What is the Greatest Command?

Even people who claim to walk under the new covenant & its grace still point to old covenant commands as the most important things in life.

The Greatest Old Covenant Commands (Luke 10:27):
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, & all your mind.
Love your neighbor as yourself.

The Only Universal New Covenant Command (1 John 3:23, John 13:34-35, 14:1):
Trust in God. Trust in Jesus. Love one another as God has loved us.

The old covenant is by the letter of the law. The new covenant is by the spirit.
The old covenant is external. The new covenant is internal leading to external.
Under the old covenant everything must be up to you. Under the new covenant everything is freely done WITH God.

Old covenant:  Love.
New covenant:  Be loved & love together.

This is where all religions fall short, including Judaism & atheism. They all tell you to love but none of them let you be loved first. They all leave you unloved & alone. But Jesus' message was, "You have a Father who loves you & wants to know you."


Related Posts

Trust and Love, Everything We Need

Love God?If you love Me, you will keep My commandments † I Will Love You So You Will Trust Me

God Predicted His People Rejecting the Fullness of His Grace

The Lord declares, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts."

We've probably heard this many many times. I'm angry that graceless religion never once told me why God said this, instead they used it to spin their own web.

Here it is all together:
Our God will love deeply those who turn to Him. Our God will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts."

What's that? God's "HIGHER ways" pertain to Him loving us deeply & ABUNDANTLY pardoning us! And you know what.. God is 100% right because Christians will fight & fight the truth refusing to believe that God loves them without condition & that He abundantly pardons them. They say "we must confess our sins over & over to be forgiven (pardoned) over & over." That is the very reason God said this! He said it because people would refuse to think that He loves them deeply & pardons them abundantly!

God already had an answer in scripture for such people. "My ways are higher than your ways, I love deeply regardless of how well you love others or Me for that matter. My ways are higher than your ways, I pardon abundantly regardless of how well you forgive others. I know you don't think this is true but that is because my thoughts are higher than your thoughts, my opinion of you is much higher than your opinion of yourself."


Related Posts
Why Christians Don't Need to Confess Sins

If you're going to preach against sin you should also preach against the law.

Sin kills (Romans 7:11)
The letter of the law kills (2 Corinthians 3:6).

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
The ministry of laws engraved in letters on stone brought death (2 Corinthians 3:7).

Sin gives birth to death (James 1:15).
The law arouses sinful passions & bears fruit for death (Romans 7:5).

You have died to sin (Romans 6:2).
You died to the law (Galatians 2:19). You have died to the law through the body of Christ (Romans 7:4).

Because Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross we have died to sins & live for righteousness (1 Peter 2:24).
We have been released from the Law, having died to the law which bound us in chains (Romans 7:6).

Consider yourself just as dead to sin as Jesus is (Romans 6:10-11).
If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. If you are led by the law you are not being led by the Spirit (Galatians 5:18).
When you are not under law sin stops being your master because you are instead under grace (Romans 6:14).

Jesus made us alive together with Him while we were dead in our sins and transgressions. He has taken away from us all of our sins and transgressions. He canceled out the certificate of debt which consisted of laws that were against us & hostile to us. He has taken the law out of the way, having nailed it to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14).

The law was not made for the righteous, know that everyone who has trusted Jesus is righteous. The Law is only good if one uses it lawfully, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God. Do not use the law for anything other than revealing the glorious gospel of the blessed God to the unrighteous so that they may trust Jesus (1 Timothy 1:8-11).

Should we look at King David as an example of how to live the Christian life?

King David wasn't a Christian. He wasn't born again by the spirit & blood of Jesus. David was a man of faith who trusted God & yes he will be in heaven. But David didn't have a new born spirit, he didn't have the Holy Spirit living inside of Him, he didn't have the wonderful promises and realities of the new covenant of Christ. We shouldn't take his shame laden, old covenant psalms and aspire to live like he did or view everything as he did. Christ made a HUGE difference when He died for us.

David's shame & brokenness over his sins, his confession of sins, his fears of God leaving him, his prayers against his enemies.. none of these things should be things we look to when we look for ways to live the Christian life.


