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LAW
FULFILLED
The
Church has been divided by many things in the past but none
so much as the Faith versus Works and the Grace versus Law
issues and these disputes stem from the differences between
the Old Covenant LAW based on works and the New Covenant
Grace based on Faith.
Even
Paul disputed with Peter over this matter
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Galatians 2:11-21
But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to
the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that
certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles:
but when they were come, he withdrew and separated
himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him;
insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with
their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked
not uprightly according to the TRUTH of the Gospel, I
said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew,
livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the
Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do
the Jews? We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners
of the Gentiles, Knowing that
A MAN IS NOT JUSTIFIED BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW, BUT BY
THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST,
even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might
be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the
works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no
flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be
justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found
sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God
forbid. For if I build again the things which I
destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through
the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto
God. I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST: neverthless I live;
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which
I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son
of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. I do
not frustrate the Grace of God: for if righteousness
come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. |
It seems Peter
was playing both sides against the middle as far as Old
Covenant LAW and New Covenant GRACE and Paul challenged him
on it face to face. Paul revealed that a man can never be
justified by the works of the Law but only by FAITH.
Many Jewish Christians were none to happy about this as the
OLD COVENANT LAW was their whole way of life and they wanted
to burden the new Gentile believers with the Old Covenant
Jewish customs and laws.
But
Peter spoke up.
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Acts 15:7-10
And when there had been much disputing,
Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren,
ye know how that a good while ago God made choice
among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear
the word of the Gospel, and believe. And God, which
knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the
Holy Ghost, even as He did unto us; And put no
difference between us and them, purifying their hearts
by Faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a
yoke upon the neck of the disciples,
WHICH NEITHER OUR FATHERS OR WE WERE ABLE TO BEAR? |
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Acts 15:19-20
Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them,
which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But
that we write unto them, that they
abstain from pollutions
of idols, and from fornication, and from things
strangled, and from blood. |
After this, they changed their tune and the HOLY SPIRIT
thought it was fitting to "burden" the Gentiles with only a
few "LAWS".
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Acts 15:23-29
The Apostles and elders and brethren send greeting
unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch
and Syria and Cilicia. Forasmuch as we have heard,
that certain which went out from us have troubled you
with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be
circumcised, and keep the law: to whom WE GAVE NO SUCH
COMMANDMENT: It seemed good unto us, being assembled
with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our
beloved Barnabas and Paul, Men that have hazarded
their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We
have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also
tell you the same things by mouth.
FOR IT SEEMED GOOD
TO THE HOLY GHOST, and to us, to lay upon you no
greater burden than these necessary things;
That ye
abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood,
and from things strangled, and from fornication: from
which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well.
Fare ye well. |
So what is the TRUTH of the Faith versus Works and the Grace
versus Law issues?
Here is a Scripture I would like you to ponder on ...
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Matthew 5:17-19
Think not that I am come to destroy the law,
or the Prophets:
I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For verily I say unto you, Till Heaven and Earth pass,
one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the
law,
till all be fulfilled. Whosoever
therefore shall break one of these least commandments,
and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least
in the Kingdom of Heaven: but whosoever shall do and
teach them, the same shall be called great in the
Kingdom of Heaven. |
Jesus
has made it clear in the Scripture just presented that the
Law will not change until Heaven and Earth pass away. He
also made it clear that any who teacheth against the
commandments shall be least in the Kingdom of Heaven which
does NOT sound good.
I
would like to reveal to you a few Scriptures in which Jesus
quoted LAW from the Old Covenant and then revealed the TRUE
definition of said law. Make sure you are tuned in to the
Holy Spirit as to discern what is being shared cuz it gets
very interesting.
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Matthew
5:21-22
Ye have
heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt
not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger
of the judgment: BUT I SAY UNTO YOU, That whosoever is
angry with his brother without a cause shall be in
danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his
brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but
whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of
hell fire. |
Do you
see how Jesus revealed the SPIRITUAL ESSENCE OF THE LAW
which was contrary to the carnal understanding of man? Here
is another example:
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Matthew
5:27-29
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time,
Thou shalt not commit adultery: BUT I SAY UNTO YOU,
That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her
hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and
cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that
one of thy members should perish, and not that thy
whole body should be cast into hell. |
Jesus is not CHANGING the LAW but rather
DEFINING IT from a SPIRITUAL point of view ... GODS. Here is
another ...
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Matthew
5:38-42
Ye have heard that it hath been said,
An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say
unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other
also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and
take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him
twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that
would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
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Notice how this
interpretation of the LAW is quite CONTRARY to how one would
perceive it had they just read the original LAW the way it
had been written? Instead of retaliating against one that
hurts you as the LAW appears to suggest, Jesus defines it
MUCH differently. In TRUTH
It is the exact OPPOSITE.
Just like this next one is
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Matthew 5:43-45
Ye have heard that it hath been said,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
BUT I SAY UNTO YOU, Love your enemies, bless them that
curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for
them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in
Heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and
on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the
unjust.
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Again this is a complete
opposite interpretation than what one would understand the
LAW to be suggesting.
Then
there is the most popular one ...
