THE ROYAL LAW : THOU SHALT LOVE!
Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Org
Last Updated : July 23, 2006
The Mosaic Law, The Death Of Stephen And Jesus, Cities Of
Refuge, Jesus' Hard Sayings, Our Sinful Condition, The East
Gate And Eye Of A Needle, Spiritual Nourishment And Hearing
From God, Price Of Discipleship, The Transfiguration, The
Law And The Prophets, Paul & Barnabas, A Perfect Sacrifice,
The Second Death, Defining Sin, True Righteousness, John's
Ministry, Burdens Of The Pharisees, The Praise Of Men, Grace
Or Works, The Law Of Love, Peace With God, Love And Fear
One disturbing question which has plagued many sincere
Christians over the past two thousand years concerns why
Jesus continually stressed the importance of keeping the
Mosaic Law when He knew that no one would ever possibly be
able to fully abide by it. The Mosaic Law is a very complex
moral code which was given to Moses on Mount Horeb, or
Sinai, as it is also known, following the departure of the
Hebrew slaves from the land of Egypt. It is comprised of a
very strict body of laws, each of which prescribes a
specific punishment for those who failed to keep it. In
quite a few cases, failure to keep the Mosaic Law was
punishable with death by stoning. Consider the following
examples:
"Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever
he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that
sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech;
he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land
shall stone him with stones." (Leviticus 20:2)
"And the man that committeth adultery with another man's
wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's
wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put
to death." (Leviticus 20:10)
"A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is
a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone
them with stones: their blood shall be upon them."
(Leviticus 20:27)
"And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall
surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall
certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is
born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD,
shall be put to death." (Leviticus 24:16)
Thus, as can be seen, stoning was the most common form of
putting a person to death in the Old Testament. Within New
Testament Jewish society, this was still the principle means
of putting a person to death as well. We find a clear
example of this in the incident of the woman caught in the
act of adultery found in the Gospel of John:
"And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman
taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery,
in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that
such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said,
tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus
stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as
though he heard them not." (John 8:3-6)
In the Book of Acts, the martyr Stephen was also slain by
stoning because the self-righteous Jews viewed him as being
guilty of blasphemy when he made Jesus equal to God in the
following verses. This occurred right after Stephen had
completely exposed the hypocrisy of their religion:
"And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of
man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out
with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him
with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned
him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young
man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen,
calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay
not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he
fell asleep." (Acts 7:56-60)
It was because of the fact that, in the eyes of the Jews,
Jesus also made Himself equal to God, that the Scribes and
the Pharisees considered Him worthy of death. However, in
that case, being as it was such a sensitive issue, they
persuaded the Roman justice system to do the dirty work for
them:
"Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he
not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was
his Father, making himself equal with God." (John 5:18)
"When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they
cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith
unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault
in him. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law
he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God."
(John 19:6-7)
The Apostle Paul put things in proper perspective regarding
the status of Jesus Christ when he wrote the following to
the Church at Philippi:
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be
equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took
upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and
given him a name which is above every name: That at the name
of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11)
Notice how in the previous verses from the Book of Acts, the
Law-bound Jews were very careful about the manner in which
they slew Stephen. They made sure that, in compliance with
the Mosaic Law, they had their witnesses present in order to
justify their crime. This event is accurately portrayed in
the excellent movie 'Peter And Paul' starring Anthony
Hopkins and Robert Foxworthy. In other cases where a crime
might not merit death by stoning, under the Mosaic Law, one
might still face severe punishment in the form of losing one
of his bodily members such as an eye, or a hand or a foot,
as was prescribed in the following verses. This is still
acceptable punishment in some modern Arab countries:
"Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe."
(Exodus 21:24-25)
Unlike today in which a corrupt and weak American justice
system permits many dangerous criminals to return to society
within a matter of hours, days, weeks, months, or at the
most a few years, crime in Jewish society was kept to a
minimum by exacting stiff penalties upon the evildoers.
After witnessing a person being stoned to death, surely many
people had second thoughts about commmitting similar crimes.
As I explain in 'Killing And The Phinehas Priesthood', in
place of actual prisons, the Hebrews set aside what were
called cities of refuge. These were communities to which
criminals could flee while they waited for their day of
judgment. If they were to leave one of these cities before
that time, they would become fair prey to anyone who might
seek to kill them:
"But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border
of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled; And the
revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city
of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he
shall not be guilty of blood: Because he should have
remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the
high priest: but after the death of the high priest the
slayer shall return into the land of his possession. So
these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you
throughout your generations in all your dwellings. Whoso
killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by
the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify
against any person to cause him to die. Moreover ye shall
take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is
guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death."
(Numbers 35:26-31)
You can find some of these cities of refuge mentioned by
name in the twenty-first chapter of the Book of Joshua.
Throughout the four Gospels, the Lord consistently spoke
hard sayings which were very difficult to accept for those
who heard Him preach; not only for the self-righteous
Scribes and Pharisees, but for His own Disciples as well.
