²³ And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. ²⁴ And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. ²⁵ And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” ²⁶ And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. ²⁷ And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” (Matthew 8:23-27)

I daresay that compared to the faith of Christ all of us now have “little faith,” but some have less and some have more faith than others. We live now in that time prophesied by Jesus when “men’s hearts will faint with fear from what is coming upon the earth.” The sons of Satan are now well upon their way upon destroying much of the beautiful earth God has created. He is busily destroying this world even now with his manifold nefarious schemes. And some of us do not now possess the faith we need to meet the disasters lurking around the next corner. My hope is that this little teaching will help us acquire the faith we need in order to prevail. Everything depends upon acknowledging and feeding the implanted word of God within us. Remember the word of James, brother of Jesus.

   Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creation.

    [19] Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;  [20] for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.  [21] Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.  James 1:18-21 (ESV)

The book of James, like every other book of the Bible, speaks primarily about the salvation of the soul, not the spirit.  The reason for this is that Jesus’ death and resurrection effected spiritual salvation for every man, woman, and child who ever lived or will live and nothing we can do will add or subtract from that.  This is our spiritual salvation.  It is true that we need to learn about that and come to believe it so that we understand that we have now been reconciled to God through Jesus.  The next thing we must do, though, is to get up and walk out of our prison of sin, our bondage to sin.  This deals with the salvation of the soul and is accomplished through the implanted word. This is that which will empower us to prevail in the dark days.

One of Jesus’ most memorable parables concerns the implanted word.  He said,

“A sower went out to sow.  [4] And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.  [5] Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil,  [6] but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.  [7] Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.  [8] Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  [9] He who has ears, let him hear.”  Matthew 13:3-9 (ESV)

 No one, of course, could understand this parable so Jesus explained it, saying,

“Hear then the parable of the sower:  [19] When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.  [20] As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,  [21] yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.  [22] As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.  [23] As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”  Matthew 13:18-23 (ESV)

Many people interpret this story to mean that only the last group of people achieve ultimate salvation while the rest fail to get saved and so spend eternity in hell.  That is wrong and false doctrine.  We are the soil, the earth upon which the seed is scattered.  Remember, God made man of the dust of the ground.  The seed is the word of God.  Each man, each piece and type of soil, hears the word of God in some form during his life.  That person, that soil, bears his own responsibility with respect to the word he hears.  Everyone hears the word of God through a variety of sources. The question is, what is each one going to do with that specific word God has given to him or her?

James says to to receive the word with meekness.  We each have hard hearts that want to go our own way.  We always think we are right, but we need to meekly admit and accept that only God is really right and that Jesus tells us through his word exactly what God says is right.  Consider the prophets:

The word “break up” here means to “to till the soil.”  We are the soil.  This phrase speaks of breaking up, or tilling, our hard unproductive ground, our hard hearts.  In order for the the word of God to take root in our soil, our individual lives, our land first needs to be tilled and broken up.  This is partly each man’s responsibility.  This is why the Bible teaches both God’s sovereignty and man’s duty.   God plants his word in us, but what have we done to prepare and keep the soil he has planted his word within?

Is your life characterized by impotence with respect to God’s word?  Do you find that the devil always snatches the word from you, leaving you unproductive in the sight of God?  Do you fret and worry about all things, failing to trust God for your provision?  Do you lust for ever more worldly goods?  Do you plow with wickedness instead of the word of God and, therefore, reap iniquity and eat the fruit of lies? Then break up your fallow ground!  Receive with meekness the implanted word!  Just begin to do the first thing that you know the word says to do.  Your ground is not destined to always remain hard and unproductive.  Shoulder your responsibility and get on with it.  Like a farmer, begin to turn your unproductive soil (life) into land that produces fruit.  Remember, God is making man into his image and your decision to become part of that process is integral to that plan.

This is how each of us must now prepare for the evil days we have entered. These days will grow harder and more evil. The devil is afoot, but greater is he who dwells within us. Now take this little teaching and grow in faith. Remember the word of God which you have and do it. This will begin to break up your fallow ground and will allow new seed (word of God) to sprout, which will in turn cause new and greater faith to arise in your heart.

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our report? So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:16-17)

I have known since I wrote the last post on the New Covenant that the theme of this post would be based upon Romans 10:17, the truth that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. But it was not until this morning that it occurred to me that I really ought to examine the verse that Paul quotes from Isaiah before I wrote about it. So today I read Isaiah 53:1, the source of this Scripture. I did not just read that verse though. I began at Isaiah 52:13 and read through Isaiah 55:13. And once again I saw an amazing thing… how the Book of Isaiah so often sheds light upon truths revealed in the New Testament.

