Those who are \u201cbewitched\u201d by the \u201cworks of the law\u201d of Moses will tell you that since it was God who gave Moses the law, therefore \u201cthe law of the spirit\u201d (Rom 8:2), also called \u201cthe law of Christ\u201d (Gal 6:2), must be the same as the \u201claw of Moses\u201d (Luk 24:44).<\/p>\n
Yes, Mr. Convery (who was quoted in our last study), \u201cJesus Christ [is<\/u><\/strong>] the same yesterday, today and forever\u201d, but if you truly believe as you stated that \u201c[Christ] is not changing it\u201d (the law of Moses), then I can only conclude that your eyes are blinded to the virtual \u201creformation\u201d (Heb 9:10) revealed by Christ in Matthew 5.<\/p>\n Matthew 5 is a new wine in a new bottle. Matthew 5-7 is a new garment made of new cloth. It is not compatible with the old covenant, and attempting to make it so will only \u201cbreak the bottles\u2026spill the wine\u201d and \u201cmake the rent worse.\u201d<\/p>\n Mat 9:16\u00a0 No man putteth a piece of new cloth [Christ\u2019s reformed doctrine] unto an old garment [the old covenant law of Moses],\u00a0for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.<\/strong> Yes, indeed, \u201cJesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, today, and forever\u201d(Heb 13:8), but that Truth in no way suggests that His plan does not have different phases which are leading up to its accomplished goal. The flood of Noah was not an afterthought requiring the Lord to recalculate and reformulate another plan. That flood was designed by the Lord from \u201cbefore the world began\u201d (2Ti 1:9, Tit 1:2). It was designed as preordained to signify our baptism in the spirit:<\/p>\n 1Pe 3:20\u00a0 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited\u00a0in the days of Noah<\/strong>, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were\u00a0saved by water<\/strong>. Hebrews 13:8 does not imply that \u201cthe old man\u2026 the first man Adam\u201d (Eph 4:22; 1Co 15:44-49), is the same as \u201cthe new man\u201d (Eph 4:24). Neither does \u201cJesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever\u201d even remotely deny that the Old Covenant \u201cis abolished\u201d (2Co 3:13) and \u201cis done away in Christ\u201d (2Co 3:14) when the new covenant comes on the scene. \u201cWe were called in Christ before the world began\u201d, and the flood of Noah simply signifies the death of our old man to the law of Moses so we can now be married to Christ:<\/p>\n Rom 7:1\u00a0 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? 2Co 5:16\u00a0 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh,\u00a0yet now henceforth know we\u00a0him<\/em>\u00a0no more<\/u>\u00a0[after the flesh].<\/strong> Heb 8:13\u00a0 In that he saith, A new\u00a0covenant,<\/em>\u00a0he hath made the first old.\u00a0Now that which decayeth and waxeth old\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0ready to vanish away<\/u><\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n You are right, \u201cthere is no other way\u201d, but that singular \u2018way\u2019 is Matthew 5, not Exodus 20 or any other part of the \u201cthings written in the book of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n You are also right, \u201cIf you do not\u00a0follow\u00a0Him<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0as He just described in 1 John, then you are not led by the Spirit of God.\u201d<\/p>\n 1Jo 3:24\u00a0 And he that keepeth\u00a0his<\/u><\/strong> commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us,\u00a0by the Spirit which he hath given us<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cHis commandments\u201d are not the commandments of Moses. If they were, then Christ disobeyed Moses’ commandments when He changed the law of Moses, including two of the ten commandments, in Matthew 5. \u201cHis commandments\u201d here in 1 John, however, have nothing to do with the ten commandments or the old covenant \u201cletter\u201d, which are one and the same (Deu 4:13) and which are called \u201cthe ministration of death\u201d (2Co 3:7). The commandments referred to in 1 John are revealed in the gospels, in Matthew 5-7. They are certainly nowhere to be found in the law of Moses, the old covenant.<\/p>\n Act 13:39\u00a0 And by him all that believe are justified from all things,\u00a0from which ye could\u00a0not<\/u>\u00a0be justified\u00a0by the law of Moses<\/u>.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n As mentioned earlier, it was this same Apostle John who calls the holy days \u201cfeasts of the Jews\u201d:<\/p>\n Joh 5:1 After this there was\u00a0a feast of the Jews<\/strong>; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem .<\/p>\n Joh 6:4 And the Passover,\u00a0a feast of the Jews<\/strong>, was nigh.<\/p>\n Joh 7:2 Now\u00a0the Jews\u2019 feast<\/strong>\u00a0of tabernacles was at hand.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It is manifestly obvious that John had the \u201cfeasts of the Jews\u201d and holy days of the law of Moses and the weekly sabbath in mind when he penned the gospel of John. In all my years in a church which observed the weekly sabbath and all the annual holy days, I never once heard a single minister, not one student nor even one church member use John\u2019s terminology, \u201ca feast of the Jews\u201d for these days. To us, at that time of my life, these were \u201cGod\u2019s<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0Holy Days\u201d and \u201cGod\u2019s<\/u><\/strong> festivals\u201d. We took pride in the fact that we kept \u201cGod\u2019s holy days\u201d and we did\u00a0not<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0keep pagan holidays. Yet Colossians tells us holy days were \u201ca [mere] shadow of things to come\u201d (Col 2:16 and 17), in the same way that physical blood offerings were a shadow and type of the sacrifice of Christ.