tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69453802186193166622024-03-05T13:00:24.777-05:00parablesblogThis is the weblog for Joseph Herrin. It functions as the Newsletter for the website www.heart4god.ws.Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.comBlogger1696125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-4803785607729939012022-08-13T11:48:00.000-04:002022-08-13T11:48:12.514-04:00Time to Change...<div>Dear Saints,</div><div><br /></div><div>I am going to end my publication of my old Parables website. You can get the same thing at the new location: <a href="https://parables.blog">https://parables.blog</a> The reason I am doing this now is that FeedBurner, which is owned by Google, is no longer sending out the newsletters. If you haven’t switched over to the new one you will think that I am no longer sending out blogs, but I am. The new blog even has a place to sign up to receive the blog by email. I will say again, if you have not done this yet, please do so now. You will also need to check your Spam folder in your email program to make sure your new registration hasn’t been placed in there.</div><div><br /></div><div>I would also encourage you to read the blog titled “<a href="https://parables.blog/kristins-visit/" target="_blank">Kristin’s Visit</a>” if you have not received it yet.</div><div><br /></div><div>May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days,</div><div><br /></div><div><span>Joseph Herrin</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Parables Blog:</span> <a href="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/">www.parablesblog.blogspot.com</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
Joseph Herrin<br />
P.O. Box 804<br />
Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-43143046461516596902022-08-10T10:28:00.002-04:002022-08-10T10:41:34.241-04:00Kristin's Visit<div><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgJ3LSEfnG2-LYkUL_-3uzeSFNEZM1ZN995DHrxNv0yarIfWi9vGgfHjxStw69sPPzdq6Sr7VjIRYAezN93-WQ2VK53m6bFveiGYxRx5qGpYzxqi0I9PIL8_e0DHHmp2ikcFWRESwQKuUN4D0xJ-xtFLPA0srsotIVceLYWEZdPQsWAqoNtKmCw/s2048/Kristin%20&%20Dad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgJ3LSEfnG2-LYkUL_-3uzeSFNEZM1ZN995DHrxNv0yarIfWi9vGgfHjxStw69sPPzdq6Sr7VjIRYAezN93-WQ2VK53m6bFveiGYxRx5qGpYzxqi0I9PIL8_e0DHHmp2ikcFWRESwQKuUN4D0xJ-xtFLPA0srsotIVceLYWEZdPQsWAqoNtKmCw/s320/Kristin%20&%20Dad.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><span><br /></span></div>My daughter Kristin has come for a visit. She arrived this past Saturday (the 6th) and will be leaving the 29th of August to go back to Poland for her 5th year. She has been keeping herself busy. She has been going on walks with me each morning. She has mowed the yard, and she has told me she plans to wash and paint the top of the bus while she is here. She has gone out to supper one time so far with George and I. The only time she is going to be gone is the 17th-19th, where she has a wedding where she is the maid of honor up in Pennsylvania. Then she will be back to conclude her time here in Georgia.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>I do have a few things that I have saved for her during the past year. Some stove tools that got knocked down to the floor behind the fridge, a light that I needed hooked up over my jigsaw puzzle table (she has already done this), a new rolling base to go on a chair that I sit in constantly, and some other things I cannot think of right now. It is good to have a child you can rely on to do these sort of things when a person gets older.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>I am also very thankful for those who give to me out of their tithes and offerings. It makes it where Kristin does not have to give up her missionary work to care for her father. I know that I do not say it very much, but like Paul let me take the time to say it here.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><div>II Corinthians 9:6-11</div><div>But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written:</div><div><br /></div><div>"He has dispersed abroad, </div><div>He has given to the poor; </div><div>His righteousness endures forever." </div><div><br /></div><div>Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, my blogs have been a little messed up of late. I have found that one of my blogs <a href="http://www.parables.blog">www.parables.blog</a> has been not sending updates for about a week. It required that I renew my funding of the website and the mail program to insure that this not happen. This is the website I am trying to get everybody switched to, so please forgive the oversight.</div><div><br /></div><div>May you all be blessed with peace and understanding in these days,</div></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Joseph Herrin</span></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Parables Blog:</span> <a href="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/">www.parablesblog.blogspot.com</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
Joseph Herrin<br />
P.O. Box 804<br />
Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-54649665655356758232022-08-05T10:43:00.001-04:002022-08-05T10:43:31.167-04:00Laying Down the Law - Conclusion<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz91AHnbSd-yNahvNS-869cf_vafjNLJguyjVnTLKHHma20b8l5eAaxNRpxZaMy2LVe4wS13Me5vq0OB1NeTIPBVmEbKM4-EtFSNp2GvcXTJiwgICQixI9i7xrhjOMQuxeBlURn66a/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz91AHnbSd-yNahvNS-869cf_vafjNLJguyjVnTLKHHma20b8l5eAaxNRpxZaMy2LVe4wS13Me5vq0OB1NeTIPBVmEbKM4-EtFSNp2GvcXTJiwgICQixI9i7xrhjOMQuxeBlURn66a/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><b><div><b><br /></b></div>Closure</b><br /><br />It is not possible in a single book to answer every question, or objection, raised by those who have adopted the belief that the Law continues in its authority over the lives of those who are Christians. If I included the proofs I have presented to the saints from every correspondence I have had on this topic over the years, this book would run to hundreds of pages. My intent has not been to answer every spurious argument, no matter how sincere, but rather to lay a foundation for understanding the purpose and limitations of the Law.<br /><br />I find the testimony of the Bible to be consistent. The Law was given for a determined period of time until Christ should come. It was not made for the righteous, but rather for men who were slaves to sin. It contained only a shadow of the righteousness of God, pointing forward to the substance which would be realized in His Son. The saints in Christ have died to the Law that they might be joined to Another. The Law’s role as guide to men has given way to a much fuller revelation of the will of God as men and women are directed by the indwelling Spirit of Christ.<br /><br />Despite, having declared these things with patience and clarity, utilizing a vast array of Scriptures as evidence, there will no doubt remain some questions. It is difficult for the mind of man to adjust itself to a new paradigm. Moving from a life ruled by the Law to life in the Spirit constitutes a profound alteration of a person’s life. Even those who are able to embrace the truth may find it difficult to break free of the habits formed while under the rule of the Law.<br /><br />I am reminded of a brother in Christ many years ago who gave up smoking after becoming a believer. He testified that he would find his body acting as if it still smoked for a significant time after he had quit. He shared that after eating a meal, or when fishing, he would at times find his hand fumbling in his pocket as if to retrieve a cigarette, though the cigarettes were no longer there.<br /><br />A sister in Christ wrote to me yesterday after having read this teaching series. She expressed difficulty adjusting to the truth that those who walk by the Spirit are no longer bound to keep the shadows of the Law of Moses. Although, as previously shared, the majority of commandments cannot be fulfilled today, for they were written for a specific people with a unique form of government, some still have difficulty grasping that the Law’s jurisdiction ends at Christ.<br /><br />Are you, as a saint in Christ, bound to keep the dietary laws set forth by Moses? No you are not. You are, however, to be led of the Spirit in knowing what to eat. Are you bound to observe the weekly Sabbath, or the feast days? No, you are not. They were given as shadows to teach spiritual truth.<br /><br />Colossians 2:16-17<br />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.<br /><br />No doubt, many who are perceiving the truth shared in this book, will find it difficult to begin walking in that truth. If laying down cigarettes is difficult, laying down the Law is far more so. I listened to a man testify of having been raised in a denomination that forbid the use of musical instruments during worship. Years later, having left that church and recognizing their position on musical instruments to be error, he still felt uneasy whenever he experienced a time of worship and musical instruments were used.<br /><br />This reaction is similar to a person who has burned their hand repeatedly on a hot stove. Even when they are given proofs that the stove is no longer hot, they still will only with the greatest caution reach out their hand to touch it.<br /><br />The body of Christ in its early days was made up of many who had been raised in Judaism. The Law was deeply ingrained in them. It was a wrenching thing to adjust to life without it. Although the Spirit was far more capable in revealing the will of God, and empowering people to live righteously, it was very difficult for many to let go of the old schoolmaster. Some never did.<br /><br />Although the apostles taught that Christians are free from the Law, they also cautioned men and women to not violate their conscience. If a man felt condemned in eating, or was convicted that he should observe a specific day, then he should follow his conscience. Whatever could not be done in faith, was to that man sin.<br /><br />Romans 14:1-5, 14-23<br />Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind... 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... All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense... Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.<br /><br />To those whose conscience is troubled at eating things the Law declared to be unclean, I say “Do not eat such things.” At the same time, do not condemn your brothers and sisters who have freedom. You who have the liberty in Christ to eat all things, do not despise the one whose conscience will not permit him to do so. Let love be the motive behind our words and actions.<br /><br />If you are led to observe the weekly Sabbath as a day of rest, I do not condemn you. At the same time, I urge you to not confuse the observance of the shadow with the fulfillment of its substance. As one born of God you are called to cease from your own labors seven days a week. Additionally, you should not condemn those who do not observe the weekly Sabbath. Paul says to the saints, “Let no one judge you” in these things.<br /><br />The goal of this writing is not to promote lawlessness. No Christian is given carte blanche to do whatever his soul desires. All are to be led of the Spirit. It has been my purpose to lead the saints to a Spirit-led life. Christ declared that we are to be perfect. The Law makes nothing perfect. Only the Spirit of God has this power.<br /><br />Jude 24<br />Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you perfect before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy...<br /><br />If you have been born again of the Spirit of Christ, you have received an exceedingly precious treasure. The Spirit within you has the capacity to transform the most wicked and vile into spiritual men and women who walk in righteousness. Every dark area of your life can be made light. Every enemy in the land of your flesh can be subdued. Every stronghold can be pulled down. Every giant in your life can be slain.<br /><br />Moses’ ministry ended in the wilderness. He was not permitted to cross the Jordan. It was Joshua (Yahshua) who led the people into their inheritance. We must leave Moses behind that we might follow our Savior in to take possession of the land. The kingdom of God is within you. Though you come to Christ when sin has reached its fulness in your life (as it had in the land of Canaan), Christ is able to subdue every enemy and transform your body into a land of righteousness and peace.<br /><br />Let as many as would be perfect lay aside the shadows and begin to follow the Spirit of Christ who goes before them. He will lead you into battle. If you will walk in faith and obedience, He has promised you the victory. No enemy in your land will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.<br /><br />Moses was not permitted to lead the people of God into battle with their enemies. Even when battle was engaged with Amalek prior to crossing the Jordan, it was Joshua who led the people in battle. The Law has no power to subdue the sin in man’s flesh. Christ Yahshua has conquered both sin and death. If you will follow Him, He will lead you to victory over all the enemies in your flesh.<br /><br />In this book, I have laid a foundation for discerning the role of the Law. If you have further questions, I encourage you to seek the One who has all wisdom. You have no need for any man to teach you. The anointing teaches you all things. If you lack wisdom, ask of God. Believe He will give you the wisdom and understanding you seek and it will be given to you.<br /><br />Test all things. Examine all things carefully. It is needful that the saints become proficient at rightly dividing the word of God for themselves. The children of Israel begged Moses to speak to God for them. They wanted someone else to tell them what God was speaking. It is not to be the same for those in Christ. The sons of God have access directly to the Father. They need not even petition Christ to disclose the Father’s will to them.<br /><br />John 16:23-28<br />"And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you... In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.<br /><br />You are able to go boldly before the throne of grace. Entrance to the presence of the Father has been gained for all who are in Christ. Take advantage of this entrance. Seek Him. Walk by the Spirit. Those who do so are well pleasing in His sight.<br /><br />May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.<br /><div><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Parables Blog:</span> <a href="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/">www.parablesblog.blogspot.com</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
Joseph Herrin<br />
P.O. Box 804<br />
Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-16555649896384153032022-08-03T09:39:00.002-04:002022-08-03T09:39:35.842-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 20<div><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQkj8iED91N_g-BUxGQQtXIpqhWW82qIUftoaBTuf02_Yri3v-TxlHKcq7YHFoWYONVdDt95jmXGTjoeOeP5alq_-owPc_aEXX_ARYs-NZHJNGx3BmsUcAdIbEu3vCNAnHyPeHoC6D/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQkj8iED91N_g-BUxGQQtXIpqhWW82qIUftoaBTuf02_Yri3v-TxlHKcq7YHFoWYONVdDt95jmXGTjoeOeP5alq_-owPc_aEXX_ARYs-NZHJNGx3BmsUcAdIbEu3vCNAnHyPeHoC6D/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><b>Walk By the Spirit</b><br /><br />Over the course of many years, as I have taught on this subject, one common concern I have heard expressed is that if Christians are not taught to keep the Law they will end up justifying unrighteous and selfish actions while saying the Spirit of Christ is the source of their direction. There is good reason to be concerned. Indeed, I have heard saints justify all manner of selfish desires, including adultery, as they proclaimed the Holy Spirit was guiding them.<br /><br />Such failures are serious, however, the Law offers no more of a safeguard against spiritual deception and willful sin than does the voice of the Spirit. When Christ came to this earth to fulfill His ministry, the people of God were intently focused upon the Law. The entire society centered around the teaching of the Law of Moses. The High Priest, the Levites, the Scribes and Pharisees, and legions of Lawyers were all engaged in making the requirements of the Law known to the people.<br /><br />We know the hypocrisy of those who professed devotion to Yahweh and allegiance to the Law of Moses. Christ stated:<br /><br />Matthew 23:27-28<br />"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but<b><i> inside you are full of hypocrisy and LAWLESSNESS</i></b>.”<br /><br />There has rarely been a people with a greater focus upon the Law than the generation to which Christ appeared. Yet Christ judged them to be lawless. Rather than fulfilling the law of love by taking care of the weak and needy, they were robbing widows and neglecting orphans. Through their traditions and interpretations of the Law they made the neglect of aging parents seem like a righteous act. Christ condemned them for justifying divorce through the decree of Moses when a wife had not committed adultery.<br /><br />Such unrighteous actions are a manifestation of lawlessness. When men and women violate the will of God while defending their actions with the Law of God, they are lawless. In the same way, when men and women violate the will of God while claiming to have the approval and leading of the Holy Spirit, they too are lawless and will receive the penalty of their error.<br /><br />For Christians who commit such deceptive or disobedient actions, the problem is not that the Spirit is unreliable, or inadequate, as a guide to know the will of the Father. There is no need to abandon a Spirit-led life, nor cause to return to the Law. Those whose hearts are set on obtaining their own desire will justify their actions in either case. Some do so willfully, others out of a lack of carefulness, or through ignorance.<br /><br />In the latter case, the point of failure is in not rightly dividing between soul and spirit. Most Christians have not exercised themselves to develop the ability to divide between soul and spirit. The reasons for this neglect are two-fold. On the one hand, a great many Christians have never been taught that resident within their being is a voice that renders judgments regarding good and evil. This voice does not originate with Yahweh. It is the byproduct of Adam eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When faced with a decision, multitudes of Christians look inside themselves to discern what is the good path, and what is the evil path. They believe they have heard from God, not realizing that they have only consulted with their soul.<br /><br />(What occurred when man ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden is discussed in detail in the book <i>Sabbath</i>. For a more thorough explanation of this matter, and how man gained an independent ability to determine right and wrong, I recommend this book.)<br /><br />Secondly, the natural, soulish man desires to be in charge of his own life. Being led of the Spirit will always lead to a crucifixion of the flesh, and a death to the soul’s desires. Many avoid inquiring of the Spirit to know the Father’s will, for they do not want to die to self, or experience suffering.<br /><br />Nevertheless, there is a small number, a mere remnant among the body of Christ, who are desirous of being found pleasing to the Father despite the cost to self. The path the Father presents to them that they might become perfect is to take up their cross daily and follow Christ. They can only follow Christ by emulating His own manner of Spirit-directed living.<br /><br />Step by step the Father has been bringing forth His desire to have sons in His image and likeness. At the appointed time He sent forth His firstborn Son, born of a virgin, that He might disclose to the world that which is well pleasing in His sight. Immediately after Yahshua was baptized by John at the Jordan River, a voice from heaven was heard declaring, “This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased.” From that moment forward, anyone who wanted to know what was pleasing to the Father needed only to observe the Son.<br /><br />Yahweh is not satisfied to have only one pleasing Son. He desires to have myriads of them.<br /><br />Romans 8:29<br />For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.<br /><br />It stands to reason that these sons must be Spirit led, for this was always the example of Christ.<br /><br />Luke 4:1<br />Then Yahshua, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit...<br /><br />We observe in this the natural pattern of the Spirit descending upon Christ, and His subsequently being led about by the same Spirit. This pattern is duplicated in the life of the Christian. Those who have received the Spirit are to be led by the Spirit.<br /><br />Romans 8:14<br />For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.<br /><br />As noted previously, those who received the Law through Moses were referred to as “the <i><b>children</b></i> of Israel.” As children, they were placed under a schoolmaster, a tutor, and a guardian until the time appointed by the Father. That time arrived 2,000 years ago when Yahshua was “born of a woman, born under the Law.” He came to lead men and women out of the immaturity of childhood into the maturity of sons. To accomplish this Yahshua sent forth His Spirit to indwell His disciples.<br /><br />Those who have experienced Spirit birth are truly new creatures in Christ. They have passed beyond being “living souls” to become spiritual men and women. Spiritual men and women have capabilities that are absent in those who have not been born again. They have been granted spiritual sight and hearing.<br /><br />John 3:3<br />Yahshua answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot <b><i>see</i></b> the kingdom of God."<br /><br />Christ is a spiritual man. Paul testified that as the “last Adam” Christ was “a life-giving spirit.” Yahshua could see the kingdom of His Father. He was able to observe what His Father was doing, and so too can all those who are born of the Spirit.<br /><br />John 5:20<br />"For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing...”<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />John 16:13<br />“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own initiative; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”<br /><br />What a vast improvement from the former method in which God guided His people! Rather than having a shadow of His will revealed through commandments written on stone, the sons of God have the Spirit of God dwelling in them.<br /><br />II Corinthians 4:7<br />We have this treasure in earthen vessels...<br /><br />Yahweh is now able to speak freely to mankind, and man can clearly discern the thoughts, will, and desire of their Creator and Father.<br /><br />I Corinthians 2:12<br />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.<br /><br />The overall effect of a Spirit-led life is that it causes a man or woman to focus upon the Spirit of Christ within them. They are made aware of their union with God through Christ. They are encouraged to abide in Christ, drawing freely from the life of the vine into which they have been grafted. No longer do they need to ascend to heaven to find God, or descend into the abyss to find the Word of God. God, and His Word, are in their very hearts, and in their mouths.<br /><br />Romans 10:6-8<br />Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, 'Who will descend into the abyss?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? 'The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.'<br /><br />Christ, the Living Word of God now dwells in the hearts of His saints. Men no longer need to look to tablets of stone to find the word of God. A far greater revelation of the Word of God now resides in their hearts. Do you believe this to be true? Do you perceive these things in your own life? If you are unsure, then you should test yourself, to see if you have become a partaker of the life of Christ.<br /><br />II Corinthians 13:5<br />Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Yahshua Christ is in you - unless indeed you fail the test?<br /><br />Those who have been born again will receive the witness within that they are sons of God, and He is their Father.<br /><br />Romans 8:15-16<br />You received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God...<br /><br />Do you have this witness? Do you know God as your Father? Do you perceive the Spirit of Christ dwelling in your heart? Are you hearing His voice and being led by His Spirit? Being led of the Spirit is the normal and expected experience of all those who have been born spiritually.<br /><br />Confession of a set of beliefs, or doctrines, does not make one a Christian. A man must be born again. They must become a partaker of the life of Christ.<br /><br />Romans 8:9<br />But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.<br /><br />It is necessary for every man and woman to settle this matter for themselves. Perhaps you were baptized in a church and declared to be a Christian by virtue of this act. Maybe you said a sinner’s prayer, and a minister assured you that you were now “saved.” Do not permit another to be the judge of whether you are a partaker of the life of Christ. If you are, you will know it. The Spirit inside will bear witness to the fact.<br /><br />What should you do if you perceive that you do not have the Spirit? Ask for it, believing that God will grant it to you. God knows that it is impossible for any man to live a single day pleasing to Him apart from receiving His Spirit. He will not withhold that which a man must have, if it is sought with determination and faith.<br /><br />Luke 11:9-13<br />"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. Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, <b><i>how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?</i></b>"<br /><br />The words rendered as “ask,” “seek,” and “knock” in this passage are written in a verb tense that indicates ongoing, persistent action. It is aptly expressed as “keep on asking,” “keep on seeking,” “keep on knocking.” If you were famished, would you cease asking for something to eat before you received what you needed? Those who come to God must believe He will give them what they need, and they must persist in asking until they receive it.<br /><br />Some want some proof that they have been born again. The most common evidence that the Church focuses upon today is whether a person is able to speak in tongues. The apostle Paul never had such evidence in mind when he said, “test yourself to see whether you are in the faith.” Satan can mimic the gifts of the Spirit. There are such things as “lying signs and wonders” (II Thessalonians 2:9).<br /><br />If you have been born of the Spirit, the Spirit within will bear witness of the fact. You will know that God is your Father. You will have your eyes and ears opened to perceive the kingdom of God.<br /><br />It is not a bad thing to wrestle with this issue until it is settled. Even as a butterfly must struggle to emerge from the cocoon, and a chick must struggle to break free of its shell, a man or woman may find themselves struggling as they transition from carnal beings to spiritual. Those who have not settled the issue of whether they truly are partakers of the Spirit of Christ will either walk in deception, thinking they are spiritual men and women when they are not, or they will lack the confidence needed to walk by the Spirit.<br /><br />Once this issue is resolved, and a man perceives the Spirit of Christ within his being, he has gained entrance into a Spirit-led life. Satan has cheated multitudes out of their spiritual heritage. He comes to kill, steal and destroy. Through lies and deception, Satan has robbed many Christians, persuading them that they must continue to remain under the custodian of the Law. He would direct their attention outward to know the will of God, that he might divert their attention away from the riches of the life of Christ inside their members.<br /><br />If you are a partaker of the Spirit of Christ, WALK BY THE SPIRIT. Settle for nothing less.<br /><div><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Parables Blog:</span> <a href="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/">www.parablesblog.blogspot.com</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
Joseph Herrin<br />
P.O. Box 804<br />
Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-88461536512009291662022-08-01T09:01:00.001-04:002022-08-01T09:01:16.996-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 19<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTI3ykY4VBJ3MBx8Xoxc5jHxAGMStQjyGIKUpHQ-Tz4AeWbSaxsSc2zNOCKpiL0fZLfisafI3qU5lHEFmA69oEhhWc8o66AMbNKB_N1TAhc85q-vWa29AsIpiNUb2EemYK3AmlLpF/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTI3ykY4VBJ3MBx8Xoxc5jHxAGMStQjyGIKUpHQ-Tz4AeWbSaxsSc2zNOCKpiL0fZLfisafI3qU5lHEFmA69oEhhWc8o66AMbNKB_N1TAhc85q-vWa29AsIpiNUb2EemYK3AmlLpF/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><b><div><b><br /></b></div>Understanding Difficult Scriptures</b><br /><br />Many saints who have adopted the view that the Law continues as the guardian and tutor to the saints today arrive at this view due to a misapprehension of various Scriptures. Although their conviction may be sincere, error will always result in undesirable consequences.<br /><br />If you have patiently considered all the preceding material in this teaching series, you have had presented to you the truth that the Law was not made for spiritual men and women. The testimony of the apostles of Christ found in the Scriptures is that those who are in Christ have died to the Law in order to be joined to another. The Law with its shadows, its weakness, and its inability to make any man perfect, has been replaced by that which is substantial, powerful and able to present men perfect.<br /><br />What then, are we to make of various Scriptures that are often cited by men to advocate the continuance of the Law? Many of these Scriptures come from the life of Christ. They are His own words.<br /><br />It must be understood precisely where the Law was ended. The Law still retained its authority when Christ was born.<br /><br />Galatians 4:4<br />But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law...<br /><br />The covenant of the Law continued throughout the years of Christ’s ministry. The Son of God declared that He came to fulfill the Law.<br /><br />Matthew 5:17-20<br />“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”<br /><br />Many saints do a cursory reading of this passage from Matthew’s gospel and conclude that Christ said the Law will remain as long as the heavens and earth exist. This is not what He said. Yahshua declared that the Law would not pass away “till all is fulfilled.” Immediately before this He declared that He came to fulfill the Law.<br /><br />The saint must answer the question, “Did Yahshua accomplish what He said He came to do? Did He fulfill the Law?” The testimony of the Scriptures is a resounding “Yes!”<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Matthew 3:13-15<br />Then Yahshua came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" But Yahshua answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, <b><i>for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness</i></b>." Then he allowed Him.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Luke 24:44<br />Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that <b><i>all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.</i></b>"<br /><br />The Son of God not only fulfilled prophecies of the Messiah, but He satisfied all the righteous requirements of the Law.<br /><br />Hebrews 4:15<br />For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.<br /><br />Yahshua did what the Father sent Him to do. He fulfilled the Law. The Law could not pass away until all was fulfilled. The Law ended as the Son of God hung on the cross. It ended much as it began, with darkness, and terror, and the rocks being split.<br /><br />Exodus 19:16-19<br />Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because Yahweh descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Matthew 27:50-54<br />And Yahshua cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split..., So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Yahshua, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"<br /><br />The ministry of the Law was terrifying to the soul of man from its beginning until the very end. The Law was a minister of condemnation and death. Its beginning terrified all who observed it, as did its ending.<br /><br />Who could observe the judgment of the Law upon the Son of God and not be shaken to their depths? The Law did not slay Christ for His sins, but for the sins of mankind. Those who observed the crucifixion witnessed the Law’s righteous judgment on man. We should all stand with trembling to understand that it should have been us on the cross. Yahshua accepted the full judgment of the Law on our behalf, and with this judgment the Law ended.<br /><br />Galatians 2:19-20<br />For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ...<br /><br />As long as the Adamic man lived, the Law had jurisdiction over him. The covenant could only be ended by death. Those who are in Christ have died. When He was crucified, they were crucified. When Yahshua died, they died. When the Messiah rose again to newness of life, so too did all who are partakers of His life.<br /><br />Romans 6:3-8<br />Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Yahshua were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him...<br /><br />For Christ, the Law ended when He died. For the Christian, the Law ends the moment they become a partaker of the life of Christ. It is with this understanding that all the words of Christ must be discerned. The Son of God’s life serves as the transition point from Law to Grace; from legal prohibition to liberty; from a written code to life in the Spirit. On the cross the Law’s claim over mankind was satisfied.<br /><br />Colossians 2:13-14<br />And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.<br /><br />Before the eyes of the Father stand the charges of the Law. With the blood of His Son it is stamped “Paid in Full.” The Law condemned man and caused enmity to exist between God and man. Christ removed the enmity, thereby opening the door for man to become a partaker of the Spirit of God. It is the Spirit of Christ residing in man that makes known the will of Christ in the heart of the believer. Those who are Christ’s are called to heed every instruction Christ discloses to them.<br /><br />John 14:21-24<br />“He who has <b><i>My commandments</i></b> and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" Yahshua answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. <b><i>He who does not love Me does not keep My words</i></b>; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.”<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />John 15:10-12<br />"If you keep <b><i>My commandments</i></b>, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. <b><i>This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.</i></b>"<br /><br />Some have erred in correlating Christ’s commandments with the commands of Moses. Similarly, some have misconstrued John’s words, believing him to be speaking of the Law of Moses in the following passage:<br /><br />I John 5:2-3<br />By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.<br /><br />John has elsewhere spoken of Christ’s commandments.<br /><br />I John 2:3-5<br />Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him.<br /><br />The commands of Christ that John refers to are the same as the commands of God mentioned later on in the same epistle. Christ also testified that His commands are one and the same with the Father’s commands.<br /><br />John 14:24<br />He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.<br /><br />What are the words and commandments of Christ?<br /><br />John 13:34-35<br />“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”<br /><br />Christ delivered to His disciples the perfect law of liberty, the law of love. Against such things there is no Law. Furthermore, Christ reveals His desire for His disciples through the Spirit who was sent to indwell them. Whatever the Spirit reveals to be the will of Christ for our lives becomes the commandment of Yahshua to us. As the saints of God walk in the Spirit they will find themselves keeping the commandments of Christ.<br /><br />Remember what we have previously learned. When Christ appeared as the High Priest of a new covenant, there was necessarily a change of the Law (Hebrews 7:12). Yahshua’s commandments are not the commandments of Moses. Yahshua has delivered a new commandment. For the saints in Christ, the will of God is revealed through a new and living way.<br /><br />I Corinthians 2:12<br />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...<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />John 16:14<br />He (the Holy Spirit) will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />I John 4:13<br />By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.<br /><br />By sending forth the Spirit of His Father to dwell in the hearts of man, Christ irrevocably changed the manner in which men would relate to God.<br /><br />Romans 8:14<br />For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Galatians 5:16<br />I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Galatians 5:25<br />If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.<br /><br />People of God, although these Scriptures are familiar to the saints, few comprehend what a radical change they imply. Man had never been a dwelling place for the Spirit of God until Christ sent forth His Spirit. Beginning at the first Pentecost of the body of Christ, the saints have had the Word of God abiding within them.<br /><br />Seeing that the Spirit was sent to displace the Law in its role of making known the will of the Father, what did Paul mean when he wrote the following:<br /><br />Romans 3:31<br />Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.<br /><br />This is a passage that many cite when they advocate a continuance of the Law. In this book we have looked at dozens of statements from the apostle Paul. These declarations plainly proclaim that the Law has no jurisdiction over those who are in Christ that we have died to the Law, that the Law was “until Christ.” Therefore, Paul’s words here cannot be interpreted to mean just the opposite. Yahweh is not a God of confusion.<br /><br />Paul declares that the Law is not made void by faith. Christ said He did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. Faith recognizes that the Law had to be fulfilled. Faith declares that it was fulfilled in Christ. Faith furthermore instructs us that we were in Christ, and through our union with Him we have also fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law. Finally, faith tells us that when Christ died, we died, setting us free from the Law that we might walk in newness of the Spirit.<br /><br />Paul did not invalidate the Law. He did, however, reveal its proper place and application.<br /><br />I Timothy 1:8-9<br />But 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...<br /><br />Praise God, our faith informs us that we are righteous.<br /><br />II Corinthians 5:21<br />For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Philippians 3:8-9<br />That I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith...<br /><br /><div><span>Believing these things to be true, those who perceive themselves to be righteous before God are not under the Law. These ones are empowered and directed by the Spirit. It truly is a new day for those who are a new creation in Christ.</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Parables Blog:</span> <a href="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/">www.parablesblog.blogspot.com</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
Joseph Herrin<br />
P.O. Box 804<br />
Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-68529407146347886262022-07-29T09:22:00.000-04:002022-07-29T09:22:14.251-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 18<div><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiY4xshgggN6o3q6TpSDu3gcVytqyWvtATCnPMIRnMFlocTaAMrfFSEReLCbWikGtSi8DEeiXxrtXWifRYtEkQm1zz5auOHDgDtMLu4rBnxanlu1O-TcOBmE96zBP-p3sAW2edo7lp/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiY4xshgggN6o3q6TpSDu3gcVytqyWvtATCnPMIRnMFlocTaAMrfFSEReLCbWikGtSi8DEeiXxrtXWifRYtEkQm1zz5auOHDgDtMLu4rBnxanlu1O-TcOBmE96zBP-p3sAW2edo7lp/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><b>Toward a Perfect Man</b><br /><br />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.<br /><br />Matthew 5:48<br />Therefore <b><i>you shall be perfect</i></b>, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.<br /><br />Colossians 1:28<br />[Christ] we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, <b><i>that we may present every man perfect in Christ Yahshua.</i></b><br /><br />Hebrews 7:18-19<br />For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for <b><i>the law made nothing perfect</i></b>...<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Hebrews 1:3<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Romans 7:4<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Romans 8:11<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Galatians 4:4-5<br />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.<br /><br />“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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Matthew 3:17<br />And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />John 5:19-20<br />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...”<br /><br />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.<br /><br />From the moment of Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River, we read that He was led of the Spirit.<br /><br />Luke 4:1<br />Then Yahshua, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit...<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Luke 4:14<br />Then Yahshua returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee...<br /><br />The Spirit both guided and empowered Christ, and He is given to perform the same functions for all those who are “in Christ.”<br /><br />John 16:7-13<br />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...<br /><br />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.<br /><br />I John 2:27<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />During the ministry of Moses, when the Israelites wanted to know the mind of Yahweh, they would come and inquire of Moses.<br /><br />Exodus 18:15-16<br />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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Matthew 13:36<br />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."<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Matthew 15:15<br />Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Mark 4:10<br />But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Luke 24:49<br />Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but <b style="font-style: italic;">tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.</b>"<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Ephesians 3:20<br />Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, <b><i>according to the power that works in us...</i></b><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Galatians 3:3<br />Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Hebrews 9:9-10<br />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.<br />[New Living Translation]<br /><br />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.”<br /><br />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.”<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Ephesians 4:11-14<br />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...<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Romans 8:14<br />For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Matthew 19:21<br />Yahshua said to him, "<b><i>If you want to be perfect</i></b>, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and <b><i>come, follow Me</i></b>."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />All who would be perfect must lay aside the Law and be joined to another, even to He who was raised from the dead.<br /><br />Romans 7:6<br /><div><span>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.</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-74151456369426772062022-07-26T13:05:00.000-04:002022-07-26T13:05:03.965-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 17<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwyg61dU789musuGOncejKIJ1fzsYwlbWRrztwcACm4l3uneTKbLDWV_ONxKV3IEDNyWZof9_43mleFggEtxP1I_2NlqDy9udbk1vlWg1KU1FmfgM7p7f0wx7qNQDDFPciq8QASEl/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwyg61dU789musuGOncejKIJ1fzsYwlbWRrztwcACm4l3uneTKbLDWV_ONxKV3IEDNyWZof9_43mleFggEtxP1I_2NlqDy9udbk1vlWg1KU1FmfgM7p7f0wx7qNQDDFPciq8QASEl/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><b><div><b><br /></b></div>When God Changed the Menu</b><br /><b><br /></b>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.<br /><br />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?<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Colossians 2:16-17<br /><b><i>Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink</i></b> or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day - <b><i>things which are a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.</i></b><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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...”<br /><br />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?<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Genesis 1:29<br />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.”<br /><br />Even the animals ate a vegan diet. There were no carnivores when the earth was fashioned.<br /><br />Genesis 1:30<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Genesis 9:1-5<br />So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth... <b><i>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.</i></b>”<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.”<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br />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.<br /><br />Galatians 3:19<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br />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.<br /><br />Acts 15:28-29<br /><b><i>For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit</i></b>, and to us, <b><i>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.</i></b><br /><br />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.<br /><br />It did <b><i>not</i></b> 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:<br /><br />Acts 15:10<br />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?<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Galatians 5:1-2<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Isaiah 11:6-7<br />"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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Ecclesiastes 3:1<br />To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven...<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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 <b><i>after</i></b> His resurrection.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Mark 7:18-23<br />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?" <b><i>Thus He declared all foods clean.</i></b> 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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Acts 10:9-16<br />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, "<b><i>What God has cleansed you must not call unholy</i></b>." This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />I Timothy 4:3-5<br />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. <b><i>For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude</i></b>; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.<br /><br />Speaking specifically of foods, (see verse 13) Paul declares the following:<br /><br />Romans 14:14-15<br /><i><b>I know and am convinced by the Lord Yahshua that there is nothing unclean of itself</b></i>; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />I Corinthians 8:8<br /><b><i>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. </i></b><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />I Corinthians 10:31<br /><div><span>Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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Joseph Herrin<br />
P.O. Box 804<br />
Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-52651164178305829692022-07-25T10:37:00.002-04:002022-07-25T10:37:55.394-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 16<div><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaGRUNcP3fRxdQ0IE-VrrzwMonRCJXlshpovR2CkQRdTxfyc1KHYahHr7Ap2PsgzVq3SWIdPI2w4O8OrGm-0QOe9_b5NP9reZiMw9110LLb82poCF1JuPFlUl57FkfX3Dwn6nJ51Pf/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaGRUNcP3fRxdQ0IE-VrrzwMonRCJXlshpovR2CkQRdTxfyc1KHYahHr7Ap2PsgzVq3SWIdPI2w4O8OrGm-0QOe9_b5NP9reZiMw9110LLb82poCF1JuPFlUl57FkfX3Dwn6nJ51Pf/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><b>A New Creation</b><br /><br />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.<br /><br />Galatians 6:15<br />For in Christ Yahshua neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />When Christ met with Nicodemus that night, He went straight to the heart of what mattered most.<br /><br />John 3:1-3<br />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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />John 3:4-8<br />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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />John 3:9-13<br />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?”<br /><br />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.<br /><br />I Corinthians 2:12-14<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Romans 7:14<br />For we know that <b><i>the law is spiritual</i></b>, but I am carnal, sold under sin.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Hebrews 10:1<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Romans 8:9<br />But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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.<br />It is an error as old as Cain.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />John 6:63<br />It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Galatians 3:1-4<br />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?<br /><br />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.<br /><br />James 1:5<br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Luke 11:9-13<br />"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? <b><i>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!</i></b>"<br /><br />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?<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />II Peter 1:3<br />His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness...<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />II Corinthians 3:6<br />[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.<br />[Amplified Bible]<br /><br />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.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />I Corinthians 2:12-14<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />What has Yahweh prescribed for the spiritual man? He has prescribed a life led of the Spirit!<br /><br />Galatians 5:25<br />If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Romans 8:14<br />For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />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.</span></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Parables Blog:</span> <a href="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/">www.parablesblog.blogspot.com</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
Joseph Herrin<br />
P.O. Box 804<br />
Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-8898340550790952582022-07-22T10:27:00.000-04:002022-07-22T10:27:03.176-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 15<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht54HLdqBKaLktW0G4eMbsJ5svoZwsQa0kxcH0MakU4xvWrePr9X2zcXJN304OdcyqVzE_CGni8OHkuD_VW-s_XSAhwmw-IIDME-jnHtFFaz0Qjx_p1yQMyQWY4XC1hd3CcLKndeES/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht54HLdqBKaLktW0G4eMbsJ5svoZwsQa0kxcH0MakU4xvWrePr9X2zcXJN304OdcyqVzE_CGni8OHkuD_VW-s_XSAhwmw-IIDME-jnHtFFaz0Qjx_p1yQMyQWY4XC1hd3CcLKndeES/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><b><div><b><br /></b></div>The Road Less Traveled</b><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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:<br /><br />Exodus 21:28-32<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />(I do not say that this man rightly applied this law, for the dog did not kill anyone.)<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Galatians 5:4<br />You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law...<br /><br />This lawyer’s approach to the Christian life was very different from that of the apostle Paul.<br /><br />Galatians 2:19-20<br />"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...”<br /><br />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.”<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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).<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Romans 7:4<br />Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, <b><i>so that you might be joined to another</i></b>, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.”<br /><br />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.<br />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.<br /><br />Philippians 1:29<br />For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake...<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Matthew 7:13-14<br />"Enter by the <b><i>narrow</i></b> 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 <b><i>narrow</i></b> is the gate and afflicted is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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).<br /><br />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.<br />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.”<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Revelation 14:1-5<br />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... <b><i>These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.</i></b> 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.<br /><br />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.<br />In Gethsemane Christ was not wrangling with the Law’s will for His life. He was speaking to His Father.<br /><br />Luke 22:42<br />"Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."<br /><br /><div><span>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 <b><i>fellowship</i></b> in His sufferings to be found no other way. Nothing can separate us from His love.</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Parables Blog:</span> <a href="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/">www.parablesblog.blogspot.com</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
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Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-65956664281124044092022-07-20T10:44:00.000-04:002022-07-20T10:44:10.935-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 14<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMZgO_-fmUX8W7VwA0oHDssNBcn2n3t48xVA1WEuN9jgPZDv51JVMoBvaglCX3NHKhBINeHC4MS3qjJnTnDGmiUs05Km_7_wS-SifIlrrT-UrVD9Yopi_Vve1DpgDe9UEvVLtG4dQ/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMZgO_-fmUX8W7VwA0oHDssNBcn2n3t48xVA1WEuN9jgPZDv51JVMoBvaglCX3NHKhBINeHC4MS3qjJnTnDGmiUs05Km_7_wS-SifIlrrT-UrVD9Yopi_Vve1DpgDe9UEvVLtG4dQ/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><b><div><b><br /></b></div>The Law of Liberty</b><br /><br />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.<br /><br />Before the Law was written, Yahweh <b><i>spoke</i></b> 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).<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Deuteronomy 9:10<br />“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.”<br /><br />The word rendered in English as “written” is the Hebrew <b><i>kathab</i></b>. 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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 <b><i>the Law of sin and death.</i></b><br /><br />Romans 8:2<br />For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Yahshua has made me free from the law of sin and death.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Old Covenant: Law of sin and death</b><br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>New Covenant: Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus</b><br /><br />The counterpart of <b><i>death</i></b> in the old covenant is <b><i>life</i></b> in the new covenant. Following the parallels here, we see that <b><i>sin</i></b> in the old covenant is replaced by the <b><i>Spirit</i></b> of Christ in the new.<br /><br />The old covenant was given to men who were <b><i>ruled</i></b> 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.<br /><br />The new covenant has been given to men who are <b><i>ruled</i></b> by the Spirit.<br /><br />Romans 8:1-9<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br />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.<br /><br />Romans 7:15, 24<br />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?<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Thou shalt not murder.<br />Thou shalt not steal.<br />Thou shalt not lie.<br />Thou shalt not covet.<br />Etc., etc.,<br /><br />The list is long, for there is great wickedness bound up in the hearts of fallen men.<br /><br />I am certain that you already know these things about man’s condition <b><i>before</i></b> 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:<br /><br />If men ruled by the sinful flesh sin, then what do men ruled by the Holy Spirit do?<br /><br />There is only one thing the Holy Spirit desires to do. It desires to live in holiness and righteousness.<br />Of those born of the first Adam it is written:<br /><br />Romans 3:10<br />"There is none righteous, no, not one...”<br /><br />Of those born of the Last Adam (Christ) it is written:<br /><br />I John 5:18<br />We know that no one who is born of God sins...<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />I John 2:29<br />If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />I John 3:9<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Ephesians 4:20-24<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Romans 6:11<br />Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Yahshua our Lord.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We have been set free from sin.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Sin no longer holds us bound.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We have died to sin.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We have become the righteousness of God in Christ.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We are a new creation.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Spirit of Christ dwells in us.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We have passed from death into life.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Whereas we were formerly slaves to sin, we are now slaves to righteousness.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Galatians 2:20<br />I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and <b><i>the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith</i></b> in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Philippians 2:13<br />For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Ephesians 2:4-5<br />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...<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />James 1:25<br />But he who looks into the perfect <b><i>law of liberty</i></b> 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.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />James 2:8, 12<br />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 <b><i>law of liberty</i></b>.<br /><br />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:<br /><br />I Corinthians 6:12<br /><b><i>All things are lawful</i></b> for me, but not all things are profitable. <b><i>All things are lawful</i></b> for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.<br /><br />I Corinthians 10:23<br /><b><i>All things are lawful</i></b>, but not all things are profitable. <b><i>All things are lawful</i></b>, but not all things edify.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Galatians 5:22-23<br />But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. <b><i>Against such there is no law.</i></b><br /><br />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.<br /><br />Consider once more the condition of those who are <b><i>not</i></b> 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Proverbs 23:7<br />For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.<br /><br />People of God, this leads us to perceive perhaps the greatest challenge of the Christian life. It must be entered into by faith.<br /><br />Galatians 3:25-26<br />But after <b><i>faith</i></b> has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through <b><i>faith</i></b> in Christ Yahshua.<br /><br />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?”<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><div><span>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 <b>A</b> new <b>D</b>ay.</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Parables Blog:</span> <a href="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/">www.parablesblog.blogspot.com</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
Joseph Herrin<br />
P.O. Box 804<br />
Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-63310555341016594102022-07-18T09:52:00.001-04:002022-07-18T09:52:37.003-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 13<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRMqBuPXBX49-6KFhSLIo0EhQ99OnCI0tw5-mJp-cGqEZ6mGtkJ20Y9jX0gxCHW4aIgtnPG7-PJ0UtrjPx95NHIklv0k-Lf296OND-XI2QzqFwzGgK_00zKnpui8HmolSlRKF8H43/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRMqBuPXBX49-6KFhSLIo0EhQ99OnCI0tw5-mJp-cGqEZ6mGtkJ20Y9jX0gxCHW4aIgtnPG7-PJ0UtrjPx95NHIklv0k-Lf296OND-XI2QzqFwzGgK_00zKnpui8HmolSlRKF8H43/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><b><div><b><br /></b></div>A Law For Stony Hearts</b><br /><br />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.<br /><br />I Corinthians 15:44-48<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Ezekiel 36:26<br />I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh...<br /><br />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.<br /><br />I Timothy 1:8-10<br />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...<br /><br />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.<br /><br />I Corinthians 6:9-11<br />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. <b><i>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.</i></b><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Galatians 4:4-5<br />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.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Galatians 3:23-24<br />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...<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Psalms 19:7<br />The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul...<br /><br />The Scriptures testify elsewhere that the Law of Moses was far from perfect.<br /><br />Hebrews 7:18-19<br />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...<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Ezekiel 11:19<br />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...<br /><br />It is Christ who makes men perfect.<br /><br />Colossians 1:28<br />Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Yahshua.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />John 16:7-13<br />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...<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />I Corinthians 2:10-12<br />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...<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Jeremiah 31:33-34<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />I John 2:27<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Hebrews 4:9-10<br />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.<br /><br />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.”<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Matthew 19:3-9<br />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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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:<br /><br />Matthew 5:48<br />“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Matthew 5:21-22<br />"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.”<br /><br />Matthew 5:27-29<br />"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.”<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Matthew 5:31-32<br />"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.”<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Matthew 5:33-34<br />"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...”<br /><br />Matthew 5:38-42<br />"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.”<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Matthew 5:43-45<br />"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...”<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Hebrews 7:12<br />For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law.<br /><br /><div><span>In the next chapter we will look further at the distinctions between the old law, and the new.</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-41132119849804444862022-07-15T10:13:00.003-04:002022-07-15T10:13:47.269-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 12<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByUTUb6-FLomrJ2O-5KU_BE5LM81Fnxw_TRJQRNIeDQVrf5NXerqVKKNMvpK8ohtRMNRkxJ2iO3PqgW1hKXqv9P54WTK_Xi2Q8zpqcQvpwV-GC97hK2hXRwfXywTgOlh48CHQQ4mC/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByUTUb6-FLomrJ2O-5KU_BE5LM81Fnxw_TRJQRNIeDQVrf5NXerqVKKNMvpK8ohtRMNRkxJ2iO3PqgW1hKXqv9P54WTK_Xi2Q8zpqcQvpwV-GC97hK2hXRwfXywTgOlh48CHQQ4mC/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><b><div><b><br /></b></div>The Missing Pieces</b><br /><br />One aspect of the Law of Moses that many Christians have failed to properly examine today is the unique setting in which the Law was intended to be carried out. The Law was given to a peculiar people, at a specific time, under a unique government, and carried out by a priesthood especially ordained to oversee its implementation.<br /><br />According to the Jewish Rabbi Maimonides, there are 613 Laws found in the five books of Moses. Maimonides listed 365 negative Laws (prohibitions), one to correspond with every day of the year. Additionally, he listed 248 positive Laws.<br /><br />In 1990 Chofetz Chaim published the book “<i>Sefer HaMitzvot HaKatzar</i>.” In this book he determined that it was only possible to observe 77 of the 365 negative commandments of the Law today, and 194 of the 248 positive commandments. Of this number, 26 of the Laws could only be carried out by those who reside in Israel.<br /><br />If one does the math, only 21% of the Laws of Moses stated as negative commands can be observed today. Only 44% of the entire body of commandments can be observed, and this number drops to 40% if a person resides outside of Israel.<br /><br />What this reveals is that Yahweh intended the Law to exist in a very specific environment. When Moses presented the Law to the children of Israel in the wilderness, it was possible for them to observe 100% of the commandments of God. One of the chief requirements for this to occur was that the people receiving the Law had to belong to a nation that adopted the Mosaic Law as its legal code. The nation’s rulers had to provide an environment where the Law’s commandments could legally be observed, while also enforcing the penalties of the Law.<br /><br />A priesthood also had to exist in order for many of the requirements of the Law to be fulfilled. Tithes and offerings were to be delivered into the hands of the priesthood. Sacrifices were to be performed by them. A vast array of Laws required the involvement of the priesthood. For example, Yahweh declared it to be the priests’ role to inspect houses where mold was present to determine whether the mold could be eradicated, or whether the house must be torn down. Another example of priestly responsibility was determining whether a woman accused of adultery was guilty, or not. This is observed in the following unusual procedure.<br /><br />Numbers 5:16-22<br /> And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before Yahweh. The priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water. Then the priest shall stand the woman before Yahweh, uncover the woman's head, and put the offering for remembering in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy. And the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that brings a curse. And the priest shall put her under oath, and say to the woman, "If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone astray to uncleanness while under your husband's authority, be free from this bitter water that brings a curse. But if you have gone astray while under your husband's authority, and if you have defiled yourself and some man other than your husband has lain with you" - then the priest shall put the woman under the oath of the curse, and he shall say to the woman - "Yahweh make you a curse and an oath among your people, when Yahweh makes your thigh rot and your belly swell; and may this water that causes the curse go into your stomach, and make your belly swell and your thigh rot." 'Then the woman shall say, "Amen, so be it."<br /><br />Because there does not exist on the earth today a nation that has adopted the Law of Moses as their legal code, and there is no longer a functioning priesthood, nor even a Temple with an altar, the majority of the Law’s requirements CANNOT be fulfilled. This presents the person who desires to be “Torah Observant” with an insurmountable obstacle. James, the brother of the Messiah, wrote the following:<br /><br />James 2:10<br />Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”<br /><br />Under the covenant delivered to Moses, Yahweh could only be satisfied when a man kept the entirety of the Law.<br /><br />Deuteronomy 27:26<br />'Cursed is the one who does not confirm <b><i>ALL</i></b> the words of this law by doing them.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'<br /><br />The Law required a very specific environment in which to function. The situation was very different from the days of Moses to Christ. However, in A.D. 70, the Roman Emperor ended a rebellion of the Jewish people by burning the city, tearing down the temple, and abolishing the priesthood. To this date the temple has not been rebuilt, nor the priesthood restored. Neither is there a government in place that has adopted the Law of Moses as its legal code.<br /><br />Was it merely coincidental that the ability to observe the Law’s commandments ended shortly after the death of Christ, and this condition has continued to this day? It is no more a coincidence than the curtain barring entrance to the Holy of Holies being torn asunder from top to bottom at the moment Christ breathed His last on the cross of Calvary. Yahweh had irreversibly altered the manner through which mankind could approach Him. Man had gone from shadow to substance.<br /><br />Hebrews 10:19-20<br />Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Yahshua, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh...<br /><br />The plan of Yahweh for the redemption of mankind is ever moving forward. The types of the Law find their antitypes in Christ and His body. As the shadows of the Law are fulfilled, they pass away for something more substantial has come.<br /><br />I have had a number of people write to me over the years, arguing that the Law continues to this day, citing the following passage from Zechariah as evidence.<br /><br />Zechariah 14:16-18<br />And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain.<br /><br />This prophetic passage looks forward to the Millennian reign of Christ. Of that day we are told that a firstfruit group of sons will attain to the first resurrection. These sons will rule and reign over the nations.<br /><br />Revelation 2:26-29<br />“And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations - He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels' as I also have received from My Father... He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”<br /><br />One might wonder why the nations will only be required to go up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles each year. The Law of Moses required that God’s people go up to Jerusalem three times a year.<br /><br />Deuteronomy 16:16<br />"Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles...”<br /><br />I believe the reason is that once the types and shadows of the Law have been fulfilled and their substance has come, it is no longer required for the people to observe the shadows.<br /><br />Colossians 2:16-17<br />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.<br /><br />Passover was required to be observed annually by the people of God UNTIL it found its fulfillment in Christ.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />I Corinthians 5:7<br />For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.<br /><br />Fifty days later Pentecost found its fulfillment when the Holy Spirit descended upon the 120 gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem. The only feast remaining to be fulfilled is Tabernacles. Tabernacles represents God and man dwelling together in fulness. This only occurs when a man has laid aside his earthly dwelling and receives a glorified body. This is symbolized at the feast, for men are required to build booths outside their homes and to dwell in them during the feast of tabernacles. They exit one dwelling place to enter another.<br /><br />During the Millennial period, those saints who attained to the first resurrection will have entered into the substance of Tabernacles. However, the nations they are ruling over will not yet have entered in. The next resurrection does not occur until the thousand years is up (Revelation 20:5). Yahweh, wanting to foreshadow that which is to come, will require the nations to observe the feast annually until the substance has come.<br /><br />It is error to conclude from this passage in Zechariah, that Christians are to continue to observe the Law. The apostles gave no instruction regarding such things. Indeed, Paul wrote that new moons, sabbaths, <i><b>feast days</b></i> and laws pertaining to food and drink were given to God’s people as shadows to point them to the substance that is found in Christ.<br /><br />Consider for a moment that the apostles’ behavior reveals that they were not bound to the observance of the Law. Although Paul continued to observe the feasts on occasion, he did not do so out of obligation. We have the record of his missionary journeys. Some of these journeys lasted for years. We have detailed accounts of his whereabouts. Paul did not leave the mission field to which God had sent him to travel to Jerusalem three times a year to keep the feasts. If he believed that Christians were under obligation to keep the Law, then he surely would have made the journey.<br /><br />People of God, what I am declaring is that the Law was temporal. Yahweh provided a special environment for a season in which it could be observed. This environment no longer exists.<br /><br />Some Christians have adopted what is termed by some as “replacement theology.” They believe that Christians, who are the spiritual seed of Abraham, have replaced the natural seed of Abraham. Therefore the covenant of the Law, and the priesthood now belong to them. The Bible clearly refutes such a view.<br /><br />The Law of Moses was served by the Levitical priesthood. It is great error to suggest that Christians have taken up this priesthood. The Law, and by extension the Levitical Priesthood, could make nothing perfect. We have examined this carefully in earlier chapters. Therefore, it was necessary to put away that which is imperfect and to usher in something better. Christ was not, and is not, a Levitical priest. Yahshua was from the tribe of Judah, not Levi.<br /><br />Hebrews 7:14<br />For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.<br /><br />Nevertheless, Yahshua is a priest. Indeed He is a High Priest, but of a different order, a perfect order. And He is priest of a different Law.<br /><br />Hebrews 7:11-13, 18-19<br />Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to <b><i>the order of Melchizedek</i></b>, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? <b><i>For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law...</i></b> For on the one hand <b><i>there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect</i></b>; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.<br /><br />People of God, do you not see that those who are teaching the Law of Moses as a code of conduct for the body of Christ are acting as Levitical Priests? Christians are not called to be ministers of the Old Covenant, but of the New.<br /><br />II Corinthians 3:6<br />[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.<br />[Amplified Bible]<br /><br />The apostle Peter proclaimed that Christians are a nation of priests. They are not Levitical priests administering the Law of Moses. They are priests of the order of Melchizedek. They have been entrusted with a new covenant, based upon far surpassing promises. That which was imperfect has given way to that which is perfect.<br /><br />Hebrews 8:1-7, 13<br />Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since <b><i>there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things</i></b>, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain." <b><i>But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second... In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete.</i></b><br /><br />Let us not look back to that work which has been. Rather, let us look to that which now is. Christ is the High Priest of a new priestly order. Perfection was not to be found in the Levitical Priesthood (for under it the people received the Law, and the Law made nothing perfect). Christ has come to make men perfect.<br /><br />Hebrews 12:22-24<br /><div><span>But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God..., to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Yahshua the Mediator of the new covenant...</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Parables Blog:</span> <a href="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/">www.parablesblog.blogspot.com</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
Joseph Herrin<br />
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Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-18192588819675478242022-07-13T10:09:00.001-04:002022-07-13T10:09:39.103-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 11<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkAZR77Oyif_Wjk8XagwJwBVPxcqb1pHjFo35E2v29jEgt2iq8Nwy1FYVlYLbB7z0bdJx2mAuQz7woI6ZeMpKJhoYZkaE9rdr2YDJQ1if-oZ8JDhM8713iQe3fhLyscHkEpy-qCSM/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkAZR77Oyif_Wjk8XagwJwBVPxcqb1pHjFo35E2v29jEgt2iq8Nwy1FYVlYLbB7z0bdJx2mAuQz7woI6ZeMpKJhoYZkaE9rdr2YDJQ1if-oZ8JDhM8713iQe3fhLyscHkEpy-qCSM/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><b><div><b><br /></b></div>Moses My Servant is Dead</b><br /><br />A brother in Christ, wrote to me after reading the previous chapter on the life of Moses as a type and shadow of the Law. His comments are pertinent to the subject of this chapter. The title is a quotation taken from the following verse:<br /><br />Joshua 1:1-2<br />Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, that Yahweh spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' servant, saying, "<b><i>Moses My servant is dead</i></b>; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.”<br /><br />The brother who wrote to me shared some further insights into Moses as a type and shadow of the Law. I found his comments to be excellent and wanted to share them with you.<br /><br /><i>Dear Brother Joseph,</i><br /><br /><i>I have been extremely blessed by your teaching series 'Laying Down the Law.' My eyes have been opened to many things and I have been challenged to seek a life in the Spirit more and more. It is so much easier to return to the law and have an appearance of righteousness than it is to pick up our cross and follow the lamb wherever He goes. However, true freedom is only found in Christ and life in the Spirit. Otherwise, we find ourselves remaining a slave to sin as Paul declares:</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>Romans 7:21-25 </i><br /><i>So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? <b>Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!</b> </i><br /><i><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> </i><br /><i>In reading the recent post about Moses' life being a parable, or type of the Law, one additional thought came to my mind that really drives home God's decision to put an end to the law. I may be wrong, but I think that Moses is the only person in the Bible that was personally buried by the Lord. </i><br /><i>See the following verse references regarding the body of Moses (i.e., the body of the LAW).</i><br /><br /><i>Deuteronomy 34:5-6</i><br /><i>And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. <b>He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is.</b> Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.</i><br /><i><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> </i><br /><i>Jude 1:9</i><br /><i>But even the archangel Michael, <b>when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses</b>, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”</i><br /><br /><i>We can discern from the first verse that it was the Lord himself <b><u>who buried the body of the Law</u></b> and that was His intent. In the second verse, we are reminded that it seems the devil has an undue interest in the body of the Law and even disputed with Michael about it. I'm sure it is the devil's ongoing pursuit to revive the Law that the saints may be kept under bondage and never come to maturity. The devil knows that once the 'sons of God' are revealed that his time is short, so the longer he can keep the saints under bondage failing to come into maturity, the longer he can retain his rule as prince of this world. Nevertheless, we know that it will happen according to God's timetable and no one else’s, even though the devil tries in vain to change the times, or in this case to buy more time.</i><br /><br /><i>One other thing jumped out at me as well in the above verses. At the initiation of the law, you mentioned that 3,000 died, and at Pentecost (initiation of life in the Spirit) that 3,000 were saved. Likewise, at the death of the law, Moses was 120, and at Pentecost (renewal of covenant of promise) 120 were in the upper room. Just an observation, but like you said, Yahweh is a God of details and nothing is by chance!</i><br /><br /><i>Grace and Peace,</i><br /><i>Brother Andrew Eberly</i><br /><br />Andrew is correct in that Moses is the only person named to have been buried by Yahweh. Such an unusual occurrence certainly bears careful scrutiny. I will add some additional thoughts on this matter. In the Scripture Andrew cited we read, “Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, <b><i>yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone</i></b>.” What this signifies is that the Law never abated in its ability to show man his condition (his eyes were not weak). Additionally, the Law retained its strength to the end, having the power to put men to death (nor his strength gone).<br /><br />It is certainly symbolic that Moses at the age of forty, sensing that he was called of God, slew an Egyptian. The Law is a manslayer. Its ministry is one of condemnation and death.<br /><br />II Corinthians 3:9<br />For if <b><i>the ministry of condemnation</i></b> had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />II Corinthians 3:7-9<br />But if <b><i>the ministry of death</i></b>, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?<br /><br />We read that when Moses descended the mountain with the tablets of the Law, he commanded the Levites to slay their brethren and 3,000 fell on that day. Later, Moses commanded those who had transgressed by sinning in the matter of Baal of Peor to be hung. Over and over we see Moses carrying out the Law, slaying men, for the wages of sin is death. The Law could not deliver men from their slavery to sin. It could only carry out the judgment for sin.<br /><br />Moses, like the Law, retained his strength until the end. In truth, the very last act of the Law was to put the Son of God to death. What incredible strength was in the Law.<br /><br />Hebrews 2:2<br />For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty...<br /><br />Christ did not die for His own sins. He took mankind’s sin upon Himself. The Law effectually slew all men when Christ hung on the cross, for He died in our place. Until the very end, the Law retained its power. When its last act was accomplished, having slain every man, Christ removed the Law, putting it away.<br /><br />Colossians 2:13-14<br />When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.<br /><br />There is further significance in the fact that Moses was buried, not in Israel, but in Moab. We read: <i>“<b>He buried him in Moab</b>, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is.”</i><br /><br />Moab was outside the land of Canaan. Yahweh did not give the Israelites any portion that belonged to Moab.<br /><br />Deuteronomy 2:9<br />Then Yahweh said to me, “Do not harass Moab, nor contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession.”<br /><br />Neither in life, nor in death, could Moses enter into the land of promise, that land flowing with milk and honey. The Law cannot take men into their inheritance.<br /><br />Why did Satan contend with Michael for the body of Moses? Moses was dead, and Michael was sent to bury him. Satan opposed this action. He still opposes it to this day. Although the Law’s power and rule over man ended when Christ was slain, Satan seeks to prop it up as a living thing to this day. There is no life to be found in the Law.<br /><br />Galatians 3:21<br />For if there had been a law given which was able to impart life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.<br /><br />Satan, with much cunning and deceit wants to ever lead men away from the true source of life and bring them to focus on that which is dead. We must see ourselves joined to Christ and dead to the Law. The Law was a minister of condemnation and death. It slew all men. In Christ Yahshua we are made alive.<br /><br />Romans 7:4<br />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.<br /><br />Let us look at one last detail of Moses’ death before passing on to other things. We read, <i>“He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth <b>Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is.</b>”</i><br /><i><br /></i>In the Hebrew the word Beth means “House.” Peor means “open, gaping, or yawning.” Combined they mean “open house,” or “gaping house.” It speaks of a habitation that is open. The door is not shut.<br /><br />Where did the Law come to its final resting place? Was it not in the person of Christ? Is this not what was signified when Moses placed the tablets of the Law in the golden Ark? The Son of God fully satisfied all the righteous requirements of the Law. Christ accepted the Law’s judgment of death for the sin of mankind. He was crucified, then laid in a tomb. The Law went there with Him.<br /><br />Romans 10:4<br />For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.<br /><br />Christ is no longer in the tomb. The tomb is open, gaping, yawning. The earth could not hold Him. Death could not keep Him bound. He has risen. His death, burial, and resurrection marked a turning point in Yahweh’s dealings with His people. The Law was satisfied in the person of Christ and laid to rest. Christ then sent forth His Spirit that we might become partakers of the divine nature. Those who are in Christ have passed from servant to son, from childhood to maturity, from the guardian and schoolmaster of the Law, to life in the Spirit.<br /><br />What glorious things are revealed in the types and shadows Yahweh has given to us!<br /><br />Proverbs 25:2<br /><div><span>It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-63061754000293446952022-07-11T09:19:00.000-04:002022-07-11T09:19:13.522-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 10<div><span><br /></span></div><b><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRYYSekYZL19ngn9Sgq8yvr9-kfB8HzkxTZudulh9iqc_tAybW7fzjQcz6lPG5qirAmgxqtc6Q1vDueF5ui8eoE-bwWE6uiRJB6KQZdku5YaxpP5gyS_y2f0-kvwMGykhgvyFzyPX/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRYYSekYZL19ngn9Sgq8yvr9-kfB8HzkxTZudulh9iqc_tAybW7fzjQcz6lPG5qirAmgxqtc6Q1vDueF5ui8eoE-bwWE6uiRJB6KQZdku5YaxpP5gyS_y2f0-kvwMGykhgvyFzyPX/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>My Servant Moses</b></div></b><br />I have found that by studying the parabolic nature of the lives of Old Testament figures, much insight can be gained concerning matters that are shrouded in a fog of confusion. In the previous chapter we looked at the life of Hagar. Who would have known that the two wives of Abraham were intended by Yahweh to serve as testimonies of two covenants that have been made with His people? If the apostle Paul had not declared this to be so, certainly the matter would have been hidden from the eyes of most Christians.<br /><br />Let us pause and consider Hagar for one more moment before passing on to Moses. Knowing that Yahweh hates divorce, and that He is a covenant keeping God, does not the sending away of Hagar cause one’s attention to be arrested? Why would Yahweh sanction divorce in this case, for truly this is what occurred. Though Hagar was not given a writ of divorce (these were not used until 430 years later when the Law was given) her husband rejected her, casting out the bondwoman and her son.<br /><br />Such an act appears unjust to those who do not perceive the spiritual pattern being portrayed. How would Hagar and her son survive? All they were sent away with was some bread and water. They had a wilderness to cross on foot. Does not such an act by Abraham smack of treachery? Indeed, it would have been an unrighteous act had he arrived at this course by the counsel of his own soul. However, it was Yahweh who told Abraham to send away the bondwoman and her son.<br /><br />Many Christians today view the casting away of the covenant of Law as an act of treachery. It is hard for the natural mind to justify such an action. The Law has been the constant companion of the people of God since the days of Moses. It has born fruit according to its ability. The people of God entered into covenant with the Law. How can it be right to cast it away with as apparent little regard as Abraham manifested in sending forth Hagar? Although many cannot justify such a course of action in their minds, the Scriptures reveal it to be the will of God.<br /><br />Galatians 4:24, 30<br />For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar... Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman."<br /><br />What is spoken here is very plain. The Law entered into by covenant at Mount Sinai must be cast out. Surely this offends the mind of man as much today as it would have for modern Christians to observe Abraham turning Hagar and Ishmael out of his tents. Would not any person of moral conscience chide Abraham for such an act? Apart from hearing Yahweh declare this to be His will, Abraham would stand condemned by those who witnessed his actions.<br /><br />This is the way of things to this very hour. Those who have not discerned the mind of Yahweh in this matter are greatly troubled, even offended, at the thought of casting out the covenant embraced at Sinai.<br /><br />Hagar’s life is not the only testimony given to us by Yahweh of His will in this matter. This is a matter we see even clearer as we look at the life of Moses, the Law-giver.<br /><br />Moses served as a guardian, shepherd, and schoolmaster to the CHILDREN of Israel. Moses is a type of the Law. When Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, the Son of God was figured standing with the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). The testimony of the Law and the Prophets were given to point men to Christ. Christ is the goal, the fulfillment, and the end of the Law.<br /><br />Romans 10:4<br />For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.<br /><br />The word “end” is translated from the Greek “<i>telos</i>.” <i>Strong’s Concordance</i> defines <i>telos</i> in the following manner:<br /><br /><i>telos (tel'-os); (to set out for a definite point or goal); properly, the point aimed at as a limit, i.e. (by implication) the conclusion of an act or state (termination [literally, figuratively or indefinitely]</i><br /><br />The Law pointed to Christ through its many types and shadows. Christ is the atoning sacrifice. He is the Passover Lamb. Christ is the firstfruit offering. Yahshua is the righteousness of God. He is the fulfillment of Sabbath rest, etc.. The Son of God is also the termination point of the Law, for when the adoption as a son is received, the child is freed from the rule of the guardian.<br /><br />Seeing that Abraham’s two wives represented two covenants that the people of God would enter into, how much more can we anticipate tremendous insight to be revealed through the life of Moses? Indeed, God has used this man’s life to reveal far more than most saints today have imagined. A great mystery is unveiled as one examines the most common appellation Yahweh used when speaking of Moses.<br /><br />Exodus 14:31<br />So the people feared Yahweh, and believed Yahweh and His <i><b>servant </b></i>Moses.<br /><br />Yahweh chooses His words with great precision. He teaches profound truth through what man mistakes as insignificant details. Why did Yahweh refer to Moses as His <b><i>servant</i></b>? It is because the Law was given to men who were slaves to sin. Christ came to set them free by giving them the heart of an obedient <b><i>son</i></b>!<br /><br />Hebrews 3:5-6<br />And <b><i>Moses</i></b> indeed was faithful in all His house as a <b><i>servant</i></b>, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but <b><i>Christ as a Son</i></b> over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.<br /><br />The Scriptures reveal that there is a very great difference between servants and sons. It is necessary to grasp this distinction that we might recognize the temporal nature of the Law.<br /><br />I mentioned previously that there is a mystery contained in the fact that the people of God in the wilderness were called “the CHILDREN of Israel.” What we see in the life of Moses and the covenant at Sinai is God’s dealing with immature humanity. Although the children were called to become sons, they were treated no differently than slaves while they were minors.<br /><br />Galatians 4:1-5<br />Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, <b><i>when we were children</i></b>, were in bondage under the elements of the world. <b><i>But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.