Some of these were directly related to the keeping of the
Mosaic Law. For example, consider the following:
"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one
jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till
all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of
these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall
be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever
shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in
the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of
heaven." (Matthew 5:18-20)
Consider how extremely difficult this must have been for
those listening to the Lord that day. How could anyone
possibly exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees? Why, if
there was anyone worthy of Salvation, surely it must have
been the Pharisees; afterall, they rigourously observed the
Mosaic Law. They were the holiest people in Israel; at least
that is what the common people were led to believe. It
appears that Jesus was deliberately setting up a seemingly
impassable roadblock to our Salvation; in fact, this is
precisely what He was doing; and this wasn't the only time
that He did it either. A little later in the very same
chapter, we find the Lord saying:
"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou
shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That
whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath
committed adultery with her already in his heart...It hath
been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give
her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That
whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of
fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever
shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery."
(Matthew 5:27-28, 31-32)
Those self-righteous Scribes and Pharisees thought that they
were so holy because they didn't physically indulge in the
act of adultery; however, Jesus was quick to point out that
just allowing the thought to pass through our minds is just
as bad as actually having performed sex with that woman. Not
only that, but the Lord pointed out that if one divorces his
wife for any other reason than for fornication, which in this
case means sexual infidelity, he is not only guilty of
causing her to commit adultery, but he is also guilty of
causing the one who marries her to commit adultery!
Now, let us be honest here for a moment. How many of you
reading this, whether you be male or female, can honestly
say that you have never ever lusted after a person of the
opposite sex, even if you knew or suspected that they might
already be married? Unless you are a very young child, or
else a homosexual or a lesbian, I dare say that very few of
you are without guilt. To deny this would be the epitome of
self-righteous pride and self-delusion. How many of you have
divorced a person for any other reason than sexual
infidelity? Because of these sins and human weaknesses,
according to the Mosaic Law, we are all guilty of death!
This is the severity of the Mosaic Law! According to the
Mosaic Law, the United States of America is literally full
of sinners and adulterers from one end to the other who
should be put to death!
Sandwiched in between His comments on adultery, Jesus said
something else which must have been equally as hard for His
followers to understand. Consider the following:
"And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it
from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy
members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be
cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it
off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee
that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy
whole body should be cast into hell." (Matthew 5:29-30)
If we were all to be judged by the Mosaic Law, if we were
all to keep the Mosaic Law, there would be a lot of people
walking around with only one eye or one hand. Those today
who erroneously insist that we must keep the Mosaic Law as a
condition of Salvation might want to reconsider their views.
We will be examining this more closely further on in this
article. Later on in the Gospel of Matthew we find the
incident where the young rich man approached Jesus to ask
Him what he must do in order to inherit Eternal Life. That
sad event ended with Jesus pronouncing the following
difficult saying:
"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you,
That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of
heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel
to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to
enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it,
they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is
impossible; but with God all things are possible."
(Matthew 19:23-26)
For the sake of clarification, it is my understanding that
this reference to the 'eye of a needle' may not be referring
to the actual eye of a sewing needle. As Easton's Bible
Dictionary points out, Jesus may actually have been
referring to the small side entrance which was located close
to the principal gate located on the east side of the Temple
compound. This primary gate, referred to as the East Gate,
is mentioned throughout the Old Testament. Its importance is
revealed in the following verse from the Book of Numbers:
"But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the
east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation
eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping
the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children
of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to
death." (Numbers 3:38)
Within modern Jewish Orthodoxy, there is the belief that
when their 'messiah', Moshiach ben David, arrives, he will
enter the newly-built Temple through this East Gate. Because
of its narrowness, this small entrance near the East Gate
was referred to as the 'eye of a needle' in the East. Thus,
some believe that what Jesus was really saying is that just
as it was extremely difficult, if not impossible, for a
fully-laden camel to squeeze through this narrow opening
without a lot of pushing and prodding by its master, so too,
those who were not willing to forsake their worldly wealth
would not be able to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Those
listening to Jesus were fully aware of the difficulty of
passing through this entrance; and this is why we are told
that they were 'exceedingly amazed'.
Another primary example of the hard sayings of Jesus can be
found in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John. We are
told that this one was so difficult that, upon hearing it,
many of His Disciples left Him:
"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his
blood, ye have no life in you...Many therefore of his
disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard
saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his
disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this
offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend
up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth;
the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto
you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some
of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning
who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come
unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From
that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no
more with him." (John 6:60-66)
As can be seen, the Lord's Disciples, followers, the common
people, and even the Scribes and the Pharisees weren't just
a little perplexed; they were very troubled by some of the
Master's teachings. For the young Christian, examples such
as the above will probably present a real challenge to their
understanding. On one hand we are lead to believe that Jesus
came to offer Salvation to all men, as well as to prepare
men who would later follow in His footsteps by preaching the
Gospel of Salvation to all the world; yet by the above
examples, Jesus appears to be saying that Salvation is next
to impossible to obtain; and He appears to be purposely
driving away potential disciples who may have wanted to
follow Him. So the question is: Exactly what was Jesus' goal
by stating all of these hard sayings? Was He trying to
exclude people from entering the Kingdom of God? Heaven
forbid!
