Finding Truth

 How can one find and know the truth of Christianity that comes from God in a world that is divided over that truth to the extent that today we have thousands and thousands of denominations because they cannot agree with one another over what that truth is? Many no longer think it is possible to know the truth in any absolute sense. It is just a matter of individual opinion is a common thought. Consequently, it is not unusual to hear sentiments like as long as you believe in Jesus and are sincere that is all that matters and any church will do, just find the church of your choice.

It is easy enough for the sincere seeker after truth to just throw up his/her hands in despair and give up but the Bible makes it clear that truth can be known and that it does matter what one believes and obeys. Jesus said, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32 NKJV) Abiding in the word of Jesus is thus essential to (1) being a disciple of Jesus and (2) to knowing the truth. It is also essential to salvation for Jesus said, "If anyone keeps My word he shall never see death." (John 8:51 NKJV)

All the words in our New Testament are the words of Jesus, not just the red letter words. The word Jesus spoke and gave to man was God the Father's. Jesus himself said so. "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me." (John 14:24 NKJV) John the Baptist was speaking of Jesus when he said, "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure." (John 3:34 NKJV)

Jesus made other statements to this effect as follows: "The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority." (John 14:10 NKJV) "I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him." (John 8:26 NKJV) "As My Father taught Me, I speak these things." (John 8:28 NKJV) "You seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God." (John 8:40 NKJV) "But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me … He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God." (John 8:45-47 NKJV) In his prayer in John 17 he says, "I have given to them the words which You have given Me." (John 17:8 NKJV) That which Jesus spoke and taught came from God the Father.

When Jesus had ascended back to heaven the Holy Spirit was given to the apostles and prophets but the Spirit himself did not initiate new teaching but merely took of what was Jesus' and gave it to man. This is clearly taught in John 16:12-15 where we have Jesus speaking and saying, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you." (NKJV)

Jesus still had many things to say but he would not be saying those things now while still in the physical body but they would be spoken by the Holy Spirit who was going to take "what is Mine and declare it to you." When Jesus said in John 14:18, in speaking to the twelve, "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you" (NKJV) he was speaking of coming to them via means of the Holy Spirit (read the statement in context—John 14:16-20). This is the very thing he did on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 when the apostles were baptized in the Holy Spirit.

The New Testament is God's word; it is Jesus' word; it is the Holy Spirit's word. Paul declares that he received what he preached by revelation of Jesus. "But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ." (Gal. 1:11-12 NKJV) At the same time he made clear that the words he spoke were from the Holy Spirit. "These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual." (1 Cor. 2:13 NKJV) Just 3 verses later he says, "We have the mind of Christ." (1 Cor. 2:16 NKJV) To have the Holy Spirit is the same as to have the mind of Christ which is the same as to have "the Spirit who is from God" (1 Cor. 2:12 NKJV) which John the Baptist told us earlier God gave Jesus "without measure." (John 3:34 NKJV)

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Tim. 3:16-17 NKJV) It is God's word which is truth for Jesus said in prayer to the Father, "Your word is truth." (John 17:17 NKJV) It is that which makes free from sin (see John 8:31-32 quoted in the second paragraph of this article). It is that by which we shall be judged for Jesus said, "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day." (John 12:48 NKJV)

Jesus has defined love of God and what that means when he said, via the Holy Spirit speaking through the apostle John, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments." (1 John 5:3 NKJV) He again says, "This is love, that we walk according to His commandments." (2 John 6 NKJV) We find similar statements in the Gospel of John where Jesus speaks directly. "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me." (John 14:21 NKJV) "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word." (John 14:23 NKJV) Jesus is "the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him." (Heb. 5:9 NKJV) To obey Jesus one must obey the truth, the word of God, the words of Jesus whether spoken directly by him or indirectly by means of the Holy Spirit speaking through the apostles and the New Testament prophets.

Now it is time to make an application as it applies to the subject of finding truth in divided Christendom. Where can truth be found? The answer is simple--in the words of Jesus which is the New Testament, all of it. But, it is often said we cannot agree on it. We disagree with how passages are to be understood. True, we do, but one must understand that truth is truth.

If you and I are reading the same passage and you say it teaches one thing, and I say it teaches another, that is not going to affect the truth of the passage one way or another; it will not change the truth one iota. You may be wrong; I may be wrong; we both may be wrong; but, make no mistake about it, there is truth in the passage to be discovered.

