The law
THE TWO ACCOUNTS
Most of us have, to some degree, done wrong to others. 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Most of us have also got angry at wrongs done to us & to others. God rarely gets involved in human affairs. But he has opinions on all of them. And his standards are high, indeed perfect. Perhaps see the two Bible texts later section: BUT, INSTEAD, FIRST OF ALL, JESUS SEEMED TO MAGNIFY JEWISH LAWS.,,,,, Hence all our wrongs against each other also offend our designer & maker. All our wrongs against each other are also sins.
Hence, technically speaking, we each have two accounts: 1. Our horizontal account, with the world: a debt of – social/cultural/civil/civil/legal wrongs. 2. Our vertical account, with God: a debt of – sins. Our social/cultural/civil/legal wrongs are against people. Our sins are against God.
But, two-thousand years ago, God settled all our with-him accounts using his Son’s willing self-sacrifice in our place. So, now, our sins do not exist. So, now, God cannot see them. So our social/cultural/civil/civil/legal wrongs still exist, but our sins do not exist. But do you believe it and do you believe it applies to you? Or do you insist on keeping your own righteousness? , Hence, technically speaking, the sinner’s prayer is wrong: , , It should not be: , , , God, please Forgive me for my sins. , , It should be: , , , God, thank you for having already Forgiven , , , all of us, all of our sins, via the Cross. , , , I am one of those who believes it.
You might say: “Sins no longer exist in God’s eyes. But surely they still exist in our eyes.” I say: “Sin is a word for God’s purposes only. , Perhaps see later section: SINS ARE DIGITAL, NOT ANALOGUE, AND ARE GOD’S MEASURE. What we call sins are usually social/cultural/civil/legal wrongs. But I’ll still often use the word sin as indeed the New Testament often does.”
Sins are: always wrong, never right, usually bad, rarely good. Wrongs are, likewise: always wrong, never right, usually bad, rarely good. Perhaps see earlier section: GOOD & BAD, RIGHT & WRONG. , , , , ,
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	Your (or my) horizontal, with-the-world, account is made of four sets of accounts: 1) Family & friends: social law . . . . money/work/favour . . owed to/by you. 2) Rest of society: cultural law . . money/work/favour . . owed to/by you. 3) Business: civil law . . . . . money/work/favour . . owed to/by you. 4) Government: criminal law . . imprisonment/money . . owed to/by you.
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	Human punishments for doing wrong and God’s punishment for sinning differ: Jesus’ Punishment in our place was due to our sins. Jesus Punishment in our place was not due to our social/cultural/civil/legal wrongs. The differences show that: our social/cultural/civil/legal wrongs and our sins are parts of two, different, separate, accounts. Hence the criminal on the other cross, despite being the first Christian into Heaven, remained on his cross. Luke c23 v39-43 Hence also, ‘sin’ is not a legal word or a human-cultural word. You won’t find it in a western court of law or in secular conversation.
	The gospel is the good news that Jesus was Punished in place of all of us: His Punishment made all our sins (before God) vanish even though all our wrongs (before each other) remain. , , Perhaps see earlier section: WHY WAS JESUS EXECUTED? , , .
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	You become a Christian: not when you only know the gospel, in your mind, but when you also believe the gospel, in your heart/spirit. , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,Rom c10 v10 On believing – your heart/spirit becomes grateful and so renews your mind: 1) Duplicates its belief into your mind so that even your mind believes. 2) Establishes: the pattern of that belief, the pattern of the gospel, agape love, throughout your mind, then: your heart/spirit & your mind & God’s Spirit inside you will be alike, then all three of you can live & work together. , , Blue text copied from earlier section: , , WHAT IS A RENEWED MIND? , , .
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Our account with the Father is a debt now settled, a debt now paid. But demons lie: In the past demons could truthfully accuse us of sins and tell God and rightly expect him to act. Rev c12 v10: ctd … for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. KJV But now, now that Jesus has suffered in our place, demons can, if they are truthful, tell us of only our wrongs, not our sins. Our sins no longer exist. So they lie. They encourage us to be simple & sloppy and to think that we each have only one account: a combination of: our with-God account and our with-each-other account. Hence they are keen on justice.
Hence, for example, to prevent/reduce/undo healing &/or deliverance, they’ll remind you of some wrong you’ve done so as to trick you into being defensive: making you think, even say, that you did not do that wrong. 1 John c1 v8-10 Hence, for that crucial moment: You forget, in your mind, that God has put all of us right with himself. Hence belief remains active in your heart/spirit but becomes inactive in your mind. , , , , Perhaps also see later section: UNBELIEF and its subsections , , , , and , , , , later section: SIN CONSCIOUSNESS. Likewise, to prevent/reduce/undo healing, demons will remind you of a wrong done to you. Though they’ll not also remind you that, collectively, it’s our fault: We isolated ourselves from God. Hence nature does bad things as well as good. , , , , See earlier section: WHY IS THE UNIVERSE SECOND CLASS? . Nor will they also remind you that you’re dead to the world, remind you to forgive all who hurt you, remind you to be constructive. You’ll conclude that God could have stopped people hurting you, but didn’t. Hence, for that crucial moment, you don’t want anything to do with God. , , , , Perhaps see earlier section: , , , , THE PROBLEM WITH BELIEVING THAT GOD STILL DOES BAD. Hence, again, belief remains active in your heart/spirit but becomes inactive in your mind.
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All this is intuitive for demons: They don’t personally know God’s Forgiveness. But they do see more than we do so they know about God’s Forgiveness. They do know that they have to prevent us believing God’s Forgiveness if they are to continue ‘living’. , , , , See earlier sections: WE ARE PLAYGROUNDS , , , , and , , , , SATAN LIKES IT HERE , , , , and first four cells of , , , , later section: THE BASIC MECHANICES , , , , and , , , , later section: ANOTHER EXAMPLE: TEMPTATIONS.
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CONCLUSION TO THE TWO ACCOUNTS
Technically speaking sins no longer exist. Whatever you are guilty of before people you are no longer guilty of before God. The Cross enabled God to give us his Holy Spirit. You believing that the Cross was for you enables you to receive God’s Holy Spirit. You renewing your mind enables God’s Spirit to live in you without you ever disagreeing with him. And that enables you to command miracles, in Jesus’ name, despite you having committed social/cultural/civil/legal wrongs. , , Perhaps earlier webpage: Christian healing leaflet. , , ,
Hence you can become covered with God’s glory (vertical) while still being covered with human shame (horizontal). Even though Paul had killed Christians … Acts c6 v1 – c9 v2 Acts c22 v4, Acts c22 v19-20 1 Cor c15 v9, … he now believed the gospel, had renewed his mind, and so did miracles. Acts c14 v3 Acts c16 v16-40 Acts c19 v11-12, Acts c20 v7-12 Acts c28 v1-6 Acts c28 v7-9, , , Perhaps also see first cell , , of earlier section: THE GUILT WE FEEL , , and see , , later section: GOD’S GLORIOUS SPIRIT IS IN YOU. , , ,
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JESUS’ PUNISHMENT WAS A LEGAL MATTER
The Bible often says that: Jesus was Punished for our sins. actions/verbs/processes ,, 1 Cor c15 v3 Gal c1 v4 Heb c1 v3 1 Pet c2 v24 1 John c1 v7 etc And this communicates the gospel perfectly to the common man: actions are indeed a fair measure of the structure that produced them.