It is my view that some Christians today have simply
misunderstood the true intent, spirit or meaning behind some
of Jesus' words. Sometimes this happens because they don't
possess sufficient knowledge of the Scriptures. Other times
it occurs because their judgment has been clouded by
erroneous teachings they have learned from others; whether
it be from a radio or television preacher, or perhaps from a
priest, pastor, minister, or teacher in a local church or
organization. One of the primary lessons I have strived to
teach in my many articles is that we must all go directly to
the Word of God ourselves and read, read, read, instead of
just depending upon others for our spiritual nourishment. If
you truly and sincerely ask the Lord to help you to
understand His Word, I am absolutely certain that He will
not disappoint you. As Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew:
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that
asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)
The Apostle Peter also gave us some sound advice when he
wrote the following in his first Epistle:
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that
ye may grow thereby:" (1 Peter 2:2)
However, before one even does that, he must make sure that
he has accepted the Lord's Salvation, and that he has
received the anointing of God's Holy Spirit; both of which
are free gifts for the asking. If you do not understand
this, then I encourage you to read more of my articles on
the topics of Salvation and the Holy Ghost. Once you have
accepted the Lord into your life, and have been baptized by
His Spirit, He will begin speaking to you clearly through
His Word; and the more you read it and become familiar with
it, the more He will be able to show you the connecting
links between various passages. It is truly a wonderful
experience.
I am very hesitant to talk about this too much as I feel
some people might take it the wrong way and get the mistaken
impression that I am elevating myself; however, the truth of
the matter is that sometimes hearing from the Lord is like a
water spigot which you simply cannot turn off. Such is the
case with this current article. It actually evolved from
another article I was updating the night before. As some of
you know, sometimes I tend to go off on tangents in my
articles. It is similar to driving down the main highway on
your way to a certain destination. Now and then, you might
turn off of the main road or highway and go down a sideroad,
perhaps to buy a snack, or to stop and buy more gasoline. In
my case, I begin writing about one thing which may then lead
into a completely different subject. If I really become
sidetracked, I will often cut that particular section out of
an article and make it a brand new article.
In this particular case, when I went to bed early this
morning, apparently my mind was still dwelling on this
topic; because when I woke up about four hours later, the
Lord, or His Spirit, or helper, or whoever it was, was still
feeding verses and ideas to me. Even though I knew what was
happening, I was so tired that I decided to try to sleep a
few more hours. After about two hours I finally had to get
up and go to my computer to enter it all in before I forgot
everything the Lord had given me. I was literally laying
there saying to the Lord, 'Lord, help me not to forget that
verse. Lord help me to remember the connection you showed me
between those two Scriptures.' It got to the point that it
was so much information that I had no choice but to do
something about it. Well, this may sound crazy to some of
you, but that is just the way it works; and it has happened
to me on a number of occasions. It isn't an audible voice;
it is just a still small voice deep inside of me. I am
reminded of the following verses from the First Book of the
Kings:
"And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and,
behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto
him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been
very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of
Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars,
and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only,
am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And he
said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD.
And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind
rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the
LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind
an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And
after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the
fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so,
when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his
mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the
cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said,
What doest thou here, Elijah?" (1 Kings 19:9-13)
While none of us should seek to elevate ourselves to the
status of a Prophet, this does not mean that we should
refuse to listen to the Lord when He tries to speak to us;
or refuse to share what He gives us with others if it might
edify their spirits and be a blessing in their lives. As the
Apostle Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Hebrews:
"Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil
heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But
exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest
any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."
(Hebrews 3:12-13)
Perhaps if more people did take the time to hear from the
Lord, the world would not be in such a sad shape as it is
today. The key problem is that most people simply do not
want to accept the Lord, much less hear from Him. Jesus
clearly exposed one of the main reasons for this unhealthy
attitude when He said of the Scribes and Pharisees:
"If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had
sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin."
(John 15:22)
Those who rebel against the Lord and against His will for
their lives simply do not want to have their sins of
rebellion and unbelief exposed. They are quite comfortable
living their lives of sin exactly as they are, and they do
not want anything or anyone shaking up their little dream
world of plastic peace.
Returning to our main topic, being as I have already
discussed the theme of Discipleship in a number of other
articles, let me just say that the Lord knew exactly what He
was doing when He shared such difficult teachings. He knew
that those who would follow Him fulltime would have a long
hard road ahead of them. For most of them, it would end in
martyrdom. Being as He knew that He had but a few short
years to accomplish His mission on Earth, Jesus was very
careful to only choose men whom He was sure would be able to
carry on the job once He had returned to His Father;
afterall, the Salvation of the world was at stake; not only
the Salvation of the world of those days, but the Salvation
of everyone who has ever lived since then. Thus, the Lord
had to select men who were full of faith and a spirit of
perseverance. Those He deemed unfit for the job, He simply
cast aside, even if they personally felt that they were up
to the task. Jesus wanted everyone to count the cost; thus
He purposely made the way of Discipleship difficult.
