

### Saved in One Hope: The Church and Believing Israel

Copyright 2018-2019 Zion S. Kwok

Published by Zion S. Kwok at Smashwords

Cover Photo: Photo of the Western Wall in Jerusalem is in the Public Domain.

Cover Design: By Jamie Yeung

Unless otherwise specified, Bible quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), which is in the Public Domain.

Also quoted: THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: One God and One People

Chapter 2: God's Chosen People

Chapter 3: The Mosaic Covenant

Chapter 4: God's Law

Chapter 5: A Negative View of God's Law

Chapter 6: The Fear of the Lord

Chapter 7: Salvation in Jesus Christ

Chapter 8: Why Would Anyone Refuse Salvation?

Chapter 9: The New Covenant

Chapter 10: What Is the Church?

Chapter 11: Local Churches

Chapter 12: The Law and the Church

Chapter 13: The Law of Christ

Chapter 14: Old Testament Saints

Chapter 15: Earthly and Heavenly Blessings

Chapter 16: One Future People of God

Selected Bibliography

Chapter 1: One God and One People

Does God exist? Who is God? Is there any truth to the religions of the world?

One. There is one God, one truth, and one Bible. But the Bible is a diverse collection of 66 books written by over 30 people, spanning roughly 1500 years, in three languages, on three different continents. Interleaving historical records with poetry, prophecy, laws, teaching and words of encouragement, the Bible presents a giant jigsaw puzzle where we need try to fit the pieces together. In this book, we make it our aim to resolve contrasting ideas, ultimately showing the unity of the Bible and confirming its divine authorship. God has one plan to save one people for one hope.

One God

Have you ever heard of the popular notion that the God of the Old Testament is an angry Judge while the God of the New Testament is a loving Saviour? According to the Bible, this is a correct but skewed description of God.

The Bible is divided into two major parts: the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT). Judaism accepts only the OT as divine revelation, whereas Christianity accepts both the OT and NT as authoritative. The Old Testament was written mostly in the Hebrew language with some Aramaic, and includes the first 39 books of the Bible. It covers history from creation until approximately the year 400 Before Christ (BC). The New Testament was written in Greek and includes 27 books. It covers history in the first century Anno Domini (AD), when Jesus Christ walked on earth. The word "Testament" refers to covenants or agreements that God made: one in the past (OT) and a new one started by Jesus (NT). In this book, we will highlight which Bible quotations come from the OT and the NT, because we will compare them. Unless otherwise specified, the Bible quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB) translation, but a few will come from the New International Version (NIV) translation.

In response to the question at the beginning of this section, the God of the Old Testament sent a flood to destroy the earth, rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah, and commanded that the Canaanites be killed, but He is also the same gracious and longsuffering God of the New Testament Who demonstrated His love by sending His Son Jesus into the world. We will first try to show that there is only one God. God did not change, nor are there two different Gods with different personalities. Note that "Yahweh" is also translated as "Jehovah" in some English Bible translations, and is a name of God.

**(OT) Exodus 34:6** **WEB** Yahweh passed by before him, and proclaimed, "Yahweh! Yahweh, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth, **7** keeping loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and disobedience and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the children's children, on the third and on the fourth generation."

The God of Love

The New Testament teaches us to love even our enemies and not to take revenge (Rom. 12:19), which seems to indicate that the God of the New Testament is more gentle (Luke 6:27). But love is also commanded in the Old Testament (Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:17-18).

**(OT) Leviticus 19:17** "'You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. **18** You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh.'"

But these teachings about love are balanced by the knowledge that God would avenge us in the future (Rom. 12:19). We need a balanced view of God. God is patient and loving, but we must be careful not to treat the Him as Someone we can trifle with (Heb. 12:29).

**(NT) Romans 12:19** Don't seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God's wrath. For it is written, "Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord."

The God Who Judges

God was active in Old Testament (OT) times and His punishments were sometimes severe. But He demonstrated His longsuffering nature by waiting _over a century_ before sending the greatest destruction, all the while enduring very harsh words from sinful people (Gen. 6:3, 5-6, 17-18; 15:13, 16; Ezek. 4:5; Mal. 3:13-15; Exod. 16:3).

**(OT) Genesis 6:3** Yahweh said, "My Spirit will not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; so his days will be one hundred twenty years."... **5** Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart was continually only evil. **6** Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart....

**17** "I, even I, do bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is in the earth will die. **18** But I will establish my covenant with you [Noah]. You shall come into the ship, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you."

**(OT) Genesis 15:13** He said to Abram, "Know for sure that your offspring will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years.... **16** In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full."

Despite occasional cataclysmic events, God in His patient forbearance held back the full punishment for the sin of mankind during ancient Old Testament times until He justly accepted His Son Jesus' death as the payment for sins, to begin the New Testament.

**(NT) Romans 3:24** being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; **25** whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice, through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God's forbearance;

The New Testament (NT) also records historical accounts of God's judgment, though there are comparatively fewer during the lifetimes of Jesus Christ and His apostles (Acts 5:1-11; 12:21-23; 13:10-11; 1 Cor. 11:27-30).

**(NT) Acts 12:21** On an appointed day, Herod dressed himself in royal clothing, sat on the throne, and gave a speech to them. **22** The people shouted, "The voice of a god, and not of a man!" **23** Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he didn't give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.

We must keep in mind that the New Testament only covers about one hundred years of history—a much shorter time period than the millennia described by the Old Testament, so fewer judgments should be expected.

Nevertheless, when the New Testament speaks of the future judgment, particularly in the Book of Revelation, the severity of the judgment is no different from the prophecies in the Old Testament. At that time, the full punishment for the sin of mankind will be unleashed upon all who refuse God's love and forgiveness given through Jesus Christ.

**(NT) Jude 1:14** About these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones, **15** to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

**(NT) Revelation 11:18** "The nations were angry, and your wrath came, as did the time for the dead to be judged, and to give your bondservants the prophets, their reward, as well as to the saints, and those who fear your name, to the small and the great; and to destroy those who destroy the earth."

So we see that the OT and NT both portray a God who loves and offers forgiveness, but who also punishes people who sin against Him.

The Triune God

The greatest revelation in the New Testament is that Jesus is God's Son, who became a man.

**(NT) John 1:1** In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... **14** The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

The New Testament describes God as a tri-unity, or Trinity, meaning one God in three Persons—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We must emphasize that there is one God, not three separate gods.

**(NT) Matthew 28:19** "Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"

The Trinity is difficult to understand and needs to be accepted by faith, for our finite ideas fail to explain an infinite God. Nevertheless, the Trinity is also hinted at in the Old Testament. For example, God is referred to using both plural and singular pronouns.

**(OT) Genesis 1:26** God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:..." **27** God created man in his own image. in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

**(OT) Deuteronomy 6:4** Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God. Yahweh is one.

**(OT) Isaiah 48:16**... Now the Lord Yahweh has sent me, with his Spirit.

God and Mankind

The one true God of the Old and New Testaments has one plan to save mankind. But why did God make man? Three reasons are: 1) to be like God; 2) to rule over the earth; and 3) for His glory.

**(OT) Genesis 1:26** God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

**(OT) Isaiah 43:7** "'everyone who is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory,  
whom I have formed, yes, whom I have made.'"

But God's greatest delight is in His Son Jesus Christ (Matt. 3:17; Col. 1:15, 19; Phil. 2:10-11). Therefore God desires that His people be like Christ and show forth His glory (Rom. 8:28-29; Heb. 2:10).

**(NT) Matthew 3:17** Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

**(NT) Romans 8:28** We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. **29** For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

The People of God

Jesus redeemed a special people for Himself called the "church", which means "called out". Note that "church" can be translated alternatively as "assembly" or "congregation".

**(NT) Titus 2:14** who [Jesus] gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works.

**(NT) 1 Peter 2:9** But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession,...

Similarly, God bestowed a special status on His people Israel:

**(OT) Exodus 19:5** "'Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine; **6** and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel."

And God says concerning Jerusalem (Israel's historic capital city that was built on Mount Zion):

**(OT) Ezekiel 16:8**...yes, I swore to you, and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord Yahweh, and you became mine.

**(OT) Isaiah 54:5** "For your Maker is your husband;  
Yahweh of Armies is his name.  
The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer.  
He will be called the God of the whole earth."

So we see that God's intentions for the city of Jerusalem, the nation of Israel, and the worldwide New Testament church are similar: to be God's own people, to be priests and kings, to be glorious in righteousness (Isa. 62:1), and to be His wife (Eph. 5:27-29; Jer. 3:14; 31:32; Isa. 54:5; 62:4-5). Someone may object that God's declarations to Israel were conditional on Israel's keeping the terms of the OT covenant, which they failed to keep. But even if they failed, God's intentions for Israel will one day be realized through Jesus Christ. The titles "Christ" and "Messiah" come from the Greek word _christo_ and the Hebrew word _mshich_ , respectively, which both mean "anointed". Jesus Christ is Israel's promised Messiah whom God has anointed as Israel's future king of glory.

Three Groups of People

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 10:32 NIV** Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—

The apostle Paul, one of the leaders of the early NT church, wrote about how to live peacefully without upsetting people with different cultural and religious mindsets. The _Jews_ are a subset of the people of Israel who historically lived in the southern kingdom of _Judah_ , many of whom respect the writings of Moses. The _Greeks_ are a people group that lived in the lands of southern Europe and modern-day Turkey, who previously believed in a pagan mythology and religion, but are also well-known for their philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. The _church of God_ refers to the company of believers in Jesus Christ, which has been spreading around the world for the last 2000 years. This classification has been generalized by some to mean ethnic Israelites, non-Israelites also known as "the nations" or "Gentiles", and believers in Jesus Christ. Though some say otherwise, these categories are not mutually exclusive, as a person may fall under more than one category.

The people of Israel are singled out among all the nations of the world because during OT times, God called their ancestor Abraham to follow God and to become a great nation. While God is unapologetic about blessing Abraham and his descendants, God also planned from the beginning to bless all the families of the earth through Abraham's descendant, Jesus Christ. Today, people from all nations who believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the descendant of Abraham, can share in Abraham's blessings. Therefore, the Great Commission to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation on earth fulfills God's plan.

Three Sets of Teaching

A set of teaching known as "Covenant Theology" treats different covenants under the conceptual umbrellas of a covenant of works and a covenant of grace. Recall that a covenant may refer to a promise, contract, or agreement. Covenant Theology considers the New Testament church to be the spiritual Israel which inherits Israel's promises. Therefore, God's promises in the Old Testament for Israel may be interpreted "spiritually", or allegorically. Moreover, some but not all of the rules of the Old Testament are considered to remain in effect during New Testament times.

An opposing set of teaching known as "Dispensational Theology" attempts to shed light on how God dealt with different peoples at different times throughout Biblical history, and typically emphasizes distinctions between Israel and the church, between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Its proponents prefer literal interpretations of God's promises to Israel rather than subjective, allegorical interpretations. They teach that the church is the body of Christ and has a heavenly hope, while Israel receives the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham of land as well as God's promise to David of an everlasting kingdom.

One major point of contention between Covenant Theology and Dispensational Theology is this: to whom did God give the promised land? To ethnic Israel, to the church, or to both?

While agreeing that literal interpretations of the Bible are preferable where the literary genre permits, this book proposes to show that all of God's people share the same hope and the same promises, and are thus one people in God's eternal plan. Simply put, the New Covenant is for both Israel and the church.

This line of reasoning is closer to "New Covenant Theology" than either Covenant Theology or Dispensational Theology. Unlike Covenant Theology, New Covenant Theology treats each covenant separately as it is found in the Bible, rather than seeing only a covenant of works and a covenant of grace. New Covenant Theology also sees the entire Old Testament Law as fulfilled and terminated in Christ, so that only the law of Christ remains for the church to follow.

An Outline of the Book

In the first few chapters, we will learn about the people of Israel. What is their history and what is the basis of their special relationship with God?

We will first encounter the Abrahamic Covenant and later the Mosaic Covenant. The Mosaic Covenant, also called the Law of Moses, is an important revelation from God, but in view of the New Covenant or New Testament, the Mosaic Covenant becomes the Old Covenant or Old Testament, which is set aside. The weaknesses of the Law seem to be improved upon by God's promises for those who fear the Lord, but ultimately, Jesus Christ brings salvation by grace through faith and the New Covenant, which are superior. We will also endeavour to show that the Bible remains consistent in the face of these two contrasting covenants.

As the New Covenant brings the church into existence, we will then explore what the church is, how it should operate, and how the Law of Moses and the law of Christ apply in the New Testament era. It is our hope that the reader will see that saints past, present, and future will become one blessed people of God.

**(NT) Ephesians 4:4** There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling; **5** one Lord, one faith, one baptism, **6** one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all.

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Chapter 2: God's Chosen People

The Israelites are known as God's chosen people. They are scattered all over the world, yet maintain a distinct identity in terms of their ethnicity, traditions, and faith. While often the target of anti-Semitic hatred, many descendants of Israel excel in various areas—over 20% of Nobel laureates are Jewish! Who are these people and what makes them so special?

The Call of Abram

Let's review the history of the nation of Israel beginning with the story of Abram in the book of Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament. God revealed Himself as a personal God to Abram.

**(OT) Genesis 12:1** Now Yahweh said to Abram, "Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you. **2** I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. **3** I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you."

**4** So Abram went, as Yahweh had told him. Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

God called Abram to leave his country and promised to make him a great nation. With these fantastic promises, God outlined His grand plan to create the nation of Israel from Abram's descendants, and then subsequently bless the whole world. Abram obeyed God and went, and the rest is history.

God's Covenant with Abram

God confirmed His specific promise to Abram to give him the land of Canaan by making a covenant with him. Following an ancient custom, animals were cut in half and God walked between the pieces, showing that He would be cut into pieces if He dared to break His promise.

**(OT) Genesis 15:5** Yahweh brought him outside, and said, "Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." He said to Abram, "So will your offspring be." **6** He believed in Yahweh, who credited it to him for righteousness. **7** He said to Abram, "I am Yahweh who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it."

**8** He said, "Lord Yahweh, how will I know that I will inherit it?"

**9** He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." **10** He brought him all these, and divided them in the middle, and laid each half opposite the other; but he didn't divide the birds. **11** The birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

**12** When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. Now terror and great darkness fell on him. **13** He said to Abram, "Know for sure that your offspring will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years. **14** I will also judge that nation, whom they will serve. Afterward they will come out with great wealth, **15** but you will go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried at a good old age. **16** In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full." **17** It came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. **18** In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, "I have given this land to your offspring, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates: **19** the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, **20** the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, **21** the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."

Sleepy Abram, however, did not walk between the pieces, indicating that the obligations rested only on God's shoulders and Abram would receive the promise without any conditions on his part. This promise is known as the Abrahamic Covenant, for God later changed Abram's name to Abraham (Gen. 17:5). It lays the foundation for many of God's future dealings with Israel and the church.

Circumcision

About 24 years later, God gave Abraham a token or sign of the covenant—circumcision. Circumcision involves cutting off the foreskin of the male reproductive organ. One possible reason for this choice is that God's promise included giving Abraham many descendants.

**(OT) Genesis 17:3** Abram fell on his face. God talked with him, saying, **4** "As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations. **5** Your name will no more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. **6** I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you. Kings will come out of you. **7** I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your offspring after you. **8** I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are traveling, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. I will be their God."

**9** God said to Abraham, "As for you, you will keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. **10** This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you. Every male among you shall be circumcised. **11** You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin. It will be a token of the covenant between me and you. **12** He who is eight days old will be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he who is born in the house, or bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring. **13** He who is born in your house, and he who is bought with your money, must be circumcised. My covenant will be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. **14** The uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant."

Heir of the Promises

Because Abraham's wife, Sarah, was barren, Sarah urged him to have a son through her female servant Hagar, who then bore a son called Ishmael (Gen. 16:1-15). Even though Ishmael was circumcised, God's covenant would be with Abraham's son Isaac, but not with his son Ishmael. At the time, Isaac was not even born yet, but God promised that Abraham and Sarah would miraculously have a son in their old age. This case shows that circumcision was a required duty, but the promises were not inherited by everyone who was circumcised. Nor were all of Abraham's physical descendants included in the offspring with whom God made the covenant.

**(OT) Genesis 17:19** God said, "No, but Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. **20** As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. **21** But my covenant I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year."

**22** When he finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. **23** Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money; every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the same day, as God had said to him.

**(NT) Romans 9:7** Neither, because they are Abraham's offspring, are they all children. But, "your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac." **8** That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as heirs.

The Hebrew word for "offspring" in Genesis 15 and 17 is singular, referring to Jesus Christ, Abraham's most important descendant.

**(NT) Galatians 3:16** Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring. He doesn't say, "To descendants", as of many, but as of one, "To your offspring", which is Christ.

**(NT) Matthew 1:1** The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

At the same time, the singular form of "offspring" was also used together with plural pronouns to mean the Israelites, who were foreigners in the land of Canaan and Egypt for at least 400 years. Perhaps God chose to use this singular form of "offspring" to represent a double meaning: both Jesus and the Israelites.

**(OT) Genesis 15:13** He [God] said to Abram, "Know for sure that your offspring will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years."

The singular form of "offspring" is also used when the blessing is passed on to Abraham's son Isaac and his grandson Jacob, whom God named Israel (Gen. 26:3; 28:4; 35:10). The plural form of "offspring" in relation to God's promises to Abraham only appears in Moses' prayer to God, where it seems that Moses unwittingly misquoted God's words (Exod. 32:13). This does not mean that the Bible contradicts itself—it just means that Moses made a mistake during his prayer.

From Abraham to Joseph

Having tarried at the Abrahamic Covenant, we continue tracing the early history of the nation of Israel. Let's listen to Stephen's public speech:

**(NT) Acts 7:2** He said, "Brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, **3** and said to him, 'Get out of your land, and from your relatives, and come into a land which I will show you.' **4** Then he came out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and lived in Haran. From there, when his father was dead, God moved him into this land, where you are now living. **5** He gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on. He promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his offspring after him, when he still had no child.

**6** God spoke in this way: that his offspring would live as aliens in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years. **7** 'I will judge the nation to which they will be in bondage,' said God, 'and after that will they come out, and serve me in this place.' **8** He gave him the covenant of circumcision. So Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob [Israel], and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

**9** The patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt. God was with him, **10** and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He made him governor over Egypt and all his house. **11** Now a famine came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction. Our fathers found no food. **12** But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers the first time. **13** On the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph's race was revealed to Pharaoh. **14** Joseph sent, and summoned Jacob, his father, and all his relatives, seventy-five souls. 15 Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, himself and our fathers, **16** and they were brought back to Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver from the children of Hamor of Shechem."

Abraham's son was Isaac, Isaac's son was Jacob, who was also called Israel. Joseph was Jacob's favourite son, but his jealous brothers sold him as a slave into Egypt. Nevertheless, it was part of God's plan to promote Joseph to an exceedingly high rank in Egypt—second to the king—for the purpose of storing up Egypt's grain during seven years of plenty and selling it back to the people during seven years of famine (Gen. 41:1-57; 50:19-20). Then Jacob's family of 75 souls or people moved to Egypt where they found food, settled down, and eventually died.

Then Stephen seems to have conflated two similar events, since Jacob was buried in a tomb in Hebron or Mamre, which Abraham bought with silver from Ephron the Hittite (Gen. 50:13), but Joseph was buried in Shechem on land that Jacob bought with silver from the sons of Hamor (Josh. 24:32). Biblical inerrancy requires that Stephen's speech be accurately recorded, even if Stephen made mistakes.

From Moses to Stephen

Continuing with Stephen's speech:

**(NT) Acts 7:17** "But as the time of the promise came close which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, **18** until there arose a different king, who didn't know Joseph. **19** The same took advantage of our race, and mistreated our fathers, and forced them to throw out their babies, so that they wouldn't stay alive.

**20** At that time Moses was born, and was exceedingly handsome. He was nourished three months in his father's house. **21** When he was thrown out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and reared him as her own son. **22** Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was mighty in his words and works. **23** But when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. **24** Seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him who was oppressed, striking the Egyptian. **25** He supposed that his brothers understood that God, by his hand, was giving them deliverance; but they didn't understand.

**26** The day following, he appeared to them as they fought, and urged them to be at peace again, saying, 'Sirs, you are brothers. Why do you wrong one another?' **27** But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? **28** Do you want to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?' **29** Moses fled at this saying, and became a stranger in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons."

After the Israelites multiplied in Egypt, the king tried to control their population, resulting in many dead baby boys. But baby Moses was rescued by the daughter of Pharaoh, and raised as a prince of Egypt. When Moses later tried to help his fellow Israelites, he too was forced to flee the land of Egypt. Meanwhile, the Israelites remained in slavery until one day, God sent Moses to bring them out of Egypt.

**(NT) Acts 7:30** "When forty years were fulfilled, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. **31** When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight. As he came close to see, a voice of the Lord came to him, **32** 'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' Moses trembled, and dared not look. **33** The Lord said to him, 'Take your sandals off of your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. **34** I have surely seen the affliction of my people that is in Egypt, and have heard their groaning. I have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you into Egypt.' **35** This Moses, whom they refused, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?'—God has sent him as both a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. **36** This man led them out, having worked wonders and signs in Egypt, in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.

**37** This is that Moses, who said to the children of Israel, 'The Lord our God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me.' **38** This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel that spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received living revelations to give to us, **39** to whom our fathers wouldn't be obedient, but rejected him, and turned back in their hearts to Egypt, **40** saying to Aaron, 'Make us gods that will go before us, for as for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt, we don't know what has become of him.' **41** They made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands. **42** But God turned, and gave them up to serve the army of the sky, as it is written in the book of the prophets,

' _Did you offer to me slain animals and sacrifices  
forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?  
**43** You took up the tabernacle of Moloch,  
the star of your god Rephan,  
the figures which you made to worship.  
I will carry you away beyond Babylon.'_

**44** Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, even as he who spoke to Moses commanded him to make it according to the pattern that he had seen; **45** which also our fathers, in their turn, brought in with Joshua when they entered into the possession of the nations, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers, to the days of David, **46** who found favor in the sight of God, and asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob. **47** But Solomon built him a house. **48** However, the Most High doesn't dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says,

**49** 'heaven is my throne,  
and the earth a footstool for my feet.  
What kind of house will you build me?' says the Lord;  
'or what is the place of my rest?  
**50** Didn't my hand make all these things?'"

Eventually, the nation of Israel took possession of the promised land, and King Solomon built a permanent house or temple in Jerusalem to replace the movable tent or tabernacle as God's dwelling place among them. However, they had a pattern of disobeying God by rejecting prophets like Moses and worshipping idols. This resulted in their nation being conquered by Assyria and Babylon, and being exiled away from their homeland. Miraculously, they were later permitted to return to their land and rebuild their cities and their temple, but were under the rule of the Roman Empire during the time of Stephen around AD 30.

Then Stephen spoke directly to his Jewish audience:

**(NT) Acts 7:51** "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do. **52** Which of the prophets didn't your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers. **53** You received the law as it was ordained by angels, and didn't keep it!"

Stephen, an Israelite and Jew who believed in Jesus, charged that his people had received the Law but had not kept it. They had recently killed Jesus, the Righteous One, whom Moses foretold would be a prophet like Moses. But why did Stephen highlight the Law and the temple at the end of his history lesson?

The Law and the Temple

The Law and the Second Temple were at the centre of Jewish religious life. Stephen had previously been accused of speaking against the Law and the temple, which was what landed him in front of the Jewish governing council to defend himself in the preceding speech (Acts 6:13). Stephen demonstrated that he accepted the divinely inspired history of his people, but pointed out that the Law and the temple were not as important as the coming of Jesus, the Son of God. The Law had not been faithfully obeyed and God does not need a temple to live in. Yet these two things have been prized by the people of Israel down through the centuries, and rightly so. In the next three chapters, we will take a closer look at the Law.

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Chapter 3: The Mosaic Covenant

The Law refers to the covenant which God made with the nation of Israel after Moses led them out of slavery in Egypt. At Mount Sinai in the desert wilderness, God offered to be Israel's God so that they would be His people. God gave the Israelites many commands at Mount Sinai, which are known as the Law of Moses or the Mosaic Covenant. On that momentous occasion, God spoke audibly in the hearing of the whole nation.

**(OT)** Exodus 20:1 God spoke all these words, saying, 2 "I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3 You shall have no other gods before me.

4 You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 You shall labor six days, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; 11 for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.

12 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.

13 You shall not murder.

14 You shall not commit adultery.

15 You shall not steal.

16 You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

17 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."

18 All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance. 19 They said to Moses, "Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but don't let God speak with us, lest we die."

As the powerful liberator of the nation of Israel from slavery in Egypt, God required that they worship Him and obey His commands, which were only reasonable and proper for them to do. The Decalogue, or Ten Commandments, is only a summary of a larger body of teachings and laws that God commanded His people to follow. The first five books of the Bible containing these teachings and laws are commonly known as the Pentateuch, the Torah, or the Law: the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

The people of Israel were incredibly privileged to hear the voice of God, but they were afraid of hearing God's voice any longer, so they asked Moses to relay God's words to them as God's spokesman, namely a prophet. The Israelites willingly agreed to obey everything God had told them to do and to enter into the covenant (Exod. 24:3, 7-8).

**(OT) Exodus 24:7** He [Moses] took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, "All that Yahweh has spoken will we do, and be obedient."

Blessings and Curses

The Mosaic Covenant promised blessings for obedience, such as prosperity, possessing the land of Canaan, and enjoying long life. Because God is all-powerful, those whom He blesses are surely blessed. But the covenant also warned about curses for disobedience. The curses were described in much greater detail, culminating in being expelled from the promised land and scattered to the ends of the earth. Since there is no termination clause in the covenant, neither God nor the Israelites can simply walk away from the agreement. The covenant is binding until death.

**(OT) Deuteronomy 28:1** It shall happen, if you shall listen diligently to Yahweh your God's voice, to observe to do all his commandments which I command you today, that Yahweh your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. **2** All these blessings will come upon you, and overtake you, if you listen to Yahweh your God's voice. **3** You shall be blessed in the city, and you shall be blessed in the field. **4** You shall be blessed in the fruit of your body, the fruit of your ground, the fruit of your animals, the increase of your livestock, and the young of your flock. **5** Your basket and your kneading trough shall be blessed. **6** You shall be blessed when you come in, and you shall be blessed when you go out....

**15** But it shall come to pass, if you will not listen to Yahweh your God's voice, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come on you, and overtake you. **16** You will be cursed in the city, and you will be cursed in the field. **17** Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. **18** The fruit of your body, the fruit of your ground, the increase of your livestock, and the young of your flock will be cursed. **19** You will be cursed when you come in, and you will be cursed when you go out....

**26** Your dead body will be food to all birds of the sky, and to the animals of the earth; and there will be no one to frighten them away. **27** Yahweh will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with the tumors, with the scurvy, and with the itch, of which you can not be healed. **28** Yahweh will strike you with madness, with blindness, and with astonishment of heart....

**64** Yahweh will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth. There you will serve other gods, which you have not known, you nor your fathers, even wood and stone. **65** Among these nations you will find no ease, and there will be no rest for the sole of your foot; but Yahweh will give you there a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and pining of soul....

Participants in the Mosaic Covenant

Although the curses were fearful, it was a great privilege to enter a covenant with God. The Mosaic Covenant was a contract between God and Israel (Exod. 34:27; 2 Chron. 6:11). If Israel fulfilled its requirements, Israel would enjoy a favoured status above all the other nations of the world.

**(OT) Exodus 34:27** Yahweh said to Moses, "Write you these words: for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel."

But foreigners who lived among the Israelites could also enter into the Mosaic Covenant. It was a national covenant between God and His chosen people.

