Laying Down the Law - Part 18

Toward a Perfect Man

Both Christ and His apostles stated that the goal of their labor was to present men perfect before Yahweh. The time had arrived for man to move past childhood into maturity.

Matthew 5:48
Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Colossians 1:28
[Christ] we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Yahshua.

Hebrews 7:18-19
For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect...

In pursuit of this goal, a new, far more capable, instrument needed to be employed. The Law could make no man perfect. At its best, it contained only a shadow of the righteousness of God and His plan for mankind. The Law needed to be replaced by that which was perfect, and which had the power to present man perfect.

Christ appeared at a time when the people of God had experienced only an imperfect revelation of the Father. They had never seen God in the flesh. They had only the shadow of the Law, and it was subject to misinterpretation. When Christ appeared, mankind had revealed before them for the first time a perfect representation of God.

Hebrews 1:3
And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.

The Law did not contain “the exact representation of [God’s] nature.” Neither did the Law contain the power to make men perfect. The Law was weak. It was necessary for Yahweh to replace the Law with that which was perfect and powerful, for the time had come for men to progress past childhood to perfection.

Romans 7:4
Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

God the Father was looking for the mature fruit of sons in His own image and likeness. The Law could not produce this fruit. Therefore, at the precise moment ordained by God, mankind was joined to the One who could make men perfect.

Christ, in His person, is the perfect image of the Father. Because Yahshua is an “an exact representation of [God’s] nature,” He is able to show the Father’s nature fully, and perfectly to man. When Christ sent forth His Spirit to indwell man, the power to become perfect was given to men. The Spirit of Christ residing in man provides the power to accomplish God’s purpose.

Romans 8:11
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Yahshua from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Yahweh’s purpose is to have mature, perfected sons. His instrument to produce these sons is the Spirit of Christ. That which was weak and a mere shadow, has been replaced by that which is powerful and an exact representation of God’s nature.

In their infancy, the people of God were given a tutor and schoolmaster to guide them. The tutor was not capable of making men perfect. It could only guard men during their infancy until the time came to deliver them into the hands of the One who could make them perfect.

Galatians 4:4-5
But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

“The adoption as sons” is a reference to being judged as mature, having the character of the Father formed in the child. When the Father’s character is observed to be replicated in the child, the child is adopted. He rises from the rank of a child under tutors, to a son who is given authority and liberty.

Paul is declaring that “when the fulness of the time came,” for mature sons of Yahweh to be manifested, He sent forth His Son. Yahshua was “born of a woman, born under the Law” which signifies that He is the transitional point. He arose among those who were children, but He progressed onto maturity that He might lead others to this same maturity. Christ had to learn obedience and be perfected as a son (Hebrews 5:8). He grew up among a people who were disobedient and forever stuck in adolescence. Yahshua was the first to receive the commendation from Yahweh that He was a well pleasing son.

Matthew 3:17
And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Throughout the course of His ministry on earth Yahshua never did any work, or spoke any word, of His own initiative. He was a perfect Son, with a perfect heart. He was always observing the Father and doing precisely what He saw the Father doing.

John 5:19-20
Then Yahshua answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does...”

If mankind is to also walk perfectly before the Father, he must have the same guide that Yahshua had. The Law cannot reveal to us what the Father’s will is for every action and word, but the Spirit can. It was the Spirit of God that guided Christ, and all who would be perfect must be guided by the same Spirit.

From the moment of Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River, we read that He was led of the Spirit.

Luke 4:1
Then Yahshua, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit...

Luke 4:14
Then Yahshua returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee...

The Spirit both guided and empowered Christ, and He is given to perform the same functions for all those who are “in Christ.”

John 16:7-13
Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you... I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth...

In these words, Yahshua discloses that the Spirit will perform the role of communicator and guide. Although Christ disclosed many things to His disciples during His ministry years, there was much they were not yet prepared to receive. The Spirit to be sent would disclose to them every thought of God at the appropriate time. Rather than having the Law as their guide, with priests, scribes and legions of lawyers as its administrators, Christ’s disciples would be taught directly by God through the Spirit.

I John 2:27
But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

In this role of communicator of the mind of God, the Spirit and the Law are seen in parallel roles. Indeed, what was seen in type and shadow in Moses and the Law is fulfilled in antitype and substance in Christ and the Spirit. Consider the following parallels.

During the ministry of Moses, when the Israelites wanted to know the mind of Yahweh, they would come and inquire of Moses.

Exodus 18:15-16
And Moses said to his father-in-law, "The people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws."

This same Moses, could not remain forever with the people in this role. Yahweh had Moses ascend Mount Sinai to meet with Him. Moses brought the Law down the mountain, leaving it with the people to serve as their instructor and guide for the next 1,500 years.

A parallel fulfillment is observed in the life of Christ. When Yahshua walked the earth, His disciples looked to Him much as the Israelites looked to Moses. Christ’s disciples approached Him that He might declare to them the mind of God and serve as their instructor.

Matthew 13:36
Then Yahshua sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."

Matthew 15:15
Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."

Mark 4:10
But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.

Christ also could not remain with His disciples in this role forever. It was better that He go away. So, even as Moses ascended the mountain and brought back the Law, Christ ascended to the Father and sent back the Spirit.

We have already seen the parallels and contrasts between these two events. When Moses brought back the Law 3,000 men died. When the Spirit was received on the day of Pentecost, 3,000 men were saved. In every way, the Spirit which has been given to indwell man is superior to the Law that Moses brought down from the mountain. The former work points to the latter which is far more substantial, able to make men perfect.

The Spirit of Christ goes far beyond instruction. The Spirit does more than serving as the voice of God to the saints. He is the source of all power. By virtue of the Spirit of Christ residing in man, the power that is needed to obey the Father and live a life as a pleasing son is finally realized.

Luke 24:49
Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."

Ephesians 3:20
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us...

People of God, it was necessary that the Law be instituted for a time until that perfect Tutor and Helper should come. We must be released from the former to be joined to the latter. The teacher and guide of man’s childhood must give way to the One who can present all men perfect in Christ.

The Law was given to restrain men who were slaves to sin and to point them to their Redeemer and Savior. Those who have been born of the Spirit of Christ are no longer slaves to sin. They were formerly dead spiritually, but in Christ they have been made alive. It is inappropriate for a spiritual man to be ruled by the tutor to the carnal man. The spiritual man needs a Helper that can bring him to perfection. The Law makes nothing perfect.

Having begun your life as a son of God by the Spirit, it is folly to believe that a return to a Law of fleshly ordinances will make one perfect.

Galatians 3:3
Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

Hebrews 9:9-10
For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies - physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established.
[New Living Translation]

The King James Bible calls the physical regulations of the Law “carnal ordinances.” The New King James and New American Standard describe them as “fleshly ordinances.” It is these regulations of the Law that Paul is referring to when he asks, “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” Paul declares that these fleshly ordinances were in effect, only “until a better system could be established.”

The King James speaks of these carnal ordinances being in effect until the “time of reformation.” The Darby Bible describes this time as “the time of setting things right.” The Douay-Rheims Bible similarly describes this occasion as “the time of correction.”

When Christ came, He set things right between God and man. He removed the enmity that existed between them, “having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us...,having nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14). Christ brought “re-formation” to man by giving him a new heart and a new spirit. Men who experience the spirit birth truly become “new creatures” in Christ. Thus, the period of man’s probation under the Law is brought to a close, and a new era of life in the Spirit is initiated.