Consider what the Lord said in the fourteenth chapter of the
Gospel of Luke:
"And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me,
cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build
a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost,
whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after
he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it,
all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began
to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to
make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and
consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him
that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while
the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage,
and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he
be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be
my disciple." (Luke 14:27-33)
Concerning the issue of Salvation, in order to fully
understand the true spirit behind some of Jesus' difficult
sayings, I would like to discuss a topic which at first may
not even appear to be related to this theme. Within the New
Testament, there are a number of events which are of much
more importance than most people tend to realize. Perhaps
one of the most profound of these events concerns that of
the Mount of Transfiguration. Most of us are familiar with
how Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus and His three primary
Disciples, Peter, James and John, on top of the mountain.
One account of this event is found in the Gospel of Mark:
"And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James,
and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by
themselves: and he was transfigured before them. And his
raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no
fuller on earth can white them. And there appeared unto them
Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. And
Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us
to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee,
and one for Moses, and one for Elias. For he wist not what
to say; for they were sore afraid. And there was a cloud
that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud,
saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. And suddenly, when
they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save
Jesus only with themselves. And as they came down from the
mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what
things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from
the dead. And they kept that saying with themselves,
questioning one with another what the rising from the dead
should mean." (Mark 9:2-10)
It is very significant that the Lord chose Moses and Elijah
for this particular event. If you are familiar with their
Earthly ministries, then you will realize that collectively,
they represented the Law and the Prophets. This term 'the
Law and the Prophets' holds a lot of importance within
Judaism, as well as within our Christian heritage. In fact,
Jesus used it several times in His teachings. Consider the
following instances in which it is used in the New
Testament:
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do
to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the
prophets." (Matthew 7:12)
In other words, Jesus is basically saying, you reap what you
sow. If you want people to treat you with love and respect,
then you must do the same with them. This is what the
message of Moses and the Prophets was all about. Here is
another one:
"Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus
said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is
the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto
it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
(Matthew 22:36-40)
Here Jesus makes the message even clearer. He is saying,
'Look, instead of trying to remember every little aspect of
the Mosaic Law, all you have to do is to remember this: It
is all summed up in a few simple words; love the Lord, and
love your neighbor.' By doing this, you will be sure to
fulfill everything taught by Moses and the Prophets. After
all, if you really love someone, you are not going to steal
from them, or take their wife, or kill them, etc. Here is
another interesting verse:
"The law and the prophets were until John: since that time
the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into
it." (Luke 16:16)
That is a very interesting verse because it shows a definite
time division, and a change of events which some people
still fail to understand. We will look into this more fully
in a moment. Another verse from the Gospel of Luke is the
following:
"And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake
unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be
fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in
the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me."
(Luke 24:44)
Chronologically speaking, this verse occurred after Jesus'
Death and Resurrection. Do you understand the full meaning
of what Jesus is saying here to His Disciples? Not only is
He saying that everything He accomplished was prophesied in
the Law of Moses, in the writings of the Prophets, and in
the Psalms of David; but He is also saying that with His
Crucifixion and Resurrection, they have now been fulfilled.
With His Blood Sacrifice, Jesus has met and satisfied the
requirements of the Law. He has brought an end to our
dependence on it for our Salvation. Following is another
verse which clearly shows that Israel was ripe for her
Saviour. Everyone was fully expecting the arrival of the
Messiah, exactly as they had read in the Law of Moses, and
in the writings of the Prophets:
"Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found
him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write,
Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." (John 1:45)
In the following verse, we see the importance that the
rulers of the synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia placed upon
the Law and the Prophets. This was in Asia Minor, what is
today a part of the nation of Turkey:
"And after the reading of the law and the prophets the
rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and
brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people,
say on." (Acts 13:15)
If you read the above chapter in its entirety, you will see
that Paul and Barnabas took advantage of this opportunity
and delivered a powerful message to the Jews and the
Gentiles who had come to hear them preach. Paul concluded
his discourse with the following words which confirm exactly
what Jesus said to His Disciples following His Resurrection;
and that is that we cannot be justified by the Law, but only
by the Sacrifice of Love of Jesus Christ:
"Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that
through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of
sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all
things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of
Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is
spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and wonder,
and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye
shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you."
(Acts 13:38-41)
While the Gentiles gladly received the words of Paul and
Barnabas, the Jews soon became jealous of the crowds they
were drawing to themselvs. In fact, we are told that the
very next Sabbath, almost the entire city went to hear them
preach, so that the envious Jews began to stir up trouble
against Paul and Barnabas:
"And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city
together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the
multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against
those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and
blaspheming." (Acts 13:44-45)
It was at that point that Paul issued his famous statement
which you can also see in the exellent cinemagraphic work,
'Peter And Paul':
"Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was
necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken
to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves
unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles."