</i></b><br /><br />Do you see a transition in God’s dealing with His people in the passage above? <b><i>When we were children we were kept under the Law.</i></b> “But when the fulness of time had come...” God redeemed those under the Law that they might enter into sonship.<br /><br />One argument I have often encountered from those who argue for a continuance of the Law is that God does not change, therefore the Law must still retain its role as moral guardian to the people of God. Such arguments are predicated upon very poor logic. God’s character and nature do not change, but His dealings with mankind have often changed. Man existed for 2,500 years on this earth PRIOR to the Law being given. Abraham was called of God to be the patriarch of a people who would be Yahweh’s unique possession 430 years BEFORE the Law was given.<br /><br />Did not God alter His dealings with man when He chose one nation to be His own people? Did He not change again when He gave this people the Law at Sinai? Previously they had only a covenant of promise. How then can one argue for a perpetual continuance of the Law based upon an argument that God does not change?<br /><br />People of God, understand me clearly. I am not teaching a position of lawlessness. In Christ we have died to the Law so that we might bear fruit unto God. The Law, like Hagar, could not produce fruit acceptable unto God.<br /><br />Romans 7:4<br />Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another - to Him who was raised from the dead, <b><i>that we should bear fruit to God</i></b>.<br /><br />If we die to the Law, but fail to enter into the obedience of the Spirit in Christ, we are truly antinomian. This is the sad state of many Christians today, and it provides much cannon fodder for those who proclaim that it is error to send away the bondwoman. Christ came that man might be enabled to fulfill the will and pleasure of the Father. The myriads who have adopted the view that Yahweh exists for man’s will and pleasure are following the “way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof is death.” To be ruled by the soul is the broad path that leads to destruction. To be as Christ we must be led of the Spirit in ALL THINGS.<br /><br />Paul is testifying to believers in the body of Christ that the Law was given to the people of God while they were children. The day would come when they received a new spirit. Having received this new heart they are able to bear fruit unto God. Those who walk by the Spirit are not under the Law.<br /><br />Galatians 5:18<br />If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.<br /><br />This is that which I proclaim. The Law does not end so that men can be led by their souls. It ends that they might be led by the Spirit. The Spirit will never lead a man contrary to the will and pleasure of the Father. The Holy Spirit will lead men to a far greater obedience than the shadow of the Law could ever make known. Additionally, the Spirit provides the divine life needed to walk as our Father.<br /><br />The apostle Paul testifies that while under the guardian of the Law men were treated no differently than slaves. This guardianship was to continue until the children entered into the maturity of sonship. What is the line of demarcation between servanthood and sonship? It is Pentecost, the giving of the Spirit.<br /><br />Consider that on the day Moses descended from Mount Sinai with the tablets of the Law, three thousand men died. One the day that the Spirit descended upon the 120 men and women gathered in an upper room, three thousand people were saved.<br /><br />Exodus 32:25-28<br />Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, "Whoever is on the Lord's side - come to me!" And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. And he said to them, "Thus says Yahweh God of Israel: 'Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.'" So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day.<br /><br />Remember, Moses is a type of the Law. The day the Law was given Moses gave the command to slay “every man his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.” The Law does not discriminate. The Law is a minister of condemnation and death.<br /><br />Romans 7:9-11<br />I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.<br /><br />Look at the contrast revealed when Christ sent forth His Spirit to indwell man.<br /><br />Acts 2:38-42<br />Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Yahshua Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call..." Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.<br /><br />At the inauguration of the covenant of Law three thousand souls died. At the inauguration of the covenant of the Spirit three thousand souls were made alive. The life of Christ stands as the pivotal point between these two covenants. Christ fulfilled the Law and was put to death by men who sat in the seat of Moses. The chief priests and entire priesthood that condemned Him were of the tribe of Levi, the same tribe that Moses commanded to slay their brethren. The righteousness of the Law was fulfilled in Christ, and the penalty of the Law was paid by Christ. His death ended the rule of the Law. With His dying breath He said “It is finished.” When He sent forth His Spirit 50 days later to indwell mankind, the covenant of promise was renewed.<br /><br />Moses stands as a symbol of the Law. He guarded and instructed the people of God in their childish state. In their immaturity the people, although called to be sons, were treated no differently than slaves. Such a condition can only be temporary.<br /><br />John 8:34-35<br />Yahshua answered them..., “A slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.”<br /><br />Moses, the <b><i>servant</i></b> of God, could not remain forever. From the moment that Moses descended the mountain, the days of his ministry were numbered. This is further observed in the fact that his face shone with a radiant glory when he came from the mountain bearing the Law of God, but the glory soon began to fade away.<br /><br />II Corinthians 3:7-11<br />But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if that which was done away was glorious, much more that which remains is glorious.<br /><br />Moses and the Law fulfilled an intermediate role for the people of God. Moses guided the Children of Israel through the wilderness. However, he could not lead them into their inheritance as sons. It would require another to arise to lead them into their inheritance. This was Joshua, who bears the same name as the Savior Yahshua. In this a great truth is revealed. The Law leads men to Christ who alone is able to lead them into their inheritance as sons of God.<br /><br />Servants do not inherit, only sons receive an inheritance. Therefore, Moses was not permitted to set even one foot in the land of Israel’s inheritance. Moses had to fulfill the type of the Law perfectly. Yahweh was absolutely immovable when He heard Moses’ petition to be able to enter the land of promise. Only those who are of <b><i>the covenant of promise</i></b> can enter <b><i>the land of promise</i></b>.<br /><br />Deuteronomy 3:23-28<br />"Then I pleaded with Yahweh at that time, saying: 'O Yahweh God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds? I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon.' But Yahweh was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So Yahweh said to me: 'Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter. Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift your eyes toward the west, the north, the south, and the east; behold it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan. But command Joshua (Yahshua), and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see.'”<br /><br />Moses fulfilled this command to strengthen Yahshua when he appeared with Him on the Mount of Transfiguration just prior to the crucifixion. How did Moses and Elijah minister to Christ, strengthening Him? They most certainly did so by reminding Him of all those things the Law and the Prophets testified concerning the suffering He must endure and the glories to follow.<br /><br />Only Yahshua can take men into their inheritance. He does so by sending forth His Spirit into our hearts. This is the Spirit of sonship by which we cry out, “ABBA, Father!”<br /><br /><div><span>Let us therefore let go of Moses, childhood, and slavery that we might follow Yahshua to obtain possession of our inheritance as sons of God. Hagar and Ishmael were sent away. Moses died and was buried without entering Canaan. Moses, the servant of God, could not remain in the house forever. The Son remains forever.</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
Joseph Herrin<br />
P.O. Box 804<br />
Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-71130179029780014952022-07-08T08:41:00.001-04:002022-07-08T08:41:23.858-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 9<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1hD9BixSjgTgUHwKXBOs14ei_0L5RV4dDheew1H6MHg0PejVeXr0N2TmFz9NY_fb1dYYOCnCnFUwRuafmnI_H1TRkmAomdIWzWX_AkycvxTbY9OuSUEEgu2IUjiKBz7ZxDw7bf0_/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1hD9BixSjgTgUHwKXBOs14ei_0L5RV4dDheew1H6MHg0PejVeXr0N2TmFz9NY_fb1dYYOCnCnFUwRuafmnI_H1TRkmAomdIWzWX_AkycvxTbY9OuSUEEgu2IUjiKBz7ZxDw7bf0_/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><b><div><b><br /></b></div>Hagar</b><br /><br />In the preceding chapters I have set forth a panoramic view of Yahweh’s plan to bring forth mature spiritual sons and daughters. I have labored to show the place of the Law in God’s plan of the ages. Man was not created sinful, nor did Yahweh intend for man to remain perpetually enslaved to sin. The Law would not always be needed to serve as a restraint upon carnal people. Yahweh has determined to have sons and daughters who share His divine nature.<br /><br />A great leap forward in the divine plan occurred when Christ sent forth His Spirit to indwell man. Yahshua declared to His disciples:<br /><br />John 16:7-8<br />“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.”<br /><br />One cannot put too much emphasis on the words, “It is to your advantage...” The Greek word translated into English as “advantage” is “sumphero.” It is derived from two root words that mean “to gather together, as if to collect.” What Christ was expressing to His disciples is that they would reap an increase; they would be abundantly supplied; they would be greatly enlarged and improved in every way, when Christ sent forth the Holy Spirit unto them.<br /><br />What man has gained through receiving the Holy Spirit is beyond measure. Those who were dead in their trespasses and sins, were made alive. Those who were formless (lacking the image of God) and void (lacking the indwelling Spirit of God) were fashioned into a new creation.<br /><br />II Corinthians 5:17<br />Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.<br /><br />It was truly a vain work for any man to attempt to arrive at Yahweh’s desire to have offspring in His image through works of the flesh. The flesh profits nothing. The best we can do in our own strength is unacceptable in the eyes of the Father. Our attempts to arrive at the promises of God are mirrored in the life of Abraham.<br /><br />Abraham earnestly desired a son in his image, one who sprang from his own loins. When Abraham was unable to acquire such a son through his wife Sarah, he went into his wife’s handmaid Hagar in an attempt to produce that which his soul greatly desired. Ishmael was the fruit of this fleshly work, and Yahweh had no regard for him. God has given us this testimony from Abraham’s life to reveal important matters pertaining to the Law.<br /><br />Galatians 4:24-30<br />For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar - for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children - but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all... What does the Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman."<br /><br />Consider this parable found in the life of Abraham. Abraham wanted a godly heir that came from his own loins. His wife Sarah, though exceedingly beautiful, was barren. Sarah is a symbol of the heavenly Jerusalem.<br /><br />Hebrews 12:22-24<br />But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, <b><i>the heavenly Jerusalem</i></b>, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, <b><i>to the spirits of just men made perfect,</i></b> to Yahshua the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.<br /><br />Abraham and his descendants were covenanted to the heavenly Jerusalem PRIOR to being joined to the Jerusalem below. God gave Abraham the covenant of promise 430 years before his descendants received the covenant of Law.<br /><br />Galatians 3:16-18<br />Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ. And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.<br /><br />Note that Paul says that this earlier covenant was “confirmed before by God IN CHRIST.” When was this done? The sacrifice of Christ was foreshadowed when Yahweh cut a covenant of blood with Abraham. Abraham was instructed to divide various animals in half, and a deep dread fell upon him. A smoking pot and a lantern were seen to pass between the pieces. These things pointed to the work to be accomplished by Christ.<br /><br />A brother wrote to me some days back objecting to my current teaching on the Law. He defended the continuance of the Mosaic covenant by saying that Christ did not bring in a new covenant, but merely RENEWED the covenant. There is truth in that the new covenant in Christ’s blood is a RENEWED covenant. One must understand, however, that it is not the covenant instituted by Moses that was renewed. It was the earlier covenant of promise.<br /><br />When Yahweh cut covenant with Abraham, His plan was for the promise to tarry for many more centuries. Even as the promise of God tarried for Abraham in a natural sense, so too did it tarry in a spiritual sense. Isaac is a type and shadow of Yahshua. Isaac was named “laughter” for his appearing brought gladness and joy to the hearts of Sarah and Abraham in the same way that the appearance of Christ would bring gladness and joy to the world.<br /><br />Yahweh had far greater things in mind than were to be realized in Isaac when He promised Abraham a seed. Isaac was not the true seed. Yahshua was that seed. God had committed Himself to undertake for Abraham to bring forth a righteous heir. Isaac was in bondage to sin, as was his father, but the long awaited Seed was not. Yahshua was tempted in all ways as we, yet without sin.<br /><br />We find another spiritual parable in the life of Abraham. When the natural seed that was to be realized in Isaac tarried, Abraham took to himself another wife. Abraham was already married to Sarah, and he took to himself Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid, as wife. Marriage represents a covenant between two parties. This covenant is sealed when a man is intimate with a woman. Hagar would have been a virgin when she was given to Abraham, therefore a blood covenant was cut when Abraham had relations with her.<br /><br />It is necessary to understand that Hagar was Abraham’s wife by covenant in order to perceive those things which follow.<br /><br />Genesis 16:3-4<br />Then Sarai, Abram's wife, <b><i>took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife</i></b>, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived.<br /><br />Thus we see that Abraham has now entered into two covenants. The first was with Sarah. The second with Hagar. When the fruit of the first covenant tarried to appear, a second covenant was entered into. In the same way, Abraham’s descendants entered into two covenants. The second covenant the descendants of Abraham could not keep. They violated it repeatedly.<br /><br />Hebrews 8:9<br />They did not continue in My covenant...<br /><br />Even so, Abraham did not keep his covenant with Hagar. Though she was his wife and had bore him a son, Abraham sent her away without inheritance or provision. This was to fulfill the types and shadows of the Law. When the promised Seed came according to the more ancient covenant, the covenant of the Law was put away. The Law was never intended to remain forever. It was given only until the promised Seed should come.<br /><br />Galatians 3:19<br />What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, <b><i>until the Seed should come to whom the promise was made.</i></b><br /><br />Truly, the covenant with Hagar was “added because of transgressions,” for it was the unbelief of Abraham and Sarah that led to this work of the flesh.<br /><br />Consider carefully that Yahweh permitted Abraham to follow this course in taking Hagar as his wife. Yet the fruit of her flesh was not acceptable in God’s eyes. Ishmael was not a product of faith and obedience. He arose from unbelief and striving. Even so, Yahweh permitted His people to experience striving for 1,500 years until the promised Seed should appear. This striving would reveal the vanity of all fleshly effort to attain to the righteousness of God.<br /><br />The Law could never satisfy the heart of Yahweh. He permitted it for a season until the Seed should come who would fulfill Yahweh’s desire, which is “OBEDIENT SONS.” The law could only offer sacrifice to temporarily atone for sins which were continually committed. Yahweh wanted obedience, not sacrifice.<br /><br />I Samuel 15:22<br />"Has Yahweh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Yahweh? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.”<br /><br />Yahweh desired sons in His image in the same way that Abraham longed for a son of his loins. We see Yahweh’s dissatisfaction with the Law in the following passage.<br /><br />Isaiah 1:11-14<br />To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to me? saith Yahweh: I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination to me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot endure; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble to me; I am weary to bear them.<br />[Noah Webster’s Bible 1833]<br /><br />Because the Law could not produce righteousness in the heart of man it was never a pleasing wife for Abraham’s descendants in the eyes of God. The offspring it produced were rebellious. Their hearts were always going astray. Like Ishmael, they could not tame the unruliness of their own souls. All those born of Adam are like “a wild jackass of a man.”<br /><br />Genesis 16:11-12<br />And the Angel of Yahweh said to [Hagar]: "Behold, you are with child, and you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because Yahweh has heard your affliction. He shall be a <b><i>wild man</i></b>; His hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."<br /><br />In the Hebrew, the words rendered into English as “wild man” are “adam pere.” Adam means “man.” Pere is a Hebrew word describing the onager, which was a wild donkey of the desert. God was testifying that Ishmael, the son of Hagar, would be a man with the nature of a wild ass. Stubbornness and rebellion would be his nature. <b><i>Ishmael is a type and shadow of every man born of the first Adam.</i></b> As the son of Hagar, He is a symbol of all those who enter into the covenant of the Law seeking to please God through works of the flesh.<br /><br />The Law cannot restrain sinful men. As Paul testified, it merely stirred up a desire to violate its commands.<br /><br />Romans 7:5<br />For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.<br /><br />Apart from receiving the new birth in Christ, we are all wild asses. It is with difficulty that we can be restrained. We will always find some way to break free of that which holds us.<br /><br />Yahweh has no regard for the fruit of man’s flesh. The best that fallen man can produce falls short of the desire of God. That which He esteems must be brought forth by His Spirit.<br /><br />Genesis 17:18-19<br />And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!" Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.”<br /><br />God’s lack of regard for Ishmael finds a parallel in His testimony of that generation of Israel who were given the Law.<br /><br />Hebrews 8:7-9<br />For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming, says Yahweh, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah - not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and <b><i>I did not regard them</i></b>, says Yahweh.”<br /><br />The Law is mankind’s Hagar. It holds forth the allure of producing man’s desire. The Law looks fertile. Man believes if he can only come into union with the Law that good fruit will be the result. Union with the Law, however, produces only rebellion and sin.<br /><br />Romans 7:8-11<br />But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.<br /><br />The natural man embraces the Law with the hope of producing life. Indeed, outwardly it may appear that man has accomplished his goal. There is an appearance of life being brought forth, but in God’s eyes He sees only death.<br /><br />Matthew 23:27-28<br />"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”<br /><br />People of God, this judgment spoken by Christ applies to all men who believe that their works will find them approval before Yahweh. After the Spirit had been given to the body of Christ, the apostle Paul said that there were yet men who wanted to bring partakers of the new covenant back under the Law that they might make a good showing in the flesh.<br /><br />Although God was bringing forth something far better for Abraham than what he had accomplished on his own, observe how difficult it was for this man to let go of that which he had produced. Abraham petitioned Yahweh, “May Ishmael LIVE before You.” Life was not to be obtained through the Law. Therefore, when <b>LIFE</b> (Yahshua) did appear the son of the bondwoman had to be cast out.<br />Consider this carefully. Paul tells us that these two women are two covenants. Abraham truly had two wives. He was covenanted to both of them. Yet, when Sarah (the Jerusalem above) brought forth the promised seed, Hagar (the Jerusalem below) was cast out with her son.<br /><br />Galatians 4:30<br />"Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman."<br /><br />Lest we think this was an unrighteous act precipitated by Sarah, consider that Yahweh told Abraham that what Sarah spoke was His will.<br /><br />Genesis 21:9-13<br />And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac." And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son. But God said to Abraham, "Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.”<br /><br />We read that Hagar, after she had given birth to Ishmael, also acted arrogantly toward her mistress Sarah. An important truth is revealed here. These two covenants are in antipathy toward one another. They cannot abide together harmoniously.<br /><br />Hagar’s time in the tent of Abraham was only until the promised seed should come. Then she was sent away, with her son. So too do we find that the Law remained only until the promised Seed appeared. The covenant of promise was renewed. Christ has become its Mediator. The bondwoman and her offspring have been sent away.<br /><br />Before passing onto other types and shadows, let us consider a further contrast between Ishmael, the son of the bondwoman (Law), and Christ. We have seen it described that Ishmael was a wild ass of a man. He was incapable of ruling over the stubbornness and rebellion of his soul. In contrast, let us look to the magnificent parable found in one of the last demonstrations of Yahshua.<br /><br />Mark 11:1-2<br />Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, <b><i>on which no one has sat</i></b>. Loose it and bring it.<br /><br />Matthew 21:4-7<br />All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Tell ye the daughter of Zion, <b><i>Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.</i></b> And the disciples went, and did as Yahshua commanded them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.<br /><br /><div><span>The disciples brought to Christ a colt <b><i>on which no one had ever ridden</i></b>. This is a parable. No man had ever been able to tame the beast nature within. No man had ever conquered the rebellion and stubborn sinfulness of the natural man. Christ was the first to do so. He sat on the colt, and it submitted to bear Him where He must go. So too, did He ever rule over His soul. He never did anything of His own initiative. He lived to do the will of the Father. In Christ, the Father’s desire was realized for an obedient Son. All those who by faith are joined to Christ are also transformed into obedient sons.</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Parables Blog:</span> <a href="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/">www.parablesblog.blogspot.com</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
Joseph Herrin<br />
P.O. Box 804<br />
Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-74933063880038883762022-07-06T11:09:00.001-04:002022-07-06T11:09:22.662-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 8<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqY1xuE_l3ye4x6Z2lJmRmDJDPJf_goZR1f33j1Y1tpJ4FDJfl2B7mGqNfmFL8hyA4aRKpC_X9NmiDUsBG3zhzkg5HlPDh1EFdksZAXwJT3xsEcEX2MKCyT0cL8jd_Tu2M5Q3-rM3/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqY1xuE_l3ye4x6Z2lJmRmDJDPJf_goZR1f33j1Y1tpJ4FDJfl2B7mGqNfmFL8hyA4aRKpC_X9NmiDUsBG3zhzkg5HlPDh1EFdksZAXwJT3xsEcEX2MKCyT0cL8jd_Tu2M5Q3-rM3/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><b><div><b><br /></b></div>From Children of Israel to Sons of God</b><br /><br />The dealings of God with mankind are progressive. Even as the divine day begins in darkness and progresses to light, so too do we find that Yahweh’s revelation of Himself to man is with an ever increasing brightness. Yahweh has given us many things in the natural creation to provide insight into His dealings with mankind. One pattern we see is found in the progression of a human being from a baby, to a child, unto sonship, culminating eventually in the maturity of fatherhood.<br /><br />I want to explore with you at this time the evidence given in Scripture that the Law of Moses entrusted to the Levitical Priesthood was for men and women who were in their spiritual childhood. When Christ sent forth the Spirit to indwell mankind, the desire of God to bring a people past childhood into sonship was realized.<br /><br />Let us begin by examining the following Scriptures.<br /><br />Galatians 4:3-5<br />Even so we, <b><i>when we were children</i></b>, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fulness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the Law, <b><i>that we might receive the adoption as sons.</i></b><br /><br />These words of the apostle Paul reveal that there was a time appointed by God described as “the fulness of time.” This date set by the Father’s own counsel marked a profound change in Yahweh’s dealings with mankind. Those who were formerly “children” were “under the Law.” At the appointed time these children under the Law were “redeemed.”<br /><br />The Greek word translated as “redeem” in the passage above is <b><i>exagorazo</i></b>.<br /><br />Strong’s Concordance defines it in the following manner:<br /><br /><i>exagorazo; to buy up, i.e. ransom; figuratively, to rescue from loss...</i><br /><br />The root of this word is the Greek exago. It is defined as, “to lead forth.” The people of God, in their spiritual childhood, were kept under the Law until a time when Christ should lead them forth into the maturity of sons.<br /><br />Galatians 4:1-3, 3:23-25<br />Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father... Before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.<br /><br />The message of the apostle is made plain in these words. The Law acted as a guardian and tutor for spiritual children. The children of God were under the guard and stewardship of the Law “until the time appointed by the Father.” This steward brought us to Christ, “but after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” Christ came to exagorazo (redeem us, lead us out) from the Law that we might go on to maturity and receive the adoption as sons.<br /><br />In the previous chapters we looked at numerous declarations in the Scriptures stating that the Law made nothing perfect.<br /><br />Hebrews 7:18-19<br />For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing <b><i>perfect</i></b>...<br /><br />The word “perfect” is a translation of the Greek word teleios. One understanding of this word is “mature.” The Law made nothing mature. The Law could not bring men and women past spiritual childhood. The Levitical Priesthood was focused upon the Law of Moses. As such, the Levitical Priesthood was one of imperfection dealing with those who were spiritually immature.<br /><br />Hebrews 7:11-12<br />Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the Law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law.<br /><br />What is revealed in the words “if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood”? Paul is declaring that perfection (maturity) was not to be found in the Levitical priesthood “for under it the people received the Law. The Law made nothing perfect (mature).<br /><br />There is a very consistent testimony in all of these Scriptures we have been looking at. The Law fulfilled a very important part of Yahweh’s plan for mankind. It had a narrowly defined purpose, and was limited in scope, both in its capabilities and duration. Over and over we read that it was given UNTIL some specific time appointed by the Father; until the time of reformation; until faith should come; until the seed should be born, etc..<br /><br />In Christ the people of God are led out from the Law to enter into life in the Spirit. They are led out of childhood into a time of formation as sons that they might receive the adoption. The Law, and the Levitical Priesthood, had taken mankind as far as possible. It had guarded them while they were children. A new covenant and a new priesthood was required to take them on to spiritual maturity. The Levitical Priesthood was replaced with a new priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. Yahshua is the High Priest of this new order. He is the initiator of a new covenant of the Spirit.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Hebrews 7:14-19<br />For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. For He testifies: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." 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; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.<br /><br />People of God, can you understand that the pride of man, and the carnal nature, respond negatively to a change of priesthood? The natural descendants of Abraham were the sole stewards of the Old Covenant. Consider the passions and desires resident in the soul of man that would resist ever having this order changed. The Levites did not want to lose their unique role and call. Neither did the Jewish people, for they all considered themselves to be a holy people. A change of priesthood would alter their PLACE in this world.<br /><br />John 11:47-48<br />Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our PLACE and nation."<br /><br />It is a great failing of man that he is more concerned with his place in this world than he is intent upon seeing the will of Yahweh accomplished. Although the Levitical Priesthood could not take men beyond spiritual childhood, they did not want to relinquish their role when God determined to raise up a new priesthood to take men on to maturity.<br /><br />Many Christians are committing the same error today. They refuse to let go of the Old Covenant, even when they are shown clearly that it can make no man perfect. Why is this occurring?<br /><br />Many men are able to make a good showing in the flesh by proclaiming a continuance of the Law, but they fall short of the standard of those who would be priests according to a Melchizedek priesthood. They are not walking as Christ walked. They have not counted the cost of being Yahshua’s disciples and accepted it. They are willing to give God a tithe of their time and money, but not their entire lives. Wanting to be esteemed as spiritually mature, they are unwilling to enter the kingdom of God as children.