Although every member of Christ’s flock has the ability to hear His voice, and John has testified that the anointing (the Holy Spirit) teaches them all things, Yahshua has given ministers to the flock to help shepherd them.

Ephesians 4:11-14
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ...

If the ministers are not equipping and edifying the saints, leading them “to a perfect man,” then they are not fulfilling their calling. Ministers who are leading people back to the Law are unwittingly leading them away from the Spirit who alone can make them perfect. A minister should emphasize the need of every saint to hear the voice of God themselves. He must impress upon those who are partakers of the Spirit their daily need to be surrendered to the direction of the Spirit in all their actions and words.

Romans 8:14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

The tragic effect of embracing the Law as one’s guide and instructor to know what the Father would have men to do, is that the saints fail to seek the mind of the Spirit. Believing the mind of God can be ascertained in the Law, they see no need to look for it elsewhere. Those who look to the Law as their guide will remain in perpetual childhood. If we would be perfect, we must walk as Christ walked.

Matthew 19:21
Yahshua said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

There is no other path to perfection as a son of God than to be led and empowered by the Spirit of Christ. The saints must accept no substitute for the Spirit led life. Moses and the Law could make no man perfect. Being led by one’s soul will not lead to the Father’s will. Only a Spirit led life can bring the saint to the fulness of the stature that belongs to Christ.

All who would be perfect must lay aside the Law and be joined to another, even to He who was raised from the dead.

Romans 7:6

But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Laying Down the Law - Part 17

When God Changed the Menu

The question often arises as to whether Christians are to observe the shadows of the Old Covenant. Should Christians keep the feasts of Yahweh? Should they rest on the Sabbath day? Is it the Father’s will for those in Christ to eat only those foods the Law of Moses declared to be clean? In this post, I want to look specifically at the dietary regulations contained in the Law of Moses.

There are entire denominations, such as Seventh Day Adventists, and The Worldwide Church of God, who proclaim that the dietary laws of the Old Testament are still in effect. Those who are Torah Observant make the dietary laws a key part of their instructions to the saints. What did Christ’s apostles’ teach? Is the body of Christ still subject to the dietary regulations found in the Law?

For those who have understood and received the things written thus far in this series, the answer should be obvious. The Law of Moses has no jurisdiction over those who are in Christ. By virtue of union with Christ, believers have died to the Law that they might be joined to another. There is a new priesthood, a new law, a new manner of living in the Spirit. “Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.” Shadows have given way to substance.

Colossians 2:16-17
Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day - things which are a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

As we look at the entire counsel of Christ’s apostles, we find that observing the shadows relating to food, feast days, new moons, and Sabbaths is not required. On the other hand, observance of the shadows is not forbidden, or condemned. The counsel of the apostles is that every man should strive to maintain a pure conscience before God. All Christians should seek to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Christians have varying degrees of knowledge of the mind and ways of God. One whose knowledge is mature may realize that nothing is unclean in itself, and all things can be eaten with thanksgiving. One who does not have this knowledge, believes he can only eat that which Moses permitted.

There are those who argue that since God is eternal, and He changes not, that His laws do not change. On the surface, this sounds reasonable. However, it does not stand up under scrutiny. The Bible is filled with examples of the unchanging God changing the manner in which He relates to men. Yahweh has frequently altered His instructions to mankind. We saw this in a previous chapter where we looked at Christ’s oft repeated phrase, “You have heard..., but I say...”

The arguments for the continuance of the dietary laws appeal to the natural man’s sense of justice, but they are not supported by Scriptures. If the argument were true that God’s instructions (Torah) to man do not change, for He Himself does not change, then we must find corroborating evidence of this declaration in the Bible. What then, are we to make of the fact that Yahweh has repeatedly changed His instructions to man regarding what He can eat, and He is prophesied to do it again during the Millennial reign of Christ?

Let us examine the Biblical evidence. When God first created Adam and Eve, He gave them only fruits and vegetables and the produce of the earth for their food.

Genesis 1:29
And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.”

Even the animals ate a vegan diet. There were no carnivores when the earth was fashioned.

Genesis 1:30
Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so.

Are these instructions Yahweh delivered to the first man and woman identical to those given to Moses? Absolutely not! Moses permitted men to eat animal flesh. Animal flesh was prohibited to Adam and Eve. We see then that God’s Torah (instruction) does change.

The first menu God gave to man lasted for approximately 1,700 years. From Adam unto Noah man had only plants to eat. After the flood Yahweh declared that man could eat meat.

Genesis 9:1-5
So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth... Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”

We see that Noah and his descendants were permitted to eat “every moving thing that lives.” If a pig moved it could be eaten. Crabs and shrimp moved, so they could be eaten. “Every moving thing...” was the only criteria listed in Yahweh’s instruction to Noah. The ONLY prohibition was against eating blood, for the life (literally “soul”) of the animal is in the blood.

Noah understood that certain animals were considered clean, and some unclean, for he had made a distinction among them when bringing them on the ark. Of every clean animal, he took them by sevens onto the ark, a male with his female. Of every unclean animal he took by twos onto the ark.

After the flood subsided, we read that Noah offered to Yahweh a sacrifice of every clean animal that had been brought onto the ark. However, Yahweh made no distinction between clean and unclean when telling Noah what he could eat. Rather, the instruction is “If it moves, it can be eaten.”

This dietary instruction was in force from Noah to Moses, a span of approximately 800 years. For 430 years of this span, the descendants of Abraham were under the Noahide laws, for the Mosaic Law had not been given. Abraham’s descendants were permitted to eat pigs, and shellfish, and everything that moved on the earth. There was no prohibition given to them regarding these things UNTIL the Law was delivered to Moses. The Law came 430 years after Yahweh made a covenant of promise to Abraham, and 2,500 years after Adam.

Paul declared, “where there is no law there is no transgression.” Seeing that there was no law against eating certain types of meat UNTIL the Mosaic Law was given, those who ate unclean animals did not transgress.

Those who argue that “God changeth not,” therefore the laws He gives to men do not change, are failing to rightly divide the word of God. Do you perceive that prior to the flood it was a transgression of the will of God for a man to eat animal flesh? After the flood he could do so and not transgress. From Noah until Moses, man could eat anything that moved. A man could eat a hog from hoof to snout, including the fat. The only thing forbidden was the blood. There was no transgression.
Why is it so incredible then to conceive that the instructions (Torah) Yahweh gave to Moses were also for a limited duration? Yahweh intended for the Law of Moses to be in force UNTIL the promised Seed should come.

Galatians 3:19
Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.

There was a period of 1,500 years from Moses to Christ (the Seed of God). During this time the people of God had many prohibitions relating to food. No longer could God’s people eat anything that moved. Now, they were limited to those land creatures that had a split hoof and chewed the cud. Pertaining to that which dwelt in the sea, the rivers and lakes, it was no longer everything that moved, but that which had fins and scales. Even the birds and the insects were divided into what could be eaten, and what could not.

Beyond these restrictions, there were further limits placed on man’s consumption. Under the Mosaic Law man could not eat fat, not even fat found on animals declared to be clean. The fat and the blood were to be offered to Yahweh. It was forbidden to boil a kid in its mother’s milk. During the week of Passover, no leaven could be used in cooking.