But, technically speaking: it was our bad points objects/nouns/structures that produce our sins actions/verbs/processes that Jesus was Punished for. Jesus was Punished in our place. Matt c20 v28, , .
Just as: Jesus did not take our sicknesses, he took our place so also: Jesus did not take our sins, he took our place. ,, ,, Second & third lines, of this cell, copied from earlier section: ,, ,, THE COMPONENTS OF JESUS’ PUNISHMENT.,,,,,
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THE LAMB OR THE SCAPEGOAT
In Old Testament & New Testament there are, in each of them, two descriptions of Jesus: S) Sacrifice actions/verbs/processes for sins actions/verbs/processes. R) Receptacle objects/nouns/structures for sins objects/nouns/structures.
In the Old Testament: S) Flawless sacrificial lamb. Exo c12 & c29 v38-41 Isa c53 v7 R) Scapegoat: symbolically given sins, then sent away. Lev c16 In the New Testament: S) Jesus: Sinless sacrifice. John c1 v29-36 1 Pet c1 v18-19 R) Jesus: taker of our sins & sickness. Matt c8 v16-17 1 Pet c2 v24 .
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Objectively: S) and R) are both true even though they are mutually exclusive. Subjectively: S) and R) are both true, are what it feels like, are what it seems like, to us.
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TESTAMENTS AND COVENANTS
The Bible is divided into Old Testament & New Testament. In the Old Testament: the Old Covenant is a deal from God. In the New Testament: the New Covenant is a gift from God.
A covenant is an unconditional promise but where the other side has no say. A biblical covenant is an unconditional promise made by God where the other side has no say. The Old Covenant, to Israel, has ended. The New Covenant, to everyone, is now running. The Old Covenant was: A set of conditional promises from me, to you Jews, that I will reward, or punish, individuals, or the whole nation, depending on whether you obey my laws. The New Covenant is: A conditional gift, from me, to all humans, of my Son’s righteousness (so discard your own) & of everything good thing in this life & of eternal life in the next. All thanks to Jesus taking the Punishment for our sins.
The condition being that you must believe that the New Covenant: is true, and that you must want the righteousness that the Cross gave us and never again your own righteousness.
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Demons, of all creatures, believe that Forgiveness is true. But they know that it was not given to them. Jam c2 v14-20 Jesus is human yet God, the Son of a woman and God. He is not the Son of God & an angel or fallen angel or demon. Hence Forgiveness was not given to any of them.
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THE OLD COVENANT (THE JEWS’ ACCOUNT WITH GOD)
In the Bible: The phrase new covenant is in the New Testament. But, perhaps surprisingly, the phrase old covenant is not. Old covenant is, instead, called the law. To clarify that I’m talking about this law, and not, say, secular law, I’ll often call it Jewish law or Jewish laws.
The era of Jewish laws lasted from: 1,500bc approx (when God gave Jewish laws to the Jews) to: 33ad (when Jesus died & rose, and God’s Spirit came here). To begin with, in 1900bc approx, God made the Jews. , Perhaps see third cell (starting: Then God made the Jews) , of earlier section THE PRE-CHURCH AGE (OLD TESTAMENT TIMES). Then, from 1500bc approx to 33ad, God gave the Jews laws, Jewish laws. Or, to be precise, began imposing Jewish laws on the Jews. , Perhaps see: Exodus, Leviticus, & Deuteronomy. On the face of it: God gave Jewish laws to the Jews because: having rescued them from slavery in Egypt, & while taking them to the good land he’d promised them, some of them were complaining, mistrustful, rebellious, even after each miracle God did for them. , , Perhaps see: Exo c1 – c19 and Exo c32. But a second reason God gave the Jews laws was that some of the laws were predictive signs that foreshadowed the New Covenant to come. , Perhaps see later section: , SOME OLD COVENANT LAWS SERVE AS SIGNS, SHADOWS, ,, OF THE NEW COVENANT., , .
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It was virtually impossible to keep all Jewish laws (hence there was also a system of sacrifices). And the consequences of breaking just one law were as bad as if you had broken all the laws (it’s all to do with holiness, being perfect in the face of a perfect God). James writes: Jam c2 v10: For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. KJV And Paul’s statement: Gal c3 v10 (Gal c5 v3): ctd … for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. KJV refers back to: Deut c27 v26 c27 v26: Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them … ctd KJV
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Interestingly, the verse: Deut c28 v15: But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: KJV, plus: the list of punishments in: Deut c28 v16-68 c28 v16-68 would have proven Paul’s point for him better. , , Paul’s point being: Forgiveness is better than Jewish laws. , , Perhaps glance back at earlier webpages: , , The four reasons Paul preached only Forgiveness , , and: , , God, through Paul, changed the meaning of the word ‘righteousness’. But Paul did not choose Deut c28 c28. Instead he chose Deut c27 c27.,,,
I reckon he chose Deut c27 c28 rather than Deut c28 c28 because: Deut c27 v26 c27 v26 is about God gives punishments to individuals. So it’s in keeping with the individual nature of Forgiveness. ,, ,, (As it happens, it’s also in keeping with the individual nature of Judgment too.) However, the Jewish laws, in Deut c28 c28, were not only: God gives individual punishments to individuals, but also: God gives general punishments to all Jews for disobeying him, Deut c28 v15-68 c28 v15-68 and: God gives general rewards to all Jews for obeying him, Deut c28 v1-14 c28 v1-14.,,,
Paul wanted to avoid the last scripture (red text) because it supports Judgment. Hence Paul avoided: God gives general punishments to all Jews for disobeying him, Deut c28 v15-68 c28 v15-68 because it’s immediately after: God gives general rewards to all Jews for obeying him, Deut c28 v1-14 c28 v1-14.,,,
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In the Old Testament the Jews treated their lawbreakers in two ways: punishment – of the human, animal sacrifice – the human provides a sacrificial animal. Regarding animal sacrifices: The priest inspected the animal, but not the owner: did not ask the owner about the sin they’d committed. It was the animal that had to be perfect, flawless. The animal sacrifice then made the owner blameless. (Though not sinless. It merely covered the sin. Heb c10 v1-21), , , ,
The Old Covenant flawlessness of the animal foreshadowed the New Covenant principle that Jesus must never have broken any Jewish law. (Indeed, must never have sinned, however small the sin.) Conversely, backwards engineering: The Father knew that, in the future, his Son would take our place. So, in the past, the Father deliberately demanded that only flawless animals be sacrificed.
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JEWISH LAWS ARE NOT FOR GENTILES
You may say: “Surely, we’re supposed to obey Jewish laws because it was God who gave them to us. I say: “God gave Jewish laws (& punishments & sacrifices) to only the Jews, not to gentiles. God intends gentiles to read Jewish laws, read the Old Covenant. For the New Covenant needs the Old Covenant in order to make sense. (Indeed, the New Testament needs the Old Testament in order to make sense.) But God intends gentiles to only read Jewish laws, the Old Covenant. Not enter into the Old Covenant, in any way, to any degree.” , , A gentile is anyone who is not a Jew. , , N.B. The Creator’s Son is a Jew. , , Nearly all of the Bible was written by Jews.