**(OT) Deuteronomy 29:10** All of you stand today in the presence of Yahweh your God; your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel, **11** your little ones, your wives, and the foreigners who are in the middle of your camps, from the one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water; **12** that you may enter into the covenant of Yahweh your God, and into his oath, which Yahweh your God makes with you today; **13** that he may establish you today as his people, and that he may be your God, as he spoke to you, and as he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

The covenant also extended to people who were not present, namely their descendants.

**(OT) Deuteronomy 29:14** Neither do I make this covenant and this oath with you only, **15** but with those who stand here with us today before Yahweh our God, and also with those who are not here with us today.

The covenant applied to everyone in the nation of Israel, ethnic Israelite or not, from Moses' time and into the future. Circumcision of the heart was mentioned twice in the book of Deuteronomy (Deut. 10:16; 30:6), but physical circumcision was not a condition to enter into the covenant. Many of the Israelites listening to Moses' words recorded in Deuteronomy were not circumcised until two months later when Joshua became their new leader.

**(OT) Joshua 5:4** This is the reason Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt, who were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness along the way, after they came out of Egypt. **5** For all the people who came out were circumcised; but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised.

Do Foreign Proselytes Become Israelites?

Many people consider foreign proselytes who convert to the Jewish religion and who are circumcised to be become Israelites and full participants in the Mosaic Covenant. When a foreigner is circumcised like the Israelites, he may keep the Passover as someone who has submitted to God and His Law given through Moses (Exod. 12:43-49; Gal. 5:3). So circumcision is definitely encouraged for proselytes, just as it is commanded as part of the Law of Moses (Lev. 12:2-3).

**(OT) Exodus 12:43** Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner shall eat of it, **44** but every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then shall he eat of it. **45** A foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat of it.... **48** When a stranger shall live as a foreigner with you, and will keep the Passover to Yahweh, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one who is born in the land: but no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. **49** One law shall be to him who is born at home, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you."

The phrase in Verse 48, " _be as one who is born in the land_ ", is often broadly interpreted as giving equal status to the circumcised foreigner as a descendant of Israel, but the succeeding clause puts the focus only on eating the Passover. The one ordinance or law in Verses 43 to 49 is that Israelites and non-Israelites who are uncircumcised cannot eat the Passover. In another usage of similar words in the Law, " _as the native-born_ " describes foreigners living among the Israelites whether circumcised or not.

**(OT) Leviticus 19:34** "The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God."

If an uncircumcised foreigner being " _as the native-born_ " does not mean being counted as a descendant of Israel, then a circumcised foreigner being " _as one who is born in the land_ " does not necessarily mean being counted as a descendant of Israel. The notion that a foreigner could cease to be a foreigner is incorrect, just as the Israelites who lived in Egypt never ceased to be foreigners.

Contrary to widely held opinion, we propose that both the circumcised and uncircumcised foreigners enter the Mosaic Covenant when they are identified as part of the nation of Israel, but remain as foreigners under the Law and are not eligible to claim an inheritance of land promised to Abraham's descendants. This is similar to what was mentioned in the previous chapter, how Ishmael was not an heir of the Abrahamic Covenant and had no claim to the land of Canaan, even though he was circumcised as a member of Abraham's household (Gen. 17:19-23).

The Case of Foreign Slaves

To refute the view that foreigners attain the status of being children of Israel through circumcision, consider the case of foreign slaves. God had commanded Abraham to circumcise his foreign servants who were bought with money, and that this practice be continued throughout future generations.

**(OT) Genesis 17:12** "He who is eight days old will be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he who is born in the house, or bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring. **13** He who is born in your house, and he who is bought with your money, must be circumcised. My covenant will be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant."

Given that all foreign slaves are to be circumcised, the following passage in the Law still indicates that these circumcised foreigners can be slaves forever, whereas the ethnic children of Israel will be set free in the Year of Jubilee. Every 50th year is called the Year of Jubilee, when every Israelite returns to the land of their own inheritance according to their tribe's allotment in the land of Canaan. But foreigners do not return to their own land because they do not possess an inheritance in the land.

**(OT) Leviticus 25:39** "'If your brother has grown poor among you, and sells himself to you; you shall not make him to serve as a slave. **40** As a hired servant, and as a temporary resident, he shall be with you; he shall serve with you until the Year of Jubilee: **41** then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and shall return to his own family, and to the possession of his fathers. **42** For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. They shall not be sold as slaves. **43** You shall not rule over him with harshness, but shall fear your God.

**44** As for your male and your female slaves, whom you may have; of the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves. **45** Moreover of the children of the aliens who live among you, of them you may buy, and of their families who are with you, which they have conceived in your land; and they will be your property. **46** You may make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession; of them may you take your slaves forever; but over your brothers the children of Israel you shall not rule, one over another, with harshness.'"

The foreign slaves may be circumcised, but the Law preserves the distinction between them and the children of Israel. Circumcised foreigners remain foreigners.

Differences Between Israelites and Foreigners Under the Law

**(OT) Leviticus 24:22** "'You shall have one kind of law for the foreigner as well as the native-born; for I am Yahweh your God.'"

While foreigners living among the Israelites had the same legal obligations in most cases (Lev. 18:26; 24:22; Num. 15:29), and were to be loved as fellow Israelites (Lev. 19:34), a foreigner did not have the same economic protection. A foreigner could be charged interest on a loan, but an Israelite could not be charged interest (Deut. 23:20). Another difference is that foreigners may eat an animal that dies of itself. The commandment explains that the Israelites are God's holy people, implying that foreigners are somehow different even if they live within Israel's gated cities.

**(OT) Deuteronomy 14:21** You shall not eat of anything that dies of itself. You may give it to the foreigner living among you who is within your gates, that he may eat it; or you may sell it to a foreigner; for you are a holy people to Yahweh your God....

The Israelites were not to choose a foreigner to be their king. Around the time of Christ, the Romans appointed a new king of Judea. To the dismay of many Jews, an Idumean or Edomite called Herod became their king. Although the Idumeans had been forced to convert to Judaism and were circumcised, they were not ethnic Israelites.

**(OT) Deuteronomy 17:14** When you have come to the land which Yahweh your God gives you, and possess it, and dwell in it, and say, "I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me"; **15** you shall surely set him king over yourselves, whom Yahweh your God chooses. You shall set as king over you one from among your brothers. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.

Even though foreigners could not become children of Israel, God still fully accepted those who honoured the Mosaic Covenant.

**(OT) Isaiah 56:3** Let no foreigner, who has joined himself to Yahweh, speak, saying,

" _Yahweh will surely separate me from his people."..._

**6** "Also the foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh,  
to serve him,  
and to love Yahweh's name,  
to be his servants,  
everyone who keeps the Sabbath from profaning it,  
and holds fast my covenant;

**7** I will bring these to my holy mountain,  
and make them joyful in my house of prayer.  
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar;  
for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples."

Foreigners Who Do Not Live Among the Israelites

The rest of the foreigners from other nations, known as Gentiles, who do not live among the Israelites, are not under the Law of Moses. But this does not mean that God made life easier for the Gentiles. On the contrary, having no knowledge of God, they had no hope of pleasing God.

**(NT) Ephesians 2:11** Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "uncircumcision" by that which is called "circumcision", (in the flesh, made by hands); **12** that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

This is often considered unfair, because the Gentiles did not even know God. But the Gentiles are descended from Noah and his sons, who all knew about God. Stories about how God destroyed the world with the flood while Noah's family survived in a wooden ark are known from the earliest civilizations as well as from remote tribes on earth. Human beings are responsible for not passing on the knowledge of God to their children or for corrupting that knowledge with lies. Furthermore, the whole creation testifies to all nations about God.

**(NT) Romans 1:20** For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse. **21** Because, knowing God, they didn't glorify him as God, neither gave thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened.

As for the Ten Commandments, they are a good summary of God's standards of morality, but the Gentiles do not face judgment because they break these commandments. The Gentiles are judged by their own consciences—though the Law could inform the consciences of Gentiles too. This is how the heathen people who have not heard the word of God will be judged:

**(NT) Romans 2:11** For there is no partiality with God. **12** For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without the law. As many as have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. **13** For it isn't the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified **14** (for when Gentiles who don't have the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are a law to themselves, **15** in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying with them, and their thoughts among themselves accusing or else excusing them) **16** in the day when God will judge the secrets of men, according to my Good News, by Jesus Christ.

Moreover, the Gentiles face condemnation because the common ancestor of our human race, Adam, sinned by eating the fruit that God strictly warned him not to eat (Gen. 2:16-17; 3:6). Paul explains in a letter to the Romans that people die because they have sinned. But since there was no command to break before the Law of Moses came, sin that brought death before the Law could only have been Adam's sin. Paul concludes that Adam's one act of disobedience is the cause of the condemnation of all men.

**(NT) Romans 5:12** Therefore as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; and so death passed to all men, because all sinned. **13** For until the law, sin was in the world; but sin is not charged when there is no law. **14** Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those whose sins weren't like Adam's disobedience, who is a foreshadowing of him who was to come.... **18** So then as through one trespass, all men were condemned;... **19** For as through the one man's disobedience many were made sinners,...

A Closing Thought

The Israelites were given the Mosaic Covenant as something extraordinary that made them highly privileged compared to other nations. In this chapter, we have looked at the terms of the covenant including some of the blessings and curses, but the Law also contains great revelations from God which we will explore in the next chapter.

**(NT) Romans 3:1** Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the profit of circumcision? **2** Much in every way! Because first of all, they were entrusted with the revelations of God.

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Chapter 4: God's Law

Keeping a list of rules has long been considered a burden or worse (Acts 15:10). By studying the books of Moses, we can see how the grace and kindness of God permeates the Law of Moses. As Torah, or teaching, the Law contains God's divine commands, but these are framed in the context of His love and grace. As the apostle John wrote, " _His commands are not burdensome_ " (1 John 5:3 NIV), because they are an extension of God's kindness towards His people.

God's Grace Precedes His Commands

God's grace or gift of salvation precedes His commands. The Israelites were in Egypt, enslaved under Pharaoh's taskmasters. God gave the Israelites freedom and led them out of Egypt by the hand of Moses, completely destroying the pursuing Egyptian army at the Red Sea.

Before God gave His commands to the Israelites, He first reminded them of how He had saved them. When God spoke aloud to the Israelites the Decalogue, He began with this preamble:

**(OT) Exodus 20:2** "I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."

And when the Israelites' children were to ask in the future about the meaning of the commands, the parents were instructed to first tell them about how God had brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand (Deut. 6:20-25). God gave His people an astounding gift before giving His commands.

In response to God's salvation, the Israelites gladly vowed to obey Yahweh their God. Three times they proclaimed: " _All that Yahweh has spoken we will do_." (Exod. 19:8; 24:3, 7). Rather than feeling burdened by God's demands, they gladly brought a rich treasure of freewill offerings as materials for building the Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting where God would dwell among them, showing an eagerness to express their gratitude towards their Redeemer (Exod. 35:20-29; 36:3-7).

**(OT) Exodus 35:20** All the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. **21** They came, everyone whose heart stirred him up, and everyone whom his spirit made willing, and brought Yahweh's offering, for the work of the Tent of Meeting, and for all of its service, and for the holy garments.... **36:5** They spoke to Moses, saying, "The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which Yahweh commanded to make." **6** Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, "Let neither man nor woman make anything else for the offering for the sanctuary." So the people were restrained from bringing.

Obedience to God's commands was not a duty imposed upon them to gain God's favour. The commands were never a condition for being rescued from Egypt, the land of slavery. When the Torah was given, Israel already enjoyed God's present favour as God's treasured possession, and were to maintain their unearned position of privilege above all other nations by obeying God's commands (Deut. 7:6; 14:2; 26:18).

**(OT) Deuteronomy 7:6** For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God. Yahweh your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.

Knowledge of God's Requirements Are Great Blessings

In addition to the grace of God's salvation, the commands themselves embody great blessings as the knowledge of God's requirements and a sure way to secure God's favour. Never before had such great revelations been given to the ancient peoples as what Israel received in the Torah.

The Israelites were given detailed instructions about how to please God. In contrast, the pagan peoples did not know what forbidden food or deed could have provoked the wrath of an unresponsive deity. The NIV Application Commentary on Deuteronomy quotes a "Prayer to Any God" from "From Distant Days: Myths, Tales, and Poetry of Ancient Mesopotamia" by B. R. Foster. In the prayer, an ancient Sumerian begs forgiveness from the god or goddess whom he does or does not know, revealing the darkness of understanding under which ancient peoples were shrouded. Any minute aspect of daily life could have inadvertently angered their god. Not so the Israelites. Their God Yahweh revealed in detail exactly what they were permitted to eat and do, so that the righteous could be " _as bold as a lion_ " (Prov. 28:1).

**(OT) Deuteronomy 14:3** You shall not eat any abominable thing. **4** These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, **5** the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the chamois. **6** Every animal that parts the hoof, and has the hoof cloven in two and chews the cud, among the animals, that may you eat. **7** Nevertheless these you shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of those who have the hoof cloven: the camel, the hare, and the rabbit. Because they chew the cud but don't part the hoof, they are unclean to you. **8** The pig, because it has a split hoof but doesn't chew the cud, is unclean to you. You shall not eat their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses. **9** These you may eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales may you eat. **10** You shall not eat whatever doesn't have fins and scales. It is unclean to you. **11** Of all clean birds you may eat. **12** But these are they of which you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, **13** the red kite, the falcon, the kite after its kind, **14** every raven after its kind, **15** the ostrich, the owl, the seagull, the hawk after its kind, **16** the little owl, the great owl, the horned owl, **17** the pelican, the vulture, the cormorant, **18** the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat. **19** All winged creeping things are unclean to you. They shall not be eaten. **20** Of all clean birds you may eat.

**21** You shall not eat of anything that dies of itself. You may give it to the foreigner living among you who is within your gates, that he may eat it; or you may sell it to a foreigner; for you are a holy people to Yahweh your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

These prohibitions against eating pork and shellfish form the basis of kosher dietary restrictions. Some of the unclean animals are associated with dirt and disease while others eat other animals. The clean animals such as sheep, cattle, and chickens are also safer to raise than unclean animals like snakes and lions. We don't know all of God's reasons for classifying certain animals as clean or unclean, but the distinction has existed long before the Law of Moses, as early as the days of Noah. Although Noah distinguished between clean and unclean animals, God gave people permission to eat " _every moving thing that lived_ " after the flood and before the Law of Moses came into effect (Gen. 7:1-3; 9:3).

Boiling a young goat in its mother's milk is an extreme case of stinginess and animal cruelty, but it has been broadly interpreted by Judaism, perhaps overscrupulously, as a prohibition against cooking any meat or dairy together.

God's commands are not just rules for earning favour with Him—they are also teachings about what the right way to live is. Detailed instructions were given for the good of the people, for they gave the Israelites wisdom concerning the ideals of divine righteousness (Ps. 19:7-11). Moreover, the instructions in the Torah provided a path to life and prosperity in the land that God had promised to give to Israel (Deut. 6:2, 24; 32:47). The just society that results from following the commands would be the envy of the world, even if imperfectly actualized by the Israelites.

**(OT) Deuteronomy 4:6** Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who shall hear all these statutes, and say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." **7** For what great nation is there, that has a god so near to them, as Yahweh our God is whenever we call on him? **8** What great nation is there, that has statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law, which I set before you today?

By His Commands, God Resists the Proud but Gives Grace to the Humble

God's commands are not only blessings in and of themselves, they also protect the welfare of the community from those who are powerful among them. By His commands, " _God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble_ " (James 4:6b).

Ancient Israel was a patriarchal society where the men held much power in the family, especially wealthy men who owned farms, livestock, and servants. The quality of life enjoyed by the women, children, servants, and animals depended largely on the way powerful people treated them. Since the Law applied to everyone, powerful people were also addressed—including those with elderly parents, children, animals, and servants. The powerful could not force other people to work like slaves on the Sabbath day of rest. The Sabbath day was the seventh day in the Jewish week, corresponding roughly to sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday. We owe the existence of weekends to God's Sabbath law. The Law also prevented people from harming their neighbour's enjoyment of their life, family, or property.

**(OT) Deuteronomy 5:14** "but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God, in which you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. **15** You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore Yahweh your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

**16** Honor your father and your mother, as Yahweh your God commanded you; that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you, in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.

**17** You shall not murder.

**18** You shall not commit adultery.

**19** You shall not steal.

**20** You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

**21** You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's."

God's Torah would also check the corrupting influence of power in an Israelite king. The king was required to write a copy of the Torah so that by reading it, he would follow God's commands. The king was not above the Law, but was governed by the same rules as all Israel. Moreover, the king would be reminded by the Torah not to lift his heart above his brother Israelites, but that he too must respect his countrymen's rights.

**(OT) Deuteronomy 17:18** It shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write himself a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests the Levites. **19** It shall be with him, and he shall read from it all the days of his life; that he may learn to fear Yahweh his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them; **20** that his heart not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he not turn aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left; to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the middle of Israel.

Finally God's commands contain merciful provisions for the weakest members of Israelite society. For example, when a poor man owes someone money and offers his cloak as a pledge, his cloak is to be returned by sunset so that he may sleep in it (Deut. 24:12-13). In particular, the fatherless, the widow, and the foreigner are to be given justice; an opportunity to glean from fields, olive trees, and vineyards; a share in the 10% tithe of the harvest in the third year; and a part in national celebrations before God (Deut. 24:17, 19-21, 28-29; 16:11, 14).

**(OT) Deuteronomy 24:19** When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to get it. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow; that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. **20** When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow. **21** When you harvest your vineyard, you shall not glean it after yourselves. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

As God's commands graciously enlighten and protect Israel, they should not be seen as burdensome, but as a grateful people's way to enjoy God's continued blessing. The Law is truly a valuable revelation from God.

**(OT) Psalm 19:7** Yahweh's law is perfect, restoring the soul.  
Yahweh's testimony is sure, making wise the simple.  
**8** Yahweh's precepts are right, rejoicing the heart.  
Yahweh's commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes.

**9** The fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever.  
Yahweh's ordinances are true, and righteous altogether.  
**10** More to be desired are they than gold, yes, than much fine gold;  
sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb.

**11** Moreover by them is your servant warned.  
In keeping them there is great reward.

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Chapter 5: A Negative View of God's Law

Although the Law of Moses is described in glowing terms as morally perfect and is Israel's key to prosperity, Paul's letters in the New Testament point to deficiencies of the Law, casting it in a negative light when compared to the New Covenant or New Testament from Jesus Christ. Is this justified?

**(NT) 2 Corinthians 3:6** [God] who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. **7** But if the service of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which was passing away: **8** won't service of the Spirit be with much more glory? **9** For if the service of condemnation has glory, the service of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.

The letter of the Law kills and brings condemnation. Paul is not minimizing the glory of the Law, but portraying the greater glory of the New Covenant in which the Holy Spirit gives life and righteousness. But these statements anger people who treasure God's Law as God's precious gift to Israel. Even if the Law is not kept perfectly, they incorrectly suppose that perfect obedience was never expected from the Israelites—rather, loyalty to God and offering the right sacrifices would be sufficient to secure righteousness.

How could God require perfect obedience from imperfect people? Did God set them up to fail? After all, the God of grace in the New Testament is the same God who gave Israel the Law.

In the following pages, we will show that even though the commandments in the Law are good, the Mosaic Covenant is not sufficient for finding life and lasting righteousness. Objections that God would not make an imperfect covenant are answered below.

Did God Expect Israel to Fail?

Yes, God expected the Israelites to fail to keep His commands. He told this to Moses in no uncertain terms. Yet this did not prevent God from giving them the Law.

**(OT) Deuteronomy 31:16** Yahweh said to Moses, "Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. This people will rise up, and play the prostitute after the strange gods of the land, where they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. **17** Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come on them; so that they will say in that day, 'Haven't these evils come on us because our God is not among us?' **18** I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods."

Why Would God Give Commands that Would Be Disobeyed?

There is value in God giving commands even if they will be disobeyed some of the time. For example, God gave Noah and his sons commands not to eat animals that were still alive nor to commit murder, even though He knew people had evil hearts from their youth. God spoke these things, knowing that some people would disobey His commands. The knowledge of right and wrong, as well as the deterrence of punishment, would go far to restrain evil. A nation governed by a set of laws is usually much safer than a lawless society.

**(OT) Genesis 8:21** Yahweh smelled the pleasant aroma. Yahweh said in his heart, "I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake because the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. I will never again strike every living thing, as I have done.... "

**9:1** God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. **2** The fear of you and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the sky. Everything that moves along the ground, and all the fish of the sea, are delivered into your hand. **3** Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As I gave you the green herb, I have given everything to you. **4** But flesh with its life, that is, its blood, you shall not eat. **5** I will surely require your blood of your lives; at the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, I will require the life of man. **6** Whoever sheds man's blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image. **7** Be fruitful and multiply. Increase abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it."

The Law's additional value as wisdom is to let people see themselves as God sees them—as unrighteous—so that they would seek to be justified by faith in Jesus Christ.

**(NT) Romans 3:19** Now we know that whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God. **20** Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

**(NT) Galatians 3:22** But the Scriptures imprisoned all things under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. **23** But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, confined for the faith which should afterwards be revealed. **24** So that the law has become our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

**(NT) Mark 2:17** When Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Does God Really Require Perfect Obedience?

Yes, God requires perfect obedience because that is part of His character. He does not " _clear the guilty_ " (Exod. 34:7), meaning He does not treat anyone with guilt as if they were innocent. He can be patient and delay enforcement of His Law, but sin must ultimately be punished (Num. 32:23).

**(OT) Exodus 34:6** Yahweh passed by before him, and proclaimed, "Yahweh! Yahweh, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth, **7** keeping loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and disobedience and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the children's children, on the third and on the fourth generation."

If perfect obedience is not God's standard, God must tolerate at least one of His commands broken at least once. Which of God's commands is acceptable to break? And how many times can we break God's commands before He gets upset? The solemn answer is that none of God's commands are acceptable to break even once (James 2:10-11).

God commanded the people of Israel to be holy (Lev. 11:43-45; 19:2-27; 20:7-8). Holiness is related to keeping God's commands.

**(OT) Leviticus 19:2** "Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and tell them, 'You shall be holy; for I, Yahweh your God, am holy.'"

**(OT) Leviticus 20:7** "'Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am Yahweh your God. **8** You shall keep my statutes, and do them. I am Yahweh who sanctifies you.'"

Holiness is also related to the concept of cleanliness (Lev. 10:10). The priests who approach God's holy things must be clean (Lev. 16:4; 22:3-4). Just one touch of a dead body can make someone unclean (Lev. 5:2-3; 11:24, 39; Hag. 2:11-13). Similarly, committing just one sin can make someone guilty of sin (Lev. 5:17), which is also a form of uncleanness (Lev. 16:16, 19, 30; Prov. 20:9; Isa. 1:16; 64:6; Jer. 4:14; Hag. 2:14; Zech. 3:4). Therefore, someone who sins even once is unclean and unholy, and not meeting God's requirements.

**(OT) Leviticus 10:10** "You are to make a distinction between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean."

**(OT) Leviticus 22:3** "Tell them, 'If anyone of all your offspring throughout your generations approaches the holy things, which the children of Israel make holy to Yahweh, having his uncleanness on him, that soul shall be cut off from before me. I am Yahweh.'"

**(OT) Leviticus 16:16** "He shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, even all their sins; and so he shall do for the Tent of Meeting, that dwells with them in the middle of their uncleanness... **30** for on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you. You shall be clean from all your sins before Yahweh."

**(OT) Proverbs 20:9** Who can say, "I have made my heart pure. I am clean and without sin?"

**(OT) Isaiah 1:16** "Wash yourselves. Make yourself clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes. Cease to do evil."

Moreover, the Israelites were commanded to be perfect or without blemish. Is it enough to try one's best to keep the Law, though sometimes yielding to temptation? Some people like to think in such vague terms and hope for the best. But God tells us that even if we sin without knowing it, we become guilty. How much worse is our guilt and blemish before God when we sin knowingly!

**(OT) Deuteronomy 18:13** You shall be perfect [without blemish] with Yahweh your God.

**(OT) Leviticus 5:17** "If anyone sins, and does any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done; though he didn't know it, yet he is guilty, and shall bear his iniquity."

God is not being cruel for telling us what is right, even though we fail to obey. David asks God to search out his faults and to lead him in the way that results in everlasting life.

**(OT) Psalm 139:23** Search me, God, and know my heart.  
Try me, and know my thoughts.  
**24** See if there is any wicked way in me,  
and lead me in the everlasting way.

Although God requires perfect obedience, He also forgives sin (Exod. 34:7). Some people think God can just forgive whenever He wants to, but this would violate His character because He does not clear the guilty. While other religions prescribe self-inflicted pain, reciting sacred texts, giving alms to the poor, animal sacrifices, or even human sacrifices to placate their angered gods, God revealed that forgiveness could be secured by way of animal sacrifices in the Mosaic Covenant.

The Sin Offering and the Trespass Offering

In the Mosaic Covenant, the sin offering was prescribed for sins committed without knowing. But if you are like most people, you have sins that were committed knowingly, which do not qualify as sins committed through ignorance. Sin offerings were not indulgences that allowed people to sin all they wanted and then buy forgiveness. Sacrificing a sin offering was also a very personal matter as it required the offender to kill the animal with their own hands. The animal was required to be a clean animal that had no defect, in this case, a female goat.

**(OT) Leviticus 4:27** "'If anyone of the common people sins unwittingly, in doing any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and is guilty; **28** if his sin, which he has sinned, is made known to him, then he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without defect, for his sin which he has sinned. **29** He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering. **30** The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. **31** All its fat he shall take away, like the fat is taken away from off of the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.'"

The trespass offering allowed for the forgiveness of sins including stealing and lying. These sins often brought financial loss to another person, who was to be compensated in full plus an extra 20%. After making restitution, the trespass offering involved offering a ram without defect to God.

**(OT) Leviticus 6:2** "If anyone sins, and commits a trespass against Yahweh, and deals falsely with his neighbor in a matter of deposit, or of bargain, or of robbery, or has oppressed his neighbor, **3** or has found that which was lost, and dealt falsely therein, and swearing to a lie; in any of these things that a man does, sinning therein; **4** then it shall be, if he has sinned, and is guilty, he shall restore that which he took by robbery, or the thing which he has gotten by oppression, or the deposit which was committed to him, or the lost thing which he found, **5** or any thing about which he has sworn falsely; he shall restore it even in full, and shall add a fifth part more to it. To him to whom it belongs he shall give it, in the day of his being found guilty. **6** He shall bring his trespass offering to Yahweh, a ram without defect from the flock, according to your estimation, for a trespass offering, to the priest. **7** The priest shall make atonement for him before Yahweh, and he will be forgiven concerning whatever he does to become guilty."

While the animal sacrifices serve as a good reminder and a deterrent against sin, the primary meaning of a sacrifice is that a life represented by blood has become the substitute for the sinner, taking their sin and their punishment.

**(OT) Leviticus 17:11** "For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life."

The Day of Atonement

The sin offering and the trespass offering were important, but there were many types of sins that could not be forgiven by offering a sin offering or trespass offering. Only once a year on the Day of Atonement were _all_ sins confessed and forgiven. The Hebrew word for atonement means to cover, so the Day of Atonement is when the people's sins are covered from God's sight.

**(OT) Leviticus 16:15** "Then he [Aaron the high priest] shall kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat. **16** He shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, even all their sins; and so he shall do for the Tent of Meeting, that dwells with them in the middle of their uncleanness. **17** No one shall be in the Tent of Meeting when he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place, until he comes out, and has made atonement for himself and for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel.