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John 8:3-7
And the scribes and Pharisees brought
unto Him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had
set her in the midst, They say unto Him, Master, this
woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now
Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be
stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting
Him, that they might have to accuse Him. But Jesus
stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground,
as though He heard them not. So when they continued
asking Him, He lifted up Himself, and said unto them,
He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a
stone at her. |
The
LAW in the OLD COVENANT said this woman was to be stoned,
but Jesus made it clear that those who were without sin
should cast the first stone KNOWING she would NOT be stoned
which is CONTRARY to mans carnal perception of the LAW.
This Scripture pretty
much sums it up for me as far as Religious souls who think
they are justified by the LAW and are better than Sinners
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Luke 18:10-14
Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a
Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood
and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that
I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust,
adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in
the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the
publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much
as his eyes unto Heaven, but smote upon his breast,
saying, God be merciful to me a SINNER. I tell you,
this man went down to his house justified rather than
the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall
be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be
exalted. |
But remember what Jesus said
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Matthew 5:17-19
Think not that I am come to destroy the law,
or the Prophets:
I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For verily I say unto you, Till Heaven and Earth pass,
one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the
law,
till all be fulfilled. Whosoever
therefore shall break one of these least commandments,
and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least
in the Kingdom of Heaven: but whosoever shall do and
teach them, the same shall be called great in the
Kingdom of Heaven. |
So
How do we comprehend
such different interpretations? I mean the LAW of the Old
Covenant and the interpretation of Jesus are COMPLETELY
different, at least from a carnal point of view. We know
Jesus is not DESTROYING the LAW so whats up?
The answer is
Jesus is not changing the law of the OLD COVENANT but rather
defining THE SAME LAWS as it is in the NEW COVENANT. But how
is He FULFILLING the LAW?
What is the FULFILLMENT of the LAW? Check this out
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Romans 13:8-10
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another:
for
he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt
not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear
false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be
any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in
this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour:
therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. |
LOVE
is the FULFILLMENT of the LAW in the New Covenant.
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Mark 12:28-31
And one of the scribes came, and having heard them
reasoning together, and perceiving that He had
answered them well, asked Him, Which is the first
commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first
of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord
our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is
the first commandment. And the second is like, namely
this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There
is none other commandment greater than these. |
LOVE
IS AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT IN THE NEW COVENANT. AS IS MERCY
AND FORGIVENESS
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Matthew 9:13
But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have
mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance. |
The
New Covenant is based on the LAWS of the Old Covenant but
Jesus has made it OBVIOUS that the interpretation of the LAW
as it applies to the New Covenant is NOT the same as the
perception of those bound by the Old Covenant.
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Romans 3:19-24
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it
saith to them who are
under the law:
that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may
become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of
the law there shall no flesh be justified in His
sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now
the righteousness of God without the law is
manifested, being witnessed by the law and the
Prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by
faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that
believe: for there is no difference: For all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being
justified freely by His Grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus ... |
According to the
Word of God
The Laws of the Old Covenant became a CURSE
when mankind had failed to keep the Covenant made between
God and the Jewish people and those who try and hold to the
Old Covenant are BOUND by the Curse.
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Galatians 3:10-14
For as many as are of the works of the law are
UNDER THE CURSE:
for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth
not in all things which are written in the book of the
law to do them. But that
NO MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW
in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just
shall live by faith. And the
LAW IS NOT OF FAITH:
but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
CHRIST
HATH REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW,
being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed
is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing
of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus
Christ; that we might receive the promise of the
Spirit through FAITH. |
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Galatians 3:21-25
Is the law then against the promises of God? God
forbid: for if there had been a law given which could
have given life, verily righteousness should have been
by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under
sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might
be given to them that believe. But before faith came,
we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith
which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law
was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we
might be justified by faith. But after that faith is
come, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER THE SCHOOLMASTER. |
Jesus
is the END or FULFILLMENT of the law
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Romans 10:4
For
Christ
is the end of the law
for righteousness to every one that believeth.
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So
what Fulfills the LAW?
LOVE OF CHRIST WITHIN US TOWARD ONE ANOTHER
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Galatians 5:13-14
For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only
use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by
love serve one another.
For all the law is fulfilled in one Word, even in
this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. |
So
we need FAITH and LOVE to fulfill LAW.
NOT
TEACHERS OF OLD COVENANT LAW.
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1 Timothy 1:5-11
Now the end of the
commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a
good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
From which some having swerved have turned aside unto
vain jangling; Desiring to be
TEACHERS OF THE LAW;
understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they
affirm. But we know that the law is good, if a man use
it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made
for a righteous man, but for the lawless and
disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for
unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and
murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For
whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with
mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured
persons, and if there be any other thing that is
contrary to sound doctrine; According to the glorious
gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my
trust. |
LOVE ONE ANOTHER
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James 2:8-13
If ye fulfil the royal law according
to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself, ye do well:
But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and
are convinced of the law as transgressors. For
whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in
one point, he is guilty of all. For He that said, Do
not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if
thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art
become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so
do, as they that shall be judged by the law of
liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy,
that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against
judgment. |
It is very simple
IF
you truly LOVE ONE ANOTHER, you fulfill the law as you would
never kill, steal or commit adultery against those you love.
So the works of God is to BELIEVE in Jesus and LOVE ONE
ANOTHER
Take
care and have a SON-derful day
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