(Acts 13:46)
Following Jesus' own wise counsel, once the Jews had stirred
up persecution against them so that they threw Paul and
Barnbabas out of the entire area, these brave missionaries
simply shook the dust off of their feet and continued on to
Iconium which today is modern Konieh, located at the foot of
Mount Taurus, about one hundred and twenty miles from the
Mediterranean coast:
"But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and
came unto Iconium." (Acts 13:51)
Turning to Paul's Epistle to the Romans, we find the final
verse where the Law and the Prophets are mentioned together.
As in the Book of Acts, Paul clearly states that both the
Law of Moses, and the writings of the Prophets prophesied
the coming of Jesus Christ, whose Sacrifice would manifest
the righteousness which comes by faith alone, and not by the
works of the Law:
"But now the righteousness of God without the law is
manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;"
(Romans 3:21)
Thus we see that both the writings of Moses, as well as the
writings of the Old Testament Prophets spoke of the coming
of Jesus Christ, who would not only fulfill everything they
had written about Him, but who would also abolish our
dependence upon the Law for our Salvation; for as Jesus
Himself said:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the
prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."
Matthew 5:17)
This is precisely what Jesus did; He fulfilled or met the
requirements of the Law to become the Perfect Sacrifice for
sin, which is something which we cannot possibly ever do;
for as the Apostle James wrote:
"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in
one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10)
No matter how hard we try, we will never ever be able to
keep the entire Mosaic Law. This is the main point that
Jesus was trying to get across to the self-righteous
religious rulers of His day. This is why He constantly threw
the Law right back in their faces. No matter how many laws
they thought they could keep, or try to force others to
keep, they would continue to fall short of perfection;
because they could not possibly keep them all, even if they
had deceived the common people into believing that they did.
This is why when they brought to Him the woman taken in
adultery, Jesus' response was simply:
"...He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a
stone at her." (John 8:7b)
Thus, just like the common people whom they self-righteously
judged, they were guilty, guilty, guilty. The Apostle Paul
expressed this fundamental point quite well when he wrote:
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
(Romans 3:23)
It is for this very reason that the Apostle Paul also tells
us that we are no longer to place our faith in the Law to
save us, but rather in the Blood of Jesus Christ, because He
did for us what we cannot do for ourselves; He met the full
requirements of the Law:
"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law
by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another,
even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should
bring forth fruit unto God." (Romans 7:4)
In his first Epistle, Peter referred to Jesus as a lamb
without blemish, showing the link with the sacrificial lamb
of the Old Testament. Notice that Peter also clearly exposes
the vanity of trying to save oneself by adhering to the Law
and the Oral Tradition of the fathers. In the following
verses, the word 'conversation' is derived from the Greek
word 'anastrophe' and actually means one's way or manner of
life, conduct or behaviour:
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with
corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain
conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But
with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last
times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him
up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and
hope might be in God." (1 Peter 1:18-21)
If the Pharisees were not as righteous as everyone believed
them to be, why then would Jesus say '...except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of
heaven.'? If they didn't stand a chance of gaining Eternal
Life, then how could the common people possibly surpass them
in righteousness? As I have already shown, Jesus was using a
bit of rhetoric here. He knew that this was an unobtainable
goal. He knew that He was placing a stumbling block in front
of them; but it was for the very specific purpose of forcing
them to realize that there must be another way, a way which
was impossible for mortal men. This is why when His
Disciples asked Him with extreme amazement 'Who then can be
saved?', Jesus straightforwardly answered 'With men this is
impossible; but with God all things are possible.'
Do you understand what the Lord meant by this? It is really
quite simple. He was basically saying, 'You cannot save
yourself. It is impossible. If you really think that you can
save yourself by your own self-righteous works of keeping
the Law, you might as well forget it, because it simply will
not work. You and I both know that you cannot possibly keep
every single aspect of the Mosaic Law. As such, you are
guilty of death.' In fact, when Jesus lambasted the Scribes
and the Pharisees, He said something very profound which is
directly related to another verse I will share in a moment.
Here is what the Lord said:
"Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall
seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot
come. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he
saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. And he said unto them,
Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world;
I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye
shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he,
ye shall die in your sins." (John 8:21-24)
Do you realize how serious that is? Do you realize how
serious it is for a person to die in their sins because of
their pride in rejecting Jesus Christ, or because they
thought they could save themselves through the works of the
Law? If your sins are not covered by the Blood of Jesus when
you die, you will die in your sins; and what did the Apostle
Paul say regarding this?:
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
Notice exactly what Paul is talking about here. He is not
just referring to our Earthly death; that is, the decay of
our mortal bodies; he is talking about something much more
important. He is making a contrast between Eternal Death and
Eternal Life. He is talking about the Second Death from
which there is absolutely no return! That is it! Your body
and your spirit are destroyed for Eternity! Consider what
John wrote in the Book of Revelation:
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith
unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of
the second death." (Revelation 2:11)
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but
they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign
with him a thousand years...And death and hell were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:6, 14-15)
"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
(Revelation 21:8)
That is how serious it is to reject Jesus Christ, or to
think that you can save yourself by keeping the Mosaic Law.
