LOST IN THE CHURCH [GETTING LOST IN CHURCH] Part Four Keeping the Law No one will enter Heaven by keeping the Law. For no one can keep all the Law without stumbling even in one point. And whenever you break one law, you have broken all of it. Essentially, the Law was not given to the world to save people. It was given to reveal the sin that exists in the hearts of human beings and then show them that humanity needs a Savior—Jesus Christ! So, it is strange that Jesus has come, yet people have refused to go to Him and instead have gone back to the Law. If the Law could save, then what was the purpose of Jesus dying on the cross? It would have been enough simply to send the Law into the world, and it would have accomplished everything. My brothers and sisters, sin is not merely an action; sin is a condition of the heart. For example, when someone steals, people immediately judge the action. But they may fail to understand that the action has only revealed the sin that already existed within that person's heart. Therefore, before God, that person is a thief even before the actual act of stealing, because God looks at the heart. For instance, if you give a person a law that says, “Do not steal,” and that law succeeds in preventing him from stealing 100% of the time, you have only succeeded in controlling his body from expressing sin outwardly. You have not removed the sin from his heart. Therefore, at its very best, the Law cannot make a person's heart pure. And Scripture clearly says that no one will see God without a pure heart. Matthew 5:8 Therefore, anyone who approaches the Law in order to become holy has been seriously deceived. I compare such a person to someone who goes to a traditional healer to have a demon removed. What the healer may do is not remove the demon but merely suppress it—controlling it so that it does not cause trouble while it remains inside. Jesus alone is able to transform you when you come to Him. He can change your very nature. My brothers and sisters, the Lord did not come into the world looking for good people, perfect people, people who never sin, or people who are capable of perfectly keeping the Law. He came looking for people who recognize their need for His help, who will believe in Him, and above all, who will love Him. Keeping the Law Under the New Covenant Whenever people hear about keeping the Law, the first thing that often comes to mind is the Old Covenant and certain churches that emphasize the Law. Because they consider themselves churches of salvation, they may think this message does not apply to them. But from the perspective of “Getting Lost in Church,” this message may actually apply even more to spiritual churches than to others. There is a great danger in reading the New Covenant through the mindset of the Old Covenant. Someone may think that perhaps praying for a long time, fasting frequently, or performing many religious activities will make God accept them. Someone may think that because they attend church every day, do not commit adultery, do not lie, give generously to God, help the needy, serve in church, sing in the choir, preach, or have a good relationship with the pastor, they will automatically be allowed into Heaven on the last day. Many people in church have been deceived by these things. They even look down on others because they believe they themselves are safe. Now, I am not saying that doing these things is wrong or unnecessary. Not at all. Rather, a person should do these things after they have already encountered the Lord. Keeping the Law without encountering the Lord or being born again is an insult to the cross of Calvary. If someone could enter Heaven simply by doing all these things, then why did Jesus have to die on the cross? So, salvation is not primarily about what we have done, but about what the Lord Jesus has already done on the cross. Outside the cross of Jesus, there is no true love, no holiness, no righteousness, no relationship with God, no Christianity, and no salvation. Therefore, when we look at the cross with grateful hearts and connect it to everything we do, we enter into His love and develop a relationship with Him. And we know that the life of every relationship is communication. Without communication, there can be no genuine love or meaningful relationship. Have you ever had a relationship with someone you love who was far away from you, while the two of you stopped communicating? Even in English, we say: “The more the communication, the stronger the relationship—and vice versa.” This means that the degree to which a person hears from God and communicates with Him determines the closeness of that person's relationship with God. For the Word says: “My sheep hear my voice.” John 10:27 #ToBeContinued... Sir. Ernest Nyalula LostInTheChurch #JesusChrist #GraceNotWorks #TheCrossOfChrist #NewCovenant #SalvationByGrace #BornAgain #ChristianTruth #BiblicalTruth #KnowTheWord #FaithInChrist #KingdomOfGod #LordBook #Christianity #SpiritualGrowth

✝️ The Death and Life of the Lord 🌅 The expressions of apostolic teaching must remain a beacon for us, where the Apostle declares: "For the death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God" (cf. Romans 6:10). Thus He lives in us, conquering sin, leading us towards repentance, sanctifying us by the Holy Spirit and by the blood of the New Covenant, which is better and greater than all the blood of the sacrifices of the Old Covenant. The precious Cross has become a fountain of salvation and life for us all. It is not a death substituted for a death, i.e., the death of the Lord as Adam died; for the Lord is the second Adam, "the Lord from heaven" (1 Corinthians 15:47). Rather, it is a death in which the Lord gathered three things: First: The true human nature capable of death, which He took from the Mother of God; for He is truly perfect man. Second: The death that reigned over all mankind. Third: The sentence of judgment: "You shall surely die." The Lord permitted death to approach Him by His embodied divine will, and therefore He said concerning His death: "I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again." And when death passed through His being, the sentence of judgment was executed, and He truly died. He accepted death in His humanity and tasted it in the flesh. But we must not forget that He who tasted death in the flesh is the very One who pronounced the sentence: "You shall surely die" (Genesis 2:17). He was exercising His divine authority as a just Judge, and therefore the Apostle said: "He condemned sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:3). #Cross #Salvation #DeathOfChrist #NewCovenant #Atonement #Judgment #Redemption

📘 Bible Trivia — June 3 ❓ Question: According to Mark 14:24, Jesus said His blood established what? #LordsbookDailys #BibleTrivia #Mark1424 #BibleQuiz #GetInTheWord #DailyInspiration #FaithOnline #GrowInFaith #NewCovenant

📘 Daily Devotion — June 3 | Mark 14:24 (NKJV) 💯 The Price of Our Redemption Mark 14 takes us into the upper room where Jesus shared the Passover meal with His disciples shortly before His crucifixion. During this sacred moment, Jesus took the cup and used it to reveal a profound spiritual truth. He declared that His blood would establish a new covenant between God and humanity. In the Old Testament, covenants were often confirmed through sacrifice. The shedding of blood symbolized commitment, forgiveness, and the seriousness of the relationship between God and His people. When Jesus spoke of His blood being shed for many, He was pointing forward to the cross, where He would offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin. The new covenant is founded not on human effort but on God's grace. Through Christ's sacrifice, forgiveness becomes available to all who place their faith in Him. His blood accomplished what no animal sacrifice could ever fully achieve. It opened the way for reconciliation with God and provided complete redemption for those who trust in Him. This verse reminds believers of the immense love of Christ. Jesus willingly gave His life so that we could receive forgiveness, peace with God, and the promise of eternal life. Every time we reflect on the cross, we are reminded of the great cost of our salvation and the depth of God's mercy toward us. For believers today, this passage calls us to live with gratitude and devotion. Because Jesus gave Himself for us, we are invited to respond with faith, obedience, and wholehearted worship. The new covenant is a continual reminder that our relationship with God is secured through the finished work of Christ and not our own achievements. Following the devotional pattern reflected in the provided example, we see that God's grace has provided everything necessary for our salvation. Reflection Questions How often do I reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made for my salvation? Am I living with gratitude for the grace God has given me through Christ? In what ways can I honor the Lord more fully because of His sacrifice for me? Prayer Lord Jesus, thank You for shedding Your blood to establish the new covenant and provide forgiveness for my sins. Help me never to take Your sacrifice for granted. Fill my heart with gratitude, faith, and devotion as I follow You each day. Teach me to live in a way that honors the price You paid for my redemption. In Jesus name Amen. Practical Application Spend time thanking God for the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Read and reflect on the accounts of Christ's sacrifice and resurrection. Live each day with gratitude and obedience as a response to God's grace. Takeaway Thought The blood of Christ secured a covenant of grace that brings forgiveness, hope, and eternal life. #LordsbookDailys #DailyDevotion #June3 #Mark1424 #NewCovenant #BloodOfJesus #GraceAndSalvation #BibleInspiration #GrowInFaith

📘 Daily Verse — June 3 | Mark 14:24 (NKJV) ➡️ And He said to them, ‘This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.’ #LordsbookDailys #DailyVerse #June3 #Mark1424 #NewCovenant #BloodOfChrist #BibleInspiration #GrowInFaith

“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” — Jeremiah 31:33 THE LAW ENGRAVED IN THE HEART, NOT ON STONE The difference between the old and new covenants lies in where God’s law is inscribed. On tablets of stone, the law is external, coercive, producing an awareness of sin without the power of victory. In the heart, the law is internal, transformative, producing a natural desire for obedience. This promise of Jeremiah anticipates what the Holy Spirit will accomplish in the new covenant. The regenerated believer does not obey the law because they are compelled to do so externally. They obey it because their heart has been transformed and their desires are gradually aligning with God’s. “I will be their God, and they will be my people”—this is the essence of the covenant. Everything lies in this reciprocity. A relationship, not just a system. A mutual belonging that defines the identity of both parties. Do you examine your Christian life primarily as a list of rules to follow, or as a relationship with someone you naturally want to please? The difference between the two is the difference between the old and new covenants. Oh God, thank you for the new covenant that writes your law on my heart. May my obedience spring from desire rather than compulsion, from love rather than fear. Transform my desires to be like yours in the name of Jesus, Amen. #NewCovenant🙏🏼 #SpiritAndLife🔥

