Tag Archives: Ten Commandments

The Law of God

MEMO TO JESUS

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The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

Isaiah 40:8

Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Matthew 5:17

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Memo to:       Jesus

Date:                    May 19, 2001

From:                   Board of Directors for the Church on Earth

RE:                         Management Style

Good Morning Jesus,

I hate to bring this up, but some of us in your church are uncomfortable with a few things you have said and we want to suggest a few changes in your management style.  Below are a few things we have documented (with references) to give you an idea of where we are coming from. Let’s start with your speech at the mountain. Here are your exact words as recorded by Matthew:

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19

John also recorded this:

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15

“He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:4

“Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.” 1 John 2:7

We understand what you are saying, but we want to be sure your management style is  a little easier  and more in line with what everyone else is doing.  We feel your communications are a little narrow.  As a church, we don’t want to come across to our folks as legalistic and too strict. We want to respect the feelings of everyone.

Also, the board of directors have decided that your “commandments” are old school and actually no longer necessary since the culture of our church is focused on grace and, after all, we are living in the 21st century.  We also feel that since you have kept the commandments, there is no need to follow them as strictly as you did.  We appreciate your example, but we aren’t up to that kind of lifestyle.  Anyway, it is also our understanding that it is impossible to obey your laws and we are living under grace.  Therefore there is no need to obey any longer.

Therefore, please see the recommended changes below.  We will start with the 10 commandments below (in red).  Let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

  1. “You shall have no other gods before Me.  No big changes here.  It is OK. I see where you are coming from, but we should be careful to not offend anyone who may give all their time and attention to making money and accumulating things.  Also, their sports, music, and entertainment give them joy.  So we suggest we not be too strict and not make a big deal about it. These people still show up at church for an hour or two on the weekend.  That should be enough.
  2. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor [b]serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting[c] the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.  This has already been eliminated in the Catechism,  The church has statues, pictures, and things as part of their worship service.  Again, this commandment does not go along with what a majority are doing.  It’s not that big of a deal, they are not actually worshiping the image anyway.
  3. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.  There should be an exception for those people in TV, movies, and people that are angry. We should also allow for people to use the word Jesus as an extension to an exclamation in a sentence.
  4. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.  This should read: Go to church and worship every Sunday Everybody is busy on Saturdays to keep it holy even if it is in honor of your creation. Anyway, a majority of the people go to church on the  first day of the week in honor of your resurrection.   Although I can’t find this change in any of your writings, I am certain that tradition carries enough weight to make this change. Most have already changed it anyway.  Their thinking is this is for the Jews only even though the Sabbath was instituted long before there was a Jew.  Isn’t it legalistic to honor a whole day anyway? 
  5. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. An exception should be made if they don’t live up to your expectations or hurt you in any way.  Maybe they could donate some money to avoid having to follow this one.  
  6. “You shall not murder.  This is a good one. Again an exception should be made for a child not yet born who is not wanted and is an inconvenience to the mother and father.
  7. “You shall not commit adultery. Of course,  if people are living together this is not applicable because that is what everyone is doing anyway.  Should this apply also to the same-sex couple? Oh yes, we forgot to let you know that we have determined that one woman and one man for marriage doesn’t fit today’s society.  We don’t want to exclude anyone, so we took the liberty to allow marriage between the same-sex.  I am sure you understand.
  8. “You shall not steal. Again a good rule, but let’s allow for situations where stealing is necessary for survival or if they really want something and don’t have enough money to buy it.
  9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Unless the situation calls for it where telling the truth will get someone in trouble. Again, we should consider the situation.
  10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” This is definitely old school. Who has an ox, a donkey, or a servant?  People want what other people have. It gives them the drive to accumulate as much as one can possibly obtain to be happy.

Jesus, we know you will understand.  Thank you for efforts to change our hearts, but some feel very comfortable in their weekly routines of simply showing up for church and being nice to people.

Respectfully Yours,

The church board of directors

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As crazy as this memo sounds, this is exactly what is happening in both the world and, sadly, in many churches.  While we know that faith in the death and resurrection of Christ saves us, it does not give us the authority to change one sentence in His eternal law.  How would Jesus respond to this?  How about Peter James and John?

Jesus: “And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Mark 7:7

Paul: Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law. ” Romans 3:31

John: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12

James:  be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ..For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty James 1:22, 2: 10-22

Solomon: Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13

Faith

IS OBEDIENCE ONLY FOR THE LEGALISTIC-PART 3

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He (Jesus) answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 

For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 

But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— 

then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 

Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.