**18** He shall go out to the altar that is before Yahweh and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the bull's blood, and some of the goat's blood, and put it around on the horns of the altar. **19** He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and make it holy from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

**20** When he has finished atoning for the Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he shall present the live goat. **21** Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them on the head of the goat, and shall send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. **22** The goat shall carry all their iniquities on himself to a solitary land, and he shall let the goat go in the wilderness....

**30** for on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before Yahweh."

The people would indeed be righteous for one day, having their sins forgiven, but it would only last until they sinned again. Yet it pointed to God's continual acceptance of them as a nation and His intention to finally put away all sin from Israel.

**(OT) Psalm 130:7** Israel, hope in Yahweh,  
for with Yahweh there is loving kindness.  
With him is abundant redemption.  
**8** He will redeem Israel from all their sins.

Is the Sacrifice's Death the Main Basis for the Forgiveness of Sins?

Some people think that the death of the sacrifice is not the main basis for the forgiveness of sins. On the Day of Atonement, the sins were confessed and put on the live goat, not the dead goat. Even so, the live goat should not been interpreted as a symbol independent from the dead goat, which was sacrificed. They represent two aspects of the work of atonement: payment for sins and the removal of guilt.

There was also a rule where the people must afflict themselves by fasting and refraining from other activities. Is it the people's actions that brings atonement? While it is true that one must obey God's rules to receive atonement, it is not the people's fasting that brings atonement, for it is the _priest_ who makes atonement for the people by offering the sacrifice.

**(OT) Leviticus 16:32** "The priest, who is anointed and who is consecrated to be priest in his father's place, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen garments, even the holy garments."

Are Intentional Sins Atoned for by Sacrifice?

It is also important to explain passages in the Old and New Testaments that seems to contradict the idea that all sins could be forgiven, particularly intentional sins.

**(OT) Numbers 15:30** "'But the soul who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native-born or a foreigner, the same blasphemes Yahweh. That soul shall be cut off from among his people.'"

Here, sins that are committed with a high hand, suggesting a proud defiance of God, are punished with capital punishment. Such a person cannot offer a regular sin offering that could secure forgiveness for unintentional sins and release from punishment (Num. 15:27-31). But this does not rule out the effectiveness of the sacrifices on the Day of Atonement to atone for transgressions, iniquities, and all sins. However, people who sin with a high hand could be killed before the Day of Atonement, and the sacrifice on that day is only effective for the people who afflict their souls (Lev. 23:27-32)—something foreign to most people who proudly defy God. Note also that sinning with a high hand does not include all intentional sins, for sins such as refusing to testify as a witness (Lev. 5:1), theft (Lev. 6:2), extortion (Lev. 6:2), lying about something found and swearing falsely about it (Lev. 6:3) have associated sacrifices prescribed for them.

_(NT) Hebrews 9:7 WEB_ _but into the second the high priest alone, once in the year, not without blood, which he offers for himself, and for the_ _errors_ _of the people._

_(NT) Hebrews 9:7 NIV_ _But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the_ _sins the people had committed in ignorance_ _._

Regarding the word translated "errors" or "sins... committed in ignorance", John Calvin writes in his commentary on Hebrews 9:7:

" _For himself and for the errors of the people,_ or for his own and the ignorances of the people. As the verb |shagag|, means in Hebrew to err, to mistake, so |shgagah|, derived from it, properly denotes error, or mistake; but yet it is generally taken for any kind of sin; and doubtless we never sin except when deceived by the allurements of Satan. The Apostle does not understand by it mere ignorance, as they say, but, on the contrary, he includes also voluntary sins; but as I have already said, no sin is free from error or ignorance; for however knowingly and willfully any one may sin, yet it must be that he is blinded by his lust, so that he does not judge rightly, or rather he forgets himself and God; for men never deliberately rush headlong into ruin, but being entangled in the deceptions of Satan, they lose the power of judging rightly."

Can God Forgive Sins Against Other People?

Moreover, given the wicked things that people can do to each other, some people insist that offenders must secure the forgiveness of the victim before they can be forgiven. While God does command people to pay restitution (Lev. 6:4-5), God has the authority to forgive all sins, including sins against other people, even if the victim is dead.

**(OT) 2 Samuel 12:9** "'Why have you despised Yahweh's word, to do that which is evil in his sight? You have struck Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon....'..."

**13** David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against Yahweh."

Nathan said to David, "Yahweh also has put away your sin. You will not die."

The Story of the Golden Calf

Before God told Moses about these animal sacrifices for sin, God was angry enough to consume the whole nation of Israel. Instead of worshipping the invisible God who had shown signs and spoken to them, the Israelites made a calf out of gold and worshipped it instead!

**(OT) Exodus 32:1** When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don't know what has become of him."

**2** Aaron said to them, "Take off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to me."

**3** All the people took off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. **4** He received what they handed him, and fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it a molten calf; and they said, "These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt."

**5** When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation, and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to Yahweh."

**6** They rose up early on the next day, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

**7** Yahweh spoke to Moses, "Go, get down; for your people, who you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves! **8** They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said, 'These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.'"

**9** Yahweh said to Moses, "I have seen these people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people. **10** Now therefore leave me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of you a great nation."

**11** Moses begged Yahweh his God, and said, "Yahweh, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? **12** Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'He brought them out for evil, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the surface of the earth?' Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against your people. **13** Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.'"

**14** Yahweh repented of the evil which he said he would do to his people.

We are reminded that people could die in their sin before they even have a chance to offer an animal sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. On this occasion, God's stated intention to destroy Israel was temporarily averted without a sacrifice, though He did not yet forgive their sin. So Moses prayed to God again.

**(OT) Exodus 32:30** On the next day, Moses said to the people, "You have sinned a great sin. Now I will go up to Yahweh. Perhaps I shall make atonement for your sin."

**31** Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, "Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made themselves gods of gold. **32** Yet now, if you will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out of your book which you have written."

**33** Yahweh said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. **34** Now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin." **35** Yahweh struck the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

God still did not forgive the people's sin, but struck them. When Moses again asked for forgiveness, God did not explicitly offer His pardon, but started to talk about doing marvels instead of bringing further punishment.

**(OT) Exodus 34:8** Moses hurried and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped. **9** He said, "If now I have found favor in your sight, Lord, please let the Lord go among us; although this is a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance." **10** He said, "Behold, I make a covenant: before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been worked in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among which you are shall see the work of Yahweh; for it is an awesome thing that I do with you."

This story reminds us that God is not morally obligated to forgive sin. It is only later on that God graciously promised that the sin offering, the trespass offering, and the Day of Atonement would secure forgiveness of sins.

Animal Sacrifices Are Not the Ultimate Remedy for Sin

On another occasion, Israel rebelled against God's orders to enter the land of Canaan. This made God very angry, so Moses again pleaded with God for forgiveness.

**(OT) Numbers 13:30** Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it!"

**31** But the men who went up with him said, "We aren't able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we." **32** They brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out to the children of Israel, saying, "The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants; and all the people who we saw in it are men of great stature. **33** There we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim. We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."

**14:1** All the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. **2** All the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, "We wish that we had died in the land of Egypt, or that we had died in this wilderness! **3** Why does Yahweh bring us to this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be captured or killed! Wouldn't it be better for us to return into Egypt?" **4** They said to one another, "Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt."...

**11** Yahweh said to Moses, "How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have worked among them? **12** I will strike them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they."

**13** Moses said to Yahweh, "Then the Egyptians will hear it; for you brought up this people in your might from among them. **14** They will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you Yahweh are in the middle of this people; for you Yahweh are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them, and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night. **15** Now if you killed this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of you will speak, saying, **16** 'Because Yahweh was not able to bring this people into the land which he swore to them, therefore he has slain them in the wilderness.'

**17** Now please let the power of the Lord be great, according as you have spoken, saying, **18** 'Yahweh is slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, forgiving iniquity and disobedience; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation.' **19** Please pardon the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of your loving kindness, and according as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now."

**20** Yahweh said, "I have pardoned according to your word: **21** but in very deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with Yahweh's glory; **22** because all those men who have seen my glory, and my signs, which I worked in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me these ten times, and have not listened to my voice; **23** surely they shall not see the land which I swore to their fathers, neither shall any of those who despised me see it. **24** But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and has followed me fully, him I will bring into the land into which he went. His offspring shall possess it."

Again, we see that the idea of atoning for sin with a sacrifice was never mentioned and God pardoned sin at a time of His choosing, outside the terms of the Mosaic Covenant. This is telling, since this is the way God pardoned the great sins which made Him angry enough to destroy the whole nation of Israel. The animal sacrifices of the Mosaic Covenant are not sufficient to secure God's forgiveness for the great sins and to be made righteous in His sight, except on the Day of Atonement. God did not require an animal sacrifice from the Israelites at the most critical times because He planned an ultimate remedy for sin. God would pay the price Himself, forgiving Israel on the basis of the future sacrifice of the man, Jesus Christ, which the animal sacrifices foreshadowed. Even the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement was " _a yearly reminder of sins_ " that pointed to the " _atoning sacrifice_ " of Jesus Christ.

**(OT) Psalm 51:16** For you [God] don't delight in sacrifice, or else I [David] would give it.  
You have no pleasure in burnt offering.  
**17** The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.  
A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

**(NT) Hebrews 10:1** For the law, having a shadow of the good to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near. **2** Or else wouldn't they have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having been once cleansed, would have had no more consciousness of sins? **3** But in those sacrifices there is a yearly reminder of sins. **4** For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. **5** Therefore when he [Jesus] comes into the world, he says,

" _Sacrifice and offering you didn't desire,  
but you prepared a body for me.  
**6** You had no pleasure in whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin.  
**7** Then I said, 'Behold, I have come (in the scroll of the book it is written of me)  
to do your will, O God.'"_

**(NT) Romans 3:24** being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; **25** whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice, through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God's forbearance;

The Law Is Insufficient in Itself, but Testifies About Righteousness

We have been talking about how sacrifices could bring forgiveness of sins, but the focus of the Mosaic Covenant is on keeping the commandments, not finding remedies for breaking them. The wise King Solomon has observed that no one actually kept all of the commandments.

**(OT) 1 Kings 8:46** "If they sin against you (for there is no man who doesn't sin)... "

So while the Mosaic Covenant was insufficient to give the Israelites life in the promised land or to produce lasting righteousness, some people were pardoned through divine grace that is apart from the Mosaic Covenant, as mentioned several times in the Old Testament books of the Law, the Psalms, and the Prophets (Num. 14:20; Ps. 32:1; Isa. 1:18). In this way, the Law and the Prophets bear witness that there is a path to righteousness outside the Mosaic Covenant.

**(NT) Romans 3:21** But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified by the law and the prophets;

Is this righteousness apart from the Law only found in the New Covenant, or can it be obtained by fearing God? The Old and New Testaments have much to say about fearing God, as we shall see in the next chapter.

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Chapter 6: The Fear of the Lord

Although the Mosaic Covenant cannot give life or lasting righteousness, over and over again in the book of Deuteronomy, Moses exhorts the Israelites to fear the Lord (Deut. 6:2; 8:6; 10:12; 31:12). But what does it mean to fear the Lord? The fear of the Lord, a recurring theme in the Bible, is expressed as humility in light of the knowledge of God, faith in God's promises, obedience to God's commands, and the worship of God.

**(OT) Deuteronomy 8:6** You shall keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.

Humility in Light of the Knowledge of God

The fear of the Lord must begin with the realization that God is fearful. God demonstrated His omnipotence as the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and this should stir up fear in the hearts of us, His creatures. One example of His power is seen in how He set the sand as a boundary for the roaring sea (Jer. 5:22). Today, God is the Ruler over the earth, Who possesses an everlasting kingdom and does whatever He pleases (Dan. 4:34-35; Mal. 1:14; Ps. 115:3). Even the powerful kings of the earth fear Him (Ps. 102:15). He not only rules, but judges everything people do, including every secret thing, both good and evil (Eccl. 12:14; Rom. 2:16).

**(OT) Psalm 33:8** Let all the earth fear Yahweh.  
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.  
**9** For he spoke, and it was done.  
He commanded, and it stood firm.

**(OT) Daniel 4:34** At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored him who lives forever; for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom from generation to generation. **35** All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and no one can stay his hand, or ask him, What are you doing?

As the Judge of the living and the dead, the Lord Jesus Christ will also decide who lives and who dies for all eternity (Acts 10:42; Rev. 20:11, 15). Jesus taught us to " _fear him who is able to_ _destroy_ _both soul and body in Gehenna [hell]_ " (Matt. 10:28).

But the Israelites also feared the Lord because He is their Redeemer, who brought them out of the land of Egypt (Exod. 6:6; 14:30-31; Deut. 6:12-13). Just as the Israelites were redeemed from slavery in Egypt, we who are redeemed from our sins should also fear the Lord who alone can forgive sin (Ps. 130:4, 8; Tit. 2:14; 1 Pet. 1:17-19).

**(OT) Exodus 6:6** "Therefore tell the children of Israel, 'I am Yahweh, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments:'"

**(OT) Psalm 130:4** But there is forgiveness with you,  
therefore you are feared....

**8** He will redeem Israel from all their sins.

The fearfulness of God needs to be internalized as a personal, subjective knowledge in the heart of man before it produces its proper effect. We must see our lesser position as a vulnerable creature before its all-powerful Creator, a servant before a great King, a defendant before a righteous Judge, and a slave set free by a gracious Redeemer.

**(OT) Proverbs 15:33** The fear of Yahweh teaches wisdom.  
Before honor is humility.

If we take the two clauses above as parallel statements, the fear of the Lord corresponds to humility just as wisdom corresponds to honor. Thus the fear of the Lord must extend to a trembling respect for the words of the Lord. Our own wisdom must never be deemed superior to the authority of Scripture.

**(OT) Isaiah 66:2** "For my hand has made all these things,  
and so all these things came to be," says Yahweh:  
"but to this man will I look,  
even to he who is poor and of a contrite spirit,  
and who trembles at my word."

**(OT) Proverbs 3:7** Don't be wise in your own eyes.  
Fear Yahweh, and depart from evil.

Faith in God's Promises

The fear of the Lord is not just about trembling. It is encouraged by a multitude of God's promises.

**(OT) Psalm 2:11** Serve Yahweh with fear,  
and rejoice with trembling.

**(OT) Psalm 34:7** Yahweh's angel encamps around those who fear him,  
and delivers them.  
**8** Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good.  
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.  
**9** Oh fear Yahweh, you his saints,  
for there is no lack with those who fear him.  
**10** The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger,  
but those who seek Yahweh shall not lack any good thing.

God promises protection from the enemy and provision in famine (Prov. 14:26; Ps. 33:18-19). Promises for those who fear the Lord extend to the future (Ps. 103:17). They will be remembered (Mal. 3:16), become His treasured possession (Mal. 3:17), have their lives prolonged (Prov. 10:27), and be better off than a sinner with long life (Eccl. 8:12). These promises could be referring to life after death and eternal life!

**(OT) Psalm 103:17** But Yahweh's loving kindness is from everlasting to everlasting with those who fear him,  
his righteousness to children's children;

**(OT) Malachi 3:16 NIV** Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.

**17** "On the day when I act," says the Lord Almighty, "they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him."

**(OT) Proverbs 10:27** The fear of Yahweh prolongs days,  
but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

**(OT) Ecclesiastes 8:12** Though a sinner commits crimes a hundred times, and lives long, yet surely I know that it will be better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him.

In addition to special blessings (Pss. 31:19; 112:1-9), God even gives those who fear Him revelations about His covenant and instructions about the way that they should choose (Ps. 25:12, 14).

**(OT) Psalm 31:19** Oh how great is your goodness,  
which you have laid up for those who fear you,...

**(OT) Psalm 25:12** What man is he who fears Yahweh?  
He shall instruct him in the way that he shall choose....

**14** The friendship of Yahweh is with those who fear him.  
He will show them his covenant.

These promises are believed by those who fear the Lord, who place their trust in God Himself (Ps. 115:11; Isa. 50:10). They therefore hope in His loving kindness (Pss. 33:18; 147:11). The one who fears the Lord does not need to fear anything else (Pss. 27:1; 34:4; 91:5). No other god or man is to be feared when God is our greatest fear (Judg. 6:10; 2 Kings 17:35; Exod. 14:13; Num. 14:9; Prov. 29:25; Luke 12:4-5).

**(OT) Psalm 33:18** Behold, Yahweh's eye is on those who fear him,  
on those who hope in his loving kindness;

**(OT) Psalm 27:1** Yahweh is my light and my salvation.  
Whom shall I fear?  
Yahweh is the strength of my life.  
Of whom shall I be afraid?

But 1 John 4:18 seems to say that we should not fear God.

**(NT) 1 John 4:17** In this love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so are we in this world. **18** There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.

We should fear God by giving due honour to Him, but our fear of punishment should be removed by love. This aspect of fear drives men away from the presence of God, just as the Israelites stayed at a distance from Mount Sinai (Exod. 20:18) or as men will try to hide in the rocks and holes in the ground at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (Isa. 2:19; Rev. 6:15-17). For those of us who experience His love, instead of fearing God as slaves who do not know what He may do to us, we can approach God boldly as His children through the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:15; Eph. 1:5-6; John 15:15; Heb. 4:16; 1 John 4:17).

**(OT) Exodus 20:18** All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance.

**(NT) Hebrews 4:16** Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need.

Obedience to God's Commands

After the heart has grasped the fearfulness of God on the one hand and the bounty of His grace on the other, the fear of the Lord is demonstrated by obeying God's commands. Just as " _faith apart from works is dead_ " (James 2:26b), the same is true of the fear of the Lord. Pharaoh confessed his sin and begged Moses to plead with God to remove the thunder and hail, but Pharaoh proved that he did not fear God by once again refusing to let the people of Israel go.

**(OT) Exodus 9:27** Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "I have sinned this time. Yahweh is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. **28** Pray to Yahweh; for there has been enough of mighty thunderings and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer."...

**30** "But as for you and your servants, I [Moses] know that you don't yet fear Yahweh God."...

**35** The heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he didn't let the children of Israel go, just as Yahweh had spoken through Moses.

Moses clearly links fearing God with obeying God's commands (Deut. 6:2). Thus the Samaritans who learned to fear the Lord, but broke God's commands by continuing to serve other gods, are ultimately considered people who did not fear the Lord. This is comparable to how faith and love are only authentic if they produce good works (Gal. 5:6; 1 Thess. 1:3; John 14:15).

**(OT) 2 Kings 17:33** They [The Samaritans] feared Yahweh, and also served their own gods, after the ways of the nations from among whom they had been carried away. **34** To this day they do what they did before. They don't fear Yahweh, and they do not follow the statutes, or the ordinances, or the law, or the commandment which Yahweh commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;

**(NT) 1 Thessalonians 1:3** remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love...

Fearing God also involves hatred of sin coupled with whole-hearted obedience. God said that Job " _feared God, and turns away from evil_ " (Job 1:8). Job listed out different sins involving adulterous relationships with women, deception, neglecting justice for his servant, ignoring the poor, confiding in gold, paying honour to the sun or the moon, rejoicing in an enemy's ruin, eating the fruit of the land without payment, or causing a landowner to die (Job 31:1-40). He counted these deeds as worthy of curses and things he did not dare to do because he feared destruction from God.

**(OT) Proverbs 8:13** The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil.  
I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth.

**(OT) Job 31:23 NIV** For I dreaded destruction from God,  
and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.

In contrast, the wicked do not fear God.

**(OT) Psalm 36:1** **NIV** I have a message from God in my heart  
concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:

There is no fear of God  
before their eyes.  
**2** In their own eyes they flatter themselves  
too much to detect or hate their sin.

In the New Testament, Paul also urges Christians to fear God while getting rid of sin and perfecting holiness.

**(NT) 2 Corinthians 7:1** Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Worship of God

In addition to obedience to God's will, those who fear the Lord are to worship God with thanksgiving and praise (Ps. 22:23; Rev. 14:7). Thanksgiving may also be expressed by serving God (Josh. 24:14; 1 Sam. 12:24) or by offering Him a portion of our wealth (Deut. 14:22-23), thus honoring the One who gave us the ability to obtain it (Prov. 3:9; Deut. 8:18).

**(OT) Psalm 22:23** You who fear Yahweh, praise him!  
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify him!  
Stand in awe of him, all you descendants of Israel!

**(OT) Deuteronomy 14:22** You shall surely tithe all the increase of your seed, that which comes out of the field year by year. **23** You shall eat before Yahweh your God, in the place which he chooses, to cause his name to dwell there, the tithe of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock; that you may learn to fear Yahweh your God always.

Praise should be directed to God, not only in private, but as a proclamation of His wonderful works to our children (Deut. 4:10), in the great assembly (Ps. 22:25), and to the ends of the earth (Ps. 96:3-4).

**(OT) Psalm 96:3** Declare his glory among the nations,  
his marvelous works among all the peoples.  
**4** For great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised!  
He is to be feared above all gods.

Chapter Summary

We have seen how the fear of the Lord produces humility, faith, obedience, and worship. Along the way, we have also cited some examples of Bible characters who exhibited particular traits as well as relevant Bible passages in both the Old and New Testaments. Hopefully it has been shown that the fear of the Lord is a desirable quality that we would want to see active in our own lives.

The fear of the Lord seems to offer different set of promises than the Mosaic Covenant, including hints of eternal life. Today, these promises are treasured by Jews and Christians alike. Although the salvation in Christ had not yet been revealed in the Old Testament times, God gave many hints and promises that would later come to fruition. The coming of Jesus Christ as the Saviour from sin and death was, after all, a huge surprise! Let us jump to this climax in the next chapter.

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Chapter 7: Salvation in Jesus Christ

(NT) John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me."

One Way of Salvation

There is only one way of salvation—in Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 5:17; 8:1; 1 Cor. 15:22). Other religions do not save, and people living in other time periods are only saved through Christ. There are no other ways to God.

**(NT) Acts 4:12** "There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved!"

Some people like to cite the analogy of blind men touching an elephant to explain why different religions describe the same God differently. This analogy fails because it assumes that everyone including Jesus Christ has a limited knowledge of God, which is false.

(NT) John 7:28 Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, "You both know me, and know where I am from. I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, whom you don't know. 29 I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me."

The Bad News

Who needs to be saved, and saved from what?

**(NT) Luke 3:9** "Even now the ax also lies at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that doesn't produce good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire."

**(NT) Mark 9:43** "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having your two hands to go into Gehenna [hell], into the unquenchable fire, **44** 'where their worm doesn't die, and the fire is not quenched.' **45** If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life lame, rather than having your two feet to be cast into Gehenna, into the fire that will never be quenched— **46** 'where their worm doesn't die, and the fire is not quenched.' **47** If your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out. It is better for you to enter into God's Kingdom with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire, **48** 'where their worm doesn't die, and the fire is not quenched.'"

**(NT) Luke 13:3** "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way."

**(NT) Romans 3:23** for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory [approval] of God;

**(NT) Romans 6:23** For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Bible tells us that all people have sinned against God and thus need to be saved from a horrible, never ending death in a fiery hell.

The Good News

We were in deep darkness and without hope, but Jesus came as the great light.

(OT) Isaiah 9:2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.  
Those who lived in the land of the shadow of death, on them the light has shined....

6 For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The "gospel", or good news, is the message of forgiveness of sins and being delivered from God's judgment. It is the free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:23)! It also calls people to repent by turning away from their sins to serve the living God (Mark 1:14-15; Luke 24:47; Acts 17:30; 1 Thess. 1:9).

**(NT) Mark 1:14** Now after John was taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Good News of God's Kingdom, **15** and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and God's Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News."

**(NT) Romans 5:9** Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we will be saved from God's wrath through him. **10** For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life.

**(NT) Luke 24:47** "and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his [Christ's] name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

God made salvation available to us by sending His Son Jesus Christ to earth (1 Tim. 1:15; Mark 10:45). He did not need to do this, but God really loved the people in the world.

**(NT) John 3:16** "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life."

Jesus became a man, took up our sins onto Himself, and then died on a cross to pay the full penalty, so that our sins could be completely forgiven (1 Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53:5-6; Acts 10:36-43). God will not punish those who receive the Good News because He has already punished Jesus. This wiping out of our sins is called "remission" of sins. For example, when cancer is in complete remission, all signs and symptoms are gone.

Unlike the animal sacrifices in the Mosaic Covenant, Jesus died as our substitute as a man, just like one of us. This is known as "vicarious, substitutionary atonement". But as the Law required the animal for the sin offering to be a clean animal without defect, only a man who is clean and without defect—who never sinned but obeyed God perfectly and was physically healthy—would be acceptable to God as a sin offering. No man meets this requirement except Jesus Christ.

Jesus died for our sins, but He was also raised to life on the third day, ascended to heaven, and now sits at God's right hand. One day He will come to earth a second time as the Judge of the whole world.

**(NT) 1 Timothy 1:15**...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

**(NT) 1 Peter 2:24** who [Jesus] his own self bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.

**(NT) Acts 10:36** "The word which he sent to the children of Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all— **37** you yourselves know what happened, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; **38** even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. **39** We are witnesses of everything he did both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they also killed, hanging him on a tree.

**40** God raised him up the third day, and gave him to be revealed, **41** not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen before by God, to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. **42** He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that this is he who is appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead. **43** All the prophets testify about him, that through his name everyone who believes in him will receive remission of sins."

**(NT) Acts 2:32** "This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses. **33** Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God,..."

Because of Jesus' extraordinary sacrifice, God can pardon the guilty without colluding with evil or violating the principles of justice.

Faith in the Son of God

To be saved, a person must receive the gospel by faith, believing that God raised Jesus from the dead—He was once among the dead, but is now alive! Implied in this belief in Jesus' resurrection is that God is all-powerful and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God whom we must worship and obey (Rom. 1:1-4; Matt. 28:18).

**(NT) Romans 1:1** Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Good News of God, **2** which he promised before through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, **3** concerning his Son, who was born of the offspring of David according to the flesh, **4** who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

Many people think Jesus was just a man, but He is both God and man, being born through the miracle of the virgin birth.

**(NT) Luke 1:30** The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. **31** Behold, you will conceive in your womb, and give birth to a son, and will call his name 'Jesus.' **32** He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David, **33** and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom."

**34** Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?"

**35** The angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God."

**(NT) Matthew 1:20** But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. **21** She shall give birth to a son. You shall call his name Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins."

**22** Now all this has happened, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,

**23** "Behold, the virgin shall be with child,  
and shall give birth to a son.  
They shall call his name Immanuel";

which is, being interpreted, "God with us."

Yes, one must believe in the God of miracles to receive salvation by faith. Jesus performed many miracles in public to prove His identity as the Son of God (Matt. 11:4-6; John 10:33-38).

**(NT) Matthew 11:4** Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: **5** the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. **6** Blessed is he who finds no occasion for stumbling in me."

Peter testifies that he heard a voice from heaven that confirmed Jesus' identity as the Son of God.

**(NT) 2 Peter 1:16** For we did not follow cunningly devised fables, when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. **17** For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." **18** We heard this voice come out of heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.

Saving faith requires believing that God raised His Son Jesus from the dead. But the wonder of faith is not that it is necessary, but that faith is enough and sufficient to be saved.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 15:1** Now I [Paul] declare to you, brothers, the Good News which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand, **2** by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. **3** For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, **4** that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, **5** and that he appeared to Cephas [Peter], then to the twelve. **6** Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep. **7** Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, **8** and last of all, as to the child born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also.

**(NT) Romans 10:9** that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

**(NT) John 3:16** "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life."

**(NT) John 5:24** "Most certainly I [Jesus] tell you, he who hears my word, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and doesn't come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life."

Seeing and Believing

In the New Testament, our salvation depends on believing that God raised Jesus from the dead. But what about people who see the risen Christ? Does that count as faith? Can they still believe and be saved?