There is no such thing as a separate truth for you and a separate truth for me out of the same passage. At least one of us has to be in error and maybe both of us. God will judge us by his word (John 12:48) which requires a correct understanding of it if a man is going to believe it and obey it. We are foolhardy when we go off and say in our hearts that you see it one way and I see it another and we are content to leave it at that as if it doesn't matter.

It is a direct command of God to, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth." (2 Tim. 2:15 NAS) If we fail to do that--accurately handle the word of truth--then we simply become another blind leader of the blind which Jesus says will end up with both falling into the ditch. It means disaster.

I say this without reservation; most people never learn the truth because they never study the truth. They are far, far away from being diligent about personal Bible study and being a workman at doing it. They may know well what it means to be a diligent workman studying a college course but they have never put forth that kind of effort into Bible study. They do not like to read or study the Bible, they find it boring or they would rather do other things.

Peter said that Paul wrote some things hard to understand "which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures" (2 Peter 3:16 NKJV) so scripture can be twisted and turned to teach what it does not teach but again to do so means destruction. One must educate himself not in what men say the scriptures teach but in the exact wording of scripture so he knows for himself what it teaches. The Bereans "searched the scriptures daily." (Acts 17:11 NKJV)

How many people today are almost solely dependent on their preacher for their religious instruction? If their preacher was a blind leader how would they know it no more than they study for themselves? One is going to have to want to go to heaven if they are going to get there. Studying, serious study, is a part of that. One comes to understand the scriptures correctly the same way one comes to understand any other academic subject, by study. It was God who said, "Come now, and let us reason together." (Isa. 1:18 NKJV) You have to know what he said before you can reason on it.

Jesus taught that a man can know the truth but there was a stipulation--"if anyone wants to do his will." (John 7:17 NKJV) Here is the whole verse with Jesus being the speaker, "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority." (John 7:17 NKJV) Many New Testament doctrines are rejected today because men do not want to do God's will.

One of the most prevalent is that of marriage, divorce, and remarriage for causes other than that given in Matt. 19:9--the cause of fornication (sexual immorality in most modern-day translations). A divorce and remarriage for any other reason is adultery. Likewise some religious groups today want to legalize in their religious body homosexuality, that is to declare a practicing homosexual a faithful Christian. Others desire to place women in positions of authority over men in the church. Is the Bible unclear on these subjects?

Hear the New Testament on the subjects of adultery and homosexuality, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Cor. 6:9-10 ESV) As for women in leadership roles in the church over men Paul said, "Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence." (1 Tim. 2:11-12 NKJV)

What is the point? One cannot know the truth unless he wants to do God's will just as Jesus said in John 7:17. Jesus said the same thing using other words in Mark 4:24, "Then He said to them, 'Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.'" (NKJV) If one is not willing to obey the truth, use it, what makes him think he is going to learn the truth?

Such a man will read a passage of scripture in a different way than will a man who is willing to accept and obey what is said. He will justify himself by twisting the scriptures and declare his twisting to be the real truth. Because he does not like what he hears and does not want to obey it he declares he hears something in the passage that an honest man would never hear.

In a similar vein all those religious bodies who declare themselves to be Christian but are willing to step outside the bounds of scripture for justification and authority are merely seeking to set up the commandments of men as equal to the word of God. There are today all kinds of governing bodies that make rules and regulations, laws and commandments, for their faithful just by the vote of those elected or appointed delegates to their various conventions, etc. At least the Catholics are honest enough to admit that they do not derive their authority solely from the Bible. Some of the denominations ought to fess up too, just as many of them as have national conventions or governing bodies that set their doctrines.

If one needs reminding of what God said about teaching the doctrines of men then here is the reminder, "'In vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" (Matt. 15:9 NKJV) The problem was, "'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.'" (Matt. 15:8 NKJV) No single man or group of men has the right to make a single law for God. We live in the kingdom of God and kings rule in kingdoms. The church is not a democracy where we vote on what we will believe and practice.

Finally, tradition plays an awfully big role in leading people away from the truth. Jesus, in speaking to the Pharisees and scribes, said, "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men." (Mark 7:8 NKJV) Again, "He said to them, 'All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.'" (Mark 7:9 NKJV) Does anyone think that kind of thing came to an end at the end of the first century?