See my Psalms in the Light of The Messiah series for more.

Christian, Your Heart is Not Deceitfully Wicked

Old Covenant
The heart is deceitfully wicked (Jeremiah 17:9)

New Covenant
God shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the person of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who cries “Abba! Father!” (Philippians 4:6)
God is pouring out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5)
God writes His instructions on our hearts. (Hebrews 10:16)
God cleanses all people's hearts by trust. (Acts 15:9)
We have had our hearts sprinkled clean from a wicked conscience. (Hebrews 10:22)

To Fear or Not to Fear?

In Luke 12:5-7 Jesus said, “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the one who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows."

Most assume that the one who "kills" & "has authority to cast into hell" is God, so much so that some translations capitalize "the One" making it seem as though it is God. But notice Jesus goes from telling people to fear to telling them how valuable they are to God, that He never forgets them. Jesus said God knows how many hairs are on our heads. He didn't say it to make a point about God being omniscient. He said it to make a point about how much God values us, which I think pictures God enjoying to number our hairs like a warm hearted father.

Jesus then goes on to tell the people "do not fear." Well which one is it Jesus? Fear God because he'll kill you & send you to hell or Don't fear God because He values you, you are always on His mind, & He delights in knowing every detail about you? It is the second one because the first one isn't referring to God at all. Hebrews 2:14 says, "The devil has the power of death." In John 10:10 Jesus says that Satan comes only to steal, kill, & destroy.

Why would Jesus tell people to fear Satan? Because Satan's power of death had not yet been broken by Jesus' resurrection. Lets look at Hebrews 2:12-15 again, "Since God's children live in flesh & blood Jesus Himself became flesh & blood, that through death He might render powerless the one who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives."

God is the Savior who offers life. Jesus didn't tell us to fear God, He said "Don't be afraid, God values you tremendously." Jesus' coming was prophesied as a time to not fear. "Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt”' (John 12:14-15). In Luke 8:50 Jesus said people are saved, healed, & made whole by trusting without fear. Why shouldn't we be afraid? Because our perfectly loving God values us enough to count every hair on our head.

What about the Old Testament telling people to "Fear God?"
During the temptation of Jesus, Jesus said, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’” (Mathew 4:10). Notice the word, “Worship.” Jesus said worship the Lord your God, but the verse He quoted in Deuteronomy says, “Fear the Lord your God, serve him only" (Deuteronomy 6:13). So Jesus changed out the word, “Fear” with, “Worship.” It must be that these two words are synonymous in the mind of Christ, and who else to interpret the fear of the Lord than Jesus himself! Jesus himself defined “the fear of the Lord” as “to worship the Lord.” Jesus was talking to Satan. If there was one being for Jesus to be talking to and say "fear the Lord!" or "be terrified of the Lord!" it would be Satan yet Jesus still gave us the true meaning. The fear of the Lord is not frightfulness & terror. The fear of the Lord truly is worship which means "reverence, honor, & respect."

This suggests that perhaps "fear God" never meant "be terrified of Him" but instead always meant regard, respect, & revere Him. Even if it did once refer to a terror type of fear our King has come being announced beforehand as someone to "fear not." And His Spirit has come to pour out His love into our hearts, a Spirit that is not of fear, but of power and of love and of a mind that can be confident in its abilities to understand.

"There is no fear in love. Love gets rid of fear. Fear involves punishment. Love does not punish. God is love. If you are afraid of God or afraid of punishment you have refused to be completely carried by His love. This is the key to letting His love carry us, knowing that we love because He first loved us. If you get that backwards, thinking that He loves or gives because we first love Him, your experience of His love will always be inadequate because you will be too busy trying to love Him to let Him love you." (1 John 4:18-19)

Seeing Mixed Covenant Teaching

Perhaps the reasons why churches teach mixed covenant, law & grace is because Jesus taught law & grace at the end of the old covenant. While we can benefit from them we must understand that Jesus' teachings were for a very specific 3 year period in history. Jesus was preparing Jews who were under the law for grace. The key words are "preparing" & "under the law." Grace has been here as long as we've been alive & we've never been under the law.