<\/p>\n Hebrews 10 tells us the entire law was but \u201ca shadow of good things to come\u201d and that the Lord is taking away that first \u2018shadow\u2019 \u201cthat He may establish the second\u201d the reality, the body casting that shadow (Heb 10:1-9).<\/p>\n Heb 10:1\u00a0 For the law\u00a0having a shadow of good things to come,<\/strong>\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. Yes, indeed, \u201cIf you do not follow Him as just described in 1 John, then you are not led by the Spirit\u201d.<\/p>\n 1Jn 2:3\u00a0 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep\u00a0his<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0commandments.<\/strong> What are \u201cHis\u00a0<\/strong>commandments\u201d? What was\u00a0His<\/strong> \u201cwalk\u201d? Did Christ\u2019s commandments agree with Moses’ law \u201cwhich you have heard said by them of old time?” (Mat 5:21, 27, 33) Was Christ\u2019s \u2018walk\u2019 in accord with the law of Moses? It is true that there is some agreement between the old and new covenants. Five of the ten commandments are reiterated in:<\/p>\n Rom 13:8\u00a0 Owe no man any thing,\u00a0but to love one another<\/strong>: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.<\/strong> Paul\u2019s emphasis here agrees with everything else he has to say about how the law of Moses is being replaced by the law of love, also known as\u00a0the law of the spirit<\/u>\u00a0of life in Christ Jesus, which he made clear earlier in this same epistle to the Romans:<\/p>\n Rom 8:1\u00a0\u00a0There is<\/em>\u00a0therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but\u00a0after the Spirit<\/u>.<\/strong> \u201cTHE WORDS\u00a0THAT I SPEAK<\/u>\u00a0UNTO YOU, THEY ARE SPIRIT and they are life\u201d (Joh 6:63). These words were penned by the same apostle who wrote 1 John. It is the words of Christ which give life and which will judge us (Joh 12:48).<\/p>\n You are right, Mr. Convery, when you say; \u201cin 1Jn 2:3-6, we read a very sobering measuring stick as to the degree we are led by the Spirit of God.\u201d<\/p>\n 1Jn 2:3\u00a0 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his<\/strong>\u00a0commandments. What so many fail to realize is that \u201cHis commandments\u2026 His Word\u201d, the words of Christ are not the law of Moses. The \u201cHis commandments\u201d of 1 John 2:3-6 are contrasted by Christ Himself with the law of Moses in Matthew 5. Christ\u2019s words are our \u201cmeasuring stick\u201d of spiritual maturity, not the law which is \u201cnot for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient\u201d (1Ti 1:9). \u201cTurn the other cheek also\u201d does not agree with \u201can eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth\u201d:<\/p>\n Mat 5:38\u00a0 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: \u201cThe words that I have spoken\u2026 they are spirit and they are life\u201d (Joh 6:63), are not the words of the old covenant. The Old Covenant was only \u201cuntil John [the Baptist]\u201d:<\/p>\n Joh 1:17\u00a0 For the law was given by Moses,\u00a0but<\/em>\u00a0grace and truth\u00a0came by Jesus Christ<\/u><\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n If indeed \u201cgrace and Truth came by Jesus Christ\u201d, then what is the law of Moses? It is what it is called\u2026 \u201cThe law of sin and death\u201d and those who persist in being under that law \u201cshall\u00a0not<\/strong>\u00a0be heir with the son of the freewoman\u201d (Gal 4:30).<\/p>\n Rom 8:2\u00a0 For\u00a0the law of the Spirit\u00a0<\/strong>of life in Christ Jesus [the law of the spirit] hath made me free from\u00a0the law of sin and death<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0[\u201cthe law for the lawless<\/u>\u201d (1Ti 1:9)]. 1Ti 1:9\u00a0 Knowing this, that\u00a0the law is\u00a0not<\/u>\u00a0made for a righteous man, but for the lawless\u00a0<\/strong>and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Heb 8:13 In that he saith a new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n To Paul, as it should be to us, God\u2019s word is reality. As far as Paul was concerned, the old covenant had been \u201cvanishing away\u201d from the time of Jeremiah. \u201c\u2026Your burnt offerings are not acceptable nor your sacrifices sweet unto me\u201d (Jer 6:20).<\/p>\n Jer 31:31-32 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a\u00a0new<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:\u00a0not<\/u>\u00a0according to the covenant that I made with their fathers<\/strong>\u2026\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n As Christ pointed out, we don\u2019t put new wine in old bottles (Mat 9:17). The \u2018new wine\u2019 does \u201cnot accord\u201d with the \u2018old bottles,\u2019 and the New Covenant is \u201cnot according to the covenant that I made with their fathers.\u201d That is a chief element of the revelation of the new covenant. The new does not \u201caccord\u201d with the old. \u201cNo man putteth a piece of new cloth into an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse\u201d (Mat 9:16).