THE OLD TESTAMENT IS THE SHADOW OF THE NEW COVENANT - (WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?) Hebrews 10:1 NIV THE LAW IS ONLY A SHADOW of the good things that are coming—NOT THE REALITIES THEMSELVES. For this reason it can NEVER, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Hebrews 8:5-6 [5] They serve at a sanctuary that is A COPY and SHADOW of what is IN HEAVEN. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you MAKE EVERYTHING ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN shown you on the mountain.” [6] But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as SUPERIOR to theirs as THE COVENANT OF WHICH HE IS MEDIATOR IS SUPERIOR to the old one, since THE NEW COVENANT IS ESTABLISHED ON BETTER PROMISES. NIV 2 Corinthians 1:20 [20] For no matter how many promises God has MADE, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so THROUGH HIM the “Amen” is spoken by us to the Glory of God. NIV So what do we know from the Passages above? Well, simply that: the Old Testament (OT) is the shadow of the New Testament (NT), and the NT is far better and superior to the OT, case closed. Then what are we supposed to do with the OT Scriptures? Some have expressed the opinion that it's irrelevant and should be discarded. Others say, keep it around for the stories and history, but it is not relevant in forming doctrine; in other words, quoting from the OT in matters of doctrine is irrelevant, only the NT Scriptures can be used in that regard. And lastly, there are those who advocate that both the OT and NT Scriptures are relevant in matters of doctrine. Before we address this question, let's take a step back to further understand what the quoted Passages above mean. We'll begin by trying to understand the saying that the OT is a SHADOW and a copy of the NT. Imagine standing outside on a sunny day, with the sun casting a shadow of you. The shadow is basically a representation of you. It would show one head, two hands, two legs, a torso, and its proportions would be similar to yours. Of course, the shadow would not convey the details of your features like your eyes, nose, lips, smile, or the vibrant colors of your clothing. The shadow just shows a black representation letting us know the bounds of the person from which it was cast. Your shadow would not have three hands when you have two, I think you get the picture. In like manner, the Old Covenant Law (OCL) is a SHADOW of the New Covenant (NC). It only reflects the form and template representing the NC; but of itself it doesn't portray the full vibrant glory and beauty of the NC. Now a good question to ask is, why do we need the shadowy black representation when the full HD representation is available (Heb 10:1)? I mean, who wants to be watching a movie in black and white when you can have crisp 4K resolution? Ideally, we would choose the latter. But the fact, according to Scripture, is that the choice is not entirely up to us. Even though we've been shown a lot in the NT Scriptures, we have still not been given the full picture, I mean not until that final day when we behold Christ face to face (1 Cor 13:9-12). But God hasn't left us to grope in the dark, He has directed us to be able to glean wisdom from the OT, and He has given us His Spirit to provide the missing “color pigments” so that we're not pulled into the discouraging or depressing dark tones of the OT. So to answer the initial question of what we are supposed to do with the OT Scriptures, I'm of the third opinion, which opines that both the Old and New Testament Scriptures are useful for defining sound Christian doctrine. And I believe the Scriptures below support this opinion: Romans 15:4-6 [4] For EVERYTHING that was WRITTEN IN THE PAST WAS WRITTEN TO TEACH US, so that through the endurance TAUGHT in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have HOPE. [5] May the God Who gives endurance and encouragement give you the SAME attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, [6] so that with ONE MIND and ONE VOICE you may Glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. NIV Note: When Paul refers to Scripture in this Passage and the one below, he was referring to the OT Scriptures, because during his time the collection of books that we have today as the NT were not yet put together. 2 Timothy 3:15-17 [15] and how from infancy you have known THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, which are able to make you WISE for salvation THROUGH faith in Christ Jesus. [16] ALL SCRIPTURE IS GOD-BREATHED and is USEFUL for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, [17] so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. NIV Note: v15 shows that there is wisdom in the OT that can help build our faith in our Salvation through Jesus Christ. Later, we'd highlight how we can find this encouraging wisdom through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. In the book, “The Biblical Festivals of God” there are many illustrations through the OT festivals that vividly show the significance of aspects of the festivals and how Jesus Christ FULFILLED them. Now if you may be thinking that you don't need the wisdom found in the OT to frame your salvation and faith in Jesus Christ, being that you're ALREADY a Christian, i.e. a believer, please notice that Paul was addressing Timothy, a Christian, when he was writing this Passage. Timothy was probably a Christian from childhood, being guided by his mother and grandmother (2 Tim 1:5), and the above Passage says he was brought up in the knowledge of Scripture from infancy; yet Paul thought it necessary that he still ought to glean from the wisdom of the OT. I'd encourage you to read from v10 of the above Passage to possibly understand why Paul was giving this directive, and link it to the previous Passage above, Rom 15:4-6. It was to provide teaching and encouragement, even in the face of hardships and persecution, which we're all sure to encounter in the course of our Christian walk (2 Tim 3:12, John 15:20, 16:33). Lastly, notice that v16&17 show that ALL SCRIPTURE, meaning both Old and New Testaments, is USEFUL for the shaping of doctrine. I believe this clearly confirms the opinion I stated earlier. Let me quote one more Passage to show part of the USEFULNESS of the OT. 1 Corinthians 10:6-12 [6] Now these things occurred as EXAMPLES to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. [7] Do NOT be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” [8] We should NOT commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. [9] We should NOT test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes [please also read Num 21:6-9 & John 3:14]. [10] And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. [11] These things happened to them as EXAMPLES and were WRITTEN DOWN AS WARNINGS FOR US, on whom the CULMINATION of the ages has come. [12] So, if you think you are standing firm, BE CAREFUL THAT YOU DON’T FALL! NIV Take note of v9, that Paul was saying that in the events of the OT, it was CHRIST that they were testing. You'll find something similar in Hebrews 11 where it superimposes Christ in the midst of the OT, specifically the life of Moses (Heb 11:24-26, 1 Cor 10:1-4). And even Jesus Christ superimposed Himself in the OT when He claimed to be the Creator of mankind (Matt 13:37-38, John 1:1-3, Heb 1:2-3, Prov 30:4), and being present even in the time of Abraham (John 8:56-58). So clearly, the OT is relevant with regard to the NT, because it is a representation from which we can trace the realities of the NT. However, here is the issue, if anyone reading all this, thus far, gets encouraged to crack open the OT, they may be disappointed or discouraged trying to make sense of everything. And the reason for this is because the OT is STILL a SHADOW in itself and NOT the full picture. The ONLY WAY it can become profitable for a believer in the NC is if it is read through the HELP of the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:14-18 [14] But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the Old Covenant is read. It has not been removed, because ONLY IN CHRIST IS IT TAKEN AWAY. [15] Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their HEARTS. [16] BUT WHENEVER ANYONE TURNS TO THE LORD, THE VEIL IS TAKEN AWAY. [17] Now THE LORD IS THE SPIRIT, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. [18] And WE ALL, who with UNVEILED FACES contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being TRANSFORMED into His Image with ever-increasing glory, which COMES FROM the Lord, Who is the Spirit. NIV Without the Holy Spirit, you could read ALL Scripture, and things would still be a mystery (John 5:39-40, 1 Cor 2:7-8, 13-14). And it should be noted that God's Word, and in fact the idea of the NC, is that He seeks to find residency for Himself and His Word in people's HEARTS, and not just their minds (Ps 119:10-11, Luke 8:11, 15, John 14:21, 23). If the Word only goes through your ears and ends in your mind, it would be meaningless and unproductive. It needs to find space to take root in the heart for it to be meaningful (Luke 6:45-49, James 1:22). It is for this reason that an unrepentant heart will be unable to comprehend or accept the Word of God (Luke 7:29-30, John 8:37). But a softened repentant heart, is a conducive space for the Holy Spirit, and He in turn will reveal ALL things, including that which pertains to Scripture (Ezekiel 36:26-27, John 14:26, 16:13). Let's proceed in our study, but first let's highlight what we've discovered so far. So the OCL is a SHADOW of the NC. The OT is however not to be discarded, because NT Scripture still points us back to it. Nevertheless, the OT can only be useful with the HELP of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that transforms the shadowy OT to a vivid, Glorious portrait of Jesus Christ and the Will of God, the Father. So now let's explore how people in the New Testament, I mean people filled with the Holy Spirit, were able to paint and portray aspects of the OT in a New Light. For obvious reasons, we have to begin with Jesus Christ. It is without debate that Jesus Christ was full of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35, John 3:34). Let's now explore what He had to say about the OCL and OT in general. The first notable thing that Jesus Christ repeatedly said was that He came to fulfill the Law and Prophets (Matt 5:17), or simply that He came to fulfill Scripture (Matt 26:24, 31, 54, 56…). The cited Passages sufficiently address this point, but I'd like us to briefly explore what it means for us that Jesus Christ “FULFILLED” the Old Testament requirements. This is necessary because due to an inadequate understanding of this, some people have concluded that fulfillment of the OT means it is no longer relevant and as such should be discarded. But this view doesn't quite line up with NT Scripture as we've seen earlier, where Paul still pointed believers back to the OT (Rom 15:4-6, 2 Tim 3:15-17, 1 Cor 10:6-9). The OCL was full of promises, but these promises came with several requirements along the lines of obedience and sacrifices. So it was like a ball and chain affair, i.e. the promises being anchored to weighty requirements. That's the summary of the OCL. As best as people tried, both in the past and present, no one could perfectly live up to the requirements so as to receive the fullness of the promises. I've intentionally added “present”, because till date no one trying to live by the Law can perfectly fulfill its requirements. But then Jesus Christ came on the scene, and He perfectly FULFILLED the requirements, and to Him was given ALL the promises. His FULFILLMENT of the requirements is what now gives us access to the promises God made (2 Cor 1:20). When Scripture says that the NC is founded on better promises than the OC, I don't think it necessarily means DIFFERENT promises (Heb 8:6). I believe what distinguishes them is that the promises in the NC are founded on the EASY requirement of faith and obedience to Jesus Christ and His teachings (Matt 11:28-30, 28:19-20, John 6:28-29, Gal 3:14, **Rom 8:2-4**), which by far are NOT as burdensome as the requirements of the OT (1 John 5:3), which came with incessant sacrifices and rituals (Heb 10:3). In other words, it can be proven through Scripture that the promises from the OT are quite similar to the NT. I wouldn't extensively elaborate on that here, as