I dare say most churches teach Jesus like atheists would teach Jesus, as a wise historical teacher. The only difference is that Christians have "made Jesus lord" (something scripture never says to do) so they must obey Him & they think obeying Him means keeping commands He gave that scripture records. But those commands were to a very specific group of people (Jews under the law), at an even more specific time (3 year period before the resurrection), with a specific reason (to get people past sin, past the enemy, & past bad leadership to the resurrection so that they might be saved).

To teach law & grace mixed together today creates a non-reality where people work hard to receive gifts from God. That is not how gifts work! The most grace most mixed law & grace teachings give is "you get a free ticket to heaven." The truth is that people under this mixed teaching see grace as a bonus for work or an incentive to work. You get saved so you can serve God/the church.

Here's a list of things you will never see in scripture that churches teach you about salvation:
You give your life to God
You make Him Lord
You surrender to Him
You make a commitment to Him
You ask God to use you

I won't go into specific reasons why those aren't true but I will ask, "How many of those are grace?" All of them are about what you do for God. NONE, I say NONE of them are about what God did for you. Grace & the gospel are about what God did for you. All of those are works based salvation. They say YOU do the giving so God will rule over you so you can work for Him some more. 'nuff said!

Comparing The Law to Jesus

• The law makes people guilty to where they owe God.
  Jesus paid everyone's debt & offers to remove everyone's guilt.
  
• The law does not justify even with complete obedience.
  Jesus justifies regardless of our deeds.
• The Law brings the knowledge of sin.
  Jesus takes away the consciousness of sin.
• The Law brings wrath.
  Jesus brings peace.
• The law charges people with sin.
  Jesus does not charge people with sin.
• The law increases transgressions.
  Jesus turns people from their wicked ways.
• The law makes sin your master.
  Jesus is your master through the loving-favor of His grace.
• The law arouses our bodies to bear fruit for death.
  Jesus bears good fruit for God & others through us.
• The law binds.
  Jesus frees.
• The law brings sin to life & sin kills us.
  Jesus kills sin & brings us to life.
• The law is too great a burden for any person to bear including the apostles, prophets, & Moses.
  Jesus' burden is so light you'll hardly notice it because His "burden" is His arm around you.
• The law could not condemn or weaken sin in our flesh.
  God condemned sin in His flesh for us all removing its power over us.
• The law empowers sin.
  Jesus condemned sin & broke its power over us.
• The law cannot give you the Spirit of God.
  Jesus sends His Spirit into our hearts.
• The law cannot produce miracles even if we obey it as hard as we can.
  Jesus is able to perform miracles when we trust Him.
• The law curses you for not obeying every bit of it.
  Jesus became a curse for you so that you would never be cursed.
• The law is not based on God's promises to us.
  Jesus has given us His very great and precious promises which allow us to participate in His divine nature.
• The law was temporary.
  Jesus & His love for us is eternal.
• The law cannot give life even if you keep all of it all of the time.
  Jesus gives eternal life freely to those who come to Him.
• Law keeping blinds you to Christ & His grace toward you.
  Jesus illuminates your righteousness through Him & His loving-favor toward you.
• Adherence to the law prevents you from being led by the Spirit.
  Jesus is the life giving Spirit who leads you.
• Keeping the law is a reason to boast in the flesh.
  Knowing Jesus is a reason to boast in the Spirit of our Lord.
• The law separated Jew & Gentile.
  Jesus abolished the law to make Jews & Gentiles into one new man.
• The law charges us with guilt for our actions.
  Jesus sets us free from the guilt our actions may cause us to have.
• The law only has power through the obedience of physical requirements.
  Jesus has the power of indestructible life.
• The Law made nothing perfect.
  Jesus makes God perfectly satisfied & God's children perfect in Spirit.
• The law appointed weak & mortal humans as high priests.
  The perfect Son of God Jesus is appointed as high priest forever.
• The law's sacrifices & offerings were not desired by God, He took no pleasure in them.
  Jesus' sacrifice was God's desire before the world was made, it pleased God & pleases us too.
• The law makes someone who keeps all but one law as guilty as someone who keeps only one law.
  Jesus removes our guilt & never charges us with guilt.
• The law is based on human works.
  We know Jesus by trusting Him.
• The law was a shadow of good things yet to come, not the things themselves
  Jesus is the reality of good things right now.
• The law cannot free us.
  Jesus frees us from all things.