<br /><br />The result is that the church continues to walk after the pattern of a Levitical Priesthood. Priests and parishioners, ministers and members, are all spiritual children. The body of Christ is composed of the immature and ruled over by spiritual children.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Isaiah 3:12<br />Childish leaders oppress my people, and women rule over them. O my people, your leaders mislead you; they send you down the wrong road.<br />[New Living Translation]<br /><br />Is it not revealing that the Law of Moses was delivered to “the CHILDREN of Israel”? The phrase “children of Israel” occurs more than 630 times in Scripture. Only in Christ are we able to move past spiritual childhood and on toward maturity as sons.<br /><br />Ephesians 4:11-15<br />And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, <b><i>to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children.</i></b>.., we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.<br /><br />Consider what is expressed in the following words of the apostle Paul:<br /><br />Galatians 4:1-7<br />Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.<br /><br />When we were spiritual children the Law was our guardian and tutor. We were heirs at that time, but treated no different than a slave. Not having the spirit and character of our Father formed in us, we were under an external master that told us what to do, and what not to do.<br /><br />When the time arrived, Yahweh sent forth His Son that He might become the firstborn among many brethren. Christ has sent forth His Spirit into our hearts that we might walk with God as sons. We have been redeemed from under the Law that we might walk in newness of the Spirit.<br /><br />Romans 7:4-6<br />Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another - to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God... 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.<br /><br />We were delivered (redeemed, led out) from the Law. We have been joined to Christ by His Spirit which was sent to indwell us. We are now to serve in newness of the Spirit, for it alone can lead us to maturity in Christ.<br /><br />It offends the religious mind to suggest that those who are in Christ are no longer under the Law. Why is this so? Partly because many who were making a good showing under the Law must admit that under the Law they are no more than spiritual children. A focus on the Law cannot bring any to perfection (maturity). Even the best who are under the guardianship of the Law have not progressed past childhood. It is galling to the natural man to admit that we are yet babes when those around us have considered us mature spiritual men.<br /><br />To lay aside the Law as the measure of their spirituality, many men and women will lose their PLACE in the same way that the Jewish religious leaders feared. Service as Levitical Priests focused upon the Law does not qualify men for service as priests of a new order.<br /><br />What a very difficult task it is to lead people out of the old order and into the new. Only the humble will be able to make the transition. Those who are unwilling to release the honor they have attained as “law-keepers” and “Torah Observers” will not be able to enter the new order.<br /><br />Consider the experience encountered by those who pass from one level of school to another in the public school systems of America. One might attain a place of respect, popularity and honor in elementary school, but passing on to Middle School they have to begin all over. Similarly those passing from Middle School to High School fall from the top of the ranks to the entry levels. One can be a BMOC (Big Man on Campus) in their senior year of High School, but passing on to the university level they find that they are once more considered an “underclassman,” a “pleb.”<br /><br />How hard it is for those who have embraced the Law to depart from it to begin anew. Having mastered the roles of childhood, they are reluctant to pass on to higher things where they must begin at the lowest levels once more. The way to advancement with Christ is always the path of humility. The more humble a man or woman is, the further they will advance in the kingdom of God.<br /><br /><div><span>Oh the depths of the wisdom of God. He has so designed things that a man must manifest His character to make any advancement. Knowledge alone will not suffice. A good showing in the flesh is not enough. We must ever sink lower to be exalted. We must admit we are children in order to pass on to maturity.</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Parables Blog:</span> <a href="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/">www.parablesblog.blogspot.com</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
Joseph Herrin<br />
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Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-38037360189969680822022-07-04T12:14:00.000-04:002022-07-04T12:14:03.927-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 7<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwM9pxaWUdMlcCOOJKKgsHqtnWxsGkPRQe1meAzvwINrp5j_Yd1TwIM1IZWqlNrISwkF1LgMT4oRnceDBZSVAD_TzYKJfkS8XHwF93-pk9RA_I3_karubnCX_bA8ts4o2NGfP6nvAj/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwM9pxaWUdMlcCOOJKKgsHqtnWxsGkPRQe1meAzvwINrp5j_Yd1TwIM1IZWqlNrISwkF1LgMT4oRnceDBZSVAD_TzYKJfkS8XHwF93-pk9RA_I3_karubnCX_bA8ts4o2NGfP6nvAj/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><b><div><br /></div>Be Ye Perfect</b><br /><br />The Law of Moses does not contain the full substance of the mind, character, and will of the Father. These things are comprehended only by the Spirit.<br /><br />I Corinthians 2:10-12<br />For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. .. Now we have received... the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.<br /><br />The Law was given by God to His people UNTIL that which is perfect should come. The Law was an interim measure that fulfilled the purposes of God. The Law revealed to men their lack of spiritual life. It showed men their need of a Savior. Through its types and shadows it pointed to the redemptive work of Christ. The Law was not the redemptive work itself. It was not a means to attain righteousness, and it did not fully disclose the will of the Father. The Law could not make men perfect.<br /><br />Hebrews 7:18-19<br />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; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.<br /><br />In the previous chapter I gave an example of one area of the Old Testament Law, revealing it to be a shadow of life in Christ. This area was tithing. The Law required that men give to Yahweh a tithe of all their increase. In Christ, men are brought to give to Yahweh EVERYTHING.<br /><br />Luke 14:33<br />‘So, then, every one of you who doth not take leave of all that he himself hath, is not able to be my disciple.’<br />[Young’s Literal Translation]<br /><br />I Corinthians 6:19-20<br />Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price...<br /><br />Romans 14:7-9<br />For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.<br /><br />Christ’s life, death and resurrection accomplished the desire of the Father. Through Christ, Yahweh obtained for Himself a people who would fully become His possession. This possession is not in part, as under the Law of Moses, but in whole. A man could be partaker of the Mosaic Covenant and give to God a tithe, but no man can be Christ’s disciple apart from giving up all he possesses.<br /><br />Consider this pattern of shadow and substance in another Law, that of Sabbath rest. The Law of Moses required all of God’s people to rest one day of the week, and to perform no laborious work in it. The substance that the Christian is called to walk in is far more substantial. The substance of Sabbath rest is realized as a man ceases entirely from all works that arise from his soul.<br /><br />Hebrews 4:10-11<br />For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest...<br /><br />This Sabbath rest was first revealed to the world through the life of Yahshua. No man prior to Christ ever walked in the substance of Sabbath rest. Yahshua demonstrated true Sabbath rest in the following words:<br /><br />John 5:30<br />"<b><i>I can do NOTHING on My own initiative</i></b>. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because <b><i>I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me</i></b>.”<br /><br />John 8:28-29<br />So Yahshua said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and <b><i>I do NOTHING on My own initiative</i></b>, but I speak these things as the Father instructed Me. And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for <b><i>I ALWAYS do the things that are pleasing to Him</i></b>."<br /><br />Christ had entered so fully into the will of His Father that there was no action in His life that was initiated from within His own soul. He did not even speak a word of His own initiative. He only spoke those things the Father commanded Him to speak.<br /><br />People of God, this is the difference between the shadow of the Law and the substance found in Christ. The Law truly made nothing perfect, but in Christ perfection is attained.<br /><br />There are many believers today who have written to me to declare how very zealous they are for observing the shadow of the Sabbath as found in the Law. My heart is burdened for them, knowing that as long as they focus on shadows they will never attain to the perfect will of God. Indeed, keeping the shadow affords them a sense of self-righteousness as they measure themselves against what was commanded by Moses. Their self-satisfaction keeps them from any serious consideration that there is anything more Yahweh would require of them. They fall far short of giving to Yahweh their entire lives, seven days a week, while testifying that they are pleasing to Him as they observe the shadows found in the Old Covenant. Most who are Sabbath Keepers have not comprehended that the Laws pertaining to Sabbath were given to lead men to the substance that is found in Christ.<br /><br />Colossians 2:16-18<br />So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or <b><i>sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.</i></b><br /><br />The Father desires that men and women enter into that fulness of rest found in the life of Messiah. He wants His people to come to an end of all works that arise from their own souls. Yahweh wants His people to be able to declare with Christ, “I never (Not on Sabbath only) do anything of My own initiative. I always do the will of the Father.” Only this constitutes perfection. Only this rises to the fulness of the stature of Christ.<br /><br />The Scriptures testify that God is at work in the saints to conform them to the image of Christ. We are to live as He lived. Yahshua’s testimony is to become our testimony. The apostle Paul comprehended this, and stated it plainly.<br /><br />Galatians 2:20<br />I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me...<br /><br />Yahshua testified that the Law did not bring men to perfection. He stated that men must go beyond the Law to attain to the righteousness of His Father. We have observed this already in the tithe and in regard to Sabbath rest. Let us look now at some other Laws.<br /><br />Matthew 5:21-22<br />"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.”<br /><br />The command to not commit murder is found in the ten commandments. Has a man attained to the righteousness of God if he refrains from murdering another? Absolutely not. Yahweh judges the heart. Do you harbor unforgiveness, or secret hatred, or envy, or jealousy, toward a brother? If so, you have violated the righteousness of God.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Psalms 51:6, 10<br />Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom... Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.<br /><br />Christ demonstrated a harmony between the outward action and the inner heart condition. He was truly the Lamb without spot or blemish. He was and is altogether beautiful and without defect. His heart is pure. He desires that our inner life be perfect and that it accord with our outward actions. After revealing that the righteousness of God goes beyond the letter of the Law in its prohibition against murder, Christ passes on to other Laws.<br /><br />Matthew 5:27-28<br />“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.”<br /><br />Matthew 5:31-32<br />“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.”<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Matthew 5:38-42<br />“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.”<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Matthew 5:43-45<br />“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... <b><i>THEREFORE YOU SHALL BE PERFECT, JUST AS YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN IS PERFECT</i></b>.”<br /><br />Observe how Christ goes beyond the shadow of the Law in every instance. He reveals that the righteousness of God is much fuller, richer, and substantial. What is extremely revelatory is how Yahshua closes this subject. He declares that we are to be PERFECT as our heavenly Father is PERFECT.<br /><br />In these words Yahshua reveals that keeping the letter of the Law will not make any man perfect. Man must go beyond the shadow of God’s righteousness contained in the Law, and enter into the fulness to be realized as we become partakers of the divine nature.<br /><br />You who want to be under the Law, do you not perceive that the Law is an imperfect revelation of our heavenly Father? If it is the Law which guides you, you will fall short of attaining to the perfection found only in Christ.<br /><br />Not only is the Law weak and deficient in revealing the righteousness of God, it is also inadequate to reveal the WILL of God for His people. The Law speaks in generalities, but the Spirit guides men with great specificity. The Law could not reveal to Christ that the Father would have Him begin His ministry by fasting for forty days in the wilderness, but the Spirit was quite adequate to do so. The Law could not disclose to Yahshua the twelve men who were to be His closest disciples, yet the Father had in mind specific individuals.<br /><br />John 17:6-7<br />“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.”<br /><br />Christ did not choose men of His own initiative to be His disciples. He looked to the Father to know who were the ones the Father had selected. Yahweh is the source and originator of all things. Christ’s head is God (I Corinthians 11). Yahshua was always careful to do that which He saw His Father doing.<br /><br />The Law is inadequate as a guide to reveal to the saints the will of Yahweh. The Law was given as an <b><i>imperfect</i></b>, yet necessary, guide to men until the Spirit of God should be given to indwell them. Since that time all those who are “in Christ” have been called to be led of the Spirit to discover the will of the Father for them.<br /><br />Romans 8:14<br />For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Galatians 5:18<br />But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Galatians 5:25<br />If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.<br /><br />Those Christians who have adopted the Law, or some moral code specific to their church or denomination, as their guide for living will fail to look to the Spirit to guide their steps. The reality of life among the majority of Christians today is that they are guided by the moral code they have adopted. It is an exceptional event for them to be guided by the Spirit. Consequently, the body of Christ remains immature, fleshly, and nothing is brought to perfection.<br /><br />Surrendering to be led of the Spirit is a frightening prospect to the soul of man. The Law permits men to maintain a degree of control over their lives. They may give to God a tithe of their time and money, but the rest is at their own disposal. Not so for those who walk after the pattern of Christ. They must go wherever the Spirit leads and do whatever the Spirit commands. Their lives are not their own. There will certainly be many experiences the Spirit leads them to that their soul would not have chosen.<br /><br />In Gethsemane Christ stated, “My soul is crushed as unto death.” It was the Spirit, not the Law, that directed Yahshua to Gethsemane and the cross of Calvary. All who surrender to be led of the Spirit will be led to a cross. It is the ONLY pathway to the perfection Yahweh desires for His sons. Christ was perfected through suffering, and so too must we be perfected. This is why Christ told the rich young ruler, “If you would be perfect, take up your cross and follow Me.”<br /><br /><div><span>As Christ was led of the Spirit, so too must be His disciples. As He took up His cross at the direction of the Spirit of God, so too must we. Clinging to the Law, men are able to make a good showing in the flesh while avoiding the suffering of the cross. This may seem like a good bargain in this age, but in the age to come there will be weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth among all who have fallen short of the perfect will of the Father.</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Parables Blog:</span> <a href="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/">www.parablesblog.blogspot.com</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
Joseph Herrin<br />
P.O. Box 804<br />
Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-25196473028788001432022-07-01T10:07:00.000-04:002022-07-01T10:07:03.708-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 6<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5CdWowUka72btSB59yrPHt1K3czsiVMf94P0iYLlT6kt_Cut6SZmnIsC1GFsxZqBjeRddRtHzDmp-VRq-a-3t3GMpsVgoYqDbU7zvI1Q1PT8R9oFSXqO7tvH-ky6whPhyphenhyphenkH3B1C7/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5CdWowUka72btSB59yrPHt1K3czsiVMf94P0iYLlT6kt_Cut6SZmnIsC1GFsxZqBjeRddRtHzDmp-VRq-a-3t3GMpsVgoYqDbU7zvI1Q1PT8R9oFSXqO7tvH-ky6whPhyphenhyphenkH3B1C7/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><b><br /></b><b>The Moral Law - A Shadow of Things to Come</b><br /><b><br /></b>Many have set forth the argument that the ceremonial Law, and the Law of offerings and sacrifices, have been set aside for those who are in Christ, but the moral Law still holds sway over the life of an individual. They teach that the moral Law still is to serve as the believer’s code of conduct and a guide for righteous living. That the apostles and church fathers had the moral portions of the Law in mind when they declared the Christian to have died to the Law is evident in the Scriptures, and will be revealed to all who will rightly divide the word of God. Consider the following passage from Paul’s writings.<br /><br />Romans 7:6-7<br />But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET."<br /><br />To those who argue that Paul was merely setting aside the Talmudic additions to the Law, let them consider Paul’s arguments in this chapter of Romans. Where do we find the command “You shall not covet”? It is in the Law of Moses, in that very pronounced subset which is referred to as the ten commandments.<br /><br />Exodus 20:17<br />"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."<br /><br />People of God, the command to not covet most certainly belongs to that division of the Law that some have described as the moral Law. What does Paul say in regard to it? “But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.”<br /><br />A number of things are to be observed in this statement. The Spirit has supplanted the role of the Law. The Spirit of Christ is that which is far fuller, more substantial, powerful, and capable than the Law delivered to Moses. The Spirit not only is able to reveal to the sons of God the will of the Father IN ALL THINGS, but it is able to impart the divine life needed to obey.<br /><br />A second thing to observe in these words is that we are to continue to serve Yahweh. Being freed from the Law we are to enter into a fuller service to God. This service is not to continue under “the oldness of the letter.” Paul testifies that we have died to that manner of living. Rather, this service is in the newness of the Spirit.<br /><br />Galatians 5:18<br />But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.<br /><br />In sharing with the saints of God over the course of many years that those who are in Christ are no longer under the Law, including the moral Law, many emotional arguments have been raised. One of the common arguments is to ask, “So, do you believe it is now okay to commit murder, or to commit adultery, or to steal?” Others will ask, “So, what part of the moral Law do you want to violate?”<br /><br />People of God, such arguments have failed to comprehend that which the scriptures are teaching. They are not promoting lawlessness. They are declaring that there is a far more excellent way to discern the mind and will of Yahweh than through the Law. The Law was weak, and it contained only a shadow of the will of God. The Spirit is able to reveal the will of God in fulness.<br /><br />I do not desire to walk lawlessly. I desire to know the will of the Father and to do it. The Law cannot disclose the Father’s will with the same precision and fulness as that of the indwelling Spirit of Christ. Remember, Moses brought men under the rule of Yahweh by establishing the covenant of Law. Christ brings men under the rule of the Father to a far surpassing degree. His life establishes the pattern to be lived by all those who are born of His seed.<br /><br />Yahshua was not guided by the Law. He was guided by the Spirit and He perfectly fulfilled the will and pleasure of the Father. From the moment the Spirit descended upon Him at the Jordan in the form of a dove, we read of Christ’s life being directed by the Holy Spirit.<br /><br />Mark 1:9-13<br />It came to pass in those days that Yahshua came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.<br /><br />It was the Father’s will for His Son to begin His earthly ministry by fasting for forty days, dwelling in the wilderness, and being tempted of the devil. Christ did not arrive at this knowledge of the will of His Father through the Law. Christ revealed the pattern of His life in the following words:<br /><br />John 5:19-20<br />Therefore Yahshua answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.”<br /><br />How is it that the Father disclosed what He was doing to the Son? It was through the Spirit.<br /><br />I Corinthians 2:11-13<br />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, 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.<br /><br />I want to share with you here one of the most tragic consequences of looking to the Law as a guide for righteous living. Because the Law contains only a shadow of the will of the Father, and not the full substance of His will, those who are guided by the Law will fail to discover and walk in all that the Father has appointed for their lives. Those areas of the Father’s will they are most likely to fail to enter into are one’s in which the saint would experience suffering and persecution.<br /><br />Let us look to Christ once more as a pattern. It was the Spirit that directed Yahshua to heal on the Sabbath day. Although the Law did not strictly forbid healing on the Sabbath, neither did it say that one must heal on the Sabbath if an opportunity presented itself. Yahshua understood that if He healed on the Sabbath, the Jewish religious leaders would condemn Him and eventually seek to take His life. If He were guided by the Law He might have reasoned, “I can wait until the Sabbath is over to heal the people. They will still be healed, and I will avoid condemnation and persecution.”<br /><br />This however, is not how Christ formed His decisions. He was careful to do whatever He saw the Father doing, and He saw the Father healing certain people on the Sabbath day. If Yahshua was to accomplish all the Father’s will, He had to be submitted to do all that the Spirit revealed to Him. Observe how this topic of persecution ties into the passage we read previously.<br /><br />John 5:16-19<br />For this reason the Jews were persecuting Yahshua, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. But He answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working." For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. Therefore Yahshua answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.”<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br /><br />Yahshua saw the Father healing on the Sabbath. Therefore, He healed on the Sabbath. This submission to the leading of the Spirit resulted in Christ’s persecution. If Yahshua were directed by Law He could easily have waited and healed on the next day and avoided persecution. Many Christians today who are directed by the Law, or look to some Christian moral code as their source of direction in life, are continually making similar decisions. They avoid persecution and suffering by living by a code of conduct. They are freed from a life directed by the Spirit. The Christian’s mind becomes that which directs them, choosing the best manner to apply the Law to their circumstances.<br /><br />People of God, let me state to you plainly, in order to be conformed to the image of Christ you must live by the Spirit. The Spirit will ALWAYS lead the sons and daughters of Yahweh to experiences where those around them will condemn them, scorn them, and persecute them. The Spirit will ALWAYS direct the saints to an afflicted path that leads to life, and few there are who find it.<br /><br />I know of no greater deceit today among the people of God than that which clings to the Law with passionate arguments of wanting to do the Father’s will. Embracing the Law provides an excuse to avoid suffering while maintaining an appearance of righteousness. It sunders the Christian from submission to the Spirit of Christ with the result being that the disciple’s cross is avoided.<br /><br />This is the reason that Satan works so tirelessly to sow confusion among the body of Christ in relation to the role of the Law. Satan knows that the Law makes nothing perfect, but life in the Spirit brings forth mature sons and daughters. Satan does not want to see Christ fully formed in men, so he leads them away from the one path that can produce saints who have attained to the fulness of the stature of Christ.<br /><br />If one walks by the Spirit they must go wherever the Spirit leads them to go, and do whatever the Spirit directs them to do. The same Spirit that led Yahshua to heal on the Sabbath and to confront the sin and corruption of the Jewish religious system, will lead disciples today to works and words that will result in their persecution.<br /><br />Galatians 6:12<br />As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.<br /><br />Do you perceive what Paul is stating here? The Law allows men and women to make a good showing in the flesh while avoiding the persecution of the cross. Let me give you an example to illustrate this.<br /><br />The Law tells a man that he is to give the firstfruits of his increase to Yahweh. He is free to do with the remainder whatever his soul desires as long as he does not violate the righteousness found in the Law. This is a shadow of the will of God, but not the full substance. The substance is realized in Christ.<br /><br />Luke 14:33<br />"So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up <b><i>all</i></b> his own possessions.”<br /><br />Christ brings in the fulness of the Father’s will for mankind. <b><i>Everything</i></b> that a man possesses is to be surrendered to the Father to be used as He directs. Those who live by a Law of righteousness make a good showing in the flesh by giving to the Father a tithe of their increase. Those who walk by the Spirit must surrender to the Father EVERYTHING.<br /><br />Luke 14:33<br /> ‘So, then, every one of you who doth not take leave of all that he himself hath, is not able to be my disciple.’<br />[Young’s Literal Translation]<br /><br />There was a rich young ruler who kept the Law of Moses. He was outwardly of a very godly character. To borrow Paul’s description, he made a good showing in the flesh. I do not doubt the sincerity of this man. I do not believe he was a hypocrite, or a play actor. He wanted to be found approved by the God of Israel. This young ruler came to Messiah and asked the following:<br /><br />Matthew 19:16<br />"Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"<br /><br />Yahshua answered him by citing a number of the ten commandments. The young ruler assured Yahshua that he had kept all these things. He then said, “What more do I lack.”<br /><br />Observe closely the response of Christ. He does not tell the young ruler that he is perfect for having kept the commandments, for the Law makes nothing perfect. Instead, Christ replies:<br /><br />Matthew 19:21<br />"If you want to be <b><i>perfect</i></b>, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and <b><i>come, follow Me</i></b>."<br /><br />This encounter with the rich young ruler is recorded in three of the gospels. Mark presents these last words of Christ to the ruler in this manner.<br /><br />Mark 10:21<br />Then Yahshua, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and <b><i>come, take up the cross, and follow Me</i></b>."<br /><br />In each telling of this encounter, the writer reveals that Christ told the young man who had kept the Law that he still was lacking. Christ said, “IF YOU WANT TO BE PERFECT” there is something further you must do. The word translated as “perfect” here is the Greek word “teleios.” It means, “perfect, entire, lacking in nothing.” To become “teleios” Christ told the young man that he must go beyond the Law, and “take up the cross and follow Me.”<br /><br />How does one follow Christ? They receive the Spirit of Christ and surrender to be guided by it in all things in the same way that Yahshua did. The Spirit will lead all men to a cross. Those who are guided by the Law are able to make a good showing in the flesh while avoiding the cross.<br /><br />Those of you who read this writing, I declare to you that if you cling to the Law as your guide for living, you will be able to make a good showing in the flesh. Men will applaud you for your righteous appearance, but you will fall short of becoming “perfect, entire and lacking in nothing.” If you surrender to be led of the Spirit in all things, you too may be required to sell all that you have, and distribute it to the poor.”<br /><br />Men will not applaud you for this. Family members will tell you that you are misguided. Religious people, and lovers of money, will tell you that you need to hold onto your possessions that the world might see that obedience to God results in prosperity. Yet, Christ, speaking through the inspiration of the Spirit of His Father revealed this to be the will of God for this young man. If he would be perfect, he must go beyond the Law to a life fully surrendered to the Spirit.<br /><br />Christ declares that this is a cost that ALL disciples must accept. Everything you possess must be yielded to the Spirit to be used as He directs.<br /><br />Consider now why the Law is so attractive to men and women today. Embracing the Law delivers them from suffering while permitting them to make a good showing in the flesh.<br /><br />Those who are concerned that my teaching in this series will lead to lawlessness, now know the truth. It is an adherence to the Law that leads one away from full submission to the will of God and prevents men from coming to spiritual maturity.<br /><br />I ask you to consider this matter in your own life. Is it not easier for you to give Yahweh a tithe of your increase than to submit all you possess to Him for His disposal? Does it not strike fear into your heart to consider what a full surrender to the Spirit in this realm might result in?<br /><br />If you have embraced the Law as your guide, you can console yourself with the thought that you have done well in giving to God a tithe. You can avoid asking God if He would have you to give everything. If this is your experience, the Law has severed you from the Spirit of Christ. The Law has usurped the role of the Spirit as Yahweh’s voice to disclose His full and perfect will to you.<br /><br />Galatians 5:4<br />You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law...<br /><br />Is not the fear of suffering a powerful motivator? Many, not discerning the dynamics of the attraction of the Law to the soul of man are finding themselves staunchly defending the Law’s continuance. They declare that they are defending righteousness and fighting on behalf of Yahweh, but in truth they are falling short of entering into a full submission to His will. The consequences in their lives will be tragic. They will fall short of attaining the full stature of Christ. Perfection is not found in the Law.<br /><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Parables Blog:</span> <a href="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/">www.parablesblog.blogspot.com</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