The regulations found in the Law all serve as parables. In each one some spiritual truth is being foreshadowed. Time does not permit me to write of what these dietary regulations signified.
When Christ came, the time of mankind’s probation, being guarded and ruled by the Law of Moses, ended. Consequently, the instruction God gave to mankind regarding what was to be eaten changed.

Acts 15:28-29
For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.

Once more man could eat all that moved, but the ancient prohibition against eating blood remained. When an animal is strangled, the blood remains in the meat. The instruction to abstain “from blood” and “from things strangled,” are the only recorded instructions relating to food for those who are in Christ.

It did not seem “good to the Holy Spirit” “to lay upon” those turning to Christ from among the Gentiles all the “burden” of the Law. Of the myriad of dietary regulations in the Law, “it seemed good to the Holy Spirit” to burden these new creatures in Christ only with the dietary prohibition to abstain from eating blood. The apostles and leaders of the Jewish believers in Messiah, met in Jerusalem to consider the specific question of whether new Gentile converts should be instructed to keep the Law of Moses. Peter summed up the conclusion of the elders with these words:

Acts 15:10
Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

The yoke Peter spoke of was a yoke of slavery. The Law treated men as slaves. God seeing that man was a slave to sin, treated him like a slave by placing him under the Law. Those who are in Christ are free from bondage to sin. Therefore, Yahweh treats them as free men. The new creation man is given liberty.

Galatians 5:1-2
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.

The elders and apostles carefully considered this matter and concluded that, of the 613 laws delivered to Moses, only three needed to be passed on to the Gentile Christians (I am combining the two dealing with blood.) No instructions regarding fins and scales, cloven hoofs and chewing cuds were placed upon the Gentile’s necks. They were taught to walk by the Spirit. An excessive list of carnal ordinances would take their eyes away from the Spirit of Christ as their guide.

We see then that from Adam to Noah man ate only a diet of plant matter. From Noah to Moses, man ate plant matter and anything that moved. From Moses to Christ, the people of God ate that which the Law declared to be clean. From Christ until today, the people of God are instructed to not eat blood, but have no other law of prohibition.

The words of the elders and apostles are not Yahweh’s final instruction regarding diet. It will change again. The Scriptures declare that during the Millennial reign of Christ those animals that are carnivores will become herbivores.

Isaiah 11:6-7
"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb; the leopard shall lie down with the young goat; the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

These words of the prophet Isaiah describe a return to the conditions of Eden. In Eden the animals were given every green herb for food. Man also was given every green herb, and every fruit tree, from which to eat. This will be the condition of the earth once more.

Can you imagine the arguments of the Torah devotee who makes it into the Millennial period? “What do you mean I can’t kill that cow and cook its flesh? Moses said I could do so. Why can’t I wring that chicken’s neck? Don’t you know the Law doesn’t change.” Although such a hypothetical argument appears silly, it demonstrates the error of those who suppose that the Law is an eternal ordinance. Every work of God has a time and season allotted to it.

Ecclesiastes 3:1
To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven...

As we look back at the history of Yahweh’s dealings with man, we see that great changes occurred during the life of Noah. Further great alterations occurred during the life of Moses. Yet, the greatest change of all in the way Yahweh relates to man occurred during the earthly life of His Son. Seeing that Yahweh’s instructions to mankind were altered with Noah and Moses, it is no stretch to conceive of them changing once more with Christ.

While I have your attention turned to the Millennial period, let me share the following. The saints should not suppose that they can hasten on toward a more perfect and Edenic state by adopting a vegetarian diet now. Christ walked perfectly before the Father while on the earth, and He ate meat. Numerous times it is recorded that He ate fish, as well as feeding it to His disciples. He is even recorded as having eaten fish twice after His resurrection.

Those who choose to eat vegetables only are not prohibited from doing so, but their food choices are no more righteous than those of the man who chooses to eat meat. Christ declared that it is not what enters man’s mouth that defiles him. It is what comes out of man’s mouth that defiles.

Mark 7:18-23
And He said to them, "Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?" Thus He declared all foods clean. And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."

Yahweh’s focus has always been upon creating a clean heart (soul) in man. Foods do not defile the soul of man. They affect only the body. The Law’s regulations pertaining to food were not given with the thought of making the man righteous. They were given as types and shadows of spiritual truth. Through His Son, God made clean that which was formerly unclean.

Acts 10:9-16
The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." But Peter said, "Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything unholy or unclean." And a voice spoke to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed you must not call unholy." This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

I realize this experience of Peter’s served as a message to declare that the Gentiles had been declared clean by God. Yet, other Scriptures reveal that foods that were unclean under the Law were made clean as well. The apostle Paul declares this to be so in several letters to different groups of people.

I Timothy 4:3-5
Men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

Speaking specifically of foods, (see verse 13) Paul declares the following:

Romans 14:14-15
I know and am convinced by the Lord Yahshua that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

I Corinthians 8:8
But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. 

In these last words of Paul, we find an echo of the verse we looked at in the previous post. “Neither circumcision, nor uncircumcision availeth anything, but a new creation.” We are neither the worse if we do not eat (circumcision, keeping the Law), nor the better if we do eat (uncircumcision, free from the Law). As Yahshua declared, what enters the mouth does not defile the man. On the other hand, eating “holy” foods does not make the man righteous.

This chapter would not be complete unless I spoke of the role of the Spirit as it pertains to diet. If man is freed from the Law, but fails to come under the rule of the Spirit of Christ, he is lawless. The fact that God has given only the prohibition against eating blood to those who are in Christ, does not imply that man is to be self-directed in what he eats.

The very beginning of Christ’s ministry began with His Father, through the indwelling Spirit, giving His Son instructions relating to food consumption. The Father told His Son that He was to fast from all food for forty days. If Christ were led of the Law of Moses, He could have argued that Moses permitted a man to eat food daily. As long as clean foods were chosen, there was no necessity for Him to fast. Christ was not led by the Law, but by the Spirit. His Father revealed His will to be that Christ fast for forty days, so obedience required submission to this revelation.

As sons of God, we too will find the Father giving us specific instructions regarding our diet. Sometimes He will lead us to fast. Other times He will direct us to avoid certain foods, or add certain foods to our diet. Some years ago when I was very much overweight, the Father instructed me to cut out the fats and sugars from my diet. The Law of Moses says nothing regarding sugar, but the Spirit is able to speak to us specifically, guiding each individual perfectly.

The Father has disciplined me much in the area of eating, for I had appetites that were unrestrained most of my life. I know that my Father has an interest in what I eat. He has an opinion in the matter, and I do well to seek to know His thoughts and to abide by them.

Just because the saint has no written code today to instruct him in what to eat, does not imply that Yahweh has no instruction to give in the matter. Our instruction comes from a different channel. We are instructed by the Spirit who was given to indwell us. The following principle is given to the body of Christ.

I Corinthians 10:31

Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Laying Down the Law - Part 16

A New Creation

The apostle Paul devoted most of his letter to the church in Galatia to correcting and refuting the error of those who were teaching that Christians must keep the Law of Moses. Toward the end of the book, as Paul was summarizing what had been written, he made a statement that goes to the heart of what is truly important.

Galatians 6:15
For in Christ Yahshua neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.