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The Bible is divided into Old Testament & New Testament. In the Old Testament: the Old Covenant is a deal from God. In the New Testament: the New Covenant is a gift from God. We gentile Christians, despite being gentiles, should nevertheless read the Old Testament because: the New Testament . . was built on . . the Old Testament & the New Covenant . . . replaced . . . . . the Old Covenant. Heb c8 v13: In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. The Old Covenant was: A set of conditional promises from me, to you Jews, that I will reward, or punish, individuals, or the whole nation, depending on whether you obey my laws. The New Covenant is: A conditional gift, from me, to all humans, of my Son’s righteousness (so discard your own) & of everything good thing in this life & of eternal life in the next. All thanks to Jesus taking the Punishment for our sins.
We gentile Christians (unlike Old Testament Jews) don’t have any laws: Acts c15 v28-29: For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. KJV The last line shows that the five lines before it are not laws but good advice: advice to changed people: people who now want to do right & not wrong.
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Jesus seemed to give Christians a law/commandment: John c13 v34-35: A new commandment I [Jesus] give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. KJV But, actually, this new commandment is not a law/commandment but self-expression. Keeping it is not a cause of us being right with God (as it is with the Old Covenant), it is an effect. An effect of Jesus having put all of us right with God and of you believing it.
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YOU MAY COMPLAIN
You may complain: “But the epistles contain instructions & rebukes.” I say: “Paul (& the other apostles) did not express their hearts in instructions & rebukes. They expressed their hearts in such texts as: 1 Cor c13 NIV: Above all else, love people. my abbreviation
However, reports, from distant churches, of ‘believers’: o Working proudly to be right with God. o Accepting sexual immorality as normal. o Etc. prompted the apostles to write epistles that contained instructions & rebukes. , ‘Believers’ are people who don’t believe all that Jesus said: , are not (yet) believers, but who think they are. They were exasperated. What else could they do? Paul for example, had to meet those people on the level they were at. 1 Cor c3 v1: And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. KJV Paul gave them the stick because they hadn’t (yet) accepted the carrot. 1 Cor c4 v14-21, ,
I reckon Paul could have added: You don’t yet believe. Not in your hearts. So don’t even call yourselves believers yet. Believers want to do what’s right. They also know what’s right because they hear God. But I had to send you instructions.”
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JESUS DID NOT ABOLISH JEWISH LAWS …
Jesus did not abolish Jewish laws. Matt c5 v18: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law … ctd KJV
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… BUT, INSTEAD, FIRST OF ALL, JESUS SEEMED TO MAGNIFY JEWISH LAWS …
Jesus seemed to magnify Jewish laws: seemed to show changes that God would like to make. Matt c5 v21-22: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. KJV Matt c5 v27-28: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. KJV
However, Jesus only seemed to magnify Jewish laws. Jewish laws were, in fact, already strong. It’s just that, over the centuries, people had verbally weakened the application of written Jewish laws. See the first line of each of the above two Bible texts. Then see: CARM’s Does the Old Testament , , , , , teach to hate your enemies?. ,,,,,
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… THEN JESUS FULFILLED JEWISH LAWS …
Jesus told his fellow Jews to keep the Jewish laws: Matt c5 v17-19: 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. 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. KJV It’s clear that Jesus was addressing only Jews by the verses that follow. Matt c5 v20-24,,, , , Also see fourth cell , , (starting Jesus told his disciples to pray the Lord’s prayer) , , of earlier section: THE LORD’S PRAYER.
Then, just like: breaking Jewish laws led to punishment or required a perfect animal, to be a sacrifice, so also: Jesus allowed himself to be both punished and be a sacrifice for all the sins that the Jews had committed, were committing, and will commit.
Hence it was vital that Jesus had kept all Jewish laws, had not broken any: Otherwise he would not have been the perfect sacrifice he needed to be: Gal c4 v4-5: But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. KJV , , , , The above word ‘might’ is there because it’s up to us , , , , as well as up to God. , , , , Perhaps see later webpage: , , , , WE CHOOSE WHERE WE GO – BY FORGIVENESS. , , ,
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Mind you, Jesus did break wrong application of Jewish laws, wrong application – produced by wrong motivation. Matt c12 v1-7 (Mark c2 v23-28) my abbreviation: Jesus & his disciples were hungry. So they picked corn, on the sabbath, to eat. Some Pharisees accused them of working on the sabbath. But Jesus said that king David once did a similar thing , , [and the Pharisees didn’t criticise him]. Then Jesus added: “God wants mercy, not sacrifice” [quoted from Hos c6 v6] in order to show that the Pharisees’ application was wrong. my abbn , , Their application was wrong because Hos c6 v6 contradicts earlier sacrificial laws. , , God’s relationship with the Jews had started to change even by Hosea’s time. , , See later section: , , GOD DOES NOT CHANGE , , BUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH US CHANGES. And Jesus completely rejects any added, so-called, laws: Matt c15 v1-20 Mark c7 v1-23: Jesus angrily points out that wicked or misled religious leaders fool the people by replacing the right laws of God with shallow, even wrong, merely human, laws. Probably only to make themselves look good. my abbn
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… THEN, JESUS SUFFERED & DIED FOR EVERYONE.
Jesus’ self-sacrifice was a fulfilment of Jewish law: Yet it was not a Jewish sacrifice. , , It was not the way a lamb would be sacrificed under Jewish law. Lev c3 v7-11 Nor was it a Jewish punishment. , , It was not a Jewish stoning then hanging the body on a tree. Deut c21 v22 It was a punishment of the Roman Empire. In effect – an international punishment.
To the above, add: Acts c10 my abbreviation: An angel, in a vision, told Cornelius, a God-fearing Roman centurion, to send some men to get Peter. Meanwhile God showed Peter, in a trance, a stretched out sheet of religiously unclean animals and told him to kill & eat (Peter was hungry). Peter refused. God said: “Don’t call anything unclean that I have made clean”. This whole argument repeated two more times. Then Peter came out of the trance and God’s Spirit said to him “You have visitors. Go with them.” They all went to Cornelius’ house where Cornelius then spoke of his vision of an angel. Then Peter finally understood his trance: that Jesus’ crucifixion and God’s Spirit were for, not only Jews, but for everyone. my abbreviation and we see that Jesus was Punished for, and was a sacrifice for, everyone.
John c3 v14-18: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. KJV , , Believed, that is, after the gospel (this text is one form of the gospel) , , has been presented. Ideally presented convincingly: with miracles.
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CONCLUSION: HOW IT ALL WORKS
Some Old Covenant laws are of the culture of their day so they don’t even make sense any more. For example: Lev c14 v32-57: Complex instructions for getting rid of mould on the walls in your home. my abbreviation ,, ,, ,, (They assumed it caused leprosy.) But, even if the Jews of old had been allowed to ignore such laws, keeping the rest of the laws would still have been virtually impossible. Perhaps see third cell (starting: It was virtually impossible to keep all Jewish laws) of earlier section THE OLD COVENANT (THE JEWS’ ACCOUNT WITH GOD). Hence, as well as giving the Jews laws, God gave them: punishments for the lawbreaker and sacrifices that the lawbreaker needed to make.
Two thousand years ago God let his Son be Punished in place of the rest of us. Hence, now, anyone can break any, still right, Old Covenant law, yet not be in trouble with God. But believers, if they’ve renewed their minds, don’t want to break any, still right, Old Covenant law. ,, ,, Perhaps see earlier section: ,, ,, THIS APPARENT MISUNDERSTANDING IS NO ACCIDENT. Believers who have renewed their minds are grateful: for Heaven to come and God’s Spirit now. Hence believers are constructive: forgive everyone who’s wronged them, love everyone, keep all, still right, Old Covenant laws – without effort, indeed do all natural good – without effort, indeed do miracles – without effort. It’s all self-expression.