<\/p>\n There have always been, and still are today, plenty of \u2018worn out\u2019 garments around. If we attempt to repair our carnal old fleshly bodies with the ten commandments, we will only make sin appear more sinful. Our righteousness must \u201cexceed\u201d that of Job, the rich young ruler and Paul before his conversion (Mat 5:20).<\/p>\n Jer 31:33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts\u2026’<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The new law is written in our inward parts, but the \u201cold is ready to vanish away\u201d:<\/p>\n Heb 8:13\u00a0 In that he saith, A new\u00a0covenant,<\/em>\u00a0he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old\u00a0is<\/em> ready to vanish away.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The holy spirit, through the pen of the apostles, is telling us that the law of Moses is \u201cwaxing old and is ready to vanish away.\u201d The Greek here for the English words \u2018vanish away\u2019 is not\u00a0katargeo<\/em>\u00a0for once. It is\u00a0aphanismos<\/em>, Strong\u2019s G854. This is the only place this form of this word is used in scripture. However, it is taken from aphanizo<\/em>, Strong\u2019s G853 which appears five times in the New Testament: Mat 6:16, Mat 6:19, Mat 6:20, Act 13:41, Jas 4:14.<\/p>\n Act 13:41 Behold you despisers, and wonder, and perish\u2026\u201d (aphanizo\u00a0G853).<\/p>\n Jas 4:14 \u2026What is your life? It is even as a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and vanisheth away\u201d (aphanizo\u00a0G853).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cAphanismos\u201d may not be \u201ckatargeo<\/em>\u201c, but they do seem to have a lot in common. There is very little difference between \u201cdone away\u201d, (Katargeo) and \u201cvanish away\u201d (aphanizo).<\/p>\n The phrase \u2018under the law\u2019 appears in seven separate areas of scripture. When two connected verses contain the phrase, we consider it as a single section of scripture, even though the phrase appears as many as three times in a single verse.<\/p>\n We will demonstrate with these seven sections that in God\u2019s eyes obedience to the law of Moses is the spiritual equivalent of being \u201cunder sin.\u201d The reason given is \u201cbecause by the law is the knowledge of sin\u201d (Rom 3:20). In other words, \u201cIn the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.\u201d Paul is telling us that the law is the antitype of the law of Moses.\u00a0 The tree placed by God in the middle of the garden of Eden, of which man must eat before he can partake of the source of life, signifies \u201cthe law of sin and death\u201d of which all men must partake before they can go through the fiery sword which \u2018keeps the way of the tree of life\u2019.<\/p>\n Yes, it was God who had told them not to eat of this tree, but the goal and purpose in creating Adam and Eve was to: \u201cbring many sons unto glory\u201d (Heb 2:10). Since Christ was \u201cslain from the foundation of the world\u201d (Rev 13:8), it follows that God knew that Adam had to sin in order to need a Savior. \u201cI had not known sin but by the law\u201d (Rom 7:7). \u201cForasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that THROUGH DEATH he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil\u201d (Heb 2:14). Now \u201cthe tree of life\u201d is not \u201cthe tree of the knowledge of good and evil.\u201d The fruit of one is life, and the fruit of the other is death. \u201cFor this cause he is the mediator of the new testament\u00a0[covenant]\u00a0that BY MEANS OF DEATH, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance\u201d. This is why Paul refers to the law of Moses as \u201cthe law of sin and death.\u201d<\/p>\n Rom 8:2\u00a0 For\u00a0the law of the Spirit\u00a0<\/strong>of life in Christ Jesus [the law of the spirit] hath made me free from\u00a0the law of sin and death<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0[\u201cthe law for the lawless<\/u>\u201d (1Ti 1:9)]. 1Ti 1:9\u00a0 Knowing this, that the law [of Moses] is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,<\/p><\/blockquote>\n There it is: \u201c\u2026transgressions\u2026were under the first covenant\u201d. Sin no longer dominates\u00a0us\u00a0<\/strong>because\u00a0we<\/strong>\u00a0\u201care not under the law, but under grace\u201d:<\/p>\n Rom 6:14\u00a0 For sin shall not have dominion over you:\u00a0for ye are not under the law, but under grace.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cNow we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God\u201d (Rom 3:19). Again it\u2019s the ten commandments that make \u201call the world\u2026guilty before God\u201d. What does Paul mean by this next verse? \u201cTherefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin\u201d (Rom 3:20).<\/p>\n What he means, as we have said before, is that life can no more come through the law (the knowledge of sin and therefore of righteousness also \u2013 Rom 7:7) than it can come through the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Bringing life is not the function of this tree \u00a0which signifies the law of Moses including the ten commandments. The function of the law of Moses is to bring man to the point that he sees his need for a Savior. It accomplishes this by revealing our earthy, naked, sinful dying condition we have from creation. Christ was slain \u201cfrom the foundation of the world\u201d, before Adam and Eve even sinned. Man was created flesh and blood, and naked. \u2018Nakedness\u2019 signifies being sinful from the Potter\u2019s hand\u201d :<\/p>\n Jer 18:4\u00a0 And the vessel that he made of clay [Aam]\u00a0was marred in the hand of the potter<\/strong>: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make\u00a0it.