him” that he said “I know ye are Abraham’s seed, but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you” (Joh 8:31-37). It is indeed “strong meat” to come to understand that both the good and the evil are of God, and that it is through this tree, whose fruit is death, that we are brought to life, and sin and death are destroyed. “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him through [NOT FROM] death, and was heard in that he feared” (Heb 5:6). “For of him and through him and to him are all things: to whom be glory for ever, Amen” (Rom 11:36).

Conclusion

How could anyone say or even suggest that we should not, as mature Christians, post the Ten Commandments in our churches and in our schools and in our public buildings and instruct all to live by this Biblical code of conduct? If everyone, everywhere, made a conscious effort to keep and live by the Ten Commandments, would not most of the problems of our land disappear as a result? Would God not then bless us as a nation and make us a blessing to all nations? Are the Ten Commandments the solution to all immorality and sin? The answer to all of these questions is “NO”! It’s been tried before, and it has failed every time.

Ancient Israel said and thought that they could live perfect lives by keeping God’s Ten Commandments. They failed miserably. The Pharisees thought that they could become righteous in the eyes of God by keeping the law and the Ten Commandments. Jesus said that they will NOT be in the Kingdom of God. Modern Ireland, divided by Protestantism and Catholicism, are slaughtering each other under this same system. Peter said it all when he called this law a YOKE “which neither our fathers NOR WE were able to bear” (Act 15:10). But there is something better.

In Heb 7:16 we are told that the commandment that established the Levitical priesthood and all that they represented and taught (including the ten commandments), was “carnal”. Even the most holy and solemn day of the entire year, when the high priest entered the holy place to sprinkle blood for all the sins of Israel, these ordinances are called “carnal”. And we are told in no uncertain terms by the apostle Paul that, “To be ‘carnally minded’ is DEATH…” (Rom 8:6). The laws were carnal; the priests were carnal; the people were carnal; and the result has always been, is now, and always will be, DEATH! “The law [of Moses] is NOT MADE FOR A RIGHTEOUS MAN, but for the lawless and disobedient” (1Ti 1:9). The law of Moses is not made for a righteous man!! There is something better.

Do not confuse the Ten Commandments of the Old Covenant with the Law of God of the New Covenant. When will we finally come to believe that there really is a NEW Covenant with NEW laws, and that it is NOT fashioned after the OLD Covenant? This “New” Covenant is “not in accord” (Heb 8:9) with the Old Covenant, and the Old Covenant WAS “…even TEN COMMANDMENTS” (Deu 4:13) written upon two tables of stone. But this “New Covenant” does have laws. Oh, yes it does! Heb 8:10 – “Imparting my LAWS… on their HEARTS…” The Ten Commandments were written on stones, not on hearts. The laws of the New Covenant are (1) NOT IN ACCORD with the laws of the Old Covenant, (2) Different from the old law from which we “died” and now are “exempted” (Rom 7:4 and 6), (3) Spiritual laws (Rom 7:14) and (4) they are written “ON THEIR [AND OUR] HEARTS” (Heb 8:10).

Let me give you just one (there are dozens) simple little scriptural truth to prove once and for all that the Spiritual laws of God are NOT the Ten Commandments. Anything spiritual or spirit is ETERNAL. God’s spiritual laws ARE eternal. The Ten Commandments are temporal, “taken away”, “done away”, not to continue. The fourth commandment: “six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work…” (Exo 20:9). Is anyone so ignorant as to suggest that we will work six days out of every seven for the rest of eternity?

We are told that along with the change in the priesthood, there was also a necessity for a change in the law. There is no such thing as spiritually keeping a carnal law. Jesus wears a NEW garment and a new priestly robe. This new garment is NOT according to that of Levi, but according to that of Melchizedek. Under the New Covenant we have a NEW priesthood, a NEW High Priest and NEW laws. NONE of them are reworkings or modifications of the old – they are NEW. They are the true High Priest and the true spiritual laws of God, not just the shadow. The physical priesthood and carnal laws of Israel were but a far inferior type of the spiritual and the heavenly realities that we have in Christ Jesus. They are all NEW, they are all SPIRITUAL, and they are all far, far SUPERIOR – giving LIFE, and not death.

Those who are now being regenerated and recreated into the very SONS OF GOD, becoming a NEW CREATION, are fully aware of the need for laws – spiritual LAWS. And God has provided them for us: the Law of God, the Law of Christ, the Law of the Spirit, the Law of faith, the Law of righteousness, the Law of liberty and the Law of life. All these must be in our minds and in our hearts, or we are “none of His.” Thank God that we are free from works of the carnal law, but we are anything but free from the works of God’s spiritual laws. In fact, it is through “good works” that we are, “His achievement” (Eph 2:10).

Avoid the proverbial swing of the pendulum, and submit yourself to the perfect balance of God. We are not here to become righteous through works of the Old Testament Laws, thinking we have a free will that is able to do right if God will just give us a little encouragement. Not true! Neither are we here to sit back and do nothing, thinking there are no laws and that there is nothing we must do. God’s goal in process is to SAVE THE UNIVERSE. And what is so amazing is that He proposes to do it THROUGH US – the body of Christ. Now if any should think that the highest offices and the highest calling in the universe requires NO TRAINING, think again. Time and again Jesus has said, “TO HIM THAT OVERCOMETH…” Overcome what? The WORLD and OURSELVES! This is NEW Covenant teaching. No one under the Old Covenant had to overcome the world and overcome themselves. But then again, the only promises they could receive were physical, temporary, blessings of the land.

We must overcome “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”. That’s all. That’s a lot! In fact, that’s “ALL that is in the world” (1Jn 2:16). But Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD” (Joh 16:33). We must do likewise, “For whosoever is born of God OVERCOMETH THE WORLD…” (1Jn 5:4). And what is our reward for overcoming the world? Is it physical, temporary blessing of plenty of food, good health and protection from our enemies? Hardly.

Here are the ultimate goals and promises according to the New Covenant: “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life…” (Rev 2:7). “To him that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations” (vs 26). “To him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God” (Rev 3:12). “He that overcometh shall inherit ALL THINGS; and I will be HIS GOD, and he shall be MY SON” (Rev 21:7).