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THE NEW REPLACES THE OLD
The New Covenant replaces the Old Covenant: Heb c8 v8-13: For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: and they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. KJV , , Perhaps see second cell , , of earlier section: JEWISH LAWS ARE NOT FOR GENTILES.
I.E. The commandment contained in the new covenant replaces the commandments contained in the old covenant. John c13 v34-35: A new commandment I [Jesus] give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. KJV
Jesus’ new commandment, above, is extreme. He commands the same level of love between believers as he had for believers, strong agape love, to the death love. Hence Jesus’ new commandment: is something you must want to do: with both soul and heart/spirit, completeself-expression, not something you merely obey: with only your soul.
Indeed, Jesus taught us to love everyone. , , Perhaps see earlier section: LOVE YOUR ENEMIES. And loving includes forgiving. , , Perhaps see earlier section: FORGIVE US AS WE. And loving & forgiving everyone means that Jesus’ new commandment includes all Jewish laws: Rom c13 v8-10 Gal c5 v14: Loving everyone means that you are also keeping all Jewish laws. my abbreviation
So, actually, this new commandment is not a law/commandment but self-expression: Keeping it is not a cause of us being right with God (as it is with the Old Covenant), it is an effect. An effect of Jesus having put all of us right with God and of you believing it.
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‘Believers’ are people who don’t believe all that Jesus said, are not (yet) believers, but who think they are. Some ‘believers’ try to: Add: Jesus’ new commandment to the Old Covenant, the Old Testament commandments, Then add: the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. Then say: “That’s what a Christian needs to do” (with the emphasis on ‘do’).
However: the Old Covenant cannot be added to: the New Covenant for the same reason that: Gen c12 v3: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee … ctd KJV cannot be added to: Eph c1 v3: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: KJV for the same reason that: Jews, do this, – and you’ll get a good thing from God, Jews, do that, – and you’ll get a bad thing from God, cannot be added to: God has already given all good things to all of us The cause-&-effect is reversed: The Old Covenant is: You Jews do good to humbly earn good things from God. The New Covenant is: God gave everything good to everyone so, out of gratitude, do good.
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Jesus said: Matt c9 v10-17 Mark c2 v1 – c3 v6 Luke c5 v27 – c6 v11: A new unshrunk patch cannot be sown onto an old shrunk garment. New wine cannot ferment in used, stretched, brittle, wineskins. my abbreviation The above text is in only Matthew Mark & Luke. Not John. Yet Jesus’ new commandment is in only John. John c13 v34-35 Hence the Matthew Mark & Luke links that I give extend beyond the text that I give so as to reveal the overall subject. The overall subject being: Jesus’ new commandment is infinitely better than the old commandments. Indeed, the entire New Covenant is infinitely better than the entire Old Covenant. Forgiveness, God’s Spirit, & a renewed mind, are infinitely better than fasting, Jewish laws, sacrifices, & punishments. (Though the Old Covenant is vital for understanding the New Covenant. Also that’s the order things happened in.)
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GOD DOES NOT CHANGE BUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH US CHANGES
God himself never changes. Num c23 v19 1 Sam c15 v29 Mal c3 v6 Jam c1 v17 He always thinks & does what’s right: what’s most constructive in the long run. , , Perhaps see earlier section: , , GOOD & BAD, RIGHT & WRONG, , . But his relationship with us changes. , , Perhaps see first four sections , , of earlier webpage: The Church Age , , , , and perhaps see , , earlier section: IN JESUS, THE FATHER REVEALS HIS HEART TO US, , .
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1) The first part of the Pre-Church Age (Old Testament times) started when God made us. A relationship of love towards everything & everyone.
2) The second part of the Pre-Church Age (Old Testament times) started when we humans, Adam & Eve, started to do wrong. Hence God kept us away from the tree of life. , , , We were already eternal. , , , But the fruit of the tree of life would have made us , , , eternal and substantial (i.e. not like a ghost: Gen c3 v22). . It was a time when: God destroyed the earth with a flood because of its wickedness. But then blessed righteous Noah & his sons. Etc. , , , , Perhaps see earlier webpage: The good & bad that God does: A relationship of both love and justice towards all humans.
3) The third part of the Pre-Church Age (Old Testament times) started when God made the Jews. , Perhaps see third cell (starting: Then God made the Jews) , of earlier section THE PRE-CHURCH AGE (OLD TESTAMENT TIMES). A relationship of both love and justice towards all Jews.
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4) The first part of the Church Age started when God changed his relationship with the Jews from: a relationship of both love and justice towards all Jews to: a relationship of love towards all Jews. The first part of the Church Age splits into two time periods: 3 years: start of Jesus’ ministry to Pentecost. 9 years approx: Pentecost to Peter’s vision. Acts c10, It splits because: Jesus was the first to preach Forgiveness, Forgiveness first appears in the gospels. Hence the gospels are New Testament. But the gospels lack Pentecost. Hence the gospels are Old Covenant. , , , Perhaps see earlier section: , , , JESUS PREACHED BOTH JUDGMENT & FORGIVENESS , , , and earlier section: , , , REWARDS & PUNISHMENTS. To conclude: the first part of the Church Age was: a relationship of love towards all Jews.
5) The second part of the Church Age started when God said: that Forgiveness, the New Covenant, included gentiles (non-Jews) as well as Jews: that everyone has been Forgiven. , Perhaps again see earlier section. , THEN, JESUS SUFFERED & DIED FOR EVERYONE: A relationship of love towards all humans.
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6) On Judgment Day , , , I call it Judgment and Forgiveness day. , , , Perhaps again see earlier section: , , , JESUS PREACHED BOTH JUDGMENT & FORGIVENESS. God will change his relationship with us, for the last time, to make it: A relationship of both love and justice towards all humans.
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, Perhaps again see , first four sections , of earlier webpage: The Church Age, , , ,
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SOME OLD COVENANT LAWS SERVE AS SIGNS, SHADOWS, OF THE NEW COVENANT
When God gave the Old Covenant laws to the Jews he made some of the laws to be predictive signs that foreshadowed the New Covenant to come. Heb c10 v1-3: For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. KJV Col c2 v16-17: 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; … ctd KJV
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The Old Covenant sabbath law foreshadowed, gave significance to, drew attention to, helped explain, the New Covenant to come: Deut c5 v12-15: Do not work, indeed do virtually nothing, on Saturday, the actual sabbath day . . . my abbn Deut c28 (v1) (v15): . . . in order to be blessed by God, not cursed . . . my abbn Exo c31 v14: . . . and in order to not be put to death. my abbn The sabbath law, above, (which we are not supposed to obey) foreshadowed, gave significance to, drew attention to, helped explain, the sabbath rest, below, (which we should accept). Heb c4 v9-11: There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest … ctd. KJV Matt c11 v28-30: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. KJV , , , A yoke is the collar on a beast of burden (horse, ox) , , , which is connected to the burden (cart, plough).
The Old Covenant tithing law foreshadowed, gave significance to, drew attention to, helped explain, the New Covenant to come: Lev c27 v30-33: And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD. And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD. He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. KJV , , , For more details of the Old Covenant tithing law , , , see: Num c18 and: Mal c3 v10-12 The tithing law, above, (which we are not supposed to obey) foreshadowed, gave significance to, drew attention to, helped explain, Jesus’ promises, below, (which we should accept). Matt c6 v33 (Luke c12 v31): But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things [i.e. all material necessities] shall be added unto you. KJV Mark c10 v29-30 (Luke c18 v29-30): And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, … ctd KJV Luke c6 v38: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. KJV
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SIGNS/SHADOWS, OR THE REAL THING?