And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

Matthew 15:3-9

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Jesus and His disciples were watched by the religious leaders very closely to see if they would obey “the law.”  Jesus was often tested by them on this subject.  But “the law” of the Scribes and Pharisees was at odds with God’s law in a profound way as Jesus points out in the verses above.

 Their law was their own interpretation of the unchangeable  law of the Creator.  Their law contained additions without any blessing, direction, or endorsement from the Creator and Giver of the law.

As pointed out in the condemnation by Jesus to those mutilators of God’s law in Matthew 15, they had attempted to create a loop-hole in God’s 5th commandment to make it a little less harsh and easier to “keep.”  God’s law clearly and simply states:

 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”

Exodus 20:12

But, the  leaders said this law could be voided through the offer of a gift as a substitute for giving honor and respect to those who bore and raised them.   It was like they were paying their way out of an obligation that was not to their liking.  So they changed it!  There is not scriptural authority for doing so.

Jesus didn’t like their addition and proclaimed their man-made tradition would make God’s “commandment of no effect.”  Jesus desired them to obey this commandment from the heart, but because they didn’t and tried to come up with ways to make their changes legal, Jesus viewed this as legalism and worthless .  As a result of their changes and their traditions their worship was “in vain.”  It disclosed their hypocrisy of lip service vs heart service.

A couple of other things to notice about this commandment and Jesus’ response:

1.)  God does not put a condition on whether to honor your mother and father or not.  It doesn’t say to honor them if they are worthy of the honor and respect or if they were perfect parents.  Most parents, including myself, are no where near perfect, but we do have a God-given love for our offspring that most children do not understand.  Many times we fail, but that does not make a loop-hole for the breaking of this commandment.

2.)  Jesus doesn’t do away with this commandment or indicate  obedience to this commandment would be legalistic.  As we discussed in a previous article, the new covenant is based on the laws written on the heart.

3.)  Jesus does not give them a list or tell them how to honor their parents.  Lists encourage tasks or works.  While the ten commandments could be considered a list, they are 10 principles. disclosing God’s character and will.  We see in these commandments a God that desires love and respect for both himself and our neighbors.  They are not a list to “work on” to deserve salvation or love from God.

The law of God is not minimized or changed by the new covenant. Even the giver of the law (Jesus) will not change even the smallest part to accommodate mankind. Some are surprised to discover that Jesus, before He came to the world as an infant, gave the 10 Commandments to Moses.  That is a different study for a different time.

Those who have been born again and have a new heart will obey from a love basis rather than a basis to be saved (legalism).  The new covenant people obey the Lord because they ARE saved, not in order to BE saved.

 These born-again followers will understand that to honor their mother or father is the will of God Himself and it will be a natural response from a heart transformed by the power of God to love and respect them.  To try and circumvent, excuse, rationalize, or change it is hypocrisy and attempting to put our own thoughts and reasoning above God’s.

This commandment, like the others, should be read carefully and simply.  Nothing should be added nor taken away, not even one letter or stroke of the pen.  How can anything that is perfect be changed anyway?  It is a transcript of how God wants us to live, not a checklist for finding favor or salvation from the Lord.  Those who will endeavor to obey for the right reasons will be blessed.

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.

Revelation 21:14

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Jesus made it clear to the  Scribes and Pharisees that he did not come to change the law and that anyone who taught others to break even the smallest detail  was outside of God’s will.  Any attempt to modify the law affected the truthfulness of the worship experience.   This is a pretty serious situation.  Listen to his exact words:

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

Matthew 5:17

It is here where some will say, “since Jesus fulfilled the law (10 Commandments) it is no longer viable.”  The next verse clears that up.

“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.”

Matthew 5:18

We still have a heaven and an earth, so the law remains.  Also, it has been almost 2,000 years since Jesus fulfilled it, and he still wants us to teach that the law should not be broken.  It is so immovable that Jesus makes reference to “jot” and “tittle”  (smallest letter or stroke of the pen) will not be modified or eliminated.

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:19

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be the one who teaches that even one thing can be changed in God’s “perfect law of liberty” James 1:25. How about you?

Jesus perfect obedience to this law (fulfillment) is the basis for His perfect sacrifice (No sin found in Him) and for the forgiveness for our breaking the law which is sin.

Sin is the transgression of the law

1 John 3:4

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Romans 3:23.