Paul says that neither keeping the Law (circumcision), or not keeping the Law (uncircumcision), avails anything. That is to say, neither Law-keeping, or freedom from the Law, can bring any man to that perfect and mature state that the Father desires for His sons. Being under the Law will not bring you to conformity to Christ. Freedom from the Law will not either. Becoming a new creation will. Man must be born again.

One night a ruler of the Jews came to visit Yahshua. This man’s name was Nicodemus. He was well versed in the Law, being an instructor of all that Moses had written. For 1,500 years the Israelites had been under the tutelage of the Law. It served as their guardian and school-master. Yet, the Jews, like all men, had hard hearts. The main message of the Law had not been perceived, or received. The message of the Law is that man, apart from Christ, is spiritually dead. The natural man cannot please God. Man must receive a new heart and spirit. He must be born again.

When Christ met with Nicodemus that night, He went straight to the heart of what mattered most.

John 3:1-3
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Yahshua by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." Yahshua answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

For many years, the abruptness of Christ’s answer has grabbed my attention. There is no chit chat. There is no response to the comments of Nicodemus. It is as if Christ begins an entirely new conversation, for He understands that Nicodemus is a blind leader of blind men. He will never find the answers he needs on his own. Christ must take Nicodemus by the hand and lead him to the truth.

John 3:4-8
Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Yahshua answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Nicodemus struggled to comprehend what the Messiah was declaring to him. 1,500 years of the Law’s instruction had not led God’s people to a knowledge of the truth. It was very difficult for this man, in one brief moment, to hear spiritual truth spoken and grasp it.

John 3:9-13
Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?" Yahshua answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”

Nicodemus was no less intelligent than other men. His failure to comprehend the truth Christ presented to him was caused by his spiritual condition. Spiritually, Nicodemus was dead. Therefore, the words of Christ, which were spirit and life, sounded like foolishness to his ears.

I Corinthians 2:12-14
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

In these words, the apostle describes an important difference between men who have been born of the Spirit and those who have not. A spiritual man is able to receive the thoughts of God. What the Spirit speaks to a spiritual man is comprehensible. The same message is nonsense to one who has not been born again. Nicodemus’ problem was that he was a natural man.

Although the Law had served as Yahweh’s appointed school-master and instructor to the Jews for 1,500 years, its lessons were not learned. The reason is disclosed in the following Scripture.

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

Over the course of fifteen centuries the Law had acted as tutor to the people of God. As mentioned previously, Torah means “instruction.” The Law was continually presenting its lessons. Some of the lessons, such as those contained in the feast days, were repeated every year. Other lessons, such as that contained in the shadow of the Sabbath, were repeated every week. Some lessons were given on a daily basis.

Despite the continual, repetitive presence of all this instruction, the people of God were not perceiving the lessons contained in the Law. They did not understood that the Passover celebrated annually was pointing them toward the Lamb of God who would be slain for the sins of the world. They did not perceive that Pentecost, which was celebrated fifty days later, was forecasting that day when the Spirit would be given to indwell man, setting the Instruction of God on man’s hearts. They did not comprehend the profound lesson contained in the weekly Sabbath; that Yahweh longed for men to cease from their own works in the same way that He rested from His. This rest was not to be one day a week, but an every day cessation from works of personal initiative that man might live instead to always do the will of the Father.

Tragically, many Christians continue to look at the Law as a body of ordinances that are to be understood in a strictly literal sense. They do not perceive the “spirit” present in these instructions. Like the Jews before them under the tutelage of the Law, they are “ever learning and never coming to a knowledge of the truth” (II Timothy 3:7). Until the spiritual substance of the Law is understood and applied in a person’s life, the saint will not make any progress toward maturity in Christ.

Hebrews 10:1
For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never... make perfect those who draw near.

Nicodemus had been focused upon the Law to a greater degree than most, for he was a teacher of the Law. Yet, he did not perceive its lessons. Nicodemus thought it would profit a man to be circumcised. He did not see that what was truly needed was for man to become a new creation. The natural man must become a spiritual man. Those who are of the earth, earthy, must become heavenly creatures. Man needed a new heart, a new spirit. He had been born once, but he needed to be born a second time.

Many Christians have the mistaken concept that their identity as a member of the body of Christ is determined in a similar way as those who became Jews under the Old Covenant. They believe that if they accept a certain body of teaching, and if they bring their conduct in alignment with the rules of this belief system, then they are a Christian. Depending upon what denomination, or body of teaching a person embraces, some will find themselves keeping the Law (circumcision), while others do not (uncircumcision). Neither position makes one a child of God. Something else is required.

Romans 8:9
But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

This is what is truly important. Have you been born of the Spirit? Are you a partaker of the Spirit of Christ? Do you hear the voice of the Father and understand what He is speaking to you? Have you received a new heart that longs to do that which is pleasing to Yahweh? Has God placed His Spirit, His own divine nature, within you? These are the things that avail much!

Nicodemus, like many men before and since, believed that devotion to the Law would satisfy the Father. He did not understand that the sons Yahweh sought were those who had His nature. Many men believe they are born with the nature of God. They believe if they simply apply themselves to good works that they can produce something God will find acceptable. This was the error of the Jews.
It is an error as old as Cain.

Cain brought to Yahweh an offering from the fruit of the ground. This is symbolic of man bringing forth an offering to God from his flesh nature. Man’s flesh was formed of the dust of the earth. I am convinced that the offering Cain brought to Yahweh was magnificent to behold. It would put the best produce of a farmer’s market to shame. Yahweh had no regard for Cain’s offering, not because it was inferior as some suppose, being a half-hearted offering to the Father, but because of what it represented.

The very best that the natural man can produce is of no value in God’s sight. This is what provoked Cain. He had labored to bring to God an offering that was the very best he could produce. Cain was persuaded that the offering was worthy of God, that it should elicit Yahweh’s praise and approval. When God showed no regard for it, Cain was angry.

Many men and women today look at the Law as a means to offer to God an offering acceptable unto Him. They believe if they manifest a devotion to it, making their lives align with it as far as they are able, even going to great lengths and sacrifice, then surely God will look upon what they are offering with satisfaction and praise. The truth is, Yahweh has no regard for what they offer to Him, for it is an offering that arises from the flesh of man. It is man giving something he has produced through the sweat of his own labor to God.

Men react violently, and with great anger, when they are told that their very best efforts are despised by God. Nevertheless, the testimony of God is that only what His Spirit accomplishes is satisfying.

John 6:63
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.

From the body of Christ’s beginning, there have been men who begin in the Spirit, but then turn back again to the Law as a means to offer to Yahweh an acceptable sacrifice. Having begun in faith, they turn again to vain works of the flesh.

Galatians 3:1-4
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Yahshua Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain - if indeed it was in vain?

Perhaps you are sensing that something very profound is being spoken in these words, but you are having a difficult time grasping what it is and how to apply it to your life. This would be an excellent time to practice the counsel of James.

James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

What Paul is declaring is not natural wisdom, but spiritual. It can only be comprehended through the exercise of spiritual senses. Even as Christ opened the eyes of blind men, and unstopped the hearing of the deaf, so too is He able to give spiritual sight and hearing to the people of God. I understand that my teaching is a vain thing if not attended by the quickening presence of the Spirit. May Yahweh grant sight and hearing to His people!

