THE LAW IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
The word “law” occurs 223 times
in the New Testament of the King James Version. The word “ordinances,”
which means law occurs seven times.
Because of verses like Colossians 2:14 nearly
the entire Christian world believes that the Ten Commandments
are no longer in effect. This verse says, “Blotting out
the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was
contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his
cross;”
Paul says in Romans 3:31, “Do we then
make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish
the law.” A law that is established is certainly not abolished
or nailed to the cross.
So, has the law been established, or has it
been nailed to the cross and abolished? Obviously there is more
than one type of law referred to in the New Testament.
God gave four different types of laws to the
Israelites in the Old Testament. They were:
1. The Ten Commandments
2. The religious ceremonial laws
3. The health laws
4. The civil laws
One of the major problems with the words “law,”
“ordinances,” and “covenant” in the New Testament
is that it is often not clear which “law” or “covenant”
is being discussed. But in each case God has given us a way to
know which law or covenant is meant. Here we get into the problems
of interpretation of the Bible.
A contradiction is of necessity a lie. If
one thing is true and another disagrees with it, the second can
not be true. It must be a lie. Titus 1:2 tells us that God cannot
lie. “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie,
promised before the world began;” Hebrews 6:18 also tells
us that God cannot lie. “That by two immutable things, in
which it was impossible for God to lie. . . .” And finally
Numbers 23:19 tells us this also. “God is not a man, that
he should lie. . . .”
Since it is impossible for God to lie, and
contradictions are lies, there can be no contradictions anywhere
in the Bible. Therefore, the correct way to interpret the Bible
is so that there are no contradictions in the entire Bible. When
we interpret the Bible so that there are no contradictions anywhere,
we know we have it right. This is the method God has given us
whereby we might know when we have the Bible interpreted correctly.
We read many Bible verses in chapter one that
showed that the Sabbath commandment would be in effect forever,
a perpetual covenant. God’s Sabbath commandment, will never
end.
Therefore, when we read something in the New
Testament that is interpreted in such a way that claims that
the Ten Commandments are no longer in effect, we know that this
interpretation is wrong. For instance, there are places in the
New Testament that talk about our not being under the law. In
light of the verses we have read that say that the commandments
will stand forever, this cannot mean that the Ten Commandments
have been abolished. We will see later what not being under the
law means.
Regarding these four types of laws God gave
to ancient Israel, here are the types of laws and the ones that
were discontinued.
1. The great universal moral law, the Ten
Commandments
We will see shortly that the Ten Commandment
law is God’s constitution for the government of heaven and
the entire universe. We will see that the Ten Commandments have
been in effect ever since God was and will be in effect throughout
all eternity, as long as God exists.
2. The religious ceremonial laws
God planned from the beginning that the religious
ceremonial laws would cease at the cross, because Christ, the
true Lamb of God was sacrificed. The animal sacrifices all pointed
forward to Christ’s death on the cross. “And he shall
confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst
of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to
cease, . . .” (Daniel 9:27) For us to offer animal sacrifices
today would be a sacrilege, saying that Christ did not die for
our sins.
3. The health laws
These are laws that God gave us to keep us
healthy and free from disease. The physics of the human body
have not changed since these laws were given. The health laws
are just as much a benefit for us today as they were for the
ancient Israelites. Consider Exodus 15:26: “. . . If you
will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, and
will do that which is right in his sight, and will give ear to
his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none
of these diseases upon you, that I have brought upon the Egyptians:
for I am the Lord that heals you.” If people perfectly obeyed
God and kept the health laws today they would NEVER be sick.
4. The civil laws
These were the laws governing the civil penalties for crimes
within the theocracy of Israel. Many of our civil laws today
are based on these laws to some degree. God does not require
these to be strictly adhered to today, because the theocracy
is no longer in existence, but they should be used to guide us
in setting up our governments. When someone is convicted of murder,
for instance, the murderer should be put to death swiftly in
order to discourage others from this sin. “Whoever sheds
man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed. . . .”