part of a previous post covers this idea, but I'd highlight a few illustrations here. If there is a need for further elaboration, please let me know, and by God's Grace, we'd do that. So for starters we know that one of the key promises in the OC was that God wanted to give Abraham and his descendants the LAND of Canaan, referred to as the Promised Land (Gen 15:18). That promise was a SHADOW of God's intention to establish us in His Eternal Kingdom (*Heb 11:8-10, 16, 39-40*, John 14:2-3, Col 1:12-14). In other words, the Land of Canaan with its capital in Jerusalem was a SHADOW of God's intention to bring us into the NEW JERUSALEM, which is His Eternal Kingdom (Rev 21:2-4, 7). Another example was how in the OCL God expressed His intent to make the Israelites a Kingdom of priests if they would OBEY Him (Exo 19:5-6). But then in the NC, after Jesus Christ FULFILLED everything, He was inaugurated as High Priest (Heb 5:5-6, 7:21-26), and He as well made us priests (1 Peter 2:5, 9), thus fulfilling God's original intent of having a Kingdom of Priests (Rev 5:9-10). Notice that in the OCL, with respect to the promise of priesthood, they had to meet the REQUIREMENT of OBEDIENCE to ALL the Law in order to enjoy the promise God made to have them as priests (Exo 19:5-6). But in the NC we have access to this same promise SIMPLY by believing in Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ OBEYED every requirement of God and He received the Priesthood (John 14:30-31, 15:9-10, *Heb 5:8-10*, **Rom 8:2-4**). So the OCL is a SHADOW of the NC, and the promises are quite similar. The difference is that in the NC these promises are much more accessible because of how Jesus Christ FULFILLED the OT requirements (**Rom 8:2-4**). Some Christians don't even know that they are priests, or even the fact that Jesus Christ is referred to as the High Priest (Heb 6:20). And since they do not recognize or understand this aspect of their ordination, they do not take advantage of their priestly privileges, or carry out the responsibilities of their priesthood in the NC. I'd cite one privilege, and then I'd move on. Did you know that according to Scripture it was only the priest who had the privilege to approach God in the intimacy of the Most Holy Place ([Lev 16:1-5, 32-33], Exo 30:10, Heb 9:7)? Well, Jesus Christ has assumed the role of High Priest, thus gaining access to the Father (Heb 9:11-14, 24). And through him we became priests (1 Peter 2:5, 9, Rev 5:10); So THROUGH Him, and by Him ALONE, we can also approach the Father, as only a priest can do (John 14:6, Eph 3:11-12, **Heb 10:19-22**). So the lingo used in the NT to describe our freedom to confidently APPROACH God is what was used to describe the privilege of the priest in the OT (Eph 3:11-12, Num 3:10, Exo 19:22). But unlike the OT priest, who could only approach God ONCE a year after performing several cleansing and sacrificial rituals (Heb 9:7), we as NC priests can approach God as often as we please, because THROUGH Christ our cleansing has been FULFILLED (Heb 9:13-15), hence we can go right ahead to enjoy the promise of fellowship with God. So you can see how the promises in the New Covenant are BETTER than those in the Old Covenant. It is not that they are so much so DIFFERENT from each other, but that Jesus Christ's FULFILLMENT of the Law has made the promises accessible by us, THROUGH Him (2 Cor 1:20). So again the OCL has been proved to be a SHADOW of the NC, and Christ’s FULFILLMENT of the OCL was not to change the Promise given in the OT, but to reveal its glorious perfection and make it accessible to all through faith (Gal 3:14, 18, 22). If the promises in the OCL bore no resemblance to the NC, then how could it be a SHADOW of the NC? I mean if you're about to turn a corner, and you notice the shadow of a man on the ground approaching from the other end of the corner, wouldn't it be strange if you see a chicken when you finally arrive at the corner? In other words, a chicken cannot cast the shadow of a man, because they bear no resemblance in stature or form. In like manner, it stands to reason that the promises of the OCL should bear some resemblance to the promises in the NC because it is a SHADOW of it. The major difference is that Jesus Christ has FULFILLED the hard requirements of the Law, and THROUGH His Spirit He has given us access to FREELY enjoy the Promises (Gal 4:6-7). That, I believe, expresses the true meaning of Christ FULFILLING the OT as far as it concerns or relates to us. Romans 8:1-4 [1] Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, [2] because THROUGH Christ Jesus THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT Who gives life has set you FREE from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the law was powerless to do because it was WEAKENED by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in the flesh, [4] IN ORDER THAT THE RIGHTEOUS REQUIREMENT OF THE LAW MIGHT BE FULLY MET IN US, who do NOT live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. NIV 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 [20] For no matter how MANY PROMISES God has made, THEY ARE “YES” IN CHRIST. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. [21] Now it is God Who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. HE ANOINTED US, [22] set His seal of ownership on us, AND PUT HIS SPIRIT IN OUR HEARTS as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. NIV So we've seen that Jesus Christ clearly said that He FULFILLED the Law and the Prophets (Matt 5:17), and I believe we now understand what that means, especially for us. Now what other noteworthy thing did Jesus Christ say about the OCL? Interestingly, it would appear that Jesus Christ Himself commanded people to teach the Law and not discard it. I don't know if I'm saying it right, so please pardon me, and let me just quote what I'm referring to: Matthew 5:18-19 [18] 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 EVERYTHING is ACCOMPLISHED. [19] 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. NIV And Jesus Christ did not stop there. He called us to a higher standard than the Pharisees and teachers of the Law of His day: Matthew 5:20 [20] 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. NIV If we used Paul's former way of life as a yardstick to assume the standards of the Pharisees, then with respect to the Law they might have been viewed as flawless (Phil 3:5-6). But in the Passage above, Jesus was stating that we had to surpass them. At first glance, it sounds impossible; and one might argue that didn't we just state that Jesus Christ fulfilled the requirements of the OCL and made things “EASIER” for us, but this doesn't sound “EASY”. In reality what Jesus Christ was saying was not only POSSIBLE, but also EASY because of the Holy Spirit, or I should say GRACE. Again, I better covered this in the previous post showing the connection between the Holy Spirit and GRACE, how this is a key distinguishing factor between the Old and New Covenants, and how GRACE was the NT legal system that replaced the OCL. I'd leave a link to that post at the end, so that you can better explore the subject. Note that you can't surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees by trying to obey and keep the Law by your own ability. That would make you no different from them. But rather you'll surpass their righteousness when you walk by faith and obedience to the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 5:7, Gal 5:16, *22-25*). The Holy Spirit/Grace would teach you everything you need to do (John 16:13, Titus 2:11-12). And for all this to work you'll need to obey one of Jesus’s commands that is often overlooked, which is to deny yourself and to take up your cross and follow Him (Matt 16:24). In simple terms, He is asking that you die to self or crucify the flesh, thus denying its desires that war against the Holy Spirit in you (Gal 5:17, 1 Peter 2:11, Rom 6:11-14, 8:5-9). Another VERY important key that distinguishes the OCL and the NC, is the matter of the HEART. God clearly expressed His intent in the OCL that He was after the hearts of the people (Deut 6:4-5, 11:1). God demanded to be LOVED WHOLEHEARTEDLY. But the people could not do this satisfactorily (Num 32:11-12, Deut 10:14-16, 30:1-3, 6, 10, 14-18); moreover they found ways of “fulfilling” the outward requirements of the Law, but their hearts were far from God ([1 Sam 15:22-23, Hosea 6:6, Micah 6:6-8], Isaiah 1:11-13, 29:13, Ezek 33:31). That's why the Pharisees could flawlessly obey the Law, but yet be called hypocrites by Jesus Christ, because their hearts were callous (Matt 23:23-28). Jesus Christ did not have a problem with them teaching the Law of Moses, but He told His disciples not to copy their actions because their hearts were not right (Matt 23:2-3). In the NC however, Jesus Christ corrected the heart issue so that God's intent in the OCL to produce loving people would be finally FULFILLED or REALIZED. We Love because He first Loved us (1 John 4:19). And the Holy Spirit in us produces the fruit of LOVE, among other things: Galatians 5:22-23 [22] But THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS LOVE, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. AGAINST SUCH THINGS THERE IS NO LAW. NIV I believe it can be said that in short the Law of the New Covenant is LOVE, Love for God and fellow man (1 John 4:20-21). That's what Jesus Christ summarized the whole of the OT to be about (Matt 22:37-40), and that's the command He left for us to live by (John 13:34-35). If you live by TRUE LOVE in the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you would surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees by miles, because LOVE fulfills the Law (Gal 5:14, Rom 13:9-10), and goes beyond it in demonstrating goodness and righteousness (Col 3:12-17, Eph 5:8-9). The young rich man who came to Jesus Christ was faithful in obeying the Law when Jesus quizzed him, and Jesus Loved him for this. Yet when he was asked to give all his wealth to the poor and FOLLOW Jesus, the man couldn't bring himself to do that (Mark 10:19-22). It wasn't that he didn't LOVE God, but that he loved God AND his money (Luke 16:13). He wasn't WHOLEHEARTEDLY committed to God. When Jesus Christ commands people to give, it's not because of a want for resources, but rather He seeks to gain their hearts. He knows that naturally our hearts are intertwined with our treasures (Luke 12:34). So willingness to sacrifice our treasures for His sake is a sign that we treasure Him above everything else, and as such He has our heart (Matt 13:44-46). We as humans naturally tend to invest our treasures in whatever we deem to have intrinsic value. So we sacrifice our time and resources on leisure or things that bring a return in value. So when we consider the Kingdom of God, Jesus Christ expects that our valuation of it will far outweigh whatever else we consider valuable (Matt 13:44-46). And in that way, it is evident that He has your heart. And for clarity’s sake, God does NOT need anything that you or I can ever give, because in the first place EVERYTHING comes from Him (Ps 24:1, 50:9-15, Rom 11:35-36). So it has to be absolutely clear that it is the HEART that God is after (1 Chron 29:14, 16-19). And speaking of treasures, I'd highlight one last thing that Jesus Christ spoke concerning the OCL in connection to the NC. Jesus Christ referenced a teacher of the Law, meaning one instructed in the OCL, and that if this person becomes a disciple of the Kingdom, meaning the NC, they are like someone having treasures from both the New and Old. In other words, this shows that both the OT and NT possess valuable treasures as Jesus Christ acknowledges below: Matthew 13:52 [52] He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has BECOME A DISCIPLE IN THE KINGDOM of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom NEW TREASURES AS WELL AS OLD.” NIV We've explored three illustrations