Consider the questions poised by the apostle Paul. “Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” How does a man become a partaker of Yahweh’s divine nature through the indwelling Spirit? We cannot work ourselves into divinity. We must hear the message that Christ has reconciled God and man through His atoning sacrifice, and that He has sent forth His Spirit to indwell man. If we believe these things, then we will by faith petition the Father that He might give us His Spirit to indwell us.

Luke 11:9-13
"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

This is how we receive the Spirit. We ask for it, believing our Father will give us His Spirit. Our Father knows we cannot live one day pleasing to Him apart from being born spiritually. If natural men will give their sons what they need for life, how much more will our heavenly Father do so?

Paul then asks, “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” Becoming perfect men, spiritual men, is the Father’s desire for us. This process toward spiritual perfection is begun when we receive that incorruptible seed of the Father. We cannot work for it. We cannot produce incorruptible seed on our own. We must simply believe that the Father desires to impart this seed to us, ask Him for it, and receive it.

Having done so, what folly it is to think that our progress toward spiritual maturity will be accomplished by any other method than the one by which we began. Even as we believed that God would give us His Spirit, we must now believe that He will daily give us all things we need to walk in godliness.

II Peter 1:3
His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness...

We must see ourselves as partakers of the divine nature, and believe that we can live a victorious life as a spiritual creation in the midst of a dark and sinful world. This overcoming life is lived out in the Spirit. We have our communion daily with the Father by the Spirit. We hear His voice, and believe that He has given us the power to obey all He asks of us.

To turn back to the Law as our instructor and guide is to turn away from the Spirit. The Law was the instructor of men who were spiritually dead. The Law too was dead. It was written on stone, not flesh. It had no ability to impart life. The Spirit is life.

II Corinthians 3:6
[It is He] Who has qualified us [making us to be fit and worthy and sufficient] as ministers and dispensers of a new covenant [of salvation through Christ], not [ministers] of the letter (of legally written code) but of the Spirit; for the code [of the Law] kills, but the [Holy] Spirit makes alive.
[Amplified Bible]

If we will set our focus upon the Spirit, listening to His voice, we will find ourselves led into the perfect will of God. Satan knows this to be true, and has waged unceasing warfare upon the saints. He has convinced multitudes that God no longer speaks to man. Such a conclusion is inconceivable to those who know the Father. What Father would cease speaking to His sons the moment they receive His Spirit? If Yahweh spoke to natural men in abundance in the days prior to the Spirit being given, it is unthinkable to believe that He will not speak to those who have received His Spirit.

I Corinthians 2:12-14
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.  These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

People often argue that the Law was Spirit breathed, so it must apply to them. People of God, the Law truly was Spirit breathed, but it was made for the unrighteous. The Law was not made for the righteous.

It is like a man who argues that he should take his wife’s medical prescriptions because they both go to the same doctor and he has found the doctor’s counsel to be sound. Will the man take the medicine prescribed for his wife’s menopause and be benefitted? Do you not perceive that the Spirit can speak something that is true, and apply it to a certain group, but it was never intended for another? The Law was made for the unrighteous, not the righteous. The Law is Spirit breathed, but if you are a spiritual man it was never prescribed for you!

What has Yahweh prescribed for the spiritual man? He has prescribed a life led of the Spirit!

Galatians 5:25
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Romans 8:14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

This is the prescribed course of living for the spiritual man. The natural man was led of the Law, but the spiritual man is led by the Spirit.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Laying Down the Law - Part 15

The Road Less Traveled

There are two main paths, or doctrinal positions, embraced by the majority of Christians today. One path promotes keeping the Law of Moses, or a body of laws endorsed by their group. These laws are used as the chief instrument to guide believers in their daily lives and various decisions. The other path teaches that Christians are free from the Law, and they are to do what their conscience tells them is right. Both of these doctrinal positions may allow for the Holy Spirit to guide the saint, however, this guidance is exceptional rather than the norm.

In actual practice, these two positions have some overlap. For example, groups who teach that the Law of Moses is still in effect do not practice all of the Law. Some make a show of keeping the Law, but the soul ultimately finds some application of the Law that satisfies self.

Some years back I had correspondence with a man who was a lawyer by profession. His occupation appeared to be symbolic of his life, for his doctrinal position was that all Christians must keep the Law of Moses. I observed this man handle one particularly difficult situation in a very disingenuous manner.

This man was married and had a wife and young children. The family had a dog, a golden retriever. This was the family pet and it was allowed in the home. Some friends came to visit the family and the dog got excited and bit one of them. Later, another family came over who had a small daughter and the dog bit her as well. This man was now faced with a crisis. The animal in his care was known to bite, and after this was revealed the dog had caused injury to another person. This man wanted to do the righteous thing, and he began to consider what the Law of Moses required in such an instance. He focused on the following:

Exodus 21:28-32
If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then the ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be acquitted. But if the ox tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death. If there is imposed on him a sum of money, then he shall pay to redeem his life, whatever is imposed on him. Whether it has gored a son or gored a daughter, according to this judgment it shall be done to him. If the ox gores a male or female servant, he shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

Although this animal was not an ox, this man discerned that the principle was the same. The Law taught that people were responsible for the actions of their animals and must prevent injury from occurring to others. This lawyer considered that his dog had bitten someone before, so this second event was very serious. He arrived at the conclusion that he must kill the dog in order to prevent it from biting another person. He told me he intended to take the dog outside and shoot it. He made this known to his family, and they greatly protested. This was the beloved family pet, and they were exceedingly grieved to have to carry out the requirement of the Law on Rover.

(I do not say that this man rightly applied this law, for the dog did not kill anyone.)

Looking for a way to quell the uprising among his family, the man told me later that he had determined that the family dog did not actually bite the young girl. He wrote to me that the dog merely “pushed her with his teeth.” This line of reasoning provided him with an out so that he did not have to kill the dog. This was truly a lawyer’s solution. He found a way to make the Law arrive at the judgment he desired.

Although this may appear to be an extreme example, it reveals a pattern that occurs with great regularity among those who are led by Laws and creeds. The soul of man has a proclivity toward arriving at interpretations of the Law that deliver it from undesired sacrifice and suffering. When men are led by a code of conduct, the soul serves as the arbiter and judge of how that code should be applied. It stands to reason that the soul is not going to voluntarily choose crucifixion.

A concomitant consequence of looking to the soul as arbiter and judge is that the man or woman fails to look to the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s judgment. This man, in looking to the Law to reveal to him the righteousness of God, failed to walk by the Spirit. In effect, he had become “severed from Christ.” Paul warned the Galatian believers this would be the consequence of those who sought to be justified by the Law.

Galatians 5:4
You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law...

This lawyer’s approach to the Christian life was very different from that of the apostle Paul.

Galatians 2:19-20
"For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me...”

The Law was given to man PRIOR to the Spirit of Christ being sent to indwell mankind. Those who have been born again of the Spirit of Christ have that same Spirit resident in them to guide them into the way that is pleasing to the Father. Christians are to “walk by the Spirit.”

It does not matter whether one adopts the Law of Moses as their guide, or some code of laws developed by their church or denomination. If Christians are looking to a body of laws to guide them, they will fail to look to the Spirit to perform this vital function.