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Being made of clay means Adam would have died if he had never<\/u> eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: \u201cNow this I say brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth CORRUPTION inherit incorruption\u201d (1Co 15:50). Adam simply needed to come to see his sad dying, corruptible composition and condition.<\/p>\n Now notice this next verse carefully: \u201cFor sin shall not have dominion over you: (and why not?)\u00a0For ye are not<\/u> under the law,<\/strong>\u00a0but under grace\u201d (Rom 6:14). If there is a scripture anywhere in God\u2019s word which demonstrates that there are two laws in view whenever Paul talks about \u201cthe law\u201d, this is that scripture.<\/p>\n Our carnal minded reasoning is: \u201cif we keep the law, then we are\u00a0not<\/u> dominated by sin, sin has no dominion over us.\u201d Paul says \u201c\u2026sin shall not have dominion over you for\u00a0[because]\u00a0you are NOT under the law.\u201d If you are under the law, you are a sinner of the worst self-righteous sort, such as Job, the rich young ruler, and Saul of Tarsus.<\/p>\n There are those who will tell you that \u2018under the law\u2019 simply means \u2018under the curse of the law\u2019 which they interpret to mean the curse of death.<\/p>\n Those who follow this doctrine completely miss Paul\u2019s point that the law of Moses \u201cis not of faith\u201d (Gal 3:12) and is itself, along with the ten commandments, \u201cthe law of sin and death\u201d (Rom 8:2), \u201cthe ministration of death written and engraven in stones\u201d causing Moses\u2019 face to shine (2Co 3:7).<\/p>\n I am well aware that one cannot force a blind man to see. However, if you have been given \u201ceyes to see\u201d and you have read Matthew 5, then you will see that the ten commandments and \u201cthe whole law\u201d have all lost their glory \u201cby reason of that which excels\u201d (2Co 3:10). You will further see that to cling to them and the entire Torah is to be embracing death itself: \u201cTherefore by the deeds\u00a0[Greek:\u00a0ergon<\/em>\u00a0Strong\u2019s G2041; doing, works]\u00a0of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight:\u00a0for by the law\u00a0is the knowledge of sin<\/u><\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n The knowledge of sin saves no one, and the law, the ten commandments, are the knowledge of sin (Rom 7:7).<\/p>\n Those who cling to Torah and the ten commandments will quote Gal 3:12; \u201c\u2026The man that doeth\u00a0them shall live<\/strong>\u00a0in them.\u201d This seems to be the only part of this verse they see. They jump on the word \u201clive\u201d and give it a positive connotation and deride detractors for being against living by the\u00a0law of Moses. God has simply not given them eyes to see the first part of this verse: \u201cThe law is\u00a0NOT<\/u><\/strong> of faith\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Gal 3:12\u00a0 And\u00a0the law is not of faith:<\/strong>\u00a0but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n With that reasoning, one could take \u201c\u2026she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth\u201d, (1Ti 5:6) and give the word \u201cliveth\u201d a positive connotation and completely miss the point. Paul\u2019s point is that \u201cthe law is not of faith\u201d. To live by the law, \u201cthe deeds of the law\u201d (Heb 11:6), will have the same effect as \u201cliving in pleasure.\u201d You will be \u201cdead while you live\u201d because \u201cthe law is not of faith.\u201d Now the most casual student of the scripture is aware that \u201cwithout faith it is impossible to please\u00a0[God]\u201d (Heb 11:6).<\/p>\n Paul\u2019s point, which it seems the whole of Christendom has missed, is that Torah, the law (yes, including the ten commandments) IS itself the curse. It gives us the knowledge of sin (Rom 7:7) and of righteousness (Psa 119:172). It makes us feel righteous, and that becomes \u201cmine own righteousness which is of the law\u201d:<\/p>\n Php 3:9\u00a0 And be found in him,\u00a0not<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0having mine own righteousness, which is of the law<\/strong>, but that which is through the faith of Christ,\u00a0the righteousness\u00a0which is of God by faith<\/u>:<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Our \u2018idol of the heart\u2019 (Eze 14:3-7) tells us, \u201cGod\u2019s commandments could not possibly produce death; after all they are of God, and God would never give us anything that would bring forth death.\u201d The laws God gave Moses seem \u201cpleasant to the sight and good for food\u201d and they are placed right there in the midst of the garden of God\u2019s word, put there by God himself who would never put anything poison to our spiritual well being right in front of us and make it appear so good and good for us. God would never do that. Yet The Truth is: \u201cAnd out of the ground made the Lord to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food\u2026the tree of the knowledge of good and evil\u201d :<\/p>\n Gen 2:9\u00a0 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight,\u00a0and good for food<\/strong>;\u00a0the tree of life also in the midst of the garden,\u00a0and the tree of knowledge of good and evil<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil good for food? That is what Genesis 2:9 says.