And “. . . blood defiles the land: and the land cannot be
cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood
of him that shed it.” (Genesis 9:6, Numbers 35:33)
Interpreting the Bible so that there are no
contradictions anywhere will always show whether the New Testament
is referring to the Ten Commandments or not.
Let us again consider Second Timothy 3:16,17
that tells us that the entire Old Testament is applicable for
us today. “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
perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” When
this was written there was no New Testament. This verse is telling
us that all of the Old Testament is profitable for doctrine,
reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. We cannot
disregard any part of the Bible and be safe.
We are told in the clearest of language in
Psalms 111:7-9 that all of God’s Ten Commandments will stand
fast for ever and ever. “The works of his hands are verity
and judgment; all his commandments are sure. They stand fast
for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. He
sent redemption to his people: he has commanded his covenant
for ever: holy and reverend is his name.”
These verses tell us that God’s Ten Commandment
law will stand throughout all eternity. These verses also make
it clear that the covenant that stands forever is the covenant
of the Ten Commandments. This is very important, because when
the New Testament speaks of a covenant or a law that was discontinued,
it cannot possibly refer to the law or covenant of the Ten Commandments.
Furthermore, Ecclesiastes 3:14 makes it very
clear that God will never change or abolish His Ten Commandments
or His Sabbath day. “I know that, whatever God does, it
shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken
from it: and God does it, that men should fear before him.”
How could God have possibly made it any plainer than the wording
in this verse?
At the end of creation week God blessed, sanctified,
and made holy Saturday, the seventh day of the week. God never
blessed, sanctified, or made holy any other day of the week,
and Ecclesiastes 3:14 makes it clear that God’s seventh-day
Sabbath, Saturday, will remain blessed, sanctified and holy throughout
all eternity.
Many people try to twist these clear Bible
texts that tell us that the Ten Commandments will stand forever
by saying that these verses are “figurative” language,
or these verses are “spiritual,” or that “forever”
does not really mean forever, or in some other way try to cloud
the meaning. Many so-called Christians today claim that the Ten
Commandments were only for the Jews, but they are quick to say
that they are not allowed to lie, murder, commit adultery, or
break any other of the Ten Commandments except the Sabbath commandment!
We saw that Jesus, Himself, tells us to live
by every word out of the mouth of God in Matthew 4:4. “But
he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
Directly out of the mouth of God came the Ten Commandments in
Exodus 20:3-17. These are the ONLY verses in the Bible that God,
Himself, wrote. And God, Himself, wrote them to make us realize
their importance and to make us realize that they would forever
be in effect. That is why He wrote them on tables of stone —
to show their permanence.
Which verses in the Bible would you consider
to be more important, the verses God, Himself, wrote or the verses
someone else wrote?
Jesus said in Matthew 5:17,18 that He did
not come to destroy the law. “Think not that I am come to
destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but
to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass,
one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till
all be fulfilled.” We saw in chapter one that the earth
will abide forever. Here again in the clearest words possible
Jesus tells us that He did not come to abolish the law but that
the law will be in effect for ever.
Which law is Jesus referring to? The law that
will be in force throughout all eternity, the Ten Commandments.
How can Sunday-keepers claim that Jesus abolished the law, when
He says plainly in these verses that He did NOT abolish the law?
Jesus fulfilled the law by perfectly obeying every one of the
Ten Commandments.
We saw in First John 3:4 that sin is breaking
any of the Ten Commandments. “Whoever commits sin transgresses
also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”
When Sunday-keepers throw out the Ten Commandments, they are
throwing away the definition of sin.
When did God institute His Ten Commandment
law? We know that Satan sinned in heaven before the earth was
created, so the Ten Commandments must have been in force then.
We also know that Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden,
so the Ten Commandments must have been in force in the Garden
of Eden. We saw in Chapter one that those who are saved will
be keeping God’s Sabbath day, Saturday, holy throughout
all eternity. The Ten Commandment law is the constitution of
heaven. It is the law whereby God’s entire universe operates.