The key to detecting this today within a group is the phrase, "you reject the commandment of God." One can see the commandments of God by reading the New Testament. When one or more of those commandments are no longer being followed by a religious body that ought to tell you something about them and a good place to start looking is at their traditions and how they are ruled.

If I was to tell you all you needed to know the truth was your New Testament you might find that hilarious in view of all the conflicting beliefs that men who claim to follow it have come up with. Yet, if I was to tell you the truth could be found somewhere else I would be in conflict with what God has said and would find myself fighting against God. The truth is found in your New Testament, because it is the word of Jesus, but it takes a good and honest heart to find it and accept it. The real test of whether or not a man or woman has found the truth is found in 1 John.

"Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him." (1 John 2:3-5 NKJV)

Are you doing that? The congregation or church of which you are a member, are they doing that or have they rejected some of God's commandments and set up some of their own traditions? Read your New Testament and you decide. I hope you are able to do that with a good and honest heart but be careful for God has said, "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9 NKJV)

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Born of Water and the Spirit: The New Birth

Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (NASU) and then a couple of verses later expounds upon his statement when he says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5 NASU)

This passage has troubled people over the years. What does it mean to be born of water and the Spirit? The real problem lies not in the difficulty of the passage but rather with those who are unwilling to accept the obvious import of the passage.

People often fail to understand Bible passages not because they are difficult but rather due to prejudice, closed minds. While I want to discuss the entire phrase "born of water and the Spirit," I first want to give you an example of what I am talking about as it relates to the passage we will be discussing. One very well-known Bible scholar who is also an author, and one I might add who has profited me in some of the things he has written, said of this passage that water here could not mean water.

In his mind, this was such a settled fact that there was no reason to even think about giving a reason for making such a statement, and he did not give one. The mind is closed to the thought. It is not worthy of consideration, for it is simply not possible for water to mean water in this passage. It has to mean something else.

Let us now deal with the passage and make it as simple as it really is. I begin by saying that it is essential to come to a correct understanding, as our eternal lives depend on it. Jesus says if we are not "born of water and the Spirit," we cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

I need not tell you that salvation is in God's kingdom, not outside it. It is essential to get into the kingdom of God if we hope to be saved. We are either in the domain of darkness or in the kingdom of God. There is no middle ground; it is an either-or proposition; we are either in or we are out.

Paul speaking to Christians says, "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son." (Col. 1:13 NASU) Whether we are in the domain of darkness or in Christ's kingdom depends on whether or not we have met his qualifications for being in his kingdom.

I know this is hard for us to sometimes accept, for we know people we would consider good people who are not Christians. They are moral people; they are honest; they work hard; they treat us well, and it is hard to see how God could reject them. It is hard for us to accept that they are in the domain of darkness.

They are like Cornelius in Acts 10, a man of whom nothing but good was spoken of. The Scriptures say of him that he was "a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually." (Acts 10:2 NASU) But I remind the reader that Cornelius, to be saved, had to hear, believe, and obey the gospel for salvation.

If he was already saved, in the state he was in, why bother Peter? Why does Peter need to travel to Caesarea, in view of the fact that it is a waste of his time to preach to Cornelius if Cornelius, a good man, is already saved? He was not saved. Peter later reported to the brethren back in Jerusalem about this matter saying, "He (Cornelius—DS) reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, 'Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; and he will speak words (the gospel--DS) to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.'" (Acts 11:13-14 NASU)

When a man obeys the gospel, it is an act of submission to God's will. We will either submit to his will or our own. When we refuse to submit to his will, no matter how good we are in other areas of life, how can it be truly said that we are godly? By our refusal to obey the gospel, we are saying we do not need God, Jesus did not need to die for me (his death was a waste, I did not need it), and I am not a sinner. The very fact that we refuse to obey the gospel, a command of God, proves in itself that we are in rebellion, in sin.

This being the case, how is one born of water and the Spirit, which is the equivalent of hearing, believing, and obeying the gospel? I say first of all that this is a single birth rather than two separate ones. How do I know? Because Jesus tells us so, just two verses before this verse, for he says in John 3:3, "unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (NASU) How many times does Jesus say a man is born again? Once! If we make these two births, one of water and the other of the Spirit, then we have one more birth than Jesus requires. One is born again, not twice, but once.

What is the role of the Spirit? Jesus says in John 6:44-45, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me." (NASU)

How is one taught of God? The answer is through the teachings of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, found in our day in the pages of the New Testament. Hear Jesus, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life." (John 6:63 NASU) So it is clearly seen that words do make a difference in bringing about spiritual life; the words of the Spirit bring life.