Is the law sin?

"Whatever is not from trust is sin" (Romans 14:23). "The law is not from trust" (Galatians 3:12). "Is the law sin? Certainly not!" (Romans 7:7)

Most take Romans 14:23 to mean, "Whatever is not from trust is counted as a sin" but it actually is saying "whatever is not FROM trust is FROM sin." A person cannot operate by trust & by law at the same time. Galatians 3:12 is saying, "Obedience to the law does not come from trust in Christ because Christ has freed you from the law & He will not put you under it." The law itself is not sin & the law does not come from sin but from God. However obedience to the law is not based on trust thus sin is who convinces a person to keep the law.

From sin's point of view "Rules are made to be broken." From God's point of view "Rules were made to show you that you are broken." Trust in Christ fixes you permanently. Sin seeks to make you feel broken by convincing you to put yourself under the law. Under the law sin uses the law to produce evil desires in your flesh.

The law came from God. You cannot adhere to the law & trust in Christ because He has ended the law & you have been released from it. If you feel as though you must keep the law it is not Christ giving you that feeling but sin itself seeking to deceive you & produce evil desires in your flesh that will hurt you.

All Blessings Are A Done Deal in Christ

"By his divine power, God has already given us everything we need for life and godliness, through our knowledge of Him." (2 Peter 1:3-4)
"God has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ." (Ephesians 1:3)

God has already given me every blessing. All I need to do is learn about what He has already given and use it. I don't have to beg & scratch to get. I already have everything because God has already given it all. It is much easier to use something you already have than it is to try to get something you don't have. God is so good to us that He made it easier than the vast majority of us have ever imagined.

Obviously I miss out on a lot if I refuse to follow God's direction but that is not what I'm talking about here. Most have been taught that God's blessings are dependent on our behavior/performance. But like salvation they are not. For those who have trusted Jesus salvation is a done deal, removal of sin is a done deal, healing is a done deal, ALL needs & ALL blessings are a done deal.

"Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all,
how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?"
(Romans 8:32)

Jesus and The New Covenant Exposed in Zephaniah 3

Zephaniah 3 presents an amazing picture of Christ's first coming and what it is like for Christians because of it.

Excerpts from Zephaniah 3
“Therefore wait for Me,” declares the Lord, “For the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour on all My anger, All My burning wrath; For all the earth will be devoured By the fire of My zeal. For then I will give to the peoples purified lips, That all of them may call on the name of the Lord, To serve Him shoulder to shoulder. In that day you will feel no shame because of all your deeds by which you have rebelled against Me.

I will leave among you a humble and lowly people, and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel will do no wrong and tell no lies, Nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths; For they will feed and lie down and no one will make them tremble.

Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away His judgments against you. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You will fear disaster no more.

In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not be afraid, O Zion; Do not let your hands fall limp. The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with dancing & shouts of joy."

I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will turn their shame into praise and renown in all the earth."

Zephaniah 3 Through the Jesus Lens
Notice God says that "I will rise up as a witness" that is talking about Jesus, God in the flesh. Revelation 1:5 & 3:14 call "Jesus Christ the trustworthy and true witness." Jesus said in John 18:37 that "He was born and came into the world to bear witness to the truth."

"I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will turn their shame into praise and renown in all the earth." We know that Jesus healed the lame & associated with outcasts. The crippled, the lepers, and the other outcasts lived in shame day to day because of their sin & physical problems. Jesus sent so many people away praising God when he healed them or forgave them. Because of scripture these people are still renown all over the world to this day. Interestingly the word "save" in the New Testament can also mean "heal" or "make whole."