using Jesus’s Words to show that He still considered the OT useful for our development. He didn't mean the OCL in its raw state, but rather refined by the paradigm of the Holy Spirit, to produce the transformative HEART results that God originally intended. And Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit, through the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matt 5, 6 & 7), showed a snippet of how He came to refine the OCL. Note that even though in the mainstream some people tend to use some aspects of the Sermon on the Mount for evangelical purposes to SHOW unbelievers their sinfulness in the sight of God, and their need for forgiveness, but that is not quite what the Sermon on the Mount was for. The OCL of itself has that precise assignment of SHOWING or PROVING people as being sinful before God (Rom 3:20, 7:7, 13, Lev 5:17). The Sermon on the Mount on the other hand serves another purpose. The refinements that Jesus Christ brought in contrast to the OCL were matters that pertained to the HEART. Hence, Jesus Christ was showing through the Sermon on the Mount that God was now focused on evaluating each person's heart. So actions of piety were not going to give you a pass with God if your heart wasn't right with Him (1 Cor 13:1-3, Heb 4:12-13). The OCL simply governed outward conduct, but Jesus Christ addressed the internal state of people's hearts (please read Matt 5:21-48). That's why in the NC you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in your heart; and sin is now defined as simply knowing what ought to be done but refusing to do it (James 4:17); and this could apply to things where there isn't even a written command to enforce the restriction or decree to do something (Rom 14:22-23). The NC is on another level. If you're simply living in the grey areas of what may or may not be permissible by Scripture, then in practice you're no different than the Pharisees. In the NC, even in the mere appearance of something being wrong we're expected to avoid that thing (1 Thess 5:22 KJV, 1 Tim 6:11, 2 Tim 2:22). It is not merely about what is written, but rather what the Holy Spirit is prompting in your heart. But to be clear this does NOT give a grant to transgress or go beyond what is written in Scripture (1 Cor 4:6, Jude 1:4). The Holy Spirit will NOT go against the Word of God in His dealings; so if ever you hear something that clearly violates Scripture, then know for certain that it was not the Holy Spirit that spoke that. It might have been your inner desires, or the devil masquerading himself (James 1:13-15, 2 Cor 11:14, 1 Tim 4:1-2). So the Holy Spirit might prompt you to do something, like for instance to talk to someone or give something; refusal to do such a thing according to the OCL would not be accounted as sin because there is no written mandate on such things. But in the NC you would have grieved the Holy Spirit, the One through Whom you've been sealed for redemption (Eph 4:30, Isaiah 63:10), and that would be a sin you'd have to repent of. Annanias and Sapphira wanted to do an apparently “good” thing by giving. But they chose to mix a “little lie” into the “good” that they wanted to do, and this lie before the Holy Spirit cost them their lives (Acts 5:1-10). This goes to show that in the NC one is not just evaluated by their external actions, but their hearts are weighed as well. You might think that the Holy Spirit was too drastic against them, but based on their internal/heart evaluation, Peter charged them with having allowed satan into their very hearts, the same heart which ought to exclusively be the residence of the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3, [John 14:23, 1 John 3:23-24, Rom 5:5]). Elsewhere, Paul taught that greed is a form of idolatry (Eph 5:5). Annanias and Sapphira could have simply said that they were going to keep part of the money for themselves, and it wouldn't be a problem (Acts 5:4). But they chose to use a lie to mask their greed and that was the problem. And an example on the other side is that the Holy Spirit might restrain you from doing something, and that thing may not be sin in itself if you had done it according to the OCL. For instance, John the Baptist and Jesus Christ were both filled with the Holy Spirit right from the womb (Luke 1:15, 35). However, John was led to maintain a lifestyle of a strict diet (Matt 3:4), while Jesus Christ was free from that restriction. Nevertheless, both of them were still righteous despite their different lifestyles (Matt 11:18-19). So in certain areas where there aren't clear stipulations from Scripture regarding what may be forbidden or permissible, the NT believer is guided by the Holy Spirit and conscience, and violation of either would be considered sinning. And a NT believer by extension is also responsible to NOT push or violate the conscience of their fellow believer, even if what they advocate isn't sinful in itself (1 Cor 8:9-12, 10:23-32). This is a responsibility that is unique to the NT, where believers are expected to take responsibility for each other (Gal 6:1-2, James 5:19-20), and unlike Cain, we're to be our brother's keeper (Gen 4:9). The Old Testament Law places no such burden on a person; it is primarily concerned with the individual. The fall or righteousness of one person would not be directly attributed to another (Ezekiel 18:20, 14:13-20). But in the New Testament we are mutually responsible for each other. The fall of one can affect others, and the rise of another can directly impact others (1 Corinthians 12:12-14, **26-27**, [1 Cor 5:1-2, *6*, 11-13, 2 Cor 11:28-29, 2:2-4], Rom 1:11-12). We've explored what Jesus Christ had to say about the OT Law and Prophets; now, let's see what the Apostles had to say. I believe this is where there is a bit of confusion that needs clarification, with the major figure in this debate being Paul. So what was Paul's general evaluation of the Law? He states that the Law is spiritual, but we are of flesh, and as such incapable of truly obeying the OCL (Rom 7:14, [7:25, 8:1-8]). And the heart of his case was to vigorously contend against attempting to keep the OCL by way of the flesh (Rom 8:7). This was something he was all too familiar with given his background as a Pharisee, thus explaining his contention against the flesh (Phil 3:3-9). But even as he made this contention, he was always careful NOT to discredit the Law (Rom 3:31, 7:7, 12, 14, 16, 22, 1 Tim 1:8-11). Ideally, a believer ought NOT to live by their fleshly desires (Rom 6:1-2, 6-8, 11-12, 15-16, 7:1, 1 Peter 4:1-2); ideally, if a believer lived by the Spirit, AND crucified their flesh (Gal 5:16, 24-25), they would under no circumstance be found wanting by the Law (Gal 5:22-23). So in this regard, the regulations of the Law would have no effect over the believer, because they are living by a standard that surpasses the Law, i.e. living by the Spirit (1 Cor 2:10-11, 15-16). But in the NOT so ideal case, when believers allowed their flesh to come back alive, Paul still had to give guidance to the people by using concepts from the OCL, like excerpts from the Ten Commandments, commands to avoid idolatry and sexual immorality etc., to show them what was expected of them (Rom 13:9-10, [Lev 18:8, 1 Cor 5:1-2, 2 Cor 2:5-10, 7:9-10], [Exo 20:3-6, Ps 106:36-38, 1 Cor 10:7, 14, 20-22], [1 Cor 10:8, 6:15-20]). Dying to self is NOT a one-time thing, it is a daily process (Luke 9:23, Rom 12:1-2). By the Spirit, both Paul and Jesus Christ showed that the essence of the Ten Commandments was still applicable in the NT, and was to be FULFILLED THROUGH LOVE, NOT the flesh. Galatians 5:13-14 [13] You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be FREE. BUT DO NOT USE YOUR FREEDOM TO INDULGE THE FLESH; rather, SERVE one another humbly in LOVE. [14] For THE ENTIRE LAW IS FULFILLED in keeping this ONE command: “LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” NIV Romans 13:8-10 [8] Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to LOVE ONE ANOTHER, for whoever LOVES others has FULFILLED the law. [9] The commandments, “You shall NOT commit adultery,” “You shall NOT murder,” “You shall NOT steal,” “You shall NOT covet,” AND WHATEVER OTHER COMMAND there may be, are SUMMED up in this ONE command: “LOVE your neighbor as yourself.” [10] LOVE does NO harm to a neighbor. Therefore LOVE is the FULFILLMENT of the Law. NIV Ephesians 6:1-3 [1] Children, OBEY your parents in the Lord, for this is right. [2] “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first COMMANDMENT with a promise— [3] “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” NIV [Exo 20:12] Basically, Paul was contextualizing the OCL for the NT believer. He was showing that the OT was still relevant in shaping our doctrine and thought in the NT. In so many ways the OT Scriptures were used in the NT. So application-wise, we can say that the OT Scriptures are still relevant for us today. When Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil, ALL His responses were grounded in Scriptures from the OCL (Matt 4:4, 7, 10, Deut 8:3, 6:16, 13 respectively). We as well in the NC can find comfort, guidance, and assurances from God's promises in the OT (Heb 13:5-6, Deut 31:6, Ps 118:6-7), because God is still the same Faithful One (Num 23:19, Mal 3:6 NKJV, Heb 13:8), and His promises are ALL yes in Christ (2 Cor 1:20). So I'll keep emphasizing it, that the OT was a SHADOW of the NT, but that doesn't mean it is irrelevant; it still holds truths that are representative of Jesus Christ, Who Himself is the Truth according to the NT (John 14:6); and these truths can be revealed through the Holy Spirit, Who is Himself also Truth Personified (John 14:17, 16:13, 1 John 5:6). Jesus Christ clearly said that Scripture, even Moses spoke about Him (John 5:39, Luke 24:44-46). So I think that knowledge held in the OT is still profitable to help us, who haven't seen the Lord (John 20:29, [1 Peter 1:8-12, 2 Peter 1:16-21]); and this knowledge could help us to discern certain things about Him. One may still argue that it is not necessary, and that we have sufficient information in the NT about Jesus Christ, so we don't need the OT. I wouldn't stress too much on that so as not to revisit what we've already discussed. But I'd like to ask a simple question: if we don't need the OT to reveal certain profound things about Jesus Christ, since He has FULFILLED them, how about regarding things to come wherein there are still prophecies in the OT yet to be FULFILLED? The OT is still a reference point in that regard. Jesus Christ Himself, while prophesying about the end, pointed us to the prophecy of Daniel for context (Matt 24:15-16). And through Daniel's prophecy, we have a good idea of the signs to identify the antichrist, and the prudence to know when we have to take flight, in the words of Jesus Christ (Matt 24:16), or to endure the times according to the book of Revelation (Rev 14:9-13). I mean Daniel’s prophecy frames the 3¹/² years of the antichrist reign (Daniel 12:11-12), which is a recurring theme in NT prophecies; Daniel also spoke of the third Temple, which is a necessary sign revealing the antichrist, who would desecrate that Temple (Daniel 9:27, 11:31-32, 12:11-12, 2 Thess 2:3-4); and we know it is the third Temple because he spoke of the destruction of the second Temple in the preceding verse, which was the Temple of Jesus’s day that the Romans destroyed in 70AD (Daniel 9:26); moreso, his prophecies cover other useful details of the end times. In the book “The Biblical Festivals of God” and the follow-up posts tagged “Biblical Ciphers and Codes - Part 1 & 2” we clearly showed the relevance of the OT even for NT believers, especially in contextualizing the times we live in. I mean who would have thought that the cashless society of today was long prophesied about; and also a lot of the things happening today in politics, culture, science, and tech, all seem to be vividly portrayed in both the New