Torah and the Believer
I. The New Testament and the Law
* The Law is the statement of the will of God:
Romans 7:14-25 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as
a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not
do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the
law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living
in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I
have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is
not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on
doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it
is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do
good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law;
But I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the
law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my
members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am
a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Romans 8:1-9 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus, Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free
from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it
was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the
likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful
man, In order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in
us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that
nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their
minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the
mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; The sinful mind is hostile to
God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the
sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful
nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does
not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
I Corinthians 7:18-19 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He
should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He
should not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is
nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts.
I John 5:1-3 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and
everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that
we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This
is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
* The Law is intrinsically good:
Romans 7:12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and
good.
I Timothy 1:8-11 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also
know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the
ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers
or mothers, for murderers, For adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and
liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine
That conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to
me.
* The Law is ultimately spiritual:
Romans 7:14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a
slave to sin.
* The reception of the Law by Israel was a great priviledge:
Romans 9:3-4 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, The people of Israel. Theirs
is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving
of the law, the temple worship and the promises.
* All men may be divided into two classes: those who subject themselves to the
Law of God, and those who do not:
Romans 8:6-15 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the
Spirit is life and peace; The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit
to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot
please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the
Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the
Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your
body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who
raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through
his Spirit, who lives in you. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it
is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according
to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the
misdeeds of the body, you will live, Because those who are led by the Spirit of
God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave
again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry,
<"Abba,> Father."
* The law has limited functions and was never designed to bring justification to
sinners:
Romans 3:19-28 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are
under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held
accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by
observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a
righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law
and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in
Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, For all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God, And are justified freely by his grace through
the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of
atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice,
because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand
unpunished-- He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to
be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is
boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No,
but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart
from observing the law.
Galatians 2:16 Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by
faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we
may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by
observing the law no one will be justified.
Acts 13:38 "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the
forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is
justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.
* These limitations of the Law are not criticisms of it, but, rather statements
of its Divine purpose:
Romans 7:7-10 What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I
would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have
known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." But sin,
seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind
of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from
law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that
the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.
* The Law must be understood in terms of Christ, otherwise it is always
misunderstood:
Romans 3:19-26 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are
under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held
accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by
observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a
righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law
and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in
Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, For all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God, And are justified freely by his grace through
the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of
atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice,
because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand
unpunished-- He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to
be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Romans 8:3-11 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by
the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man
to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, In order that the
righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live
according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Those who live
according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires;
but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what
the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by
the Spirit is life and peace; The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not
submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature
cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by
the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the
Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your
body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who
raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through
his Spirit, who lives in you.
Romans 9:30 - 10:6 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue
righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; But Israel,
who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they
pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the
"stumbling stone." As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men
to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will
never be put to shame." Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the
Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are
zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not
know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own,
they did not submit to God's righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that
there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Moses describes in this
way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who does these things will
live by them." But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your
heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down)
* What are the uses for the Law?
1. Restrain sin in society generally:
Romans 13:1-7 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for
there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities
that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the
authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will
bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right,
but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in
authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's
servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the
sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on
the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only
because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why
you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time
to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if
revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
I Timothy 1:8-11 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also
know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the
ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers
or mothers, for murderers, For adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and
liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine
That conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to
me.
2. Bring a conviction of sin:
Galatians 3:21-25 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God?
Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then
righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares
that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being
given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before
this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should
be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be
justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the
supervision of the law.
Romans 3:20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by
observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
Romans 7:7-14 What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I
would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have
known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." But sin,
seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind
of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from
law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that
the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For
sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and
through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the
commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become
death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it
produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin
might become utterly sinful. We know that the law is spiritual; but I am
unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
Romans 11:30-32 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now
received mercy as a result of their disobedience, So they too have now become
disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's
mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have
mercy on them all.
3. Reveal a rule of life for God's people.
A. The Law of Love:
Galatians 5:14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your
neighbor as yourself."
Romans 13:8-10 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to
love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The
commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not
covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one
rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor.
Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
B. Righteous and unrighteous acts:
Galatians 5:19-23 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality,
impurity and debauchery; Idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy,
fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions And envy; drunkenness,
orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this
will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no law.
I Corinthians 6:9-11 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the
kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters
nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders Nor thieves nor the
greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of
God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were
sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the
Spirit of our God.
I Timothy 1:9-11 We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for
lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for
those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, For adulterers and
perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is
contrary to the sound doctrine That conforms to the glorious gospel of the
blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
Ephesians 6:2-3 "Honor your father and mother"--which is the first commandment
with a promise-- "That it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life
on the earth."
C. Basis of future judgement:
Romans 2:3-11 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same
things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show contempt for
the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's
kindness leads you toward repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your
unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of
God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God "will give to
each person according to what he has done." To those who by persistence in doing
good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those
who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be
wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who
does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; But glory, honor and peace
for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God
does not show favoritism.
Romans 14:10-12 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look
down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is
written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.'" So then, each of us will give an account of
himself to God.
II Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body,
whether good or bad.
Matthew 5:18-19 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the
smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from
the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of
these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the
kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be
called great in the kingdom of heaven.
C. The goal and achievement of Christ's death:
Romans 8:1-4 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus, Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free
from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it
was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the
likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful
man, In order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in
us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
* The Law is appealed to as still in force.
1. Expel the wicked:
I Corinthians 5:13 God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from
among you."
Deuteronomy 17:7 The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting him to
death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among
you.
2. Do not muzzle the ox:
I Corinthians 9:9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox
while it is treading out the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned?
I Timothy 5:18 For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is
treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages."
Deuteronomy 25:4 Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.
3. The Law:
I Corinthians 14:34 Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not
allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says.
Genesis 3:16 To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in
childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for
your husband, and he will rule over you."
I Corinthians 11:3 Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is
Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
4. Do not touch what is unclean:
II Corinthians 6:16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?
For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them
and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."
"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean
thing, and I will receive you."