God gathered the sins of "all nations and kingdoms" into the body of Christ and "poured out all His anger and wrath." The "sins of the world" were taken away (John 1:29), devoured by the fire of His passion against sin.

After that (the cross & resurrection) God gives everyone the ability to "call on the name of the Lord" without any barriers. He makes men righteous with His own righteousness so they now have "purified lips." We can "serve Him shoulder to shoulder!" That speaks not only of the indwelling Spirit of God but also the friendship between us and Christ. It also speaks of the equality of peoples in Christ's kingdom, no one is above another.

"In that day you will feel no shame(!) because of all your deeds by which you have rebelled against Me." This refers to our experience of trusting that Christ took away our sins and holds nothing against us. There is no need to feel guilt or shame. Thank you God!

"I will leave among you a humble and lowly people," This is how Christ walked on the earth while "taking refuge in the name (character, person) of the Lord."

"The remnant of Israel (Christians) will do no wrong and tell no lies, Nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths" This speaks of the sinless spirits born into children of God. Our true identity in Christ is our sinless spirits who do no wrong. 1 John 5:17-19 says, "All wrongdoing is sin. We know that anyone born of God does not sin (does no wrong). We know that we are children of God." Only our spirits are "born of God." We didn't physically crawl into another womb so this all refers to our "new creation," the spirits God has gifted us with.

"For they will feed and lie down and no one will make them tremble." This speak of Jesus becoming our Good/Great Shepherd, the guardian of our souls (mind, earthly life). This also reminds me of the boldness of those in Acts. They had no fear in spreading the Good News of what God has done for us through Jesus.

"The Lord has taken away His judgments (ordinances) against you." Colossians 2:14 tells us that Jesus, "Wiped out the written ordinances (God's Old Covenant laws) that were against us and that stood opposed to us. He took them away and nailed them to the cross." Ephesians 2:15 also tells us that "Jesus abolished in His flesh by His death on the cross the Law of commandments contained in ordinances." Not only was the requirement to keep the law taken away but Jesus also took God's punishments (judgments against us) for our sins.

"The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst." This speaks of Jesus coming to earth to live among people. The word "midst" here can not only mean "among" but also "in," "within," "in the inward/inner part," and even "in your body." So this also speaks of the miraculous indwelling of God in His people because of Jesus.

"You will fear disaster no more." 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment." We who have the Spirit of God living in us do not need to fear disaster or punishment from God. Romans 5:9 says, "Since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s judgment."
But the "disaster" spoken of here may mean "evil." We no longer have to fear evil. 1 John 5:18 says, "Jesus keeps His people, and the evil one does not touch them." 1 John 5:4 says, "Whoever is born of God overcomes the world through trust." 2 Thessalonians 3:3 says, "The Lord is trustworthy & loyal. He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one." 1 John 2:13-14 assures us that evil can be overcome.

"The Lord your God is a victorious warrior." Notice it says, "victorious warrior." Christ achieved that victory over sin and death on the cross!

"Shout for joy.. Shout in triumph.. Rejoice and exult with all your heart.." There are so many reasons just listed above for us to do this! What a foretelling of the grace and favor of God, but that is not all..

Behold God's View of You because of Jesus:
The Lord your God is with you. He takes great delight in you. He will comfort you with His love. In His love He will no longer mark you as immoral. He rejoices over you with singing and shouts of joy! He is so glad about knowing you that He twirls around dancing!

Recap

Things Taken Away Because of Jesus:
The sins of the world
God holding sins against mankind
God's anger towards mankind
God punishing us
Shame & Guilt from past sin and rebellion against God
Shame & Guilt in General
God's Old Covenant Laws
Fear of punishment from God
Fear of evil
Fear in General
Physical problems
Loneliness

Things Given Because of Jesus:
Jesus Himself
Freedom for all people to call upon the Lord with no barriers
We are born of God, children of God, with a new righteous, sinless spirit (our "new man" or "new creation")
God lives inside us & is always with us
We work with God "shoulder to shoulder" in a cooperative walk of loving others.
We work with others "shoulder to shoulder" in a cooperative walk of loving others.
Equality of all God's followers
The spiritual traits of humility & honesty
Protection and security because of God's character
Jesus as our Great Shepherd who feeds us, gives us rest, guards us from fear, & guards our minds and lives
Boldness concerning our God
Reasons to thank God and rejoice
Victory over sin, the world, the evil one, and death
Comfort
Healing
God's grace, His favor. He loves us so much He sings, shouts, and spins with delight over us!