First, this passage from Isaiah prophesies and predicts the centuries later suffering and crucifixion of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is here where we first learn that God will send a particular servant who will be cruelly despised and tortured by men, a servant who will offer himself up as a living sacrifice and offering for the sins of all mankind. Yes, here resides the wonderful verse which reveals that all men have gone astray from their Creator, but that God laid mankind’s iniquity upon Jesus instead of the sinners themselves.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

And it is just before this where Isaiah says, “Who has believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?” the verse which Paul quotes in Romans 10. Now consider what Paul says next.  ”So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Interestingly, Isaiah talks about this very thing within the passage of Scripture from 52:13 to 55:13. Before considering the particular verses remember that in the Book of John Jesus calls him “the water of life” in chapter 4 and “the Bread of Life” in chapter 6. Also recall from many previous teachings on this site that the Biblical definition of “food” is God’s Word, or true doctrine. The following verses make this abundantly clear:

⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. ⁹ Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods which have not benefited those devoted to them.¹⁰ We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. (Hebrews 13:8-10)

Amazingly, then, later in this passage under consideration in Isaiah, the prophet speaks directly about food. He says,

“Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.
² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.
³ Incline your ear, and come to me;
    hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant (the NEW COVENANT!),
    my steadfast, sure love for David. (Isaiah 55:1-3)

And now we have come full circle.  Isaiah has given us the secret for obtaining faith from God. We have to come to Christ for food and water, that is, come to him for the truth of His Word. Then we have to “buy” that food (truth) from him.  But, we don’t buy it with the money of men like we do “for that which is not bread.” We spend our dollars, our silver, and our gold for the natural foods, wants, and pleasures our flesh desires. But that is not true bread, says Isaiah. Instead we need to buy Christ’s water, bread, wine, and milk. But, these are spiritual things and we “buy” them “without money and without price!” How?

We buy Christ’s food, Christ’s truth, by “listening diligently.” Do you really care about the things of God? Or do you pretend you are a “good Christian” because you regularly attend church, say your prayers, and retain friendships with a few other “Christians?” Paul says that “faith comes by hearing.” You can only hear, says Isaiah, if you come to Christ, incline your ear to him, listen diligently for what he has to say to you, and then eat (take to heart) that which he says. THIS IS what it means when Paul says that “hearing comes by the Word of God.”

And this is why Paul begins his statement concerning faith by referring us to Isaiah 53:1. To have faith means that we become obedient to that “word of faith” each of us individually receives. “But they have not all obeyed the gospel.” No, we Christians have not all obeyed the gospel, nor have we obeyed the individual words of instruction God has given us. Instead, many of us have turned the doctrine of faith into a gospel of “grace to sin.” Others of us turned the true gospel of grace into a set of laws that bar many from salvation. This is why Paul says that whatever we do which does not proceed from faith is sin (Romans 14:23) and is also why he says not to quarrel over many doctrinal opinions (Romans 14). As we diligently listen to Christ, then he will lead us into all truth, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. (James 1:1-8, KJV)

Kenneth Copeland’s sermon, which I posted last, clearly reveals that God gives wisdom to his children who ask in faith. In that sermon he focused on verse 5 and the word translated “upbraideth” in the King James Version. Strong’s says that ονειδιζω oneidizo on-i-did’-zo, the Greek word translated as upbraideth here means, “to defame, i.e. rail at, chide, taunt” and is translated as “cast in teeth, (suffer) reproach, revile, upbraid” in the King James Version. Mr. Copeland made the point that God “finds no fault” in those who walk by faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. His point was profound and moving, especially when he recounted the time he suffered under intense stress and his wife came to him, put her hands on his face, looked into his eyes, and said to him, “I find no fault in you.” Simply remembering Kenneth’s account of this brings tears to my eyes from the shear beauty of it, for so it is with us who believe in Jesus Christ.

But, there is a catch. The one who asks for wisdom from God must really do so in faith. James warns us that anyone who asks of God in a hesitating, doubting, or wavering way should not expect anything of him. In fact, says James, such a one is a “double minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

The Greek word translated “double minded” here is διψυχος dipsuchos dip’-soo-khos and literally means “double souled.” The word is derived from the Greek word for soul. Remember from prior teachings that the word soul, (Greek ψυχη psuche psoo-khay’) refers to our mind, will, and emotions. This Greek word is usually translated by the  English word “life” in modern versions of the Bible. Many people, however, believe that the words “soul” and “spirit” are synonymous in Scripture, but they are not. Scripture uses the Greek word πνευμα pneuma pnyoo’-mah for spirit. If you compare the New Testament uses of the words psuche and pneuma you will discern the difference. An easy place to begin is in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 where Paul says, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This verse shows the three-fold nature of man, (body, soul, and spirit) and it uses the Greek word  psuche for soul and the Greek word pneuma for spirit.

In today’s psychological terminology we would say that such a man as described by James in verse 1:8 is schizophrenic, a man with a split, or divided, mind. He says that such a man should not expect to receive anything from the LORD. And why not? Because he does not ask in faith. Is there any hope, any remedy for such a one? Doesn’t this describe all of us at one time or another… or even now?

… to be continued.

An excellent sermon on how we work out our (soul) salvation by faith.