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Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-2530917446133547192022-06-29T08:51:00.002-04:002022-06-29T08:51:56.565-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 5<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHuLKGLBAB_40_tI8hMi3UduQBEtYXzDh6O3uMIWj10RHZXccyM0kOdn0W6kwTXT0JNC_B5fc5dUx2thDbpQZcQvOTqdvp1iC4Uu0yPUllwAe9_BdMts6ofP2dMrEnJVU_-Nh_LKV/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHuLKGLBAB_40_tI8hMi3UduQBEtYXzDh6O3uMIWj10RHZXccyM0kOdn0W6kwTXT0JNC_B5fc5dUx2thDbpQZcQvOTqdvp1iC4Uu0yPUllwAe9_BdMts6ofP2dMrEnJVU_-Nh_LKV/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><b><br /></b><b>The Deficiency of the Law</b><br /><br />It offends some who revere the Law to see it described as deficient. Yet this is the testimony of the Scriptures. The Law was a shadow. Shadows lack substance. The Law could make nothing perfect. The Law could not impart divine life. The Law could not permanently take away sins through its sacrifices and offerings. The Law could make no man righteous. The Law could point to the perfect work of Christ through its types and shadows of the Tabernacle, the offerings, feast days, and washings, but it was not the very substance and realization of these things. Christ in every way has surpassed the Law and brought His people to something better.<br /><br />Hebrews 10:1<br />For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.<br /><br />Hebrews 7:18-19<br />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; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.<br /><br />Acts 13:39-40<br />By Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.<br /><br />Romans 8:3<br />For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son...<br /><br />Galatians 4:9-10<br />But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years.<br /><br />Hebrews 8:7-8<br />For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant...”<br /><br />Hebrews 9:9-10<br />It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience - concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.<br /><br />What is the accumulated message of all these passages? It is that the Law was a weak and deficient work instituted until that which is perfect should come.<br /><br />Let us look at the specific deficiencies of the Law. Many who are espousing the continuance of the Law today like to divide the Law into various parts that they might declare that one part has ended, while another part continues. Although this distinction is never made by the apostles when they speak of the Law, I think it may be of benefit to address the Law by its various parts in order to demonstrate that whether one is speaking of the ceremonial Law, the Laws of sacrifices and offerings, or the moral Law, all are weak and deficient. All have been supplanted by something far superior.<br /><br />Consider again the Father’s wider plan for mankind as we begin this examination. Yahweh desires sons in His own image, who are partakers of His own nature. When the Law was given, mankind lacked this inner spiritual life. It would be another 1500 years until a Savior would come who would accomplish the will of Yahweh. Sin would be atoned for. The certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us would be nailed to the cross of Christ. The way would be opened for union with the Father.<br /><br />The Spirit would be given to indwell mankind. Men would receive a new spirit and a new heart. Until that time arrived, it seemed good to the Father to provide man a testimony of the things that lay ahead, and a means to show mankind their sinful condition and need of a Savior.<br /><br />Galatians 3:24-25<br />Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.<br /><br />In the ceremonial parts of the Law, including Feast days and Sabbaths, washings and offerings, the manifold plan of God for the reformation of man was revealed. In the sacrifices of the Law we see the principle of atonement, of the soul of one creature serving as a substitute for the life of another. The Scriptures declare, “The soul that sins must die,” but Yahweh permitted another soul to die in our place. Bulls, goats and other animals were a type and shadow of that perfect sacrifice to be realized in Christ. In the moral Law we see a shadow of the righteousness, justice, holiness, and will of Yahweh. Yet it too is imperfect, and something much fuller is to be found in Christ.<br /><br /><b>The Ceremonial Law and Offerings</b><br /><br />Colossians 2:16-17<br />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.<br /><br />Most Christians perceive that the ceremonial parts of the Law served as shadows of things to come. For example, Yahweh delivered through Moses instructions for the children of Israel to annually observe three major feasts, which in their several parts break down to seven individual events. The first of these feasts is Passover.<br /><br />The first Passover was observed just prior to Israel’s departure from slavery in Egypt. For a period of five days each family was to take a spotless lamb into their homes (from the 10th to the 14th of the first month). On the 14th day of the month they were all to slay the lamb, and place some of the blood on the doorposts and lintel of their homes. They were commanded to roast and eat the lamb, leaving nothing over until the next day. There were other associated rituals such as removing all leaven from the home for a period of seven days leading up to the night of Passover, eating the lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and standing dressed and fully ready with staff in hand to depart (Exodus 12). Every detail is symbolic, and points to some work fulfilled in Christ.<br /><br />When Christ was born of a virgin, lived among mankind, and completed the work the Father gave Him to do, the substance of Passover was realized. For a period of time all Israel had the Lamb of God to dwell among them. They beheld His form and observed Him to be spotless and without blemish. Pilate examined Him and testified, “I find no fault in Him.”<br /><br />On the Passover the Jews crucified the Son of God, and spoke the words, “Let His blood be upon us and upon our children.” It was a bitter experience as the Bread of Life was broken. Yet those who receive His sacrifice in faith as an atonement for sin are passed over by death. They are invited to eat the Lamb of God, for His flesh is true meat, and His blood is true drink. These words are Spirit and they are life, indicating that we are to receive every part of Christ, not just that which is attractive to the appetites of man. We are to receive Him into our being. We are then to be ready to immediately depart from a worldly life of slavery to sin and follow Yahweh as He leads us through wilderness experiences on the way to the land of our inheritance.<br /><br />There may be some groups who profess to be Christian who slay a lamb every Passover and eat it with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. (Most who observe Passover buy their lamb at the grocery store.) Some may even take some of the blood and put it on their doorways. However, such re-enactments of the shadow of Christ’s atoning work are no longer required. The substance has surpassed the shadow contained in the Law. Yahweh will no longer have regard for the blood of a lamb, for He has accepted the perfect offering of the blood of His Son. The blood is never to be offered again.<br /><br />Hebrews 10:1-9<br />For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.... For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "<b><i>Sacrifice and offering You did not desire</i></b>, but a body You have prepared for Me. <b><i>In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure.</i></b> Then I said, <b><i>'Behold, I have come - in the volume of the book it is written of Me - to do Your will, O God.'</i></b>" Previously saying, <b><i>"Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them"</i></b>(which are offered according to the law), then He said, <b><i>"Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." <u>He takes away the first that He may establish the second.</u></i></b><br /><br />There are a number of ways in which to understand these words, “He takes away the first that He may establish the second.” Certainly they imply that the offering of Christ has replaced the sacrifices and offerings of the Law. On another level these words reveal the desire of the Father that was accomplished through Christ. Yahweh has desired obedience from man, and not sacrifice.<br /><br />I Samuel 15:22<br />So Samuel said: “Has Yahweh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Yahweh? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.”<br /><br />Look at the repetition of the words of Christ in the above passage from Hebrews. “Behold, I have come... to do Your will, O God.” This is what Christ accomplished for the Father. Before man received the indwelling Spirit of Christ they could not attain to the righteousness of God. The will might be present, but the power to accomplish it was not. The result was disobedience followed by sacrifices and offerings for sin. Christ came to bring an end to sacrifices, and to establish obedience in the lives of God’s people. <b><i>He takes away the first that He may establish the second.</i></b><br /><br />Yahweh was never satisfied by the offerings and sacrifices of men. He permitted them UNTIL the one perfect sacrifice should be offered on behalf of men, and obedience established in those who had received a new nature.<br /><br />Amos 5:21-24<br />I hate, I despise your feast days, and I do not savor your sacred assemblies. Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs, for I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.<br /><br />Yahweh has always desired righteousness and obedience. Sacrifices and festivals are not an acceptable substitute for these. Christ takes away one to establish the other.<br /><br />I receive correspondence from people who tell me with great excitement that the Temple in Jerusalem is about to be rebuilt, the priesthood and Sanhedrin restored, and sacrifices once more offered. It is folly to believe any of these things are being accomplished by the will of Yahweh. He abolished these things when He sent His Son. The shadows have been replaced with the substance found in Christ.<br />If some are inclined to continue to commemorate Feast Days, and Sabbaths, I do not condemn them. It is error, however, to declare that such things are required of Yahweh for Christians today. They are not. This the apostle Paul made clear in the passage already cited.<br /><br />Colossians 2:16-17<br />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.<br /><br />If I have entered into the substance of the will of the Father, then none are able to accuse me as a transgressor. The truth is that a great many are keeping the shadows of these things, but they have yet to enter into the substance. These are the ones who will incur condemnation.<br /><br />Many are the saints who observe the Sabbath day by ceasing from physical labor, yet they have not entered into the spiritual substance that this shadow pointed to. Paul defines Sabbath rest in the following manner:<br /><br />Hebrews 4:10<br />For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.<br /><br />The substance of Sabbath rest is entered when a man ceases from works that arise from his own soul and begins to live a life submitted to the Spirit of God. It is that which Christ declared of Himself when He stated, “I never do anything of My own initiative. I only do the will of the Father.”<br /><br />You may observe Sabbath days, but if your life is still under the direction of your own soul, you have not entered into Sabbath rest and you are not yet pleasing to the Father. Christ came that men might enter into the fulness of the desire of Yahweh for them. The shadow had men ceasing from their labors one day a week. The substance directs and empowers men to cease from their self-directed labors every day that they might live to do the will of the Father.<br /><br />Some have written to me over the years concerning the Scripture in Zechariah that speaks of the Feast of Tabernacles being continued during the millennial rule of Christ.<br /><br />Zechariah 14:16-17<br />And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, Yahweh of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Yahweh of hosts, on them there will be no rain.<br /><br />A principle is found throughout the New Testament revealing that when the substance has come, the shadow is done away. The earth has seen the fulfillment of the first two major feasts of Yahweh, Passover and Pentecost. Tabernacles is yet to be fulfilled. Christ fulfilled Passover when He was crucified as the Lamb of God. Pentecost was fulfilled fifty days later when the Holy Spirit was given to the body of Christ. Tabernacles has not yet been fulfilled. Therefore, it is the only feast mentioned in this passage from Zechariah.<br /><br />Tabernacles symbolizes God and man dwelling together in fulness. At this time we have been sealed with the Spirit of promise, but we have not yet received the Spirit without measure.<br /><br />Ephesians 1:13-14<br />In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.<br /><br />Just prior to the Millennial reign of Christ a group of firstfruit sons will be resurrected to glory. These will rule and reign with Christ for the thousand years. These will be the first to experience the substance of Tabernacles.<br /><br />Revelation 20:5-6<br />This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.<br /><br />All those who were passed over, being judged as unready, having failed to have come to maturity at this first harvest of men, will have to await the thousand years end before the next resurrection.<br /><br />Revelation 20:5<br />But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.<br /><br />Those who rule with Christ during this period will have experienced Tabernacles, while those nations they rule over have not. To ever keep in mind the will of Yahweh for the nations, they will be required to keep the Feast of Tabernacles annually. The nations are not required to observe Passover and Pentecost, for these have already been fulfilled in Messiah.<br /><br />In the next chapter we will examine the deficiency of the moral Law delivered to Moses.<br /><div><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
Joseph Herrin<br />
P.O. Box 804<br />
Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-74594596016220008232022-06-27T10:19:00.003-04:002022-06-27T10:25:22.796-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 4<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjnX46w00rMDWGDSUh6PWoAJIYRDsGavSjVX1GfsIW5KztLRZFka3MMg7NRRYzZabBp2EJpG92bGqfrgvlnbDG7FvNHm41sCxDlEoTdd0hKUVzHPifWIzD9AyMyEpMr3vkj4MPYVhd/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjnX46w00rMDWGDSUh6PWoAJIYRDsGavSjVX1GfsIW5KztLRZFka3MMg7NRRYzZabBp2EJpG92bGqfrgvlnbDG7FvNHm41sCxDlEoTdd0hKUVzHPifWIzD9AyMyEpMr3vkj4MPYVhd/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><b><div><b><br /></b></div>A New Spirit</b><br /><br />I will continue to lay a foundation of understanding, before proceeding to address specific arguments that advocate the continuance of the Law. Rightly dividing the word of God will be much easier for those who first have gained an understanding of the role of the Law in Yahweh’s plan of the ages.<br /><br />Proverbs 14:6<br />Knowledge comes easily to those with understanding.<br /><br />It has been Yahweh’s desire from the beginning of man’s creation to bring forth beings in His image and likeness. Yahweh desires to have mature sons who are partakers of the divine nature.<br /><br />II Peter 1:3-4<br />His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be <b><i>partakers of the divine nature</i></b>, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.<br /><br />It was never the Father’s vision to perpetually restrain carnal, sinful men with an external Law. Even as the Biblical day begins in darkness and progresses to light, so too it has been the Father’s will for men, who were born in a spiritually darkened condition, to experience the dawning of His own divine nature within them.<br /><br />Ephesians 5:8<br />For you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light.<br /><br />Christians, not understanding or reckoning on the radical changes that occur in a life when the Spirit of Christ causes a man or woman to be born again, often continue on as if they are still sinful creatures that must be restrained by Law. They are like a bankrupt pauper who is suddenly given a vast fortune. Not really believing he can draw on the wealth now held in bank accounts in his name, he continues to live in poverty. His life continues on as if nothing substantial has occurred.<br /><br />In a similar way, many Christians do not reckon on the truth that Christ working in them has set them free from the power of sin. They continue to see themselves as slaves to sin. The focus in a great many churches today is upon Christ’s atoning work. Forgiveness of sins is proclaimed with near exclusivity. That Christ has gone far beyond this and set men free from their slavery to sin, and has given them a new spirit and a new heart, is seldom proclaimed, or understood.<br /><br />What God has done for man through Christ is revealed in type through the experiences of Israel under Moses. For centuries the descendants of Abraham had been slaves in Egypt. This stands as a type and shadow of mankind being slaves to sin while living in this world. The Israelites had over them cruel taskmasters. Similarly, sin is a cruel taskmaster. It drives men to actions that they would not otherwise do. Men who were created to be the image and likeness of God find themselves compelled to do the very things their conscience condemns.<br /><br />Romans 7:15-24<br />For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do... For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me... I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into <b><i>captivity</i></b> to the law of sin which is in my members.<br /><br />Sin is a cruel taskmaster. Like Pharaoh, it enslaves men, refusing to let them go. As often as an Adamic man may tell sin to relinquish its hold and let him depart to go worship God, it will refuse. Sin’s power cannot be broken by any human effort (Consider Moses’ failure to deliver his people at the age of forty). This leaves all men in that state of misery described of those Israelites who were in bondage in Egypt. They were groaning and crying out due to their harsh servitude. Similarly, the apostle Paul exclaims:<br /><br />Romans 7:24<br />O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?<br /><br />The answer comes in his very next words.<br /><br />Romans 7:25<br />I thank God - (He has) - through Yahshua Christ our Lord!<br /><br />This deliverance from sin’s slavery is signified in the historical account of Israel’s departure from Egypt. On the night they departed and gained their freedom, every household of Israel took the blood of a lamb and put it on the doorposts and lintel of their home. When the death angel came that night he “passed over” every home upon which the blood of the lamb was found. In every home in Egypt where the blood was not applied, the firstborn son died.<br /><br />Sin’s power had been broken by the blood of the lamb. Pharaoh arose in the night, found his son and every other firstborn of Egypt dead, and gave permission to the children of Israel to depart at once. Christ has set man free. This freedom is difficult to comprehend by those who have only known slavery to sin all their lives. This too is patterned in the experience of Israel.<br /><br />Departing from Egypt, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness until they came to the Red Sea. Pharaoh arose with all his army and pursued Israel, intending to take them back into captivity. Behold what occurred.<br /><br />Exodus 14:13-14, 19-20<br />And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. <b><i>Yahweh will fight for you</i></b>, and you shall hold your peace..." And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.<br /><br />Hallelujah! Yahweh would not grant Pharaoh authority to take those set free by the blood of the lamb back into slavery. “He whom the Son sets free shall be free indeed!” (John 8:36).<br /><br />Observe, however, the reaction of God’s people. They have not perceived, or fully embraced, the grace and power of Yahweh working on their behalf. They doubt the goodness of the One who delivered them, believing that they are powerless to resist a return to their former life.<br /><br />Exodus 14:10-12<br />And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to Yahweh. Then they said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness."<br /><br />This same struggle is faced by all those who have been set free from sin’s bondage through the blood of the Lamb. Having known only unrelenting slavery to sin, having been cruelly treated by this dominant taskmaster, it is difficult to comprehend that sin no longer has any power over the child of God. By faith we must enter into the freedom that has been purchased for us. We must reckon those things true that God has declared accomplished through the blood of Christ.<br /><br />Romans 6:11<br />Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Yahshua our Lord.<br /><br />There is yet more to what God does in accomplishing for us this great salvation. Understanding the types and shadows of what the Israelites experienced will help us to perceive that which Christ has accomplished for us. The experience of Israel was given as a type of us, the saints of God in Christ.<br /><br />I Corinthians 10:11<br />And all these things as types did happen to those persons, and they were written for our admonition, to whom the end of the ages did come...<br />[Young’s Literal Translation]<br /><br />Consider the threefold manner in which salvation is revealed through the experience of Israel.<br />First comes faith. Only those who believed the testimony of Moses, that the blood of a lamb would deliver them from the power of death, were obedient to put the blood on their doorways. Similarly, we must believe that the blood of Christ will deliver us from the sentence of death incurred through sin. We must take His shed blood unto ourselves, believing that it has made atonement for our sin.<br />Secondly, the Israelites experienced baptism into Moses in the Red Sea.<br /><br />I Corinthians 10:1-2<br />Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, <b><i>all were baptized into Moses</i></b> in the cloud and in the sea...<br /><br />Moses in this instance is a type of Christ.<br /><br />Acts 7:37<br />“This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, 'Yahweh your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.'”<br /><br />The prophet like unto Moses referenced here is Christ. Moses instructed the people to place the blood of the lamb on their doorways. Similarly, Yahshua gives us His blood that we might be passed over by death. The people were baptized into Moses, the Law-giver, in the Red Sea. Similarly, we are to be baptized upon confessing faith in Christ to symbolize our union with the Son of God. Consider the richness of the following words of the apostle Paul and what they mean for those who are baptized into Christ.<br /><br />Romans 6:3-11<br />Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Yahshua were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Yahshua our Lord.<br /><br />When Moses led the children of Israel through the waters of the Red Sea, Yahweh was signifying that their old life of slavery had come to an end. The same waters that provided a path of escape to the people of God brought an end to Pharaoh and his armies. So too, when we are baptized into Christ, we have a path of escape from a life of bondage to sin opened up to us. At the same time, the power of sin to hold us captive is cut off.<br /><br />However, we must not stop there. There is yet a third part to this work of salvation. We are delivered from the rule and authority of sin over our lives when we are united to Christ, but we must take Another to be our ruler and authority. We have been freed from one master who offered us only death in payment for our labors. We must be joined to another Master who will pay us with eternal life. If we stop short of coming under the rule of Yahweh after having been freed from sin, we are lawless.<br /><br />This then is the third aspect of salvation that is signified in the life of Moses. Moses brought the people of God under the rule of Yahweh by establishing between the two parties the covenant of Law. We have a Savior today, a prophet like unto Moses, who also brings us under the rule of Yahweh. He does not accomplish this through a covenant of Law. He does it by the far surpassing means of joining us to the Father by the Spirit. Yahshua makes the rule of God in our lives an inner work.<br /><br />Ezekiel 36:26-27<br />I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.<br /><br />People of God, do not make the mistake of thinking that Yahshua fulfilled this prophecy of Ezekiel by inscribing the Laws delivered to Moses upon the heart of man. Many are teaching such a conclusion, from these words of Ezekiel, or similar ones found in Jeremiah.<br /><br />Jeremiah 31:33<br />"But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares Yahweh, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”<br /><br />What is spoken here employs the shadow of the Law to reference that much fuller work accomplished in Christ. Every type and shadow we find in Moses has a much fuller, richer, more substantial fulfillment in Christ.<br /><br />Yahshua does not bring us under the rule of Yahweh by taking a copy of the Law of Moses and placing it in our hearts. He does something profoundly greater. He takes the very heart and mind of the Father and reproduces them inside of those born of the Spirit. That new spirit part of our being that is received at the new birth yearns always, and only, to know the will of the Father and to do it. The mind and thoughts of God are communicated to us by means of the Spirit of God discoursing with the spirit birthed in us.<br /><br />I Corinthians 2:11-16<br />For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 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. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For "who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.<br /><br />The Law contains only a shadow of the good things to come. The fulfillment, the substance to which the Law points, is vastly fuller.<br /><br />Hebrews 10:1<br />For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things...<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Colossians 2:16-17<br />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.<br /><br />It is a great mistake to believe that the substance realized in Christ is merely a copy of the shadow. When I stand outside in the sunlight, my body casts a shadow. Suppose I was to capture that shadow and give it to someone. They would be able to tell some things about me, but their knowledge of me would be incomplete.<br /><br />Suppose then I was able to give the person my very own being. Imagine even that I was able to take my heart (passions, motives and desires) and my thoughts, and place them inside the individual. This is what Yahshua accomplished when He sent forth His Spirit to indwell man. Yahshua made it possible for mankind to be partakers of the divine nature, to know the thoughts of God, and to experience His heart.<br /><br />The Law presented to man a shadow of God’s thoughts and heart. It could not disclose Him intimately. To truly know Yahweh we must become partakers of the same Spirit.<br /><br /><div><span>People of God, the shadow was given until the substance realized in Christ should come. The Law still holds benefit, for much wisdom can be gained by studying its shadows. However, it no longer functions in its role as guide and restrainer to those in Christ. The saints have received something far superior, even the living and abiding Spirit of Christ dwelling in their members.</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-81739547659984243852022-06-24T11:27:00.001-04:002022-06-24T11:27:49.882-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 3<b><br /></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglun7SB7rGX2vCjOlgJEVvI-AijPd4q5qg39wOJpkLM5hJGlNNhlP7V8kbUUsuXg6obWUd8x5KvkJjQC7jGQyYoDb20GirQ8gJS4xHqTT8PiXGLzicKFvCKtOa7Jzd6fudT8mFztbJ/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglun7SB7rGX2vCjOlgJEVvI-AijPd4q5qg39wOJpkLM5hJGlNNhlP7V8kbUUsuXg6obWUd8x5KvkJjQC7jGQyYoDb20GirQ8gJS4xHqTT8PiXGLzicKFvCKtOa7Jzd6fudT8mFztbJ/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a><b><br /></b><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>The Father’s Plan</b><br /><br />What is the Father’s ultimate thought in regard to mankind? We must answer this question if we are to perceive the Law’s role in the greater scheme of things. We can find the Father’s mind concerning man in the first chapter of the Bible.<br /><br />Genesis 1:26-28<br />Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.<br /><br />It was Yahweh’s vision to create a being that was His own image and likeness. This creature would be so conformed to His own character and being that He would call him “son,” and the creature would call Yahweh “Father.” Man was to be the exact likeness of the God who created him. We find this truth declared in the following passages of Scripture.<br /><br />Hebrews 1:1-3<br />God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And <b><i>He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature..</i></b>.<br /><br />Romans 8:29-30<br />For <b><i>those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren</i></b>; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.<br /><br />Combining the testimony of the above two passages of Scripture we receive the following revelation. Yahshua, the firstborn Son of God, is the exact representation of Yahweh’s nature. Yahshua declared this openly when He told Thomas, “How is it that you can say, ‘Show me the Father’? If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” Furthermore, the Son of God stated, “I and the Father are One.”<br /><br />The next passage of Scripture reveals that it is the Father’s plan that mankind be conformed to the image of His Son. When this is accomplished, Yahshua will then stand as the firstborn among many brethren. This is the purpose of man’s creation and the whole thought of Yahweh regarding man. He desired sons in His own image and likeness. These sons are predestined to be perfect in their resemblance to His own holy and righteous character. They will one day share in His glory, the glory that is now the portion of Christ.