---

Get the T-Shirt?
I don't intend to shill but I came across some of this scripture last year. I made and gave my wife's cousin this shirt for Christmas. So since I already made and its related I'll offer it here. You can get this women's shirt for around $21. Click on the image below to buy.

The Discipline of the Lord, Our Loving Father Helping Us Grow

"My son, do not lightly regard the discipline of the Lord, nor be irritated or grieved when refuted by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves like a father disciplines a son he is pleased with.” (Proverbs 3:11-12/Hebrews 12:5-6)

Refute (sometimes translated as rebuke) here means to correct, to lead you out of false beliefs. It hurts our ego to be corrected or to find out that we are wrong but God wants us to live in the truth. Discipline here means "the whole training and education of a child." The loving Father raises us as His own beloved children. He nurtures us. He helps us grow.

It is for discipline (God spurring you to growth) that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline (help grow, teach, train, nurture)? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline does not seem to be joyful but sorrowful or irritating, but afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:7-11).

We are already holy because of our birth in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:17). Jesus Himself is our holiness (1 Corinthians 1:30). To "share His holiness" means to share in the experience of His holiness. To reap the benefit of good, pure living as God intends. God may be very harsh with us at times to help us grow but it is never out of anger. God swore to never be angry with us again because of the blood of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 54:9). He disciplines us for our good. He has our best interests in mind.

We are already righteous (Romans 3:22). We are a good tree (Matthew 7:18). God wants righteous and peaceful fruit (love) to come out of us. God walks along side of us in love showing us affection, helping us grow, teaching us, & training us. Him doing this results in us trusting Him more and securely resting in Him (abiding). When we abide in Him we yield much fruit (John 15:5). That fruit is love (Galatians 5:22-23). Our abiding is the result of Him showing His loving kindness (grace) towards us and proving Himself to be trustworthy. His training results in our trusting which He uses to produce our loving. He loves us and His love (raising us as His child) causes us to love.

Jesus said in Revelation 3:19, "I refute and discipline those I love therefore be earnest and change your mind."
Here refute still means to correct, to lead you out of false beliefs. Discipline is a slightly different word that means "to teach and cause to learn." So Jesus was saying, "I lead those I love out of false beliefs and cause them to learn the truth. Let my love motivate you to eager sincerity to change your mind." In other words, Knowing that Jesus' love causes us to learn the beneficial truth. There is no reason for us not to be eager to allow Him to renew our mind.

See Also This Excellent Teaching on The Discipline of the Lord

A Wonderfully Loving Promise Fulfilled in the New Covenant

"I, the Lord, have sworn that I will never be angry with you and I will never rebuke you. For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My loving kindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken," says the Lord who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:9-10)

Here are two scriptures that confirm that this is indeed a new covenant promise. They show us that God's "covenant of peace" mentioned in Isaiah 54 is the new covenant of the blood of Christ's cross which makes peace between us and God.

"This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28).

"Christ made peace with us through the blood of His cross" (Colossians 1:20).

The meaning of angry in Isiah 54:9
God will never be angry with you also means:  He will not be displeased with you. He will not be offended with you. He will not be upset with you. He will not be exasperated with you. He will not have wrath for you. He will not resent you.

The meaning of rebuke in Isiah 54:9
God will never rebuke you means:  He will not repel you from Himself. He will not beat you back. He will not shame, reject, disgrace, blame, disapprove of or condemn you. He will not reject you as worthless. He will prove you to be worthy. He will not break you. He will not mark you as immoral. He will not ruin you. He will not see you as unclean.
It does not have the same meaning as the word rebuke in Proverbs 3:11-12 or in Hebrews 12:5, "Do not lose heart when the Lord rebukes you." There it means "to correct, to lead you out of false beliefs."