But sin is much more.  We are born sinners with a nature to sin.  Anything not of faith is sin.  There are a 1,000 ways we can sin, but in the end, all can be summarized by the 10 commandments.

 When we are born again, we are given a heart of flesh with God’s law written upon it (New Covenant) and we obey out of sense of love and respect rather than a method of salvation (legalism).  Our very nature is changed.  The thief stops stealing,;the liar stops lying; the adulterer stops sleeping with women who are not his wife…..

If you love me, keep my commandments

John 14:15

Of course they are not perfect.  When we do sin, we have an advocate:

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

1 John 2:1

Oh!  The mercy and forgiveness of our great God!

How can we claim to be followers if we disobey or re-write the law to suit us as did the religious leaders of Jesus’ time?

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In Luke, Jesus confirmed as He did in Matthew 5 that the law would never change.  Further,  He used the passing of heaven and earth to drive home the point:

“But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped.”

Luke 16:17

Other writers agree with Jesus on the eternal existence of the law and His word:

“All His precepts are sure. They are upheld forever and ever”

Psalm 111:8

“The sum of your word is truth;
    and every one of your righteous ordinances endures forever.”

Psalm 119:160

“The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”

Isaiah 40:8

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Jesus was tested another time on a different commandment. But, the same principles apply.

“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”

But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Matthew 12: 1-8

The Scribes and Pharisees were particularly zealous for this law.  They added their own rules that is in the thousands.  However, like the 5th commandment, the law is presented by the Lawgiver in a simple manner.  However, the religious leaders made it very legalistic and burdensome.  In the process, this law intended to bless man became another checklist of things to do or not to do.

In this incident, Jesus and his disciples were hungry and began to shuck corn in a field and eat it as they walked along.  This violated one of the Sabbath “rules” created by the very legalistic religious leaders, but Jesus said they were “guiltless.”  Here is an important question:  Is there anywhere in scripture where God forbid such action by the disciples? No!  It is another example of man’s tradition or adding to the law that makes the law a burden and makes their worship vain.

To make his point (That He and the disciples had not broken the 4th commandment), He asks the supposed scriptural authorities the question:  “Have you not read….”  This question (referring to 1 Samuel 21: 1-6) puts them back on their heels.  They obviously had read it, but they had missed the  application from their reading about the priority of man’s needs above a ritual of the law.  Jesus begins to connect the hunger of David’s men and the hunger of Jesus and His disciples.  Very simply, the value of men and their hunger needs outweigh any man-made religious ceremony (i.e., Hot warm bread used in the sanctuary service and the need to eat on the Sabbath when nothing else is available).   Again, there is no law written or intended by the Lawgiver for anyone having to subscribe to such a strict interpretation of a simple law and go hungry on a day the Lord has blessed and made holy.  Further, Jesus clearly states the priority of mercy over sacrifice and ceremonial religious laws.

The 4th Commandment is very simple and plain in its delivery by the Creator, much like the 5th commandment.  The Great Lawgiver and Creator states the commandment simply and provides the reason as to why a professed follower should obey it.  (Not to be saved, but because they are saved)

The command: 

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 

The Reason:

For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Exodus 20: 8-11

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As with the 5th Commandment, Jesus made it clear that His Law should not be modified or added to in any way.  The same observations for the 5th Commandment can be made for the 4th Commandment:

1.)  God does not put a condition on whether to honor the Sabbath or not or that He had plans to modify or change it.   He says, “Remember” and to “Keep it Holy” since the reason for the commandment has to do with the fact that he is the Creator (and Redeemer-See Deuteronomy’s version-Chapter 5: 12-15)

2.)  Jesus doesn’t do away with this commandment or indicate  obedience to this commandment would be legalistic.  As we discussed in a previous article, the new covenant is based on the laws written on the heart.

3.)  Jesus does not give them a list or tell them how to keep the Sabbath holy, other than refraining from work on that day.  The reason?  We are to respect our Creator and “rest” as He did. It is not only a physical rest, but a rest of relationship with the Creator and His Creation.  It is about relationships and not a religious list of things to trip us up so that we sin.

When the Lord stopped working after His work of Creation, it was not that He was tired, but that He wanted the time to be immortalized as proof of his Creatorship.  Further, Adam and Eve began their first full day with the Lord on the Sabbath.  This must have been a very special Sabbath as they began to see and understand life and a relationship with the Creator.