If it were not, the entire universe would have the problems we
have on earth today.
In fact, one of the main reasons God created
the earth was to show to the universe what happens when people
continually break God’s law. First Corinthians 4:9 tells
us: “For we are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels,
and to men.” The word “spectacle” is translated
from the Greek word theatron, which means “theater.”
This present earth was created to be the theater of the universe
where God is demonstrating to all the intelligent beings in the
universe what happens when a society disobeys His law, the Ten
Commandments. As the final result of the drama taking place on
this earth, all of God’s creation — men, angels, and
other forms of intelligent life throughout the vast reaches of
space — will thoroughly understand that without obeying
God’s law there can be no peace, for they are witnessing
the trouble, misery, pain, and death that are the natural consequences
of disregarding the law of God.
Isaiah 24:4,5 is a prophecy of the trouble
that occurs when the people of the earth declare that God’s
law is no longer in effect. “The earth mourns and fades
away, the world languishes and fades away, the haughty people
of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the
inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws,
changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.”
The wars and trouble, the pain and suffering all over the earth
today are a direct result of people disregarding God’s Ten
Commandments.
Today, the earth is the stage, the theater
of the universe, where the tragic results of disobeying God’s
law are being revealed; but then, throughout all eternity, after
God creates the new earth from the ashes of the old, the Glory
of the universe will be centered here. Today God rules from heaven;
but after He creates the new earth, He will make His home and
His throne on the new earth. This world will be the center of
God’s government and the home of the righteous throughout
eternity. Revelation 21:3 says, “And I heard a great voice
out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and
God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” The word
“tabernacle” means tent, and it signifies the home
of God on the earth with the righteous from all ages. Yes, this
world, where the great Creator God of the universe, Jesus Christ,
was brutally murdered by those whom He created, will be Christ’s
throne throughout all eternity. The next verse tells us that
there will be no unhappiness or problems of any kind in this
new earth. Everything will be perfect. “And God shall wipe
away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:
for the former things are passed away.”
And we have seen in Isaiah 66:22,23 that in
God’s new earth, everyone will be keeping Saturday, God’s
Sabbath day, holy throughout all eternity.
God’s Ten Commandments, His constitution
of the universe, is enshrined in His temple in heaven. Revelation
11:19 tells us that the Ark of the Covenant is in the Temple
of God in Heaven. “And the temple of God was opened in heaven,
and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament.”
The Ark of the Covenant contains the Ten Commandments. The Greek
word, diatheke, which is translated “testament”
in this verse is also translated “covenant” seventeen
times in the New Testament. Most of the other English translations
of the Bible say “Ark of His Covenant” in this verse.
Do Sunday-keepers believe that God’s
Saturday Sabbath commandment has been deleted from the Ten Commandments
on the tables of stone in the temple of God in heaven?
Since the Ten Commandments are still in effect,
they must be included in the New Testament. And they are. The
following chart lists each one of the Ten Commandments and gives
the texts where it can be found. These are not the only texts
that reiterate the Ten Commandments in the New Testament.
In the fourth commandment in this chart, verses
three through eleven of Hebrews 4:9 make it very clear that God
is talking about His seventh-day, Saturday, Sabbath. The New
International Version of the Bible has for this verse, “There
remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;”
Also in this chart, in the fifth commandment,
by saying, “which is the first commandment with promise,”
Paul refers directly to the 5th commandment found in Exodus 20:12.
“Honor your father and your mother: that your days may be
long upon the land which the Lord your God gives you.” The
promise is long life for obedience.
Revelation 22:14,15 makes it clear that only
commandment keepers will be saved. Some of the Ten Commandments
are listed here to show that this is talking about the Ten Commandments.
“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may
have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the
gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and
whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whoever loves
and makes a lie.”