Isaiah 52:11 Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out
from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the LORD.
5. Two or three witnesses:
Deuteronomy 17:6 On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put
to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.
Deuteronomy 19:15 One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any
crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the
testimony of two or three witnesses.
Matthew 18:16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that
'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'
II Corinthians 13:1 This will be my third visit to you. "Every matter must be
established by the testimony of two or three witnesses."
I Timothy 5:19 Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is
brought by two or three witnesses.
Hebrews 10:28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the
testimony of two or three witnesses.
6. Honor your father and mother:
Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in
the land the LORD your God is giving you.
Deuteronomy 5:16 "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has
commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the
land the LORD your God is giving you.
Matthew 15:4 For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses
his father or mother must be put to death.'
Matthew 19:19 Honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as
yourself.'"
Mark 7:10 For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Anyone who
curses his father or mother must be put to death.'
Mark 10:19 You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do
not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and
mother.'"
Luke 18:20 You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do
not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"
Ephesians 6:2 "Honor your father and mother"--which is the first commandment
with a promise--
7. Love your neighbor as yourself:
Leviticus 19:18 "'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your
people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
Matthew 19:19 Honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as
yourself.'"
Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
Mark 12:31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no
commandment greater than these."
Mark 12:33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with
all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than
all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
Luke 10:27 He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love
your neighbor as yourself.' "
Romans 13:9 The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not
steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed
up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Galatians 5:14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your
neighbor as yourself."
James 2:8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your
neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.
8. Be holy as I am holy:
Leviticus 11:44-45 I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy,
because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves
about on the ground. I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your
God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
Leviticus 19:2 "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy
because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
Leviticus 20:7 "'Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your
God.
Leviticus 20:26 You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I
have set you apart from the nations to be my own.
I Peter 1:16 For it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
9. Speak not against a leader:
Exodus 22:28 "Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.
Ecclesiastes 10:20 Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the
rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird
on the wing may report what you say.
Acts 23:5 Paul replied, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high
priest; for it is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'"
10. Idolatry, fornication, strangled, blood:
Genesis 9:4 "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.
Genesis 35:2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Get
rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your
clothes.
Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before me. "You shall not make for
yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath
or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I,
the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the
fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
Exodus 20:23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves
gods of silver or gods of gold.
Exodus 34:15 "Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land;
for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they
will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.
Exodus 20:14 "You shall not commit adultery.
Leviticus 20:10 "'If a man commits adultery with another man's wife--with the
wife of his neighbor--both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to
death.
Acts 15:20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food
polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals
and from blood.
Acts 15:29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from
the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to
avoid these things. Farewell.
Acts 21:25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision
that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the
meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality."
II. Apparent Contradictions
* The New Testaments seems to indicate an abrogation of the Law in:
Romans 6:14-15 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law,
but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under
grace? By no means!
Romans 7:6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from
the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of
the written code.
I Corinthians 9:20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those
under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the
law), so as to win those under the law.
Galatians 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
Romans 10:4 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for
everyone who believes.
G5056 telos, tel'-os; from a prim. tello (to set out for a definite point
or goal); prop. the point aimed at as a limit, i.e. (by impl.) the
conclusion of an act or state (termination [lit., fig. or indef.],
result [immed., ultimate or prophetic], purpose); spec. an impost or
levy (as paid):-+ continual, custom, end (-ing), finally, uttermost.
Comp. 5411.
=============================================================================
* The word end is translated elsewhere as:
continual custom end ending ends finally uttermost
³ ³
³ I believe that these are directed to the law as misused (as in ³
³ justification) or as used legalistically. Compare them with: ³
³ ³
I Corinthians 9:21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the
law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to
win those not having the law.
Matthew 5:17-18 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the
truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least
stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is
accomplished.
Romans 3:31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we
uphold the law.
Matthew 13:52 He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been
instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings
out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."
Matthew 23:23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!
You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected
the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You
should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
Acts 24:14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower
of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the
Law and that is written in the Prophets,
Acts 25:8 Then Paul made his defense: "I have done nothing wrong against the law
of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar."
Romans 2:14-15 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature
things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do
not have the law, Since they show that the requirements of the law are written
on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now
accusing, now even defending them.)
Romans 2:23 You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?
Matthew 23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: "The teachers
of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do
everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice
what they preach.
* The ceremonial may be the most dispensible because it is just a pattern:
Exodus 25:8 "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among
them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I
will show you.
Exodus 25:40 See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the
mountain.
ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ
8403 tabniyth, tab-neeth'; from 1129; structure; by impl. a model,
resemblance:-figure, form, likeness, pattern, similitude.
---------------------------- Dictionary Trace -----------------------------
1129 banah, baw-naw'; a prim. root; to build (lit. and fig.):-(begin to)
build (-er), obtain children, make, repair, set (up), X surely.
III. Ranking of the law:
Hosea 6:3-6 Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As
surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter
rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." "What can I do with you,
Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like
the early dew that disappears. Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I
killed you with the words of my mouth; my judgments flashed like lightning upon
you. For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than
burnt offerings.
Isaiah 1:11-17 "The multitude of your sacrifices--what are they to me?" says the
LORD. "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of
fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of
my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to
me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations--I cannot bear your evil assemblies.
Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have
become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your
hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I
will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; Wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, Learn to do right! Seek
justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the
case of the widow.
Jeremiah 7:21-23 "'This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go
ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the meat
yourselves! For when I brought your forefathers out of Egypt and spoke to them,
I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, But I
gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my
people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you.
Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require
of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
I Samuel 15:22-23 But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings
and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better
than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is
like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you
have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king."
Psalms 51:16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not
take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a
broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
* There is therefore a division of the law. Parts have precedence and superceed
the ceremonial and sacrificial.
* The same law of Moses in Genesis through Deuteronomy includes the "promise"
and the Abrahamic covenant, as well as the legal aspects. Paul is obviously not
abrogating those promises is he? One can not have it both ways.