<\/p>\n \u201cThe tree of life also in the midst of the garden,\u00a0and the tree of knowledge of good and evil<\/strong>\u2026 [are] good for food\u201d.<\/p>\n Doesn\u2019t the tree of the knowledge of good and evil produce death? Of course, it does: \u201cFor as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse\u00a0[of death]: for it is written, cursed is every one that continueth not in ALL things that are written in the book of the law\u00a0[Torah]\u00a0to do them\u201d (Gal 3:10). This verse precedes the one quoted above and used in defense of keeping the law: \u201cthe man that doeth them shall live in them\u201d (vs 12). Peter says concerning the law it is \u201ca yoke\u2026which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear\u201d (Act 15:10).<\/p>\n Heb 2:15 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; THAT THROUGH DEATH he might destroy him that hath the power of death, that is the devil.\u201d<\/p>\n Col 1:22 In the body of his flesh THROUGH DEATH, to present you holy, and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight.<\/p>\n Heb 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from\u00a0[out of or through]DEATH\u2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n There are three scriptures explaining why the tree of the knowledge of good and evil serves as food in the middle of the garden of Eden and why the ten commandments, \u201cthe ministration of death written and engraven in stones\u201d (2Co 3:7) are placed right in the middle of God\u2019s word.<\/p>\n While this last scripture concerns dying to the flesh, it serves to demonstrate the creator\u2019s modus operandi: \u201cAs it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ once was offered to bear the sins of many\u2026\u201d (Heb 9:27, 28).<\/p>\n These two scriptures, John 12:24 and Hebrews 9:27,28, reveal much of the mind of God on the subject of death. Being under the law and therefore being subject to death, are all an integral part of God\u2019s plan. Before God ever created Adam, He had a plan of salvation for Adam and all his children.<\/p>\n 2Ti 1:9\u00a0 Who hath saved us, and called\u00a0us<\/em>\u00a0with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace,\u00a0which was given us in Christ Jesus\u00a0before the world began<\/u>,<\/strong><\/p>\n Tit 1:2\u00a0 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised\u00a0before the world began<\/u>;<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Adam\u2019s need for a Savior is revealed from the beginning in the description of his appearance and his composition. He was composed of dust, the very thing we are told furnishes nourishment for the Adversary who is represented here by the serpent (Gen 3:14). Another clue to Adam\u2019s predestinated fate is that he was CREATED naked. Adam came into this world just as every person ever descended from him\u2026NAKED. As surely as dust represents flesh, nakedness depicts the sinful nature inherent in being made of dust: \u201cThe first man\u00a0[Adam in each of us]\u00a0is of the earth, earthy: the second man\u00a0[in each of us]\u00a0is the Lord from heaven\u201d (1Co 15:47).<\/p>\n \u201cAnd so it is written the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit\u201d (1Co 15:45). Those who teach that the statement \u201cthe man that doeth them (the works of the law) shall live in them\u201d(Gal 3:12) is a positive statement, will miss the fact that the \u201cliving soul\u201d here is contrasted with the quickening (life giving) spirit. Any \u201cliving soul\u201d is also a dying soul\u2026 \u201cthe soul that sinneth it shall die\u201d (Eze 18:4,20). Also, anyone living in the \u201cdeeds of the law\u201d is \u201cnot of faith\u201d (Gal 3:12). Being \u201cnot of faith\u201d is not a positive position to be in with God.<\/p>\n Adam was \u201cnot of faith\u201d because he followed his wife who believed the serpent rather than God. Having believed the serpent, Eve, typifying the deceived church of God, ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, just as some churches today teach that the ten commandments are the same as the sermon on the mount. \u201cAnd Adam was not deceived\u201d (1Ti 2:14) but was so attached to his wife\u00a0[his church]\u00a0instead of his maker that he followed her instead of God.<\/p>\n How many sons of God see the contradictions between scripture and church doctrines but cannot face the thought of possibly losing all their friends and their family to remain true to the commandments of God \u201cthou shalt not eat\u201d of \u201cthe tree of the KNOWLEDGE of good and evil\u201d?<\/p>\n As God had predestinated, both Adam (the \u201cson of God\u201d Luk 3:38) and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They could not be given life having eaten of this tree because \u201cBy the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for by THE LAW is the KNOWLEDGE of sin\u201d (Rom 3:20).<\/p>\n Adam was not deceived. He did not want to disobey God, but he was persuaded by his wife. Any student of scripture knows that women typify the church whether faithful or \u201cfallen.