So what is the real difference between the Old and the New Covenants? It is the difference between flesh and faith, between works born of the natural, un-renewed mind of man and works born of the Holy Spirit.  It is the difference between man’s strange fire born of his fleshly mind and God’s fire which consumes the flesh. Remember Nadab and Abihu!

Amazingly, though, this covenant of faith has always been available to God’s people.  Consider how Hebrews affirms that “the gospel” was preached to the entire nation of Israel which left Egypt with Moses. “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” (Hebrews 4:2 KJV)

So, why did the gospel not profit those Israelites under Moses to whom it was preached? Hebrew 4:2 says it is because the word of the gospel was not mixed with faith. Now let’s consider the rest of this passage from Hebrews.

4 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. ² For good news [gospel] came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.^[a] 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,

although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. ⁴ For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” ⁵ And again in this passage he said,

⁶ Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news [gospel]  failed to enter because of disobedience, ⁷ again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,

⁸ For if Joshua had given them rest, God^[b] would not have spoken of another day later on.⁹ So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, ¹⁰ for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

¹¹ Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. ¹² For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³ And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:1-13)

Pay close attention to verses 2 and 6 above. Verse two says that Israel heard the gospel but that the gospel did not benefit them because they did not mix the word of the gospel with faith. But verse six says that those who heard the gospel did not benefit from it because of their disobedience. Applying logic to these two verses we see that failing to mix the word of God with faith is the same as disobedience. This means one of two things, either lack of faith equals disobedience or disobedience results in lack of faith. The latter, I think, makes more sense. This means that Israel’s disobedience to God’s word resulted in a lack of faith which then caused them to fail to enter into God’s rest, into the good of the gospel. According to the Book of Hebrews this very thing can happen to Christians as well.

Nevertheless, we find that it is faith not good works that establishes our standing in Christ and with God. Remember Paul’s words,

3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. ² Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? ³ Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by^[a] the flesh? ⁴ Did you suffer^[b] so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? ⁵ Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— ⁶ just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

⁷ Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. ⁸ And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify^[c] the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” ⁹ So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Galatians 3:1-9, ESV)

So, how do we get the faith to mix with God’s word which we need to be able to enter into his rest and thus into his Kingdom? Can I simply decide to believe and then suddenly become a man who is profited by the gospel? This seems to me to be the crux of the mystery of the gospel. What is it exactly which separates the overcomer in God from the one that does not overcome? How and why is it that one Christian receives the crown of life and the other rewards Jesus mentions in Revelation 2 and 3 and the other Christian has his name blotted out of the Book of Life according to Revelation 3:5?

I believe the passage quoted from Hebrews 4 above reveals the answer. Anyone who would be an overcomer must act upon the word of God which he has received, which he knows to be true. He must obey Jesus Christ. These acts of obedience will lead to ever more revelation of God’s word and will, in turn, lead to more good works. This is what Paul means when he says,

¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)

Even though Paul does exhort us to work out our own (soul) salvation we must remember that it is God himself who actually works his will within us in order to accomplish this. This is the New Covenant, the covenant which is from faith to faith. “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17 KJV)

The reason why it is important to understand that Passover relates to the firstborn instead of all people (at the present time) is because the entire Scripture was written for the chosen overcomers, not for the whole world. Jesus spoke in parables for this reason… to hide the truth from the general masses of humanity, not to explain it to them. Matthew says,

¹⁰ Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” ¹¹ And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. ¹⁴ Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. ¹⁷ For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. (Matthew 13:10-17 ESV)

Later in this same chapter Matthew said,

³⁴ All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. ³⁵ This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:^[e]

The question we face now is, “Why does God make this so hard?” We have to turn back to Isaiah chapter 6, the chapter Jesus quoted above, in order to understand. Following is that chapter in its entirety.

6 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train^[a] of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And one called to another and said:

⁴ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. ⁵ And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

⁸ And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” ⁹ And he said, “Go, and say to this people:

This chapter begins with God revealing himself to the prophet Isaiah. Immediately upon receiving that revelation Isaiah “mourns” over his sinful condition and realizes he is “poor in spirit,” so poor in fact that he even calls his lips unclean. By responding in this way Isaiah shows that he, initially at least, qualifies to begin walking as an overcomer. In response to his heart’s cry “without guile” God sends a seraphim to touch his lips with a live, hot coal. This represents (is a type of) the baptism of fire (roasting the lamb) that every overcomer must go through. At this point Isaiah qualifies for the ministry of the word of God. God asks who will go to preach for Elohim and Isaiah volunteers. Then God gives him his marching orders. Isaiah will indeed preach the word of God (it is sweet in his mouth), but its outworking will be bitter (eating bitter herbs) because no one will understand him.