You only get one chance; but you have your whole life to do
it; for as the Apostle Paul also wrote in his Epistle to the
Hebrews:
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this
the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)
The next question might then be, 'Well, exactly what is
meant by sin?' The Apostle John spelled it out for us quite
clearly in his first Epistle when he wrote:
"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for
sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4)
Simply put, when you break the Mosaic Law in any way, no
matter how small, you are sinning. The Mosaic Law is the
standard which makes us aware of our sinful condition.
Because of its severity, the Mosaic Law also shows us that,
unless we place our faith in the Blood of Jesus Christ, we
are without hope of Salvation. We are lost. We are doomed to
die eternally. As the Apostle Paul wrote, the Mosaic Law
served as a schoolmaster to bring us to the Salvation which
is found in Jesus Christ. Once we have come to Christ, there
is no longer any need to rely upon the Law for our Salvation
because it could never save us to begin with:
"Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto
Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that
faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster."
(Galatians 3:24-25)
Paul couldn't have said it any clearer than that. Once you
come to Jesus, you are no longer under the Mosaic Law.
Despite this fact, we still have Christians today who are
trying to mix faith with works; and it just won't work. So
again, through His many hard sayings concerning the Law,
Jesus was trying to show everyone that they must not look to
themselves or to their ability to fulfill the Law for their
Salvation in any way, because it cannot save them. They must
find another way. Of course, that was the Plan all along,
which is why Jesus later said:
"...I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6b)
The Lord wanted everyone to know that the only way they
could ever exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and the
Pharisees was by accepting the righteousness which He freely
offers through His Death on the Cross. That is the only
righteousness there is. Being the sinners that we are, we
must depend solely upon the grace of God by placing our
faith in the Sacrifice of His Son. This is the only way we
will ever achieve any form of righteousness. Only by
believing in Jesus Christ will we ever obtain Salvation.
This is precisely what John the Baptist meant when he said
at the beginning of the Gospel of John:
"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by
Jesus Christ." (John 1:17)
As I explain in the article 'A Third Elijah: An Endtime
Prophecy?', the whole purpose of John the Baptist's ministry
was to hammer away at people's pride by using the Mosaic Law
as a tool to show them how sinful they really were. John
knew that none of them could keep the Law anymore than he
could himself, but that wasn't the purpose of his ministry.
It was to soften their hardened hearts so that they would be
in a state of humility and repentance, and in a receptive
mood to accept the One who really could save them from their
sins; and that was the man Jesus Christ.
As we have already seen, fulfilling the Law basically comes
down to three key words, 'Thou shalt love'; and this is
something which is severely lacking in the world today, just
as it was lacking two thousand years ago when the words were
first spoken. While some people may not realize it, mercy is
a form of love; and if there was one thing in which the
Scribes and the Pharisees were lacking, it was in mercy.
This is why Jesus accused them of using the Mosaic Law to
lay burdens upon men which were grievous to be borne:
"Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe
and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and
do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be
borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves
will not move them with one of their fingers."
(Matthew 23:1-4)
As a former Pharisee himself, the Apostle Paul fully
understand the challenge Jesus faced in dealing with these
legalistic vipers. The Scribes and the Pharisees were so
caught up in enforcing the tiniest aspect, or letter, of the
Mosaic Law, that they completely overlooked the true spirit
and intention of the commandments first given to Moses; and
that was to teach people to love God, and to love and
respect their neighbor. The Mosaic Law was meant to serve as
a framework for decent behavior, and was never meant to
become a snare as it did in later years when men began to
measure their goodness by how well they adhered to it.
Instead of being content in their hearts with knowing that
they were pleasing the Lord, the Scribes and the Pharisees
fell into the dangerous practice of comparing themselves
with others. Likewise, they began to boast of their supposed
goodness and holiness, and of their self-righteous works,
such as circumcision, in order to receive the praise of men.
It is for this reason that the Apostel Paul wrote the
following stinging rebukes concerning those who fall into
such practices:
"For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is
that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is
a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of
the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose
praise is not of men, but of God." (Romans 2:28-29)
"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare
ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they
measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves
among themselves, are not wise." (2 Corinthians 10:12)
Jesus likewise had some stern words to offer to the robed
hypocrites who continually sought the praise of the common
people as in the following examples:
"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen
of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is
in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not
sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of
men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when
thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right
hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father
which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. And
when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are:
for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the
corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily
I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou
prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy
door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father
which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."