<br /><br />I John 3:2<br />Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.<br /><br />It seems too fantastic to the minds of carnal men to embrace the truth of Yahweh’s plan for mankind. If Yahweh is the Holy God, then His seed must also be holy, and His seed must produce gods. Some would cry forth “blasphemy.” The religious did so when Christ made a similar statement, for Satan has worked tirelessly to steal from man the understanding of who God created him to be. Consider the following exchange between Yahshua and the Jewish religious leaders.<br /><br />John 10:31-36<br />Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Yahshua answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?" The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God." Yahshua answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?”<br /><br />One of the great difficulties in perceiving the purpose of Yahweh in creating man is that “it has not appeared as yet, what we will be.” Yahweh’s plan is one that is fulfilled over time. He has been carrying forth His master plan for the past 6,000 years since He first formed Adam in the Garden. God is at work in man to conform us to His own image, that same image observed in His Son. When His work is complete, there will stand with Christ many sons who are also the exact image and likeness of the Holy Creator God.<br /><br />The apostle Paul understood that this work of man coming into the full image and likeness of Christ, who is the exact representation of Yahweh, is a progressive work.<br /><br />Galatians 4:19<br />My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you...<br /><br />How much of Christ does the Father desire to be formed in mankind? Does He want us to resemble Christ only a little? Absolutely not!<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Ephesians 4:11-14<br />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, <b><i>till we all come</i></b> to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,<b><i> to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ...</i></b><br /><br />It is in failing to comprehend the truth of Yahweh’s plans for man to come forth as a perfect image and likeness of His own self that has caused such confusion regarding the Law. Yahweh does not need a Law to restrain Him. The Law is merely a reflection of His own innate holiness, justice and goodness. The Law was given to a chosen people who did not yet have His divine nature formed in them. None of those men, women and children who stood at the foot of Mount Sinai when the Law was given had yet been born of the Holy Spirit. They were living souls, but were not yet spiritual men and women. They were of the earth, earthy. They were not yet heavenly creatures in their innermost nature.<br /><br />I Corinthians 15:45-49<br />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. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.<br /><br />Paul acknowledges in these words once more that this conformity to the full stature of Christ is a progressive work. We become partakers of the divine nature when we are born of the Spirit, but we are not yet fully formed at that time.<br /><br />John 1:12-13<br />But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right <b><i>to become children</i></b> of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.<br /><br />Notice that John writes that when we receive Christ we are given the right “to become” children of God. The work is not complete when we receive the seed of Christ into our being. It is a work begun. A great transformation has occurred. Those who were formerly living souls have become spiritual beings. Those who were dead spiritually have been made alive. Those who were formerly slaves to the flesh and its sinful nature, were set free into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.<br /><br />From the moment of our spiritual birth we are to embark upon a transformation process. We are still as the caterpillar which is outwardly clothed in a fleshly body. There is a new nature inside, even that of the butterfly, yearning to be free and to be revealed as a heavenly being. Metamorphosis begins for the people of God at the moment they have implanted in them this new nature that must arise and come forth as a spiritual being.<br /><br />II Corinthians 3:18<br />But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.<br /><br />Consider now what the Scriptures testify concerning the role and purpose of the Law. When Yahweh chose for Himself a peculiar people from the earth to be His own, He had already determined that another 2,000 years would pass before this people would be given His Spirit to indwell them. As this people began to multiply and increase, He determined that something must be done in the interim. Until a Son should be sent who would impart His divine seed to mankind they needed a guardian and tutor to watch over them.<br /><br />Galatians 3:19<br />What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made...<br /><br />Galatians 3:24<br />Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ...<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Galatians 4:1-2<br />Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.<br /><br />Until the time appointed for man to become a partaker of the divine nature through the Spirit birth, God gave them the Law. Because man did not have the divine nature internally to produce in him the desire and the power to fulfill the Father’s desires, he needed something external to guide and restrain him.<br /><br />Proverbs 29:18<br />When people do not accept divine guidance, they cast off <b><i>restraint</i></b>. But whoever obeys the <b><i>law</i></b> is joyful.<br /><br />Yahweh foresaw the day when He would place His Spirit in man. This Spirit would radically alter the very character of all who received Him. Those who were formerly slaves to the flesh with its passions and desires, would receive a new, holy, and more powerful part of their nature as the Spirit of Christ took up residence within them.<br /><br />Philippians 2:13<br />For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.<br /><br />In placing His Spirit in man, those so transformed would find that a new life was now resident within them. It was a divine life. This life is produced by the holy, incorruptible seed of God. It is growing up into the full image and likeness of the Father.<br /><br />This divine life resident in man would produce in Him the desire (to will) and the power (to do) the Father’s good and perfect pleasure. Such a man is truly a new creation. He has no need of an outward Law to restrain him, for the Spirit within ever yearns to do the will and pleasure of the Father.<br /><br />It was necessary, until the Spirit was given, for those men who were devoid of spiritual life to be kept under the guardian of the Law. It would be chaos if such men were left unrestrained, for the sin nature would lead them to all manner of abominations. Therefore, Yahweh gave to Moses His Law.<br /><br />The Law was given not only as a restraint upon men who lacked an inner conformity to Yahweh, it was given to expose this lack. The history of Israel under the Law reveals clearly that those ordinances delivered to Moses were incapable of transforming the nature of the men to whom they were given.<br /><br />Galatians 3:21<br />If a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.<br /><br />The best among the people fell woefully short of the righteousness of God. David was a man after God’s heart, but he committed adultery and murder. The Law presented a standard of righteousness that fallen man could not attain to. Paul testified to this aspect of the Law.<br /><br />Romans 7:5-14<br />For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 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. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet." But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.<br /><br />Paul writes here in the past tense. He is writing of his former experience before receiving the Spirit of Christ. This is evident by his describing himself as “carnal” and introducing the passage with the words “when we were in the flesh...” Those who are born of the Spirit are no longer carnal (flesh dominated) men, they are spiritual. God gave the law to unrighteous, carnal men, to reveal to them their inward condition. He wanted His people to understand that they lacked the inner image and likeness of God. They may desire to do well, but the power to perform it was not in them.<br /><br />Yahweh wanted His people to understand that if they were to be judged according to their words and actions, they all stood condemned. They must all die.<br /><br />Romans 3:9-12<br />For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one."<br /><br />The wages of sin is death, for the word of God states “the soul that sins must die.” All men sin. If we say we have no sin we lie and the truth is not in us. All are therefore under the sentence of death. Yahweh wanted men to perceive this truth. Man desperately needed a Savior.<br /><br />The church today focuses almost exclusively on one aspect of the work of the Savior; atonement. The church loves to speak of how sins have been forgiven through the sacrificial offering of Yahshua on the cross. Forgiveness and atonement are truly awesome works of grace, but they do not complete the work of salvation. Christ did not come merely to provide forgiveness for man’s sin. He came to set man free from the bondage of sin.<br /><br />John 8:34-36<br />Yahshua answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”<br /><br />What the Scriptures testify is that the Law was given until the time appointed for man to receive the indwelling Spirit of Christ. Those who have received the Holy Spirit are new creations. They are born of righteous seed. The Law was not made for such as these.<br /><br />I Timothy 1:8-9<br />But 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...<br /><br />Do the words <b><i>lawless, insubordinate, ungodly, sinners, unholy</i></b> and <b><i>profane</i></b> describe Christ and His seed? No. The apostle states elsewhere:<br /><br />I Corinthians 6:9-11<br />Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived... And such <b><i>were</i></b> 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.<br /><br />The Law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person. Those who would place Christians under the dominion of the Law are employing the Law in an unlawful manner. They have failed to comprehend that truly radical transformation Yahshua has wrought in them. They still see themselves as carnal men who need a law to restrain them. They are not reckoning on the fact of their being a new creation in Christ.<br /><br />A focus upon an external Law will lead men away from the discovery of Christ in them. Those who perceive Christ in them, those who are focused upon the divine life in their members which is producing the will and power to do the pleasure of the Father, need no external law. These are ruled by the Spirit, and gladly so. Such ones are not antinomian. They are not lawless. They are submitted freely to the rule of God through the indwelling Spirit of Christ.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
Joseph Herrin<br />
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Montezuma, GA 31063</div>Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-29908088647356147372022-06-22T09:56:00.000-04:002022-06-22T09:56:01.068-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 2<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96xipDyGynz9UGDUxewpG_ImMetKDpLvVOb7JEFoy50x6rFQnK8NMHgmOjWM8gI7WCPJTBZhJ5SxOF3EujyGIpwE3Q9KkQDKvGkoPwtSvDYE0Zquu1uTA1fA0Xe9R6JZln6Ca7V4B/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96xipDyGynz9UGDUxewpG_ImMetKDpLvVOb7JEFoy50x6rFQnK8NMHgmOjWM8gI7WCPJTBZhJ5SxOF3EujyGIpwE3Q9KkQDKvGkoPwtSvDYE0Zquu1uTA1fA0Xe9R6JZln6Ca7V4B/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a><b><br /></b><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>A Wider View</b><br /><br />This is the second book in which I have included a chapter titled “<i>A Wider View</i>.” I have found that certain kingdom truths are difficult to comprehend unless we first envision the grand panoramic scope of Yahweh’s works and plans. When we focus narrowly on a subject, apart from discerning the ultimate intent of the Ruler and Creator of the Universe, we are hindered from apprehending truth and arriving at the mind of Christ. This is certainly true when one begins to explore the purpose and limits of the Law which was delivered to Moses at Mount Sinai.<br /><br />The following story is presented to illustrate the role of the Law, and how two different peoples can see its purpose and role in vastly different ways.<br /><br /><b>The Parable</b><br /><br />There was a great man of immense wealth, power and vision. He conceived a plan to build a city wherein he could place his name. This city would be the center of his empire, and the greatest work he would ever accomplish. The man begins to form his master plan. The city is to be built perfect and entire when it is begun. There will be nothing unsightly in the city. The power lines will all be run underground. Sewer and waste collection will likewise be accomplished through means that will make it possible that nothing unclean, malodorous, or obnoxious to the senses will ever pass before the eyes of the inhabitants.<br /><br />The city will be one of beauty, purity, and peace. Vast gardens are designed, and quiet spaces for contemplation. A transportation system is envisioned that will run totally on solar power, with efficient quietness and zero emissions. There will never be an automobile, or other device to fill the air with noise, or pollution, or add congestion to the streets. The thought going into this city’s design is immense. No aspect is left unconsidered. No expense is considered too great.<br /><br />The location of the city is chosen. It will sit on a parcel of barren wasteland. The land is to be transformed into a paradisaical condition. The site has been chosen with care. It will receive adequate light from the Sun, and is free from nearby environmental pollutants. The site chosen has no inhabitants. No one regards it, for it is in its appearance a dry and weary land with nothing to attract the soul of man.<br /><br />This great visionary knows that it will be many generations before the city construction can begin. Vast amounts of money and material must first be stored up for it is a colossal work to be undertaken. It is important to preserve the land in its natural condition until the time arrives for the city to be built. Anything that would defile the land and make it unsuitable for development must be guarded against until the time for the city to arise from the desert.<br /><br />The man therefore hires a people to build a wall all around the property. He gives them charge of the wall, instructing them to keep out all intruders. He warns them to be vigilant that nothing should enter that would alter the condition of the land until the time should come that he is ready to build his city. He then goes away to prepare for his great work.<br /><br />Generations pass. The vision of the city is passed to the man’s son, and then to that man’s son. With a single focus they continue to lay up wealth, to develop technology, and to store up material for the construction of the city.<br /><br />At the same time, the people charged with guarding the wall continue their task. As one generation passes into another, the people guarding the wall forget the purpose envisioned for the land. All that matters to them is that they have a duty, and a charge to keep. They are to protect the land, and keep out all intruders. They are to prevent the land from being altered in any way.<br /><br />These people are proud of their calling. They begin to think of the land and the wall as their own. It was given to them as their own sacred charge. Though all is barren within, they believe that no place on earth is more valuable. The immense wall around the property gives evidence to its value. Indeed, the wall becomes immensely valuable to them as they focus more on it and the purpose it serves, than the land within which it guards.<br /><br />More generations pass, and the time is at hand for the visionary’s descendant to build the city. All is in readiness. An immense procession of workers accompany the owner of the land to the property. They arrive at the wall with equipment, engineers, blueprints, and every necessary thing to build this paradise in the wilderness. It is an hour of momentous importance. The hour to transform the barren wilderness into a paradise is at hand. The work envisioned generations before, which has been the desire and passion of the land owner and his descendants is to be brought to glorious fruition.<br /><br />At the wall the land owner and his laborers are confronted by the people who were given charge to guard the land. These guardians have forgotten the reason the land was purchased. They have been so focused on the wall, and their part in maintaining it, that they have lost completely the larger vision. They do not understand that the wall was constructed for a season, and a specific role. To them the wall has become all important. Their role as guardians is all that they perceive.<br /><br />Being a prideful people, the guardians of the wall are unwilling to relinquish the work that gave them distinctiveness and purpose. Though they are invited to enter into this far surpassing enterprise, and are assured of key roles in the construction of the city and homes when it is complete, they are unmoved. They refuse to cooperate with the land owner.<br /><br />How blind are these people! They do not see that all inside their walls is barren wilderness. They could be possessors of paradise. Familiarity and the pride of their unique role holds a greater attraction than seeing the glorious vision of the landowner fulfilled.<br /><br />The wall has stood for centuries. It has become an idol to the people who guard it, a thing to be worshiped. In the owner’s eyes, it is merely ancient stone and mortar. It has served its purpose. It fulfilled the intent for which it was constructed by his forebears. Though the wall is impressive, it is a mere shadow of that which is to replace it. The hour has arrived for the wall to give way to far better things. The wall must be brought down for the paradisaical city to rise.<br /><br /><b>The Explanation</b><br /><br />The great man of vision is God. He has developed a master plan of immense glory. He will transform the barren and lifeless heart of man into a garden of glory and abundant life. Yahweh appoints a time for a Son to arise who will fulfill His vision. The time is yet far off when the plan is established. The heart of man must be safeguarded until the work is to be accomplished. The Law is therefore given, and a people assigned as ministers of the Law, until the time of <b><i>reform</i></b>ation, when the heart of man will be <b><i>re-formed</i></b>.<br /><br />If the ministers of the Law ever perceived the true plan of Yahweh for transforming barren souls into oases of life and beauty, they have lost the understanding. The Law has become all important to them. Indeed, it is a thing they have come to worship. When the time arrived for the Son to accomplish the vision of the Father, the guardians of the Law resisted Him. In their actions they revealed that they cared more for their position than for the vision of the God who had chosen them as ministers.<br /><br />People of God, because spiritual vision is at ebb tide in this late hour, there are few who perceive the greater scope of the Father’s plan. It is not taught in the churches of this hour. Consequently, Christians today, like the Jews before them, do not perceive that the Law was given for a specific time and purpose. Its divine role was only one part of a larger plan. The Law was truly divinely inspired; its function very important, but it must give way to greater things.<br /><br /><b>The Limits of the Law</b><br /><br />It is revealed through numerous Scriptures that the Law has a role of limited duration. It was not intended to hold sway over man forever. Those who look too narrowly at God’s work are hindered from perceiving the end of the Law. They are unable to perceive it in the larger scope of Yahweh’s master plan. Many Christians are returning to an observance of feast days, new moons, sabbath days, and dietary regulations. They are seeking to become more “Jewish,” believing that this constitutes a return to authentic Christianity. Concomitant with adopting Jewish culture is a return to the rule of the Law. This does not lead to authentic Christianity, but rather away from Christ.<br /><br />Galatians 5:4<br />You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.<br /><br />The following Scriptures proclaim the Law’s limited duration.<br /><br />Galatians 3:19<br />Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, <b style="font-style: italic;">until </b>the seed should come to whom the promise had been made.<br /><br />This is the truth that many will not receive in this hour. The Law was given to fulfill a purpose UNTIL the Seed should come. Yahshua is the Seed of the Father. He has come. The Law has fulfilled its role of judge. It is no longer the arbiter of righteous and unrighteous behavior for those who have been born of the Spirit. This is a subject for a later chapter. Following are more Scriptures announcing the limited duration of the Law.<br /><br />Romans 7:1-4<br />Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. So then if, while her husband is living, she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress, though she is joined to another man. Therefore, my brethren, <b><i>you also were made to die to the Law</i></b> through the body of Christ, <b><i>that you might be joined to another,</i></b> to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God.<br /><br />Over and over the apostles declare that the Law’s duration was limited. Its intent and purpose is complete when a man or woman is born of the seed of Christ and they become a partaker of a better covenant.<br /><br />Galatians 4:1-5<br />Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father. So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who <b><i>were under (past tense)</i></b> the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.<br /><br />Hebrews 9:9-10<br />Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body <b><i>imposed until a time of reformation</i></b>.<br /><br />Hebrews 8:13<br /><b><i>When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.</i></b><br /><br />The truth of the Law’s limited purpose in the plan of Yahweh is stated repeatedly, yet men who have not grasped the larger view of Yahweh’s divine plan are reluctant to accept this fact. The Law has become all important to some. It has become an idol, standing in the place of relationship with God through Christ.<br /><br /><div><span>In subsequent chapters I will set forth the scope of Yahweh’s plan for mankind. I will labor to show the Law in is proper place in this plan. It is my earnest desire that those who love truth will be helped in arriving at the knowledge of the same.</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
Joseph Herrin<br />
P.O. Box 804<br />
Montezuma, GA 31063</div>Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-80587528459440258432022-06-20T11:33:00.000-04:002022-06-20T11:33:16.700-04:00Laying Down the Law - Part 1<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YH93PjhYy_zcWqNRNY8HIFCHrnk7HfxK0zfQ7M6p1hkK4DHltQ9GF1lV9-HQsxEAr2Tg50h2VgP6MR4RP5DKAwOTC-kWX-lUbs1SNYhJC5y66MJ6ha4frN_ygmhTiTH03OaxBNk1/s1600/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="431" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YH93PjhYy_zcWqNRNY8HIFCHrnk7HfxK0zfQ7M6p1hkK4DHltQ9GF1lV9-HQsxEAr2Tg50h2VgP6MR4RP5DKAwOTC-kWX-lUbs1SNYhJC5y66MJ6ha4frN_ygmhTiTH03OaxBNk1/s400/Laying+Down+the+Law.jpg" width="252" /></a><b><br /></b><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Foreword</b><br /><br />A word of explanation is necessary at the start of this book. In this work you will find this writer using names in reference to God the Father and God the Son that are more faithful to their Hebrew original than the names and titles generally in use by the church today. The name Yah, or Yahweh, will be found in reference to God the Father, and the name Yahshua will be utilized when speaking of the Son.<br /><br />This usage is not intended to be divisive, nor does it serve as a renunciation of the usage of titles such as Lord or God. Neither is it a condemnation of those who choose to call the Son of God Jesus. My intent as a teacher of the Bible is simply to illumine and instruct. There is great meaning in the Hebrew names of the Father and the Son, and these names are directly related to one another, as well as bearing many significant relationships to other historic figures from the Bible, some of whom serves as types and shadows of the Son of God.<br /><br />For example, Joshua, the Israelite leader who led the people of God across the Jordan and into battle to take possession of the land of Canaan bears the same name as the Messiah. They both were called Yahshua. The Son of God also began His ministry at the Jordan River as He was baptized by John. Both men labored to establish a kingdom dedicated to Yahweh, the first external and natural, the latter internal and spiritual.<br /><br />Yah is the name used in reference to the Father on forty-nine separate occasions in the Old Testament. Most Christians have utilized this name of God without knowing that they were doing so. Whenever the word hallelujah is uttered, the speaker is literally exclaiming “Praise Yah,” for this is the meaning of the Hebrew word from which it is derived. The longer name Yahweh is found an additional 6,828 times.<br /><br />The name of the Son is likewise significant, for Yahshua is understood to mean “Yah’s Salvation.” The Gospel writer indicates that this is the meaning of the name given to the Savior at His birth.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />Matthew 1:21<br />“And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Yahshua, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.”<br /><br />It has been the practice of this writer for many years to use these names, which more clearly represent their Hebrew originals. It is my hope that their employment in this book might aid the reader by bringing forth light on relationships that are obscured, as well as promoting an increased intimacy with God the Father by calling Him by His memorial name, instead of a title which men have substituted.<br /><br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br /><b>Preamble</b><br /><br />Practically since the time I published the original book bearing the name <i>Laying Down the Law</i>, it has been upon my heart to add to it. That was in 2002. I have participated in many conversations and lengthy correspondences on the subject of Yahweh’s intended purpose and role for the Law since then. I have encountered a vast array of arguments whose intent was to justify the continuance of the Law’s authority and rule over the life of the believer in Jesus Christ, Yahshua the Messiah.<br /><br />I have tested every argument, and sought the counsel of Yahweh, inviting Him often and with fervor to guide me into all truth. He has been very willing to answer my sincere and trusting pleas. As James (Jacob) wrote to the body of Christ:<br /><br />James 1:5<br />If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.<br /><br />There have been so many arguments that would turn the intended meaning of the apostles instructions concerning the Law on their head, and so much more revelation the Father has graciously opened to me on this topic, that I find it expedient to not merely add to the former writing, but to do a thorough re-write. None of the conclusions set forth previously have been changed. Nevertheless, I believe it would be of benefit to address this subject with a new approach, laying a solid foundation and building upon it.<br /><br /><b>The Difficulty of This Work</b><br /><br />There are a number of things that make the writing of this book a difficult task. Foremost in my mind are the attitudes, words, and emotions of those who staunchly advocate the continuance of the Law’s authority over the saints. I have found through much bitter experience that the discussion of this topic elicits from many a vitriolic response. I have had brothers and sisters revile me. Even some who are normally meek and temperate have become very intemperate in their remarks as I have invited them to look to the Scriptures and discourse with me on this subject. Much heat and frequent violations of the love of the brethren have come forth from those I have invited to patiently examine this matter with me.<br /><br />If one properly understands the Scripture’s testimony, they will know that such a response has a long and tragic history. One can find the enmity that exists between those whose focus is upon works of the flesh, and those who approach Yahweh in faith, as far back as the Chapter four of the book of Genesis. Cain brought to Yahweh a magnificent offering of the fruit of the ground. Man’s flesh was formed of the dust of the earth, and Cain’s offering represented the very best that the flesh can produce. Yahweh had no regard to this offering.<br /><br />Cain’s brother Abel brought forth of the lambs of the flock. He presented an offering of faith looking to that day when Yahweh would send His Son as a sacrificial lamb to atone for all the sins of mankind. Yahweh had regard to the faith of Abel, and Cain envied his brother’s favor and slew him.<br /><br />The persecution of the sons of faith by the sons of works found expression once more in the offspring of Abraham. His first son is a type and shadow of Yahweh’s first people (Israel). His second son, Isaac, is a type of those who are the seed of Christ and a people of faith. Paul expounds upon this in his letter to the body of Christ in Galatia.<br /><br />Galatians 4:21-30<br />Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. This is allegorically speaking: for these women are two covenants, one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. For it is written, "Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear; Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; For more are the children of the desolate than of the one who has a husband." And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. <b><i>But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also.</i></b><br /><br />Observe carefully what Paul states here. Hagar is compared to Mount Sinai, the place where Moses received the Law from Yahweh. Her son represents those who are under the Law. Hagar is Jerusalem. She is Judaism with its focus upon regulations and ordinances and commands that define the person who is righteous and the person who is unrighteous. Ishmael was born before Isaac, the son of faith, and he persecuted Isaac. Note the particular form of this persecution.<br /><br />Genesis 21:8-9<br />And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.<br /><br />Ishmael was <b>mocking</b> Isaac. Words are often employed as a form of <b>persecution</b>. It was this event the apostle Paul referred to when he stated that “he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit.” I have also been the frequent recipient of verbal persecution from my brothers and sisters who have embraced the Law. A barrage of insults and slander have come my way when I have pointed those under the Law to a “more excellent way” (Hebrews 8:6).<br /><br />The fullest depiction of the enmity between those who are of the Law, and those who are of the Spirit, was revealed when the Jewish leaders crucified the Lord of Glory. I know from experience, and from the testimony of Scripture that in addressing this issue once more there will be those whose passions are inflamed against me and who will decry the message. Indeed, if my focus were upon those who argue for the Law’s continuance, it would be with the greatest difficulty that I could bring myself to pick up this subject once more.<br /><br /><b>The Audience</b><br /><br />This book is <b>not</b> written for those without the patience to hear a matter, examine it closely, test it against the Scriptures, and invite the Spirit of Christ to guide them into truth. The book has a specific audience in mind.<br /><br />The word <b>audience</b> literally means <b>hearers</b>. It comes from the same root as the word <b>audible</b>. It is not my desire to wrangle with those whose minds are closed. Such ones may read, but they do not perceive. They may listen, but they do not hear. Many are found among the household of God who are in this condition.<br /><br />Isaiah 42:19-20<br />Who is blind but My servant, or so deaf as My messenger whom I send? Who is so blind as he that is at peace with Me, or so blind as the servant of Yahweh? You have seen many things, but you do not observe them; your ears are open, but none hears.<br /><br />There are legions of those among the body of Christ today who fit the description set down by the apostle Paul.<br /><br />I Timothy 1:6-7<br />For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.<br /><br />This writing is offered for those who have hearing ears. I will not offer my opinion in this book and ask any to receive it. Everything will be predicated upon Scriptures. I entreat those who are desirous of truth to examine everything. Test the Scriptures. Invite the Holy Spirit to reveal both truth and error.<br /><br />This is an exceedingly important subject. Many are running in vain. When they stand before Yahweh on the day of judgment and present to Him the fruit of their lives they will find that their offering is despised, as was Cain’s. Do not make this tragic error. Receive instruction now.<div><br />To those who find anger in their hearts toward this brother for writing on this subject I would say, “Beware, sin is crouching at the door and it would devour you.”<br /><br />If you will attend with patience to this teaching, I am confident that you will be well rewarded.<br /><br />He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is speaking!<br /><br />May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.<br /><div><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Parables Blog:</span> <a href="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/">www.parablesblog.blogspot.com</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