Then Isaiah wonders, how long will this go on? How long will it be until people will finally begin to understand your Word? God answers that this will not occur until judgments come and until the holy seed (firstborn, firstfruits, overcomers) are a mere stump in the land, all that is left of that huge tree today which sees itself as the Kingdom of God on earth, the Church. The overcomers will have been the only ones:

1. Who applied the blood of the Passover lamb to the doors and lintel of their lives (souls),
2. Who ate the lamb with unleavened bread (representing a soul without guile and hyprocrisy which has embraced the true doctrine of Christ, or as Paul says, “not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
3. Who ate the lamb with bitter herbs (they submitted to a life of travail and bitterness of soul as they worked out their soul’s salvation in fear and trembling)
4. Who ate the lamb roasted in the fire, not boiled in water or eaten raw (the overcomers submitted to the baptism of fire allowing God’s word to burn the dross, the sin, out of their souls)
5. Who roasted and ate the lamb whole, with its head, legs, and inner parts (they did not pick and choose the words of God they would apply to their lives; to them the Word of God is as a seamless garment which conveys one truth, God’s truth, and one law, and all of it is to be eaten)
6. Who ate the lamb without breaking its bones (Of course the people of Israel did not pick up the whole lamp and pass it around for each person to take a bite of it; they cut the joints and marrow with a sharp knife. This represents the truth of Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Overcomers learn to discern the word of God and submit to the Spirit’s work in them. They understand that the Word seeks to convert their souls, not just bring their spirits a one-time salvation that does not affect their earthly lives)
7. Who ate all the lamb in one night (who consumed Christ’s flesh and blood during their one life time, that is, who assimilated his word into their very souls and made it part of them during their earthly life, thus becoming one flesh with Christ; since they attempted to eat all of Christ what remains of him that was not eaten (not understood or assimilated during their lives) will be “burned in the fire;” it will be imputed to them by faith at their judgment just before their glorification)
8. Who ate the Passover lamb (Christ) with their loins girded (according to Ephesians 6:10-18 they learned of and submitted to Christ having their most vulnerable body parts protected with the belt of truth)
9. Who ate the Lamb with their feet shod with the Gospel of peace (again according to Ephesians 6)
10. Who ate the Lamb with his staff in his hand (the staff or rod represents the blossoming almond tree rod of Jeremiah 1:11; this speaks of new life, resurrected life, which will first be displayed in each overcomer, each firstborn manchild, the firstfruits of God)
11. Who ate the Lamb in haste (in some mystery I don’t understand the obedience of the overcomers hastens the coming of the Day of the LORD according to Peter,
    

    ⁸ But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,^[a] not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies^[b] will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.^[c]

    ¹¹ Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ¹² waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! ¹³ But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:8-13)

12. Who became circumcised by faith in Christ before they ate of him, their Lamb (“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. (Colossians 2:9-15)
13. Who came out of Babylon and refused to eat the Passover Lamb with uncircumcised foreigners (overcomers did not fellowship in Christ with those who refused to acknowledge, accept, and consume Christ in faith also)
14. Who ate the Lamb in One House, God’s House, as a firstborn son of God (“Therefore, holy brothers,^[a] you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, ² who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s^[b] house. ³ For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. ⁴ (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) ⁵ Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, ⁶ but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” (Hebrews 3:1-6, ESV)

Yes, many are called, but few, very few are chosen. For the vast majority of those called the word of God spoken to Isaiah and quoted by Christ has proved true:

“‘Keep on hearing,^[c] but do not understand;
keep on seeing,^[d] but do not perceive.’
¹⁰ Make the heart of this people dull,^[e]
    and their ears heavy,
    and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
    and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
    and turn and be healed.”

I didn’t say it. The LORD said it.

¹⁹ You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” ²⁰ But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” ²¹ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? ²² What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, ²³ in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— ²⁴ even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? ²⁵ As indeed he says in Hosea,

²⁷ And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel^[c] be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, ²⁸ for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” ²⁹ And as Isaiah predicted,

³⁰ What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; ³¹ but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness^[d] did not succeed in reaching that law. ³² Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, ³³ as it is written,

God called Moses in the wilderness in order to do a specific work with respect to his “firstborn.” The Scripture says,

²¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. ²² Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, ²³ and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’” (Exodus 4:21-23)

Recall that later, at the first Passover, Moses instructed all Israel to select a lamb for slaughter and to place some of its blood on the door posts and lintel of each house. Blood had to be applied there or else the death angel of God would strike and kill every firstborn person and beast in that household. Since none of the Egyptians observed this Passover every Egyptian household suffered death of their firstborns, both human and beast.