Peter says we have "been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God." (1 Peter 1:23 NASU) God's word is living. James says, "In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth." (James 1:18 NASU) God's word produces life in those who believe and accept it. James, "brought us forth" in this passage, is a reference to how the process of being born again comes about, by the "word of truth."

The Spirit works in bringing about the new birth in a man or woman by means of the word of God in the pages of the New Testament. In the parable of the sower (or soils if you prefer), as found in Luke 8, Jesus said "the seed is the word of God." (Luke 8:11) As it is sown in the hearts of people, it bears fruit, not in all but in those willing to hear and accept it. Four types of soil are mentioned in the parable, but only one type brought forth fruit. Jesus, in speaking of that soil, says "the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance." (Luke 8:15 NASU)

When one accepts the word of God and allows it to work in his life, having an honest and good heart, faith develops and leads the man to repentance, changing him within in his inner being, his spirit. He now believes differently, has different goals and aspirations, and wants to live a different life. When this occurs, the first prerequisite for the new birth has been met. However, Jesus also says in John 3:5 that one must be born not only of the Spirit but also of water if he is to enter into the kingdom of God.

Here is where multitudes have come up short. They fail to accept baptism. Needless to say, water is a reference to baptism. However, lest I be like the man who says water is not water but offers no proof, I need to prove my statement.

First of all, Jesus taught that baptism was essential when he gave the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20). He says, "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved…" (Mark 16:16 NASU). He does not say "he who has believed and has not been baptized shall be saved," even though many want to read it that way. The baptism of the Great Commission was in water and thus was essential for salvation.

But let us look at some other passages that, relating to the new birth, are even clearer. "Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." (Rom. 6:4 NASU) When do we walk in newness of life (born again, the new birth)? When we have been baptized.

Take a look at 2 Cor. 5:17, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (NASU) A new creature equals a new birth. The Bible tells us how to enter Christ. "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." (Gal. 3:27 NASU) Now, what does it take to get into Christ—baptism. Paul says we are "baptized into Christ." Then we are the new creature.

Where is salvation? Peter says, "there is salvation in no one else" (Acts 4:12 NASU), speaking of Jesus. Paul says, "For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory." (2 Tim. 2:10 NASU) Getting into Christ Jesus is thus essential.

One is a new creature upon entering into Christ (born again). One enters Christ by the act of baptism, having been baptized as a result of the consequences of the Spirit working in his life. "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body." (1 Cor. 12:13 NASU) That body into which we are baptized is the body of Christ, the body where one finds salvation, "He Himself being the Savior of the body." (Eph. 5:23 NASU)

Let us take a look at a couple of passages that teach just what Jesus taught about the new birth in John 3, but which are often overlooked. Paul says in Titus 3:5 (NASU), "He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit."

God's mercy, his grace, saves us, but how? By the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. This is just another way of saying exactly what Jesus said in John 3:5 regarding being born of water and the Spirit. The washing of regeneration is baptism.

In another parallel passage Paul says in Eph. 5:25-26 regarding Jesus and the church (the church being his spiritual body, the body he saves, Eph. 1:22-23), "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word." (NASU) Yes, water is water in John 3:5, and not something else, and Jesus says his word "gives life" (John 6:63 NAS) and that his words "are spirit" (John 6:63 NAS).

If this passage does not clarify what it means to be born of water and the Spirit, I am not sure I know what it would take. How are we cleansed; how are we born again; how are we saved? By the washing of water (baptism—DS) with the word (the Spirit using the word as his tool to change us in our spirit).

Thus, the new birth, what it means to be born again, to be born of water and the Spirit, is not that difficult and could be easily understood if we had open minds.

However, like the Jews of old, we often have too much at stake to allow us to see the truth. We have family that has passed on, and we cannot allow water to mean baptism, for we think that would condemn them. We cannot allow water to mean water, for if we were to accept that, it would make demands on us to comply, which might alienate friends and family who do not believe baptism is essential. The sacrifice is too great; we will not allow it. We will not allow water to be baptism. It has to mean something else.

Will not God condemn us for our hardness of heart when he has made a thing as clear as this, yet we refuse to accept it? When we prefer spiritual blindness rather than light, what do we think he will say to us in the Day of Judgment?