There are a great many people today who claim
they are Christians and who go around saying, “I’m
saved.” Unless they are keeping all of the Ten Commandments
they are deceiving themselves. First Peter 4:18 says that even
the righteous, those who are keeping all the commandments, will
very nearly not be saved. “And if the righteous scarcely
be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Earlier we saw that Psalms 119:172 tells us
that ALL of the commandments are righteousness. “My tongue
shall speak of your word: for all your commandments are righteousness.”
The Ten Commandments define righteousness.
Deuteronomy 6:25 tells us that righteousness
is keeping the commandments. “And it shall be our righteousness,
if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our
God, as he has commanded us.”
And Isaiah 51:6 tells us that these Ten Commandments,
this righteousness shall never be abolished. “. . . my righteousness
shall not be abolished.”
Every time the New Testament refers to righteousness
it is referring to the Ten Commandments, the definition of righteousness.
Every time the Old Testament refers to righteousness it is referring
to the Ten Commandments.
Many texts in the New Testament refer to not
being under the law, but under grace. Many texts refer to being
“justified.”
What does it mean to be under grace? Before
we can answer this we must see what the word “justified”
means. Every time the word “justified” is used in the
Old Testament it is translated from the Hebrew word tsadaq,
which means “made righteous.” Every time the word “justified”
is used in the New Testament it is translated from the Greek
word dikaioo, which means “be righteous.” When
we are justified, we are righteous. If a person is justified
he is keeping all ten of the commandments.
Titus 3:7 tells us, “That being justified
by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of
eternal life.” Here we see that it is grace that justifies
us. It is grace that makes us righteous. It is grace that gives
us the POWER to obey the Ten Commandments.
By ourselves, without God’s grace, God’s
power to keep us from sinning, it is totally impossible for us
to obey the law. Paul sums up the human condition pretty well
in Romans 7:18,19 “For I know that in me (that is, in my
flesh,) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me;
but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good
that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I
do.” It is totally impossible for us, by ourselves, to keep
God’s Ten Commandments and be righteous. We need God’s
help, God’s grace, if we are going to be able to keep the
Ten Commandments.
We will see shortly that we can only have
this grace if keeping God’s Ten Commandments is our foremost
desire.
Lets us now look at some of the verses that
are used for excuses for not obeying the Ten Commandments, especially
the Sabbath commandment.
Romans 6:14: “For sin shall not be master
over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.”
What does it mean to be not under the law?
Does it mean that the law was abolished? Does it mean that you
are free to lie, to commit murder or adultery?
Paul tells us in the next verse, verse fifteen,
that it is possible to sin while being not under the law. “What
then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under
grace? God forbid.” We saw that “sin is the transgression
of the law.” (1 John 3:4). Since we can sin while we are
not under the law, the law has certainly not been abolished.
Paul also says in Romans 6:14 that sin shall
not be master over you, which means you are not sinning, which
means you are not breaking any of the Ten Commandments. How are
you doing this? You are being justified, or being made righteous
by grace as we just read in Titus 3:7. By grace, by the power
of God, you are keeping the Ten Commandments. Therefore if you
are under grace, you are not under the condemnation of the law,
because by the power of God (His grace) you are keeping all of
the Ten Commandments.
If you never murder anyone, you are not under
the law of the state that says don’t murder. But if you
do murder someone and are caught, you will really know that you
are under the law of the state that says don’t murder. Being
under the law means being under the CONDEMNATION of the law.
Which brings up the question of a person being
born-again. We saw that the definition of a born-again Christian
is found in 1 John 3:9. “Whoever is born of God DOES NOT
COMMIT SIN; for his seed remains in him: and HE CANNOT SIN, because
he is born of God.” True born-again Christians have, by
grace, by the power of God, overcome sin in their lives. They
don’t commit sin. They obey ALL of the Ten Commandments
perfectly. They fulfill the law just like Christ did.