Have you ever wondered about the heavenly bodies that tell us about time?  Even scientist will admit we measure time by the sun and the moon. Our year is based on the orbit of the earth around the sun.  Our month is based on the orbit or phases of the moon around the earth.  But there is nothing in nature to base our 7 day weekly cycle.

A 7 day weekly cycle  exists only because it was instituted by our Creator (Jesus) in the beginning.  Why not a 6 day cycle or a 5 day cycle?  The 7 day cycle and the Sabbath screams:  God created us!

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Jesus Conclusion:

The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath:

Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.

Mark 2: 27, 28

Jesus told the religious leaders that He made the Sabbath to be a blessing for man not a list of do’s and don’t’s so that man is made a slave to the Sabbath.  Notice it is made for “man” or mankind  not just the Jews.  The commandment was given long before there was a nation of Jews.  That reasoning would also indicate that all the other commandments are only for the Jews and not for us.

The Scribes and Pharisees had effectively made the Sabbath a burden and God’s original intention was lost through their adding and modifying a simple commandment meant to be a lasting memorial to our Creator and an opportunity to “come unto (Jesus) and rest.”

Jesus knew how it should be remembered because He is Lord of the Sabbath!  This is the real Lord’s day!  It was created by God and it belongs to Him

“But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.”

Exodus, 20:10

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In conclusion:

We can learn from these two incidents regarding honoring parents and honoring the day God blessed.  It tells us  that the law of God is immutable and has a relationship/heart purpose.  They are not part of a list of do’s and don’ts to follow so one can be saved.  God forbid!  it is a law of liberty (James 2:12).  It can not be modified to meet our own convenience, thinking, or tradition.

Jesus gave the Law and He knows better than anyone how to follow the spirit of the law which does not negate the letter.

I am sure your spouse would want you to keep the letter of the law regarding adultery, but even more the spirit (i.e., you are faithful because you love her/him.)

The same goes for your neighbor.  You don’t steal, lie, cheat, or covet his wife, or kick his cat (the letter of the law).  Not because you have to, but because you respect him as a child of God and because of the born-again heart given you by the Lord (Spirit of the Law).

Have you asked yourself how can you “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy?”  The key word here is holy (a.k.a sanctified).  How do you make it about a love relationship with God and His creation rather than a list of do’s and don’t’s? How do you make it a delight or a blessing and not a burden?

The Sabbath was made for man, to be a blessing to him by calling his mind from secular labor to contemplate the goodness and glory of God

Of all the commandments, the 4th one is the most misunderstood and the one where legalism can quickly smother the spiritual blessing God has prepared for us each week.  It is not just about when should church attendance be conducted.  This is no doubt a “holy” activity for the Sabbath.  It was Jesus’ and Paul’s custom to go to meet with God’s people each Sabbath.  I would say they are good examples to follow.  Wouldn’t you?

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In our next study, we will see how the enemy has attacked the law of God and the family unit (the 4th and 5th commandments) to serve his purpose of confusing and  leading people away from a knowledge of the Lord which is salvation.

He has a special anger towards those who teach and obey the will of God and testify of Jesus Christ:

And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 12:17

Prophecies for Our Time

A LAWLESS SOCIETY-A SIGN OF THE END

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LAWLESSNESS IN AMERICA

Defunding the Police Reveals Evidence of Lawlessness Overtaking ...

A former New York City Councilman, Earl Brown, wrote back in 1971, “The problem is not police corruption but a lawless society.” The New York Times, November 2, 1971

Is America being driven down the road to becoming a lawless society; a nation where laws are ignored, minimized, or rationalized away without consequence? Or have we already become a civilization of little to no morals where people do as they please without any accountability to their neighbors and God?

Recently, we have seen examples of a lawless society. There are called Permanent Autonomous Zones (PAZ). Areas of separation from laws and police within a city quickly and loosely established by a mixture of protestors and rioters.

The first such zone was established on June 8, 2020, in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle by George Floyd protestors and other people with destructive and hate-filled agendas The six city blocks and a park became a vacuum quickly filled by its new occupants after the Seattle Police Department vacated its East precinct area.

The zone had no leadership and was self-organized. So how did it all work out? Over its short history, the autonomous zone had two gun homicides and four additional shooting victims. All the identified victims were black men—precisely the demographic for whom the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) had claimed to offer protection.

CHAZ came to an end 28 days after it started when police removed barricades, arrested more than 30 people. Trucks were brought in to haul away tents and garbage. The police cited ongoing violence and public safety as the reason to end this experiment in a lawless existence.