But now to make the application personal, the question for us all is what will we do in the face of the truth? Do we accept it or deny it? Do we act on it, or do we remain passive and do nothing? What will you say to Jesus on the last day?

"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word." (Jesus—John 14:23 NASU)

I do think it would be appropriate to comment before closing to any who hold back from obeying Jesus in the new birth because of a loved one who passed on without going through that birth. Here are some points to consider. (1) Jesus teaches we must love him above father, mother, son, or daughter (Matt. 10:37). (2) If a loved one failed to get to heaven do you think you would be doing them a favor by joining them? Is that what they would want? Read Luke 16:19-31. The rich man in this account did not want his five brothers joining him. (3) Finally, why not leave judgment up to God? "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen. 18:25 NKJV)

Note: Underlining in verses quoted was by me to emphasize certain statements and was not in the original quoted texts.

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Covenant Confusion

Covenant confusion runs rampant in much of what is called Christendom today. All who claim to being Christians readily grant the Bible is to be our guide in living the Christian life, but what part of the Bible? Surely not the Bible in its entirety, for that would put us back to animal sacrifices, dietary laws, the keeping of festivals, etc. So, where do we draw the line? That is the subject of our study today.

There are many who justify their religious practices by making an appeal to what they find in the Old Testament, the law given by Moses. If such and such was done back then with God's approval, I know it would be acceptable today, is the thinking. There are problems with that.

(1) The Law of Moses was only given to the Jews, the children of Israel. It was given on Mt. Sinai to the Jewish people who came out of Egypt under Moses' leadership. In Deut. 5:2-3, Moses reviews what happened back then and says, "The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb … with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive." Who was there that day? They were not Gentiles. Paul, in the book of Romans, is plain spoken in speaking of the Gentiles who he says "do not have the law." (Rom. 2:14 NKJV) He says the Gentiles were "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." (Eph. 2:12 NKJV)

There was no Great Commission under the Law of Moses to attempt to go out into the world and convert the Gentiles to Judaism. When the children of Israel reached the Wilderness of Sinai, before the mountain there, the Lord called to Moses, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: … 'Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people, for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel." (Exod. 19:3-6 NKJV) He was not speaking to Gentiles. "Whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law" (Rom. 3:19 NKJV), and that was not the Gentiles. The Gentiles were not to be a part of the holy nation, not yet, not under the Law of Moses.

Yes, I understand there were Gentile proselytes, but they came to that on their own. No one ever went out under the Law of Moses to attempt to convert the Gentiles to Judaism. That was not God's plan. He had a plan for the Gentiles, but it was under Christianity, not under the Law of Moses. Ruth and Rahab are well-known proselytes, and proselytes are mentioned in Acts 2:10. To become acquainted with Judaism in those times, you had to come into proximity to the Jews; they would not go out to seek you. Again, the Great Commission did not exist under the Law of Moses. There was no command to go out into the world and convert it to Judaism.

(2) The second problem with attempting justification for religious practices by an appeal to the first covenant, the one given under Moses, is that we are commanded today to hear Jesus, not Moses. Listen to Peter, "For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people." (Acts 3:22-23 NKJV) So, even the Jews, who were Peter's audience, were admonished and warned, it is no longer Moses who is to be heard. It is Christ, the prophet spoken of.

God has "in these last days spoken to us by His Son." (Heb. 1:2 NKJV) On the mount of transfiguration, when Jesus was transfigured with Peter, James, and John being present, God the Father spoke from heaven saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" (Matt. 17:5 NKJV) That message was recorded for us all, not meant just for the three apostles.

Jesus is our judge, not Moses. Jesus tells us his word will judge us in the last day (John 12:48). God is going to judge us "in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained," that man being Jesus (Acts 17:31 NKJV).

So Moses had his covenant, given to him by God, the Law of Moses as we call it, meant for a specific people for a set period of time. It was useful for the purpose for which it was designed. It served that purpose and has now passed into history. Jesus fulfilled the law and brought it to a close.

Paul elaborates on this subject in Gal. 3:24-26 when he says, "The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus." (NKJV) Note, no longer under the tutor that was "the law." Christ in fulfilling the law brought it to an end.

(3) A final problem with the Law of Moses was there was no salvation to be found in it, since it required perfection in keeping the law, a thing no one could do. Paul speaks of it as "the ministry of death." (2 Cor. 3:7 NKJV) Again, he says, "the ministry of condemnation." (2 Cor. 3:9 NKJV) More on that later.