**(NT) Romans 4:24** but for our sake also, to whom it [righteousness] will be accounted, who believe in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead,

**(NT) John 20:27** Then he [Jesus] said to Thomas, "Reach here your finger, and see my hands. Reach here your hand, and put it into my side. Don't be unbelieving, but believing."

**28** Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

**29** Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed."

Jesus' earliest disciples both saw the resurrected Jesus and were believers. And it is obvious that they too can be saved. Faith is not belief in the absence of evidence, but in light of it. Moreover, seeing does not always translate into faith in God (Num. 14:22; John 15:24; Matt. 28:16-17).

**(OT) Numbers 14:22** "because all those men who have seen my glory, and my signs, which I worked in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me these ten times, and have not listened to my voice;"

**(NT) Matthew 28:16** But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had sent them. **17** When they saw him, they bowed down to him, but some doubted.

Hope, on the other hand, vanishes when we see.

**(NT) Romans 8:24** For we were saved in hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for that which he sees?

So when the unbelieving Israelites see Jesus at the Second Coming of Christ, they will be able to see, believe, and be saved.

**(OT) Zechariah 12:10** "I will pour on David's house, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they will look to me [Jesus] whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and will grieve bitterly for him, as one grieves for his firstborn."

**(NT) Romans 11:26** and so all Israel will be saved. Even as it is written,

" _There will come out of Zion the Deliverer,  
and he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob."_

Works of the Law

According to the Law of Moses, the condition of keeping all of the commandments would lead to life. Even this conditional promise is the grace of God because we exist at all and are alive by His grace. But if someone met the condition and kept all the commandments, they would be able to claim life from God as something God owed them. They would be building works on top of God's grace to meet the requirements for life. Then they could also boast or glory about their achievement.

**(OT) Leviticus 18:5** "'You shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances; which if a man does, he shall live in them. I am Yahweh.'"

**(OT) Deuteronomy 6:25** "It shall be righteousness to us, if we observe to do all this commandment before Yahweh our God, as he has commanded us."

But the Bible states that people are not "justified", or declared righteous, in this way—not even Abraham (Gal. 2:16; Rom. 4:2-4). The Law shows us that we have sinned against God and are under condemnation (Rom. 3:19-24). Justification and salvation is only by grace, through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). Grace refers to a free gift. No one can boast about it.

**(NT) Romans 3:20** Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

**(NT) Ephesians 2:8** for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, **9** not of works, that no one would boast.

Saved by Grace Through Faith

To be saved by grace means that we don't do anything that merits salvation. Being saved by grace through faith indicates that the act of faith, or believing, is not in itself worthy of the reward of eternal life. Instead, we need to believe that we are unworthy, and receive salvation as a gift. This can be devastating to our pride, because it means that all of the good works that we have done do not make us more worthy of salvation than any other person. We must believe in the God Who justifies the ungodly and pays the full price for our salvation. This is why salvation by faith and salvation by the works of the Law are incompatible.

**(NT) Philippians 3:9**...not having a righteousness of my [Paul's] own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

**(NT) Romans 4:5** But to him who doesn't work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.

**(NT) Galatians 3:12** The law is not of faith, but, "The man who does them will live by them."

Only the way of faith will lead to life, because God said the just or righteous will live by faith.

**(NT) Galatians 3:11** Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, "The righteous will live by faith."

We are not saved because of anything we deserve. Salvation is a demonstration of God's absolute generosity and magnanimity. He _wants_ us to be saved. He wants _everyone_ to be saved (Isa. 45:22; 1 Tim. 2:3-4; Ezek. 33:11; Mal. 3:6). The circumcised Jews are saved by faith and the uncircumcised Gentiles are also saved by faith (Rom. 3:30).

**(NT) 1 Timothy 2:3** For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; **4** who desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth.

**(OT) Ezekiel 33:11** "Tell them, As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn, turn from your evil ways; for why will you die, house of Israel?"

**(NT) Romans 3:30** since indeed there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith, and the uncircumcised through faith.

Our common salvation is not rooted in our own worthiness, but in the unwavering character of our great and loving God, who sent His Son Jesus to pay the full penalty of sin and secure our forgiveness. This is great news and needs to be proclaimed everywhere!

Faith, Works, and Rahab

The Bible made it clear that we are not saved by works, including both the works of the Law and other good works. But the Bible also says that works must accompany faith.

**(NT) James 2:17** Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself. **18** Yes, a man will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith.

**19** You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder. **20** But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead? **21** Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? **22** You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected; **23** and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness"; and he was called the friend of God. **24** You see then that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith. **25** In the same way, wasn't Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way? **26** For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.

Works are required as evidence for faith. If we believe something, it logically follows that we would make choices that reflect that belief. Otherwise, there is good reason to suspect that we don't actually believe it. Some works are easy to do because they cost little, and may not really be evidence of faith. Some works cost more and are a more vivid demonstration of faith. Ultimately, what matters is not the exact nature of the works, but whether the faith is real.

Given our imperfect knowledge, we believe some things more strongly than others. The strengths of our beliefs may also waver with doubts that challenge us from time to time. How much confidence or faith is enough to be saved? The Bible tells us that the correct measure of adequate faith is that we act on it, in obedience to God. If we don't act on it, we don't have enough faith. Our faith must also endure the test of time.

**(NT) Luke 6:47** "Everyone who comes to me [Jesus], and hears my words, and does them, I will show you who he is like. **48** He is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep, and laid a foundation on the rock. When a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it was founded on the rock. **49** But he who hears, and doesn't do, is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great."

**(NT) Matthew 10:22** "You will be hated by all men for my name's sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved."

While Abraham demonstrated great faith and obedience by offering his son Isaac on the altar until God stopped him, the works required for faith do not mean perfect obedience or good works. On the contrary, when we look at the example of Rahab, she was a prostitute who saved two Israelite spies by lying to the men sent by the king of Jericho. Her occupation and her lie are sinful in God's eyes, but her action of saving God's people demonstrated her faith in the God of Israel.

**(OT) Joshua 2:1** Joshua the son of Nun secretly sent two men out of Shittim as spies, saying, "Go, view the land, including Jericho." They went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and slept there.

**2** The king of Jericho was told, "Behold, men of the children of Israel came in here tonight to spy out the land."

**3** Jericho's king sent to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered into your house; for they have come to spy out all the land."

**4** The woman took the two men and hid them. Then she said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I didn't know where they came from. **5** About the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, the men went out. Where the men went, I don't know. Pursue them quickly. You may catch up with them." **6** But she had brought them up to the roof, and hidden them under the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof.

What ultimately matters as evidence of salvation is whether God has made new creations out of us, so that we have faith that works through love.

**(NT) 2 Corinthians 5:17** Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

**(NT) Galatians 6:15** For in Christ Jesus neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

**(NT) Galatians 5:6** For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision amounts to anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith working through love.

Love for fellow believers, that puts others ahead of ourselves, is a mark of true salvation. If we do not live like this, we need to beg God for mercy and make sure we are truly saved.

**(NT) 1 John 3:14** We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn't love his brother remains in death.

**(NT) Philippians 2:3** doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself; **4** each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.

It is also important to point out that our confidence about our salvation should not rest on the quality of our own faith, but in the Lord Jesus who saves us. Don't try to purify yourself to be saved—pray earnestly to the Lord for help!

**(NT) Romans 10:13** For, "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Repentance

Salvation is by grace, through faith, as evidenced by works. What about repentance? Jesus preached repentance as part of the gospel message.

**(NT) Mark 1:14** Now after John was taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Good News of God's Kingdom, **15** and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and God's Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News."

Repentance means a change in thinking, particularly in two areas: 1) God is the one true King to be worshipped, served, and obeyed (Rom. 1:21; Heb. 9:14; 1 Thess. 1:9); and 2) we must stop sinning against God. Repentance should result in a change in behaviour, just as faith produces works (Luke 3:7-8; Matt. 7:12).

**(NT) 1 Thessalonians 1:9**...and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God,

**(NT) Luke 3:7** He [John the Baptist] said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, "You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? **8** Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance,..."

**(NT) Matthew 7:12** "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

But we know that as sinners, it is not within our power to change into saints—only God can change us (Jer. 13:23). We cannot wait until we stop sinning before we come to God for salvation. Our part is to humbly confess that God is in the right and we are in the wrong (1 John 1:8-9; Ps. 51:1-4), and then be _willing_ to change from the inside out (Isa. 1:18-20). We must be willing to let go of the sins that we once loved, figuratively crucifying them (Isa. 55:7; Gal. 5:24). God's Holy Spirit is a Spirit of love and power that can give new life to our bodies to do what is right (2 Tim. 1:7; Rom. 8:11; Phil. 2:12-13).

**(OT) Jeremiah 13:23** Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may you also do good, who are accustomed to do evil.

**(NT) 1 John 1:8** If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. **9** If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

**(OT) Isaiah 1:18** "Come now, and let us reason together," says Yahweh:  
"Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.  
Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

**19** If you are willing and obedient,  
you shall eat the good of the land;  
**20** but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured with the sword;  
for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it."

**(NT) Romans 8:11** But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

We must not rebel, but be willing to obey God if we want to be saved. But doing good works will be evidence of faith and God's power in our lives, and not a precondition for coming to God for salvation. Salvation, including repentance, is not a result of our will power, but God's will.

**(NT) John 3:21** "But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God."

**(NT) John 1:12** But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God's children, to those who believe in his name: **13** who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Circumcision and Salvation

One of the major disputes in early church history is whether Gentiles need to be circumcised in order to be saved in Christ. Circumcision was the sign of the Abrahamic covenant, which preceded the Law and the Mosaic Covenant by hundreds of years. The prophet Ezekiel also tells us that God would only allow circumcised people to enter His temple in the future.

**(NT) Acts 15:1** Some men came down from Judea and taught the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised after the custom of Moses, you can't be saved." **2** Therefore when Paul and Barnabas had no small discord and discussion with them, they appointed Paul and Barnabas, and some others of them, to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question.

**(OT) Genesis 17:9** God said to Abraham, "As for you, you will keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. **10** This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you. Every male among you shall be circumcised.... **14** The uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant."

**(OT) Ezekiel 44:9** Thus says the Lord Yahweh, No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any foreigners who are among the children of Israel.

After some deliberation, the council of apostles and elders in Jerusalem came to the conclusion that circumcision is not required to be saved.

**(NT) Acts 15:22** Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole assembly, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brothers. **23** They wrote these things by their hand:

" _The apostles, the elders, and the brothers, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: greetings. **24** Because we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, 'You must be circumcised and keep the law,' to whom we gave no commandment; **25** it seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, **26** men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. **27** We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves will also tell you the same things by word of mouth. **28** For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay no greater burden on you than these necessary things: **29** that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality, from which if you keep yourselves, it will be well with you. Farewell."_

If God requires circumcision, why don't Christians need to be circumcised (1 Cor. 7:18-19)? The same reason why we don't need to keep the Law to be saved. Jesus was circumcised (Luke 2:21) and kept the Law (Gal. 4:4-5), and we are saved by _His_ righteousness when we are united with Him in His death and resurrection (Col. 2:11-14; Rom. 6:3-4; 1 Cor. 1:30; Gal. 6:12-15).

**(NT) Colossians 2:11** In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, **12** buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. **13** 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, **14** 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.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 1:30** But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption:

Baptism refers to immersion in water, which is a symbolic washing, but it also signifies burial with Jesus Christ. Baptism seems to have a similar function as circumcision as the sign of participation in the New Covenant. Jesus commanded that new disciples be baptized, but baptism itself is not a requirement to be saved.

**(NT) Matthew 28:19** "Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"

**(NT) Mark 16:16** "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned."

**(NT) 1 Peter 3:21** This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you—not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 1:17** For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Good News...

Be Saved Today!

Call on the Lord Jesus for salvation today, and do not delay!

**(NT) Romans 10:13** For, "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved."

**(NT) Luke 18:13** "But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn't even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' **14** I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

**(NT) Acts 2:47**...The Lord added to the assembly [church] day by day those who were being saved.

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Chapter 8: Why Would Anyone Refuse Salvation?

If salvation in Jesus Christ is free and available, why would anyone refuse it? Different people have different reasons. Jesus told the Parable of the Sower about a farmer planting seeds. It describes three kinds of people who did not respond well to His words: people who did not understand, people who did not believe strongly enough to pay the price of following Jesus, and people who were distracted or entangled by other things.

**(NT) Matthew 13:18** "Hear, then, the parable of the farmer [sower]. **19** When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and doesn't understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside. **20** What was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word, and immediately with joy receives it; **21** yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. **22** What was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. **23** What was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, who most certainly bears fruit, and produces, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty."

Following Jesus is not easy because there are people who do not have faith in the God of the Bible (2 Thess. 3:1-2). Jesus warned that the world that did not know God would hate the Christians (John 15:18-19). We need to be prepared to face difficulties or even death, but we are assured of a future resurrection and eternal life (Matt. 16:24-25). The alternative is much worse, because if we fail to receive Jesus' salvation, we will face eternal punishment (Heb. 9:27; Rev. 20:15; Rom. 1:18).

**(NT) John 15:18** "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me [Jesus] before it hated you. **19** If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."

**(NT) Matthew 16:24** Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. **25** For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it."

**(NT) Revelation 20:15** If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.

Many people don't want to leave their sinful lifestyle. They are blinded by the devil, the god of this world, so that they don't appreciate the wonder and glory of the Good News of Jesus Christ. The devil makes us think that God wants to chain us up with His rules, when in fact, God is a good shepherd who gives the best for His sheep—even His own life. It is the devil who is the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

**(NT) John 3:19** "This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. **20** For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn't come to the light, lest his works would be exposed."

**(NT) 2 Corinthians 4:3** Even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled in those who perish; **4** in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.

**(NT) John 10:10** "The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I [Jesus] came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. **11** I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

Slavery to Sin that Leads to Death

It is also necessary to point out that sin is a slave owner (John 8:34; 2 Pet. 2:18-19). We see this readily in the example of a greedy man who can do nothing but make more money (Eccl. 4:8; 1 Tim. 6:9-10). We are led to believe that satisfying our desires makes us happy, when in fact, we are being led deeper and deeper into bondage to our repetitive and never ending longings for fleeting, short-lived pleasures (Eccl. 2:10-11). We are slaves to our insatiable desires, with sinful desires resulting in shame and death (Rom. 6:20-22). Freedom in sin is an illusion because God is set against you. You cannot ultimately succeed. Freedom _from_ sin leads to much better results—becoming clean and finding eternal life. Even our guilty consciences can be released because of Jesus' death.

**(NT) John 8:34** Jesus answered them, "Most certainly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is the bondservant of sin."

**(OT) Ecclesiastes 2:10** Whatever my eyes desired, I didn't keep from them. I didn't withhold my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced because of all my labor, and this was my portion from all my labor. **11** Then I looked at all the works that my hands had worked, and at the labor that I had labored to do; and behold, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

**(NT) Romans 6:20** For when you were servants of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. **21** What fruit then did you have at that time in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. **22** But now, being made free from sin, and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of sanctification, and the result of eternal life.

**(NT) Hebrews 9:14** how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without defect to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Blaming God for Unsatisfied Desires

Sometimes people reject God because He doesn't give them what they want. They think God does not love them or doesn't exist because they are not successful in life or something bad happens. Actually, this reasoning is foolish.

**(OT) Proverbs 19:3 NIV** A person's own folly leads to their ruin,  
yet their heart rages against the Lord.

**(OT) Job 2:9** Then his [Job's] wife said to him, "Do you still maintain your integrity? Renounce God, and die."

**10** But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job didn't sin with his lips.

**(OT) Jeremiah 44:17** [The idol worshippers speaking] "But we will certainly perform every word that has gone out of our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of the sky, and to pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then had we plenty of food, and were well, and saw no evil. **18** But since we left off burning incense to the queen of the sky, and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine...."

**23** [The prophet Jeremiah answering] "Because you have burned incense, and because you have sinned against Yahweh, and have not obeyed Yahweh's voice, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil has happened to you, as it is today."

**(OT) Jeremiah 45:1** The message that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, **2** Yahweh, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch: **3** You said, Woe is me now! For Yahweh has added sorrow to my pain; I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest. **4** You shall tell him, Yahweh says: Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up; and this in the whole land. **5** Do you seek great things for yourself? Don't seek them; for, behold, I will bring evil on all flesh, says Yahweh; but your life will I give to you for a prey in all places where you go.

Sometimes God allows people to have what they foolishly desire, even if it brings them no lasting good.

**(OT) Numbers 11:4** The mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, "Who will give us flesh to eat? **5** We remember the fish, which we ate in Egypt for nothing; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic; **6** but now we have lost our appetite. There is nothing at all except this manna to look at."...

**18** "Say to the people, 'Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, and you will eat flesh; for you have wept in the ears of Yahweh, saying, "Who will give us flesh to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt." Therefore Yahweh will give you flesh, and you will eat. **19** You will not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days, **20** but a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it is loathsome to you; because that you have rejected Yahweh who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, "Why did we come out of Egypt?"'"...

**32** The people rose up all that day, and all of that night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails. He who gathered least gathered ten homers; and they spread them all out for themselves around the camp. **33** While the flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, Yahweh's anger burned against the people, and Yahweh struck the people with a very great plague.

**(NT) Romans 1:24** Therefore God also gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves, **25** who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

God Promises Lasting Pleasures

We should search instead for lasting pleasures and treasures from God (Ps. 16:11; Matt. 6:19-21; Heb. 11:6; 24-26; Rom. 2:5-10). Do you trust God to give you the best reward?

**(OT) Psalm 16:11** You [God] will show me the path of life.  
In your presence is fullness of joy.  
In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.

**(NT) Matthew 6:19** "Don't lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; **20** but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don't break through and steal; **21** for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

In fact, God Himself is the greatest treasure, if only we knew Him.

**(OT) Genesis 15:1** After these things Yahweh's word came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Don't be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."

**(OT) Jeremiah 9:23** Yahweh says, Don't let the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, don't let the rich man glory in his riches; **24** but let him who glories glory in this, that he has understanding, and knows me, that I am Yahweh who exercises loving kindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, says Yahweh.

**(NT) Romans 5:10** For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life. **11** Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Unlike the pleasures of sin, God's Holy Spirit can bring true joy to our hearts and quench our soul's thirst like rivers of living water.

**(NT) Galatians 5:22** But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,...

**(NT) John 7:37** Now on the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! **38** He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water." **39** But he said this about the Spirit, which those believing in him were to receive....

**(NT) John 4:13** Jesus answered her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, **14** but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

Slavery to the Devil

Even if you _feel_ free under sin, know that you are actually under the domination of the devil (1 John 5:19). He is more powerful than you. In some cases, the devil's demons will possess a man (Mark 5:2-5). In other cases, the devil is content to lead you away from Jesus so that you will ultimately perish. If you believe in demons, you should also believe in God. If you call to Jesus for help, He is able to deliver you out of the devil's hands (Col. 1:12-13; Acts 10:38; Heb. 2:14-15).

**(NT) 1 John 5:19** We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

**(NT) Hebrews 2:14** Since then the children have shared in flesh and blood, he [Jesus] also himself in the same way partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, **15** and might deliver all of them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Jesus' Concept of Freedom

**(NT) John 8:31** Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, "If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. **32** You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

**(NT) Galatians 5:13** For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don't use your freedom for gain to the flesh, but through love be servants to one another.... **18** But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

When the Holy Spirit leads you, God no longer needs to forcibly impose rules on you. Instead, He will make you desire good things, so that you will gladly do good and live in freedom. Freedom does not mean we do not serve God or other people, but that we serve with gladness.

**(OT) Ezekiel 36:25** I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. **26** I will also give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. **27** I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my ordinances, and do them.

**(OT) Psalm 100:2** Serve Yahweh with gladness. Come before his presence with singing.

Do you believe that your selfish desires for things like money or pleasure can be changed?

**(NT) Mark 10:27** Jesus, looking at them, said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God."

Is God a Dictator?

The flesh, or our natural inclinations, do not like rules. We don't want our freedom to be restricted.

**(NT) Romans 8:7** because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God's law, neither indeed can it be.

Because God gives commands, some people would called Him a dictator—except that the bad guys in movies and the history books typically seize power over lands they did not previously own and who care nothing about people's lives. God both made the world and cares deeply about the people who live it. Everything rightfully belong to God! Yes, God rules with absolute power, but He is completely different from the evil people whom we call tyrants or dictators.

**(NT) Colossians 1:16** For by him [Jesus] all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and for him.

Many people question God's morality and political views. In different societies, the objections are different. In first century Judea, people wanted to kill Paul when he said that God sent him to the Gentiles—I mean, how could God possibly care about anyone who was not Jewish (Acts 22:21-22)? They also wanted a Messiah to be their king and military leader to overthrow their Roman overlords. In 21st century North America, teaching abstinence from sex before marriage is shocking—I mean, how could God possibly stop people from loving each other? They also demand a democracy, not the kingdom of God.

Such objections are a natural consequence of seeing things from our own vantage point. Trapped in a cultural, time-bound perspective, we may think of God as our servant who is morally obligated to make us happy. We don't even realize that we exist at all because God so wished. Faith helps us to see things from God's perspective. He made us and gave us life, so we owe God everything. Not to thank Him is unconscionable.

**(OT) Job 41:11** Who has first given to me [God], that I should repay him?  
Everything under the heavens is mine.

**(NT) Acts 17:24** "The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn't dwell in temples made with hands, **25** neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things."

**(OT) Ecclesiastes 3:13** Also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good in all his labor, is the gift of God.

**(OT) Job 1:21** He [Job] said, "Naked I came out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. Yahweh gave, and Yahweh has taken away. Blessed be Yahweh's name."

Compared to the imperfect governments of men, the Bible tells us that God's reign on earth will be good news that will be gladly proclaimed. He will bring the long-awaited peace on earth.

**(OT) Isaiah 52:7** How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

**(OT) Isaiah 2:3** Many peoples shall go and say,

" _Come, let's go up to the mountain of Yahweh,  
to the house of the God of Jacob;  
and he will teach us of his ways,  
and we will walk in his paths."_

For out of Zion the law shall go out,  
and Yahweh's word from Jerusalem.  
**4** He will judge between the nations,  
and will decide concerning many peoples;  
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,  
and their spears into pruning hooks.  
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,  
neither shall they learn war any more.

We may agree that God deserves to be honoured for His benevolence. But does God want to micromanage our lives? Keeping in mind that God created mankind with amazing intellectual capabilities, it would be illogical to suppose that God intended our minds to sit idle while He directed our every move. By His Holy Spirit, God can continually inspire us to do good works, which He prepared for us to do, but it is we who must carry them out. Within limits, God gives us a great latitude of choice. When He gives counsel or instructions to us, it should be humbly received as a gift of divine wisdom.

**(NT) Ephesians 2:10** For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.

**(OT) Genesis 2:16** Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; **17** but you shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die."

**(OT) Psalm 32:8** I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go.  
I will counsel you with my eye on you.  
**9** Don't be like the horse, or like the mule, which have no understanding,  
who are controlled by bit and bridle, or else they will not come near to you.

While we have a duty to obey God's every instruction, He desires to have sons who are happy to do the things He asks, not reluctant slaves.

**(NT) Romans 8:15** For you didn't receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"

Jesus Christ Set an Example

But we would not know our proper position if Jesus had not set an example for us.

**(NT) Philippians 2:5** Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus, **6** who, existing in the form of God, didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, **7** but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. **8** And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross.

We want to have a vote, as if God were our equal. Jesus submitted to His Father, though He is actually equal with God. We want to be our own masters. Jesus understood that being a man meant being a servant. We want to feed our pride. Jesus humbled himself. We want to do whatever we want. Jesus was obedient to death. By His choices, Jesus completely exposes us as sinners before God. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed that God's desire be done, not His own desire to live. He honoured His Father God Who had all authority and Who could be trusted to work out all things for good.

**(NT) Matthew 26:39** He [Jesus] went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire."

Jesus, the Lord who loved you enough to die for you, is the One who seeks you as a lost sheep—not to eat you, but to take good care of you. He not only came to save you, but to identify with sinful people like you and me. You are of great value to Him. Following Jesus requires sacrifice, but He ultimately wants us to live and to share His glory.

**(NT) Luke 15:3** He told them this parable. **4** "Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn't leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it? **5** When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing. **6** When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' **7** I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance."

**(NT) Philippians 2:9** Therefore God also highly exalted him [Jesus], and gave to him the name which is above every name; **10** that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, **11** and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

**(NT) Matthew 16:23** But he [Jesus] turned, and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men." **24** Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. **25** For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it."

Do you want this Jesus to be your Lord and King?

**(NT) John 18:37** Pilate therefore said to him [Jesus], "Are you a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this reason I have been born, and for this reason I have come into the world, that I should testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice."

**(NT) Matthew 11:28** "Come to me [Jesus], all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. **29** Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. **30** For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

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Chapter 9: The New Covenant

Everyone who is saved in Christ enters a New Covenant with God. Israel was given the Mosaic Covenant during the time of Moses, while the Christians who make up the church receive the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. And there is a great difference between the two, namely that the Mosaic Covenant is a covenant of works, according to the Law, based on commandments which the people were required to follow, while the New Covenant is a covenant of grace, in which the people receive the free gift of righteousness from Christ, through faith in His blood.

The Need for a New Covenant

Although the Law is morally perfect, the Mosaic Covenant had some weaknesses, so God later made a new covenant with His people.

**(OT) Psalm 19:7** Yahweh's law is perfect,...

**(NT) Hebrews 8:7** For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.

The Mosaic Covenant which God made with Israel, promised possession of the land as a reward for obedience, but it was weak because it was conditional on the people's actions. The people did not always obey the commandments, so they could not enjoy God's promise.

**(OT) Jeremiah 31:31** Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: **32** not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband to them, says Yahweh.

And since the people of Israel disobeyed God on many occasions throughout their history, they were expelled from the promised land, and on more than one occasion. But God still intended to fulfill His promise to give the land to Abraham and his descendants after him, for the Abrahamic Covenant had no conditions attached for Abraham to fulfill. Note however, that not every individual descendant of Abraham was guaranteed possession of the land.

**(NT) Galatians 3:17** Now I say this. A covenant confirmed beforehand by God in Christ, the law, which came four hundred thirty years after, does not annul, so as to make the promise of no effect. **18** For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by promise.

The New Covenant would change the hearts of the people to obey God. This would enable Abraham's descendants to live in the land which God had promised to give them.

The Law's Weakness in Producing Lasting Righteousness

Besides frustrating God's purpose of giving the land to Abraham's descendants, the Mosaic Covenant and the Law are also weak in their ability to produce lasting righteousness. No one was justified, or declared righteous, by the Law of Moses. We studied the animal sacrifices for forgiveness of sins in an earlier chapter, but here we are focusing on being justified by actually keeping all of the commandments in the Law—the original intent of the Mosaic Covenant.

**(NT) Galatians 2:15** "We, being Jews by nature, and not Gentile sinners, **16** yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law."

**(NT) Romans 3:28** We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. **29** Or is God the God of Jews only? Isn't he the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, **30** since indeed there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith, and the uncircumcised through faith.

Paul wrote in his letters to the Romans and the Galatians that the weakness of the law is resolved by Jesus' death, the Holy Spirit, and faith in Jesus Christ.

**(NT) Romans 8:3** For what the law couldn't do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh; **4** that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

**(NT) Galatians 3:21** Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could make alive, most certainly righteousness would have been of the law. **22** But the Scriptures imprisoned all things under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

A Summary of the New Covenant

The New Covenant in its original announcement in the Book of Jeremiah was for the nation of Israel.

**(OT) Jeremiah 31:33** 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 inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: **34** and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Yahweh; for they shall all know me, from their least to their greatest, says Yahweh: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.