\u201d The moment they both ate of this tree, they became aware of a truth that had been the truth before they became aware of it. \u201cThey were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed\u201d (Gen 2:25). This is virtually the same condition describing the \u201clukewarm\u201d Laodicean church in the book of Revelation: \u201cBecause you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue you out of my mouth. Because you sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods and have need of nothing;\u00a0AND KNOW NOT<\/u>\u00a0THAT\u00a0THOU ART<\/u>\u00a0wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and\u00a0NAKED<\/u><\/strong>\u201d (Rev 3:16,17).<\/p>\n So it was with Adam and Eve. They had the whole world to themselves. They were communing with God, and He had given them this beautiful garden signifying His word. Not being aware that they are inherently sinful by their earthy composition and their naked condition, like all their descendants, they partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and \u201call the world\u201d henceforth becomes guilty before God\u201d (Rom 3:19):<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the woman saw that\u00a0the tree was\u00a0good for food<\/u><\/strong>, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat\u201d (Gen 3:6).<\/p>\n The word of God does not say Eve \u2018thought\u2019 the tree was good for food; it says \u201cthe tree was good for food\u2026 pleasant to the eyes\u2026to be desired to make one wise.\u201d<\/p>\n The law, in fulfilling its function as a schoolmaster, nourishes us much like the umbilical cord nourishes an unborn infant until the time of its birth. At that point the umbilical binding must be cut, and the infant must receive a more mature nourishment. If that cord of the law of Moses is not cut and the infant does not begin partaking of the more developed nourishment of the \u201cmilk of the words\u201d of Christ, he will die. \u201cAs newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby\u201d (1Pe 2:2).<\/p>\n A later iteration of that lesson is that if we remain on the milk of the Word, we will never become mature adults and will die of spiritual malnutrition:<\/p>\n Heb 5:12\u00a0 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which\u00a0be<\/em>\u00a0the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. At the Jerusalem conference in Acts 15, it was Peter who called the law a \u201cyoke\u2026 which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear\u201d (Act 15:10). Paul is not referring to Torah or the law of Moses when he mentions the \u201csincere milk of the word.\u201d He is rather speaking of \u201cthe words that I have spoken\u201d: \u201cHe that rejecteth me and receiveth not\u00a0my words<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0[as opposed to Torah]\u00a0hath one that judgeth him:\u00a0the word that\u00a0I have spoken<\/u><\/strong>, the same shall judge him in the last day\u201d (John 12:48). \u201cThe sincere milk\u201d is for \u201cnewborn babes\u2026\u00a0in Christ<\/strong>\u201d. That \u2018milk\u2019 is \u201cChrist and Him crucified\u201d 1Co 2:2; 3:1 and 2). While milk is the best food in the world for \u2018babes in Christ\u2019, it is\u00a0not<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0the best food for a more spiritually mature person. \u201cHowbeit we speak wisdom\u00a0[not just \u2018Christ and Him crucified\u2019] among them that are perfect\u00a0[mature]\u201d (1Co 2:6).<\/p>\n On the other hand, the law, Torah, is \u201ca tree to be desired to make one wise\u201d (Gen 3:6). What does that mean? How does the law which \u201chad no glory\u201d (2Co 3:10) make one wise? \u201cBefore faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should AFTERWARDS be revealed\u201d (Gal 3:23).<\/p>\n So Paul tells Timothy: \u201c\u2026From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures\u00a0[Torah, the old covenant]\u00a0which are able to make thee wise unto salvation\u00a0[\u201cthe law\u2026brings us unto Christ \u2013 Gal 3:24]\u00a0through\u00a0[the new covenant]\u00a0faith which is in Christ Jesus\u201d (2Ti 3:15).<\/p>\n Gal 3:24\u00a0 Wherefore\u00a0the law was our schoolmaster<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0to bring us<\/em>\u00a0unto Christ<\/strong>, that we might be justified by faith. The law of Moses is the law of God only in the sense that the first Adam is \u201cthe son of God\u201d (Luk 3:38) and God is \u201cthe Father of spirits [good and evil]\u201d:<\/p>\n Luk 3:38\u00a0 Which was\u00a0the son<\/em>\u00a0of Enos, which was\u00a0the son<\/em>\u00a0of Seth,\u00a0which was\u00a0the son<\/em>\u00a0of Adam, which was\u00a0the son<\/u><\/em>\u00a0of God<\/u>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Heb 12:9\u00a0 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected\u00a0us,<\/em>\u00a0and we gave\u00a0them<\/em>\u00a0reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection\u00a0unto the Father of spirits<\/strong>, and live?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The law of Moses testifies of and typifies the true law of God just as Adam \u201cin the image of God\u201d testifies of and typifies the true \u201cimage of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature\u201d (Col 1:15). The true \u201cexpress image of His person\u201d (Heb 1:3) is someone the first Adam must \u2018put on\u2019. \u201cPut on the NEW man, which is renewed in knowledge\u00a0[a new man with a new covenant]\u00a0AFTER THE IMAGE OF HIM\u00a0[Christ]\u00a0who created him\u00a0[the first Adam]\u201d (Col 3:10).