For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. (Exodus 12:12)

At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. (Ex. 12:29)

Immediately after this first Passover the LORD spoke to Moses saying, “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.” (Exodus 13:2) After this Moses instructed the People:

¹¹ “When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, ¹² you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord’s. ¹³ Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. ¹⁴ And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand theLord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. ¹⁵ For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ ¹⁶ It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.” (Ex. 13:11-16)

Later, when Moses begins to expound God’s revealed laws to his redeemed nation he says, “You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me.” (Ex. 22:29) Later he says again, “All that open the womb are mine, all your male livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep.” (Ex. 34:19)

Egypt is a “type of” (represents) the world in Scripture. Pharaoh represents Satan in the “parable” of the ten judgments upon Egypt (although Pharaoh represents God in the parable of Joseph feeding all the world during the seven year famine. Joseph himself is a type of Christ and a type of the overcomer in that parable). So, God’s passing over, or saving, the firstborn Israelites in the first Passover has prophetic meaning as well. In the past we have only considered that Passover related to spiritual salvation which comes by simple faith in the blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. Now, as we consider the fifteen or more regulations which God imposed upon observing Passover,  we see that Passover really relates mainly to the firstborn. Passover does affect everyone else in the household as well, though, because they are kept safe by the presence of the firstborn who believes in the efficacy of Christ’s blood (the lamb) and who obeys the Passover regulations. An example of this is seen in Rahab of Jericho. Everyone who gathered in her house, based upon her faith in the God of Israel (displayed in the red cord hanging from her window), was saved from slaughter when Israel killed every living thing in Jericho. The question we face today is who the firstborn represents with respect to our Christian faith.

Before Israel’s second Passover, however, the LORD does a very strange thing. He substitutes an entire tribe of Israel, the Levites, for all of the firstborn males of Israel.

⁵ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁶ “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. ⁷ They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle.⁸ They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. ⁹ And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. ¹⁰ And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.”

¹¹ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹² “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, ¹³ for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the Lord.” (Numbers 3:5-13)

Moses expounds upon this two more times in the book of Numbers.

¹⁴ “Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine. ¹⁵ And after that the Levites shall go in to serve at the tent of meeting, when you have cleansed them and offered them as a wave offering. ¹⁶ For they are wholly given to me from among the people of Israel. Instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the people of Israel, I have taken them for myself. ¹⁷ For all the firstborn among the people of Israel are mine, both of man and of beast. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself, ¹⁸ and I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel. ¹⁹ And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Israel, that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary.”

²⁰ Thus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the people of Israel to the Levites. According to all that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites, the people of Israel did to them. ²¹ And the Levites purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes, andAaron offered them as a wave offering before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. ²² And after that the Levites went in to do their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and his sons; as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them. (Numbers 8:14-22)

⁶ And behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to the Lord, to do the service of the tent of meeting.⁷ And you and your sons with you shall guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is within the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift,^[a] and any outsider who comes near shall be put to death.” (Numbers 18:6-7)

This idea of substitution is something we see time and again in Scripture for, as a rule, the actual firstborn child of a Biblical character is usually disqualified. Adam was the firstborn son of God, Cain the firstborn of Adam, Ishmael the firstborn of Abraham, Esau the firstborn of Isaac, Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, and Manasseh the firstborn of Joseph. David was the last born, not the first of Jesse, and David’s firstborn, Amnon, was rejected in favor of Solomon, the second son of David’s infamous treachery and adultery with Bathsheba. Every single one of these firstborn sons was disqualified for spiritual rule for one reason or another.

Finally, when we come to the Biblical record of Jesus, God calls him his “only begotten son,” forgetting Adam altogether (but remember, Adam is called a “type” of Christ; I believe Adam will be found to be an overcomer in the end). Later, the apostles Paul and John call Jesus the firstborn from the dead.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:29)

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by^[f] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:15-20)

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. (Revelation 1:4-5)

And now we come to the mystery. The Bible reveals that only two men exist in God’s mind concerning his creation, Adam and Jesus Christ.

⁴⁵ Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”;^[a] the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. ⁴⁹ Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall^[b] also bear the image of the man of heaven.

⁵⁰ I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep,but we shall 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 imperishable, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

Paul’s Use of the Law in 1 Corinthians 9

Many of us view God’s Law as something harsh and terrible. Our minds have become blinded to the truth because we have listened to teachers who have not understood God’s Law. We ourselves have failed to correctly apprehend this doctrine from our own faithful study of God’s Word. Thus we became convinced that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ meant an end to all application of God’s Law. We, like so many others, have believed a lie. Thus Paul, speaking by the Holy Spirit’s knowledge of this future heresy, presents us with doctrinal truth concerning God’s Law as a premier example of “food sacrificed to idols” (God’s truth sacrificed to the idols of our heart)

In 1 Corinthians 9 Paul applies specific Old Testament laws to particular New Testament circumstances. Be sure to review 1 Corinthians 9 again to see this. He applies the Law to New Testament doctrine. The Law clearly, then, does not end in Jesus. Rather, it reaches its goal, or fulfillment, in Jesus. Most of us have, for some reason, never realized nor understood this. Our minds have been blinded to the truth of what Paul does in this chapter because we have eaten food sacrificed to idols all of our lives. We have believed the doctrine of demons that says, “adherence to and/or application of God’s Law is legalism and to be avoided by the devout Christian,” or “the Law is symbolized by the Genesis Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and is, therefore, an evil thing that Christians should avoid at all costs.” Paul’s many writings, including his application of the Law here, conclusively prove the grievous error of such common views.