The New Covenant has several provisions: God's laws would be inside His people's hearts; God will have an unbroken relationship with His people; everyone would know God, not just a few; and He will forgive all of their sins.

The New Covenant Is for Israel and the Church

This same New Covenant is quoted verbatim in the Epistle to the Hebrews to refer to the covenant established by Jesus Christ.

**(NT) Hebrews 8:10** "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days," says the Lord; "I will put my laws into their mind, I will also write them on their heart. I will be their God, and they will be my people. **11** They will not teach every man his fellow citizen, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all will know me,  
from their least to their greatest. **12** For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness. I will remember their sins and lawless deeds no more."

**(NT) Hebrews 9:15** For this reason he [Christ] is the mediator of a new covenant, since a death has occurred for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, that those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

**(NT) Luke 22:20** Likewise, he [Jesus] took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."

The New Covenant is for both Israel and the church. Charles C. Ryrie has incorrectly taught that there are two New Covenants: one for Israel and one for the church. Today, the Mosaic Covenant with its laws no longer separate the people of Israel from the believing Gentiles of the church. Christ expressly destroyed the middle wall of partition between us.

**(NT) Ephesians 2:12** that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. **13** But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ. **14** For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,

The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit for All Kinds of People

The New Testament church was born on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles.

**(NT) Acts 2:1** Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place. **2** Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. **3** Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them. **4** They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak....

**16** "But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:

**17** 'It will be in the last days, says God,  
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.  
Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.  
Your young men will see visions.  
Your old men will dream dreams.  
**18** Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days,  
I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.'"

The pouring of the Holy Spirit on people fulfills the New Covenant provision that God's law would be in the people's hearts. Not only God's law, but God Himself would be in their hearts. All kinds of people would receive the Holy Spirit, not just a select few. It is in the Holy Spirit that people are baptized into the one body which we call the church (1 Cor. 12:13). Every member of the church has the Holy Spirit, or else he does not belong to Christ (Eph. 1:13; Rom. 8:9). The hope of glory is that Christ now dwells even among the believing Gentiles (Col. 1:27), together with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit (John 14:17, 23; 1 John 3:24).

**(NT) Ephesians 1:13** in whom [Jesus], having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

**(NT) Romans 8:9**...But if any man doesn't have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.

This is a blessing that was not previously given to all the people of Israel. Does this make the church the exclusive recipient of this blessing of the indwelling Holy Spirit, or will Israel also experience it in the last days? Actually, God promised to put His Spirit in the people of Israel too, to cause them to walk in God's ways (Isa. 59:21; Ezek. 36:27; 37:14; 39:29).

**(OT) Ezekiel 36:27** I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my ordinances, and do them.

**(OT) Ezekiel 39:29**...for I have poured out my Spirit on the house of Israel, says the Lord Yahweh.

And lest anyone suppose that God's Spirit will be in the people of Israel as a nation but not within individuals, consider that with His Spirit, God will figuratively write inside the hearts of individual people.

**(OT) Jeremiah 31:33**... I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it;...

Today, many people of Israelite descent do not have the Holy Spirit in them because they reject Jesus as the Messiah or Christ. But in the future, God will bring the New Covenant to fulfillment for all the people of Israel.

Children of God

**(OT) Jeremiah 31:33**... and I will be their God, and they shall be my people:

The New Covenant promised an unbroken relationship between God and His people. This is fulfilled today as Christians are given the hope of adoption as God's children (John 1:12; 8:35; Gal. 3:26; Eph. 1:5; 1 John 3:1-2; Rom. 8:14-16; 2 Cor. 6:18)!

**(NT) John 1:12** But as many as received him [Jesus], to them he gave the right to become God's children, to those who believe in his name:

**(NT) John 8:35** "A bondservant doesn't live in the house forever. A son remains forever."

Just as the people of Israel will have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, they too will be sons of God.

**(OT) Isaiah 43:6** "...Bring my sons from far,  
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—"

**(OT) Hosea 1:10** "Yet the number of the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea, which can't be measured nor numbered; and it will come to pass that, in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they will be called 'sons of the living God.'"

Jesus also taught that everyone who experiences the resurrection to everlasting life are children of God.

**(NT) Luke 20:36** "For they can't die any more, for they are like the angels, and are children of God, being children of the resurrection."

**(NT) Revelation 21:7** "He who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son."

And all these children of God, whether from the church or Israel, will be " _gathered together into one_ ". The Jewish high priest, Caiaphas, did not mention the church by name, but spoke of the nation of Israel living in Judea as well as other children of God scattered abroad. These children scattered abroad could refer to both the Jewish Diaspora and the Gentiles of other nations who would later become children of God.

**(NT) John 11:51** Now he [Caiaphas] didn't say this of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, **52** and not for the nation only, but that he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

The Forgiveness of Sins

The church celebrates the New Covenant, or New Testament, by drinking from one shared cup, in remembrance of the Lord Jesus' blood, which sealed the covenant.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 11:25** In the same way he [Jesus] also took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me."

**(NT) Matthew 26:26** As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." **27** He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, "All of you drink it, **28** "for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins."

The remission, or wiping out, of our sins is a key part of the gospel message and is probably the most important provision in the New Covenant. Forgiveness of sins is made possible by the blood of Jesus, which He shed when He died to pay the penalty for our sins.

**(OT) Jeremiah 31:34**...for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.

**(NT) Hebrews 9:22**...apart from shedding of blood there is no remission.

**(NT) Acts 13:38** "Be it known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man [Jesus] is proclaimed to you remission of sins, **39** and by him everyone who believes is justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses."

This blessing of forgiveness comes with being justified or declared righteous by faith.

On a side note, consider that just as the cup is not the actual covenant but a holy symbol of it, the wine in the cup is not Jesus' actual blood but a holy symbol of it. Similarly, the bread in holy communion is not Jesus' actual body but a holy symbol of Jesus' body. This is contrary to the doctrine of "transubstantiation", which teaches that the bread and wine become Jesus' actual body and blood after they are blessed, even though they still look like bread and wine.

A Conditional Covenant?

The Mosaic Covenant is a conditional covenant where its blessings depended on the people's obedience, but the New Covenant is classified as a promise, or unconditional covenant, like the Abrahamic Covenant.

**(NT) Galatians 3:18** For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by promise.... **29** If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring and heirs according to promise.... **4:28** Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are children of promise.

Just as we are not saved by works, we do not remain in the New Covenant by what we do.

**(NT) Galatians 3:2** I just want to learn this from you. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith? **3** Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh?

The condition for securing the blessings of the New Covenant is to belong to Christ or to remain in Christ. But is it possible to be removed from Christ?

**(NT) 2 Corinthians 13:5** Examine your own selves, whether you are in the faith. Test your own selves. Or don't you know as to your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.

**(NT) John 10:27** "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. **28** I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. **29** My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand."

**(NT) Romans 8:35** Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? **36** Even as it is written, "For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter." **37** No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. **38** For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, **39** nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

No one can overpower God and steal His people. But what if people choose to leave Jesus and stop believing Him? These people are known as "apostates".

**(NT) John 15:6** "If a man doesn't remain in me [Jesus], he is thrown out as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned."

**(NT) Romans 11:22** See then the goodness and severity of God. Toward those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

**(NT) Hebrews 10:38** "But the righteous will live by faith.  
If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him."

**39** But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the saving of the soul.

Sadly, apostates will not be saved. Did they lose their salvation? Though we often don't know how a particular person falls away from the faith, the Bible tells us that at least in many cases, the apostate did not belong to the church from the beginning (1 John 2:19; John 6:70-71; Matt. 7:20-27).

**(NT) 1 John 2:19** They went out from us, but they didn't belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have continued with us. But they left, that they might be revealed that none of them belong to us.

**(NT) Matthew 7:20** "Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

_**21** Not everyone who says to me [Jesus], 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. **22** Many will tell me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?' **23** Then I will tell them, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.'_

**24** Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock. **25** The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn't fall, for it was founded on the rock. **26** Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn't do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand. **27** The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell—and great was its fall."

One mark of a false Christian is that they do not do what Jesus tells them to do. Works are not a condition for being saved, but are an evidence of real faith that saves.

**(NT) James 2:14** What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him? **15** And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, **16** and one of you tells them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled"; and yet you didn't give them the things the body needs, what good is it? **17** Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself. **18** Yes, a man will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith.

It is our duty is to warn people who look like false Christians (Ezek. 3:18; Acts 20:31; James 5:19-20).

**(OT) Ezekiel 3:18** When I tell the wicked, You shall surely die; and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at your hand.

**(NT) James 5:19** Brothers, if any among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, **20** let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

From the Bible verses quoted above, the New Covenant is an unconditional covenant, but only for those who have entered the covenant by faith and have become true Christians. True Christians are evidenced by their works of faith and love. False Christians may fall away as apostates.

Comparing the New Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant

**(NT) Luke 5:39** "No man having drunk old wine immediately desires new, for he says, 'The old is better.'"

The New Covenant offers the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to all kinds of people, the forgiveness and sins, and being declared righteous by faith. But we find similar things in the Old Testament too. So some people think the Mosaic Covenant is almost the same as the New Covenant. Is this true?

Were not people also empowered by the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament? Some were.

**(OT) Psalm 51:11** Don't throw me [David] from your presence,  
and don't take your Holy Spirit from me.

**(OT) Isaiah 63:11** Then he remembered the days of old,  
Moses and his people, saying,  
"Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock?  
Where is he who put his Holy Spirit among them?"

**(OT) Numbers 11:25** Yahweh came down in the cloud, and spoke to him [Moses], and took of the Spirit that was on him, and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.

Did the Mosaic Covenant have a way in which sins could be forgiven or atoned for? It did.

**(OT) Leviticus 4:20** "'Thus shall he do with the bull; as he did with the bull of the sin offering, so shall he do with this; and the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.'"

And were not people called righteous? Some were indeed called righteous (Ps. 37:25; Eccl. 8:14; Ezek. 13:22).

**(OT) Psalm 37:25** I have been young, and now am old,  
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,  
nor his children begging for bread.

Did not the people have faith in God? Many did.

**(NT) Hebrews 11:1** Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen. **2** For by this, the elders obtained testimony.... **29** By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. When the Egyptians tried to do so, they were swallowed up.

The Old Testament contains examples of many of the things later given in the New Covenant, foreshadowing things to come (Heb. 10:1). The people had the Holy Spirit among them, but it was not explicitly promised to be given to them. The Holy Spirit was given to David and to Moses and to seventy elders of Israel, but it was not included in the stipulated blessings of the Mosaic Covenant, nor was the Holy Spirit dwelling in most of the people.

**(OT) Numbers 11:29** Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all Yahweh's people were prophets, that Yahweh would put his Spirit on them!"

The people's sins could be forgiven by offering a sacrifice, but the need for repeated sacrifices indicated that the remedy of sin was only temporary.

**(NT) Hebrews 10:1** For the law, having a shadow of the good to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near. **2** Or else wouldn't they have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having been once cleansed, would have had no more consciousness of sins? **3** But in those sacrifices there is a yearly reminder of sins. **4** For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.

Some people were righteous, but not by means of the Mosaic Covenant, by keeping all the commands (Pss. 14:3; 51:5; Isa. 64:6; Mark 10:18). Recall that being justified means being declared righteous. The law does not declare anyone righteous.

**(OT) Isaiah 64:6** For we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

**(NT) Mark 10:18** Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except one—God."

**(NT) Romans 4:6** Even as David also pronounces blessing on the man to whom God counts righteousness apart from works,

**7** "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,  
whose sins are covered.  
**8** Blessed is the man whom the Lord will by no means charge with sin."

**(NT) Galatians 3:11** Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, "The righteous will live by faith."

The patriarchs and the Israelites exercised faith, but the Mosaic Covenant did not specify any rewards for having faith. Abraham was counted righteous because of his faith, but that was not part of the Mosaic Covenant (Gen. 15:6). The blessings were conditioned on keeping all of God's commands. One may argue that obedience to God's commands is always the result of faith, but the Bible does not explicitly say this. In fact, it states the opposite.

**(NT) Galatians 3:12** The law is not of faith, but, "The man who does them will live by them."

So we see that the gift of the Holy Spirit was not part of the Mosaic Covenant proper, even if it was mentioned in the first five books of Moses. God never said: "If you keep My covenant, I will give you the Holy Spirit". The remedy for sins was temporary. The people who were called righteous were not righteous by virtue of keeping the Mosaic Covenant, but by faith and God's justification by some other means, as in David's case. And in the first five books of Moses, God never said: "If you exercise faith, I will give you life." Some people enjoyed some of the benefits included in the New Covenant, but these blessings were given by God in His grace apart from the terms of the Mosaic Covenant. Therefore, no one could claim these New Covenant blessings from God on the basis of the Mosaic Covenant. Instead God reserved the right to decide on an individual basis whether or not to give these blessings to people during Old Testament times.

**(OT) Exodus 33:19** He [God] said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim Yahweh's name before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy."

The Mosaic Covenant is not the same as living by the Holy Spirit and by faith as in the New Covenant, which bring righteousness. Although some of these blessings were seen in people who lived during the time of the Mosaic Covenant, they were not given as part of the Mosaic Covenant. The New Covenant is better.

**(NT) Hebrews 8:6** But now he [Jesus] has obtained a more excellent ministry, by so much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which on better promises has been given as law.

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Chapter 10: What Is the Church?

The church refers to a new group of people who are followers of Jesus Christ, and who participate in the New Covenant.

**(NT) Matthew 16:15** He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

**16** Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

**17** Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. **18** I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly [church], and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. **19** I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven." **20** Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.

This passage is significant because it is the first time that Jesus mentioned the church. The church belongs to Jesus Christ and He builds it on the rock. There is disagreement about whether the "rock" refers to Jesus' disciple Simon Peter, to Peter's confession, or to Jesus Himself. Peter's name means a "stone", which is similar but not exactly the same as the large rock on which the church is to be built.

The Church Is God's House

Peter's writings suggest that Jesus intended to build the church out of living stones like Peter.

**(NT) 1 Peter 2:5** You also, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

The church is a spiritual house, made of living stones, so it is not a normal building, but a collection of people represented by stones. Church buildings and cathedrals are not the church—the church refers to the entirety of the believers in Jesus Christ. This is the house where God lives.

**(NT) Ephesians 2:22** in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.

Given the church's exalted status as God's house or temple, great is the folly of those who would try to destroy it.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 3:16** Don't you know that you are a temple of God, and that God's Spirit lives in you? **17** If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is holy, which you are.

Built on the Rock

As for the large rock, Jesus once likened someone who put His words into practice as building on a rock, so it is likely that Jesus was referring not to Peter's one-time confession of faith, but the enduring truth of that confession, that Jesus is " _the Christ, the Son of the living God_ ". Every living stone laid down in the construction of the church must first believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

**(NT) Matthew 7:24** "Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine [Jesus'], and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock."

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 10:4** and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.

Victory over Death

Hades represents the temporary residence of dead souls. The gates of Hades will not prevail against the church because the church will never be completely swallowed up by death, but will surely continue to stand by the power of God. Neither death nor Hades has lasting power over people who believe in Jesus and are part of His church, because God has promised us a future resurrection to life.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 15:54** But when this perishable body will have become imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: "Death is swallowed up in victory."

**55** "Death, where is your sting?  
Hades, where is your victory?"

**56** The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. **57** But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Delegated Authority

Moreover, Peter, as a representative of Jesus' church, has authority delegated from heaven. The ability to bind and loose was also given to the other disciples as a more general teaching. We should probably understand this authority to be effective only when people are acting faithfully on behalf of Jesus Christ and not trying to exercise power for their own selfish interests.

**(NT) Matthew 18:18** Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven.

The Mystery of the Church

Formerly, only Israel was God's people. The early church began as a group of Jesus' disciples who were Jewish. But today, believing Gentiles are joined to believing Israelites as God's church and God's people. Contrary to modern perceptions, the church is not a Gentile entity, but a joint Israelite and Gentile body.

**(NT) Ephesians 2:11** Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "uncircumcision" by that which is called "circumcision", (in the flesh, made by hands); **12** that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. **13** But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ. **14** For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition, **15** having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace; 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby. **17** He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near. **18** For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. **19** So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, **20** being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone; **21** in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord; **22** in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.

**3:1** For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles, **2** if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you; **3** how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words, **4** by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ; **5** which in other generations was not made known to the children of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; **6** that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News,

The church is called a mystery because the Old Testament Scriptures did not clearly describe a people of God that would consist of both Israelites and Gentiles, even though it was in God's plan all along and there were previous mentions of Gentiles belonging to God (Ps. 47:8-9; Amos 9:12; Zech. 2:11). In the Book of Hosea, God speaks about those who were not His people becoming His people, which subtly includes both Israelites and Gentiles.

**(OT) Hosea 1:10** "Yet the number of the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea, which can't be measured nor numbered; and it will come to pass that, in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they will be called 'sons of the living God.'"

**(OT) Hosea 2:23** "... and I will tell those who were not my people, 'You are my people;'  
and they will say, 'My God!'"

**(NT) Romans 9:24** us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles? **25** As he says also in Hosea,

" _I will call them 'my people,' which were not my people;  
and her 'beloved,' who was not beloved."_

**26** "It will be that in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,'  
There they will be called 'children of the living God.'"

The majority of the promises in the Old Testament are directed towards Israel. Although the Old Testament spoke of all of the earth's families being blessed through Abraham, it was not revealed that the Gentiles would have equal standing with Israel. This concept is so radical that some Christians fail to grasp that God's purpose is to unite the Gentiles with the Israelites.

Revelation of the Mystery

Some people speculate about how the apostle Paul received this special revelation about the mystery, namely Gentiles joining the church. Was it was during his time of solitude with God in Arabia (Gal. 1:17)? Or maybe Paul's relationship with God was so intimate that God revealed it to him one day? Actually, the book of Acts tells us that Paul received this revelation about the Gentiles when Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus, where he was converted from being a persecutor of the church to a preacher of Jesus Christ. Note that Paul was also called Saul (Acts 13:9).

**(NT) Acts 26:12** "Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the authority and commission from the chief priests, **13** at noon, O king, I saw on the way a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who traveled with me. **14** When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'

**15** I said, 'Who are you, Lord?'

He said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. **16** But arise, and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you a servant and a witness both of the things which you have seen, and of the things which I will reveal to you; **17** delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you, 18 to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'"

The Verse 18 in particular summarizes the gospel that Paul preaches: to turn Gentiles from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, to receive forgiveness of sins, to share an inheritance with others, and to be purified or sanctified by faith in Jesus. That believing Gentiles would receive an inheritance together with believing Israelites must have been a surprise to Paul. These few sentences may have formed the basis of Paul's doctrine that the church is made up of all Israelite and Gentile believers. Ordinary people would have easily missed the significance of Jesus' words to Paul, but Paul was knowledgeable about how things were different in the Mosaic Covenant and endowed with the Spirit of wisdom to explain the mystery to us. Recall our finding in Chapter 3 that foreigners could enter the Mosaic Covenant but had no inheritance of land.

As is often the case, God also announced beforehand in the Old Testament that some sharing of the inheritance between Israelites and Gentiles would happen at a future date.

**(OT) Ezekiel 47:22** It shall happen, that you shall divide it by lot for an inheritance to you and to the aliens who live among you, who shall father children among you; and they shall be to you as the native-born among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.

These foreign aliens who lived among the Israelites would be considered the same as the native-born Israelites. The same principle applies to the Gentiles and Israelites in the church.

**(NT) Romans 1:16** For I [Paul] am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes; for the Jew first, and also for the Greek. **17** For in it is revealed God's righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, "But the righteous shall live by faith."

Paul preaches that salvation is available for everyone who believes. There is uncertainty about the meaning of "from faith to faith". Some people think it means from initial saving faith to a greater degree of faith, but from the context of Verse 16, it may refer instead to the faith of the Jew first and then the faith of the Greek. Lest anyone entertain the idea that Paul invented this doctrine, that salvation in Christ is for both Israelites and Gentiles, here are some other relevant Bible verses:

**(OT) Isaiah 49:5** Now Yahweh says,  
he who formed me [Jesus] from the womb to be his servant,  
to bring Jacob again to him,  
and to gather Israel to him,  
for I am honorable in Yahweh's eyes,  
and my God has become my strength.  
**6** Indeed, he says,

" _It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob,  
and to restore the preserved of Israel?  
I will also give you as a light to the nations,  
that you may be my salvation to the end of the earth."_

**(NT) Luke 24:46** He [Jesus] said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, **47** and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

**(NT) Acts 2:38** Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. **39** For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself."

The Case of Cornelius

Cornelius was a Roman Centurion who lived in the land of Israel in the first century AD. He feared God, gave gifts to the poor and prayed. But he was not an Israelite.

**(NT) Acts 10:1** Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, **2** a devout man, and one who feared God with all his house, who gave gifts for the needy generously to the people, and always prayed to God.

Then God brought the apostle Peter to preach the gospel to Cornelius and all the people with him.

**(NT) Acts 10:34** Peter opened his mouth and said, "Truly I perceive that God doesn't show favoritism; **35** but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him. **36** The word which he sent to the children of Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all—... **43** All the prophets testify about him, that through his name everyone who believes in him will receive remission of sins."

**44** While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the word. **45** They of the circumcision who believed were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was also poured out on the Gentiles. **46** For they heard them speaking in other languages and magnifying God....

God gave Cornelius, his friends and relatives a sudden ability to speak in different languages—also known as speaking in "tongues". This showed everyone that the Holy Spirit had been given to them in the same manner that the Jewish Christians had been given the Holy Spirit and spoke in different languages on the Day of Pentecost. This was proof positive that God had accepted Cornelius, a Gentile, as a full member of His people, without Cornelius even having been circumcised under the terms of the Mosaic Covenant.

**(NT) Acts 11:2** When Peter had come up to Jerusalem, those who were of the circumcision contended with him, **3** saying, "You went in to uncircumcised men, and ate with them!"

The example of Cornelius shows us that Gentiles can become God's people by the Holy Spirit and the New Covenant of Jesus Christ, even without circumcision.

The Church in Heaven

Just as the church is made up all kinds of people from different ethnicities and geographical locations on earth, many of its members are also in heaven, having gone there after they died.

**(NT) Hebrews 12:22** But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable multitudes of angels, **23** to the general assembly and assembly [church] of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,

There is a contrast between the earthly Jerusalem and the heavenly Jerusalem, also here called Mount Zion and the city of the living God. The people there have the status of firstborn (plural), their names are written in heaven, and they are just men made perfect. They are referred to as spirits because they are awaiting the future resurrection of the body.

In the next chapter, we will visit some down-to-earth issues about the church on earth.

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Chapter 11: Local Churches

Local Churches and Denominations

The church is not a physical building and is a group of millions of people both in heaven and on earth, but it too has some structure and organization in the form of local churches. Sometimes local churches in different places form larger organizations called denominations. Many of the topics covered in this book are subject to widely varying opinions among different Christian denominations. While different denominations exhibit different styles of worship and have slightly different beliefs, all denominations considered to be Christian share the core beliefs in common about Jesus Christ being the Son of God, who came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15).

There are a number of well-known Christian denominations, some of which claim to be the "one true church" and many vie to be official spokesmen for God on earth. Though many denominations have had moments of heroism for faithfulness to the truth, often the fallible people in the church have yielded fruit that is the product of unfaithfulness to God and to His Word, the Bible.

Just as a large house has different kinds of articles, including some that are more honourable than others, there are different kinds of people in the professing church. By professing church, we mean everyone who claims to be a Christian. Despite the church's shortcomings, it is precious in God's sight and God has determined that the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. The church will survive, and pretenders who falsely represent Christ will be rejected by the Lord, Who " _knows those who are His_ ".

**(NT) 2 Timothy 2:18** men who have erred concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past, and overthrowing the faith of some. **19** However God's firm foundation stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Let every one who names the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness." **20** Now in a large house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of clay. Some are for honor, and some for dishonor.

**(NT) Matthew 16:18** "I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly [church], and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it."

Jesus is the foundation and head of the church (1 Cor. 3:11; Col. 1:18-22). "Christians" are so named because they are Jesus Christ's disciples or students (Acts 11:26), not because they are affiliated with a local church or denomination. Preachers are not to be called Rabbi, like a teacher and master, for Christ is our Teacher and Master and we are all brothers (Matt. 23:8). Only Christ is the Head, having loved the church as His wife and His own body (Eph. 5:23-30). Christians are redeemed from eternal death by Jesus Christ's payment for sin on the cross. Only people with Christ's Spirit in them belong to Him (Rom. 8:9). Everyone and everything in the church centres around Jesus Christ, not celebrities or man-made institutions.

**(NT) Colossians 1:18** He is the head of the body, the assembly [church], who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. **19** For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him; **20** and through him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, whether things on the earth, or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of his cross.

**21** You, being in past times alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil deeds, **22** yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without defect and blameless before him,

Although there are many local churches, there is an essential unity in the church, because the church consists of everyone who belongs to Christ. Christ's prayer to the Father is that all of the Christians may be one, and we know that one day, His prayer will be fully answered.

**(NT) Ephesians 4:1** I [Paul] therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, **2** with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love; **3** being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. **4** There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling; **5** one Lord, one faith, one baptism, **6** one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all.

**(NT) John 17:20** "Not for these only do I [Jesus] pray, but for those also who believe in me through their word, **21** that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me. **22** The glory which you have given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, even as we are one; **23** I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that you sent me, and loved them, even as you loved me."

Ecumenical Movements and Separation

However, today there are thousands of denominations, especially following the Protestant Reformation. To resolve the contrast between the unity of the church and the large number of independent denominations, people have started ecumenical movements to try to unite local churches from different denominations. What prevents the success of the various ecumenical movements to bring unity to Christianity are a combination of human factors such as pride, mistrust, and lack of desire, as well as the fundamental mistake of trying to include people who reject some essentials of the Christian faith or who believe in other religions. It is futile to unite believers together with unbelievers.

**(NT) 2 Corinthians 6:14** Don't be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? **15** What agreement has Christ with Belial? Or what portion has a believer with an unbeliever? **16** What agreement has a temple of God with idols? For you are a temple of the living God. Even as God said, "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they will be my people." **17** Therefore

"' _Come out from among them,  
and be separate,' says the Lord...."_

There is also disagreement about what core beliefs are essential for mutual recognition as those who belong to Christ. Although the majority of people who call themselves Christian accept the Nicene Creed describing God as a Trinity, disagreement concerning the issue of salvation by faith apart from works was one major reason why the Protestants separated from the Roman Catholic Church. The gospel and the Bible's way of salvation was considered a very important truth to uphold, which the Protestants could not freely teach while remaining within the Roman Catholic Church. And if people were not saved in the right way, they might not be true Christians. Even when some people are acknowledged to be fellow members of the church, disagreements over certain practices or other teachings may preclude cooperation or endorsement. In such cases, even if there is a lack of unity in purpose and action, there should be mutual concern and love. In church history, there have been examples of both interdenominational cooperation and the spilling of blood.

**(NT) 2 Thessalonians 3:14** If any man doesn't obey our word in this letter, note that man, that you have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed. **15** Don't count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. **16** Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all.

Separation from sin is needed, as is illustrated in the condemnation of the good King Jehoshaphat for forming military alliances with the evil King Ahab and his sons (2 Chron. 18:1; 19:1-3; 20:35-37). But secondary separation from people like King Jehoshaphat is not warranted (2 Kings 3:12-15).

**(OT) 2 Chronicles 19:1** Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. **2** Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the wicked, and love those who hate Yahweh? Because of this, wrath is on you from before Yahweh. **3** Nevertheless there are good things found in you, in that you have put away the Asheroth out of the land, and have set your heart to seek God."