But Jesus also has a covenant, a new one, the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2). It is the commands and teaching of the New Testament. If he has no law, then it is impossible to sin, for "sin is lawlessness" (1 John 3:4 NKJV), or, as the old KJV puts it, "sin is the transgression of the law." "Where there is no law there is no transgression." (Rom. 4:15 NKJV) Paul spoke of "not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ." (1 Cor. 9:21 NKJV) See also Gal. 6:2, "so fulfill the law of Christ." (NKJV)

Also, it needs to be explained how Jesus is "the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him" (Heb. 5:9 NKJV) if he has no law to obey. Jesus answered that question himself when he said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." (John 14:15 NKJV) What is a commandment if it is not a law? Is it merely a suggestion?

But, unlike the Law of Moses, the Law Jesus has given us, the new covenant, is not for one nation or race of people alone but for all humanity, Jews and all Gentiles alike. The command of the Great Commission is to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved." (Mark 16:15-16 NKJV) Peter, at the house of Cornelius, the first Gentile conversion we have a specific record of, put it this way: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him." (Acts 10:34-35 NKJV) It is a new covenant, one that contains law most assuredly, but also has grace, making forgiveness possible.

Between Mount Sinai and the cross, salvation under the Law of Moses demanded, of those to whom it was given, perfect obedience. "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.'" (Gal. 3:10 NKJV) Please note the words "all things." God meant what he said. "All" meant all. James also emphasized this point about the law when he said, "Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10 NKJV)

That was the problem with the Law of Moses, "The law is not of faith, but 'The man who does them shall live by them.'" (Gal. 3:12 NKJV, see also Rom. 10:5) That is, does them all, every one of them, without fail. Paul further says, "If there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law." (Gal. 3:21 NKJV) That is the same as saying no such law was given. The conclusion, "By the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." (Gal. 2:16 NKJV) Justification was impossible under it. "For the law made nothing perfect." (Heb. 7:19 NKJV) "The law … can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect … For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins." (Heb. 10:1,4 NKJV)

Does this mean men like Isaiah, Jeremiah, David, Daniel, and countless others who lived and died under the Law of Moses were doomed? No, not at all. When Jesus died on the cross, his shed blood flowed backwards as well as forwards to cleanse from sin. "For this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." (Heb. 9:15 NKJV) The first covenant is a reference to the Law of Moses.

They were granted grace through the blood of Jesus not because of any perfection in keeping the Law, but because they were of faith. As the Hebrew writer says, "Time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions … " (Heb. 11:32-33 NKJV) Their faith was in God, not in the Law in the sense of the Law being their Savior.

I am reminded of a statement I heard from a preacher years ago, one now gone, who made the comment that men have always been saved the same way, by faith and obedience. Many associate the idea of obedience with works and doubt the necessity of such, but all of the worthies of the Old Testament were obedient people. Can it be said a person is a man or woman of faith who is disobedient? Heb. 3:18-19 associates the subject of obedience with faith. "Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey?" (Heb. 3:17-18 NKJV) They did not obey for they lacked faith. They go hand in hand.

By the time of Jesus, many of the Jews looked for their salvation by means of law, by means of law keeping, by means of their own efforts along that line. Think of the Pharisees. All they could see was the law, not the God behind the law. Their faith was in law keeping, not God per se. Their law keeping could force God's hand in their eyes. God would have to accept them.

That was the old covenant, the Law of Moses under which the Jewish nation lived for hundreds of years. Jesus came into the world, and with him a change in the covenants under which God's people are to live. We move from under the old covenant to the new, initiated at the cross of Christ. As we have already shown, it was a covenant under which all of mankind was to be brought, not for the Jews only. Disciples are to be made of all nations, not just of the Jews. (Matt. 28:19)

It is a covenant of grace. "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (John 1:17 NKJV) Yes, as already shown, God still has law. There are still commands to be obeyed, but what is now required for salvation is quite different. Faith and faithfulness are what is now required of mankind, not perfection in law keeping (command keeping). We now have a Savior, the Lord Jesus, to whom we can look for forgiveness. It is a Savior who saves us, not a law. "We conclude that a man is justified by faith (faith in Jesus—DS) apart from the deeds of the law." (Rom. 3:28 NKJV)

We are "justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth to be a propitiation by His blood, through faith." (Rom. 3:24-25 NKJV) The blood of bulls and goats could not cleanse man, any man, of sin, but the blood of Jesus can—if we believe. "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand." (Rom. 5:1-2 NKJV)

Does this mean it is no longer necessary to obey God's commands, no longer necessary to be obedient to God's laws? Paul addressed this question in Romans chapter 6. "Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!" (Rom. 6:15 NKJV) "The wages of sin is death." (Rom. 6:23 NKJV) "If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Rom. 8:13 NKJV) "To be carnally minded is death." (Rom. 8:6 NKJV) Or, as the New Living Translation puts this verse, "Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death."