and Old Testament prophecies. Some people may still stick to the idea that the OT is irrelevant in addressing contemporary issues, but certainly the Early Church did not think that way. The Early Church used the OT to navigate difficult situations with the help of the Holy Spirit. You can remember the circumcision scandal (Gal 2:11-16, Acts 15:1-2). It wasn't by popular vote, or eloquent debating skills to support an opinion that they arrived at a decision. They sought the OT Scriptures and received guidance from the Holy Spirit to deliver the final verdict. We have their approach as a blueprint to help us navigate contemporary issues. By the Holy Spirit and His inspiration of Scripture, there is nothing that we can't resolve. Acts 15:13-21, 28 [13] When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. [14] Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for His Name from the Gentiles. [15] THE WORDS OF THE PROPHETS ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH THIS, AS IT IS WRITTEN: [16] “ ‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, [17] THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, EVEN ALL THE GENTILES WHO BEAR MY NAME, says the Lord, Who does these things’— [18] things known from long ago. (Amos 9:11-12) [19] “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should NOT make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. [20] Instead we should write to them, telling them to ABSTAIN from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. [21] For the Law of Moses has been PREACHED in every city FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES and is read in the synagogues on EVERY Sabbath.” … [28] IT SEEMED GOOD TO THE HOLY SPIRIT and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: NIV Out of curiosity, when last did you hear a sermon quoting from Amos 9:11-12? Chances are quite slim. But here the Early Church used those two verses to solve a problem that threatened to split the Church. And I'm sure it was the Holy Spirit that helped, or brought to their remembrance that Passage of Scripture (John 14:26, 2 Peter 1:21). And just to clarify on the subject of circumcision, God also demonstrated that His intent in the OCL was for the people to be circumcised in HEART, and not just in the flesh (Deut 10:16, 30:6, Jer 4:4, 9:25-26). Paul focused on the emphasis of God's intention instead of the physical act of circumcision itself. Hence, in the NT he emphasized that Gentiles need not be circumcised in the flesh, because THROUGH Jesus Christ they had received the circumcision of the HEART, which is by the Holy Spirit (Col 2:10-11, Rom 2:25-29, 1 Cor 7:19). This is the same heart transformation that God promised in the OT to enable people to obey His commands (Ezek 36:26-27). So Paul wasn't against the act of circumcision, especially as it pertained to Jews, since it was part of their heritage (Gen 17:10-11); I believe that's why he circumcised Timothy, who was a half Jew (Acts 16:1-3), but he didn't subject Titus to circumcision, who was fully Greek (Gal 2:3); furthermore, he raised no objections to James’ demands regarding the Jews that had completed a vow (Acts 21:23-26). Nevertheless, in the context of SALVATION, which was the argument of that time (Acts 15:1-2), circumcision in accordance with the OCL was IRRELEVANT to SALVATION, since every believer in the NT receives the circumcision which is by Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit (Col 2:10-11, Rom 2:29). So once again the OT is shown to SHADOW the NT in revealing the intent of God and subsequent fulfillment through Jesus Christ. We see that Christ FULFILLED our circumcision, and has made us heirs to the promise of the Kingdom (Eph 3:6, Rom 4:16-17, 23-24, Col 1:12-13), just as circumcision made Abraham's descendants heirs to the Promised Land (Gen 17:7-11). Better than anyone of his time Paul understood this subject of circumcision and he communicated it to the NT Church. There are a host of other subjects where we find people in the NT pulling lessons from the OT and situating them in the NT context. Anyway, the point is that the Holy Spirit is still speaking through the OT which He authored ([2 Tim 3:16, Job 32:8], 2 Peter 1:20-21); but when we take a stance that the OT is not for us, we limit His vocabulary and tools of imagery to reach us (1 Thess 5:19-20). If we refuse Scripture, we refuse Him; and if we refuse Him, the One Who ought to be our teacher, how would we ever learn or truly know the Scriptures (1 John 2:27)? And if we're only comfortable with the elementary truths of the faith, how then would we ever mature? Our growth is primarily dependent on our WILLINGNESS: WILLINGNESS to absorb what is being poured into us (Luke 5:37-38, John 16:12-13, Matt 11:13-15, 13:9-17); and WILLINGNESS to allow ourselves to be pruned so that we can become more fruitful (John 15:1-2). Hebrews 5:11-14 [11] We have MUCH to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you BECAUSE YOU NO LONGER TRY TO UNDERSTAND. [12] In fact, though by this time you OUGHT to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the ELEMENTARY truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! [13] Anyone who lives on milk, being STILL AN INFANT, is NOT acquainted with THE TEACHING ABOUT RIGHTEOUSNESS. [14] But SOLID FOOD is for the MATURE, who by CONSTANT USE have TRAINED themselves to DISTINGUISH good from evil. NIV Note: what he was previously discussing was in connection to Jesus’s Priesthood and linking it to Melchizedek in reference to the Psalm of David (Ps 110:4). So he was making an exposition from the OT to bring a NT perspective, but his frustration was that his audience seemed uninterested in learning deeper things than what they already knew. His charge to them was to aim for maturity so that they could absorb “solid food” of this kind. I believe that, among other things, this study, as well as the immediate previous one, has helped to adequately DISTINGUISH between the OCL and the NC; and also show that the righteousness which is by faith in the NC is a product of the Holy Spirit (Rom 1:17, 3:21-22, Gal 5:5-6). And this faith is not some dead esoteric thing (James 2:17, 22, 24, 26), but practical expressions from the heart (1 Thess 1:3), that far surpasses the righteousness of the flesh that was obtainable in the OCL. Indeed, the surface context of the OT all too often does not apply to us in the NT. Nevertheless, there is a deeper content in God's Word, both OT and NT, through which the Holy Spirit communicates (John 6:63, 1 Cor 2:13-14). I believe I've said this before, but I'll say it once again, the OCL is STILL a SHADOW of the NC. So I'm not advocating that we as believers just pop open the OCL and do what it says according to our interpretation or understanding (Prov 3:5). What I'm saying, and I believe it also agrees with what Paul had said, is that the OT should be read through the lens of the Holy Spirit, and then we do what the Spirit says (*2 Cor 3:13-18*, 1 Thess 5:19, Rom 8:14, *Rev 2:7*). There is much more that I would have loved to include in this study, especially along the lines of elaborating on certain things to show their practicality in the NT, but I'm going to have to leave it at this. I hope this study has been insightful and a blessing to you. Thanks for the privilege of your time. God bless and Shalom! 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HOW CAN JESUS PAY FOR THE SINS OF OTHERS? (AN HONEST QUESTION FROM JEWS AND MUSLIMS, AND A STUDY ON PRIESTHOOD) (Google Docs link provided at the end in the comment for clickable Bible citations to open Bible app to facilitate fluid study of the resource) On social media I had the privilege of debating with a Rabbinic Jew (he didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah), from 2024/25; we debated on a number of subjects regarding Christianity, and the question above was one of his talking points. Similarly, I've come across some videos of Muslims posing this question as a challenge to the foundations of Christianity. The New Testament claims that Jesus Christ bore the sins and punishment of the world, and as a result, if anyone believed in Him and what He did then they would receive forgiveness and not have to pay for their sins. Rabbinic Jews and Muslims instead say that, “No! Everyone must pay for their own sins.” And they back it up with the following Scripture: Ezekiel 18:20 THE SOUL WHO SINS SHALL DIE. The son shall NOT bear the guilt of the father, NOR the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be UPON HIMSELF, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be UPON HIMSELF. NKJV The Passage above doesn't entirely negate the subject of someone bearing the sins of another. That may sound ludicrous, but if you give me a moment we'd obtain clarity from both the Old and New Testaments on this subject. On the subject of one person bearing the sins of another, there is a clear exception in Scripture that many people might not have noticed. And the exception is that a priest can indeed bear the sins of others. This was something that was SYMBOLICALLY true in the Old Covenant (Exo 28:38 NKJV, Ezekiel 4:4-6 - Note that Ezekiel was a priest - Ezekiel 1:3); but it became LITERALLY true in the New Covenant through Jesus Christ, with preceding testimony about this fact coming from the Old Testament (Isaiah 53:5-12). It should be noted that part of Jesus’s ordination is that of Priesthood (Ps 110:4, Heb 7:20-28, 9:11-12…); hence, He qualifies to do everything that a priest can do, and in this case that includes BEARING the sins of others. To make all these clearer we'd have to explore the foundations, commonalities, and differences between the Old and New Covenants; but first let’s quickly illustrate a case scenario where the priest, by his death, BORE or ATONED for the sins of others. The Law regarding the cities of refuge highlights the point that the priest can BEAR/ATONE for the one who accidentally kills someone (Num 35:11-12, 22-28, 32-33). Verse 33 clearly states that bloodshed can only be atoned for by the blood of the one who shed it, meaning that that person must die (v16-21, Gen 9:5-6). However, according to Verse 28, we see that such a person, who ought to have been killed if found outside the city of refuge (v26-27), would be allowed to return to their home and live out the rest of their life AFTER THE DEATH of the high priest. So the death of the high priest in a manner of speaking ATONES for the bloodshed by the refugee who accidentally killed someone; which is why they can then return home without polluting the land with the guilt of bloodshed (v33, Gen 4:10-12). So clearly the death of the high priest ATONED for the one who shed human blood, thus sparing him from the immediate consequences and judgment. Now let's pivot to discussing about the Old and New Covenants, from which we'll get a better understanding of why and how Jesus Christ can bear the sins of the WHOLE world. The groundwork for both the Old and New Covenants began with Abraham. The first significant distinguishing factor between the two covenants, as we examine Scripture, is a matter of scope. The scope of the Old Covenant revolved mainly around the LAND of Israel and those who would inhabit it. But the scope of the New Covenant included both the LAND and ALL other nations, in short THE WHOLE EARTH. Bear in mind this simple distinguishing factor as we now proceed to prove it through Scripture. In Gen. 15, God entered into a covenant with Abraham, and you'd notice that this covenant was basically promising that the descendants of Abraham would inherit the LAND: Genesis 15:18 On that day the Lord made a COVENANT with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give THIS LAND, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— NIV Similarly, the covenant of circumcision was also tied to the Promised LAND, and primarily the descendants of Abraham (Gen 17:1-14). So