**(OT) 2 Kings 3:12** Jehoshaphat said, "Yahweh's word is with him." So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. **13** Elisha said to the king of Israel, "What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father, and to the prophets of your mother." The king of Israel said to him, "No, for Yahweh has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab." **14** Elisha said, "As Yahweh of Armies lives, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I respect the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward you, nor see you. **15** But now bring me a musician." When the musician played, Yahweh's hand came on him.

Church Discipline

We must also remember Jesus' instructions about dealing with a sinning brother. The first three steps are aimed at turning a brother away from the error of his way.

**(NT) Matthew 18:15** "If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother. **16** But if he doesn't listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. **17** If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly [church]. If he refuses to hear the assembly [church] also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector."

The local church must reject sin and exclude as members people who claim to be Christians but refuse to repent of their sins.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 5:9** I [Paul] wrote to you in my letter to have no company with sexual sinners; **10** yet not at all meaning with the sexual sinners of this world, or with the covetous and extortionists, or with idolaters; for then you would have to leave the world. **11** But as it is, I wrote to you not to associate with anyone who is called a brother who is a sexual sinner, or covetous, or an idolater, or a slanderer, or a drunkard, or an extortionist. Don't even eat with such a person. **12** For what have I to do with also judging those who are outside? Don't you judge those who are within? **13** But those who are outside, God judges. "Put away the wicked man from among yourselves."

The local church does not just operate in its religious capacity on Sunday. It includes its members. So individual members are responsible for having no company with people who are disciplined in the manner described above. This serious form of punishment is called "excommunication", and serves to demonstrate a zero tolerance policy towards serious sins. Yet restoration to the local church is possible if the excommunicated person repents.

**(NT) 2 Corinthians 2:6** This punishment which was inflicted by the many is sufficient for such a one; **7** so that on the contrary you should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his excessive sorrow. **8** Therefore I beg you to confirm your love toward him.

And even if someone does not repent and our relationship with them is not restored, we should not seek their harm. The punishment for excommunication is considered sufficient, and we should not seek further action. Rather, we must forgive, as God forgives us. Jesus set the perfect example.

**(NT) Matthew 6:14** "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. **15** But if you don't forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

**(NT) Luke 23:33** When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified him [Jesus] there with the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.

**34** Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing."...

But disciplinary action cannot be taken if the sin is not verified by two or three witnesses. This is especially true of unsubstantiated rumours or imagined motives. In accordance with this principle, Jesus knew in advance that Judas Iscariot was evil, but before Jesus' betrayal by Judas was witnessed by the other disciples, Jesus did not expel him from the group. God's desire is to see unity and peace in the church when wrongdoing cannot be proven.

**(OT) Deuteronomy 19:15** One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sins. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.

**(NT) John 6:70** Jesus answered them, "Didn't I choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" **71** Now he spoke of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for it was he who would betray him, being one of the twelve.

Leadership of Local Churches

After Jesus' ascension to heaven, the early church was taught by Jesus' disciples, who had been Jesus' "apostles", or sent ones. As witnesses and students sent by Jesus Christ to preach, they had the vital responsibility of leading the church. Through their teaching, a foundation was laid, the essential part of which has been preserved for us in the pages of the New Testament Scriptures.

**(NT) Acts 1:21** "Of the men therefore who have accompanied us [apostles] all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, **22** beginning from the baptism of John, to the day that he was received up from us, of these one must become a witness with us of his resurrection."

**(NT) Acts 2:40** With many other words he [the apostle Peter] testified, and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation!" **41** Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls. **42** They continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer. **43** Fear came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

**(NT) Ephesians 2:19**...the household of God, **20** being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone;

As missionaries such as the apostle Paul preached about Jesus Christ in faraway places, and people there became disciples of Jesus Christ, the travelling apostles appointed elders in different places to lead the local churches that were established.

**(NT) Acts 14:21** When they [the apostles Paul and Barnabas] had preached the Good News to that city, and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, **22** confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many afflictions we must enter into God's Kingdom. **23** When they had appointed elders for them in every assembly [local church], and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed.

The word "elders" brings to mind people of old age and are reminiscent of the elders of the nation of Israel, who served as family leaders and representatives of the people.

**(OT) Exodus 3:16** "Go, and gather the elders of Israel together,... **18** They will listen to your voice, and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt,..."

**(OT) Numbers 11:16** Yahweh said to Moses, "Gather to me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you...."

**24** Moses went out, and told the people Yahweh's words; and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them around the Tent. **25** Yahweh came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was on him, and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.

The church elders are also called "overseers", as they teach the Bible and watch over the spiritual well-being of the local church members, just as a shepherd watches over his flock of sheep. The Greek words translated "elders" and "overseers" are _presbuterous_ and _episkopous_ , respectively, from which we get the transliterated words, "presbyters" and "bishops", respectively. The word "pastor" denotes a "shepherd" who feeds sheep, which in a spiritual context means to feed people the word of God and to look after them. The elder, bishop, and pastor should not be understood as different offices of different ranks within a hierarchy, as we see in some Christian denominations. The elder, bishop, and elder were originally the same general position as a leader in a local church, under the chief Shepherd Jesus Christ. The following Bible passages use these terms to refer to the same people.

**(NT) Acts 20:17** From Miletus he [Paul] sent to Ephesus, and called to himself the elders [presbyters] of the assembly [church]....

**28** "Take heed, therefore, to yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers [bishops], to shepherd [pastor] the assembly [church] of the Lord and God which he purchased with his own blood. **29** For I know that after my departure, vicious wolves will enter in among you, not sparing the flock. **30** Men will arise from among your own selves, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. **31** Therefore watch, remembering that for a period of three years I didn't cease to admonish everyone night and day with tears."

**(NT) 1 Peter 5:1** I [Peter] exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and who will also share in the glory that will be revealed. **2** Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, not for dishonest gain, but willingly; **3** neither as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock. **4** When the chief Shepherd [Jesus Christ] is revealed, you will receive the crown of glory that doesn't fade away.

Qualifications of Elders

Elders or bishops or pastors need to meet qualifications of having a godly character in their family life, as well as being slow to anger, not greedy for money, and able to uphold the word of truth. Elders were appointed to lead local churches, where they could teach the congregation, correct errors, and set good examples of living out Christ's teachings.

**(NT) Titus 1:5** I [Paul] left you [Titus] in Crete for this reason, that you would set in order the things that were lacking, and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you; **6** if anyone is blameless, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, who are not accused of loose or unruly behavior. **7** For the overseer [bishop] must be blameless, as God's steward; not self-pleasing, not easily angered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for dishonest gain; **8** but given to hospitality, a lover of good, sober minded, fair, holy, self-controlled; **9** holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict those who contradict him. **10** For there are also many unruly men, vain talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, **11** whose mouths must be stopped; men who overthrow whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for dishonest gain's sake.

**(NT) 1 Timothy 3:1** This is a faithful saying: if a man seeks the office of an overseer [bishop], he desires a good work. **2** The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching; **3** not a drinker, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; **4** one who rules his own house well, having children in subjection with all reverence; **5** (but if a man doesn't know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the assembly [church] of God?) **6** not a new convert, lest being puffed up he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. **7** Moreover he must have good testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Regarding Women

It should also be noted that church elders are men, not women. This Biblical teaching is hotly contested in today's Western culture because it restricts what women are able to do. Women are not less important than men, but God made people male and female. Men too have their limitations—they cannot bear children! Endowed by God with complementary strengths, men and women have equal status in Christ.

**(NT) 1 Timothy 2:12** But I don't permit a woman to teach, nor to exercise authority over a man, but to be in quietness. **13** For Adam was first formed, then Eve. **14** Adam wasn't deceived, but the woman, being deceived, has fallen into disobedience; **15** but she will be saved through her childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and sanctification with sobriety.

**(NT) Galatians 3:27** For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. **28** There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

**(OT) Genesis 1:27** God created man in his own image. In God's image he created him; male and female he created them.

During Jesus' teaching ministry, He welcomed women like Mary to learn like the other disciples (Luke 10:39), but He appointed twelve men to be His apostles to preach and heal the sick (Matt. 10:1-7). On the other hand, Mary Magdalene was the first witness of Jesus' resurrection and was instructed to tell His disciples that He would ascend to God (John 20:15-17).

Women will also prophesy, speaking about things they hear from God. When God reveals things to prophets with dreamy hints and symbolic visions, the interpretation of the prophetic message is not always clear (Num. 12:6-8). Moreover, it is not obvious to the people listening whether a prophet's message is truly from God. Therefore, unless it can be authenticated, the prophetic message does not have the same authority as teaching from the Bible. Even so, prophecies should not be despised, but carefully considered (1 Thess. 5:20; 1 Cor. 14:29).

**(NT) Acts 2:17** "'It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams.'"

**(NT) Acts 21:9** Now this man [Philip] had four virgin daughters who prophesied.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 14:29** Let the prophets speak, two or three, and let the others discern.

Women are not permitted to teach men, but they can teach other women as well as children.

**(NT) Titus 2:3** and that older women likewise be reverent in behavior, not slanderers nor enslaved to much wine, teachers of that which is good; **4** that they may train the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, **5** to be sober minded, chaste, workers at home, kind, being in subjection to their own husbands, that God's word may not be blasphemed.

For married women, the ideal role presented in the Bible is not one of leadership in the home, but of the beauty of submission—not in fear or oppression, but being honoured and valued.

**(NT) 1 Peter 3:3** Let your beauty be not just the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on fine clothing; **4** but in the hidden person of the heart, in the incorruptible adornment of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God very precious. **5** For this is how the holy women before, who hoped in God also adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands: **6** as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose children you now are, if you do well, and are not put in fear by any terror.

**7** You husbands, in the same way, live with your wives according to knowledge, giving honor to the woman, as to the weaker vessel, as being also joint heirs of the grace of life; that your prayers may not be hindered.

Elders and the Local Church

The church elders have authority and should be honoured (1 Thess. 5:12-13; 1 Tim. 5:17-20), but they should not act like masters of the people (Luke 22:25-26). Members of the church are free in Christ and are not to become slaves of men (Gal. 5:1; 1 Cor. 7:22-23).

**(NT) 1 Thessalonians 5:12** But we beg you, brothers, to know those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, **13** and to respect and honor them in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves.

**(NT) 1 Timothy 5:17** Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in teaching. **18** For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle the ox when it treads out the grain." And, "The laborer is worthy of his wages."

**19** Don't receive an accusation against an elder, except at the word of two or three witnesses. **20** Those who sin, reprove in the sight of all, that the rest also may be in fear.

**(NT) Luke 22:25** He said to them, "The kings of the nations lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called 'benefactors.' **26** But not so with you. But one who is the greater among you, let him become as the younger, and one who is governing, as one who serves."

Moreover, elders are usually mentioned in the Bible as a group of men, not as a sole leader.

**(NT) Hebrews 13:7** Remember your leaders, men who spoke to you the word of God, and considering the results of their conduct, imitate their faith.

The congregation could observe the behaviour or fruit of the elders' lives to imitate their faith, but also to judge whether the elders' teachings could be trusted, or if they are actually false prophets who are not speaking for God.

**(NT)** Matthew 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. 16 By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit. 18 A good tree can't produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn't grow good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them."

Typically, elders only take care of the local church and do not have authority over other elders across a geographical region, but there are preachers who plant or serve multiple local churches. Fellowship between different local churches and respect for one another is healthy.

**(NT)** 2 Corinthians 10:13 But we will not boast beyond proper limits, but within the boundaries with which God appointed to us, which reach even to you. 14 For we don't stretch ourselves too much, as though we didn't reach to you. For we came even as far as to you with the Good News of Christ,

Members of Local Churches

Although we have talked at length about elders, every member of the church is important as a part of the body, doing its own function. The ability to perform different functions are called "spiritual gifts", because they are given to people by the Holy Spirit. The Bible also mentions "deacons", or "servants", and their duties for the church can include very diverse functions. Note that the lists of functions in the following passages are probably not exhaustive.

**(NT) Ephesians 4:11** He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers; **12** for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ; **13** until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; **14** that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; **15** but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ; **16** from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.

**(NT) 1 Peter 4:10** As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms. **11** If anyone speaks, let it be as it were the very words of God. If anyone serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,...

**(NT) Romans 12:4** For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members don't have the same function, **5** so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. **6** Having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, if prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith; **7** or service, let us give ourselves to service; or he who teaches, to his teaching; **8** or he who exhorts, to his exhorting: he who gives, let him do it with liberality; he who rules, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 12:7** But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all. **8** For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit; **9** to another faith, by the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, by the same Spirit; **10** and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; to another different kinds of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages. **11** But the one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing to each one separately as he desires.

**12** For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. **13** For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit. **14** For the body is not one member, but many. **15** If the foot would say, "Because I'm not the hand, I'm not part of the body," it is not therefore not part of the body. **16** If the ear would say, "Because I'm not the eye, I'm not part of the body," it's not therefore not part of the body. **17** If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the smelling be? **18** But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired. **19** If they were all one member, where would the body be? **20** But now they are many members, but one body. **21** The eye can't tell the hand, "I have no need for you," or again the head to the feet, "I have no need for you." **22** No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. **23** Those parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, on those we bestow more abundant honor; and our unpresentable parts have more abundant propriety; **24** whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God composed the body together, giving more abundant honor to the inferior part, **25** that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. **26** When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. Or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

**27** Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. **28** God has set some in the assembly [church]: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, and various kinds of languages.

Not only does God see the importance for each function, He wants Christians to realize our humble dependence on God for everything, including our sense of worth, and then treat others as superior and more important than ourselves. Even when we look at little children, Jesus reminds us that their angels see the face of God.

**(NT) Romans 12:10** In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor preferring one another;

**(NT) Philippians 2:3** doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself;

**(NT) Matthew 18:10** "See that you don't despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven."

Every member has access to the throne of God through Jesus, the great High Priest, and can offer sacrifices of praise as a priest. Unlike what we see in some denominations, the New Testament does not define a class of church officials called "priests".

**(NT) Hebrews 4:14** Having then a great high priest, who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God,... **16** Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need.

**(NT) Hebrews 13:15** Through him [Jesus], then, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which proclaim allegiance to his name.

**(NT) 1 Peter 2:5** You also, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Every member is a "saint", or holy person, who can pray to God the Father in Jesus' name. The Bible does not teach us to pray in the name of canonized saints.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 1:2** to the assembly [church] of God which is at Corinth; those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, both theirs and ours:

**(NT) John 16:26** "In that day you will ask in my [Jesus'] name; and I don't say to you, that I will pray to the Father for you,"

Function of the Local Church

Having described the members of the local church, its role as a whole is be the pillar and ground of the truth: passing on the truth from generation to generation, and witnessing for God's truth in a world where deception is rampant.

**(NT) 1 Timothy 3:15**...God's house, which is the assembly [church] of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

**(NT) 2 Timothy 2:2** The things which you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit the same to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

Each local church is to be like a lamp on a stand, giving light to the world. The local church can be a witness of God's love in a way that individual Christians cannot—by loving one another. By this mutual love we will be recognized as having a distinct flavour and giving off a beautiful light that draws people's attention. But if we do not show such love, we have failed miserably.

**(NT) John 13:35** "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

**(NT) Matthew 5:13** "You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men. **14** You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can't be hidden. **15** Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. **16** Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

**(NT) Revelation 1:20** "...The seven lamp stands are seven assemblies [churches].... **2:4** But I [Jesus] have this against you [the church in Ephesus], that you left your first love. **5** Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I am coming to you swiftly, and will move your lamp stand out of its place, unless you repent."

The local church should seek to grow by preaching the gospel to all kinds of people, both bad and good, because our merciful God wants His house of feasting to be full.

**(NT) Matthew 9:13** "But you go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

**(NT) Luke 14:21** "...Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.'

**22** The servant said, 'Lord, it is done as you commanded, and there is still room.'

**23** The lord said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.'"

**(NT) Matthew 22:8** "Then he [the king] said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren't worthy. **9** Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the marriage feast.' **10** Those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests. **11** But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn't have on wedding clothing, **12** and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?' He was speechless. **13** Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness; there is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.' **14** For many are called, but few chosen."

While everyone is invited to repent and join the local church, not everyone who goes there is a true believer. And during times of revival, we hear stories of many believers and unbelievers alike confessing serious sins in earnest repentance. The local church meeting location is not a perfect place and it does not have perfect people, but it is the place where God wants us to go.

**(NT) Hebrews 10:24** Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, **25** not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching.

The Day approaches when Jesus will come back to the Earth and purify His church (Matt. 3:12). Then the church will be with Jesus forever (John 14:3; 1 Thess. 4:17).

**(NT) Matthew 3:12** "His [Jesus'] winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire."

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Chapter 12: The Law and the Church

The church has entered the New Covenant with God. Is the Mosaic Covenant still relevant? Does the Law of Moses apply to the church? If not, what do we do with the first part of the Bible?

The Law Must Be Changed

Jesus and Stephen were both accused of speaking against the Law and the temple, albeit sometimes by false witnesses. Jesus did not destroy the Law, but first fulfilled it—He kept its requirements perfectly, enforced its death penalty for sin by the sacrifice of Himself, fulfilled its predictions, and then brought a better covenant and righteousness through faith.

**(NT) Matthew 5:17** "Don't think that I [Jesus] came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill. **18** For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished."

**(NT) Acts 6:12** They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and came against him [Stephen] and seized him, and brought him in to the council, **13** and set up false witnesses who said, "This man never stops speaking blasphemous words against this holy place [temple] and the law. **14** For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the customs which Moses delivered to us."

**(NT) Romans 10:4** For Christ is the fulfillment of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

In one instance, Jesus seemed to signal the end of the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic Law.

**(NT) Mark 7:18** He [Jesus] said to them, "Are you also without understanding? Don't you perceive that whatever goes into the man from outside can't defile him, **19** because it doesn't go into his heart, but into his stomach, then into the latrine, thus purifying all foods?"

A different translation states that Jesus declared all foods clean.

**(NT) Mark 7:19 NIV** "For it doesn't go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

Jesus also referred to His own body as the temple of God and foretold that people would no longer worship God in Jerusalem.

**(NT) John 2:19** Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

**20** The Jews therefore said, "It took forty-six years to build this temple! Will you raise it up in three days?" **21** But he [Jesus] spoke of the temple of his body.

**(NT) John 4:21** Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father. **22** You worship that which you don't know. We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews. **23** But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshipers. **24** God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

The book of Hebrews argues the case that the Law had to change because: Jesus was a high priest of the order of Melchizedek (Ps. 110:4; Zech. 6:9-15), and not a descendant of Aaron the high priest, of the tribe of Levi; that God was not pleased with sacrifices; that Jesus is the perfect, final sacrifice of which the Law was only a shadow; and that the forgiveness of sins removed the need for further offerings for sin.

**(NT) Hebrews 7:11** Now if there were perfection through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people have received the law), what further need was there for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron? **12** For the priesthood being changed, there is of necessity a change made also in the law.

**(NT) Hebrews 10:1** For the law, having a shadow of the good to come,... **8** Previously saying, "Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you didn't desire, neither had pleasure in them" (those which are offered according to the law), **9** then he has said, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He takes away the first, that he may establish the second, **10** by which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.... **17** "I will remember their sins and their iniquities no more." **18** Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

This became more important when the Second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in the year AD 70, for a large portion of the Law related to sacrifices and offerings at God's chosen place could no longer be observed.

**(OT) Deuteronomy 12:13** Be careful that you don't offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see; **14** but in the place which Yahweh chooses in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.... **27** You shall offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of Yahweh your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of Yahweh your God; and you shall eat the flesh.

**(OT) 1 Kings 11:32** (...for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I [God] have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel);

Jewish synagogues cannot take the place of the temple at God's chosen place, so animal sacrifices are no longer offered in Judaism. Modern Judaism tries to substitute sacrifices with prayers until a new temple is built in the future. Meanwhile, Christians can worship God anywhere and no longer need the altar of burnt offering in Jerusalem's temple.

**(NT) Hebrews 13:10** We have an altar from which those who serve the holy tabernacle have no right to eat.

The Effect of Jesus' Death

When an ethnic Israelite believes in Jesus, they will enjoy the blessings of the New Covenant. But does the Mosaic Covenant still apply to them? Remember, there is no termination clause in the Mosaic Covenant, and the only way out is death. But as Jesus taught His disciples that they would be united with Him (John 14:20), Israelite believers exit the Mosaic Covenant by being legally united with Jesus in His death on the cross (Gal. 2:19-20; Rom. 7:1-4; Col. 2:14). They have died to the Law. The Law was formerly a wall separating Israelites and Gentiles, but it is now removed by Jesus' death in our place (Eph. 2:14-15).

**(NT) Romans 7:1** Or don't you know, brothers (for I speak to men who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man for as long as he lives? **2** For the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives, but if the husband dies, she is discharged from the law of the husband. **3** So then if, while the husband lives, she is joined to another man, she would be called an adulteress. But if the husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she is joined to another man. **4** Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might produce fruit to God.

**(NT) Ephesians 2:14** For he [Jesus] is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition, **15** having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace;

Since the Christian has died to the Law, it is no longer binding upon us, especially rules about eating only clean kosher foods, celebrating religious feast days, resting on the Sabbath, and offering animal sacrifices.

**(NT) Colossians 2:16** Let no one therefore judge you in eating, or in drinking, or with respect to a feast day or a new moon or a Sabbath day, **17** which are a shadow of the things to come; but the body is Christ's.

Covenant Theology tries to split up the Law of Moses into the moral law and ceremonial law, and claims that the moral law still needs to be kept by Christians, whereas the ceremonial law no longer applies. Moreover, the Ten Commandments are often thought to apply to Christians, but many Christians skip the commandment to rest on the Sabbath day in accordance with Colossians 2:16. This seems somewhat arbitrary and inconsistent, picking and choosing from different parts of the Law. To be more consistent, this book presents the view that the Law of Moses is one intact entity that is only in effect when one is under the Mosaic Covenant. This agrees with New Covenant Theology.

The Law According to James

As an apostle who ministered to the Gentiles, Paul was free from the Law and taught it clearly. James the brother of Jesus and the elders of the church in Jerusalem also agreed that Gentile believers were not under the Law. But James and the elders mistakenly thought that Paul concurred with their view that Jewish believers should continue to keep the Law.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 9:19** For though I [Paul] was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. **20** To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law; **21** to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law.

**(NT) Acts 21:20** They, when they [James and the elders] heard it, glorified God. They said to him [Paul], "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law. **21** They have been informed about you, that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children neither to walk after the customs. **22** What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come. **23** Therefore do what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow. **24** Take them, and purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses for them, that they may shave their heads. Then all will know that there is no truth in the things that they have been informed about you, but that you yourself also walk keeping the law. **25** But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written our decision that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from food offered to idols, from blood, from strangled things, and from sexual immorality."

In his "epistle", or letter, James teaches us to be a doer of the word, namely the "perfect law of freedom" (James 1:22, 25). Is there a contradiction _in the Bible_ between the teachings of Paul and the teachings of James about whether or not Christians need to keep the Law? May it never be! The Bible's Divine Author may confuse the careless reader, but He rewards those who carefully study His words. The "perfect law of freedom" is not the Law of Moses. Let us examine what James actually wrote.

**(NT) James 1:18** Of his [the Father's] own will he gave birth to us by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. **19** So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; **20** for the anger of man doesn't produce the righteousness of God.

**21** Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. **22** But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves. **23** For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror; **24** for he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. **25** But he who looks into the perfect law of freedom, and continues, not being a hearer who forgets, but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does.

**26** If anyone among you thinks himself to be religious while he doesn't bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this man's religion is worthless. **27** Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

In Verse 18, James first introduces the "word of truth". This is something that gives us birth, so it refers to the gospel that brings new life. Then in Verse 19, James mentions how we should act with regards to hearing, speaking, and getting angry. He then explains each action: getting angry in Verse 20, hearing the word in Verses 21 to 25, and speaking in Verse 26. Verse 27 elaborates on the concept of religion that is mentioned in Verse 26.

The "perfect law of freedom" in Verse 25 refers to the same thing as the "word of truth" that saves and produces a new birth in Verse 18. According to Verses 21 and 22, the word is something that is implanted in people and can be heard and acted upon. Receiving the word also involves putting away filthiness and wickedness. It is not necessarily something that is read or studied like a book—the act of looking into the law in Verse 25 comes from the metaphor of looking into a mirror.

The First Epistle of Peter also describes a word that saves and purifies. It is called the truth, incorruptible seed, the word of God, the Lord's word, and the word of Good News.

**(NT) 1 Peter 1:22** Seeing you have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth through the Spirit in sincere brotherly affection, love one another from the heart fervently: **23** having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and remains forever. **24** For,

" _All flesh is like grass,  
and all of man's glory like the flower in the grass.  
The grass withers, and its flower falls;  
**25** but the Lord's word endures forever."_

This is the word of Good News which was preached to you.

**2:1** Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking, **2** as newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, that with it you may grow, **3** if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious:

Although the word of God encompasses the whole Bible, here Peter speaks mainly about the gospel of Jesus Christ. As the word not only saves but its milk causes growth, it may include more than just the gospel. For example, the word likely includes Jesus' command to love one another and perhaps everything about the gracious Lord Himself.

**(NT) John 1:14** The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

As Peter and James both teach that the word produces the new birth, the word must tell people to believe in Jesus Christ (John 1:12-13; 3:3-8, 14-18). Since the Law of Moses does not include the gospel of Jesus Christ except in shadow form, the word and the perfect law of freedom are not referring to the Law of Moses.

Three Different Laws

In another passage, James mentions three laws: the royal law, the law or whole law, and a law of freedom. How are these related?

**(NT) James 2:8** However, if you fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well. **9** But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. **10** For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. **11** For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not commit murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. **12** So speak, and so do, as men who are to be judged by a law of freedom. **13** For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

The royal law is the commandment to love your neighbor, which is quoted to show that partiality violates the law. The royal law is just one commandment within the whole law, which contains a large number of commandments. James mentions the whole law, referring to the Law of Moses, to prove that a seemingly minor infraction of just one commandment, namely breaking the royal law by showing partiality, is a serious offense that must be avoided because breaking the royal law means breaking the Law of Moses.

The law of freedom allows us to be judged with mercy, and this should motivate us to speak and do things differently. But since the Law of Moses does not prescribe mercy in judgment (Deut. 13:8; 19:13, 21), the law of freedom cannot be the Law of Moses.

**(OT) Deuteronomy 19:21** Your eyes shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

The Law of Freedom

Regarding judging one another, James also says that to speak against a brother is to oppose the law. Since our brothers in the Lord will be judged with mercy by the law of freedom, we act contrary to this law of freedom if we judge them without mercy.

**(NT) James 4:11** Don't speak against one another, brothers. He who speaks against a brother and judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. **12** Only one is the lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge another?

So what is this law of freedom that James speaks about? It necessarily includes justification by faith and forgiveness of sins as a legal principle, because that is God's expression of mercy. It likely also includes the teachings of Jesus, including His Sermon on the Mount that warns people about judging others.

**(NT) Matthew 7:1** "Don't judge, so that you won't be judged."

If you humbly receive the word of the gospel of Jesus Christ and show mercy to others, you will be judged with mercy, so that you can stand and gain eternal life (Tit. 3:5; 1 Tim. 1:16; Matt. 5:7; 18:33; Rom. 14:4).

**(NT) Matthew 5:7** "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

**(NT) Matthew 18:33** "'Shouldn't you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?'"

**(NT) Romans 14:4** Who are you who judge another's servant? To his own lord he stands or falls. Yes, he will be made to stand, for God has power to make him stand.

Although the law of freedom offers mercy that was not available in the Law of Moses, those who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ and the law of freedom would face worse punishment.

