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 . . . . .
Grace, through belief in Jesus the Christ, is our law today; love God and love your neighbor. Mt 22:36 The amazing grace (love, forgiveness, kindness) is what Jesus replaced the law with. Paul wrote in every one of his letters about God’s grace replacing the law.
Col 1:26 states the “mystery that has been kept hidden” referring to God’s plan of redemption. This plan replaces God’s perfect law of the Ten Commandments with the sacrifice of Jesus.
Are we led by spirit or a written code of law? Christians who belong to Christ are led by the spirit we receive when we accept Jesus as our Savior.
Spirit did not dwell in men in the Old Testament. It fell on men. It came and went as men and women of the Bible needed it. God supplied when there was a need for strength through Him. Today, we receive the Holy Spirit to dwell IN us when we accept Jesus as our Savior. Once given and received, He does not leave.
The Arc: God commanded a piece of manna, Aaron’s rod and the Ten Commandments to be placed inside the arc. They are signs of the rebellion of the Israellites. The people broke the first commandment even before Moses came down from Mt. Sinai. The arc is made of wood covered with gold. Wood is a symbol of man. The cover, the Mercy Seat, is solid gold, representing diety. The Mercy Seat is where sacrifices were made - replaced by the sacrifice of Jesus - diety. The lid, Jesus/grace, covers the law inside; the Ten Commandments.
What about Sabbath? Jesus broke Sabbath time and again - one of the Ten Commandments. He was confronted by the Pharisees about breaking the Sabbath. Jesus said if you break one law, you are guilty of breaking all. Christ showed us, by example, that the commandments were erased, when He came to fulfill the law, by taking all our guilt and shame, on Himself and nailed our sins, under the law, to the cross.
Early church did not keep Sabbath. We do not keep the Sabbath today. The Sabbath is Saturday - ask any Jew. Christians keep Sunday. Sunday was the day Christ rose from death to new life.
If Pharisees were so good at keeping the law, why didn’t Christ get along with them?
Jer 31:33 & 34 Here God tells Jeremiah of a second covenant. The first with Adam and the second through Jesus. He tells him the law will be written on their hearts. People will no longer need a written code of law they have to obey because true believers will want to follow the will of God. Also IICor 3:3
For the Jews who rejected Jesus as their Messiah, animal sacrifices done in obedience to the Old Testament covenant were stopped in A.D. 70, at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the armies of Rome. Jesus warned of this in the Gospels.
The ten commandments are done away with - Mt 5:17 Jesus fulfilled the law (10 Commandments) and the prophets. The law is God’s perfect law. Man is carnal and cannot keep a perfect law - that is why Jesus had to fulfill it and prophecy. Prophecy cannot be done away with. It is the will of God. Jesus fulfilled the prophets by fulfilling the law. He did it for us. Once and for all.
Christ teaching: Mt 5:18 & 19 In verse 18, Jesus explains that He has not yet fulfilled the law because He has not yet died for us. Christ tells us anyone who sets aside even the least of the laws and teaches it will be called least in heaven.
He goes on to give an example by explaining murder, adultery and a couple other issues like divorce and oaths. He begins his explanation by stating the law and then corrects it by saying, “But I tell you”. Here He is explaining that to even think the wrong is the same as doing the wrong. What human being (other than Himself) can keep such law? No one. He knows that. That is why He was sent - the perfect man to take the perfect law.
To be continued . . . . .
At a recent Bible study - I won't say where (My point is not to condemn or point fingers at anyone person or church.), we were on the topic, "mystery kept hidden for ages" in Col 1:26.
This mystery being about Jesus Christ made known through the prophetic writings Ro 16:26. These prophetic writings would be Psalms and Isaiah, among other prophets.
It's all about Jesus; the Old Testament and the New. The Old Testament leads to and points at His coming. The New Testament is about that life and death and the second coming. Yes! Jesus. All Christians know this much. No problem in the Bible study group. So why is it called a mystery?
Let me back up by saying that this revelation is a bit new to me. I never could understand the writings of Paul until I understood this "mystery", which has been made clear to me in the recent couple years. Then, Paul's writings took on so much meaning. I have been in church for many (many) years. A couple years back, I really stuck my nose into "the book". I purchased a Hebrew Bible with translation and have learned more in the past two years than in my other sixty-nine. I am so thrilled with what I am seeing that I want to study 24/7.
The "mystery" is the plan of redemption through Jesus Christ. Again, something all Christians understand: Jesus took our sins upon Himself so we might be free of sin. Let's pause and think about that statement for a minute. Jesus took our sins on Himself. All of them; past, present and future. After all, He is the beginning and the end. We are free of sin. FREE of sin; past, present and future. How does that work?
This plan of redemption is: grace trumps the 10 commandments. There, I said it. I said it in that Bible study and really opened a can of worms. People were demanding I show a verse that states this fact. Well, there is none. No one verse that specifically states "the ten commandments are done away with through Jesus". You have to read and search out answers; we are told to "seek and find", "knock and the door will be opened". I went home in shock. Shouldn't have because, until two years ago, this was new to me. I had come to believe that I was the odd man out for years - the only one who did not understand grace over the 10 commandments, the "law". I thought every believer knew. Now I am thinking there are more people out there walking a fine line of me or God, self centered or God centered, I do or God gives, law of stone or grace of God.
I always thought "the law" meant the temple laws, the sacrificial laws. Not so. Bible refers to the 10 commandments as "the law written on stone". Ex 24:12, Ex 31:18, Ex 34:4 Paul constantly refers to law versus grace.
There is nothing wrong with the Ten Commandments. They are perfect; perfect law of God. Only a God can keep them. They were broken before they were given on Sinai and through to the end of the Old Testament. They are still broken today by good Christians everywhere. God knew when He gave these laws that they could not be kept by mortals. (Satan himself, as a high ranking spirit being, could not keep them.) God had the plan of redemption (the great mystery) in mind when He gave the laws.
You cannot go through life and keep the letter of the law. Example, stealing: ever cheat on income taxes? Ever keep the wrong change from a store clerk? Example, false witness (lying): Ever stretch the truth to save the feelings of a friend? Lie! Ever exaggerate a story? Lie! Ever wish someone dead in your mind? Murder! Ever admire a friend's spouse in a lustful way? Adultery! Do you go to church on Sunday? Sabbath! Do you value your children over God? Idolatry! Jesus explained in the Beatitudes that even thinking against the law is breaking it. The "law" can't be kept. We all break the law on a daily basis in thought and/or deed.
Here's the Good News (gospel means "good news"): We don't have to keep the law "written on stone". Jesus brought new law: "Love your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself". Then, Jesus took all our sins (past, present and future) on Himself, once and for all. (Ro 6:10) It is over, done, finished, ended. Jesus took ALL our sins upon Himself and nailed them to that cross. We are free and do not have to put the stress upon ourselves to abide in a law that cannot be kept. This is what grace is.
Oh, great, that means we can all go do any evil we want. Of course not! As believers in Jesus and what He has done, we don't want to. That would be tantamount to slapping our Savior in the face. What a wonderful thing He did for us. As understanding believers who are grateful for His sacrifice, we want only to please Him. That is all we have to do - believe, turn our back on a wayward life and try. Easy - peasy! God and The Son have made it easy for us - out of perfect love. No one wants to knowingly defy such love.
This plan of redemption, this great mystery is the grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus that covers us with the blood of the perfect sacrifice to be seen as pure in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. We have been redeemed from all our past, present and future wrong doings.
It's all about Jesus, the Great "I Am"
Amen