So, don’t do the Old Covenant, don’t do the signs/shadows. Do the real thing, believe Jesus. Perhaps see earlier section: CONTINUING THE SON’S WORK.,,,,, John c6 v28-29: Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. KJV This was Jesus’ entire answer. Believe is all we need to do (if you can call believing doing).
Of course, you will also do things. You won’t only believe. Just make sure that the things you do: are an effect, not a cause. An effect of God having put all of us right with him. Not you trying to put yourself right with him.
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SO, BEWARE OF THE OLD COVENANT
Perhaps see earlier section: WHY BIBLICAL TEACHER-HEALERS DO IT ,,,,, and the remainder of that webpage. In the province of Galatia Paul had found people who weren’t believers but who thought they were believers. (I call them ‘believers’) They had accepted the preaching that, to be right with God, you had to both: believe in Jesus’ Punishment in our place and: keep Jewish laws (i.e. become a Jew). Hence Paul wrote: Gal c3 v3-5: Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? KJV Gal c3 – c5: God’s Law is bondage. God’s Spirit is freedom. my abbreviation Rom c3 v20: Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. KJV 2 Cor c3: The law, including the Ten Commandments, brings death. But the Spirit brings life. my abbreviation
You may say: “Surely, we’re supposed to obey Jewish laws because it was God who gave them to us. I say: “God gave Jewish laws (& punishments & sacrifices) to only the Jews, not to gentiles. God intends gentiles to read Jewish laws, read the Old Covenant. For the New Covenant needs the Old Covenant in order to make sense. (Indeed, the New Testament needs the Old Testament in order to make sense.) But God intends gentiles to only read Jewish laws, the Old Covenant. Not enter into the Old Covenant, in any way, to any degree. God gave Jewish laws to the Jews because: having rescued them from slavery in Egypt, & while taking them to the good land he’d promised them, some of them were complaining, mistrustful, rebellious, even after each miracle God did for them.” , , , Perhaps see: Exo c1 – c19 and Exo c32. ,,,,,
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To conclude: God gave laws to the Jews to try to mould their souls (or, to be precise, their minds within their souls) to counteract the moulding effects of: o our flesh and our earthly thinking, o the earth and world we’ve built from the earth, o demons’ temptations. Perhaps see later section: THE EFFECT OF MANY SUGGESTIONS: MOULDING. God designed the material of the universe to be second class , , , , See earlier section: WHY IS THE UNIVERSE SECOND CLASS? , , , , and, immediately after it, first & second cells of: , , , , IN WHAT WAYS DID GOD MAKE THE UNIVERSE SECOND CLASS?. so that it moulds the souls , , , , Perhaps see next cell (starting N.B. Jewish laws:) of both humans and demons alike , , , , , See first two cells of later section: THE BASIC MECHANICS. to be legally minded. Hence their souls feel at home here: in this everything-must-be-earned world that’s built from a competitive earth, and love all the: I-can-manage-to-keep-these-laws-that-I-chose laws.
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N.B. Jewish laws (any laws, any thing): do not finally mould the soul only temporarily mould the soul to counteract: the world, the flesh, and the devil (demons), which, likewise: do not finally mould the soul, only temporarily mould the soul. Only the heart/spirit finally moulds, has the final say in moulding, the soul. , , Perhaps see later sections: , , WILL, , , and immediately after it: , , FREE WILL.,,,,
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The Old Covenant moulded Jews’ souls using: o man-given, natural, animal sacrifices o man-given, natural, human punishments o God-given, supernatural, curses o God-given, supernatural, blessings. , , Perhaps see: Deut c28. Notice that the above are only of this life. The threat of Hell, and the chance of Heaven, are not in the Old Covenant. In the Old Testament: Hell (Hebrew: Sheol) was not a place of punishment but merely a ‘sleeping place’ for the dead. Nor was Heaven a place that you or I might go to as a reward. It was only God’s & angels’ home.
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When God gave the Old Covenant animal sacrifices to the Jews he made some of the laws to be predictive signs that foreshadowed Jesus’ crucifixion to come. The sacrifice of lambs foreshadowed, gave significance to, drew attention to, helped explain, Jesus’ crucifixion to come.
Hence, in the Old Testament, God initially gave the impression that he needed animal sacrifices. But, later, he had to admit that he didn’t actually need animal sacrifices: Psalm 50 v7-15: God says “I want a word with you. I don’t reject your sacrifices. But I don’t actually need bulls and goats. I made everything, it’s all mine. So don’t think you’re actually giving me anything. Instead, offer your sacrifices, then call on me when you are in trouble and I will rescue you and you will honour me.” my abbreviation
And later, in the New Testament, God, through Paul, wrote: Heb c10 v4: For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. KJV Jesus, of course, was not an animal. He was (& is) God and human: That’s why his self-sacrifice worked. whereas animal sacrifices had never worked. (God designed the material of the universe so that we’d see buying as an important function in life. Even the buying of God’s favours.)
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To conclude: The Old Covenant worked in an earthly way. Not in an eternal way – like the New Covenant: The Old Covenant: Does not have Judgment (nor Forgiveness for that matter). Does not mention us going to Heaven or Hell. , , See earlier section: REWARDS & PUNISHMENTS , , and, perhaps, if you need to, , , earlier section: JESUS PREACHED BOTH JUDGMENT & FORGIVENESS , , and its subsections. The main purpose of the Old Covenant was to prepare us for the New Covenant, was to show (first Jews, then the rest of us) that we: Could not get ourselves right with God. All needed God to rescue us, save us, do it for us. Not merely help us. Needed God to put us right with himself.
The Old Covenant is sometimes a humility filter. But Forgiveness, the New Covenant, is always a humility filter. It shows you are already humble, to the extreme, to forever put your own righteousness to one side and forever boast of only Jesus’ work, for you, on the Cross. , , Perhaps see all of earlier section: , , REGARDNG JUDGMENT: GOD ALSO CONSIDERS MOTIVES
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SO, BE CAREFUL NOT TO ENTER INTO THE OLD COVENANT
Technically speaking: Jesus did not destroy the Old Covenant. Jesus added himself to the Old Covenant to turn it into the New Covenant. To the system of: o man-given, natural, animal sacrifices o man-given, natural, human punishments o God-given, supernatural, curses o God-given, supernatural, blessings Jesus added one more sacrifice – himself.
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If you are a believer, a Christian, then read the Old Testament because New Testament statements are prophesied in the Old Testament. The New Testament . . was built on . . the Old Testament. But don’t believe in, don’t enter into, the Old Covenant. Deut c28 to any degree. The New Covenant . . . replaced . . . . . the Old Covenant. Don’t see Old Covenant laws as still God’s laws, as still active. It would imply that there are consequences, from God, if you break them. Hence, if you are a believer (whether a gentile believer or a Jewish believer) and have ever failed to: keep the Jewish tithing law, keep the Jewish sabbath law, make the appropriate sacrifice for failing to keep some law or other, etc, then do not believe that you have cut yourself off from God to any degree. To believe the Old Covenant: that your wrong actions cut you off from God, is a form of unbelief that works against: your belief that Jesus put you right with his Father. , , , , Perhaps see later section: UNBELIEF and its subsections , , , , and , , , , earlier section: UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. , And, even though: Jesus changed God’s Old Covenant into the New so that God’s Old Covenant curses no longer work, demons would nevertheless: impersonate God by performing his Old Covenant curses ‘for’ him. , , , , See item 4) , , , , of earlier section: , , , , SO, – WHERE DO TODAY’S BAD THINGS COME FROM?,, , , , , , and its subsections.