**(NT) Hebrews 10:28** A man who disregards Moses' law dies without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses. **29** How much worse punishment do you think he will be judged worthy of who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

We conclude that the law of freedom that James teaches Christians to obey is the "law of Christ" which includes the gospel, and not the Law of Moses. So the Bible does not contradict itself on whether Christians need to obey the Law of Moses. By the law of Christ, we mean the commands and principles that Christ wants Christians to follow. The scope of this new law will be explored more fully in the next chapter.

The Blessings of Israel Under the Mosaic Covenant

Israel was promised earthly blessings if they obeyed the Law under the Mosaic Covenant, so these blessings are conditional. Since Israel did not obey all the commandments in the Law, we have seen throughout history how instead of blessings, curses have come upon that nation, being scattered to the ends of the earth.

**(OT) Deuteronomy 28:1** It shall happen, if you shall listen diligently to Yahweh your God's voice, to observe to do all his commandments which I command you today, that Yahweh your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. **2** All these blessings will come upon you, and overtake you, if you listen to Yahweh your God's voice.... **15** But it shall come to pass, if you will not listen to Yahweh your God's voice, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come on you, and overtake you.... **64** Yahweh will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth....

Jesus Christ is the only man who fully kept the requirements of the Law of Moses, so He alone is eligible claim its blessings (Luke 18:19; John 8:46; 19:4; 1 Pet. 2:21-22). But instead, Christ willingly took the curse upon Himself (Gal. 3:10, 13). Now all who are in Christ have died with Christ to the Mosaic Covenant together with both its blessings and its curses. We are dead to the Law, but Christ is also dead to the Law (Rom. 7:4)—so Christ cannot claim the blessings of the Mosaic Covenant! For if the curses of the Law have come to an end, so must the blessings of the Law. Thankfully this is not a great loss because the New Covenant has better blessings and no curse. So the Mosaic Covenant is ready to vanish away now that we are under the New Covenant in Christ (Heb. 8:13).

**(NT) John 19:4** Pilate then went out again, and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him [Jesus] out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him."

**(NT) Galatians 3:13** Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,"

**(NT) Romans 7:4** Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ,...

**(NT) Hebrews 8:13** In that he says, "A new covenant", he has made the first old. But that which is becoming old and grows aged is near to vanishing away.

One might be interested to note that Paul's epistle to the Ephesians mentions a promise of long life associated with one of the Law's commandments to honour one's parents.

**(NT) Ephesians 6:2** "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with a promise: **3** "that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth."

Similar to God's promises to Abraham and to those who fear the Lord in the Old Testament, this particular blessing is not conditional on keeping all of the commandments of the Mosaic Covenant and may apply to Christians today. But even this blessing is included in the New Covenant which promises eternal life—the ultimate length of life.

The Continuing Value of the Law

The Law of Moses' main purpose is to reveal our sinfulness and lead us to salvation through faith in Christ, and it continues to be profitable today in other ways as well.

**(NT) Romans 3:20** Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

**(NT) Galatians 3:24** So that the law has become our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. **25** But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

**(NT) 2 Timothy 3:15** From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. **16** Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, **17** that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Because the Law of Moses comes from the God of the Old and New Testaments and points to Christ, our interpretation of the law of Christ must be consistent with the general pattern painted by the Law of Moses. Therefore we find that New Testament writers often quote from the Law of Moses to reassure us that their new teachings are on the right track. Although the Law of Moses is not directly binding on Christians, the rules that are reaffirmed in the New Testament do apply to Christians.

The Law also tells us about Who God Is. We can learn about His unchanging love by noting the different kinds of people that God cares about. This is exemplified by New Testament teachings that allude to the words of the Law concerning the fatherless and widows (James 1:27; Exod. 22:2), fathers and mothers (Mark 7:10-12; 1 Tim. 5:8; Exod. 20:12; 21:17; Deut. 5:16), labourers (1 Tim. 5:17-18; Deut. 25:4; Luke 10:7; Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:15), and even enemies (Luke 6:27; Exod. 23:4).

**(NT) James 1:27** Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

**(NT) 1 Timothy 5:17** Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in teaching. **18** For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle the ox when it treads out the grain." And, "The laborer is worthy of his wages."

The Law also has examples that can encourage us or serve as warnings for us.

**(NT) Romans 15:4** For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that through patience and through encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 10:6** Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. **7** Don't be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." **8** Let us not commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell. **9** Let us not test Christ, as some of them tested, and perished by the serpents. **10** Don't grumble, as some of them also grumbled, and perished by the destroyer. **11** Now all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.

Not Lawless but Led by the Spirit

Why do Christians have so many rules even when we are not under the Law (1 Cor. 5:11)? The New Testament does not advocate lawlessness (1 John 3:4), but the newness of being led by the Spirit of God (Rom. 7:6; 8:4, 13-14).

**(NT) 1 John 3:4** Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness.

**(NT) Romans 7:6** But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.

**(NT) Romans 8:4** that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.... **13** For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. **14** For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God.

The Flesh Is the Real Problem

Another way to look at our situation is that God sees that we are born sinners (Ps. 51:5; Gen. 8:21). Our natural condition is called the "flesh". The Law does not make us good or bad, but is a light that shows us that our flesh is evil (Rom. 7:14, 18-19; 1 Tim. 1:8-10). We sin because we are sinners (Matt. 7:17). The only solution is to be born again (John 3:6-7). Only when God makes a new creation out of us will we desire and do what is good (Eph. 2:10).

**(OT) Genesis 8:21** Yahweh smelled the pleasant aroma. Yahweh said in his heart, "I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake because the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. I will never again strike every living thing, as I have done."

**(NT) Romans 7:18** For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don't find it doing that which is good. **19** For the good which I desire, I don't do; but the evil which I don't desire, that I practice.

Rules and the Flesh

On the other hand, rules have no value against the indulgence of the flesh (Col. 2:20-23). The sin inside our fleshly selves may be willing to keep some rules, but is ultimately hostile towards God (Rom. 8:7-8), because the heart is in the wrong place. God wants His people to be righteous from the inside out (Ps. 51:6; Luke 11:39-41).

**(NT) Colossians 2:20** If you died with Christ from the elements of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to ordinances, **21** "Don't handle, nor taste, nor touch" **22** (all of which perish with use), according to the precepts and doctrines of men? **23** Which things indeed appear like wisdom in self-imposed worship, and humility, and severity to the body; but aren't of any value against the indulgence of the flesh.

**(NT) Romans 8:7** because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God's law, neither indeed can it be. **8** Those who are in the flesh can't please God.

Living by the Holy Spirit

The battle is no longer about keeping a list of rules, but choosing to embrace the natural desires of our flesh or the supernatural desires of the Holy Spirit. When we refer to the flesh here, we do not mean our physical body, but the natural inclinations to please ourselves without regard for God. For the Christian, the choice should be firmly decided in favour of following the Spirit of God and refusing to tolerate the evil desires of the flesh, even in our minds (1 Pet. 2:11; Gal. 5:16-25; Rom. 8:5; 12:2; Phil. 4:8). When we follow the Spirit's desires for good things like love, patience, and gentleness, we will be doing things that are lawful without great danger of crossing the line into sin. The key difference is that the Spirit causes us to set our minds on good things while the flesh puts the heart on the wrong side of the line, making it a losing battle to stay within the boundaries of the Law (Rom. 7:5, 8). Becoming a child of God is an exceedingly great privilege, and it is only fitting that we honour our Heavenly Father not only with good works (Matt. 5:16), but with our hearts in the right place.

**(NT) Galatians 5:16** But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh. **17** For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. **18** But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. **19** Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, **20** idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, **21** envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God's Kingdom.

**22** But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, **23** gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. **24** Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. **25** If we live by the Spirit, let's also walk by the Spirit.

**(NT) Romans 8:5** 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.

**(NT) Romans 12:2** Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

A Tale of Two Covenants

Paul likened the Mosaic and New Covenants to two women. Abraham's concubine, Hagar, was a servant, and represents the Mosaic Covenant. Abraham's wife, Sarah, was a free woman who was barren until God miraculously gave her a son, Isaac, and represents the New Covenant.

**(NT) Galatians 4:21** Tell me, you that desire to be under the law, don't you listen to the law? **22** For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the servant, and one by the free woman. **23** However, the son by the servant was born according to the flesh, but the son by the free woman was born through promise. **24** These things contain an allegory, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar. **25** For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children. **26** But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all. **27** For it is written,

" _Rejoice, you barren who don't bear.  
Break out and shout, you that don't travail.  
For more are the children of the desolate than of her who has a husband."_

**28** Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are children of promise. **29** But as then, he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. **30** However what does the Scripture say? "Throw out the servant and her son, for the son of the servant will not inherit with the son of the free woman." **31** So then, brothers, we are not children of a servant, but of the free woman. **5:1** Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and don't be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

When Sarah's son was born and was weaned, Hagar and her son were sent away. Therefore, as children of the New Covenant represented by Sarah, we should not seek to be under the Mosaic Covenant represented by Hagar. Instead, the Holy Spirit leads us to walk according to the law of Christ, which we will explore in the next chapter. He sets us free from the rule or law of the flesh, which invariably leads us to sin and death.

**(NT) Romans 7:22** For I delight in God's law [the Law of Moses] after the inward man, **23** but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members.... **8:2** For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death.

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Chapter 13: The Law of Christ

The Law of Moses is well-defined by the first five books of the Bible, but the New Testament mentions a law of Christ in just two places. First, the "law of Christ" involves helping other people.

**(NT) Galatians 6:2** Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Moreover, to be winsome and effective as a preacher of the gospel, Paul chose to live like people under the Law of Moses at times and like people without the Law at other times. But even when Paul lived " _as without law_ ", he remained " _under law toward Christ_ ". This law from Christ regulated Paul's actions. To know more about this law, we need to explore what ethical principles should regulate a Christian's life.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 9:20** To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law; **21** to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law.

We also consider the law of Christ to be the same as the "law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" mentioned by Paul (Rom. 8:2) and the "law of freedom" mentioned by James (James 1:25; 2:12).

Evaluating Lawful Activities

We begin our study by looking into the principles that formed Paul's moral compass. Paul explained that although he was not bound by the Law of Moses to refrain from certain activities, they were not all beneficial, and some would even control him in a negative way. The Christian needs to exercise discretion, not just blindly follow rules. Drugs and alcohol would fall into the category of things that are not prohibited by the Law of Moses, but are harmful when they start to control people's lives.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 6:12** "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are expedient. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be brought under the power of anything.

Other activities are a futile waste of time and do not serve the goal of building up fellow Christians to be more united as the church body and more like Christ. These new goals should affect how we assign value to different activities such as speaking other languages or prophesying.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 10:23** "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are profitable. "All things are lawful for me," but not all things build up.

**(NT) Ephesians 4:12** for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ; **13** until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;... **17** This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,... **29** Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 14:5** Now I desire to have you all speak with other languages, but rather that you would prophesy. For he is greater who prophesies than he who speaks with other languages, unless he interprets, that the assembly [church] may be built up. **6** But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking with other languages, what would I profit you, unless I speak to you either by way of revelation, or of knowledge, or of prophesying, or of teaching?

Our Conscience

Even without the Law of Moses, it is still considered sin when we violate our conscience or when we fail to do what we know is good (Rom. 6:1; 14:14, 23; James 4:17). This is similar to the situation of the Gentiles who did not know about the Law of Moses (Rom. 2:14-15). But in the case of Christians who believe they need to keep the Law of Moses, their conscience requires them to obey it or else they are sinning.

**(NT) Romans 14:14** I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself; except that to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

**(NT) James 4:17** To him therefore who knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin.

Jesus' Commands

Although Christians are dead to the Law of Moses in the legal sense of trying to obtain righteousness by keeping all of its commandments perfectly, Jesus considered His disciples to be people who were to obey His commandments (Matt. 28:18-20; 1 John 3:23). Having all authority, Jesus can give specific instructions to anyone, sometimes through the Holy Spirit or through a vision (Acts 10:19-20; 26:15-16, 19).

**(NT) Matthew 28:18** Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. **19** Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, **20** teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

**(NT) Acts 26:19** "Therefore, King Agrippa, I [Paul] was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,"

Jesus commanded His disciples to love. Love God, love your neighbour, love your fellow Christians as Christ loved you, and forgive and even love your enemies (Matt. 22:37-40; Rom. 13:9-10; Gal. 5:14; James 2:8; John 13:34; 1 John 3:17; Matt. 5:44; 6:14-15). Love is said to fulfill the Law of Moses. It is necessary to clarify that the love commanded in the Bible does not refer to warm fuzzy feelings, but doing what is good for someone else.

**(NT) Matthew 22:37** Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' **38** This is the first and great commandment. **39** A second likewise is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' **40** The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

**(NT) John 13:34** "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another."

**(NT) Matthew 5:44** "But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,"

The Sermon on the Mount

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus pronounced new blessings and new commands. For example, Jesus linked anger in the heart with the commandment forbidding murder. He was not just expounding the true sense of the Law of Moses, for divorce was not previously prohibited by the Law, but Jesus condemned it as causing adultery when the woman remarries. These new commands, sometimes presented as restated versions of Old Testament commands, offer a basis for Christian ethics.

**(NT) Matthew 5:21** "You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, 'You shall not murder;' and 'Whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' **22** But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' will be in danger of the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna."

**(NT) Matthew 5:31** "It was also said, 'Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,' **32** but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery."

While Jesus' pronouncements were not contrary to the Law, the Law did not allow for additions to it (Deut. 4:2). Only God had the authority to give laws to His people (James 4:12; Isa. 33:22), so Jesus was speaking as God (Matt. 7:28-29)! When He said " _I tell you_ " repeatedly, it is analogous to the Old Testament's " _Thus says the Lord Yahweh_ " (Isa. 65:13; Jer. 7:20; Ezek. 47:13; Amos 5:3).

**(OT) Deuteronomy 4:2** You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of Yahweh your God which I command you.

**(NT) Matthew 7:28** When Jesus had finished saying these things, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching, **29** for he taught them with authority, and not like the scribes.

In light of Jesus' new commands, we review what He said during His Sermon on the Mount about fulfilling the Law.

**(NT) Matthew 5:18** "For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished. **19** Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven."

Jesus accomplished or fulfilled the law and brought new commandments. If the Law of Moses is not binding on Christians, why did Jesus warn that the least commandment should not be broken? Based on the way Jesus brought modified commands immediately after saying these words in the Sermon on the Mount, Douglas J. Moo has suggested that the Law of Moses was a shadow of the new law of Christ with its new commands, and in this way the law of Christ is a fulfillment of the Law of Moses. So the Christian should not break any of the commandments in the law in its fulfilled form in the law of Christ. Furthermore, by mentioning "one of _these_ least commandments" in Verse 19, Jesus could very well have been introducing His new commandments in Matt. 5:21-48.

Defining the Law of Christ

In the previous sections, we have suggested that the law of Christ includes exercising discretion, seeking to do things that build up the body of Christ, obeying our conscience, obeying Jesus' specific commands for individuals and general commands to love, and obeying Jesus' new commandments in the Sermon on the Mount. Now we propose an all-encompassing definition for the "law of Christ" for the Christian: _Jesus Christ's moral perfection_. The Law of Moses revealed God's standard of good and evil, but Jesus is the more perfect representation of God's character (John 1:17-18; Heb. 1:1-3). Therefore, the full measure of God's perfect character is found in the Person of Christ, not in the letter of the Law. Jesus is the ultimate truth and the perfection of His character is the standard of Christian morality (John 8:31-32, 36; 14:6-9; Matt. 5:48; Rom. 8:29; Eph. 4:32-5:2).

**(NT) John 1:17** For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. **18** No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.

**(NT) Romans 8:29** For whom he [God] foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Beyond the Written Page

The law of Christ cannot be exhaustively enumerated in a list of written rules, but comprises all of God's goodness, love, and moral perfection that is exemplified by Christ and taught by Him. Just as God's love is infinite, the law of Christ is extremely broad in scope. It is revealed by the Person of Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers through a living relationship (Jer. 31:33; 2 Cor. 3:2-3; 1 Cor. 2:11-12, 16). As a Person, Christ also chooses to act differently at different times. With a better knowledge of God's goodness, our conscience is now governed by God's perfection and God's thoughts, of which only a part is recorded in the Bible (John 20:30-31; 21:25). Yet the Bible remains vital as the objective canonical description of the law of Christ and the most important truths, which everyone can check for themselves.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 2:11** For who among men 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 God's Spirit. **12** But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God.... **16** "For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him?" But we have Christ's mind.

Seeking God's Kingdom and His Righteousness

We mentioned earlier that we should seek to build up the body of Christ, which Jesus referred to as seeking God's kingdom. We should also seek the righteousness of Christ—to discover more about His righteousness and strive to have God make it real in our own lives.

**(NT) Matthew 6:33** "But seek first God's Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well."

Seeking God's Kingdom and His righteousness are related because it was when Jesus searched for His lost sheep that He most vividly demonstrated His virtues (Luke 15:4; Rev. 5:8-10). Similarly, we resemble Jesus more when we sacrificially join in His mission to increase God's kingdom by bringing in more lost souls to salvation (2 Tim. 2:10; 1 John 3:16).

**(NT) Revelation 5:8** Now when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. **9** They sang a new song, saying,

" _You are worthy to take the book,  
and to open its seals:  
for you were killed,  
and bought us for God with your blood,  
out of every tribe, language, people, and nation,  
**10** and made us kings and priests to our God,  
and we will reign on earth."_

**(NT) 2 Timothy 2:10** Therefore I [Paul] endure all things for the chosen ones' sake, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Christ's Love

The centerpiece of Jesus' moral perfection is His love (1 John 4:8). His love surpasses knowledge, but we are faced with a stunning command to love as Jesus loved (Eph. 3:17-19; John 13:34-35). No Christian could possibly achieve this through legalistic effort. Only when Christ Himself lives in us and the Holy Spirit pours out God's love in us, is it possible to love as Christ loved (Rom. 5:5-8).

**(NT) 1 John 4:8** He who doesn't love doesn't know God, for God is love.

**(NT) Romans 5:5** and hope doesn't disappoint us, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. **6** For while we were yet weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. **7** For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a righteous person someone would even dare to die. **8** But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Not Self-Righteousness, but Pleasing the Lord

The law of Christ is something that Christ performs in us, or else it is impossible.

**(NT) John 3:21** "But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God."

**(NT) John 15:5** "I [Jesus] am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

Our righteousness does not come from the Law of Moses, but comes from Christ alone.

**(NT) Philippians 3:6**...concerning the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.... **8** Yes most certainly, and I [Paul] count all things to be a loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ **9** and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

Moreover, the Christian wants to please the Lord (1 Thess. 4:1; 2 Cor. 5:9), not himself or herself, when doing good works. Sometimes we want to feel good about ourselves, but that should not be our obsession in life. Jesus cited the bad example of a self-exalting prayer of a certain Pharisee, a member of a strict Jewish religious sect (Luke 18:11-12).

**(NT) 2 Corinthians 5:9** Therefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well pleasing to him [Jesus].

**(NT) Luke 18:11** "The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: 'God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. **12** I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.'"

Moreover, our good deeds should not be done for other people to see, but for God (Matt. 6:1, 4).

**(NT) Matthew 6:1** "Be careful that you don't do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.... **4** so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

To serve God is both our reasonable duty and a great privilege, of which we are unworthy.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 6:19** Or don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God? You are not your own, **20** for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

**(NT) Luke 17:10** "Even so you also, when you have done all the things that are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy servants. We have done our duty.'"

**(NT) John 1:27** "He [Jesus] is the one who comes after me [John the Baptist], who is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I'm not worthy to loosen."

Incredibly, we can serve Christ Himself when we serve His people.

**(NT) Matthew 25:37** "Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? **38** When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? **39** When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?'

**40** The King will answer them, 'Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers , you did it to me.'"

A New Relationship

Finally, the New Covenant brings us into a new relationship with Jesus Christ. We are not only servants following instructions from the law of Christ, but dearly loved friends. He died for us, and we should also live for Him.

**(NT) John 15:13 "** Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. **14** You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you. **15** No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn't know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you."

**(NT) 2 Corinthians 5:14** For the love of Christ constrains us; because we judge thus, that one died for all, therefore all died. **15** He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again. **16** Therefore we know no one after the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more. **17** Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

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Chapter 14: Old Testament Saints

So far in this book, we have studied Israel and the church, as well as three different covenants: the Abrahamic Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, and the New Covenant. The New Covenant that Jesus Christ established is the only covenant that promises everlasting life, for which we are most grateful. But looking back, we may wonder about the people who lived before the time of Jesus—can they obtain eternal life? How could people in Old Testament times believe in the gospel to receive eternal life? Jesus was not even born yet!

The Hope of Eternal Life

From the very beginning, the possibility of eternal life was offered in the Garden of Eden, but Adam and Eve chose to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil rather than from the tree of life. Although they could no longer access the tree of life, the tree remained there.

_(OT) Genesis 3:22_ _Yahweh God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand, and also take of the_ _tree of life_ _, and eat, and_ _live forever_ _..."_ _23_ _Therefore Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken._ _24_ _So he drove out the man; and he placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the_ _tree of life_ _._

The Mosaic Covenant did not bring justification or eternal life, but the Old Testament Scriptures still describe the hope of eternal life outside the terms and conditions of the Mosaic Covenant at Mount Sinai. God hinted at eternal life for the Old Testament saints who feared the Lord, but only in New Testament times has the gospel of Jesus Christ been made manifest (Titus 1:1-3; 2 Tim. 1:10). Only now do we know how our sins, which carry the death penalty, could be taken away—Jesus took the death penalty upon Himself to pay for our sins, so that we could live (1 Pet. 2:24; Rom. 6:23; John 3:16).

**(NT) Titus 1:1** Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's chosen ones, and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, **2** in hope of eternal life, which God, who can't lie, promised before time began; **3** but in his own time revealed his word in the message with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior;

**(NT) 2 Timothy 1:10** but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the Good News.

Old Testament Saints and Their Faith

The people of God are described as prophets, servants, saints, and people who fear God.

**(NT) Matthew 5:12** "Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

**(NT) Revelation 11:18** "...to give your bondservants the prophets, their reward, as well as to the saints, and those who fear your name, to the small and the great;..."

**(NT) Revelation 19:5** A voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, the small and the great!"

Although the saints who lived in Old Testament times are the people who feared the Lord, it is through faith that God's people are saved in both the Old and New Testament eras. God did not explicitly tell people that faith was the way to the be saved during Old Testament times until He told the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk that " _the righteous will live by his faith_ " (Hab. 2:4).

**(NT) Luke 8:48** He [Jesus] said to her, "Daughter, cheer up. Your faith has made you well. Go in peace."

**(NT) Hebrews 10:38** "But the righteous will live by faith.  
If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him."

**39** But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the saving of the soul.

**11:1** Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen. **2** For by this, the elders obtained testimony.

Hebrews 11:2-40 tells us about many examples of people in the Old Testament who obtained God's testimony of His approval for their acts of faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, the Israelites at the Red Sea crossing and the battle of Jericho, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, King David, Samuel and unnamed characters that include certain prophets, Daniel and his three friends, soldiers, the widow of Zarephath, and the Shunammite woman. They had to believe not only that God exists, but that He keeps His promises (Gen. 15:5-6; Rom. 4:21-22; Heb. 11:6, 11; James 2:19).

**(NT) James 2:19** You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder.

**(NT) Hebrews 11:6** Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him....

**11** By faith, even Sarah herself received power to conceive, and she bore a child when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised.

Salvation for Old Testament saints was through faith in the God Who keeps His promises, but they too are washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. The sacrifice of Jesus demonstrates God's righteousness regarding the _prior sins_ of His saints during Old Testament times.

**(NT) Romans 3:24** being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; **25** whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice, through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God's forbearance;

The Old Testament Saints Needed to Wait

But these Old Testament saints could not enjoy the promises during their lifetimes, especially of eternal life. They also needed to be made perfect together with us, the New Testament church.

**(NT) Hebrews 11:13** These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar,...

**39** These all, having had testimony given to them through their faith, didn't receive the promise, **40** God having provided some better thing concerning us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

What is this perfection referring to? It is referring to being sanctified or made holy by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

**(NT) Hebrews 10:1** For the law, having a shadow of the good to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near.... **14** For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

**(NT) Hebrews 12:1** Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,... **22** But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable multitudes of angels, **23** to the general assembly and assembly [church] of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,

It is likely that the assembly or church in heaven includes the Old Testament saints, who have now been made perfect.

The Resurrection and Eternal Life

Somehow the Old Testament saints knew about the resurrection and eternal life. They are waiting for the resurrection of their bodies, just as the New Testament saints wait for it. And it is certain that all of the saints will also share in the promise of eternal life.

**(NT) Hebrews 11:35**...Others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.

**(OT) Job 19:26** "After my skin is destroyed,  
then in my flesh shall I [Job] see God,"

**(OT) Psalm 22:29** All the rich ones of the earth shall eat and worship.  
All those who go down to the dust shall bow before him,  
even he who can't keep his soul alive.

**(OT) Psalm 23:6 Young's Literal Translation**...And my [David's] dwelling [is] in the house of Jehovah,  
For a length of days!

**(OT) Psalm 49:15** But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,  
for he will receive me. Selah.

**(OT) Psalm 73:24** You will guide me with your counsel,  
and afterward receive me to glory.

**(OT) Isaiah 25:8** He has swallowed up death forever! The Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from off all faces....

**(OT) Isaiah 26:19** Your dead shall live. My dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth will cast out the departed spirits.

**(OT) Daniel 12:2** "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."... **13** "But go you [Daniel] your way until the end; for you shall rest, and shall stand in your lot, at the end of the days."

Jesus taught the Sadducees, who doubted the resurrection, that life after death is proven by God's words in the story of Moses at the burning bush. Jesus referred to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as "the living".

**(NT) Mark 12:18** There came to him [Jesus] Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection.... **26** "But about the dead, that they are raised; haven't you read in the book of Moses, about the Bush, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? **27** He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are therefore badly mistaken."

When we are assured of eternal life, we do not need to be slaves due to fear of death.

**(NT) Hebrews 2:15** and might deliver all of them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Old Testament Saints Do Not Include Today's Unbelieving Jews

While the Old Testament saints who lived before Jesus Christ are blessed, they do not include the Jews who refuse to believe in Jesus today. While God can forgive their sins if they confess them, unbelieving Jews persist in their sin of not believing in Jesus, the Son of God (John 3:18, 36; 9:35-41; 15:22-24; 16:8-9).

**(NT) John 3:18** "He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn't believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God."...

**36** "One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys the Son won't see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."

**(NT) John 15:24** If I hadn't done among them the works which no one else did, they wouldn't have had sin. But now have they seen and also hated both me and my Father.

We Will Sit Together

One day, the New Testament church, including Israelites and Gentiles, will sit down with Old Testament saints like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There will be a unity, not only between ethnic groups and people from different places in heaven and on earth, but also between people born in different times.

**(NT) Matthew 8:11** "I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven,"

In the next chapter, we will look at whether the future blessings will be shared or whether different groups will enjoy different blessings.

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Chapter 15: Earthly and Heavenly Blessings

God's Promises to Abraham

A long, long time ago, God blessed Abraham. He promised to give Abraham and his offspring the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession.

**(OT) Genesis 12:1** Now Yahweh said to Abram, "Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you. **2** I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. **3** I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you."

**(OT) Genesis 15:18** In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, "I have given this land to your offspring, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:"

Today, the church is promised an eternal inheritance in the heavens.

**(NT) Ephesians 1:3** Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ;

(NT) 1 Peter 1:4 to an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that doesn't fade away, reserved in Heaven for you,

Some proponents of Dispensational Theology teach that the blessings of Abraham and his descendants are earth-bound while the spiritual blessings of the church are in heaven. But wait, Abraham's hope was in the heavenly country. Earth was only the place of his pilgrimage.