Next is a further example of grace being the
power of God that enables us to keep His Ten Commandments. The
new covenant, you will remember, is shown in Jeremiah 31:31-33
and Hebrews 8:10 to be God’s law written in our hearts and
in our minds, Ezekiel 36:26,27 says, “A new heart also will
I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will
take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give
you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and
cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments,
and do them.” This is a mighty promise God makes to His
people. He says that He, Himself, will cause them to walk in
His statutes. He will be the power, the grace, in the lives of
His true Christians to cause them always to obey the Ten Commandments.
Furthermore, He says that His people will, indeed, keep His statutes
and His laws. When God promises each of us that He will cause
us to walk in His statutes and that we will keep His judgments
and do them, how could any of God’s people possibly say
that he could never achieve this goal?
God’s causing us to walk in His statutes
is somewhat analogous to power steering on a car. Power steering
will not turn the wheels until the driver moves the steering
wheel slightly. Then the power steering takes over and moves
the wheels for him. Likewise, if we want to keep God’s Ten
Commandments perfectly, with all our heart, and strive for this
goal with all our being, God will take over and do it for us
just as He promised.
We must now look again at the Bible definition
of a wicked person. Psalms 119:155 tells us that the wicked are
people who do not obey the Ten Commandments. “Salvation
is far from the wicked: for they do not seek your statutes.”
Psalms 119:53 also tells us that the wicked are those who ignore
God’s law. “Horror has taken hold upon me because of
the wicked that forsake your law.”
Next let us consider Romans 8:2-4: “For
the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free
from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in
the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled
in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.“
Does being set free from the law of sin and
of death mean that the Ten Commandments are no longer in effect?
We saw that the Ten Commandments will be in effect forever, throughout
all eternity. We also saw that there can be no contradictions
anywhere in the Bible. So this phrase “being set free from
the law of sin and of death” cannot possibly mean that the
Ten Commandments have been done away with. It means that if a
person is not sinning, he is free from the condemnation of the
law of sin and of death.
Applying what we just learned about grace,
the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” in
verse two is God’s grace that gives us the power to overcome
sin completely and to keep the Ten Commandments perfectly. When
we overcome sin and obey the Ten Commandments we are free from
the CONDEMNATION of the law. Going back to our example of murder,
if you don’t murder anyone, you are not under the law that
punishes murder.
Notice that verse four says that “the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Since the Ten Commandments
define righteousness, if the righteousness of the law is being
fulfilled in us, we are not breaking any of the Ten Commandments.
The New American Standard Bible has for verse
4, “in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled
in us, . . .” Notice that this quote says there is a REQUIREMENT
to obey the law, the Ten Commandments.
Jesus, as a human being, fulfilled the law,
the Ten Commandments, by perfectly obeying them, thus showing
us that human beings can perfectly keep the law also. When we
become born-again Christians and perfectly keep the law, the
law is fulfilled in us just the way it was fulfilled in Jesus.
Paul refers to these people in Romans 8:2-4 as if they are going
to get to a point in their lives where they don’t sin anymore.
We saw that we can never quit sinning without
God’s grace, God’s help. Paul says in Romans 7:18 that
there is no good thing in him. We are full of sinful tendencies.
The idea is to replace our thoroughly sinful characters with
a character formed by God’s grace. When that happens we
won’t sin anymore. But, in order for this to happen, we
must want this with all our heart and mind. In order for this
to happen it must be our supreme desire to want to follow God
perfectly and to keep His commandments. God will never force
us to obey Him.
Jesus came to earth as a human being and condemned
sin in the flesh by never sinning, showing us that we can also
do this. When the “requirement of the law” is fulfilled
in us, we will not be sinning. When the “requirement of
the law” is fulfilled in us, we will be keeping the Ten
Commandments perfectly, including properly keeping holy God’s
Sabbath day, Saturday.
Galatians, like Romans, has a lot to say about
being justified. Consider Galatians 2:16. “Knowing that
a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith
of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that
we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the
works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh
be justified.”