As I wrote in an earlier chapter, the moral Law contained only a shadow of the righteousness found in Christ. The Law required man to give a tithe of his increase, but Christ said no man could be His disciple unless he gave up ALL his possessions. Consequently, those guided by the law often consider themselves to have performed the will of God when they have only embraced a shadow of His will and not the very substance of it.

There is a second group, very large in number, among the body of Christ today, who have cast away the Law. Like Abraham, they have sent away the bondwoman and her son. Yet, unlike the promised Seed who came 2,000 years ago, they have not come fully into subjection to the rule of the Father through the Spirit. The main source of guidance for this group is the same as the first group. They are directed by the soul. Like Israel in the days of the judges, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6).

This group has focused on the Scriptures that declare the saint to have died to the Law, but they have neglected the inseparable counterpart to this truth. They have not come into a fulness of union with Christ through the indwelling Spirit. Rather than being directed and empowered by the Spirit, they are led by the soul.

Romans 7:4
Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

There is some admixture here with those of the other path. Many have adopted the practice of rejecting certain parts of the Law their soul finds unattractive, while keeping the parts that hold some allure. For example, many who proclaim a message of liberty and grace teach that tithing should be practiced. Indeed, among those who set aside the Law of Moses, a great many continue to hold to this one aspect of the Law. The reason is not hard to discern. Many ministers want freedom from the rule of the Law, but they still like to get paid. They fear that if they were to leave the matter of giving to the individual, telling them to be led of the Spirit, giving would drop off precipitously.

If the saints were to be led of the Spirit, I have no doubt that the vast majority of ministers and ministries today would find that their money tree has become barren. This would actually have a very positive effect of culling out that which is of the soul, while giving renewed supply to that which is of the Spirit.

One common denominator between the two paths mentioned is that they both permit the Christian to operate out of the soul. There is no wholesale surrender to be led of the Spirit in all things. There is no conformity to Christ who testified, “I do nothing of My own initiative. I only do those things my Father commands Me to do.”

There is a third path, however. It is the path least chosen. Of this path Christ testified, “Few there are who find it” (Matthew 7:14). This is the path of the Spirit-led life. This was the path Christ followed, as well as the apostles. It is this path that I have been led to embrace and teach.
The reason this path is the least traveled is that it is by far the most costly to the soul of man. A man must take up his cross daily and follow Christ if he is to walk this path. It is a path where the soul’s desires must be laid upon the altar. The soul itself is subjected to crushing, for the path God would lead His sons down is one of suffering and loss in this world.

Philippians 1:29
For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake...

The firstborn Son of God was perfected by suffering, and by a similar path must all the sons of God be brought to spiritual maturity. No man needs to go seeking a way to suffer for Christ. All that is required is that they surrender to be led of the Spirit in all things. Yahweh has an afflicted path perfectly designed for every son and daughter whom He receives.

Matthew 7:13-14
"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and afflicted is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

The above words of Christ contain one of the themes Yahweh directed me to share with His people as I traveled across the country this past year. Many translations render the last verse “narrow is the way which leads to life.” This is an entirely different word from that of the first sentence where we read “Enter by the narrow gate.” A literal and more accurate translation of the words of Christ would declare that the gate is narrow and the way is afflicted that leads to life. Because Yahweh will ALWAYS lead His saints down an afflicted path when they yield to be led of His Spirit, most eschew this way.

It is far easier to adopt a moral code than to surrender one’s entire life to another. Your dreams, your plans, your possessions, your very life must be given over into the hands of God if you are to follow the path that Yahshua walked. This is why Yahshua testified that a man must hate even his own life (psuche - soul) to be His disciple (Luke 14:26).

Though the way be exceedingly difficult, it is the only path that leads to life. Only by surrendering our lives to Yahweh to be lived according to His desire and will; only by embracing a Spirit-led life, may the saints find themselves being led into those experiences necessary for their perfecting as sons.
As we saw in previous chapters, the Law was given to the people of God in their immaturity. The Spirit will lead the people of God to their adoption as sons and to an inheritance imperishable in the heavens. There is a prize set before the body of Christ. Only a few will attain to it. The saying is true that “Many are called, but few are chosen.”

Will you choose one of the popular paths of Christianity today, knowing that they will not lead to perfection? Or will you accept the invitation Christ presented to the rich, young ruler; “If you would be perfect... take up your cross and follow Me”? There is only one way to follow Christ. We must surrender our lives to the Father as He did. We must not live for our own will and pleasure. We must follow the Holy Spirit wherever He leads. We find a description of these perfected sons in the last book of the Bible.

Revelation 14:1-5
Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads... These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.

How did these overcomers arrive at Mount Zion? They followed the Lamb WHEREVER He led them. Lamb’s go to a sacrifice. They are meek and easily led. They are not like Ishmael, having the nature of a wild ass, stubborn and rebellious.
In Gethsemane Christ was not wrangling with the Law’s will for His life. He was speaking to His Father.

Luke 22:42
"Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."

People of God, be of good courage. Will not God provide all grace and strength needed for those sons who will yield to accept the path of His choosing? Indeed, He will. There is a fellowship in His sufferings to be found no other way. Nothing can separate us from His love.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Laying Down the Law - Part 14

The Law of Liberty

Have you ever considered why the Law delivered to Moses was written on tablets of stone? The stone tablets symbolized man’s heart. Yahweh provided a parable to show His people what would happen when His law is written on stony hearts. The immediate, and irresistible, result is that the Law is broken.

Before the Law was written, Yahweh spoke His commandments to the children of Israel. In their naivete they believed they could keep the commandments of Yahweh. They said, “All the words which Yahweh has said, we will do” (Exodus 24:3).

Yahweh chose to reveal the truth of the matter through the form of a parable. He recorded His Law on tablets of stone and delivered them to the hands of Moses.

Deuteronomy 9:10
“Yahweh gave me the two tablets of stone written by the finger of God; and on them were all the words which Yahweh had spoken with you at the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly.”

The word rendered in English as “written” is the Hebrew kathab. It literally means “to grave or inscribe.” I believe the use of this word reveals that the Law of God was literally engraved into the stone tablets by the finger of God. Yahweh’s commands were not simply written on the surface as with ink. This parallels Yahweh’s effort to put His Law deep inside the stone heart of man. He knew it wouldn’t work. He wanted man to understand that it would not work.

Moses had just received the Law when Yahweh instructed him to hurry and return down the mountain. The people who had said they would do all the words of God were grossly violating His commandments. Moses descended to find Aaron serving the people before the golden calf. The people were unrestrained, acting immorally, and bringing reproach to God. When Moses saw this he cast the tablets of the Law to the ground, breaking them into pieces.

This was no rash action on Moses’ part. He had just spent forty days in the presence of the holy God. The glory of Yahweh was upon him. His actions were inspired by God. Moses completed the parable. Yahweh was revealing that it was impossible to set His Law in stony hearts. Attempting to do so would always result in the Law being broken.

Immediately following the tablets of the Law being broken, Moses commanded the Levites to slay their brothers, neighbors and friends. The Levites became the ministers of the Law following this event. In truth, they were already acting as its ministers when they went about slaying men without partiality. Those who minister the Law of Moses must of necessity be ministers of condemnation and death, for this is the ministry of the Law. The Law of Moses is rightfully called the Law of sin and death.