A writer for the New York Times wrote this about the PAZ’s:

“Autonomous zones, protest camps, and intentional communities alike thrive on hard work and consensus — and can become disastrous rapidly.”

A question for this writer who seems to force positivity for such zones: Where was the “thriving,” “hard work,” and “consensus” among these camps? What good came from these lawless experiments? This statement by the NY Times writer is a practical example of the sugar-coated message of lawlessness being sent to a dying world.

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20

Other Autonomous Zones have attempted to follow the lead of CHAZ in Richmond, Philadelphia, and New York.

Arising at the same time are serious efforts to defund the police with the supposed goal of eliminating police brutality and racism. But whatever the ideal of such movements, the net result is fewer law enforcement officials in a time of rising lawlessness which encourages anarchism. Just to be clear, here is the Webster Definition of anarchism: “a political theory holding all forms of governmental authority to be unnecessary and undesirable and advocating a society based on voluntary cooperation and free association of individuals and groups

What is next? Eliminate courts and judges?

A vast majority of citizens in the US are wise enough to see through the political attempts to fundamentally change this country to mirror their own radical ideas or to copy other countries. But they feel insecure with the irrational thinking of these people with political agendas and the move towards removing enforcement of laws protecting person and property.

American seems to be following the example of the French Revolution back in 1789 and 1799 where even God was thrown out! I recommend you read Chapter 15 of a good book called, The Great Controversy. Contact me and I will send you the link or a free paper copy.

If all that is going on in our world today were not bad enough news, it gets worse and will never get better for the country as a whole. How do I know? The Bible tells me so.

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JESUS VIEW OF LAWLESSNESS IN THE LAST DAYS

CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD: TRICKLED DOWN LAWLESSNESS IN THE USA

Webster’s dictionary describes lawlessness as “a state in which there is widespread wrongdoing and disregard for rules and authority.”

Lawlessness as found in the New Testament of the New King James Bible is translated from the Greek word Anomia. This word means “a condition without law.” King James often translates Anomia as “iniquity.” Both words are applicable, but lawlessness is a more understandable word for the description of our time as demonstrated in our current condition in the large cities of America.

When Jesus saw our day, he said these words:

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Matthew 24: 12

Both lawlessness and iniquity as described in the Bible is sin in the eyes of God. Sin is defined as the “transgression of the law.” 1 John 3: 4

Our society is becoming dangerous for its citizens especially those in large cities. It will only get more lawless as time goes on. This is according to the One who is our Creator and Savior.

But here is where it gets interesting. Just as the anarchists want a society without law, a good deal of the churches are doing the same thing and turning their back of God’s eternal law of Ten Commandments.

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Did God Ever Intend For The Church To Make His Church Lawless By Doing Away With The Moral Law?

While the laws of the land cover protection of people and their personal belongings, God’s law includes matters of the heart, put are made evident by a person’s actions. Often the laws of the land intersect with God’s moral law. Both are designed to protect others and bring happiness.

The last six commandments are borrowed from God and modified for most societies in some capacity. These deal with the second table of the Ten Commandments which spell out how we are to relate to our fellow humans. They are meant to provide protection and His will for us in getting along with each other.

The first four of the commandments are different and are not part of the man’s civil law and never should be because it deals with man’s relationship with God. Freedom of religion prohibits the state’s enforcement of these laws.

The Ten Commandments also identify what God calls sin.

Sin is the transgression of the law. 1 John 3: 4 KJ

The New King James Version rightly calls sin, lawlessness. A condition without law. When a person ignores the laws of the land or attempts to abolish them they are considered anarchists. The same can apply to the church.

Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

1 John 3: 4

Unlike society, God holds people accountable for unrepentant sin or lawlessness even for those in the church who appear on the outside to be righteous:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)

Wow! People who are prophets and healers can be lost because of two things: they don’t do the will of God and they don’t know Him!

What is God’s will? The last words from Solomon in Ecclesiastes tell us succinctly:

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Ecclesiastes 12: 14

God is clear that He is to be respected and with a certain amount of fear of the consequences for disowning Him. Also, we are to keep His commandments.

How can we know that we know Him?

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.

1 John 2: 3,4

Many church members cringe at the phrase, “keep His commandments.” It sounds so legalistic. Some churches have attempted to make the church lawless by saying things like the following and supply a few misunderstood verses while overlooking many. It is like crawling over dollars to get to a penny. They will say things like:

“The Law has been done away with.”

“Christ nailed the law to the cross.”

“We are under grace not under law.“

“We are New Testament Christians. We don’t have to keep the commandments.” It was for the Jews only.

“We can’t keep the law.”

Jesus kept the law for us. We don’t have to keep the law.”

We will talk about these in part 2 next time, but I do want to talk about the one that the Ten Commandments were done away with by his nailing them to the cross. Were they?

We Are Saved By Grace Through Faith Alone. It is a Gift!

No doubt it is clear from the entire Bible (OT included) that we are saved from eternal death because of God the Father’s amazing grace and love for His creation. It is extended to us through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus and it is our option to believe (faith).

We cannot simply nail the Ten Commandments on the wall then grunt and sweat our way into heaven. We would never be worthy enough. One of the clearest Bible texts on this topic was provided to us by Paul:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Ephesians 2: 8,9

With so much emphasis on grace and faith, the baby is sometimes thrown out with the bathwater when obedience and the Ten Commandments are mentioned. A very clear statement from Paul, James, and Jesus clarify things for us:

Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Romans 3:31

Notice there was evidently the argument in Paul’s day that faith replaced the necessity for God’s law. He argues the opposite. Faith and law go together. It is a faith that works! They don’t eliminate each other. James clarifies further:

But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

James 2:18

James confirms the union of faith and works (obedience included). Works and obedience are evidence of real faith. The first work, or act of obedience, a new Christian performs is baptism. After repenting and being born again the new follower obeys the commandment of Jesus and His apostles by being publicly baptized. Why? Because the Bible tells us so and we have a desire put in our hearts to follow Jesus which includes obedience. We don’t obey in order to be saved, but because we are saved.

Jesus, the spotless lamb of God was not baptized for us, so we don’t have to do it; He did it as an example for us.

Finally, we cannot blame Jesus’ for eliminating the Ten Commandments or any other commandment by Him and His Father:

 Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5: 17-19

We still have heaven and earth, therefore not one jot (smallest letter) or tittle (smallest stroke of a letter) has been altered by Jesus. He goes on further to reveal His displeasure of those who break one of the least of the commandments and teach men to do so.

What commandment would you think you could change or alter? None! Jesus didn’t change even the smallest letter!

Nailed to The Cross?

So why has the church tried to “do away” with the law? It is a misunderstanding of certain passages and not understanding how obedience connects with Grace and Faith. Here is the most popular verse used to render the church lawless:

“…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;” Colossians 2: 14

If you start at the beginning of this chapter, you see Paul talking about spiritual circumcision (without hands) comparing with baptism and the resurrection of those who were “dead in… transgressions”.

Circumcision and baptism are not part of the Ten Commandments. The question is what is the “handwriting of ordinances (requirements) that was contrary (against) us?”

Let’ s get our answer from scripture:

The keywords are “handwriting“, “ordinances”, “against us”. A few questions to start: Are ordinances the Ten Commandments? Are they against us?

When we go back to when Moses on the mountain, God gave Moses two at least two sets of laws: 1.) The Ten commandments which were written on stone by the finger of God, and 2.) Ordinances that Moses wrote down with his own finger.

The Ten Commandments were so important that God wrote them clearly with His own finger on stone. Moses wrote the law contained in ordinances with his own hand on parchment and was told to put them beside the Ark while the Ten Commandments were put in the Ark. Two different sets of laws, written by two different entities and placed in two different places on two different mediums i.e. rock and a book.

Let’s look at the appropriate passages to end this study:

And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. Exodus 31:18

So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished,  that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying: “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there as a witness against you; Deuteronomy 31: 24-26

Did you notice that this book was a “witness against you.” The handwriting (Moses) was “against us.” The Ten Commandments did not need a book; it needs only two tablets and can be read in a matter of a few minutes.

The whole “book” of the law was to be read every seven years:

And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years,…you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.  Deuteronomy 31: 10, 11

Conversely, the Ten Commandments were to be constantly before the people and in their hearts;

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up Deuteronomy 6: 6, 7

So from this we can see that the handwriting of ordinances that were against us and nailed that to the cross, not the law that is called the law of liberty by James. By this standard all people will be judged:

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. James 2: 10-12

In summary: A society that is lawless can be found on the streets of America and even in our churches! This is a sign of the end! God’s law will be a sign of those who belong to Him and the object of Satan’s wrath in the final days:

And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 12:17

May God bless you as you consider these things.