Remember that being justified means being
made righteous, and that being righteous is keeping all ten of
the commandments. Remembering also that God’s grace is the
power given to those who really want to obey God, we see in these
verses also that we are justified by faith. We are made righteous
by faith also. Faith, therefore, operates like God’s grace
to give us the ability, the power to obey God’s law. This
is why Paul says that “by the works of the law shall no
flesh be justified,” because nobody can obey the law without
God’s grace or faith.
Verses seventeen and eighteen make it clear
that it is possible for us to fall away after we have come to
Christ. “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ,
we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the
minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things
which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.“
The next verse talks about being dead to the
law. “For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might
live unto God.“
If this law that a person is dead to is the
Ten Commandments, and being dead to the law means that we no
longer need to obey the Ten Commandments, then are we free to
commit murder or adultery, or any of the other sins prohibited
by the Ten Commandments?
Notice how Paul became dead to the law. Verse
nineteen says that he became dead to the law THROUGH THE LAW.
The Ten Commandments convicted Paul of sin, and by the Grace
of Christ he was able to overcome sin so that he no longer was
under the condemnation of the law. If he never breaks the law,
then he does not have to worry about the law. He has developed
his character to the point that he naturally never sins. He is
dead to the law. He is a born-again Christian, who, according
to First John 3:9, “cannot sin.”
This verse is reminiscent of Galatians 3:24,25.
“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ,
that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is
come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.”
How is the Ten Commandment law our schoolmaster?
The law points out our sins as Paul says in Romans 7:7: “What
shall we say then? is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not
known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the
law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” When we look into God’s
law, the Ten Commandments, and compare our characters to that
law, we realize that we are in a terrible condition. When faith
comes, when the power from Christ to overcome sin and obey the
law comes, we are able to quit sinning. When this happens, we
no longer need the schoolmaster, for our characters are then
in harmony with Christ.
Galatians 2:21 tells us what we saw in Romans,
that it is by the power of Christ, His grace and His faith, that
we are able to obey the law. “I do not frustrate the grace
of God: for if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ is
dead in vain.” Notice that Paul does not frustrate the grace
or power of God to keep him from sinning. Paul, therefore, must
be obeying all ten of the commandments. When he says that righteousness
does not come by the law he is saying again that he can not keep
the law by himself, without grace. Remember that the Ten Commandments
define righteousness. (Psalms 119:172) Paul also says here that
if he could keep the law without Christ, then Christ did not
need to die.
Next let us continue into Galatians, chapter
3. Verse one says, “O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched
you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus
Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you?”
Notice the phrase “obey the truth.” What is truth?
We saw in Psalms 119:151 that all of the Ten Commandments are
truth. “You are near, O Lord; and all your commandments
are truth.” Someone bewitched the Galatians by telling them
that they no longer needed to obey the Ten Commandments.
As we continue in Galatians 3 remember that
verse one said that the Galatians had been bewitched. “This
only would I learn of you, Did you receive the Spirit by the
works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” Who is it
that receives God’s Holy Spirit? We saw that those who disregard
any of the Ten Commandments cannot have the Holy Spirit, for
the Bible tells us in Acts 5:32 that God gives His Holy Spirit
to those who OBEY Him. “We are his witnesses of these things;
and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God has given to them that
obey him.” Since it is impossible for us to obey the law
without the grace or faith of Christ, we cannot receive the spirit
by trying to obey the law without Christ’s help. Therefore
grace or faith must come first to give us the power to obey the
law so we can have God’s Holy Spirit. And we saw that God’s
grace or faith can only come if we want to obey the Ten Commandments
with all our being.
We saw in chapter one that Satan gives people
his spirit and makes them believe that it is the Holy Spirit.
Sunday-keepers cannot have the Holy Spirit because by keeping
Sunday they are not obeying God.
“Are you so foolish? having begun in
the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered
so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. He therefore that
ministers to you the Spirit, and works miracles among you, does
he do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”
Here we see that the Galatians had become self-confident, believing
that they could keep the law by themselves without the grace
of Christ. Of course they could not keep the law without grace,
and so when they became proud and self-sufficient they became
backsliders.