the covenant of circumcision is also connected to the Gen. 15 covenant above. The circumcision covenant did NOT include ALL the nations per se. If you read the cited Passage, it speaks of Abraham being the father of MANY nations and having kings come from him, but it is important to note that this does NOT imply ALL nations. Indeed many nations did come from Abraham like Israel (Jacob), Edom (Esau), Ishmael (Gen 21:13) etc, thus validating what the cited Passage said. However, the covenant of circumcision, in terms of scope was still limited to Abraham and his descendants; more so the covenant God made with Abraham when He called him, was specifically passed down through Isaac and subsequently Jacob (aka Israel) who would dwell in the LAND God promised to Abraham, and this is clearly shown in the subsequent verses in the circumcision covenant of Gen. 17 (Gen 12:7, **17:16-21**, 26:2-3, 28:3-4, 50:24). But now the scope of the other Covenant that God also made with Abraham included ALL other nations: Genesis 22:16-18 [16] and said, “I SWEAR BY MYSELF, DECLARES THE LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, YOUR ONLY SON, [17] I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, [18] and THROUGH YOUR OFFSPRING ALL NATIONS ON EARTH will be blessed, because you have OBEYED Me.” NIV The scope of the first covenant was limited to Abraham, his descendants, and the LAND God promised to them. But the second Covenant promised blessings for ALL nations on earth. The Law (i.e. the commands from Exodus - Deuteronomy), which covers all the precepts and dictates God gave through Moses, is anchored on the principles of the first covenant God made with Abraham. Hence, the Law of Moses, in scope, is limited to Abraham’s descendants and the LAND, and this constitutes the Old Covenant. The Law is the governing principle of the Israelites and ALL who live in the LAND, both Israelites and foreigners (Exo 12:49, Lev 16:29-30, 19:33-34, 24:22). It however holds NO promise of blessings for ALL the nations on earth. Again, the covenant of the Law of Moses is principally the Old Covenant, and it is INCAPABLE of fulfilling the second Covenant, which holds promise and blessing for ALL nations (Gen 22:18). David conveyed the same idea that the Old covenant was the promise of inheriting the LAND of Canaan (1 Chron 16:15-18). And with regards to the nations, he asks God to DELIVER Israel from them (1 Chron 16:35-36), instead of asking for Israel to be a BLESSING to ALL of them in accordance with the second covenant (Gen 22:18). I believe that further highlights the limitation of the first covenant. Now the second Covenant God made with Abraham was anchored on a Person, the Offspring of Abraham, THROUGH whom ALL the nations would be BLESSED (Gen 22:18). That Offspring certainly was NOT Moses, through whom the Law of the Old Covenant came, because as I've repeatedly said the Law in terms of scope did NOT hold any ACHIEVABLE promise or blessing for ALL the nations; it was limited to the Israelites and the inhabitants of the LAND. But God showed that He was going to raise up Someone other than Moses (Deut 18:18-19, Acts 3:18-23); and this Person would not only save the nation of Israel, but He would also save the Gentiles (i.e. ALL nations on earth), and all others would honor and bow before Him (Isaiah 49:5-7). Moreover, as I stated at the beginning of the previous paragraph, the second covenant was anchored on a Person, and God clearly showed that this Individual, Who would usher in this Covenant, would bring justice to the WHOLE earth, and the Gentiles (i.e. ALL other nations) would put their hope in Him. In other words, this Person of the Covenant would be a blessing to ALL nations. The Old Covenant Law of Moses did NOT bring justice and righteousness to the WHOLE earth, again it was limited in scope. But the New Covenant anchored on the Person of Jesus Christ has had a global effect. Isaiah 42:1-3, 6 [1] “Here is My Servant, Whom I uphold, My chosen One in Whom I delight; I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT ON HIM, and HE WILL BRING JUSTICE TO THE NATIONS. [2] He will not shout or cry out, or raise His Voice in the streets. [3] A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out. IN FAITHFULNESS HE WILL BRING FORTH JUSTICE; [4] He will NOT falter or be discouraged TILL HE ESTABLISHES JUSTICE ON EARTH. IN HIS TEACHING THE ISLANDS WILL PUT THEIR HOPE.” … [6] “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness; I will take hold of Your Hand. I will keep you AND WILL MAKE YOU TO BE A COVENANT for the people AND A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, NIV Take note of the last verse; the Individual spoken about would Himself be MADE the Covenant for the people, and He would also influence the Gentiles. As I've emphatically said, the second Covenant in Gen 22:18 was anchored on an Individual and had influence over ALL the nations on earth. This is exactly what we see being illustrated by the Passage above. The Covenant of Moses was anchored on obedience to the Law and God’s dictates (Exo 24:7-8), but NOT on an individual; again, it was limited in scope. Even Moses was held liable when he disobeyed God's command (Num 20:7-12, 27:12-14). To fulfill all due diligence, let me briefly explain my statements in the preceding paragraphs, that the Law had NO “ACHIEVABLE” promise or blessing for ALL nations, and also why God had to raise Someone else like Moses. In all my study of the Law (i.e. the commands from Exodus - Deuteronomy), I can think of only ONE law or command where by implication God demonstrated intent for blessing ALL other nations; but it was anchored on the CONDITION that ALL the Israelites would OBEY His commandments. If they OBEYED, they, as a nation, would become priests for the rest of the nations (Exo 19:5-6). Note that even though the Passage doesn't explicitly say that they would be a kingdom of priests FOR ALL the nations, I'm drawing that implication because part of the expressed responsibilities of a priest is service or ministry to God, and a channel of blessing to people (Gen 14:18-19, Num 6:22-27). So we'd proceed with that interpretation of Exo 19:5-6 that their FULL OBEDIENCE would have made them a kingdom of priests for ALL the nations. However, they did NOT OBEY; and as a result, instead of being priests for others, they themselves required priests to mediate between them and God. And for this, the tribe of Levi was selected, and the family of Aaron, Moses’s brother, became the priesthood for the nation of Israel. What most people don't know is that the Levites and the priesthood of Aaron took on the responsibilities and obligations that were originally intended for all the Israelites (Num 3:6-8, 18:1-7). Thus showing that God’s intention was originally to have all of them as priests according to Exo 19:5-6, but now that obligation had been relegated to Aaron and the Levites. In all these, we've shown the foundations of the Old Covenant priesthood. So God expressed the intent for the nation of Israel to be a kingdom of priests for ALL the nations, but they failed at this (Exo 19:5-6). Hence, God raised up a New Priest, and as a consequence a New Covenant and Law (Hebrews 7:12), to address the limitations of the first (Jer 31:31-32, Rom 8:3-4). And as we highlighted earlier on, this New Priest, in the Person of Jesus Christ, would as well be ABLE to BEAR and ATONE for the sins of ALL nations on earth (Isaiah 53:10-12, Hebrews 7:21-25). In short, Jesus Christ came to inaugurate a New Covenant (Matt 26:28), a New Priesthood (Hebrews 5:5-6), and also a New LEGAL system (Hebrews 7:12, John 14:15, Matt 28:20, Rom 8:1-2, 7:6, 1 Cor 9:21). And just for emphasis's sake, the Covenant that was established through Jesus Christ finally fulfilled God's expressed intent of having a kingdom of priests (Exo 19:5-6, 1 Peter 2:4-5, Rev 5:9-10). Jesus Christ fulfilled all the responsibilities of a priest. For instance: Just like the Law for the city of refuge (Num 35:11-34), Jesus’s death as the High Priest is the reason why we have been freely given life even though we deserved death (2 Cor 5:15, Rom 5:6-10, Eph 2:3-6). Just as the priests, Aaron and Ezekiel, SYMBOLICALLY bore the sins of the Israelites (Exo 28:38 NKJV, Ezekiel 4:4-6), so also did Jesus Christ LITERALLY BEAR the sins of the WHOLE world as He died on the cross (Isaiah 53:10-12, 2 Cor 5:21, John 3:16). Just as the priests were responsible for teaching the people the ways of God (Lev 10:11, Ezra 7:12, 25-26), so also was Jesus Christ a Teacher (Isaiah 42:4, John 3:2). Also the priest had the responsibility to cleanse the people to make them CEREMONIALLY clean (Lev 16:17-19, 14:4-8), so also Jesus Christ offered ABSOLUTE cleansing (Heb 9:11-14, 10:10,19-22). And even in the matter of “desecrating” the Sabbath, Jesus’s illustration using the priests of the Old Covenant, was in a way alluding to His own Priestly ordination from God (Hebrews 5:5-6), and by extension Priestly rights and responsibilities, even over the Sabbath (Matt 12:5-8). We can go on and on to show how Jesus Christ mirrored and fulfilled the Priestly role as revealed through the Old Testament Scripture, but we'll leave it at this. As far as I know from the Quran, Muslims do not dispute that Jesus is the Messiah (Surah 3:45, 4:157…). I would not assume to know what the Muslim’s interpretation of this means, but I can illustrate through the Old Testament what the expectations for the Messiah were, and how it fits into this narrative of the Priesthood. It was long prophesied about the Messiah that He would somehow merge the offices of Kingship and Priesthood (Zech 6:11-13 TPT). And interestingly, it was no coincidence that a priest was used SYMBOLICALLY in this prophecy; but more so that his name was “Joshua” (Zech 3:8-9). This is no coincidence because the name “Joshua” or “Yeshua” or “Yehoshua” is the Hebrew form of the Name “Jesus”, which means “the Lord saves” (Matt 1:21 NIV - please read the footnote in the Passage). So in short, the Old Covenant had in place a priesthood that was limited in scope to the service of the Israelites and all who lived in the LAND, foreigners and native born. But the New Covenant has the Priesthood of Jesus Christ, which offers service for ALL mankind, something that the first covenant could NOT achieve. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 NIV [5] For there is ONE GOD and ONE MEDIATOR between God and mankind, the Man Christ Jesus, [6] Who gave Himself as a ransom FOR ALL PEOPLE... Having ironed out the Exo 19:5-6 issue, which could only be fulfilled in the second Covenant through Jesus Christ, let's continue to explore the two covenants that God began with Abraham, and their other distinguishing factors. Like the first covenant God made with Abraham, the Law was filled with conditionalities. Remember Abraham and his descendants had to submit to the CONDITION of circumcision in order to inherit the LAND (Gen 17:7-14). Likewise, the Law was based on several CONDITIONS, and failure to obey them ultimately meant that they would be kicked out of the LAND (Lev 26:14-15, 33-34, Deut 28:15, 21, 45, 63, 29:24-28…). In fact, the major threat in the Law was expulsion from the LAND on account of disobedience (Lev 18:26-28, Deut 4:25-27, 30:19-20…). The second covenant on the other hand required ONLY BELIEF in God. Abraham believed in the promise of God, that the covenant would pass on through his son by Sarah, i.e. Isaac (Gen 17:19). Hence, he had such an incredible faith that even the apparent sacrifice of his son, he believed, would NOT void the promise of God (Heb 11:17-19). So the second covenant basically required FAITH, which Abraham had (Gen 15:6, Rom 4:13-25); while God PROVIDED the necessary sacrifice (**Gen 22:12-14**). This kind of faith is the premise of Christianity (Rom 4:16-17, Gal 3:7-9, John 3:16-18). Christianity is the combination of faith and the sacrifice God PROVIDED by sending His Only Son (Eph 2:8, Rom 3:22-25, 5:1,6-10), just as He had asked Abraham to sacrifice his “only son” (Gen 22:2). In my conversations with the Rabbinic Jew, I asked him why God would refer to Isaac as the “only son” of Abraham, when God clearly knew about Ishmael (Gen 17:19-21). At face value it would appear as an “error”; and this is absolutely unacceptable for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike to ever attribute error to God (James 1:13). But when you approach the statement prophetically, it more appropriately serves as a testimony, especially to the Jews, for when Jesus Christ would come claiming to be the ONLY begotten Son of God that was to be sacrificed for the sins of ALL peoples, Jews and Gentiles (John 3:16, 10:34-37, Isaiah 49:5-7). And if you are still stuck on viewing this as an “error”, let me briefly highlight another instance in Scripture so that you can better understand God's perspective and way of communication. It was stated in 1 Kings 6:1 that it had been 480 years since the Exodus from Egypt, and the 4th year of Solomon's reign, when they began building the Temple. However, it is only if you calculate from Moses, Joshua, the Judges, and kings up till Solomon, i.e. the reign of Israelites over Israel, that you'd approximately get up to 466 years (note that the duration of the Judge Shamgar is a mystery Judges 3:31). So this can approximate to the aforementioned 480 years. Nevertheless, the cumulative of 111 years when Israel was disobedient and out of God’s will, and as a result they fell under foreign oppressive rule, was NOT reckoned to the 480 years, otherwise in addition to the 466 years, it would be a total of approximately 577 years since the Exodus. Similarly, God chose to reckon Isaac as Abraham’s “only son”, because this was the son born to Abraham by his WIFE, Sarah, who was a product of God's will, promise, and purpose (Gal 4:23). So there are layers of depth when exploring Scripture, especially when it pertains to prophecy. Things are hardly as they appear to be at face value. With regards to Jesus Christ, God ensured that, like the reference of “only Son”, there were numerous other prophetic testimonies, that in the context of the Old Testament Scripture may not make much sense, but when viewed in the paradigm of the New Testament it fits perfectly like a glove in hand without any reasonable doubt, even when scrutinized by extra-biblical sources. We'd explore a few of these prophetic testimonies from the Old Testament, just like the second covenant with Abraham that we're discussing. The first Covenant as we've shown could NOT encompass the scope that the second Covenant was meant to cover, i.e. the WHOLE world. Though Scope is one of the major distinctions, I must highlight that there are other significant distinguishing factors between the Old and New Covenants. One of such is that the Law of the Old Covenant was external, while that of the New Covenant was internalized. I'd explain more after the following Passage: Jeremiah 31:31-34 [31] “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I WILL MAKE A NEW COVENANT with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. [32] IT WILL NOT BE LIKE THE COVENANT I MADE WITH THEIR ANCESTORS when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because THEY BROKE My covenant, though I was a Husband to them,” declares the Lord. [33] “This is the COVENANT I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I WILL PUT MY LAW IN THEIR MINDS and WRITE IT ON THEIR HEARTS. I will be their God, and they will be My people. [34] No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will ALL know Me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins NO MORE.” NIV Just a quick note for my Christian brethren who have inadvertently mischaracterized the word “law”, especially in the “Grace/Law debate”. Notice that the New Covenant is NOT lawless, but rather God decided to internalize His Law in each individual’s heart and mind (v33); and this is made possible by the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 59:21, Ezekiel 36:26-29, 11:19-21, John 14:26, 1 John 2:27). Moses would have loved for ALL those in the Old Covenant to have the Holy Spirit, but that was not obtainable then (Num 11:29). The Law, in the Old Testament, was external and had to be studied, and learned (Deut 6:6-9, 20-24, 2 Chron 17:7-9, Neh 8:1-9 *v8*); otherwise, ignorance would prevail in the population and they would stray from God (Mal 2:7-8, Hosea 4:6). But in the New Covenant people would not necessarily need to be taught by others (Jer 31:33-34), but rather the Holy Spirit from God dwelling in each person would TEACH them to do what was right (Isaiah 59:21, 30:21, Ezekiel 36:26-29, 11:19-21, John 14:26, 1 John 2:27). In other words, God made Himself responsible for directly teaching each person by His Spirit, and ENABLING them to obey His commands. But note that after being taught and guided by the Holy Spirit, each individual would still have the responsibility to OBEY and do what's right. The Holy Spirit doesn't force anyone to do what's right, He only eliminates the ignorance of not knowing what's right and offers assistance to whoever is WILLING to do the right thing (John 3:20-21, Luke 6:45, 2 Thess 2:16-17, 2 Cor 9:8, **Acts 5:32**). Sadly, it is still possible to reject His counsel and choose to do the wrong thing (Gal 5:16-18, Eph 4:26-31, Heb 10:26-31). So, the testimony in the Old Testament regarding the New Covenant once again matches perfectly with the doctrines of Christianity. A Jew cannot prove by the tenets of the Law (Exodus - Deuteronomy) any of the promises that God presented in the New Covenant (Gen 22:18), even as we've seen regarding the internalization of the Law (Jer 31:33-34, Isaiah 59:21, Rom 7:6, 2 Cor 3:3). I know that you may be tired of hearing it, but I'd say it once more: the tenets of the Law were limited to the LAND and its inhabitants, but the second covenant involved the WHOLE world. For this reason, you can't find a command in the Old Covenant Law that directly BLESSES the WHOLE world, but on the contrary, you'll find a number of Jesus’s commands that do just that. For starters, Jesus Christ commanded His disciples to be salt and light to the WORLD; hence, the goodness they manifest would cause the people of the WORLD to praise God (Matt 5:13-16, 2 Cor 9:12-15). In other words, this goodness that Christians are commanded to manifest in the Name of Christ even in difficult circumstances (Col 3:23-24, Rom 12:14-21, 1 Peter 2:12), would be a BLESSING to the people; so by inference, through Jesus Christ, the One on Whose behalf Christians act (2 Cor 5:14-15, Heb 13:21, Phil 2:13, 1 Peter 4:10-11), ALL nations on earth would be BLESSED (Gen 22:18). In addition to that, Jesus Christ commanded that LOVE should be the identifier by which EVERYONE would know that a person was His disciple (John 13:34-35, 15:12-13, 17-18). And this LOVE was not just limited to believers, but also was to be extended to unbelievers (Gal 6:9-10), and even those who positioned themselves as enemies (Matt 5:43-48, Rom 12:20-21). Notice how in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5,6&7, Jesus Christ introduced His Legal System that superseded the requirements of the Old Legal System, and His was to impact the WHOLE world. His Legal System is called GRACE (John 1:17, Rom 6:14, [Note that violating the “Spirit of Grace” is more grievous than violating the Law - Heb 10:28-29, Matt 12:31-32]). The Holy Spirit is the Administrator of this New Legal System. In other words, NOT being UNDER the Law, but under Grace, means that that person is being led by the Holy Spirit, through Whom they are liberated from being UNDER the Law (Rom 6:14, 8:14, Gal 5:18). It is the Holy Spirit that would teach the individual HOW to OBEY the Laws of this New Legal System called GRACE (John 14:26, 16:13, Titus 2:11-14). Without the Holy Spirit, it would be IMPOSSIBLE to truly understand and APPLY this New Legal System of GRACE (1 Cor 2:10-14, Rom 8:5-14). And still on the GLOBAL agenda, Jesus Christ came to defeat the devil and his instrumentality of sin and death (1 John 3:8, [James 1:14-15, Heb 2:14-15]), which he had used to hold people captive (2 Tim 2:26, Acts 8:23), and to also exert a FALSE claim over the earth (Ps 24:1, Luke 4:5-6). The devil does NOT have a legitimate claim over the earth, because God Who is the OWNER gave the earth for the dominion of mankind (Gen 1:26-28, Ps 115:16). The devil enticed mankind to sin so as to hold influence over him, and as such indirectly over the earth (2 Tim 2:26); a person's God/god is the one they choose to serve and carryout their God’s/god’s will (Rom 6:16-18, [Matt 6:9-10, 7:21], **Phil 3:18-19**); unfortunately, sin is pervasive in the world, so those who choose the way of the world (i.e. sin) have the devil as their god and yield to do his will (1 John 3:7-10, John 8:44-47, [1 John 2:15-17, James 4:4]). So Biblical references to the devil being the “god/prince of this world/age” are indicative of the fact that the people of the world have adopted him to be their god by choosing to do his will, which is sin (2 Cor 4:4, Eph 2:1-3). It is at the same time possible to be in the world, but NOT subject to the apparent “god/prince of this world/age”, if you become set free from sin through Jesus Christ (John 14:30-31, 17:14-19, 8:34-36, 1 John 5:18-19). Remember, your God/god is the one you serve (Rom 6:16). So the devil being the “god/prince of this world/age” does NOT however mean that he has ownership of the world as some have erroneously used Scripture to imply. It simply means that those who have chosen the ways of the world have him as their god. But Jesus Christ came as a Man to rightfully gain authority over the earth, because it was to mankind that God gave rulership over the world (Heb 2:6-9); and Jesus chose to serve God and NOT the devil (Luke 4:7-8); hence, He defeated the devil and gained authority over the WHOLE world (Matt 28:18, [Col 2:15, 1 Cor 2:8], Eph 1:20-22). And lastly, as Jesus Christ was about to ascend into Heaven, He gave His disciples the final Command and the Great Commission, which was to testify to the Good News (i.e. Gospel) to ALL the nations on earth, and teach them His commands, which essentially constitutes of LOVE, righteousness and faithfulness (Matt 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, Rom 1:16-17, [Eph 5:8-11, Col 3:12-17]). Clearly, you can see that everything Jesus Christ did matched with all that had been spoken in the Old Testament concerning the New Covenant. The New Covenant was to be anchored on a Person, and was to affect the WHOLE world (Gen 22:18); through this Person the teachings of justice and righteousness would fill the earth (Isaiah 42:1, 4, 6); and sin, which is the instrumentality of the devil, would be taken care of in this New Covenant (Jer 31:31&34, Isaiah 53:6, 8, 11-12, **Zech 3:8-9, Daniel 9:24**). Shortly, I'd expound on the prophecies concerning the last part about dealing with sin. Now Jesus Christ fulfilled all these conditions, but in contrast, the Old Covenant Law (Exodus - Deuteronomy) was incapable of fulfilling any of these. With all these, I believe you should be able to adequately delineate between the Old and New Covenants, and see exactly what sets them apart. As we move to conclude, let's once again address the question at hand, and view the prophetic Scriptures that give credence to ALL Jesus’s claims in the New Testament, especially with regards to BEARING the sins of the world. So the Law and Old Covenant held each person individually responsible for their sins (Ezekiel 18:20). This is a fact that I cannot debate against, and as a matter of fact I'm compelled to amplify it saying that, by the Law everyone is GUILTY before God (Lev 5:17, Romans 3:9-12, 19-20, 29-31, Isaiah 64:6). The Psalmist understood this reality, so he penned this prophetic Psalm