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Only when you: fully understand that you have infinite blessings that the New Covenant (found in New Testament) gives should you: articulate those blessings As Paul does, in: Rom c4 v1-22 & Gal c3. in terms of the finite blessings that the Old Covenant (found in Old Testament Deut c28 v1-14 ) would have given were it still active.
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Jesus’ audiences were usually Jews, so their questions were usually Old Covenant questions. E.G. “Which is the greatest commandment?” Matt c22 v37 Mark c12 v30 When you read, in the gospels, where Jesus is speaking to the crowd, it can be easy to identify with the crowd: It can be easy to think: “God told us to honour our father & mother. That’s why, in Matt c15 v4-9, Jesus was angry at the Pharisees because they etc.” However: God never told us gentiles to honour our father & mother. God never gave us gentiles any of the Ten Commandments. God gave all of the Old Testament commandments to only Jews. A practicing Jew may privately laugh at a gentile Christian who said that he/she had been given the Ten Commandments. The Jew would think: “Were your ancestors at the foot of Mount Sinai when Moses came down with them? No. Exo c34 Why, you might even be descended from the peoples God drove out for us!” Exo c34 v8-17, ,
Hence Peter was right to tell gentile Romans: to convert directly to Christianity, & not become Jews first. Acts c10: Peter’s and Cornelius’ visions. my abbn Hence Paul was right to tell gentile Greeks: to convert directly from Diana of the Ephesians to Christianity, & not become Jews first. Acts c19: The gospel is resisted in Ephesus. my abbn Gal c3 – c5: God’s Law is bondage. God’s Spirit is freedom. my abbreviation Hence also Paul was wrong to suggest, again to the Ephesians: that honouring your father and mother is a commandment, from God, for them. Eph c6 v1 . , , , , Paul, a Jew, had once been a Pharisee – and old habits die hard.
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The Old Covenant’s cause-&-effect line was: God says: “You Jews: Do what’s right so I’ll reward you.” (It’s like the world.) Whereas the New Covenant’s cause-&-effect line is: God says: “Everyone: I’ve given you every good thing. Believe it so that you receive it. Then, out of gratitude, do good.” (It’s the other way round to the world.)
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YOU’VE PROBABLY ALREADY FAILED ANYWAY
Whether you are a Jew or a gentile, it’s probable that you haven’t kept all the Jewish laws. And, assuming that you are a gentile Christian, it’s probable that, where you have not kept Jewish laws, that you haven’t made the appropriate sacrifices or undergone the appropriate punishment: Exo c31 v12-15: God said that whoever works on the Sabbath (a Saturday) must definitely be put to death. my abbreviation Exo c35 v1-2: God said that whoever works on the Sabbath (a Saturday) must definitely be put to death. my abbreviation Num c15 v32-36: A man was found gathering sticks on the Sabbath (a Saturday). God told Moses to tell everyone to stone him to death. So they all stoned him to death. my abbreviation And, as well as failing to keep the Sabbath, you’ve probably also failed to tithe properly. Though, as Russel Earl Kelly puts it (in cell after next): only Jewish farmers, within old Israel, could tithe. Indeed, the Old Covenant says that you are cursed if you don’t keep every law. Deut c27 v26: Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them … ctd KJV Most church leaders cherry-pick Old Covenant commandments: choose the do-able ones, &/or change them to be do-able. Or past church leaders have done so and today’s church leaders follow suit.
This is a good point to show why: a Christian who believes in tithing and: a Christian who does not believe in tithing may both get results that support their beliefs: Christians who do believe in tithing: Rightly believe that the God of the New Covenant is good. Hence they are able to: ignore the curses of the Old Covenant ,, ,, ,, ,, Deut c28 v15-68 yet believe the blessings that are written right next to them ,, ,, ,, , Deut c28 v1-14 and, because they believe, they receive. , , , , See last lines of first cell , , , , of earlier section: MY ATTITUDE TO THE BIBLE. Whereas Christians who do not believe in tithing: Rightly believe that the New Covenant replaced the Old. , , Perhaps see earlier section: THE NEW REPLACES THE OLD. So they don’t believe in, don’t enter into, any of the Old Covenant. And, even if they started to believe in any of the Old Covenant, they believe they’d lack the authority: to believe one Old Covenant scripture yet ignore another Old Covenant scripture that’s right next to it.
You might like to see: YouTube: – Should The Church Teach Tithing?: a debate between Rev Mike Kola Ewuosho and Russel Earl Kelly Ph.D. first shown on 30^th March 2011 on the Live@nine show, Revelation TV.
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I reckon that tithing is a result of us having ten fingers & thumbs. Hence its origins are worldly, are from the counting of goods or money on fingers & thumbs. If it had been God’s idea it would have been a seventh or a twelfth. So don’t think that giving a tenth is more Godly that giving any other fraction.
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GREAT FAITH
I saw, in one of Pastor Joseph Prince’s TV programmes, that he once had an interesting conversation with God about two people in the Bible: Luke c7 v1-10 (Matt c8 v5-13): my abbreviation Jesus went to a centurion’s house to heal his servant. But the centurion sent friends out, saying: “Don’t bother coming in, I am not worthy. Just speak. I am under command. And others are under my command. ,, ,, ,, ,, [I understand authority] So your words alone will heal my servant.” Jesus told the crowd that the centurion had great faith. So [Jesus spoke, and] the servant was healed. my abbreviation Matt c15 v21-28 (Mark c7 v25-30) my abbreviation A Canaanite (Syrophenician) woman came to Jesus begging him to cast a demon out of her daughter. At first Jesus ignored her, but eventually he said: “I came for only lost Israelites.” She said: “Lord, help me.” He said: “I’ll not throw the children’s bread to the dogs.” She said: “True. But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master’s table.” He said: “You have great faith. Have what you want.” And her daughter was healed. my abbreviation , , Notice that Jesus didn’t mention her great humility. , , God knows that faith already includes humility. , , See first cell of earlier section: , , REGARDING JUDGMENT: GOD ALSO CONSIDERS MOTIVES, , , ,
This centurion and this Canaanite woman are the only two people in the Bible who Jesus said had great faith.
Pastor Joseph Prince: having read the above scriptures and having thought the above conclusion, asked God: “Why did Jesus tell only these two that they had great faith?” God replied: “What was unusual about them?” After about fifteen minutes Pastor Joseph Prince said: “I give up. What’s the answer?” God replied: “They were both gentiles.”
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I reckon that the above shows that every generation of Jews taught the next generation: The Creator is holy, and we are sinful. So, in order to have the Creator’s blessings, and not his curses, every sin must be paid for: by the sinner or by the sinner’s community. But the centurion & the Canaanite woman, not being Jews, had not been endlessly taught this. All they’d personally experienced was Jesus. So they had great faith in the God of the Jews. Or rather, great faith in the God of love of the Jews.
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CAN NEW TESTAMENT MIRACLES BE LARGE-SCALE?