<\/p>\n We were born the typical image. We must \u201cput on\u201d the true image.<\/p>\n What is the function of the Old Testament scriptures. They make us aware of our inherent nakedness: \u201cBehold, I was shapen\u00a0[of the dust of the ground]\u00a0in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me\u201d (Psa 51:5). The purpose of being \u201cshapen in iniquity\u201d (being made under the law) is to justify the judgment of God. Adam did not \u201cfall\u201d; he simply became aware of how low he already was \u2013 \u201cof the earth, earthy\u201d, \u201cof the dust of the ground\u201d, \u201cnaked\u201d. This was no accident. It was all by Divine design. Adam eating of the tree was \u201cof the Lord\u00a0[because]\u00a0He sought an occasion against\u00a0[the flesh \u2013 Adam]\u00a0for at that time,\u00a0[the flesh]\u00a0had dominion over\u00a0[Adam]:<\/p>\n Jdg 14:4\u00a0 But his father and his mother knew not that\u00a0it\u00a0was<\/em>\u00a0of the LORD<\/u>, that\u00a0he sought an occasion against the Philistines<\/u>: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n When the flesh dominates, God \u201cseeks an occasion against\u00a0[it]. \u201cThe Lamb\u00a0[was]\u00a0slain from the foundation of the world\u201d in preparation and anticipation of Adam\u2019s sin (Rev 13:8).<\/p>\n We have no reason to suppose that David, who was the youngest of his brothers, was born of an adulterous mother. We are told specifically he was the son of Jesse. David is in no way slandering his mother when he says \u201cI was shapen in iniquity\u201d. He is rather acknowledging the earthy composition and naked condition of ALL who are born in Adam:<\/p>\n Psa 51:5\u00a0 Behold,\u00a0I was\u00a0shapen in iniquity<\/u>; and\u00a0in sin did my mother conceive me<\/u><\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n We are all born in need of the law, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to make sin (our nakedness) appear sinful to us. The tree itself is not evil; it is \u201cgood for food\u201d, but its fruit is the KNOWLEDGE of \u2026evil.\u201d \u201cBy the law is the knowledge of sin.\u201d \u201cWas that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin\u00a0by<\/u>\u00a0the commandment<\/strong> might appear exceeding sinful\u201d (Rom 7:13): \u201cAnd the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew\u00a0they were naked<\/u><\/strong>\u201d (Gen 3:7).<\/p>\n David explains in the preceding verse why we are \u201cshapen in iniquity and conceived in sin.\u201d See what he reveals to us in Psalm 51:3,4: \u201cI acknowledge my transgression: and my sin is ever before me\u2026that thou (God) mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear [of unrighteousness] when thou judgest.\u201d David understood God\u2019s purpose in creating evil; \u201cthat thou [God] mightest\u2026 be clear [of evil] when thou judgest.\u201d David knew what judgment was all about. He knew that the day of judgment is the day when the Almighty and All Powerful God would chasten and discipline and save even the most wicked person in the universe. The \u201ccondemnation of the world\u201d is but another less desirable \u201cjudgment\u201d or \u201cchastening.\u201d<\/p>\n 1Co 11:32\u00a0 But\u00a0when we are judged,\u00a0we are chastened<\/u>\u00a0of the Lord<\/strong>, that we should not be condemned with the world.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Once again, JUDGMENT IS CHASTENING.<\/p>\n Rom 6:16\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>What then?\u00a0Shall we sin, because we are not under the law<\/strong>, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey; his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This verse drives home the point Paul is making that sin is no longer defined by the inadequate idea of the law which leads us to believe that as long as you make a good outward show of righteousness, you are therefore righteous. Simply not killing your brother is no longer sufficient; simply restraining oneself from adultery is no longer tolerable to please God; simply not stealing is not acceptable behavior.<\/p>\n In reality, all these \u201ccleavings\u201d to the ten commandments and all the works of the law, were never sufficient to please God to begin with. \u201c
\nMat 9:17\u00a0 Neither do men put new wine [Christ\u2019s \u201cnew covenant, not according to the covenant [He] made with [ancient Israel] (Jer 31:32)] into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish:\u00a0but they put new wine into new bottles,\u00a0and both are preserved<\/strong>\u00a0[The law of Moses continues to bring us to Christ, then \u201cwe are no longer under a schoolmaster (Gal 3:24)].<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n1Pe 3:21\u00a0\u00a0The like figure<\/u>\u00a0whereunto\u00a0even<\/em>\u00a0baptism doth also now save us<\/strong>\u00a0(not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nRom 7:2\u00a0 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to\u00a0her<\/em>\u00a0husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead [Christ died to His flesh and to the law of Moses], she is loosed from the law of\u00a0her<\/em>\u00a0husband.