IV. The penalties and substitutionary atonement
* There were sixteen crimes in the OT that called for death, only one could NOT
be ransomed:
premeditated murder
kidnapping
adultery
homosexuality
incest
bestiality
incorrigible delinquency in a child
striking or cursing parents
offering a human sacrifice
false prophecy
blasphemy
profaning the Sabbath
sacrifice to false gods
magic
divination
unchastity
rape of a betrothed virgin
Numbers 35:29-32 "'These are to be legal requirements for you throughout the
generations to come, wherever you live. "'Anyone who kills a person is to be put
to death as a murderer only on the testimony of witnesses. But no one is to be
put to death on the testimony of only one witness. "'Do not accept a ransom for
the life of a murderer, who deserves to die. He must surely be put to death.
"'Do not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a city of refuge and so
allow him to go back and live on his own land before the death of the high
priest.
* Paul condemned the sin without requireing the penalty:
I Corinthians 5:1-5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality
among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his
father's wife. And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with
grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? Even though I am
not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed
judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are
assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the
power of our Lord Jesus is present, Hand this man over to Satan, so that the
sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
* The penalty:
Leviticus 18:8 "'Do not have sexual relations with your father's wife; that
would dishonor your father...
Leviticus 18:26-29 But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and
the aliens living among you must not do any of these detestable things, For all
these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the
land became defiled. And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it
vomited out the nations that were before you. "'Everyone who does any of these
detestable things--such persons must be cut off from their people.
Deuteronomy 22:30 A man is not to marry his father's wife; he must not dishonor
his father's bed.
Deuteronomy 27:20 "Cursed is the man who sleeps with his father's wife, for he
dishonors his father's bed." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
* The same law was in effect without demanding that the same sanction be
applied.
V. Who is the Law addressed to?
* It was to Israel that the ten commandments was primarily addressed, and not to
all mankind.
* If this is true, why do the gentiles have this law written on their hearts?
Romans 2:12-16 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the
law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not
those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who
obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not
have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for
themselves, even though they do not have the law, Since they show that the
requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also
bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) This
will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus
Christ, as my gospel declares.
* It would appear that all people are subject to the law of God.
Leviticus 24:22 You are to have the same law for the alien and the native-born.
I am the LORD your God.'"
Exodus 12:49 The same law applies to the native-born and to the alien living
among you."
Numbers 15:15-16 The community is to have the same rules for you and for the
alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.
You and the alien shall be the same before the LORD: The same laws and
regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you.'"
Isaiah 2:2-4 In the last days the mountain of the LORD'S temple will be
established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and
all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go
up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach
us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will
settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against
nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
Micah 4:1-3 In the last days the mountain of the LORD'S temple will be
established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and
peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up
to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us
his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the
word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will
settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords
into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up
sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
* Let's look at the new covenant...
Jeremiah 31:31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be
like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to
lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband
to them," declares the LORD. "This is the covenant I will make with the house of
Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the
LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,"
declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their
sins no more."
8451 towrah, to-raw'; or torah, to-raw'; from 3384; a precept or
statute, espec. the Decalogue or Pentateuch:-law.
------------------------- Dictionary Trace -----------------------------
3384 yarah, yaw-raw'; or (2 Chr. 26:15) yara', yaw-raw'; a prim. root;
prop. to flow as water (i.e. to rain); trans. to point out (as if by
aiming the finger), to teach:-(+) archer, cast, direct, inform,
instruct, lay, shew, shoot, teach (-er, -ing), through.
Hebrews 8:6 But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the
covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded
on better promises. For if there had been nothing wrong with that first
covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with
the people and said: "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a
new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not
be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make
with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws
in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they
will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his
brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least
of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember
their sins no more." By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one
obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
LAW
3551 nomos, nom'-os; from a prim. nemo (to parcel out, espec. food or
grazing to animals); law (through the idea of prescriptive usage),
gen. (regulation), spec. (of Moses [includ. the volume]; also of the
Gospel), or fig. (a principle):-law.
NEW
2537 kainos, kahee-nos'; of uncert. affin.; new (espec. in freshness; while
3501 is prop. so with respect to age):-new.
-------------------------- Dictionary Trace ----------------------------
3501 neos, neh'-os; includ. the comp. neoteros, neh-o'-ter-os; a prim.
word; "new", i.e. (of persons) youthful, or (of things) fresh; fig.
regenerate:-new young.
* the problem with the "old" covenant was with the people not the law! So the
"new covenant" is the law of Moses written or refreshed in our hearts and not on
stone.
* These two passages have;1) the same covenant making God, "My covenant"; 2) the
same law, My Torah (note, not a different one from Sinai).
* Note the same features of inwardness (heart) in the following passages:
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the
LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you
but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve
the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, And to observe the
LORD'S commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
Deuteronomy 30:6 The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of
your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your
soul, and live.
* The Psalmist declared that for some this "Heart Law" already existed.
Psalms 37:30-31 The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue
speaks what is just. The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.
Psalms 40:8 I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."
* Notice also that there was going to be an "everlasting covenant":
Isaiah 24:1-6 See, the LORD is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he
will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants-- It will be the same for priest
as for people, for master as for servant, for mistress as for maid, for seller
as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor. The earth
will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The LORD has spoken this
word. The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the
exalted of the earth languish. The earth is defiled by its people; they have
disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt.
Therefore earth's inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.
Isaiah 55:1-4 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who
have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and
without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does
not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will
delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul
may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love
promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and
commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and
nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor."
Isaiah 61:8 "For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my
faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them.
Jeremiah 32:36-41 "You are saying about this city, 'By the sword, famine and
plague it will be handed over to the king of Babylon'; but this is what the
LORD, the God of Israel, says: I will surely gather them from all the lands
where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back
to this place and let them live in safety. They will be my people, and I will be
their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will
always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. I
will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to
them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from
me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land
with all my heart and soul.
Jeremiah 50:4-5 "In those days, at that time," declares the LORD, "the people of
Israel and the people of Judah together will go in tears to seek the LORD their
God. They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will
come and bind themselves to the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will not be
forgotten.
