THE RELEVANCE OF THE LAW

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YAHSHUA (JESUS) SAID:

(Based on Matthew 5:17 & 18)

BEFORE THE LAW GOD MADE PROMISES TO ABRAHAM.

The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2 & 3, also see Genesis 12:7, & Genesis 15:18 – 20).

THE COVENANT OF CIRCUMCISION – THE PROMISE FOR A BLESSED LIFE IN AN EARTHLY KINGDOM

“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:4 – 8, read to verse 14 for details on circumcision).

WHAT VALUE HAS CIRCUMCISION?

Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. If those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? (Romans 2:25 & 26).

THE LAW – THE 10 COMMANDMENTS (part of the SINAITIC COVENANT/AGREEMENT)

And God spoke all these words: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

“You shall have no other gods before me.

“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

“Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

“You shall not murder.

“You shall not commit adultery.

“You shall not steal.

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.

“You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.” (Exodus 20:1 – 17).

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW?

It was added because of transgressions (sins) until the Seed to whom the promise referred (Yahshua) had come. (Based on Galatians 3:19), note Isaiah chapter 24 (verse 5).

WHAT IS A TRANSGRESSION (SIN)?

Whoever commits a sin, also breaks the law, for sin is the breaking of the law. (Based on 1 John 3:4).

YAHSHUA WARNS US

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. I tell you the truth, 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. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17 – 20).

WHY DO WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF SIN?

[…] the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Messiah Yahshua our Lord. (Romans 6:23).

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Messiah. (Galatians 6:1 & 2).

WE MUST EXAMINE OURSELVES

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:3 – 5).

CONFESS YOUR SINS TO YAHSHUA

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Yahshua the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14 – 16).

THE LAW HAS LIMITATIONS

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. (James 2:10).

THE LAW AND FAITH

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his (God‘s) sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Yahshua Messiah to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Messiah Yahshua. (Romans 3:20 – 24).

THE LOVE OF GOD (GRACE), OVERCOMES MAN’S INABILITY TO FULLY KEEP THE LAW

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).

THE PROMISES FOR ETERNAL LIFE IN A HEAVENLY KINGDOM

[Yahshua said], “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit (i.e. baptised). Flesh gives birth to flesh (see Genesis 17:1 – 14), but the Spirit gives birth to spirit (see Matthew 3:13 – 17). (based on John 3:5&6).

[…] Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Yahshua answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (based on John 14:1 – 6).

WARNINGS CONCERNING GRACE

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and

thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Messiah even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:1 – 5).

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (Romans 6:1 &2 ).

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:26 – 31).

CONCLUSIONS

This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Yahshua is the Son of God. (1 John 2:3 – 5).

For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. (Hebrews 13:14).

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (1 Corinthians 4:18).

See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken–that is, created things–so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:25 – 29).

THOUGHT: “Those that forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them” – (Proverbs 28:4). •

ESSENTIAL STUDY MATERIAL:

Genesis chapters 1 – 3, (all), (Creation).
Genesis 6:1 – 9:17, (The Flood).
Exodus chapters 19 – 23, (all), (The Law).
The first five books of the bible, Genesis – Deuteronomy, provide a detailed account of The Law, reasons for its implementation and its effects.
Proverbs chapter 2, (all), (Wisdom).
Isaiah 8:11 – 9:7 (Prophecy Concerning Yahshua).
Ezekiel 36:24 – 27, (Promise of a ‘New Heart’).
Malachi chapter 4, (all), (The Judgement).
Matthew chapters 1 – 7, (all), (Yahshua’s Teaching).
Matthew chapters 11, 23 & 24 (all), (Yahshua’s Teaching).
Matthew chapters 26 – 28, (all), (The Crucifixion).
John 6:25 – 71, & 4:1 – 26, (Bread & Water of Life).
John chapter 14, (all), (The Holy Spirit).
Acts 15:1 – 35, (Instructions for Non-Jews).
Romans chapters 2, 3, 4, 8, 13 & 14 (all), (Law, Faith, The Holy Spirit, Law & Authority, Disputable Matters).
1 Corinthians 10:1 – 13, (Warnings From History).
1 Timothy 4:1 – 10, (General Instructions).
Hebrews chapters 8 – 12, (all), (Priesthoods & Faith).
Galatians chapters 3&4 (all), & 6:12 – 15, (Law & Circumcision) see also Jeremaih 9:23 – 26.
Titus 1:10 – 16. (+ Genesis 34 (all), Circumcision).
2 Peter 1:3 – 25, (Hope & Attitude).
2 Peter chapter 2, [& Jude] (all), (False Teachers).
2 Thessalonians 2:1 – 12, (The Man of Lawlessness).
Revelation chapters 12, 14, 21 & 22, (all), (End Times & Heaven).

“If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” (Matthew ch 19, verses 17).

THE RELEVANCE OF THE LAW

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