Here Paul takes two specific Old Testament laws and applies the principle of each to a New Testament matter. First he uses the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” to teach that ministers of the gospel should be paid in the natural for their spiritual work. (vss. 7-11) Second he shows that the law which provided food from sacrifices to the Levite priests establishes the principle that “those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.” (vs. 13-14) These two examples alone conclusively prove that Old Testament laws still apply during New Testament times. We do, however, need to seek God’s wisdom concerning their applications because often we would be in error if we simply started doing them in some vain attempt to show God that we really love him.

In verses 19 to 22 Paul declares that he is even willing to live under Old Covenant ceremonial practices if it will help to win Jews to Christ. He also says that he is willing to live without any of these if it will help win the Gentile. He makes it clear, however, that although he may live as a Gentile “without the law,” he never lives as one “without law toward God,” but always lives “under law toward Christ.” (vs. 21) The meaning of this phrase has become another one of God’s many mysteries in these latter days.

Paul’s Advice to Timothy Concerning the Law

{1} Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, {2} To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. {3} As I urged you when I went into Macedonia; remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, {4} nor give heed to fables and endless \genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. {5} Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, {6} from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, {7} desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. {8} But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, {9} knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, {10} for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, {11} according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust. (1 Tim 1:1-11)

Paul begins his first letter to this true son, Timothy, with a command to teach “no other doctrine” than that explained to him by Paul himself. He begins his explanation of this doctrine with the purpose or goal of the gospel and the Law. The goal of the “commandment” or gospel is love. This Godly love proceeds from “a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith.” This corresponds to what we know to be the greatest commands given by Christ, (1) to love God and (2) to love men. Jesus tells us that all of the Law and the prophets are summed up in these two commands. (Mat. 22:37-40) Since these two commands “sum up” the Law, this means that the two commands are defined by the Law and the prophets. Otherwise the phrases “love God” and “love men” have no meaning. We simply could not know what “love” means without the instructions of the rest of the Bible.

In this passage Paul tells Timothy exactly who is under the Law. He lists fourteen specific sins and then adds the sin of “any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine.” First, see that each of these listed sins constitutes what Paul calls “sound doctrine.” Thus he is defining sound doctrine as teaching that corresponds to the truth found in God’s Law. Paul tells Timothy that the Law is for every single person who commits any of the fourteen specific acts he mentions and for anything else a person does that is contrary to sound doctrine. Paul, therefore, teaches that if any Christian commits any of these fourteen acts or any other sin that is contrary to sound doctrine, then the Law is for that Christian. According to Galatians, the Law will then act as a tutor to lead one back to Christ and a Spirit-led life.

Understanding the Book of Galatians

 But, how can the Law still be relevant? Is it not true that Galatians says, “This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:2-3)

Thus we see that the Law never does make us perfect. Why, then, is it still important? Galatians answers all these questions. First, we see that the Law “was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (Gal. 3:24) Proper teaching of God’s Law brings an unbeliever (including unbelieving Christians) into the knowledge that he has sinned by breaking God’s Law. This leads him to seek forgiveness by believing in the work of Christ which brings him justification by faith. This is the way that anyone becomes a Christian. The Holy Spirit in His grace convicts a man of sin and then gives him the faith to believe that Jesus atoned for that sin. See Ephesians 2:8.

The problem with most Christians, however, is that they do not perfectly hear the Holy Spirit after they first believe and, therefore, are not led by the Spirit. Paul tells us a little later in Galatians that “if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Gal. 5:18) This directly implies that if one is not led by the Spirit, then he comes back under the Law. We need simply look to our own lives and the sins that we have committed and then been convicted of by the Holy Spirit and we will see this is true. The working of the Law and the conviction of the Holy Spirit in the life of a sinning Christian brings personal conviction of sin. The Law itself defines sin according to Romans 7:7. No one could even identify particular sins if not for God’s Law. The Holy Spirit brings conviction of law-breaking according to John 16:8. The Holy Spirit’s Law-based conviction leads a Christian back to a healthy relationship with Christ through repentance and forgiveness. This is true so long as he does not harden his heart toward God. If a sinning Christian will at least read or hear some of God’s Word, then the written word, the Law, can still stir his heart and cause repentance and faith to spring up once again. Remember how the Levitical sacrifices themselves prophesy this truth. (See Part I of my book When We Awake for a full exposition of the Levitical sacrifices)

Every Christian needs to come to an understanding that it is Christ in him, i.e. the Holy Spirit in him, that will first convict him of sin and then empower and enable him to keep God’s commandments. Yet, this occurs only if we develop a desire to keep Christ’s commands. God’s Word, so long as we attempt to hear it, continues to convict us of certain areas in our lives that do not line up with Christ’s life. This is the “fiery law” of Deuteronomy 33:2 that burns our flesh, our sinful nature. The Law through the convicting and changing power of God’s Spirit purges our dross, and conforms us to Christ’s image. For our part, we must never make the mistake that we, in our own power, conform ourselves into the image of God. God works through His Law and Holy Spirit to convict us of sin and lead us to Christ. With broken, mournful hearts we fall before God and beseech Him to change our hearts, to write His laws on them, so that we may do His will from our hearts and not our heads. Our hearts (souls) must change. The Law helps us to understand that and the Holy Spirit prosecutes and persecutes us until we either do change by God’s power, or utterly rebel against God.