Ezekiel 16:59-63 "'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will deal with you as
you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant. Yet I
will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will
establish an everlasting covenant with you. Then you will remember your ways and
be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both those who are older than you and
those who are younger. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on the
basis of my covenant with you. So I will establish my covenant with you, and you
will know that I am the LORD. Then, when I make atonement for you for all you
have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth
because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign LORD.'"
Ezekiel 37:21-27 And say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will
take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them
from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one
nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all
of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two
kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images
or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful
backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be
their God. "'My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one
shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. They will
live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your fathers lived.
They and their children and their children's children will live there forever,
and David my servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of
peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and
increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My
dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my
people.
VI. Look at the effects of "lawlessness":
Matthew 7:21-27 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,
and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell
them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' "Therefore
everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a
wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose,
and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it
had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and
does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on
sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against
that house, and it fell with a great crash."
MAT 7:23 {And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart
from me, ye that work iniquity.}
ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ
458 anomia, an-om-ee'-ah; from 459; illegality, i.e. violation of law
or (gen.) wickedness:-iniquity, X transgress (-ion of) the law,
unrighteousness.
-------------------------- Dictionary Trace ---------------------------
459 anomos, an'-om-os; from 1 (as a neg. particle) and 3551; lawless;
i.e. (neg.) not subject to (the Jewish) law; (by impl. a Gentile),
or (pos.) wicked:-without law, lawless, transgressor, unlawful,
wicked.
* The law was not the problem. People were the problem. Obedience to the law
brought a declared righteousness. The sinner
will perish whether he has the law or not:
I John 3:4-6 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But
you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no
sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has
either seen him or known him.
Romans 2:12-13 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the
law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not
those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who
obey the law who will be declared righteous.
VII. Salvation by grace through faith
* All saints are saved by grace through faith:
Habakkuk 2:2-5 Then the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation and make it
plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an
appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger,
wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. "See, he is puffed up;
his desires are not upright--but the righteous will live by his faith-- Indeed,
wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as
the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the
nations and takes captive all the peoples.
Genesis 15:4-6 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your
heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." He took him
outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can
count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Abram believed
the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Romans 4:1-25 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in
this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to
boast about--but not before God. What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed
God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Now when a man works, his
wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the
man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is
credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the
blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
"Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him." Is this
blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have
been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under
what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before?
It was not after, but before! And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal
of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So
then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in
order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is also the father of
the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps
of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. It was not
through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be
heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if
those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is
worthless, Because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no
transgression Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace
and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring--not only to those who are of
the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of
us all. As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our
father in the sight of God, in whom he believed--the God who gives life to the
dead and calls things that are not as though they were. Against all hope,
Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it
had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Without weakening in his
faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead--since he was about a
hundred years old--and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver
through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith
and gave glory to God, Being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he
had promised. This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." The words
"it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, But also for us, to
whom God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him who raised Jesus
our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was
raised to life for our justification.
* Saved by grace - not law works
Galatians 2:14-16 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of
the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live
like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to
follow Jewish customs? "We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' Know
that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.
So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith
in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will
be justified.
* The error was in forcing gentiles to follow Jewish custom.
* No one in either the new or the old testament was justified by the law
Romans 3:29 - 4:5 Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles
too? Yes, of Gentiles too, Since there is only one God, who will justify the
circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then,
nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. What then
shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? If, in
fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about--but not
before God. What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was
credited to him as righteousness." Now when a man works, his wages are not
credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does
not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as
righteousness.
Galatians 3:11 Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The
righteous will live by faith."
Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that
comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness
that comes from God and is by faith.
Acts 13:38-39 Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the
forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is
justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.
We are warned against law- teachers for justification-- ,
Galatians 5:1-4 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then,
and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words!
I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of
no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be
circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be
justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from
grace.
Galatians 6:12-13 Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying
to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being
persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised obey the
law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh.
Galatians 3:10-11 All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is
written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in
the Book of the Law." Clearly no one is justified before God by the law,
because, "The righteous will live by faith."
* The issue here is justification. The Law was "mis-applied" to justification a
task it was not designed to accomplish. This mis-application was not from the
Spirit, whereas justification by grace was!
The law DEMANDED righteousness, but did not give life. It CURSED the sinner, but
could not save him. It effectually closed the mouth of boasters by convicting
them of sin and transgression, bringing man in as "GUILTY" before God--
Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are
under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held
accountable to God.
Thus it was designed to teach man his absolute need of Christ--
Galatians 3:24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might
be justified by faith.
so the sacrifices appointed under the law constantly pointed to Him that was to
come. Having come, He voluntarily offered Himself as sin-bearer upon the cross,
that we might be justified by faith in Him--
Galatians 3:6-13 Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him
as righteousness." Understand, then, that those who believe are children of
Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and
announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through
you." So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed
is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the
Law." Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous
will live by faith." The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man
who does these things will live by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of
the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who
is hung on a tree."
Now the believer is no more under law (for justification), but under Christ, as
Romans 7:1-6 Do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to men who know the
law--that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives? For
example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive,
but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. So then, if
she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an
adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an
adulteress, even though she marries another man. So, my brothers, you also died
to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him
who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. For when
we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law
were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying
to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in
the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
clearly shows.
* What about Galatians chapter 3?
Galatians 3:1-29 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very
eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just
one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by
believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit,
are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so
much for nothing--if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and
work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what
you heard? Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as
righteousness." Understand, then, that those who believe are children of
Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and
announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through
you." So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed
is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the
Law." Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous
will live by faith." The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man
who does these things will live by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of
the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who
is hung on a tree." He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham
might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might
receive the promise of the Spirit. Brothers, let me take an example from
everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has
been duly established, so it is in this case. The promises were spoken to
Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many
people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean
is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant
previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the
inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God
in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. What, then, was the purpose
of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the
promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a
mediator. A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is
one. Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For
if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would
certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world
is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in
Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we
were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the
law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.
Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. You
are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, For all of you who were
baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew
nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise.
* No one ever received the Spirit by observing the law. This is not new.
* Since the law could never save we have always had to be justified by faith.
* Before faith was revealed it appeared that we were justified by the law.
* The law is no longer our tutor, God is. The law does not supervise us, the
spirit does. This scripture must be consistant,
as it regards the law, with the rest of scripture.
We are not under law (for justification). We are under grace (for
justification). We are not under the condemnation of the law but we are saved by
grace! Notice that if everyone is saved by grace than no one is under the law.
Not David, not Abraham, not Moses...because if they were under law than they
would perish:
Romans 6:12-18 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you
obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as
instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have
been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as
instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are
not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under
law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves
to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you
obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience,
which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be
slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were
entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to
righteousness.
Galatians 5:16-18 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the
desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to
the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in
conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are
led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
When Judaizing teachers sought to bring Gentile Christians under the law, and
the apostles and elders at Jerusalem met about this question, why did they
stigmatize those teachers as "SUBVERTING YOUR SOULS, SAYING, YE MUST BE
CIRCUMCISED AND KEEP THE LAW"? adding "TO WHOM WE GAVE NO SUCH COMMANDMENT."--
The answer is that they were misusing the law. They were using the law to be
"saved" which was something it was not designed to do.
Acts 15:1-30 Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the
brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses,
you cannot be saved." This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and
debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other
believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this
question. The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through
Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news
made all the brothers very glad. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed
by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God
had done through them. Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of
the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required
to obey the law of Moses." The apostles and elders met to consider this
question. After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you
know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear
from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart,
showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did
to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts
by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the
disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We
believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as
they are." The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and
Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the
Gentiles through them. When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to
me. Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from
the Gentiles a people for himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement
with this, as it is written: "'After this I will return and rebuild David's
fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, That the remnant
of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord,
who does these things' That have been known for ages. "It is my judgment,
therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning
to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food
polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals
and from blood. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest
times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath." Then the apostles and
elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send
them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and
Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. With them they sent the
following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile
believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. We have heard that some went
out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by
what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with
our dear friends Barnabas and Paul-- Men who have risked their lives for the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to
confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit
and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You
are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of
strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these
things. Farewell. The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they
gathered the church together and delivered the letter.
Note also in the above passage that Moses (the Torah) was preached in the
synagagues every Sabbath. This seems to imply that the requirements that were
given were a beginning point not the ending point.
* Justification:
Acts 13:38 "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the
forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is
justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.
* The law does not bring justification
Romans 3:20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by
observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a
righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law
and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in
Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, For all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God, And are justified freely by his grace through
the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of
atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice,
because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand
unpunished-- He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to
be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is
boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No,
but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart
from observing the law.
* We are justified by faith!
VII. The law brought freedom, not bondage:
James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what
it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a
man who looks at his face in a mirror And, after looking at himself, goes away
and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into
the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting
what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. If anyone
considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he
deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father
accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their
distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. My brothers, as
believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. Suppose a
man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man
in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man
wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor
man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," Have you not
discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my
dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to
be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But
you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they
not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are
slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? If you really keep the
royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing
right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as
lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point
is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also
said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you
have become a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by
the law that gives freedom, Because judgment without mercy will be shown to
anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
Psalms 119:32 I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart
free.
Psalms 119:45 I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.
* Relationship of eternal life to the law:
Matthew 19:16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing
must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus
replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the
commandments." "Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied," 'Do not murder,
do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, Honor your
father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'" "All these I have
kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" Jesus answered, "If you want
to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he
went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Mark 10:17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his
knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal
life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God
alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not
steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and
mother.'" "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell
everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me." At this the
man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Luke 6:46 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? I will
show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into
practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the
foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could
not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does
not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without
a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its
destruction was complete."
Luke 10:25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.
"Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written
in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: "'Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and
with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " "You have answered
correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
Luke 18:18 A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit
eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is
good--except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do
not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and
mother.'" "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said. When Jesus heard
this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and
give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.
* A Later covenant does not nullify a previous covenant:
Galatians 3:15 Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no
one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so
it is in this case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The
Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your
seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law,
introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously
established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance
depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace
gave it to Abraham through a promise. What, then, was the purpose of the law? It
was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred
had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator.
* The law is good!