acknowledging their sins, but at the same time asking God to let His Hand of judgment rest on the Man at His “right Hand”, so that they could return to worship God: Psalms 80:16-19 [16] Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire; AT YOUR REBUKE YOUR PEOPLE PERISH. [17] Let Your Hand rest on the Man AT Your right Hand, the Son of Man You have raised up for Yourself. [18] THEN we will NOT turn away from You; revive us, and we will call on Your Name. [19] RESTORE US, Lord God Almighty; make Your Face shine on us, THAT WE MAY BE SAVED. NIV One thing of note is that this Psalm (v17) places a Human Being in close proximity to God; this is noteworthy especially if you start exploring the subject of the Sonship of the Messiah (Prov 30:4). Anyway, we can't afford to have that diversion here. V16 shows that they were already experiencing the Judgment/rebuke of God; but their prayer was that God would transfer that wrath from them and cause the Man at His right Hand to BEAR it on their behalf (v17). And only THEN, would they no longer be in FEAR to turn away from God (Gen 3:8-10), but rather be able to return to Him and enjoy His SALVATION and restoration (v18-19). Still along the themes of the Psalm above, the following Passage ALSO apparently shows that God had reserved an INNOCENT Individual Who would BEAR the sins of others and the brunt of punishment FROM God, and then afterwards God would reward Him for this: Isaiah 53:5-6, 8, 10-12 NIV [5] But He was pierced FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS, He was crushed FOR OUR INIQUITIES; THE PUNISHMENT that brought us peace WAS ON HIM, and BY HIS WOUNDS we are healed. [6] We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and THE LORD HAS LAID ON HIM THE INIQUITY OF US ALL. … [8] By oppression and judgment He was taken away. Yet who of His generation protested? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people HE WAS PUNISHED. … [10] YET IT WAS THE LORD’S WILL TO CRUSH HIM AND CAUSE HIM TO SUFFER, and though THE LORD MAKES HIS LIFE AN OFFERING FOR SIN, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and THE WILL OF THE LORD WILL PROSPER IN HIS HAND. [11] AFTER He has suffered, He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge My Righteous Servant will JUSTIFY many, and HE WILL BEAR THEIR INIQUITIES. [12] Therefore I WILL GIVE HIM A PORTION AMONG THE GREAT, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life UNTO DEATH, and was numbered with the transgressors. FOR HE BORE THE SIN OF MANY, AND MADE INTERCESSION FOR THE TRANSGRESSORS. NIV I'd encourage you to read the above Passage again slowly, paying close attention to the emphasis highlighted. The above Passage more than adequately answers the question we set out to explore, and it also marries nicely with the previous Psalm. There is so much that we could highlight from the Passage, but I'd like to point out just two things. V10 shows that God MADE “His Life an offering for sin” (John 1:29); this connects to the fact that the Second Covenant was anchored on a Person (Isaiah 42:6, Gen 22:18, Mal 3:1). And secondly, v11 unequivocally states that “He BORE the sins of MANY”. Everyone else is practically incapable of bearing the sins of others because they themselves have their own burden of sins to carry. Moreover, sin separates people from God, and it is God Himself Who is in a position to initiate reconciliation through forgiveness (Isaiah 59:2, 2 Sam 14:14). So someone who has sin in them, even if it is a speck (James 2:10), they have no moral standing to approach the Holy God. Hence, such a person who lacks the moral standing to approach God on their own behalf, is also NOT qualified to approach God on behalf of other people. But the Man referenced in Isaiah 53 was found to be INNOCENT and BLAMELESS (v9), thus having no sin burden of His own, and as such freeing Him to carry the burden of others (John 14:30-31, Heb 4:15, [2:17-18, Matt 4:1], Matt 11:28). And because of His righteous standing, He affords the legitimate Channel through which people can approach God (John 14:6, Eph 2:18, 3:12, Heb 10:19-22). And if there was any doubt that Jesus Christ was the Person being referred to in Isaiah 53, the Person Who would BEAR the sins of others and bring about their JUSTIFICATION (v11-12), then let's highlight just one more prophecy before we conclude: Daniel 9:24-26 NIV [24] “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, TO PUT AN END TO SIN, TO ATONE FOR WICKEDNESS, TO BRING IN EVERLASTING RIGHTEOUSNESS, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place. [25] “Know and understand this: FROM THE TIME the word goes out TO RESTORE AND REBUILD JERUSALEM UNTIL the Anointed One, THE RULER, COMES, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, BUT IN TIMES OF TROUBLE. [26] After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ THE ANOINTED ONE WILL BE PUT TO DEATH and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will DESTROY THE CITY AND THE SANCTUARY. The end will come like a flood: war will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. NIV One of the reasons why this prophecy is significant in identifying Jesus Christ as the Messiah is that it highlights the cryptic circumstances of His era. First of all, v24 makes some very bold assertions that in that era there will be an end to sin, atonement will be accomplished, and EVERLASTING RIGHTEOUSNESS will come to be. These assertions connect both to Isaiah 53 and the claims of the New Testament; I'd refrain from elaborating on this so that we don't get sidetracked. V25 Clearly shows that the time period for the coming of the Messiah was AFTER the command to rebuild Jerusalem was given. And as such the Messiah would come when the city had already been rebuilt. It is critical to point out that the Messiah was to come in the time period of the Second Temple according to this prophecy. And then lastly, v26 clearly highlights the death of the Messiah, just like Isaiah 53:8-9&12; and it also highlights the critical detail that both the city and the Temple would be destroyed afterwards. And this is exactly what happened in 70 AD, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. Some Jews may not want to accept Jesus as the prophesied Messiah, but the Daniel prophecy affords them a limited choice; because if it's not Jesus, then they would have to find another person in that time era, who would at the same time fulfill the other prophecies associated with the Messiah. So Isaiah 53 showed that the Messiah would BEAR the sins of MANY, and His Life would be made an offering for sin (v10, 12). The Isaiah 42 prophecy showed that the Messiah Himself would be made a covenant for the people (v6); and this is corroborated by the Malachi prophecy, where the Messiah is referred to as the Messenger of the Covenant, and also as coming to His Temple, thus claiming that God’s Temple was His as well (Mal 3:1), a claim that only Jesus Christ has made (John 2:16, 10:30, 38, 16:15, 17:7&10). Furthermore, the Psalms and Daniel prophecy corroborate everything in Isaiah 53. The lines of connection keep going deeper as you explore more prophecies. The point is that the claims of Jesus Christ and the New Testament, even with regard to the question posed in this study, are not arbitrary, but rather DEEPLY ROOTED in the everlasting Word of God. I can only hope that this study has provided clarity in the subject we discussed, and other areas. And I pray that God would reveal His Truth to you and give you peace in your soul (Eph 1:17, Phil 4:6-7, 1 Tim 2:1-4). If you'd like to continue exploring more about Jesus Christ, Christianity, and Christian doctrines and practices, I'd encourage you to download the Free books below👇. Thanks for the privilege of your time. God bless and Shalom! For Current Post: https://daniel-olatunji-publications.netlify.app/HOW_CAN_JESUS_PAY_FOR_THE_SINS_OF_OTHERS/ For the Free PDF of "Early Steps in Christianity" (E.S.C): https://selar.com/EarlyStepsInChristianity For Paperback or Hardcover copies: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GKW4H91N For the Free PDF of "The Biblical Festivals of God" (TBFG): https://selar.com/TheBiblicalFestivalsOfGod For Paperback copies: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GKPP5N6J Follow-up Post to the book, TBFG: https://daniel-olatunji-publications.netlify.app/BIBLICAL_CIPHERS_AND_CODES-FULL_SERIES/ I'd like to also encourage you to go through the following resources: https://daniel-olatunji-publications.netlify.app/THE_ORIGINS_OF_EASTER/ https://daniel-olatunji-publications.netlify.app/JESUS_CHRIST_THE_PASSOVER_LAMB-FULL_SERIES/ https://daniel-olatunji-publications.netlify.app/THE_OLD_TESTAMENT_IS_THE_SHADOW_OF_THE_NEW_COVENANT/ https://daniel-olatunji-publications.netlify.app/What_Paul_Meant_by-The_Law_of_Sin_and_Death-Rom_7and8/ https://daniel-olatunji-publications.netlify.app/TO_BE_LIKE_JESUS_FULL_SERIES/ https://daniel-olatunji-publications.netlify.app/The_Premise_of_Christianity/ https://daniel-olatunji-publications.netlify.app/Jesus_The_Redeemer/ https://daniel-olatunji-publications.netlify.app/Building_on_Legacy/ #God #GodIsReal #Jesus #JesusChrist #Spirit #HolySpirit #TheLivingWord #Theology #BibleStudyWithDanielOlatunji #BibleStudy #TheBible #BibleSpeaks #Scripture #ScriptureTruth #BiblicalTruth #Truth #BiblicalTeaching #ChristianTeaching #ChristianApologetics #SoundDoctrine #TruthMatters #DefendTheFaith #KnowTheTruth #TheologyMatters #KingdomOfGod #GodsGrace #Christianity #ChristianContent #FaithExplained #ChristianFaith #TheChurch #Evangelism #ShareTheGospel #ShareTheTruth #GospelTruth #GoodNews #TheCross #HePaidItAll #FaithInChrist #FaithInJesus #FaithOverFear #RepentAndBelieve #ForgivenessOfSins #Forgiven #JesusChangesLives #BornAgain #Salvation #EternalLife #LightOfTheWorld #LightInDarkness #WordOfGod #ChristOurSavior #JesusSaves #JesusIsLord #ChristIsLord #JesusIsKing #Free #FreeBooks #EarlyStepsInChristianity #TheBiblicalFestivalsOfGod #GodsPlan #NewCovenant #Atonement #Priesthood #TheCross #FinishedWork #SubstitutionaryAtonement #ChristAlone #GraceAlone #GraceWins #FaithAlone #SolaScriptura #SinAndSalvation #Redemption #EndTimesReady #KingdomMindset #SpiritualAwakening

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✝️ The Death and Life of the Lord 🌅 The expressions of apostolic teaching must remain a beacon for us, where the Apostle declares: "For the death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God" (cf. Romans 6:10). Thus He lives in us, conquering sin, leading us towards repentance, sanctifying us by the Holy Spirit and by the blood of the New Covenant, which is better and greater than all the blood of the sacrifices of the Old Covenant. The precious Cross has become a fountain of salvation and life for us all. It is not a death substituted for a death, i.e., the death of the Lord as Adam died; for the Lord is the second Adam, "the Lord from heaven" (1 Corinthians 15:47). Rather, it is a death in which the Lord gathered three things: First: The true human nature capable of death, which He took from the Mother of God; for He is truly perfect man. Second: The death that reigned over all mankind. Third: The sentence of judgment: "You shall surely die." The Lord permitted death to approach Him by His embodied divine will, and therefore He said concerning His death: "I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again." And when death passed through His being, the sentence of judgment was executed, and He truly died. He accepted death in His humanity and tasted it in the flesh. But we must not forget that He who tasted death in the flesh is the very One who pronounced the sentence: "You shall surely die" (Genesis 2:17). He was exercising His divine authority as a just Judge, and therefore the Apostle said: "He condemned sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:3). #Cross #Salvation #DeathOfChrist #NewCovenant #Atonement #Judgment #Redemption