The Gospel Truth, Pt 2

Mt 22:36 - 40  This is where Jesus tells us to love God and love our neighbor.  He ends by saying the law and the prophets hang on these two commands.  He cannot be talking of the sacrificial laws; they have nothing to do with loving God and neighbor or the writings of the prophets.

Mk 3:5  This is the only place where "Jesus was angry" is recorded.  Why was Jesus "angry"?  Because Pharisees were hung up on Sabbath/legalism/law (written on stone).

Jn 1:17  The law came through Moses (a servant).  Grace & truth came through Jesus Christ (the son).  Grace trumps law.  This passage would not refer to sacrificial laws.

Paul turned from being a Pharisee.  The Pharisees were devout in the law; all the laws of the Pentateuck, sacrificial and the Ten Commandments.  They lived and condemned through the law.  They used the law to be superior to others and keep the people in fear and bondage in order to control them.  Paul turned from the law after his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus.  If he were turning from the laws of sacrifice, why would he do it after his encounter with Jesus, who struck him temporarily blind?

"The law" Paul spoke of cannot be laws of animal sacrifice; they were not written on stone.  And, if Paul were arguing against animal sacrifice alone, he would have said so.  He specifically named circumcision when he discussed it.

When does Paul teach the Ten Commands?  He doesn't!  Over and over Paul calls them the "Law of death".

Ro 5:20 & 21  This passage tells us God gave the law so people would know what NOT to do.  If you don't have dark, how can you understand light?

Ro 6:1 & 2 This is Paul's answer to whoever asked: if the law is dead, is it now okay to sin?  "By no means!" was his answer.  God's perfect law gives us example only.

We are righteous in God's eyes.  Because the ultimate blood sacrifice was made by Jesus through His scourging and death.  Our lamb has sacrificed once and for all.  Ro 6:10  Once and for all.  Once for all believers, for all time.  He cannot climb back up on the cross for another cruecifiction every time we commit a sin.

Ro 7:4 - 12  Paul states we have died to the law through the sacrifice of Christ and ends with a statement of the new way of the Spirit (the grace of God) and not the old way of the "written code".

We are not bound by the law: Ro 7:6 - 13  Here, Paul explains the law as God's perfect law.  It was given so we might know what we should strive for - not be governed by.  Jesus has written the law of grace on our hearts.  

Ro 9:33  In this passage, Paul refers to the stone in Zion which is our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the rock that makes people fall, which is the law (the one written on stone).  It's all about Jesus NOT about us "doing" anything. 

Ro 10:3  Paul is talking of the Israellites seeking to establish their own righteousness through obeying laws.  Because they insisted, God gave them perfect law which they (as flawed human beings) could not keep.  All any believer has to do is submit to their righteousness freely given to us through Jesus' sacrifice.  We are perfect in God's eyes because of Jesus blood covering over us and our bad deeds.  Someone paid our debt for sin.  Now, we (ideally) want to follow the standards set by Christ.  With His blood covering us, we need only keep trying.  We are free of law and free of sin and judgement.

To be continued . . . . .