(Matthew 6:1-6)
"Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad
countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may
appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have
their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine
head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to
fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy
Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."
(Matthew 6:16-18)
"But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they
make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of
their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and
the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the
markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi."
(Matthew 23:5-7)
"Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes,
and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in
the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;"
(Luke 20:46)
The Apostle John also commented on the hypocrisy of the
chief rulers, and exposed their sin of being more interested
in pleasing the Scribes and the Pharisees than in pleasing
God. What is truly sad is that all of these verses can be
equally applied to some religious leaders today, as well as
to some political leaders who bow to their pressure in order
to win the votes of their congregations:
"Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on
him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him,
lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved
the praise of men more than the praise of God."
(John 12:42-43)
By the time Jesus arrived in the First Century, the Mosaic
Law and Oral Tradition had become so exalted, and had become
such a weapon of bondage in the hands of the Scribes and
Pharisees, that Jesus had no choice but to expose their
legalism and their lack of love and mercy as in the
following incident where they self-righteously pointed the
finger at Him for keeping company with sinners:
"And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house,
behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with
him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they
said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with
publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said
unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they
that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will
have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Matthew 9:10-13)
In another incident, Jesus clearly told them that their
perspective concerning the Law had become totally reversed
from the way the Lord had originally intended for it to be
understood when it was first given to Moses. Rather than
serving as a guide or schoolmaster for good behavior as
mentioned by Paul, the Scribes and Pharisees had converted
it into a driving slavemaster for the common people who knew
no better than to follow their spiritual elders:
"And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields
on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went,
to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him,
Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not
lawful? And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David
did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that
were with him? How he went into the house of God in the days
of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread,
which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave
also to them which were with him? And he said unto them, The
sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:"
(Mark 2:23-27)
Notice Jesus' final words in the previous verses. Even today
there are those who would have us compromise our faith in
Jesus Christ alone, by telling us that we still need to
observe certain parts of the Mosaic Law in order to
'supplement' our Salvation. As if the Blood of Jesus Christ
is not enough to keep us saved! Lord help them! Unlike the
Scribes and Pharisees of yesteryear and the self-righteous
religionists of today who continue to strive to keep people
under bondage by heaving upon them the burdens of the Mosaic
Law, Jesus offered to lift our burdens, and to place them
upon His own shoulders. This He gladly did when He bore our
sins on the Cross. The only burden He left for us to bear is
to believe in the Atonement which He freely offers to all
men:
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;
for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest
unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is
light." (Matthew 11:28-30)
"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,
that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness:
by whose stripes ye were healed." (1 Peter 2:24)
In his first Epistle to the Church at Corinth, the Apostle
Paul clearly tells us that Jesus Christ has alread paid the
complete Price for our Salvation:
"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in
your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
(1 Corinthians 6:20)
"Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men."
(1 Corinthians 7:23)
Being as this is the case, why then do certain Christians
today continue to insist that we need to give the Lord a
little help by continuing to adhere to the Mosaic Law? As
the Apostle Paul clearly wrote, you cannot mix grace and
works. It is either one or the other:
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any
man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;" (Titus 3:5)
"And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise
grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no
more grace: otherwise work is no more work." (Romans 11:6)
Trying to continue to keep different aspects of the Mosaic
Law, whether it be honouring special Jewish feast days, or
keeping the Sabbath, is simply a religion of works, and not
one of grace and faith. As we have already seen, once you
begin to attempt to fulfill the Mosaic Law, you must either
keep all of it, or else none of it; otherwise it is a
complete waste of time. Instead of becoming bogged down in
the letter of the Law, these people need to remember the
Spirit of the Law; and that is 'Thou shalt love'. Exactly as
Jesus had taught, the Apostles James and Paul also
repeatedly stressed that love was the fulfillment of the
Mosaic Law:
"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that
loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt
not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not
steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not
covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly
comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour:
therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."
(Romans 13:8-10)
"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this;
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
(Galatians 5:14)
"If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:"
(James 2:8)
Notice that James even goes so far as to refer to it as the
Royal Law. In other words, it is the Supreme Law of the
land! It is the Law of Love of the King of Kings and Lord of
Lords! If you keep just that one law, the Law of Love, then
you are keeping all of the others, because as Jesus said,
they are all derived from it, they hang on it, they are
dependent upon it.
Unfortunately, that is precisely the problem. In our modern
day, we don't even know how to love each other properly. In
many cases, what some people call love today, comes with all
kinds of attachments or pre-conditions. It is not an
unselfish love such as what Jesus taught. Just as the Lord
said that His Disciples would be known for their fervent
love for each other, He also said that the Endtime would be
marked by a severe decline in man's love for his fellow man.
Note the sharp contrast between the following two verses.