You receive God’s Spirit by being willing
to obey Him, by being willing to put fourth the effort required
to overcome sin and keep His commandments. If you manifest an
attitude of rebellion against keeping the commandments, or if
you become self-confident that you can keep the law yourself,
you cannot receive the Holy Spirit. When one becomes self-confident
he thinks that he is righteous in himself. This is the recipe
for failure.
Continuing with Galatians 3:6 “Even as
Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are
the children of Abraham.” We see here again that true Christians
are modern-day Israel.
Verse 8: “And the scripture, foreseeing
that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before
the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be
blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful
Abraham.” We saw earlier that to be justified was to obey
the Ten commandments. Paul says that it is through faith that
we get the power to be able to do this.
“For as many as are of the works of the
law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one
that continues not in all things which are written in the book
of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law
in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live
by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that does
them shall live in them.”
We have seen that no one can keep the law
without help from Christ. That is what Paul is saying here when
he says “no man is justified by the law. . .” He then
goes on to say that the just shall live by faith, by grace, by
the power of God. When our conscience against sin is strong by
the power of God, we will not sin; we will not break any of the
Ten commandments. Paul says in verse ten that if you are going
to keep the law all by yourself, you had better keep them all
that way.
We are seeing that there are many texts in
the New Testament in many different books that say this same
thing over and over again.
Continuing with verse seventeen: “And
this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God
in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after,
cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise:
but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Why then the law? It was
added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to
whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the
hand of a mediator.“
Notice these verses speak of a law that was
added 430 years after the covenant God made with Abraham. These
verses also tell us why the law was added: because of transgression.
Earlier we saw that transgression or sin is breaking any of the
Ten Commandments. For there to have been transgression, there
had to have been the Ten Commandments. We also saw that the Ten
Commandments were in existence long before the earth was created.
This law that was added, therefore cannot be the Ten Commandments.
The law that was added was the civil law governing the theocracy
of Israel when it was established 430 years after the promise.
“Is the law then against the promises
of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could
have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the
law. But the scripture has concluded all under sin, that the
promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that
believe.” Here again Paul is saying that it is impossible
for us to keep the law without the grace, the faith of Christ.
Galatians 5:3,4: “For I testify again
to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the
whole law. Christ is become of no effect to you, you who are
justified by the law; you are fallen from grace.” Clearly,
Paul is talking about the ceremonial law that came to an end
at the cross. If a person insists on keeping the ceremonial law,
Paul says he is obliged to keep the entire ceremonial law, including
the animal sacrifices. But to do this would be a sacrilege saying
that Christ did not die for our sins. This is why Paul says here
that “Christ is become of no effect to you. . . .”
Circumcision is not part of the Ten Commandments.
Paul says in First Corinthians 7:19 that circumcision is nothing
and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments is
everything.
While we are on the subject of the ceremonial
laws, let us look at other verses that discuss these laws.
Colossians 2:14-17 “Blotting out the
handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary
to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”
First of all, since the Ten Commandments will
last forever, these handwriting of ordinances cannot be the Ten
Commandments. The Ten Commandments are definitely not against
us, for by them the universe is guaranteed peace and happiness.
If everyone on earth kept the Ten commandments perfectly there
would be no trouble of any kind. There would be no wars or strife.
Everyone would deal honestly with everyone else.
We showed earlier that Christ would cause
the animal sacrifices to cease. Daniel 9:27 says, “And he
shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the
midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation
to cease, . . .” These animal sacrifices were part of the
ceremonial laws. Therefore what Christ nailed to His cross were
these ceremonial laws with their animal sacrifices.