Romans 7:9 Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin
sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended
to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded
by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So
then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that
which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin
might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so
that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
* The law is a joy:
Psalms 19:1-14 {For the director of music. A psalm of David.} The heavens
declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after
day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is
no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into
all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has
pitched a tent for the sun, Which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his
pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of
the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are
trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving
joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the
eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD
are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much
pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is
your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his
errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may
they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great
transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be
pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalms 119:1-176 {Aleph} blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk
according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and
seek him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways. You
have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways were
steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I
consider all your commands. I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn
your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me. {Beth}
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek
you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden
your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O
LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from
your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great
riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your
decrees; I will not neglect your word. {Gimel} Do good to your servant, and I
will live; I will obey your word. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things
in your law. I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. My
soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. You rebuke the
arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from your commands. Remove from me scorn
and contempt, for I keep your statutes. Though rulers sit together and slander
me, your servant will meditate on your decrees. Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors. {Daleth} I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life
according to yourÿword I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your
decrees. Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate
on your wonders. My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your
word. Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law. I have
chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. I hold fast to your
statutes, O LORD; do not let me be put to shame. I run in the path of your
commands, for you have set my heart free. {He} Teach me, O LORD, to follow your
decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I will
keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your
commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not
toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life
according to your word. Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be
feared. Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good. How I long for
your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness. {Waw} May your unfailing
love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise; Then I will
answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word. Do not snatch the word
of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws. I will always obey
your law, for ever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out
your precepts. I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to
shame, For I delight in your commands because I love them. I lift up my hands to
your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees. {Zayin} Remember
your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my
suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. The arrogant mock me without
restraint, but I do not turn from your law. I remember your ancient laws, O
LORD, and I find comfort in them. Indignation grips me because of the wicked,
who have forsaken your law. Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I
lodge. In the night I remember your name, O LORD, and I will keep your law. This
has been my practice: I obey your precepts. {Heth} You are my portion, O LORD; I
have promised to obey your words. I have sought your face with all my heart; be
gracious to me according to your promise. I have considered my ways and have
turned my steps to your statutes. I will hasten and not delay to obey your
commands. Though the wicked bind me with ropes, I will not forget your law. At
midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws. I am a friend to all
who fear you, to all who follow your precepts. The earth is filled with your
love, O LORD; teach me your decrees. {Teth} Do good to your servant according to
your word, O LORD. Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your
commands. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. You
are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees. Though the arrogant
have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart. Their hearts
are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law. It was good for me to be
afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. The law from your mouth is more
precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. {Yodh} Your hands
made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands. May those
who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word. I
know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have
afflicted me. May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise
to your servant. Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is
my delight. May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but
I will meditate on your precepts. May those who fear you turn to me, those who
understand your statutes. May my heart be blameless toward your decrees, that I
may not be put to shame. {Kaph} My soul faints with longing for your salvation,
but I have put my hope in your word. My eyes fail, looking for your promise; I
say, "When will you comfort me?" Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke, I do
not forget your decrees. How long must your servant wait? When will you punish
my persecutors? The arrogant dig pitfalls for me, contrary to your law. All your
commands are trustworthy; help me, for men persecute me without cause. They
almost wiped me from the earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts. Preserve
my life according to your love, and I will obey the statutes of your mouth. {Lamedh}
Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness
continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.
Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you. If your law had not been
my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your
precepts, for by them you have preserved my life. Save me, for I am yours; I
have sought out your precepts. The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will
ponder your statutes. To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are
boundless. {Mem} Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your
commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more
insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more
understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet
from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from
your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my
taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path. {Nun} Your word is a lamp to my feet and a
light for my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow
your righteous laws. I have suffered much; preserve my life, O LORD, according
to your word. Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your
laws. Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law.
The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts.
Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is
set on keeping your decrees to the very end. {Samekh} I hate double-minded men,
but I love your law. You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your
word. Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!
Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be
dashed. Uphold me, and I will be delivered; I will always have regard for your
decrees. You reject all who stray from your decrees, for their deceitfulness is
in vain. All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross; therefore I love
your statutes. My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws. {Ayin}
I have done what is righteous and just; do not leave me to my oppressors. Ensure
your servant's well-being; let not the arrogant oppress me. My eyes fail,
looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise. Deal with your
servant according to your love and teach me your decrees. I am your servant;
give me discernment that I may understand your statutes. It is time for you to
act, O LORD; your law is being broken. Because I love your commands more than
gold, more than pure gold, And because I consider all your precepts right, I
hate every wrong path. {Pe} Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them.
The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. I
open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands. Turn to me and have mercy on
me, as you always do to those who love your name. Direct my footsteps according
to your word; let no sin rule over me. Redeem me from the oppression of men,
that I may obey your precepts. Make your face shine upon your servant and teach
me your decrees. Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.
{Tsadhe} Righteous are you, O LORD, and your laws are right. The statutes you
have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy. My zeal wears me out,
for my enemies ignore your words. Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and
your servant loves them. Though I am lowly and despised, I do not forget your
precepts. Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true. Trouble and
distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight. Your statutes are
forever right; give me understanding that I may live. {Qoph} I call with all my
heart; answer me, O LORD, and I will obey your decrees. I call out to you; save
me and I will keep your statutes. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have
put my hope in your word. My eyes stay open through the watches of the night,
that I may meditate on your promises. Hear my voice in accordance with your
love; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your laws. Those who devise wicked
schemes are near, but they are far from your law. Yet you are near, O LORD, and
all your commands are true. Long ago I learned from your statutes that you
established them to last forever. {Resh} Look upon my suffering and deliver me,
for I have not forgotten your law. Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my
life according to your promise. Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do
not seek out your decrees. Your compassion is great, O LORD; preserve my life
according to your laws. Many are the foes who persecute me, but I have not
turned from your statutes. I look on the faithless with loathing, for they do
not obey your word. See how I love your precepts; preserve my life, O LORD,
according to your love. All your words are true; all your righteous laws are
eternal. {Shin} Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your
word. I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil. I hate and abhor
falsehood but I love your law. Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous
laws. Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them
stumble. I wait for your salvation, O LORD, and I follow your commands. I obey
your statutes, for I love them greatly. I obey your precepts and your statutes,
for all my ways are known to you. {Taw} May my cry come before you, O LORD; give
me understanding according to your word. May my supplication come before you;
deliver me according to your promise. May my lips overflow with praise, for you
teach me your decrees. May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands
are righteous. May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your
precepts. I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight. Let me
live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me. I have strayed like a
lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.
* Is this legalism?
* The NIV rendering is:
Galatians 3:10 All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is
written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in
the Book of the Law." Clearly no one is justified before God by the law,
because, "The righteous will live by faith." The law is not based on faith; on
the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." Christ redeemed
us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written:
"Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
* The Jewish New Testaments renders them as:
Galatians 3:10 For everyone who depends on legalistic observance of Torah
commands lives under a curse, since it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does
not keep on doing everything written in the Scroll of the Torah." Now it is
evident that no one comes to be declared righteous by God through legalism,
since "The person who is righteous will attain life by trusting and being
faithful." Furthermore, legalism is not based on trusting and being faithful,
but on a misuse of the text that says, "Anyone who does these things will attain
life through them." The Messiah redeemed us from the curse pronounced in the
Torah by becoming cursed on our behalf; for the Tanakh says, "Everyone who hangs
from a stake comes under a curse."
First of all, legalism must be defined. Legalism is, according to THE DICTIONARY
OF RELIGIOUS TERMS, by Donald Kaufman:
1) Emphasis on the letter rather than on the spirit of the law;
2) Belief in salvation by obedience to the law rather than by the grace of God
or
by faith;
3) Undue stress on legal details without balancing considerations of justice or
mercy.