Thus, when Paul asks, “Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” we answer, “No. We will not become circumcised in our flesh in order to be justified before God to have fellowship with Him. Neither will we, by the power of our flesh, perfectly obey God’s commands so that we become sanctified, holy and have fellowship with Him. Rather, we will believe Jesus and enjoy fellowship with Him. We will then learn to honor and love God’s Law. We will allow Him to write that Law on our hearts so that we can obey Him by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us.”

Paul told Timothy, ”I charge you in the presence of God … to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Timothy 6:13-14) The question we face today is what “commandment” does Paul exhort Timothy to keep? Many today teach that Christians should keep all of the Old Testament commandments, at least the ones which do not command animal or food sacrifices. They would teach us that we must (or, “out of love for God”) obey every jot and tittle of the Law concerning Sabbath observance, which foods to eat, and what clothing to wear. Is this what Paul meant?

First, notice that the word “commandment” used by Paul in this passage is singular, not plural, as in “the ten commandments.” Just before charging Timothy he said, “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:11b-12) Yesterday we discussed the good confession which Timothy and Jesus both made. Today we consider the commandment Jesus desires us to keep. Whatever the commandment is I believe that it includes pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness.

When Jesus dwelt among us he said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (John 13:34) James calls this “the royal law” in James 2:8 and says that if we keep this commandment, then we are doing well. If we fail to keep this law, however, he tells us that “the law,” meaning the Old Testament Law of Moses, convicts us as transgressors, for “whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.” (James 2:10) Strangely, James then calls this new commandment “the law of liberty.” (James 2:12) How can this possibly be? If I fail to perfectly obey the law of liberty, then I become convicted by the Old Testament Law of Moses as a transgressor of that law? Is this really what James says? Is this why Martin Luther wanted to expunge the Book of James from the canon of Scripture, because it seems to contradict the rest of the teaching of the New Testament, and especially Paul’s doctrine? I believe the answers to these last three questions are yes, yes, and yes! But, Paul does provide the answer to this seeming contradiction.

Recall that Paul wrote the Book of Galatians specifically to tell new Christian converts that they did not need to become circumcised or submit to the manifold regulations of Old Testament law. He warned them that if they began to submit to those regulations then they would become accountable to all the Law. He said,

 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. ³ I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. ⁴ You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified^[a] by the law; you have fallen away from grace. (Galatians 5:1-4)

Yet, Paul makes it clear through all of his writings that he highly honored the Law. He does not disparage it. In fact he even tells the Galatians that “the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (Gal. 3:24) Strong’s tells us that this Greek word translated “schoolmaster” here means “a servant whose office it was to take the children to school.” The Law is the servant and we are the children. The Law takes us to school in the sense that it teaches us right from wrong. It teaches us how to relate to God (the first five of the Ten Commandments) and to men (the second group of five of the Ten Commandments). The Word of God further tells us that these first five commands define what God means by the word “righteousness” and that the word “justice” sums up the second group of five. Paul takes this idea even further and says, “All the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,” (Gal. 5:14) which, as we have seen above, is the new command Jesus gave us.

Clearly, then, Paul exhorts Timothy to keep this particular command. Just prior to telling him so he tells him how to do this. He says, “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.” When we pursue these Godly attributes then we become empowered to love others. Paul does not tell Timothy to “go and learn the Old Testament laws and do them.” Similarly, James does not tell his Christian hearers to submit to the Old Covenant laws. He simply tells them that if they fail to perfectly obey Christ’s new command, then the Mosaic laws will convict them as transgressors. This is the function of the Law, to convict us of sin. This is its function as a schoolmaster. It convicts us, we acknowledge our sin, we come to Christ for forgiveness of our sins.

No New Testament writer ever teaches us to submit ourselves to the specific Old Testament commands which demand outward signs of inward truth, signs like circumcision, tassels, garments, days of the week, weeks of the year, and natural food that we eat. Instead, each writer focuses upon spiritual reality within our hearts, spiritual reality which becomes part of our very being. Jesus taught of love, mercy, and perfection, even as God is perfect.  Paul spoke of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. James spoke of impartiality toward the rich and poor within our churches and of mercy, for “mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:13)

This is “the perfect law,” “the law of liberty,” “the royal law,” the “new commandment” which Jesus and all his apostles taught. This law takes us well beyond the Old Testament Law, for that law made nothing perfect. Christ’s Law takes us to perfection itself, but it does not do this by putting us back under Moses’ law, nor by suggesting we ought to keep all the jots and tittles of that law in order to please him. Rather than demanding that we keep the Law which he gave fifteen hundred years before his birth, Jesus gives us his Spirit and says,