Jesus Accomplished All Things Necessary to Fulfill the Law

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-20,
"Do not think that I have come to do away with, undo, or abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to do away with, undo, or abolish but to complete and fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until all things are accomplished.
Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."

Jesus saying He didn't come to do away with the law but to fulfill it is like Him saying, "I didn't come to do away with the debt. I came to pay the debt." Paying the debt is like doing away with it but better because it is more than mercy, it is forgiveness and graciousness. We were in debt to pay the whole law with perfect obedience to it. Jesus did it on our behalf. He paid the debt of obedience. Jesus wasn't saying, "Forget about that old law thing I'm going to junk it." He was saying, "I'm going to do this for you because I love you and I know you can't do it."

If Jesus was speaking about these things after His resurrection He would say something like this.
"When I came I didn't throw out the law and the prophets. I have fulfilled the requirements of the law for all mankind. I have also fulfilled the prophesies about the Messiah. What I did was so important that even if heaven and earth disappeared every bit of the law would have remained unfulfilled but I accomplished all things necessary to fulfill it. Now I make everyone great in my kingdom. Even those who were the best law keepers did not have enough righteousness to enter my kingdom. You will need my righteousness to enter my kingdom. Just start trusting me and I will give it to you."

Which is better to live by the law or the Spirit of God?

The law cannot give life. God said if the law could give life He would have given a law that did. Jesus Christ is life. 1 Corinthians 15:45 says that Jesus is now a life giving Spirit. The New Covenant we are under is based on the Spirit that gives life not the law which kills. It is based on better promises than the Old Covenant which said "If you do then God will.." & "If you don't then God won't." The New Covenant says "God has finished everything. Trust Him to experience His loving life in you now and forevermore."

Did God Desire for All of His Laws to Be Obeyed?

In the Old Covenant God commanded sacrifices & offerings but in Psalm 40 and Hebrews 10 God said that He does not desire such offerings and sacrifices that He commanded.

In John 8 a woman was about to be put to death for adultery as the law said to do in Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22-24. Jesus did not condemn the woman.

If God did not desire the sacrifices He commanded in the law perhaps He did not desire other commands He gave in the law. Jesus is the exact representation of God so we are to look to him for the character of God. In John 8 Jesus did not desire to kill the woman even though the law said that is what should be done.

Often we try to justify the Old Covenant laws with logic but perhaps these laws were to speak to the people's hearts about the need for forgiveness. Jesus said the second greatest law was to "love your neighbor as yourself." If you were caught in sin that was punishable by death you would want to be forgiven. You would not want to have stones picked up by others to kill you. If you love your neighbor as yourself you wouldn't pick up stones to kill Him. You would instead say, "Lord have mercy on us all!" Ultimately in Jesus God did show us all mercy and He freed those who trust Him from the law and its penalties.

For those who think that the story from John 8 should not be in the scriptures based on it not being found in the earliest manuscripts consider that in John 4:18 Jesus knew the woman at the well's heart and revealed that she was an adulterer. He did not take the woman at the well and stone her! Jesus fulfilled the whole law yet He did not come into the world to condemn the world.


Related Posts
The Purposes of The Law & Its Punishments
What if The Story of 'The Woman Caught in Adultery' Never Happened? Examining John 7:53-8:11
The Devil Has the Power of Death

Notes on Jesus' Teaching on the Mount: Why Jesus Taught the Law, The Two Builders

Intro from 3/8/12
I was going through The Merged Gospels, an excellent harmonized translation of the 4 gospels that puts it in one narrative (I liked it so much I bought the eBook and the audio), and these notes are me figuring out and being taught by the Spirit that Jesus taught the law before the cross to show people their need for a savior. God revealed this to me through a pure reading of the scriptures with revelation from the Spirit because I had heard no one teach this truth before this. My thoughts here are specifically of those from Jesus' lengthy teaching on the mount. Along with my notes I recommend reading Matthew 5-7 & Luke 6:20-49 or buying The Merged Gospels and going through Stories 54-79.