Romans 8:2
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Yahshua has made me free from the law of sin and death.

I wish to spend a moment looking at this statement of the apostle Paul. In these words we have named the two laws. Let us compare and contrast them.

• Old Covenant: Law of sin and death
• New Covenant: Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus

The counterpart of death in the old covenant is life in the new covenant. Following the parallels here, we see that sin in the old covenant is replaced by the Spirit of Christ in the new.

The old covenant was given to men who were ruled by sin. We read this previously in a quotation from Paul’s letter to Timothy. The Law of Moses was written for the ungodly, profane and rebellious. It was written for men who were slaves of sin.

The new covenant has been given to men who are ruled by the Spirit.

Romans 8:1-9
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Yahshua, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Yahshua has made me free from the law of sin and death... For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.

On the one hand we have an old covenant given to men who are dead spiritually and ruled by sin. On the other hand we have a new covenant given to men who are alive in Christ and ruled by the Spirit. We should have every anticipation that the substance of these two covenants will be very different.
What do men do who are slaves to sin? They sin. They cannot keep from doing so. Men who are strangers to the life of Christ might desire to please God, but they find the ability is not present in them.

Romans 7:15, 24
For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do... O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Men who are slaves to sin need something to restrain them. Yahweh does not desire men to sin. Therefore, to men in the tyrannical bondage of sin, Yahweh made a Law that was intended to restrain. It was filled with prohibitions. As we read previously, there are 365 negative commandments in the Law of Moses.

Thou shalt not murder.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not lie.
Thou shalt not covet.
Etc., etc.,

The list is long, for there is great wickedness bound up in the hearts of fallen men.

I am certain that you already know these things about man’s condition before he became a partaker of the divine nature. I share it to help you see a great truth that many Christians have not comprehended. Let me present this revelation in the following manner. We have already seen that the two covenants are presented as having characteristics opposite of one another. (Death versus life; ruled by sin versus ruled by the Spirit). Consider, then, the following:

If men ruled by the sinful flesh sin, then what do men ruled by the Holy Spirit do?

There is only one thing the Holy Spirit desires to do. It desires to live in holiness and righteousness.
Of those born of the first Adam it is written:

Romans 3:10
"There is none righteous, no, not one...”

Of those born of the Last Adam (Christ) it is written:

I John 5:18
We know that no one who is born of God sins...

I John 2:29
If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

I John 3:9
Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

I know the arguments which will arise in the minds of the readers. Many saints have wrestled with these statements of the apostle John. Observing transgression in their lives, they question whether they have truly been born of God. Others deny the things John has stated are true. They say these things are for a future day, but are not the present experience of those who are Christians.

People of God, John is stating accurately the present truth of every person who has been born of God, born of the seed of Christ. This is to be our present experience, but it must be entered into by faith. By faith we must put off the old man, and put on the new.

Ephesians 4:20-24
But you have not so learned Christ... that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

That work accomplished by Christ on our behalf must be entered into by faith. We must reckon our deliverance from sin to be complete, and walk in the knowledge of our union with Christ.

Romans 6:11
Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Yahshua our Lord.

The covenant delivered through Moses had to be fulfilled by works. The covenant delivered through Christ is fulfilled by faith. We must believe those things God has done for us through Christ.

• We have been set free from sin.
• Sin no longer holds us bound.
• We have died to sin.
• We have become the righteousness of God in Christ.
• We are a new creation.
• The Spirit of Christ dwells in us.
• We have passed from death into life.
• Whereas we were formerly slaves to sin, we are now slaves to righteousness.

All these things are true of those who are partakers of the life of Christ. To the degree we reckon them to be true, we will find that they become our experience.

Embracing the Law of Moses will hinder you from entering into this overcoming experience of life in Christ. The Law treats men as if they are slaves to sin. It seeks to restrain them. The life of Christ needs no restraint. Even as Christ ever lived to do the will and pleasure of His Father, so too do all those who are born of His seed. Our great need is to enter into the life of Christ by faith.

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

What is this faith of which Paul speaks? It is precisely what he has described. We believe that Christ is in us. He is alive and present. He is both directing and energizing us. He is ever revealing the will of the Father to us and producing in us the desire to do that will.

Philippians 2:13
For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Ephesians 2:4-5
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ...

Our Father wants us to understand our vital union with His Son. We are dead to sin and alive “in Christ.” We are to reckon it so.

What type of Law would Yahweh give to those who are walking in the revelation of their new life in Christ? Not a law of prohibition, for those who are born of Christ do not sin. The new creature in Christ lives to do the will of the Father. Therefore, the law for those who are in Christ is a law of perfect liberty.

James 1:25
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

James 2:8, 12
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well... So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.

Seeing that the new creation man desires only to please the Father, there is nothing prohibited from him. This is what Paul is declaring in the following Scriptures:

I Corinthians 6:12
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

I Corinthians 10:23
All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.

If Paul still saw himself as under the Law of Moses, he could not have said “all things are lawful for me.” All things are not lawful under the old covenant, for it was written for men who were slaves to sin.

In contrast, John tells us that no one who is born of Christ sins. Seeing that they do not do so, all things are lawful for them. What type of things might the new creation man want to do? Paul gives us a list in the following Scripture. Pay close attention to the words he ends with.

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Christ is the perfect expression of the Father. All of the fruit listed above are part of His nature. For those who are joined to Christ, these things have also become their nature. We can do all these things as much as we want. There is no law to restrict us from being loving, or patient, or self-controlled. Seeing that those born of the seed of Christ desire ONLY to walk righteously, they do not need the Law to restrain them. The Law of Moses was not made for the righteous, but for the unrighteous.

Consider once more the condition of those who are not partakers of the life of Christ. Such ones are slaves to the lusts of the flesh. The things their flesh wants to do must be restrained. Yahweh has given fleshly men many laws of prohibition.

But those in Christ are not in the flesh. They abide and walk in the Spirit. There is a new law for them. The perfect law of liberty. It is the law of liberty that Yahweh has written on the hearts of those who have received a new spirit.

Herein is revealed one of the terrible consequences of embracing the Mosaic Law. It causes spiritual men to view themselves as sinners that need to be restrained. On the other hand, the Law of Liberty induces men to see themselves as heavenly beings born of holy seed whose desire is always to please the Father. What a Christian thinks about himself will shape his life.

Proverbs 23:7
For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

People of God, this leads us to perceive perhaps the greatest challenge of the Christian life. It must be entered into by faith.

Galatians 3:25-26
But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Yahshua.

Do you believe you are a new creation? Do you see yourself as having died to the sin-enslaved person you were before Christ? Do you reckon yourself to be dead to sin? Do you perceive yourself to be “alive to God,” energized and enabled to live a life pleasing to Him? Have you entered into the realm of living where you can confess with Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me?”

As long as Christians embrace the Mosaic Law, they will hear the voice of the guardian and schoolmaster speaking to them as sinners who must be restrained. They will be hindered from perceiving the new creation they have become in Christ.

We must perceive our union with Christ. We must see ourselves as spiritual men. The Mosaic Law keeps taking us back to life before Christ. The Law was given B.C. (Before Christ). The church is living a B.C. existence. Let us go forth into A.D.. It is A new Day.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Laying Down the Law - Part 13

A Law For Stony Hearts

In the preceding chapter we looked at the unique environment Yahweh provided for the Law of Moses, an environment that no longer exists. In this post I want to look at a parallel theme. The Law of Moses was written for a specific type of man. Those who have been born again of the Spirit of Christ are no longer this type of man.In the New Testament we find that there are two types of men who exist today. These are the natural man born of the first Adam, and the spiritual man born of the Last Adam.