⁷ Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:⁹ concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰ concerning righteousness,because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; ¹¹ concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16:7-15)

When Jesus made his good confession to Pilate he said, “You say that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth hears my voice.” (John 18:37 KJ2000) When we come to Jesus, when we accept and acknowledge him as LORD and Savior, then we come to the truth. So long as we follow him, so long as we “obey the Gospel” (obey the good confession that Jesus is our King), then he will reveal his truth to us and we will walk in that truth he reveals to us. He does not put us back under Old Covenant Law. He declares a New Covenant, and so long as we walk in this New Covenant we walk toward that perfection he desires for us.

 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before^[d] Pontius Pilate made the good confession, ¹⁴ to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which he will display at the proper time— (1 Timothy 6:13-15a)

What “confession” did Jesus make before Pontius Pilate? Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record only one thing that Jesus said to Pilate. Matthew says, Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” Matthew 27:11. All four Gospels record this answer. Only John expands upon the interview between Jesus and Pilate. But, I think we can be assured that all four Gospels record the “good confession” which Jesus made to Pilate. It is simply this, “Yes, I am the King of the Jews.”

What is so good about this simple statement? It is good because it is “the good news of Jesus Christ,” the Gospel in a nutshell.  Jesus’ comment to Pilate is the very simplest representation of the Gospel that anyone could ever make. He affirmed that he was the King of the Jews and this is the essence of the Good News.

Historically, God chose a nation, one nation, in all the earth by whom to reveal himself. That nation was Israel, the twelve tribes of the twelve sons who descended from Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham. Recall that when Jacob prevailed with the Angel of God that the angel renamed him “Israel” which means “God rules.” Jacob, after wrestling with God all night, acknowledged that God rules in the affairs of men, not himself.

By the time Jesus lived Israel had long split into two kingdoms and only the southern kingdom of Judah remained an intact nation. The word “Jew” is short for Judah. Jesus acknowledged to Pontius Pilate that he was indeed the King of Judah. This fulfilled a prophetic word recorded in First Book of Chronicles for long ago God revealed through his prophets that his king would come through Judah. “For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and from him came the prince….” (1 Chron. 5:2a) It also fulfilled Moses word to Israel that came before this. “The LORD your God will raise up unto you a Prophet from the midst of you, of your brethren, like unto me; unto him you shall hearken.”(Deuteronomy 18:15 KJ2000)

Long, long ago God promised to rule as King over the people that he created. This includes all men, but he first began to reveal himself as king through one nation, Israel. The entire nation of Israel rejected him as their king long before the birth of Jesus in the days of the prophet Samuel. Samuel told them, “[Y]ou have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us.” (1 Samuel 10:19a KJ2000) Israel’s God later personally came to his people in the land of Judah. These people were comprised mainly of the descendants of Israel’s fourth son, Judah, and were called Jews.

Pontius Pilate asked Jesus if he truly was the King of the Jews and Jesus affirmed that he was. This statement thus proclaimed that he was the lawful King of the Jews, that is, God. This is why Paul tells Timothy to remember Jesus’ own “good confession” before he delivers God’s specific charge to him. Everything we do must originate in and derive from this one confession. This is the crux of our faith and this is the Gospel! Paul told the Romans, “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9 KJ2000)

But, you may ask, what is so good about this confession, this simple faith? When I acknowledge Jesus Christ as LORD and King of my life I have removed myself from the curse of the Law because Jesus became a curse under that Law for me. He took my sins upon himself. Jesus nailed every curse written in the Law that would fall upon me because I failed to uphold every jot and tittle of that Law onto the very tree upon which men crucified him. See Colossians 2:14. He became the propitiation* for my sins.

This means that I do not have to perfectly obey the Law in order to be accepted by God. Does it mean, then, that I can willfully break all God’s laws and live a life of lustful fulfillment? No, of course not, and the apostles write much concerning our moral duties to God and other men. But, it does mean that God does not require or expect me to obey those sacrificial laws dealing with separation and acceptance to God. I do not have to become circumcised, dress a certain way, eat a certain way, observe Sabbaths and festivals a certain way, or make bloody sacrifices to God. The apostles deal with these specific issues and tell us that we are no longer “under” these laws, that we no longer must obey them. If we want to obey some of them we can, but observing them does not make us somehow more acceptable to God. On the other hand, if I begin to obey these laws because I have become convinced that they make me more honorable in God’s sight, then I must obey all the laws.

I am acceptable to God because, and only because, I stand upon the good confession of faith in Jesus Christ as my King.

*”Propitiation means the turning away of wrath by an offering. In relation to soteriology, propitiation means placating or satisfying the wrath of God by the atoning sacrifice of Christ.”
Charles C. Ryrie (1999-01-11). Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Kindle Locations 5503-5504). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.