**(NT) Hebrews 11:13** These [Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob] all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. **14** For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. **15** If indeed they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had enough time to return. **16** But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

And do Christians have any earthly hope? When Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, He declared in the beatitudes that the meek or gentle would inherit the earth.

**(NT) Matthew 5:3** "Blessed are the poor in spirit,  
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.  
**4** Blessed are those who mourn,  
for they shall be comforted.  
**5** Blessed are the gentle [meek],  
for they shall inherit the earth.  
**6** Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,  
for they shall be filled.  
**7** Blessed are the merciful,  
for they shall obtain mercy.  
**8** Blessed are the pure in heart,  
for they shall see God.  
**9** Blessed are the peacemakers,  
for they shall be called children of God.  
**10** Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake,  
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

**11** Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. **12** Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Someone may argue that the Sermon on the Mount pertains primarily to an earthly kingdom for Israel, but the first and eighth beatitudes promise the Kingdom of Heaven. Moreover, Jesus promises that some would be called children of God. Would not these children of God refer to those who received Jesus and believe in His name?

**(NT) John 1:12** But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God's children, to those who believe in his name:

Actually, the passage above describes blessings available to both Old Testament saints and the New Testament church. Notice in Matthew 5:11-12 how the reward in heaven for Christians who are persecuted for Jesus' sake, is likened to the reward of the prophets who lived in the past.

Children of Abraham

So we see that Abraham shares the church's heavenly hope and the church shares in Abraham's earthly blessing. This should not be surprising, as Christians are called the children of Abraham.

**(NT) Galatians 3:7** Know therefore that those who are of faith, the same are children of Abraham. **8** The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you all the nations will be blessed." **9** So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham.... **14** that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.... **29** If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring and heirs according to promise.

**(NT) Hebrews 2:16** For most certainly, he [Jesus] doesn't give help to angels, but he gives help to the offspring of Abraham.

Has the church replaced Israel as the heir of Abraham's blessings? Actually, the heir of the blessings is Christ, the singular seed of Abraham. The church then shares in the blessings of Christ.

**(NT) Galatians 3:16** Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring. He doesn't say, "To descendants", as of many, but as of one, "To your offspring", which is Christ.

Sharing Blessings

And if the church and Israel are to share blessings, it is not always in one direction, where the church shares spiritual blessings with Israel, and Israel shares material blessings with the church. Recall that the church began as a largely Jewish group. Believing Israelites first shared their spiritual blessings with the Gentiles, who believed in Jesus and joined the church. Therefore it is only fitting that the church's Gentile believers share their material blessings with believing Israelites.

**(NT) Romans 15:26** For it has been the good pleasure of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are at Jerusalem. **27** Yes, it has been their good pleasure, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, they owe it to them also to serve them in fleshly things.

Not only will believing Israel and the church share the same hope of future blessing, they will both experience the bodily resurrection of all the saints at Jesus' Second Coming.

**(NT) John 5:28** "Don't marvel at this, for the hour comes, in which all that are in the tombs will hear his [Jesus'] voice, **29** and will come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment."

The Double Identity of Jewish Christians

If the church and believing Israel were distinct at Jesus' Second Coming, with whom would the Jewish Christians identify? Would they be an earthly or heavenly people? If they were earthly, would they lose their heavenly inheritance? If they were heavenly, would they lose their earthly inheritance? Since God always keeps His promises, such people must inherit both. For instance, Jesus' apostles are certainly part of the church, yet they were promised that they would judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

**(NT) Matthew 19:28** Jesus said to them, "Most certainly I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

How easily these questions could be answered if the church and believing Israel were one people.

Israelites in the Holy Land

In Chapter 2, we left off the history of Israel at the time of Stephen around AD 30. Momentous events happened to Israel during the intervening period between that time and the present day. In AD 66, the Jewish people rebelled against the Romans, but were unsuccessful. The Romans destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Second Temple in AD 70. Many Jewish people were forced to leave their land, being scattered to different countries around the world. The Jewish people kept their traditions as they lived among pagans, Christians, and Muslims. Meanwhile, some Jewish people remained in the Middle East, and Jerusalem was rebuilt and destroyed more than once. There were times of prosperity, but also times of great persecution. During World War 2, the Nazi Holocaust ended the lives of 6 million Jews—a horrific genocide that shook the world. But in May 1948, the world watched with wonder as the ethnic descendants of Israel returned to the Holy Land and formed the modern state of Israel. Immediately facing a military invasion by their stronger Arab neighbours, Israel fought several wars with victories that are commonly described as miraculous.

The church should not be envious that Israel now lives in the Holy Land, for some of the Israelites who live there, and some of their descendants, will one day join the church, with Jesus as their Messiah. However, God may once again expel many Israelites from their land if they continue to break the Mosaic Covenant and reject Jesus and His New Covenant.

**(OT) Deuteronomy 28:15** But it shall come to pass, if you will not listen to Yahweh your God's voice, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come on you, and overtake you.... **63**...You will be plucked from off of the land where you go in to possess it.

**(NT) Matthew 21:41** They told him, "He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers, who will give him the fruit in its season."

**42** Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures,

' _The stone [Jesus] which the builders rejected,  
the same was made the head of the corner.  
This was from the Lord.  
It is marvelous in our eyes?'_

**43** Therefore I tell you, God's Kingdom will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation producing its fruit."

As for the land claims of Palestinians, it is possible that many Palestinians actually have Jewish ancestry. If true, this means that Palestinian Jews have the same historical claims to the land as the Israeli Jews. But unless they believe in Jesus, they too will one day be removed from the land.

Who Owns the Holy Land?

Although we are addressing a theological question when we ask who owns the Holy Land, there are practical implications on the political issues in today's Middle East.

**(OT) Leviticus 25:23** "'The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine [God's]; for you are strangers and live as foreigners with me.'"

Although God gave the land to Abraham, it is ultimately God's land. How does this work? Since Christ is the offspring and heir of Abraham, the land belongs to Jesus Christ, Who is God. Moreover, the Christians are joint heirs with Christ.

**(NT) Romans 8:17** and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 3:21**...For all things are yours, **22** whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All are yours, **23** and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

If Christians share ownership of all things with Christ, does this mean that Christians should invade the Holy Land and take possession of it, like in the days of the Crusades? No, because God wants us to be meek or gentle people. That is the way we will inherit the earth. Where possible, we should follow human ordinances and be at peace with all men.

**(NT) Matthew 5:5** "Blessed are the gentle [meek],  
for they shall inherit the earth."

**(NT) 1 Peter 2:13** Therefore subject yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether to the king, as supreme; **14** or to governors, as sent by him for vengeance on evildoers and for praise to those who do well.

**(NT) Romans 12:8** If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.

Furthermore, even though we will inherit the whole earth with Christ, Christ is the Head and we are the Body. Authority belongs to Christ, and only to us as He delegates it. At this point in time, Christ has not instructed the church to assert sovereignty over the Holy Land. The New Testament's instructions for the church concerning warfare only prescribe the use of spiritual weapons such as faith and the word of God.

**(NT) Colossians 1:18** He [Christ] is the head of the body, the assembly [church], who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

**(NT) Ephesians 6:16** above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. **17** And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

Replacement Theology

The idea that the promises to Abraham are inherited by his spiritual seed but not his physical seed is called "Replacement Theology" by its critics. But it is in fact supported by Scripture.

**(NT) Romans 9:6** But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel. **7** Neither, because they are Abraham's offspring, are they all children. But, "your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac." **8** That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as heirs.

Sadly, Replacement Theology has likely fanned the flames of anti-Semitism. But that does not make it untrue. Christians who proclaim the gospel and unbelieving Jewish people who oppose the gospel of Jesus Christ cannot avoid being enemies with respect to the gospel, but that does not justify the mistreatment of one's enemy.

**(NT) Romans 11:28** Concerning the Good News, they [unbelieving Israelites] are enemies for your sake. But concerning the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sake.

Ethnic unbelieving Israelites are still loved because God loves their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moreover, the principle still holds that those who bless Israel will be blessed, but those who curse Israel will be cursed.

**(OT) Genesis 27:29** "...Cursed be everyone who curses you [Jacob]. Blessed be everyone who blesses you."

**(OT) Numbers 24:29** "...Everyone who blesses you [Israel] is blessed. Everyone who curses you is cursed."

But Israel is not completely excluded from the church, even if many Israelites reject Jesus as their Messiah today. The church includes many thousands of Israelites, albeit a remnant from their nation.

**(NT) Romans 11:1** I [Paul] ask then, did God reject his people? May it never be! For I also am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. **2** God didn't reject his people, which he foreknew. Or don't you know what the Scripture says about Elijah? How he pleads with God against Israel: **3** "Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have broken down your altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life." **4** But how does God answer him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal." **5** Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Joining Together Israel and the Church

In Romans 11:17-24, the people of God are pictured as a good olive tree. The believing Gentiles of the church are grafted into it, joining together with believing Israelites. And even though many Jews who are descendants of Israel presently do not believe in Jesus, and are broken off as branches, one day all of the people of Israel will believe, and they will be grafted back into the good olive tree. But for now, a partial hardening of heart has overtaken the people of Israel.

**(NT) Romans 11:23** They [Israelites] also, if they don't continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. **24** For if you were cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more will these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? **25** For I don't desire you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you won't be wise in your own conceits, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in,

The partial hardening of Israel come to an end when enough of the Gentiles are saved. All Israel will be joined to the church when they all believe in Jesus their Messiah. When will they all believe in Jesus? When Jesus comes to earth a second time and rescues them (Rom. 11:26; Zech. 12:8, 10; John 19:34, 37). Since many people will die during the time of trouble in the end times, we only know that all of the survivors will believe in Jesus (Zech. 13:8-9). These survivors would have passed through an episode of purging by God to remove the rebels from among them (Ezek. 20:38).

**(NT) Romans 11:26** and so all Israel will be saved. Even as it is written,

" _There will come out of Zion the Deliverer,  
and he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob."_

**(OT) Zechariah 12:8** In that day Yahweh will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem.... **10** I will pour on David's house, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they will look to me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and will grieve bitterly for him, as one grieves for his firstborn.

And just as Israel will be joined to the church, the church can be called " _God's Israel_ ", but they are not equivalent. Historical Israel can be interpreted as a "type" or "pattern" that foreshadows the church. The church is the larger and ultimate people of God, which includes all believing Israelites and all believing Gentiles.

**(NT) Galatians 6:15** For in Christ Jesus neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. **16** As many as walk by this rule, peace and mercy be on them, and on God's Israel.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 10:6** Now these things were our examples [types], to the intent we [the church] should not lust after evil things, as they [Israelites] also lusted.

Even so, prophecies regarding specific tribes of Israel are more likely to be fulfilled only by ethnic Israelites. To maintain a literal fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies concerning Israel, we can still interpret the prophecies to relate specifically to the ethnic Israelites. But we can also expect the Gentiles in the church to share in the same blessings.

Allotments for the Tribes of Israel

Christ inherits the land and the church with it, but the land was also given to the nation of Israel forever.

**(OT) Deuteronomy 4:40** You shall keep his statutes, and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land, which Yahweh your God gives you, forever.

Specifically, the Bible has told us that the tribe of Judah will live in the Holy Land in the future.

**(OT) Zechariah 2:12** Yahweh will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.

All of the tribes of Israel will also be allotted an inheritance in the Holy Land. Note that the future boundaries between the tribes delineated in the book of Ezekiel are different from the boundaries after Joshua's first conquest of the land, indicating that each tribe's territory will not be based on historical claims to the land, but on a future redistribution of the land.

**(OT) Ezekiel 48:1** Now these are the names of the tribes: From the north end, beside the way of Hethlon to the entrance of Hamath, Hazar Enan at the border of Damascus, northward beside Hamath, (and they shall have their sides east and west), Dan, one portion. **2** By the border of Dan, from the east side to the west side, Asher, one portion. **3** By the border of Asher, from the east side even to the west side, Naphtali, one portion. **4** By the border of Naphtali, from the east side to the west side, Manasseh, one portion. **5** By the border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west side, Ephraim, one portion. **6** By the border of Ephraim, from the east side even to the west side, Reuben, one portion. **7** By the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west side, Judah, one portion. **8** By the border of Judah, from the east side to the west side, shall be the offering which you shall offer, twenty-five thousand reeds in width, and in length as one of the portions, from the east side to the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the middle of it....

**22** Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city, being in the middle of that which is the prince's, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, it shall be for the prince. **23** As for the rest of the tribes: from the east side to the west side, Benjamin, one portion. **24** By the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, Simeon, one portion. **25** By the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west side, Issachar, one portion. **26** By the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west side, Zebulun, one portion. **27** By the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west side, Gad, one portion. **28** By the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar to the waters of Meribath Kadesh, to the brook, to the great sea. **29** This is the land which you shall divide by lot to the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their several portions, says the Lord Yahweh.

Just as no individual tribe of Israel will be allotted the whole land, no Gentile Christian is given the whole land to occupy exclusively. It appears that everyone take refuge in God will have some possession in the land and in Jerusalem.

**(OT) Isaiah 57:13** "...but he who takes refuge in me [God] will possess the land,  
and will inherit my holy mountain."

As we are joint heirs with Christ of the whole land, it is possible that millions of Israelite and Gentile believers will each own a small piece of real estate in the promised land—enough to have a home there. We may fear overcrowding, but God wants His house to be filled.

**(NT) John 14:2** "In my [Jesus'] Father's house are many homes. If it weren't so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you."

**(OT) Isaiah 56:5** "I will give them [foreigners and eunuchs] in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name better than of sons and of daughters. I will give them an everlasting name, that will not be cut off."... **8** The Lord Yahweh, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, "I will yet gather others to him, besides his own who are gathered."

**(NT) Luke 14:23** "The lord said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.'"

When the children of Israel who are saved inherit the land in the future, they will not exclude people from other nations. God commands them also to divide land for aliens or foreigners who live among them and to treat them as they would treat fellow children of Israel.

**(OT) Ezekiel 47:22** It shall happen, that you shall divide it by lot for an inheritance to you and to the aliens [foreigners] who live among you, who shall father children among you; and they shall be to you as the native-born among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.

This sharing of the inheritance rights was not available to foreigners under the Mosaic Covenant, but is consistent with the New Covenant.

**(NT) Acts 26:17** "'delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I [Jesus] send you [Paul], **18** to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'"

Foreigners Who Father Children

On a side note, these foreigners " _who shall father children among_ " the Israelites sound like Gentiles who will become part of the church, except that Jesus seems to teach that people who are resurrected will not marry (Luke 20:35). If people do not marry, who will father children? It seems that there will still be population growth after Jesus' Second Coming (Isa. 60:21-22). Since the marriage covenant can only be dissolved by death, if people did not die and were thus not resurrected, their marriages could possibly continue forever (Rom. 7:2; Mark 10:7-9). Will their children marry? What did Jesus mean in Luke 20:35? We will find out if we are _"considered worthy to attain to that age_ ".

**(OT) Isaiah 60:22** "The little one will become a thousand,  
and the small one a strong nation.  
I, Yahweh, will do this quickly in its time."

**(NT) Luke 20:35** "But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage."

Worship at Jerusalem

No matter where a given individual lives in Jesus' future kingdom on earth, he or she will have the opportunity to be present at Jerusalem at least once a year.

**(OT) Zechariah 14:16** It will happen that everyone who is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, Yahweh of Armies, and to keep the feast of tents.

Closeness to Christ

Far more precious than ownership of the Holy Land is our closeness to Christ (John 14:2-3; Phil. 1:23; 2 Cor. 5:8). After all, He is our greatest joy. This closeness to the Lord is promised to the church forever (1 Thess. 4:17; Rev. 21:3).

**(NT) 1 Thessalonians 4:17** then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.

**(NT) Revelation 21:3** I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, "Behold, God's dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God."

This closeness to God is also promised to Israel.

**(OT) Isaiah 65:24** "It will happen that, before they call, I will answer;  
and while they are yet speaking, I will hear."

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Chapter 16: One Future People of God

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He will have one flock of sheep, representing His people. They will not be split up into multiple disconnected flocks.

**(NT) John 10:16** "I [Jesus] have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd."

Jesus prayed that all future believers in the church would be one. This means the different local churches and denominations would one day be united as one church. The disagreements and conflicts between Christians would come to an end. But would not this desire for unity extend to all of God's people, whether Israelite or Gentile, born in Old Testament times or New Testament times?

**(NT) John 17:20** "Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who believe in me through their word, **21** that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me."

We will read some Bible passages about God's people in the future from the book of Revelation.

The 144,000 and the Great Multitude

In Revelation 7:4-9 the number of the children of Israel who are sealed are announced, but then a great multitude from all nations appears. What is the relationship between the two? It seems reasonable to infer that the multitude includes the 144,000 children of Israel in its midst, because the great multitude includes _all_ tribes, which necessarily includes the twelve tribes of Israel.

**(NT) Revelation 7:4** I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:... **9** After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.

The Church in the Book of Revelation

While Christians are the intended readers of the Book of Revelation, the word "church" is not found in Revelation Chapters 4 to 21. This has been interpreted by Dispensationalists to mean that the church will be standing on the sidelines during most of the events in the Book of Revelation. However, it is important to note that an argument from silence is fragile—and could be completely wrong.

The word "church" can refer to either a local church or the universal body of believers. When we examine John's usage of the word "church", we will find that it is entirely absent from the Gospel of John, 1 John, and 2 John. We only find it in 3 John and Revelation, where in every case, the word denotes a local church or multiple local churches (3 John 1:6, 9, 10; Rev. 1:4, 11, 20; 2:1, 7, 8, 11, 12, 17, 18, 23, 29; 3:1, 6, 7, 13, 14, 22; 22:16). Similarly, the usage of the word "church" in 1 Peter 5:13 and James 5:14 also suggest a local church. Paul also refers to the local church more frequently (Acts 20:28; Rom. 16:1, 4, 5, 16, 23; 1 Cor. 1:2; 4:17; 6:4; 7:17; 10:32; 11:16, 18, 22; 14:4, 5, 12, 19, 23, 28, 33, 34, 35; 16:1, 19; 2 Cor. 1:1; 8:1, 18, 19, 23, 24; 11:8, 9; 12:13; Gal. 1:2, 22; Phil. 4:15; Col. 4:15, 16; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2:14; 2 Thess. 1:1, 4; 1 Tim. 3:5, 15; 5:16; Phlm. 1:2) than to the universal body of believers (1 Cor. 12:28; 15:9; Gal. 1:13; Eph. 1:22; 3:10, 21; 5:23, 24, 25, 27, 29, 32; Phil. 3:6; Col. 1:18, 24). When we look at Revelation Chapters 4 to 21, it is evident that the events affect large geographical areas where the concept of the local church is too limiting. It would be natural for John to use a different word and present the universal church as a "great multitude" (Rev. 7:9; 19:1, 6).

Tribulation Saints Are Part of the Church

Now if God's purposes are to bring together all of the redeemed into one people, would He create yet another class of people based on whether or not they were saved during a seven-year tribulation period? Although the word "church" does not appear anywhere in Revelation Chapters 4 to 21, saints are mentioned. Dispensational Theology calls these people "Tribulation Saints". Some people consider them to be outside of the church, but we will try to show that the Tribulation Saints in the book of Revelation are part of the church.

As mentioned earlier, the absence of the word "church" has been cited as evidence that the church is absent from the apocalyptic disasters that God will bring on the earth. Christians would be led to believe that the church is absent from the great multitude from all nations worshipping God in Revelation Chapter 7, the prophets and saints who will be rewarded in Chapter 11, the brethren who overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb in Chapter 12, those who died in the Lord in Chapter 14, and the reaping of the earth's harvest in Chapter 14. But this line of reasoning fails to hold water when we consider other passages where the word "church" is absent, such as the wife of the Lamb in Chapter 19 and God's people who will dwell with God in the New Jerusalem in Chapter 21. Let us read from each of these passages to see whether the people mentioned in each passage refer to the church or not.

Who are the multitudes from all nations worshipping God? Could someone who is washed in Jesus' blood be anything other than a Christian? There will be one flock and one shepherd, and these people are clearly part of Jesus' flock.

**(NT) Revelation 7:14**... "These are those who came out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes, and made them white in the Lamb's blood. **15** Therefore they are before the throne of God, they serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them. **16** They will never be hungry, neither thirsty any more; neither will the sun beat on them, nor any heat; **17** for the Lamb who is in the middle of the throne shepherds them, and leads them to springs of waters of life. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Who is included among the prophets and saints in Revelation Chapter 11 to be rewarded by God? Many people would agree that Christians are saints and will receive rewards. Are the Christians included among _these_ prophets and saints, or should we suppose that Christians would be rewarded at an earlier time prior to the sounding of the seventh trumpet, even before the Old Testament prophets are rewarded? It seems more logical to include Christians among _these_ saints. If members of the church are referred to as saints here, it follows that all of the saints mentioned throughout Revelation Chapters 4 to 21 could refer to the church, and not a separate class of Tribulation Saints.

**(NT) Revelation 11:18** "The nations were angry, and your wrath came, as did the time for the dead to be judged, and to give your bondservants the prophets, their reward, as well as to the saints, and those who fear your name, to the small and the great; and to destroy those who destroy the earth."

Who are our brothers that are accused by Satan? They overcome by the Lamb' blood, referring to Jesus' death for our sins.

**(NT) Revelation 12:10** "...for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night. **11** They overcame him because of the Lamb's blood, and because of the word of their testimony. They didn't love their life, even to death."

Who holds Jesus' testimony?

**(NT) Revelation 12:17** The dragon grew angry with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep God's commandments and hold Jesus' testimony.

Who died in the Lord? Do you know anyone who died in the Lord? Are they part of the church?

**(NT) Revelation 14:13** I heard the voice from heaven saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'"

" _Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow with them."_

What is the harvest that the Son of Man reaps when He sits on a cloud? Isn't this the rapture of the church?

**(NT) Revelation 14:14** I looked, and behold, a white cloud; and on the cloud one sitting like a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. **15** Another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Send your sickle, and reap; for the hour to reap has come; for the harvest of the earth is ripe!" **16** He who sat on the cloud thrust his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

**17** Another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven. He also had a sharp sickle. **18** Another angel came out from the altar, he who has power over fire, and he called with a great voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Send your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for the earth's grapes are fully ripe!" **19** The angel thrust his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vintage of the earth, and threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God.

This description is reminiscent of the Parable of the Weeds in Matthew 13. The wheat, representing the Christians throughout history, keep growing until the harvest when they are gathered to the Lord. The unbelievers are also harvested at this time.

**(NT) Matthew 13:30** "'Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, "First, gather up the darnel weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"...

**38** "the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the Kingdom; and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one."

Who is the wife of the Lamb? Is it not the church? Which saints' righteous acts make up her fine linen? Who are these saints?

**(NT) Revelation 19:7** "...For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready." **8** It was given to her that she would array herself in bright, pure, fine linen: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

**(NT) Ephesians 5:31** "For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. The two will become one flesh." **32** This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and of the assembly [church].

Who are the people with whom God will dwell in the New Jerusalem? Isn't this the promise for the church that we've all been waiting for? Yes! But note carefully that the word "church" is absent.

**(NT) Revelation 21:2** I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. **3** I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, "Behold, God's dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. **4** He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away."

In every case, the description of the saints match ordinary Christians. Even if someone regards some of the saints as a separate group of people, virtually no one would exclude the church from the New Jerusalem. The argument that the lack of the term, "church", in Revelation Chapters 4 to 21 serves as good evidence for the church's absence during most of those events is fallacious and should be rejected. Rather, the church, Christ's beloved bride, and ethnic Israel, loved for the sake of their father Abraham, will endure the time of tribulation together. While this may sound crazy to some Christians, recall that God allowed Israel to be enslaved many years in Egypt and witness the ten plagues before He brought them out. And as God did not spare His own Son but allowed Him to suffer, it is also given to the church to suffer for Him, but everything will ultimately result in glory.

**(NT) Philippians 1:29** Because it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on his behalf,

**(NT) 1 Peter 5:10** But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

People in the Millennium

From a premillennial viewpoint, there would also be people in the 1000-year millennium after Christ's Second Coming who could choose to submit to Christ or ultimately rebel with Gog and Magog.

**(NT) Revelation 20:6** Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him one thousand years.

**(OT) Zechariah 14:16** It will happen that everyone who is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, Yahweh of Armies, and to keep the feast of tents.

**(NT) Revelation 20:7** And after the thousand years, Satan will be released from his prison, **8** and he will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. **9** They went up over the width of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city. Fire came down out of heaven from God, and devoured them.

While many people will not inherit eternal life even after living in the righteous kingdom of Christ, many others will become God's people during the millennium. And as God's people, they will likely join the flock of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

**(OT) Zechariah 2:11** "Many nations shall join themselves to Yahweh in that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell among you, and you shall know that Yahweh of Armies has sent me to you."

But if these people in the millennium with mortal bodies are to live forever, they would need new bodies eventually. The Scriptures below describe the bodily change in Christians at the time of first resurrection, but the necessity of a bodily change in order to inherit the kingdom of God remains the same. This presumably happens when they eat the fruit from the tree of life in the New Jerusalem. Death itself will be completely destroyed in the lake of fire after the millennium ends and the Great White Throne judgment is complete—no one can die after Death is destroyed.

**(NT) 1 Corinthians 15:26** The last enemy that will be abolished is death....

**50** Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood can't inherit God's Kingdom; neither does the perishable inherit imperishable.

**51** Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, **52** in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. **53** For this perishable body must become imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. **54** But when this perishable body will have become imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: "Death is swallowed up in victory."

**(NT) Revelation 22:14** "Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city."

**(NT) Revelation 20:14** Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

The New Jerusalem Is for Both Israel and the Church

In the eternal state, God will dwell with His people in the New Jerusalem. The gates of the city are named after the twelve tribes of Israel, assuring us of Israel's residence in the city. At the same time, the foundations of its walls have the names of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. These apostles were among the first members of the New Testament church. What a beautiful picture of the unity between believing Israel and the church!

**(NT) Revelation 21:9** One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were loaded with the seven last plagues came, and he spoke with me, saying, "Come here. I will show you the wife, the Lamb's bride." **10** He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, **11** having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, as if it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal; **12** having a great and high wall; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. **13** On the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. **14** The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.

Conclusion

The angel in Revelation tells John that the prophets are John's brothers. May the reader also see that all of the people of God are brothers, who are saved through Jesus Christ in the one hope of the Lord's coming and the bodily resurrection to eternal life. And may we have a sincere love for one another.

**(NT) Revelation 22:9** He [The angel] said to me [John], "See you don't do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers, the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."

**(NT) 1 Peter 1:22** Seeing you have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth through the Spirit in sincere brotherly affection, love one another from the heart fervently:

The church and believing Israel are both God's people and are described in similar terms. Both groups have been promised salvation in Christ, the New Covenant, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the adoption as children of God. Both groups are children of Abraham, and thus heirs of the heavenly hope as well as the possession of the Holy Land. Jewish Christians do not need to choose between Israel and the church because they are one people in God's eternal plan. The Tribulation Saints are also part of the church, even if the Book of Revelation does not use the word "church" to describe them. While less is known about the people in the millennium, the righteous people who live there will likely join God's people too.

Dispensational Theology is correct that God's promises to ethnic Israel will be fulfilled, but God's ultimate goal is to "sum up all things in Christ", not keep them separate.

**(NT) Ephesians 1:10** to an administration [dispensation] of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, in him; **11** in whom also we were assigned an inheritance, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who does all things after the counsel of his will; **12** to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:

Finally, Israel and the church are part of God's eternal plan to save people from all nations, to bring glory to Jesus Christ and to the Father.

**(OT) Psalm 106:48** Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting! Let all the people say, "Amen." Praise Yah! [Hallelujah!]

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