I Corinthians 15:44-48
There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.

When the Law of Moses was delivered, there existed only one type of man on the earth. All men were earthy. Among the most common things that we find when we dig into the earth are stones. This is also what we find when we look inside the natural man. In the soil of his flesh there resides a stony heart.

Ezekiel 36:26
I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh...

When we study the Scriptures as a faithful workman, rightly dividing the Word of God, we discover that the Law of Moses was written for men with stony hearts.

I Timothy 1:8-10
We know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine...

Paul declares elsewhere that, although we all began our lives as slaves to sin, this is no longer our identity. It is altogether inappropriate to describe the new creature in Christ as lawless, insubordinate, ungodly, a sinner, unholy and profane. Such a description describes the life of all men before salvation in Christ, but not afterwards.

I Corinthians 6:9-11
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Yahshua and by the Spirit of our God.

Before the creation was framed, or had fallen into corruption, Yahweh had a plan for the redemption of that creation. He determined that a span of 4,000 years would pass before He sent His Son to deliver men from their bondage to sin.

Until the Son of God should be sent forth as the Savior of the world, mankind would lack His Spirit and nature. Inwardly mankind would remain spiritually dead. They would be constantly going astray. Even men who were passionate for God, such as King David, would find their hearts leading them into great transgression. Until the day described as “the fulness of the time” arrived, Yahweh determined that these men of stony hearts should be placed under a guardian and instructor. This instructor was the Law.

Galatians 4:4-5
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Galatians 3:23-24
Before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ...

The Law that God delivered through His servant Moses to the children of Israel was perfectly suited for those to whom it was made. This is why David could declare the Law to be perfect.

Psalms 19:7
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul...

The Scriptures testify elsewhere that the Law of Moses was far from perfect.

Hebrews 7:18-19
For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect...

The Mosaic Law was perfectly suited for men of stony hearts, but it is altogether insufficient for spiritual men. It will lead no man to perfection. Because perfection was not the goal of the Mosaic Law, it could still be described as perfect within the parameters of the role for which it was created. The Law revealed to man his sinfulness, his spiritual deadness, and his need for a Savior. The Law led men with stony hearts to Christ that they might receive a new spirit and a new heart.

Ezekiel 11:19
Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh...

It is Christ who makes men perfect.

Colossians 1:28
Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Yahshua.

Christians who are returning to the Law as their guardian and instructor for living have failed to discern that the Law written for stony hearts is inadequate to lead them to perfection. A new Law is needed that will take men past childhood and on to spiritual maturity. It should come readily to mind that Christ has given His disciples a new Guide and Instructor to replace the old one. This Guide is the Holy Spirit.

John 16:7-13
It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment..., when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth...

Were these not the same functions the Law performed for men with stony hearts? The Hebrew word for Law is Torah. Torah means “Instruction.” Before men had the Spirit to dwell within them, they had to receive instruction from the Father from a source external to them. This was the Law written on tablets of stone.

What we have observed from a multitude of Scriptures, is that this external Law did not contain the fulness and substance of the mind of God. It only contained a shadow of His thoughts. There is One Who knows the complete mind of Yahweh. This is the Spirit.

I Corinthians 2:10-12
For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God...

Some Christians, in reading the words of the Old Testament prophets, conclude that, under the new covenant, Yahweh will take an exact copy of the Law delivered to Moses and write it on the hearts of men. This is great error. When Yahweh testifies that He will write His law on the hearts of men, He is speaking of that much fuller, richer, and substantial revelation of His being that can only be perceived through the Spirit.

Jeremiah 31:33-34
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know Yahweh,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says Yahweh.

God is speaking here of placing His Spirit within man to serve as a Guide and Instructor. The Law communicated only a shadow of the mind of God, but the Spirit will reveal the substance. The apostle John refers to the passage above in one of his epistles.

I John 2:27
As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

The Spirit of Christ is the anointing. It is He that teaches us. The Spirit of Christ has become our Torah, Yahweh’s Instruction, written on our hearts.

Is the Old Testament still profitable for instruction? Of course it is! However, if we see only its shadows, and are content with them, the Old Testament will actually hinder the saint from advancing toward maturity in Christ.

This is a topic I have often raised with the people of God. We must move past the shadows of the Law to the substance found in Christ. One example I often give is found in the shadow of Sabbath rest found in the Old Testament. Many saints today declare themselves to be “Sabbath Keepers.” Yet they are doing nothing more than keeping the shadow. They have fallen short of entering into the substance of Sabbath rest. Yahweh will not be satisfied until His sons and daughters enter into the substance of Sabbath rest.

Hebrews 4:9-10
There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

Christians can make a good showing in the flesh by not working one day a week, but they have not experienced Sabbath rest until they have ceased from their own works on a daily basis. The substance of Sabbath rest was observed in Christ. He testified repeatedly, “I never do anything of My own initiative. I only do the will of the Father.”

People of God, please hear me! It is this SUBSTANCE of God’s will that He has now written on the hearts of men who have received the Spirit. God has not written the shadow of the Mosaic Law on man’s hearts. Why do men fail to perceive this? Because they are looking outwardly to the Law, rather than inwardly to the Spirit.

Consider also that there were things written in the Law of Moses that made concessions for man’s stony hearted condition. The Spirit, revealing the will of the Father in the hearts of the saints, makes no such concessions. The Spirit testifies as did Christ, “Therefore you are to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” What the Law of Moses permitted stony hearts to do, the Spirit will most definitely not lead the saint in Christ to do. Let me give you an example.

Matthew 19:3-9
The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?" And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?" He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."

These words of Christ reveal that the Law of Moses made allowances for men with stony hearts. Christ said that Moses permitted a man to divorce his wife “because of the hardness of your hearts.” Christ revealed that this ordinance contained in the Law does not constitute the perfect will of God. To arrive at the perfect will of Yahweh we have to go beyond the commandments of the Law.

Remember what the Scriptures declare. The Law made nothing perfect. God sent forth His Son so that men could be perfect. In the Sermon on the Mount, Yahshua repeatedly showed that the Law for stony hearts is insufficient to make men perfect. Christ, in delivering what has been called the Sermon on the Mount, said:

Matthew 5:48
“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Just prior to this, He gave a list of commandments found in the Law of Moses, revealing how each one fell short of making men perfect. He then gave new instructions (Torah) that went beyond the shadow.

Matthew 5:21-22
"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Matthew 5:27-29
"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Matthew 5:31-32
"Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.”

Matthew 5:33-34
"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' But I say to you, do not swear at all...”

Matthew 5:38-42
"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.”

Matthew 5:43-45
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven...”

In some instances, Christ gave instructions that were diametrically opposed to the commandments found in the Law of Moses. The goal of Christ’s instruction is perfect men who bear the image of His Father. This was not the goal of the Law. I ask you then, “Is God going to write the Law of Moses on men’s hearts to make them perfect?” Absolutely not. There must be a change of Law.

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

In the next chapter we will look further at the distinctions between the old law, and the new.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063