One might be inclined to say that sounds like law keeping for salvation again, like under the Law of Moses. Not so. Why not? Because the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus does not demand perfection but only a walk in life according to the Spirit. That means I must be a spiritually minded individual who allows the teaching of the Spirit, as found in God's word, to direct my life. The new covenant is "not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Cor. 3:6 NKJV) The Law of Moses "was weak through the flesh." (Rom. 8:3 NKJV) It was of the letter, obey perfectly without fail. Mankind is prone to sin, and that law had no remedy for it no matter how penitent one might be, that is, until the cross. The new covenant, which is of the Spirit, grants grace without the perfection of the letter.

David committed a number of sins, quite serious ones even by man's standards. Nevertheless, he was a deeply spiritually minded man. He lived under the Law of Moses and was a doomed man had Christ never come to earth and made his sacrifice. Yes, he was always penitent of his sins, but there was no satisfactory propitiation for them—not until Christ. Under the new covenant that Christ brought us, the penitent Christian who has an attitude toward God like David had, walking in the Spirit, not fleshly minded, has always forgiveness upon his repentance. He does not await some future event.

John, the apostle, puts it this way, "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9 NKJV)

A few final thoughts before closing. Jesus is the author of the New Covenant, the New Testament, under which all people live today. We are to be ruled and judged by it. That does not mean we discount the abundance of the good things for our edification found in the Old Testament. There is a world of things to be learned from it. However, we cannot seek justification from it.

One might be inclined to think that we are only talking here about the issue of salvation. However, think about all the things that have been borrowed from Judaism, things like instrumental music, burning of incense, priestly robes, observing the Levitical feasts, keeping of the Sabbath, etc. They find their justification not from the teachings of the New Testament but from the practices found under the Law of Moses. God did not give things of that nature to us under the New Covenant. What he did say was, "Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son." (2 John 9 NKJV)

We need to decide which covenant we will allow to direct our lives. Many, unwittingly, try to have a mixture, a some of this, some of that. We need to stick to the doctrine of Christ. Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 12:24). "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many." (Mark 14:24 NKJV) Let us abide in it.

(A large portion of each of the books of Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews are devoted to the changing of the covenants, from Moses' to Christ's. I would encourage all to read those books that distinguish the covenants.)

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Canaan and Heaven--How God's Grace Is Given

How God's grace is given to men is not only an interesting study but also one of utmost importance as it relates to our salvation, a salvation which is clearly set forth in the scriptures as being a free gift of God to man. "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (Rom. 3:24 NKJV) It is by grace through faith we are saved and not by works. (Eph. 2:8-9) Salvation is specifically said to be "the gift of God." (Eph. 2:8 NKJV)

Many more or less assume this gift of God, freely given, has no conditions attached, that it is unconditional, or else works would be included in its obtainment. We sometimes jump to conclusions, fired up by emotionalism, rather than coming to our conclusions as a result of thoughtful study and meditation.

While salvation (and thus heaven itself—our promised land) is said to be a free gift from God it is no more said to be a free gift than was the promised land to the children of Israel in the Old Testament beginning with the original promise to Abraham in Gen. 12:7, "To your descendants I will give this land." (NKJV) (See also Gen. 13:15, 17)

To Moses God said, regarding Abraham's descendants, the children of Israel, "I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan." (Exodus 6:4 NKJV) Look up the word "given" or "give" in any Bible concordance and you will find time and again, passage after passage, stating that God either had given the children of Israel the land of Canaan or would do so.

But if it was a gift from God freely given then surely there was nothing the children of Israel had to do to obtain it other than believe—was there? The way people reason today, if they were to be consistent, they would have to answer "no there was not" but they know better. They will not say that for they know their Old Testament history well enough to know that while God had given them the land, and they were assured of it, they still had to fight battle after battle to drive out those who lived there.

