Trust Jesus Christ, Not Your Government
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How To Stop |
Divine LawMy personal experience in preaching the Word of God, is that there are two specific Biblical beliefs that are terribly misunderstood by Christians and non-Christians alike, without exception. They are (#1) the issue of Judging others, and (#2) the recent doctrine which theologians and preachers have been espousing that the laws laid down in the Old Testament were only a temporary arrangement and that the advent of Jesus Christ made them null and void. These two items constantly present themselves as obstacles to properly understanding the Bible and as hindrances to the proper Christian development of believers. Understanding these issues makes a difference on the moral boundaries one believes in, and thus also on the moral boundaries one puts into place in one's life. These are all-important issues that are almost universally misunderstood within Christianity. As Blackstone said, "law signifies a rule of action" (1 Bl. Comm. 38). So, what should our rule of action really be? The false doctrine that Divine Law is no longer in effect has a great appeal to the carnal nature of man because it relieves him of responsibility, thus allowing him to completely act according to his will rather than according to the will of God. What is sin but "the transgression of the law" as stated in 1 John 3:4? If one says there is no law that we are under then they are saying there is no sin, and they "make God a liar" as stated in 1 John 1:10. 1 John 3:4 - "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 1:10 - "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." I will show that this is the truth of the matter: In terms of our moral law, no distinction should be made between the Old and New Testaments. The New Testament is simply a continuation of the Old Testament, in that it is the continuing unfolding of yet greater understanding of God's law! Jesus Christ and the Apostles did not give new laws, but rather they gave new motives, enlarged understandings, for keeping the moral precepts. In doing this, they actually gave that body of Old Testament Law increased authority, without exception. Specifically, Bible Law is composed of Commandments, Ordinances, Statutes and Judgments. This includes not only expressed laws and commandments in the Bible, but also laws, rules and principles derived from proverbs, analogies, exhortations, stories, blessings, curses, parables, admonishments, examples, warnings, psalms, and historical events which can also edify us towards a better understanding of the manner of conduct God had intended for us to follow. Following these Biblical laws is of benefit to any nation. They should be implemented in our national laws, justice system, government rules of operation, our economic laws and in our interaction in foreign relations. Following Biblical law would turn our nation into a paradise on earth. Moses said this in Deuteronomy 4:5-10: "Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children." The laws of God will prevail above all other systems of law that man can devise as being the most effective and just. And many blessings are promised to nations that adhere to these precepts, such as rain in due season, abundant harvest, peace in the land, and a thriving economy: Deuteronomy 26:16-19 - "This day the LORD thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice: And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments; And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as he hath spoken." Deuteronomy 28:1-14 - "And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them." Christ clearly taught to keep the Moral law of God: Matthew 19:18-19 - "He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Christ clearly taught the importance of adhering to the writings of "Moses and the prophets": Matthew 22:37-40 - "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." All eternal principles of right and wrong are determined by Divine Law. This law existed before man was created and will exist eternally after man has passed through the judgement. The real truth of this issue was plainly addressed by Jesus Christ: Matthew 5:17-19 - "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 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." Since the earth is still in existence, so are the laws of God. Following God's laws is of the utmost importance. The rise and fall of nations and cultures, the welfare of their peoples, is dependent on how the nations conform to or reject God's Divine Law, as demonstrated in Deuteronomy. There are heavy penalties for those who ignore God's instructions: Deuteronomy 28:15-45 - "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away. The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee. Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof. Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them. Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand. The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway: So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head. The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone. And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee. Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it. Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit. Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume. The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee..." The rise and fall of individuals is also dependent on how the individual conforms to or rejects God's Divine Law. These Natural Laws are still as valid today as they were in Old Testament times. Divine Law is perpetual. When the laws, commandments, statutes and judgements were revealed by God through Moses, the intent was that they were "always" to be kept (Deuteronomy 5:29). Always means perpetually. The advent of Jesus Christ did not make God's Divine laws null and void. Deuteronomy 5:29 - "O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!" This issue of how you perceive the status of Divine Law is an extremely important issue, because the Bible logically reveals that the manner in which we acknowledge and abide by the law of God has an effect on the status of our eternal life: Act 24:14-15 - "But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they [i.e the Jews who reject Messiah] call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." "Believing all things which were written in the law and the prophets." Do you? The Bible clearly reveals that at some time all will be judged, and the law of God, as we find recorded in the Bible, is the guide by which we will be judged: Revelation 20:12 - "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works." Martin Luther points out that "Our will as opposed to God's will is never good. It is at all times wicked. God's will is always best. It is to be loved and to be desired above all things... Without doubt the doing of God's will is nothing but keeping of his commandments; for his will is revealed by his commandments" (1 Luther's Cat. Writings, 192,273). So... How did this grave misunderstanding, this false doctrine that the advent of Jesus Christ made null and void the previously valid Old Testament Law code, come to be? You may have noticed that up to this point I've not mentioned the Ceremonial Law of the Old Testament. And that is where the misunderstanding arises from! The Ceremonial Law was instituted as a temporary taskmaster over the rebellious Israelites. And the Jews even added more overly restrictive man-made laws on to that Ceremonial Law as time went by. The temporary law, the Ceremonial Law, is what was done away with at the advent of Jesus Christ. And the laws added on by the Jews were never "kosher" in the first place! Those temporary laws were never part of the original Divine and eternal law of God. That is the law that is no longer in effect! To have God "nigh unto" us today, we must adhere to the eternal body of the Divine Law of God! Divine Law is still in effect on earth, and will be used before the judgement throne of our Almighty God. Now that the continued existence of Divine Law is established, and now that the benefit to any nation that follows Divine Law is apparent, let's ratchet this discussion on The Law up a notch or two. Many Christians today say that The law is "done away with." Is this true? Well, it depends who you are! If you are a born again Christian, one who follows and accepts Orthodox Christianity, Apostolic Christianity, and one who is become a member of the Kingdom of God, then you have, so to speak, transcended or "exceeded" the law. You are exceeding the Law if you conform to the New Testament teachings of Jesus Christ by internalizing the Divine Law. The Law is a taskmaster for sinners. Under the Old Covenant it was an epoch of time wherein God demonstrated to mankind that mankind is incapable of obeying the whole law of God. Mankind discovered that he is incapable of working his way to heaven, for his works were always marred by sin, and sin was by Biblical definition, the breaking of the Divine Law. But when Jesus rose from the grave and the New Covenant began, a new epoch of Grace began. The Old Covenant was replaced by the New Covenant. No longer is mankind under Law, but rather, he is under Grace. God sent his Son to die on the Cross to pay for our sins. We were to sinful to pay for our sins, incapable of being that good, and unable to save ourselves with our own efforts. But justice requires that sin be judged and restitution be made, so Jesus Christ paid that debt for us with his own execution, sacrificing his life. He loved us that much, He loved us so much, that he gave his life to save our lives. He paid our penalty that justice requires. But who is this Grace of God for? It is offered to all, but only some people receive it. Most people choose to continue on their sinful little way on down that broad path of destruction. They pass it up. They refuse to accept what is freely offered, and keep on working their way to nowhere, expending their efforts to conquer sin their own way, rather than by accepting the sacrifice already made by Jesus Christ. The truth is that fallen mankind, unredeemed, unsaved, remains under the Law. He will be judged according to the Law when he stands before the throne of God to answer for his life. But the redeemed, the saved who have yielded their lives to Jesus Christ, have received pardon for their sins, and will receive God's Grace when they stand before the throne, their sins being forgiven rather than punished. You see, Jesus died to save those who would accept His Lordship, and for those who would take His Law so seriously that they would internalize and exceed His Divine Law. When Jesus ascended, He sent us the Holy Spirit to give us the power we need to follow God, and to "exceed" the Divine Law. Grace if for those who hear God's voice and joyfully enter into His Kingdom. |