\nRom 7:3\u00a0 So then if, while\u00a0her<\/em>\u00a0husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.<\/p>\n
\n2Co 5:17\u00a0 Therefore if any man\u00a0be<\/em>\u00a0in Christ,\u00a0he is<\/em>\u00a0a new creature: old things are passed away [Especially \u201cthe old covenant\u201d]; behold,\u00a0all things<\/u>\u00a0[including the law]\u00a0are become new<\/u>.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nHeb 10:2\u00a0 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
\nHeb 10:3\u00a0 But in those\u00a0sacrifices there is<\/em>\u00a0a remembrance again\u00a0made<\/em>\u00a0of sins every year.
\nHeb 10:4\u00a0\u00a0For\u00a0it is<\/em>\u00a0not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins<\/strong>.
\nHeb 10:5\u00a0 Wherefore\u00a0when he cometh into the world<\/u><\/strong>, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:<\/strong>
\nHeb 10:6\u00a0 In burnt offerings and\u00a0sacrifices<\/em>\u00a0for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
\nHeb 10:7\u00a0 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
\nHeb 10:8\u00a0 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and\u00a0offering<\/em>\u00a0for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein;<\/em>\u00a0which are offered\u00a0by the law<\/u><\/strong>;
\nHeb 10:9\u00a0 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.\u00a0He taketh away the first [covenant], that he may establish the second [covenant].<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n1Jn 2:4\u00a0 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not\u00a0his<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0commandments<\/strong>, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
\n1Jn 2:5\u00a0 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected:\u00a0hereby know we that we are in him.<\/strong>
\n1Jn 2:6\u00a0 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even\u00a0as he<\/u>\u00a0walked.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nRom 13:9\u00a0 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\u00a0there be<\/em>\u00a0any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
\nRom 13:10\u00a0 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0the fulfilling of the law.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nRom 8:2\u00a0 For\u00a0the law of the\u00a0<\/strong>Spirit of life in Christ Jesus [the law of the spirit] hath made me free from\u00a0the law of sin and death<\/strong>\u00a0[\u201cthe law for the lawless<\/u>\u201d (1Ti 1:9)].
\nRom 8:3\u00a0 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n1Jn 2:4\u00a0 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not\u00a0his<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
\n1Jn 2:5\u00a0 But whoso keepeth\u00a0his<\/strong>\u00a0word, in him<\/strong> verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are\u00a0in him<\/strong>.
\n1Jn 2:6\u00a0 He that saith he abideth\u00a0in him<\/strong>\u00a0ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nMat 5:39\u00a0\u00a0But I say unto you<\/strong>, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nRom 8:3\u00a0 For what the law could not do, in that\u00a0it<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:<\/p>\nPhrase #6 \u2013 Ready to Vanish Away \u2013 Heb 8:13<\/h4>\n
Phrase #7 \u2013 \u201cUnder the Law\u201d<\/h4>\n
\nRom 8:3\u00a0 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:<\/p>\nLife Comes Through Death<\/h4>\n
\n
Appearance and Composition of Sin and Death<\/h4>\n
All by Nature the Children of Wrath<\/h4>\n
\nHeb 5:13\u00a0\u00a0For every one that useth milk\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0unskilful in the word of righteousness<\/strong>: for he is a babe.
\nHeb 5:14\u00a0\u00a0But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age,<\/strong>\u00a0even<\/em>\u00a0those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nGal 3:25\u00a0\u00a0But after that faith is come,\u00a0we are no longer under a schoolmaster<\/u><\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nDid Adam Fall?<\/h4>\n