Old Testament miracles sometimes involved everyone in the tribe of Israel. Hence they were often large-scale. A collective: victory, defeat, rescuing, blessing, punishment, reward, of the whole of Israel, the whole nation. Can New Testament miracles also be large-scale, e.g. fixing global warming? No. a) Jesus commanding a storm, to instantly stop, Matt c8 v23-27 Mark c4 v35-41 Luke c8 v22-25: was a New Testament miracle and it seems to be a large-scale. But, it was witnessed, as a miracle, by only the disciples: Only they saw him say “Peace, be still” and then saw it instantly stop. , , , There were people, in other boats, Mark c4 v35-41.. , , , But they would’ve been too far away to see Jesus speak. , , , Indeed, they were probably pointing the other way , , , and partly returned, since Mark mentions only one boat , , , ending up on the other side of the lake/sea, Mark c5 v1-2. , , , Those other people would have thought that their distant God did it, , , , would not have realised it was a hands-on miracle. b) God, through Paul, could have stilled the storm off Malta (after all, Paul had raised the dead, Acts c20 v7-12). But, instead, God had everyone swim or float to safety. God saved them, miraculously but inconspicuously. Acts c27.,,,
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Old Testament miracles: were of the whole of Israel, or were at least limited to Israel (or to the people who would become Israel). , , Hence Moses led all of Israel through the parted Red Sea , , whether every inividual wanted to go or not. , , Consider also Korah’s rebellion, Num c16 v1-40, , , and God’s plague immediately afterwards, Num c16 v41-50. ,,,,, Whereas New Testament miracles: are of everyone, and are personal, individual, small scale. , , See third cell (starting This place is merely temporary) , , of earlier section: WHY IS THE UNIVERSE SECOND CLASS?.
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	Another difference between Old Testament miracles and New Testament miracles is that: Old Testament miracles were: good, constructive, or: bad, destructive. Whereas New Testament miracles are always only: good, constructive. ,, ,, Perhaps see earlier section: ,, ,, GOD DOES NOT CHANGE BUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH US CHANGES.,,,,, ,, ,, Perhaps see earlier section: ,, ,, GOOD & BAD, RIGHT & WRONG, , , ,
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	,, ,, To understand the significance ,, ,, of New Testament miracles being only good, being only constructive: ,, ,, , , see earlier webpage: ,, ,, , , Proof of God’s existence ,, ,, , , and, immediately after it: ,, ,, , , God’s origin., , , ,
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GOOD RELIGION & BAD RELIGION
In the KJV Bible, there are only five instances of the word religion. However, based on: Jesus’ words & events, in his life, &: Acts and the epistles, Christians now use the word religion to mean either: good religion or: bad religion. Bad religion is often also called dead religion (or just religion, dead being shown by the context).
Dead religion: Needs enforcing. You earn your own righteousness, and you keep it, (but its cost is endless). Leaves God a mystery. Is people-led. You remain a part of the world.							Good religion: Is irresistibly attractive. You share Jesus’ righteousness (but it must replace your own). Makes God familiar. Is God-led. You become a part of Heaven.
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In Christianity: dead religion is like the world is like Judgment, all three are performance based. But dead religion then: pretends to be Forgiveness, and indeed: replaces Forgiveness. This new ‘Forgiveness’ is performance based, you earn this new ‘Forgiveness’. This makes Christianity’s: Judgment and Forgiveness become: Judgment and ‘Judgment’. ,, ,, ,, ,, Perhaps see earlier webpage: ,, ,, ,, ,, The two ways God sorts us: Judgment & Forgiveness., , , , Hence dead religion becomes: a soporific for the righteous and a cover for the wicked. ,, ,, ,, ,, Perhaps see earlier section: ,, ,, ,, ,, JESUS’ USE OF THE WORDS ‘RIGHTEOUS’ AND ‘WICKED’, , , ,
In Christianity, good religion is: God made everyone holy in his own eyes by way of Jesus’ Punishment in our place. Hence God became: o Able to adopt any of us if you want it. So that you can expect Fatherly good care. o Able to give any of us his Holy Spirit if you want him. So that you have power to do miracles. ,, ,, ,, ,, ‘Do’ is the verb used in the KJV. (Though see Acts c3 v12 & v16.) ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, Perhaps see earlier section: WHY GOD’S WORDS HAVE POWER.,,, ,, ,, ,, ,, Not everyone wants the Holy Spirit. ,, ,, ,, ,, See last cell (starting Mind you, even though) ,, ,, ,, ,, of earlier section: GOD THE SPIRIT. This makes life straightforward: Matt c11 v28-30: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. KJV , , , , A yoke is the collar on a beast of burden (horse, ox) , , , , which is connected to the burden (cart, plough).
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In Christianity: Dead religion makes you think: Earthly at worst, Old Testament at best: Hence you envisage only materially important/vital miracles. (Old Testament style miracles even though these are New Testament times.) ,, ,, ,, ,, N.B. Old Testament miracles were often national ,, ,, ,, ,, rather than individual. , , , , Perhaps see previous section: , , , , CAN NEW TESTAMENT MIRACLES BE LARGE SCALE?. ,,,,, ,, ,, ,, ,, Also they were always materially important/vital. Good religion makes you think: Heavenly, New Testament. Hence, as well as envisaging miracles that are materially important/vital, you also envisage miracles that are not materially important/vital. Just like some of Jesus’ miracles were not materially important/vital. Miraculously walking on water. Matt c14 v22-33 Walk around the lake. Miraculously killing a fruitless fig tree. Matt c21 v17-22 Mark c11 v11-25 Chop it down, or just ignore it. Miraculously catching a huge catch of fish. Luke c5 v1-11,,,,, They didn’t need the fish; they just left them all behind. , , , , I reckon a similar account, in John c21 v1-6, , , , , is forged, so I ignore it. , , , , Perhaps see earlier section: BIBLE VERSES THAT I OMIT. ,,,,, Miraculously feeding 5,000 people merely because it was late in the day. Matt c14 v13-21 Mark c6 v31-44 Luke c9 v10-17 John c6 v5-15 Send them home before it gets any later. , , , , This is different from another congregation, of 4,000 people, , , , , who had already gone three days without eating. , , , , They actually needed food to miraculously appear , , , , to sustain them for the long walk home. , , , , Matt c15 v32 – c16 v10 Mark c8 v1-9 Miraculously foreknowing Nathanael. John c1 v43-51 (Jesus impressed with healing miracles anyway.) Miraculously finding a coin, in a fish’s mouth, to pay a tax. Matt c17 v27 Ask around for it or borrow it. , , , , John c2 v1-11, changing water into wine, , , , , may not have been a medical emergency, , , , , but it was a social emergency. , , , , See: Crisis of Wine and Joy in Cana. ,,,,,
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GOD’S METHODS
Ironically, if Christians today: did the above miracles, the same miracles Jesus did, other ‘Christians’ would accuse them of doing demonic tricks. I reckon that’s because such other ‘Christians’: o May go to church but do not believe everything Jesus said. o Are earthly minded but judging heavenly matters. o And, crucially, because such miracles are not vital.
Here are some examples of current, non-vital, miracles that include some body-changing-for-the-better miracles. , , YouTube: – Supernatural weight Loss? , , and: , , YouTube: – Supernatural weightloss is easy on her knees , , and: , , YouTube: – Jesus gave her a new tooth and more , , and, dare I add: , , YouTube: – Money manifesting out of thin air. , , (God does not forge money, , , so I’m sure someone, a human, gave it, sacrificially , , somewhere along the line.) , , YouTube: – Heidi Baker: Intimacy for Miracles – CBN.com , , See: creating chicken & beads, at: 2m 30s to 5m 45s. , YouTube: – GIRL'S BACK OF THE HEAD GREW 15 mm, jaws and ears realigned!. ,,,,,
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Such ‘Christians’ might also condemn: laughing in the Spirit, being drunk in the Spirit, being slain in the Spirit, shaking in the Spirit, burning in the Spirit, etc. Whereas I reckon that such things are of God. Mind you, like anything that’s of God, demons can produce worldly fakes. Matt c7 v15-23,,,,, Perhaps see later section: TRICKS & MIRACLES.,,,,, Regarding normal, earthly, laughter: It needs knowledge of two (or perhaps more) different, earthly, concepts/situations before a sudden punch-line reveals their incongruous juxtaposition. (Sudden relief is how a comedy punch-line works.) Regarding laughing in the Spirit: You see that you have already moved: Out of the kingdom of the world (this temporary, judging, world with its good side and bad side). Into the eternal kingdom of light. What it lacks in suddenness it gains in greatness of relief. , , , , In 1907 Smith Wigglesworth once inadvertently caused , , , , eleven of his congregation to fall to the floor, , , , , helplessly laughing. , , , , Perhaps see near end of: , , , , WIGGLESWORTH BAPTISED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT, , , , , or ch5 (p49) of Smith Wigglesworth: Apostle of Faith, , , , , by Stanley H Frodsham. , , , , Perhaps also see: , , , , YouTube: – The FIRE of the HOLY SPIRIT comes down: Peterborough UK revival meetings..,,,,, , , , , A short, 13m, video of the miraculous. , , , , , I suspect that all the burning , , , , , was build up, or somesuch, , , , , , to the ‘demon wrapped around the head’ deliverance, at 8m 38s. , , , , , At 10m 56s, ‘That your joy might be full” lesson , , , , , makes sense to me. , , , , , John c14 v1-11 John c16 v23-24 1 John c1 v1-4,,,,,
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Jesus, and any Christian who miraculously heals, have the Holy Spirit in common: In both cases: It’s God’s Spirit who actually does the healing. Acts c3 v12 & v16,,, ,, ,, ,, ,, Even though the KJV phrases it as if we do it. It’s God’s Spirit who gives guidance (words of prophesy, knowledge, & wisdom).
Now, Christians vary in their methods of ministry. Perhaps see eighth cell (starting Mark Hemans, Australian) of earlier section ABOUT BIBLICAL TEACHER-HEALERS GENERALLY. Mark blows the Holy Spirit onto the microphone as well as onto the person. John c20 v22,,,,, He also does the ‘laying on of the foot’ as well as the conventional laying on of hands. Deut c34 v9 Acts c8 v17-19 Acts c9 v17 Acts c19 v6,,,,, Mark also believes, and so experiences, God’s Spirit, in him, and around him: casting out demons & healing body & soul, often accompanied, within the person, by a feeling of burning. Matt c3 v11 Luke c3 v16,,,,,
For Jesus, and for any Christian, the Holy Spirit’s guidance also varies for each patient: Telling to heal one person one way and to heal another person another way, even when it’s the same illness. That may seem random. But actually it varies according to the healer, the patient, the circumstances, and the sickness: Does the patient believe the gospel? Do they also believe that God will heal them now? If they have belief, do they also have unbelief, doubts, in their mind (i.e. does this sickness scare them, more than other sicknesses)? Are there people, close to them, who may nevertheless cause them to doubt? Are those people, in thought, or physically, present? If they’re not present, might they discourage them later and so (inadvertently) cause them to lose their healing? Even if they believe, are they also doing some sin/wrong? Has that sin/wrong invited a demon in, to mess things up? Etc.
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Most Christians assume that Jesus’ methods, or rather the Holy Spirit’s methods, enacted through Jesus: Were, and are, perfect. Are what we should all be aiming for. That means, perhaps, that laughing in the Spirit, being drunk in the Spirit, being slain in the Spirit, shaking in the Spirit, burning in the Spirit, etc, are all part of an inferior phase that we are now in. For Jesus did none of these things. Also, we speak in tongues, but Jesus did not. Also, Paul wrote that tongues, prophesies, & knowledge, will all cease. 1 Cor c13 Note v8. , , Makes sense when you think about it. All this means that we are in an inferior, passing, phase.
Indeed, Jesus said that we would do greater miracles than he did: John c14 v12-14: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. , , , [i.e. I die – so that he can send you the Holy Spirit, permanently.] And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. KJV , , , Perhaps see later section: CONTINUING THE SON’S WORK , , , and , , , earlier section: GODLY SELF-CONFIDENCE., , . That this isn’t happening yet supports the idea that the manifestations in the previous cell are temporary: are evidence that we’re in a passing phase, an inferior, passing, phase.
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Some Christians heal people a whole crowd at a time, a method that Jesus never used. Jesus’ method, the one-at-a-time method, is best because there’s the opportunity for, perhaps vital, discourse; discourse in the form of: words of knowledge, words of wisdom, and prophesy. Mark c9 v21-24 Luke c7 v6-10 Mark c7 v24-30 ,,,,, , , For the difference between prophesy and words of knowledge , , see: YouTube: – Prophetic Word vs. Word of Knowledge // Katia Adams // Vineyard Insights. ,,,,,
Smith Wigglesworth was the first to miraculously heal a whole crowd at a time. Others have since followed suit. See 3m 51s onwards of one Kathryn Krick’s services: YouTube: – Revival is Now London Miracle Moments – Day 1. ,,, Compare the above with one of Mark Hemans’ services. YouTube: – MARK HEMANS – Jesus Encounter Ministries @MarkHemans. ,,, I've never seen Mark heal more than one person at a time but that ministry is often very insightful (the insight is the Holy Spirit in action, but it fits with Mark’s personality). Perhaps that’s due to his pastoral background and his reflective & intelligent empathy. He’s been through stuff. See 30s to 1m50s of: YouTube: – WHO ARE YOU REALLY ON THE INSIDE? The REAL YOU in Christ is more important than appearances. ,,, and Mark’s powerful testimony: YouTube: – MY STORY: 9 YEARS BATTLE & VICTORY over STAGE 4 MELANOMA. How faith and repentance brought healing. ,,, I reckon God works differently through different people because we each vary from each other (indeed, you may also vary over time). Hence, given free rein, God will get the maximum out of whoever. Getting back to Smith, he only healed en-masse because he was forced to, by the Swiss police: The police were going to arrest him for “practicing medicine without a license” if he continued to heal people individually. Presumably they saw it as healing: if he laid his hands on people or gave them individual attention. But not as healing: if he healed them a whole crowd at a time without touching them, which is what, in Switzerland, he then continued to do. , , Perhaps see: YouTube: – Insider view of Smith Wigglesworth, 2m 15s, , , or ch6 (p68 onwards) of Smith Wigglesworth: Apostle of Faith, , , by Stanley H Frodsham, (also ch9 p113 onwards).
I doubt the legality of such a charge in that there is no such license. There is no college, there is no exam, for doing miracles. For medicine, yes. For doing miracles, no. ‘Do’ is the verb used in the KJV. (Though see Acts c3 v12 & v16.),,
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