Intro from 4/21/11
It is very difficult to determine the context Jesus is speaking in here. He is teaching His disciples in front of a crowd before He brings grace through the cross. Jesus knows that 11 of His disciples will remain in Him. It seems to me that in parts of this Jesus is clarifying the old covenant laws. He gives many works to attain righteousness ideas including forgiveness being contingent on forgiving others. Many of these things only make sense before the cross which is from when He speaks. We too often run to applying everything scripture says to ourselves. At least we can take comfort in the fact that Jesus' 12 disciples usually didn't understand what He was saying either. Still there is a lot more mystery than our prideful academic minds wish to admit about scripture. We try to say, "Well this is what He really meant.." to fit our preconceived view of things. So there are some wonderful things I see here and plenty of wonderful things I have yet to see.

Notes on Jesus' Teaching on the Mount
Why Jesus Taught the Law
Jesus starts this off with talking about the law and how He has come to fulfill it. I think Jesus is saying that He is so important that even if heaven and earth were no more the law would still be in effect. He is the only way for the law to be fulfilled and the only one who can accomplish all things.

To me Jesus is more showing us how hard it is to keep the law than He is giving us new commands to live by. Jesus basically points out "You think you can keep the law? Well it is much more than the externals. It is much harder than you think. These commands go to the heart. If you can't keep them you are in danger." He repeatedly points out that we are in danger if we can't keep the commands. He shows us God's even higher standard of love and compassion. He raises the bar higher to make it even more clear that we cannot keep His commands and to show us our need for Him.

Pluck out your eye, cut off your hand, allow an enemy to strike you. Under grace our actions do not put us under danger of fire. So Jesus is talking to people under the law before His sacrifice. He is showing that it is even more impossible to keep the law than had ever been thought. The scribes and Pharisees are externally perfect but Jesus' standard is internal also. So how can anyone be saved? With man it is impossible but with God all things are possible!

Jesus said that no one comes to the Father but through Him. This means there is no other way. It means that you cannot know the Father by keeping the law.

We usually look at commands as what to do but God is also showing us what we cannot do. We need His mercy, favor, forgiveness & strength.

I see this scripture as Jesus setting up people's need for His grace more than anything else. Jesus turned the cheek to the point of death on the cross. Yes it can be good to do what Jesus talks about here but we can never do it without Him living it first as He did. He fulfilled the law and now He fills us full with Himself which is the only way for us to keep the commands He desires us to keep. He writes His law on our hearts because He Himself is there in our hearts to do so.

The Two Builders
Jesus finishes His discourse saying, “Therefore, every one who comes to Me, who hears My words and does them, I will show you what he is like. He is like a wise man who built his house, who digs deeply and places a foundation on the rock. And the rain descended, and a flood came to beat the rivers violently. They came, and the winds blew, and they beat on that house, and it was not strong enough to shake it, and it did not fall, for it had been founded well on the rock. And every one who hears these words of Mine, and does not do them, will be compared to a foolish man who builds his house on the sand - earth without a foundation. And the rain descended, and the rivers burst through, and the winds blew, and they beat on that house, and immediately it fell, and its fall and the ruin of that house was great.”

Anyone who 1. comes to me 2. hears my words 3. does them.
Jesus wraps all of this up very well. Hearing His words and doing them are useless without first coming to Him. Jesus is the rock not the hearing and the doing. Hearing and doing is the "digging into the rock."

Notice Jesus says "Whoever hears my words and does not do them."
The wise builder came to Christ, heard His words, and did what Jesus said. The unwise builder heard the words of Christ and didn't do them. The unwise builder never came to Christ! The hearing is present in both builders. Not only is the doing missing but, more importantly, the coming to Christ is missing. Even after we know Christ we must still come to Him before doing what He said. We must trust Him for the who, when, where, and how of doing what He asks us. The Bridegroom should not be thrown away in favor of the book. The Spirit should not be thrown away in favor of the scriptures. They work together. The living Word works with the written words. The Spirit works with the scriptures all for our benefit and purification.