Continuing with Colossians 2:15-17 “And
having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them
openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge
you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of
the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things
to come; but the body is of Christ.“
Connected with these ceremonial laws were
yearly Sabbath days and instructions in meat and drink. Paul
is telling the Colossians not to let those, who were contending
that new Christians should keep these ceremonial laws with their
yearly Sabbaths, interfere with the true Gospel of Christ. Notice
that these ceremonial laws were a shadow of things to come. “But
the body is of Christ.” Christ was casting a shadow back
to Old Testament times, a shadow which represented Christ’s
sacrifice in each and every animal sacrifice that was offered.
When Christ, the true Lamb of God was sacrificed, the animal
sacrifices and the ceremonial law had no more meaning. However,
Christ is our High Priest ministering His blood in the true tabernacle
in heaven for us. All the ceremonial procedures in the Old Testament
were a model of the true ceremonies in the true tabernacle in
heaven.
Paul also chastises the Galatians for wanting
to observe these annual Sabbath days in Galatians 4:10 “You
observe days, and months, and times, and years.”
These handwriting of ordinances are also mentioned
in Ephesians 2:14-16 “For he is our peace, who has made
both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between
us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of
commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself
of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile
both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity
thereby:“
Here we see that Christ abolished these “commandments
contained in ordinances” in His flesh. Are these the Ten
Commandments that were abolished? They cannot be, otherwise there
would be a contradiction in the Bible. We also know that this
is not referring to the Ten Commandments because the Ten Commandments
are repeated in many places in the New Testament. We saw earlier
that what Christ abolished at the cross were the ceremonial laws.
These “commandments contained in ordinances,” therefore,
are the religious ceremonial laws that are no longer in effect.
Romans 14:4-6 “Who are you that judges
another man’s servant? to his own master he stands or falls.
Yea, he shall stand: for God is able to make him stand. One man
esteems one day above another: another esteems every day alike.
Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regards
the day, regards it unto the Lord; and he that regards not the
day, to the Lord he does not regard it. He that eats, eats to
the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he that does not eat,
to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.”
These verses concern the controversy that
was occurring over the ceremonial laws. The days Paul is talking
about here are the yearly Sabbath days connected with the ceremonial
laws that were nailed to the cross. The ceremonial laws contained
instructions on eating and drinking, which Paul is referring
to in these verses.
In chapter one we saw that Christ, Himself,
gave the Ten Commandments from Mt. Sinai. Let us look into this
a little further.
Phillippians 3:20 tells us that Jesus is the
Savior. “For our conversation is in heaven; where we look
for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ:”
Next, Isaiah 43:10,11 tells us that there
is only one Savior. “You are my witnesses, says the Lord,
and my servant whom I have chosen: that you may know and believe
me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed,
neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord; and
beside me there is no savior.”
It is so sad that people do not realize that
the Lord of the Old Testament is the Christ of the New Testament.
The verses we just read show this clearly.
James 4:12 tells us that there is also only
one lawgiver. “There is one lawgiver, who is able to save
and to destroy: who are you that judges another?”
Since Jesus is the only lawgiver, that makes
the Ten Commandments the law of Christ, which is mentioned in
Galatians 6:2.
Not only is Jesus the only lawgiver, He is
also the Creator. There are many verses in the Bible that show
this, but we will only look at a couple of them.
Colossians 1:14-16 makes it very clear. “In
whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness
of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn
of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are
in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether
they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:
all things were created by him, and for him:”
John 1:1-3,10,14 also shows that Christ is
the Creator. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not
any thing made that was made. He was in the world, and the world
was made by him, and the world knew him not. And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth.” It should be obvious that the Word is Jesus.
We saw that the Ten Commandment law is the
constitution of the universe. Since the Ten Commandment law is
the law of Christ, and since Christ is the Creator, it should
come as no surprise that the Ten Commandments are the constitution
of the universe.
Remember that Jesus, Himself, told us to keep
the commandments if we expect to be saved. “And, behold,
one came and said to him, Good Master, what good thing shall
I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said to him, Why do
you call me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but
if you will enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Matthew
19:16,17) How could it possibly be any clearer?
Why does God begin the Sabbath commandment
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