Let me give an example:
Mr. Lawabider, a devout law abiding citizen is out for a Sunday drive when he
comes to an intersection with a red light. There are no oncoming cars and there
are no cars approaching from the left or the right. But the man notices a large
truck coming up from the rear. The truck driver is obviously approaching at a
high rate of speed and Mr. Lawabider notices the truck driver honking his horn
and waving to him to get out of the way. It is clear the truck driver has lost
his brakes. Now Mr. Lawabider takes the last few seconds he has to decide what
he will do. He decides that the law says a car must stop at a red light until it
turns green. Therefore, he stays put and does not move because the light is
still green. Mr. Lawabider and the truckdriver collide and are
killed.
The Bible says the letter killeth but the Spirit bringeth life. Mr. Lawabider
has just learned how the letter can kill! The spirit of the law refers to the
intent of the lawgiver. One must know the lawgiver and have the same heart in
order to properly interpret the law.
Now what was the intent of the red light law? The intent of the law was to
provide safety for drivers and to save lives. If Mr. Lawabider had decided to
run the red light, he would have actually been OBEYING THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW
THOUGH THE LETTER OF THE LAW WOULD HAVE BEEN CONTRADICTED. As it occurred, he
disobeyed the intent or spirit of the law because he did not understand the
intent. He only understood the letter of the law which said to stop at a red
light. Mr. Lawabider is a legalist.
Here are some fruits of legalism to watch for:
1) Denying your own guilt while openly broadcasting the other man's
guilt. Legalism condemns. Therefore, it causes the person to
always see other's faults, but triggers a self-preserving denial
of self guilt as a protection from the same condemnation legalism
would bring on one's self.
2) Doing evil that good may come while accusing one of the same
3) Whitewashing your sepulchre and thanking God you are not as the
other man
4) The inablility to give grace allowing God to work with a person where they
are,
in order to take them into perfection. Requiring instead that the person
correct their inability before being allowed to move in the move of God. This
also involves judging motives.
Legalism demands payment for sin but leaves no room for the fact that we are all
sinners and fall far short of God's glory. Legalism does not take into account
the fact that God has caused us to be washed in the blood of Christ so we can be
free of condemnation for not being experiencially perfect while on our trek to
perfection.
Legalism also does not take into consideration the tremendous spiritual battle
we are in. Legalism does not care that our flesh is weak but our spirit is
willing. Legalism only demands that the law be satisfied.
Whitewashing the sepulchre has no affect on the dead men's bones inside. The
bones have to be forced out into the open and dealt with. God wants to make and
mold us into the bride of Christ. At first the sight will not be pretty. It will
be ugly and embarrassing. That is one reason why we should be doing the opposite
of legalism --covering each other, especially when we have put our trust in our
brothers and sisters to protect our hearts. Legalism will not cover sin but
expose it and judge it. But God is the judge and He has chosen to extend grace
to us in this age. Sin is not ignored by God, but God knows the pure heart of an
individual and is not judging imperfect sons and daughters who are not yet
perfect. If the heart is not pure -- God is the only one who knows. We cannot
judge one's heart and motive.
LEGALISM IS NOT...
1. Hating sin and the world. The Bible says:
James 4:4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world
is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an
enemy of God.
2. Careful Christian living.
3. Praying often.
4. An ordered life.
5. Following a schedule or a budget.
6. Striving to conquer the sinful desires of the flesh.
7. Foregoing fun and parties in order to pray, counsel, or keep an appointment.
8. Diligently keeping your word.
9. Refusing to compromise even a little bit.
10. Carefully keeping every law of God and the church.
11. Running a "tight ship" (whether a church, a family or a life.)
12. Having a lot of rules and procedures to follow.
LEGALISM IS .....
1. Misapplication of the spirit of the law.
-the example of the Sunday driver shows that although
the letter of the law written on paper was followed, the result was
to completely violate the intent of the law.
2. Overemphasis of legal details.
-Demanding perfection from people with no consideration of their age, ability,
understanding, maturity, environmental pressures and temptations.
This may cause an OUTWARD compliance, but inside, hopelessness will set in and
legalism becomes a tool of the devil to steal away the joy of our salvation.
3. Trying to earn salvation.
-This really involves ANY works done TO ACHIEVE FAVOR with God
(as opposed to being motivated out of love for God, which is NOT legalism).
-Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this
not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- Not by works, so that no one can boast.
Galatians 2:16 Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by
faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we
may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by
observing the law no one will be justified.
Titus 3:4-5 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved
us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He
saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
4. Straining at a knat and swallowing a camel.
-The legalistic Pharisees tithed even the most insignificant herbs
Matthew 23:23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!
You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected
the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You
should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
but at the same time, they omitted the weightier matters of the law: justice,
mercy and faith.
To avoid legalism, have the heart of God. Know the intent of the lawmaker.
Consider the circumstances of the case, but avoid trying to find loopholes in
the law, rationalizing away its true intent (a sign of impure motives).
* The new covenant is Torah!!!
* The NIV renders it as:
Hebrews 8:6 But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the
covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded
on better promises.
* The Jewish New Testaments renders it as:
Hebrews 8:6 But now the work Yeshua has been given to do is far superior to
theirs, just as the covenant he mediates is better. For this covenant has been
given as Torah on the basis of better promises.
* Scripture clearly indicates that the law will have a dominant part in the
messianic kingdom to come:
Isaiah 2:3 Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain
of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so
that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the
LORD from Jerusalem.
Micah 4:2 Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of
the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that
we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD
from Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 31:31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be
like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to
lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband
to them," declares the LORD. "This is the covenant I will make with the house of
Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the
LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,"
declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their
sins no more."
* What does it mean to "fulfill the law?":
II Kings 23:24 Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the
household gods, the idols and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and
Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the
book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the LORD.
Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
John 15:23 He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them
what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen
these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to
fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'
Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual
should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry
each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Torah
of Messiah)
Matthew 5:17-24 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the
truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least
stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is
accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and
teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but
whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom
of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the
Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom
of heaven. "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not
murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that
anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone
who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who
says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. "Therefore, if you are
offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has
something against you, Leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and
be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
* Jesus did not abolish the Law, He fulfilled it! (What does fulfill mean?)
* audience:
Matthew 4:25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the
region across the Jordan followed him.
Matthew 12:1-13 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath.
His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them.
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing
what is unlawful on the Sabbath." He answered, "Haven't you read what David did
when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and
his companions ate the consecrated bread--which was not lawful for them to do,
but only for the priests. Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the
priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? I tell you that
one greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, 'I
desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. For the
Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." Going on from that place, he went into their
synagogue, And a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to
accuse Jesus, they asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" He said to
them, "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will
you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a
sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then he said to the
man, "Stretch out your hand." So he stretched it out and it was completely
restored, just as sound as the other.
* The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.
* It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.
(there is no indication of the Sabbath stopping)
* Audience - the Pharisees
Acts 13:4-5 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to
Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they
proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their
helper.
* Barnabas and Saul taught in the Jewish synagaues!
Acts 13:13-26 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia,
where John left them to return to Jerusalem. From Perga they went on to Pisidian
Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. After the
reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to them,
saying, "Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please
speak." Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: "Men of Israel and
you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! The God of the people of Israel
chose our fathers; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt, with
mighty power he led them out of that country, He endured their conduct for about
forty years in the desert, He overthrew seven nations in Canaan and gave their
land to his people as their inheritance. All this took about 450 years. "After
this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. Then the people
asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin,
who ruled forty years. After removing Saul, he made David their king. He
testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own
heart; he will do everything I want him to do.' "From this man's descendants God
has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. Before the coming of
Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. As John
was completing his work, he said: 'Who do you think I am? I am not that one. No,
but he is coming after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.' "Brothers,
children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message
of salvation has been sent.
* Paul and his companions kept the Sabbath.
audience:
Acts 13:16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: "Men of Israel and
you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me!
Acts 13:26 Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to
us that this message of salvation has been sent.
Acts 13:42-48 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people
invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. When the
congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism
followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in
the grace of God. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the
word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy
and talked abusively against what Paul was saying. Then Paul and Barnabas
answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you
reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to
the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us: "'I have made you a
light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"
When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord;
and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
* Paul and Barnabas kept the Sabbath.
* The whole city kept the next Sabbath.
audience:
Acts 13:44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word
of the Lord.
Acts 13:48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of
the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
Acts 15:1-29 Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the
brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses,
you cannot be saved." This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and
debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other
believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this
question. The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through
Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news
made all the brothers very glad. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed
by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God
had done through them. Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of
the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required
to obey the law of Moses." The apostles and elders met to consider this
question. After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you
know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear
from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart,
showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did
to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts
by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the
disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We
believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as
they are." The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and
Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the
Gentiles through them. When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to
me. Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from
the Gentiles a people for himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement
with this, as it is written: "'After this I will return and rebuild David's
fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, That the remnant
of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord,
who does these things' That have been known for ages. "It is my judgment,
therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning
to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food
polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals
and from blood. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest
times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath." Then the apostles and
elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send
them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and
Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. With them they sent the
following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile
believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. We have heard that some went
out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by
what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with
our dear friends Barnabas and Paul-- Men who have risked their lives for the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to
confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit
and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You
are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of
strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these
things. Farewell.
* The controversy was about circumcision.
* The law is read and preached in every city on the Sabbath.
* Gentiles were required to keep a part of the law.
Acts 21:18-29 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all
the elders were present. Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had
done among the Gentiles through his ministry. When they heard this, they praised
God. Then they said to Paul: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have
believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. They have been informed that
you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses,
telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs.
What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, So do what we
tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. Take these men, join
in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their
heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about
you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. As for the
Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain
from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals
and from sexual immorality." The next day Paul took the men and purified himself
along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the
days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.
When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw
Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, Shouting,
"Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against
our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into
the temple area and defiled this holy place." (They had previously seen
Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought
him into the temple area.)
* James and the elders praised God because the Jewish converts were saved and
zealous for the law.
* Paul lived in obedience to the law.
* Gentiles believers were not initially required to keep the whole law.
Acts 6:8-60 Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders
and miraculous signs among the people Opposition arose, however, from members of
the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)--Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria
as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with
Stephen But they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he
spoke Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak
words of blasphemy against Moses and against God. So they stirred up the people
and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him
before the Sanhedrin They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow
never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law For we have
heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the
customs Moses handed down to us. All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked
intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel
Then the high priest asked him, "Are these charges true? To this he replied:
"Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father
Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran 'Leave your
country and your people,' God said, 'and go to the land I will show you. "So he
left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After the death of his
father, God sent him to this land where you are now living He gave him no
inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised him that he and
his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time
Abraham had no child God spoke to him in this way: 'Your descendants will be
strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated
four hundred years But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,' God said,
'and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.
Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father
of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the
father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs "Because
the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But
God was with him And rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom
and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt; so he made him
ruler over Egypt and all his palace "Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan,
bringing great suffering, and our fathers could not find food When Jacob heard
that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit On their
second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about
Joseph's family After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole
family, seventy-five in all Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our
fathers died Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb
that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of
money "As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the
number of our people in Egypt greatly increased Then another king, who knew
nothing about Joseph, became ruler of Egypt He dealt treacherously with our
people and oppressed our forefathers by forcing them to throw out their newborn
babies so that they would die "At that time Moses was born, and he was no
ordinary child. For three months he was cared for in his father's house When he
was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him and brought him up as her own
son Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in
speech and actionA "When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his
fellow Israelites He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went
to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian Moses thought that his
own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not
The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to
reconcile them by saying, 'Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each
other? "But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said,
'Who made you ruler and judge over us Do you want to kill me as you killed the
Egyptian yesterday? When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian,