| The Greatest Story Every Told About The Greatest Man That Ever Lived |
This
This
Is
Is
His
His
Story
Story
The Law was given to the nation of Israel when they were camped at the base of Mt Sinai after
leaving Egypt. Moses received the Law and the Ten Commandments from God. When he
presented this to them, they made one fatal mistake in Exodus 24:3...When Moses went and told
the people all the Lord's words and laws, they responded with one voice, "Everything the Lord has
said we will do." This was a very arrogant and foolish thing to say, because as they found out
later, no one could keep all those commandments, they couldn't even keep the Ten
Commandments let alone the entire Law. But they tried their best and when Jesus came, the
Pharisee's were the ones that were trying to enforce the Law on the people and Jesus constantly
had run-ins with them over this because he was establishing a New Covenant that they would not
accept.
Deuteronomy 4:12-14
Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there
was only a voice. He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he
commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. And the Lord directed me at
that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the
Jordan to possess.
Deuteronomy 5:1
Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear O Israel the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing
today. Learn them and be sure to follow them.
Moses read the Law and the Ten Commandments to the entire nation of Israel. Because they said
they would do whatever God asked of them, Moses then read to them what God asked them to do.
This was known as The Law or The Law of Moses.
Jeremiah 31:31-32
The time is coming declares the Lord when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and
with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took
them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt.
God spoke through the Prophet Jeremiah telling the people that he will make a new covenant with
them which will replace the old covenant.
Hebrews 1:1-2
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and
through whom he made the universe.
The Apostle Paul was talking about the previous scripture when he wrote this to the Hebrews. He
did so to tell them that Jesus was the new way that God was now speaking to the people, and that
it was something that had been told them by the old testament prophets. They still had a hard time
letting go of the old ways and accepting Jesus as the Messiah.
Luke 22:20
In the same way after the supper he took the cup saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my
blood, which is poured out for you."
Jesus was telling his disciples that he was establishing the new covenant that God had spoken of.
It would be done by his dying on the cross and shedding his blood. He asked the disciples and all
of us to remember this by partaking in the Lord's Supper which many churches still do today.
Acts 13:38-39
Therefore my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus, the forgiveness of sins is
proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not
be justified from by the law of Moses.
Paul was preaching this message to show that Jesus had established a new covenant through his
blood that fulfilled the requirements of the law of Moses. Now they were to accept his sacrifice for
sin.
2 Corinthians 3:6
He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the
letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Paul tells the church at Corinth that Jesus' disciples are ministers of a new covenant. Not of the
law which no one could keep, but of believing in Jesus and walking in the Spirit of God.
Hebrews 8:6-13
But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator
is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. For if there had been nothing
wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault
with the people and said: "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with
their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not
remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.
This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put
my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because
they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and
will remember their sins no more." By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one
obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
Paul again makes it clear that Jesus had established a new covenant with them which replaced the
old one. He even quotes Jeremiah the Prophet to show them that even Jeremiah said that a new
covenant will come and replace the old one. Still many of them hung on to the old ways instead of
embracing the new covenant.
2 Corinthians 3:12-16
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a
veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But
their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It
has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is
read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
The old covenant was just a bunch of rules. Paul compares it to a veil through which you cannot
see clearly. He says that even now when we read the old testament a veil covers our hearts
because the words are not Spirit and life like they are in the new testament. They are just words.
Galatians 2:15-16
We who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners know that a man is not justified by observing the
law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.
This is exactly what the new covenant is all about. Jesus fulfilled the law and now whosoever
could believe in him instead of trying to keep the law.
Galatians 3:10-11 and 24-25
All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who
does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." Clearly no one is justified
before God by the law because, "The righteous will live by faith." So the law was put in charge to
lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer
under the supervision of the law.
You can imagine how this went over with the Pharisees who spent most of their time enforcing the
law. Now Paul says that "the righteous will live by faith." Even many Jews did not believe this for
fear of running into trouble with the Pharisees.
Galatians 5:4
You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away
from grace.
Some of them were trying to please both sides by saying they believed in Jesus but still keeping
the law. Paul clearly told them they can't have it both ways. The law is dead, Jesus is now the way
of the new covenant.
Galatians 5:13-14
You my brothers were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature,
rather serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your
neighbor as yourself."
Romans 13:9-10
The commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not covet and
whatever other commandment there may be are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor
as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbour Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Paul makes two very bold statements here, one being that we were called to be free, and the other
that love is the fulfillment of the law. Jesus said in John 8:32...if you hold to my teachings you are
really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free... Paul understood
that when he wrote to the churches. Under the new covenant, we are indeed free. We are not
required to keep the Ten Commandments or the Law. It's not that God still does not expect us to
live that way, but we are not required to keep them to attain righteousness, for that is by faith in
Jesus. Yet, many still teach them as gospel. Freedom is a scary thing to many people, that is why
they prefer a set of rules. It makes it easier for them. Because along with freedom comes
responsibility for your actions. That is what Paul meant when he said "don't use your freedom to
indulge the sinful nature". Sure you can do it, and you are still saved, but why would you want to?
Is not God's way better? We now only have one rule. You can find out more about it in my study of
The Greatest Commandment. This one rule is: Love God and Love People. If you can do that you
do not need to live under any laws or rules for there are no rules against love. It is only when we
show the negative emotions that harm can come to our neighbour, but not when we show love.
And this is the entire message of the Bible....for God so loved the world....love one another.....Love
the Lord your God.... If you ever want to look up the word love in the Strongs Concordance and
read every passage that has the word love in it, you will see the Bible very differently. I see God as
a God that loves us. Some see God as a God with a big stick ready to whack us on the head the
moment we step out of line. That's why I find it easy to accept this kind of teaching: I am free to do
whatever I want to do and God will still love me. To some that would be the unpardonable sin. If
you struggle with this, read Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews and ask the Holy Spirit to show you
the truth. And when you know the truth, you will be free too.
leaving Egypt. Moses received the Law and the Ten Commandments from God. When he
presented this to them, they made one fatal mistake in Exodus 24:3...When Moses went and told
the people all the Lord's words and laws, they responded with one voice, "Everything the Lord has
said we will do." This was a very arrogant and foolish thing to say, because as they found out
later, no one could keep all those commandments, they couldn't even keep the Ten
Commandments let alone the entire Law. But they tried their best and when Jesus came, the
Pharisee's were the ones that were trying to enforce the Law on the people and Jesus constantly
had run-ins with them over this because he was establishing a New Covenant that they would not
accept.
Deuteronomy 4:12-14
Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there
was only a voice. He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he
commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. And the Lord directed me at
that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the
Jordan to possess.
Deuteronomy 5:1
Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear O Israel the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing
today. Learn them and be sure to follow them.
Moses read the Law and the Ten Commandments to the entire nation of Israel. Because they said
they would do whatever God asked of them, Moses then read to them what God asked them to do.
This was known as The Law or The Law of Moses.
Jeremiah 31:31-32
The time is coming declares the Lord when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and
with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took
them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt.
God spoke through the Prophet Jeremiah telling the people that he will make a new covenant with
them which will replace the old covenant.
Hebrews 1:1-2
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and
through whom he made the universe.
The Apostle Paul was talking about the previous scripture when he wrote this to the Hebrews. He
did so to tell them that Jesus was the new way that God was now speaking to the people, and that
it was something that had been told them by the old testament prophets. They still had a hard time
letting go of the old ways and accepting Jesus as the Messiah.
Luke 22:20
In the same way after the supper he took the cup saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my
blood, which is poured out for you."
Jesus was telling his disciples that he was establishing the new covenant that God had spoken of.
It would be done by his dying on the cross and shedding his blood. He asked the disciples and all
of us to remember this by partaking in the Lord's Supper which many churches still do today.