Joseph Herrin<br />
P.O. Box 804<br />
Montezuma, GA 31063</div></div>Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-26323569577394567032022-06-16T09:53:00.003-04:002022-06-16T10:03:31.974-04:00Freemasonry Unveiled<div>I am posting 9 separate videos on Freemasonry. They are all by the same individual, and are parts of 1 large video that I watched a little over a month ago. The single, large video is no longer available. </div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>I do highly recommend that all readers of this blog watch these videos. As you do, you will see that all is quickly coming to an end. I have observed all my life these things happening, and in recent years they have only accelerated. I have likewise written about the influence of Freemasonry on the United States as a nation, beginning back in the 1700s. On May 1st, 1776 Adam Weishaupt initiated the Illuminati. The Illuminati is clearly noted on the back of the U.S. dollar bill.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><a href="https://youtu.be/GhP__n8rIgI">https://youtu.be/GhP__n8rIgI</a></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/GhP__n8rIgI" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><a href="https://youtu.be/C-b6FT7FKmM">https://youtu.be/C-b6FT7FKmM</a></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/C-b6FT7FKmM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><a href="https://youtu.be/eNsfI8acWSY">https://youtu.be/eNsfI8acWSY</a></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/eNsfI8acWSY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><a href="https://youtu.be/bQ6aWJ2kqbA">https://youtu.be/bQ6aWJ2kqbA</a></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/bQ6aWJ2kqbA" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><a href="https://youtu.be/-7N6g6WW6kM">https://youtu.be/-7N6g6WW6kM</a></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/-7N6g6WW6kM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><a href="https://youtu.be/ikGSnc2lojE">https://youtu.be/ikGSnc2lojE</a></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/ikGSnc2lojE" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><a href="https://youtu.be/DnoD1LOtpMM">https://youtu.be/DnoD1LOtpMM</a></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/DnoD1LOtpMM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><a href="https://youtu.be/9Cz7ZXcPIO8">https://youtu.be/9Cz7ZXcPIO8</a></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/9Cz7ZXcPIO8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><a href="https://youtu.be/NkzYDBANw7I">https://youtu.be/NkzYDBANw7I</a></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/NkzYDBANw7I" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Parables Blog:</span> <a href="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com/">www.parablesblog.blogspot.com</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mailing Address:</span><br />
Joseph Herrin<br />
P.O. Box 804<br />
Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945380218619316662.post-11666629595322729222022-06-13T09:32:00.000-04:002022-06-13T09:32:16.724-04:00Evidence of Things Unseen, Chapter 37, 2nd Addendum - The Garment of Humility (December 2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqZXMuOJByzbXoGS2WtRKY61kakDBcFH3APzjaiWfyGAF2N0Fetn3-20oL1UAttGpaLckXyRmX44tH3L28ERhoTfrytR0ikVtfYL9sGKfcKB4t_2MtFNKB-T0XNWprWyvCYNA9yUy/s1600/Prisoner+Shirt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="900" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqZXMuOJByzbXoGS2WtRKY61kakDBcFH3APzjaiWfyGAF2N0Fetn3-20oL1UAttGpaLckXyRmX44tH3L28ERhoTfrytR0ikVtfYL9sGKfcKB4t_2MtFNKB-T0XNWprWyvCYNA9yUy/s400/Prisoner+Shirt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I had suspected for years that Yahweh might one day require me to experience imprisonment even as that other Joseph, the son of Jacob, did many years ago. God’s ways of perfecting His sons have not changed. A man must pass through many humiliating, sorrowful, and distressing circumstances in order to provide the right environment for spiritual growth.<br /><br />In February of 2008 my son Josiah turned 18 and the child support I was required by the county judge to pay to Tony came to an end. Tony had requested from the judge that I pay her alimony after the child support ended.<br /><br />When the Father directed me to leave employment at the Macon Rescue Mission in 2008 to return to full-time ministry, I sought to pay Tony the alimony she requested. Yahweh enabled me to do so for a period of 8 months, but then the financial support I was receiving from the saints of God began to dwindle. This led to a period of intensely seeking to know the mind of the Father.<br /><br />It had ever been my hope that Yahweh might somehow effect a reconciliation between my wife and I. I had no bitterness in my heart toward her, and sought always to send her money for support at the earliest opportunity, rather than waiting until the last day of the month. When it became impossible for me to send Tony the money she requested from the courts, I inquired fervently of the Father to know why this was transpiring. I told the Father that I did not want Tony to think I was bitter toward her, or unwilling to send her support. In reply, the answer I received from my Father in heaven was that I was to trust Him. That He was working out all things according to His wisdom.<br /><br />I knew that my inability to pay the alimony award put me in a place of peril. The Father would not allow me to seek secular employment again. He continued to affirm it to be His will that I minister full-time. In a few months I received notice from Tony’s lawyer that contempt charges were being filed against me for not paying alimony, and in November of 2009 I was ordered to appear in court.<br />I appeared before the same judge that granted Tony the divorce she sought in 2005. Once more, the Father made known that it was His will that I not hire a lawyer, that I give no defense, and make no charges against my wife. I was to be as a sheep led to the slaughter.<br /><br />The judge ordered me to lay aside the full-time ministry and to seek secular employment so that I might be able to pay Tony the money she sought. In much meekness I shared with the judge that God had directed me to leave secular employment in 2008 and to return to full-time ministry. I told him that I could not in good conscience do anything else. I was led in handcuffs from the courtroom and taken to the county lock-up where I spent 60 days in a jail cell.<br /><br />In 2010 Tony instructed her lawyer to bring the matter before the judge again. Once more I was required to appear in court, and the result was the same. I was led away in handcuffs and taken to the county detention center where I remained for 74 days. It was during this latter period in jail that I wrote the following article which I sent to my daughter and asked her to post on my blog site.<br /><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br /><b>The Garment of Humility (Written from jail)</b><br /><b>Joseph Herrin- 6/19/2011 (Father’s Day)</b><br /><br />There are certain experiences that are common to the disciples of Christ that are unknown to the majority of professing Christians today. I would share with you regarding one mark of discipleship that Yahweh has made abundantly clear at this season both through His word and through personal experience. Let me begin by looking at the very first book of the Bible where we read of the story of Joseph who serves as a type of Christ.<br /><br />Joseph was born as the eleventh son of Jacob, being the first son of Jacob’s favorite wife Rachel. Joseph was the son of Jacob’s old age. Doing the math we read that Jacob was 130 years old when he came to Joseph in Egypt. (Gen. 47:9) This was the second year of famine, the ninth year since Joseph was brought out of prison to serve as Pharoah’s second ruler in the land. Joseph was 39 years old. By this we understand Jacob was 91 years old when Joseph was born. Joseph was the son of Jacob’s old age, and greatly beloved by his father. (Gen. 37:3)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOmok9IlQdXYu6E-rkMoImDfwNHNkBsKu178RloRmsJbZ41iKcTo9XI7nxHJMGeIqkqJEUk2gxlX8DxCOo_1sXc8D9eEupC6bubIJC3d-iQaCzbHH4WsDwU6sOGSAS6J3CL0RMyWf/s1600/Long+Sleeved+Tunic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1281" data-original-width="953" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOmok9IlQdXYu6E-rkMoImDfwNHNkBsKu178RloRmsJbZ41iKcTo9XI7nxHJMGeIqkqJEUk2gxlX8DxCOo_1sXc8D9eEupC6bubIJC3d-iQaCzbHH4WsDwU6sOGSAS6J3CL0RMyWf/s400/Long+Sleeved+Tunic.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><br />It is in Genesis chapter 37 that we see a remarkable theme begin to weave its way through the pages of Scripture. Jacob gave to Joseph a special garment to denote that he stood in his father’s favor. Many Bibles describe this garment as a “coat of many colors.” I read a teaching on this many years ago that suggested that “a long sleeved tunic” is a more accurate translation. The teaching reported that it was common for a man of wealth to adorn the son who was to receive the birthright with a long sleeved tunic. Whether it was a coat of many colors, or a long sleeved tunic, it is clearly evident that Joseph’s brothers recognized the special garment he wore as a mark of their father’s special love and favor toward Joseph.<br /><br />Genesis 37:4<br />“When his brothers SAW that their father loved [Joseph] more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.”<br /><br />The response of Joseph’s brothers to the favor of their father was identical to that of Cain when Yahweh had regard to his brother Abel’s offering, but not to his own. Cain was filled with hatred and murdered Abel. Similarly, Joseph’s brothers were filled with hatred and they spoke of murdering Joseph. (Gen. 37:18-20)<br /><br />Though Joseph’s brothers were persuaded not to murder him, what they did do stands as a great parable.<br /><br />Genesis 37:23<br />“And it came to pass, when Joseph came unto his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him.”<br /><br />To understand this parable one must know the significance of a person’s garment. The garment represents a person’s identity, their reputation before God and man. Without a garment all men are naked and covered in shame. Yahweh, in His mercy, covers the shame of man. Christ Yahshua becomes our propitiation (literally - merciful covering). Paul exhorts Christians to “put on Christ” and to “clothe yourselves with Christ.”<br /><br />God is no respecter of persons. “He has mercy on whom He chooses, and He hardens whom He chooses.” (Romans 9:18) Yahweh does not favor the rich man above the poor, nor the mighty man above the weak. God does not choose the wise man more than the foolish. He favors whom He chooses, and He hardens whom He will. From the same lump of clay He fashions one man to receive His honor, and another for dishonor. (Romans 9:21)<br /><br />That God would choose to have mercy on one man over another strikes the heart of fallen man as capriciousness. Rebellion is stirred up in the natural mind, and it is exhibited as hatred and a spirit of murder toward those who receive the Father’s favor. Christ described the logic of fallen man in the following parable.<br /><br />Luke 20:13-14<br />“Then said the Lord of the vineyard, “What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. It may be that they will reverence him when they see him.” But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.”<br /><br />In these words, the heart of fallen man is revealed. If men truly loved God, they would honor those whom He honors, they would love those whom God loves. When the sons of Jacob spoke of murdering Joseph, they knew such an act would grieve their father deeply. They proved that they cared little for their father when they sold Joseph into slavery and made it appear as if a wild beast had slain him. When Jacob received this evil report of his sons he entered into deep mourning for Joseph and would not be comforted (Gen. 37:34-35). In a similar manner, the Jewish people revealed that they did not have God the Father’s desires in mind, for they slew His beloved Son.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0arwrZWE5OEX9lvjMY_6G9NRdjqXS1oqfm6QmL-YXzwwF3HmP15vZFppirlbjJOT9FTT3ZSZ1Is4d91bXbgTov8QuJextvKfyD6krLWqCb88EFPOBw0mX7c8NnZyx2-8cupg5D845/s1600/Joseph+Slavery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1200" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0arwrZWE5OEX9lvjMY_6G9NRdjqXS1oqfm6QmL-YXzwwF3HmP15vZFppirlbjJOT9FTT3ZSZ1Is4d91bXbgTov8QuJextvKfyD6krLWqCb88EFPOBw0mX7c8NnZyx2-8cupg5D845/s400/Joseph+Slavery.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Let me point out an important part of this parable. Joseph had his garment stripped off twice, perfectly paralleling a work in the life of Christ. The first time Joseph was stripped of his garment of honor was when his father sent him to his brothers. (Gen. 37:13) Similarly, Yahshua emptied Himself and took on the form (garment) of a bondservant when His Father sent Him to His brethren. (Phil. 2:7) Even as Joseph had the robe of favor removed from him, Christ did not consider equality with God something to be held onto, but laid aside the glory He shared as He dwelt with the Father, and took the form of a slave.<br /><br />This first stripping of Joseph and Yahshua is something all disciples must experience. Christ said that a disciple is not above his master, but must become like his master. “Before honor, comes humility.”<br />All who come to Christ must lay aside the honor, the glory, the reputation and esteem they had in this world. This is far more difficult for the rich than the poor, for the mighty than the weak, for those esteemed as wise than those without esteem. To be a disciple of Christ is to be reproached, scorned, mocked, and ridiculed. The ways of Christ are not the ways of the world. What man esteems is despised in the eyes of God. To surrender to be led of the Spirit of Christ is to embrace a life of humility.<br /><br />In 1999 the Spirit of Christ challenged me to follow wherever He would lead. I had a good job as a computer professional. I had honor among my co-workers. I had honor in my church, serving as a minister. When I surrendered to follow the Spirit I was led to leave my place of employment to begin a ministry of writing. My circumstances became much more humble. Many in the church could not accept such a walk as the will of God. I was soon cast out of the church. Outwardly my standard of living declined greatly.<br /><br />In a similar way Joseph left the abundance of dwelling with his father and became a slave in Egypt; Christ emptied Himself of the glory He shared with the Father and took on the form of a bondservant. Even in human terms, His life was a humble one. Yahshua was born in a manger. His years of ministry were spent as a homeless man. He was buried in another man’s tomb. Those who would follow Christ must lay aside the garments of honor that they have in this world and accept the garb of a bondservant. A bondservant wears whatever his master gives to him to wear. Should our Master give us a very humble garment to wear, we must wear it with grace. The apostle Paul wrote:<br /><br />Philippians 4:11-12<br />“I have learned, in whatever state I am in, to be content. I know both how to be abased, and how to abound... both to be full, and to be hungry, both to abound and to experience lack.”<br /><br />How do we wear the garments of humility with grace? We do so as we lay aside all bitterness, forgiving those who have treated us shamefully. We refuse to be ruled by a spirit of self-pity, seeking instead to be faithful wherever our circumstances have led us.<br /><br />Joseph was stripped of his garment of honor and sold as a slave in Egypt. He was bought by Potiphar, a key servant of Pharaoh, the captain of his bodyguard. Joseph did not sulk in Potiphar’s house. He bloomed where he was planted. Yahweh showed favor to Joseph, giving him wisdom and causing everything he did to prosper. In all of Potiphar’s household there was no one as faithful as Joseph. In all of God’s house there has been none more faithful than Yahshua. Both rose to positions of honor as they devoted themselves to labor humbly as servants. Potiphar entrusted everything in his possession to Joseph, and Yahweh entrusted all judgement to His Son, considering Him faithful. Both ever lived to do the will of the one they served.<br /><br />When we embrace discipleship, following Christ wherever He leads, He will most certainly lead us to many humble experiences we would not have chosen for ourselves. We glorify God by being found faithful wherever He places us. A spirit of complaint, of discontentment, must be resisted. God will honor His faithful sons in due time. Our times are in God’s hands.<br /><br />Those who are faithful as servants will begin to rise to positions of honor in the house they labor in. Joseph was made overseer of Potiphar’s house. Accordingly, he was given a new garment as a symbol of honor. The garment was not as glorious as that which his father Jacob had given to him, but it denoted honor nonetheless. The day came, however, when this garment was wickedly stripped off of Joseph and he was cast down to an even lower position.<br /><br />Potiphar’s wife lusted after Joseph, entreating him daily to lie with her. One day she found Joseph alone in the house and grabbed hold of his outer garment, entreating him to commit adultery with her. Joseph refused, leaving his garment in the woman’s hands as he fled.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCq3lBPbMG3J0kqdoDNsjRFIvvbQbt911RFhBfup6lMDp0HGOnbponi52ShWZTX-Sc_zgL0buXDp-1toJzgDy7XbH5SKw0_VZTVmJkV6BHxQGFEzGqdPqa0ocV8485S5k48__aR8M/s1600/Joseph+-+Potiphars+Wife.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="660" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCq3lBPbMG3J0kqdoDNsjRFIvvbQbt911RFhBfup6lMDp0HGOnbponi52ShWZTX-Sc_zgL0buXDp-1toJzgDy7XbH5SKw0_VZTVmJkV6BHxQGFEzGqdPqa0ocV8485S5k48__aR8M/s400/Joseph+-+Potiphars+Wife.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Potiphar’s wife stripped Joseph not just of his garment, but of his reputation. She took away Joseph’s reputation as a faithful servant to his master and clothed him in the garment of a transgressor as she falsely accused him of trying to rape her.<br /><br />The parallel in the life of Christ is obvious. The Jewish leaders envied Christ. They brought false charges against the Son of God. His garment was also stripped away and Yahshua was clothed in a garment of shame. Yahshua “was numbered among the transgressors.” Even as He was being crucified, the Roman soldiers parted His raiment and cast lots for His cloak.<br /><br />Those who are to “clothe themselves with Christ” must wear this garment of abasement as well. Consider how many of Christ’s disciples named in Scripture were accused of transgression and subjected to imprisonment, beatings, or worse. Among those named are Peter, James, John, Paul and Timothy. Some of these repeatedly were numbered among the transgressors. This is the lot and privilege of those who would follow in the footsteps of Christ. To yield to be led of the Spirit as Christ was, is to embrace a life of humility, of shame and reproach.<br /><br />I write these words from jail. It is now the second time I have been placed in here as I have sought to remain faithful to the call of God on my life. One of the first things that occurs as a man is put in jail is that his clothes are taken from him and a prison jumpsuit is given to him. I am wearing a bright orange jumpsuit. On the back in bold letters are emblazoned the words, “Houston County Jail.” I am marked as a transgressor and share a domicile with thieves, murderers, and men accused of violent offenses and drug trafficking. Joseph shared a place with similar offenders. Christ was hung between two thieves.<br /><br />What do these experiences signify? What is their purpose? I believe the answer is found in the garments. Yahweh wants to clothe His sons in garments of humility. Those destined to receive ruling authority and power must be exceedingly humble. Joseph was chosen by God to be elevated to the second position in the greatest nation on earth. Christ has been exalted to the right hand of God where all power and authority has been given to Him. Those who can endure patiently being abased, being content in the knowledge that such is the will of God, prove by their submissive spirit that it is God’s will and pleasure that is uppermost in their mind.<br /><br />Experiences of abasement, suffering, and reproach, when endured in the Spirit of Christ, produce a meekness in a man that is not present in the Adamic nature. Being willing to sink lower than one’s normal situation in life, lower even than one’s companions, produces a humility in a man that is highly esteemed in the eyes of God. It is He who inspired the words to be written, “God gives grace to the humble, but resists the proud.”<br /><br />In being willing to sink lower, to be as David when he danced with abandon before Yahweh, testifying “I will be more vile than this, and will be humble even in my own sight...” (2 Samuel 6:22), finds great favor with God. Such an attitude is a great contrast to Satan when he declared, “I will ascend..., I will exalt my throne above the stars of God..., I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14). On the one hand there is a willingness to sink lower to satisfy the will of God. On the other hand is manifested a pride that is discontented with one’s appointed station, demanding ever to rise above others.<br /><br />Sinking lower, becoming humble and vile in one’s own sight, is a great trial to the soul of man. The soul must be crushed as an olive in the olive press. There are times when this crushing causes even godly men to cry out in their distress. As Christ viewed the cup of suffering His Father presented to Him at Gethsemane (interpreted - “olive press”), He cried out, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death...” (Mark 14:34). Sinking lower yet, Christ uttered the words that always glorify the Father, “Nevertheless, not My will, but Thy will be done” (Mark 14:36).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyxTSmyVyU0Bo2DBT2wbmn-4OyLi4sr7EujAzNEi-XBIgYvg4iNgd-xBwLnCHs5VRUCVnIl1cTfp7u-9xlkTLU43cNKb_j9z4_tDYQ58eqO9BXmoMA9ezxZfepILvEQWz_BPtELq8/s1600/Gethsemane.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="748" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyxTSmyVyU0Bo2DBT2wbmn-4OyLi4sr7EujAzNEi-XBIgYvg4iNgd-xBwLnCHs5VRUCVnIl1cTfp7u-9xlkTLU43cNKb_j9z4_tDYQ58eqO9BXmoMA9ezxZfepILvEQWz_BPtELq8/s400/Gethsemane.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />In a sense, the first time the disciples of Christ are stripped of their garments they embrace becoming “of no reputation.” They willingly lay aside all that they previously gloried in. The apostle Paul recounted his former reputation; A Hebrew of the Hebrews; born of the tribe of Benjamin. He was zealous, joining the strictest sect of the Pharisees. He was educated in the school of Gamaliel. As to the righteousness found in the law, he was accounted as a perfect man. This same Paul testified, “Those things that were gain to me, I considered loss.” He compared them to dung that he might gain Christ.<br /><br />All disciples must for a time lay aside the garments of honor as a favored son and array themselves in the clothing of a servant. A great many Christians and ministers refuse to do so. They hold on jealously to raiments of honor. They constantly assert their position as sons of the Most High. They refuse to accept anything but honor, accolades and prosperity. In doing so they follow the pattern of Satan, despising the humility of Christ.<br /><br />There is a second stripping that causes the disciples of Christ to descend even lower, following the path of Joseph who was placed in Pharaoh’s dungeon. We must be willing even to be stripped of the garments of a servant, to be arrayed with the shame of a transgressor.<br /><br />As I pondered this matter sitting in jail, the Spirit opened my eyes to understand an event that occurred at the crucifixion of Christ. In the time of His suffering we read that some standing near, hearing Christ say “I thirst,” dipped a sponge into some sour wine and offered it to Christ to drink.<br />King David, speaking prophetically in the Psalms, wrote of this event, “They gave me gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” The words “gall” and “vinegar” both described the sour wine those nearby offered to Christ (Psalm 69:21). About a week after I was put in jail a letter arrived from a close family member. They spoke words of condemnation, urging me to abandon the path of obedience God had laid on me that I might come down off the cross.<br /><br />Soon after, an inmate in an adjoining cell called out to my cell-mate. He said, “Ask the minister what gall is.” I asked him to tell me how the word was being used, for it has more than one meaning. He quoted the above verse from the Psalms. How precious is our Father in ordering our steps.<br /><br />The Spirit showed me that the gall offered to Christ to drink is a symbol of the bitter things that those close to Christ’s disciples will offer to them even as they are enduring the cross. How bitter it is to have those close to us add to our reproaches in an hour when our soul is being crushed.<br /><br />We often hear someone speak of a “galling experience.” They are referring to something very bitter. Someone is said to have a lot of “gall” when they speak, or act, in a very presumptuous and unkind manner. Even as Christ hung on the cross, remaining there out of love for others and obedience to the Father, those nearby hurled abuse and scorn at Him. He was mocked and condemned. Those nearby said, “If you are the Son of God, come down off the cross,” and “He saved others, He cannot save Himself.”<br /><br />Those who would clothe themselves with Christ must accept such experiences with grace and forgiveness. Joseph found it an exceedingly bitter experience to be branded as a transgressor. For a while this garment chafed at him as if he were arrayed in sackcloth. He yearned to remove this ill fitting reputation, and declared his innocence (Gen. 40:14-15). Yet it was Yahweh’s will that he wear it two more years.<br /><br />There have been times in my present incarceration when I have found my circumstances galling. My soul has been weighed down under a burden on some days. I am encouraged when the Spirit reveals to me that such experiences are the portion of all who would be perfect in Christ. To put on Christ, we must put on His humility.<br /><br />There have been many trials and attacks from the enemy at this time, but the grace of God has been more abundant. Even as Christ was comforted to spy John and some of the faithful women standing nearby, sharing in His hour of tribulation, so have I been much encouraged by those faithful saints who have written to me and offered up prayers on behalf of my family.<br /><br />The Father has encouraged me in other ways. I have been put in cell number 40. The Spirit led me to the Psalm of this same number. It begins,<br /><br />“I waited patiently for Yahweh; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in Yahweh.”<br /><br />It is truly my hope and earnest desire that a remnant will observe the Father’s grace and keeping power in my life and be encouraged to abandon their lives fully into His hands. He has declared that there is “an afflicted path that leads to life, and few there be that find it.” Yet His grace is able to keep the weakest, and most timid of those who will commit their lives unto Him. Though the way of Christ’s disciples leads through fire and flood, through lion’s dens and the valley of the shadow of death, we have an omnipotent Shepherd who watches over us. We will never walk alone.<br /><br />If we will accept the garments of humility that Christ wore, we will wear the garments of honor. The hour came when Joseph was brought out of the prison of Pharaoh. His garment was changed once again. Pharaoh arrayed Joseph in linen garments. He placed the necklace about Joseph’s neck, and a signet ring on his finger. Pharaoh declared that in Joseph was the Spirit of the holy God. Joseph received glory for abasement, and honor for shame. This is the heritage of the overcomers in Christ.<br /><br />May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br />Note: I was released from this second imprisonment after 74 days in jail.<br /><div><br /></div>---<br /><br />This is the final excerpt from the book <i>Evidence of Things Unseen</i>:<br /><br /><div><span><a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/evidence-of-things-unseen.htm" target="_blank">http://www.heart4god.ws/evidence-of-things-unseen.htm</a></span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Heart4God Website:</span> <a href="http://www.heart4god.ws/">http://www.heart4god.ws</a> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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Montezuma, GA 31063Joseph Herrinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14729899526301330525noreply@blogger.com0