They clearly show who will be in charge of the world prior
to the Lord's return. It certainly won't be the Disciples of
Jesus Christ:
"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye
have love one to another." (John 13:35)
"And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall
wax cold." (Matthew 24:12)
In other words, because iniquity, or sin, will fill the
world in the Last Days, true unselfish spiritual love will
diminish. This is the kind of love Jesus demonstrated when
He died on the Cross. Not only did Jesus fulfill the Mosaic
Law by living a sinless life, but He also fulfilled it by
offering Himself as the Perfect Sacrifice of Love, thus
fulfilling all of the Law and the Prophets, because love is
the fulfillment of the Law. Consider some of the things He
said to His own Disciples prior to His Death on the Cross:
"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life
for the sheep...As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the
Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other
sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must
bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one
fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me,
because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No
man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have
power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I received of my Father."
(John 10:11, 15-18)
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his
life for his friends." (John 15:13)
If there was one person who fully understood the Sacrifice
of Love made by Jesus Christ, and the pre-eminence of Love
over the Law, surely it was the Apostle John. Throughout his
writings he emphasized this point over and over again:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down
his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the
brethren." (1 John 3:16)
"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In
this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that
God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might
live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but
that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation
for our sins." (1 John 4:8-10).
The Apostle Paul shared this same Message of Love in his
Epistle to the Romans when he wrote:
"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ
died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will
one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even
dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
(Romans 5:6-8)
Because of the mercy and the grace which he personally
experienced, despite his own sins of having persecuted the
Church prior to his conversion to the Christian faith, Paul
was absolutely convinced of the Love of God. Aside from
being noted for his excellent treatises on faith versus the
Law, Paul is also known for having written the following
verses in his same letter to the Church at Rome:
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)
This brings us to the final topic I wish to cover in this
article. Those who do not know God's love, or who have not
accepted God's love through the Sacrifice of His Son, will
never experience the peace which He offers. As Jesus said:
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as
the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might
have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be
of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
Notice that in both of these verses, Jesus is saying that
the only way to obtain this true peace is by having faith in
Him alone. It is only when one realizes that he cannot save
himself through any vain attempts of his own, and when he
finally surrenders his will and accepts the Sacrifice of
Jesus Christ, that he can achieve peace between himself and
God the Father; for God will not be satisfied with anything
less than this. Until such an one arrives at this point, he
will continue to experience turmoil and spiritual unrest in
his life. This thought is further confirmed by additional
Scriptures found in the Epistles. Consider the following:
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ:" (Romans 5:1)
"But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are
made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who
hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of
partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the
enmity, even the law of commandments contained in
ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so
making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in
one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And
came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to
them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by
one Spirit unto the Father." (Ephesians 2:13-18)
"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,
shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 4:7)
"For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness
dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his
cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him,
I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your
mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body
of his flesh through death, to present you holy and
unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:"
(Colossians 1:19-22)
Not only do those who resist the Sacrifice of Love of Jesus
Christ experience turmoil and spiritual unrest in their
lives, but they may also live their lives in constant fear.
If they knew and accepted the Lord as they should, then they
would realize that everything is going to be alright because
God is certainly one who knows how to take care of His
children. Jesus stressed this point over and over again in
the Gospels. One verse I have often quoted which
demonstrates this point is the following taken from Paul's
Epistle to the Romans. It is an excellent verse for building
one's faith in the Lord, and for solacing those who are in
need of comfort during times of trial or great testing:
"And we know that all things work together for good to them
that love God, to them who are the called according to his
purpose." (Romans 8:28)
On the other hand, if one has not accepted God's Gift of
Love in his life, not only does he live in fear, but he may
also live in torment, for as the Apostle John wrote:
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out
fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made
perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)
Aside from a fear of failure in life, which many people are
prone to suffer, particularly those in the industrialized
nations of the West, perhaps one of the biggest fears in the
world is the fear of death. Some people live their whole
lives in fear and torment wondering how they are going to
die, when they are going to die, where they are going to
die, and what will happen to them after they die. Not only
that, but when people do not live a life of love, they are
constantly in fear of what others might do to them because
of the unloving things they have done to them. This is
particularly true of those who become involved in a life of
crime. All of this could easily be avoided if they would
just stop and accept God's Gift of Love into their lives,
and allow the Lord to turn their lives around. Sadly, in
their own pride and arrogance, many simply refuse to do
this.
To conclude this article then, as Jesus, Paul, John, and
James have all said, the greatest commandment, the greatest
law, the Royal Law, is simply 'Thou shalt love'. As James
wrote, if we do this, surely we will do well. However, we
cannot do this of our own accord. To love as we should
requires a special kind of love; it requires a Divine Love.
The only way to acquire this kind of Love, is by accepting
the Gift of Love which God offers through His Son Jesus
Christ. If you haven't yet accepted the Lord, I hope you
will do it today. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at
Ephesus:
"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth
is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches
of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in
the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by
faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be
able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and
length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of
Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled
with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3:14-19)
Remember, you can't do it on your own; only Jesus can. Won't
you accept Him today? I pray that this article has been a
blessing and an inspiration in your life.