How can a person say a gift is free if effort is required to receive it? That is a fair question deserving an answer. By definition, a gift is the giving of something that does not have to be given. There is no legal necessity to give a gift. I give to the government tax money but none of us would say that is a gift. On the other hand, if I give to an orphanage that is a gift freely given for there is nothing compelling me to give other than the desire of my heart to do so. If God gave the land of Canaan to the children of Israel, as he did, what forced him to do that? Was he under obligation or was it the desire of his heart?

Man can complain all he wants about the children of Israel having to fight all those battles and say to himself "what kind of gift was that?" It is an argument with God for he is the one who said he was "giving" the land. Man would say man was earning the land, earning it the hard way with combat, but God called it giving. There is an important lesson here. We need to learn to think the way God thinks, not the way humanity thinks. "My thoughts are not your thoughts" (Isa. 55:8 NKJV) is what God says. When God gives to man a gift it does not necessarily mean no effort is required to take possession of the gift. It does mean, however, because God is giving it, obey and you will succeed (no doubt about it) and you will become a recipient of the gift of God.

God speaks in the New Testament of salvation as being a gift. With men thinking the way they do this means to most "sit back, relax, and dump it into my lap." Bad mistake! The children of Israel received the land of Canaan by God's grace. It was a free gift that did not have to be given. They defeated the inhabitants of the land not because they were a stronger military force but because God was fighting with them and for them delivering the inhabitants into their hands.

God's gift of grace means opportunity. God's grace in giving the children of Israel the land of Canaan meant believe and obey and I (God) guarantee your success. It is no different today with us other than the location of the Promised Land. By God's grace, we are given an opportunity to reach the promised land of heaven itself and our success is guaranteed if we will believe and obey.

Lest the reader thinks I am setting up an analogy that is invalid comparing the children of Israel and their promised land and God's children today and our promised land, this is the very thing the writer of the book of Hebrews does beginning in Heb. 3:7 and going through about Heb. 4:11.

In Heb. 3:18-19 the writer says a thing of utmost importance to you and me if we are to learn the lesson he desires us to learn. "And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief." (NKJV) The reader ought to note carefully how the Hebrew writer ties together faith and obedience or unbelief and disobedience. Those who believe obey; those who disbelieve disobey.

Why did the adults of that group we refer to as the children of Israel who left Egypt with Moses to go to the Promised Land fail to enter in? They disobeyed God who told them, "Go up and possess the land which I have given to you." (Deut. 9:23 NKJV) They feared the inhabitants of the land and did not believe God's word that he had given them the land and thus would fight with them in all their battles allowing victory. Moses speaking to them says, "You rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God, and you did not believe him nor obey his voice." (Deut. 9:23 NKJV)

When men do not believe they do not obey. Obedience then is a matter of faith, disobedience a matter of a lack of faith. Why are people today, people who claim to believe, not baptized "for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38 NKJV) as Peter preached and commanded in the very first Holy Spirit inspired gospel sermon ever to be preached? The answer is because disbelief leads naturally to disobedience. The Hebrew writer sums it up well, "the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it." (Heb. 4:2 NKJV) Yes, he was speaking of a generation long gone but speaking for our benefit today so that we can learn from it. Will we learn?

The Hebrew writer goes on in speaking of those Israelites who failed to enter the promised land saying, "those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience" (Heb. 4:6 NKJV) and then warns us not to fall "according to the same example of disobedience." (Heb. 4:11 NKJV)

What should we learn from all of this? Genuine faith that saves is a faith that when it hears believes and obeys. Men can call obedience salvation by works if they want to, that is their choice, but the wise man will obey and not seek salvation without obedience. To seek salvation without obedience is to seek salvation without any real faith. "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:26 NKJV) and things that are dead no longer have life and are ready to be buried. Willful disobedience manifests a lack of faith and is rebellion.

God's gifts and grace, in the context of the subject of which we are talking, always requires more of man than a dead faith that refuses to act. When God speaks (gives a command in his word) our obligation is to obey and not sit around and meditate on how doing so means works and not grace. The children of Israel would have been glad to walk into Canaan under other circumstances more pleasing to themselves. They were just not willing to believe God and do it his way. His grace, his gift, was not to them sufficient grace.

Will we be that way about going to heaven? Are we only going to heaven if we can get there our way? Are we only willing to go if God requires absolutely nothing of us? I hope that does not prove to be the case.

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