Acts 13:38-39
Therefore my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus, the forgiveness of sins is
proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not
be justified from by the law of Moses.
Paul was preaching this message to show that Jesus had established a new covenant through his
blood that fulfilled the requirements of the law of Moses. Now they were to accept his sacrifice for
sin.
2 Corinthians 3:6
He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the
letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Paul tells the church at Corinth that Jesus' disciples are ministers of a new covenant. Not of the
law which no one could keep, but of believing in Jesus and walking in the Spirit of God.
Hebrews 8:6-13
But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator
is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. For if there had been nothing
wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault
with the people and said: "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with
their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not
remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.
This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put
my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because
they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and
will remember their sins no more." By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one
obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
Paul again makes it clear that Jesus had established a new covenant with them which replaced the
old one. He even quotes Jeremiah the Prophet to show them that even Jeremiah said that a new
covenant will come and replace the old one. Still many of them hung on to the old ways instead of
embracing the new covenant.
2 Corinthians 3:12-16
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a
veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But
their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It
has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is
read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
The old covenant was just a bunch of rules. Paul compares it to a veil through which you cannot
see clearly. He says that even now when we read the old testament a veil covers our hearts
because the words are not Spirit and life like they are in the new testament. They are just words.
Galatians 2:15-16
We who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners know that a man is not justified by observing the
law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.
This is exactly what the new covenant is all about. Jesus fulfilled the law and now whosoever
could believe in him instead of trying to keep the law.
Galatians 3:10-11 and 24-25
All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who
does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." Clearly no one is justified
before God by the law because, "The righteous will live by faith." So the law was put in charge to
lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer
under the supervision of the law.
You can imagine how this went over with the Pharisees who spent most of their time enforcing the
law. Now Paul says that "the righteous will live by faith." Even many Jews did not believe this for
fear of running into trouble with the Pharisees.
Galatians 5:4
You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away
from grace.
Some of them were trying to please both sides by saying they believed in Jesus but still keeping
the law. Paul clearly told them they can't have it both ways. The law is dead, Jesus is now the way
of the new covenant.
Galatians 5:13-14
You my brothers were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature,
rather serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your
neighbor as yourself."
Romans 13:9-10
The commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not covet and
whatever other commandment there may be are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor
as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbour Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Paul makes two very bold statements here, one being that we were called to be free, and the other
that love is the fulfillment of the law. Jesus said in John 8:32...if you hold to my teachings you are
really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free... Paul understood
that when he wrote to the churches. Under the new covenant, we are indeed free. We are not
required to keep the Ten Commandments or the Law. It's not that God still does not expect us to
live that way, but we are not required to keep them to attain righteousness, for that is by faith in
Jesus. Yet, many still teach them as gospel. Freedom is a scary thing to many people, that is why
they prefer a set of rules. It makes it easier for them. Because along with freedom comes
responsibility for your actions. That is what Paul meant when he said "don't use your freedom to
indulge the sinful nature". Sure you can do it, and you are still saved, but why would you want to?
Is not God's way better? We now only have one rule. You can find out more about it in my study of
The Greatest Commandment. This one rule is: Love God and Love People. If you can do that you
do not need to live under any laws or rules for there are no rules against love. It is only when we
show the negative emotions that harm can come to our neighbour, but not when we show love.
And this is the entire message of the Bible....for God so loved the world....love one another.....Love
the Lord your God.... If you ever want to look up the word love in the Strongs Concordance and
read every passage that has the word love in it, you will see the Bible very differently. I see God as
a God that loves us. Some see God as a God with a big stick ready to whack us on the head the
moment we step out of line. That's why I find it easy to accept this kind of teaching: I am free to do
whatever I want to do and God will still love me. To some that would be the unpardonable sin. If
you struggle with this, read Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews and ask the Holy Spirit to show you
the truth. And when you know the truth, you will be free too.