Eternal Life

The fact that the law concerning the priesthood has been changed therefore means, just as the writer of Hebrews said, that there has indeed been a change of the law governing God's people. Not part of it, the entire body of law. And there is nothing sacrilegious, heretical, or disrespectful to the Torah about this. It's the reality of the new birth in Christ. So let me say this loud and clear to everyone who speaks against my Jewish brother Paul, questions or challenges his authority and standing as an apostle, or otherwise seeks to subvert what he said and wrote. Not only did Peter view his epistles as inspired scripture, Christ himself said that Paul was his chosen vessel to bear his name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. What Paul said and wrote therefore bears the full authority of Christ himself, and woe to anyone who says or teaches otherwise, so take heed. It is in matters like this that the determination of who will be greatest and least in the kingdom is being made, or for that matter, who will be allowed to enter the kingdom and who will be told, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice flawless. Welcome to Call to Glory, the cutting edge weekly podcast dedicated to helping you know Christ, the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings. If this is your first time tuning in, please be sure to like, share, comment, and subscribe. In this episode, we're going to answer one of the most important and hotly debated questions in all of Christianity, and for that matter, Messianic Judaism in all of its various forms. What law are we under as bloodbought disciples of Christ? The law of Moses has not been abolished or anything of the sort. That's it. End of story. However, this does not ipso facto mean that God meant the Torah when he said he would put his law in our minds and write it on our hearts. Or that Christ meant the law of Moses when he said, If you love me, keep my commandments. He didn't, and here's why. First of all, that idea is based on the assumption that the law of Moses is the only expression of God's law we see in the Bible. It's not. So just because the law of Moses has not been abolished does not automatically mean we're under its authority. Now let me say that again, as this is where many sincere believers stumble. The fact that the law of Moses has not been abolished does not automatically mean that we're under its authority. Neither does it ipso facto mean that Christ meant the law of Moses when he said, If you love me, keep my commandments. You see, it's not an either or situation, as if the only possible choices are the law of Moses, or lawlessness, not at all. This is exactly why Paul can say things like, Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not. On the contrary, we establish the law, and the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good, but then turn right around and write, by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin, and you are not under law, but under grace. More about this shortly. Second and most importantly, the New Testament clearly says that those who are in Christ are not under the law of Moses. There are so many passages about this it shouldn't even be up for debate, and I'm not going to waste your time or mine doing so. As a Jewish believer who absolutely loves the Torah, let me say it loud and clear. If you are in Christ, you are not under the law of Moses. This is exactly what my Jewish brother Paul meant when he wrote, You are not under law, but under grace. And if there's still any doubt about this, he further explained that you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. Now Paul was neither contradicting himself nor, as so many misguided Bible teachers so confidently claim, contradicting what James wrote about justification by works. There's something much more glorious going on here that meets the casual eye, so without in any way disparaging or disrespecting the Torah, Paul and the other Jewish writers of the New Testament made it perfectly clear that those in Christ are dead to the law of Moses. And let's get real. Dead to the law means exactly what it sounds like. It no longer applies to us. We're no longer under its jurisdiction or authority. And you can't honestly whitewash this or spin it any other way. That's neither sacrilegious nor heretical. It's biblical truth. So let me be perfectly clear. Those who are in Christ are under a higher law, and the New Testament declares that the law of Moses is but a shadow of the good things to come. I'm not making this up. It's right in the tenth chapter of Hebrews. The writer of Hebrews further affirmed this by pointing out that there has been a change of the law with regard to the priesthood, and this is no small matter. Remember, under the law of Moses, the priesthood was strictly limited to those from the tribe of Levi, while the office of high priest was further limited to the lineage of Aaron. No exceptions. As the writer of Hebrews also pointed out, Moses said nothing about the tribe of Judah with regard to the priesthood, yet Christ is now our eternal high priest, and he is from the tribe of Judah, not Levi. Moreover, his office as high priest is not according to the order of Aaron, but according to the order of Melchizedek. This is a clear violation of the law of Moses. There's no way around it, and it only leaves two possibilities. Either Christ is a lawbreaker or something has changed. He's not a lawbreaker. He is the word of God, and only a pagan or heresy could even suggest otherwise. No, something has changed, and that something is the law that God is putting in our minds and writing on our hearts under the new covenant. It's neither the law of Moses, the quote unquote law of love, nor what some call the moral law as if the law of Moses can be divided into disposable categories. The fact that the law concerning the priesthood has been changed therefore means, just as the writer of Hebrews said, that there has indeed been a change of the law governing God's people. Not part of it, the entire body of law. And there is nothing sacrilegious, heretical, or disrespectful to the Torah about this. It's the reality of the new birth in Christ. You see, those who are in Christ have been translated to another kingdom, not allegorically, symbolically, or just as a catchy religious slogan. The kingdom of God, or if you prefer, the kingdom of heaven. Or, as it's also called in the Bible, the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of the Son of God's love. And just as Christ told Nicodemus, the only way to enter this kingdom is by the new birth. Again, not allegorically, symbolically, or as a catchy religious cliché, but the organic reality and power of having the life of Christ birthed and formed in us. Just as the Apostle Peter wrote, partakers of the divine nature, that's not New Age. That's the New Testament. And it's exactly what Paul meant when he wrote, He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of his Son, of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. And make no mistake, this kingdom is real and eternal, and it is governed by a higher, infinitely more demanding and glorious law than anything we see in the Torah, for that matter, anywhere else. It's the highest law in all of creation. It's what the Bible calls the law of God, possibly the law of Christ. It neither negates nor replaces the law of Moses. It fulfills it. It is the eternal law of God as it was from the beginning. And this is what Christ meant when he said, If you love me, keep my commandments. Let me explain. One of the major clues we have of this is when the Pharisees asked Christ whether it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason. In response to his statement, what God has joined together, let no man separate, they asked him, Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce and to put her away? Listen carefully to his answer. Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. Notice how Christ contrasted the concession made due to the hardness of their hearts with God's original standard for marriage. That's the issue. Right there in black and white, or in this case, red. It's not that there's anything inherently wrong or faulty with the law, or as so many ignorantly teach that the law is a curse, those are doctrines of devils. The problem is and always has been the heart of fallen man. And so until the issue of sin was finally dealt with, God in his mercy did not hold us to his highest standard, no more so than a parent holds his or her young child to the same standard of conduct as when that child later becomes a teenager. But with the advent of the new creation in Christ, things have changed. Which is exactly why Paul said that the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. You see, God is raising up sons. That requires us to come to full maturity, which, as Paul also wrote, is the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. It's the new covenant promise that God will put his law in our minds and write it on our hearts. You see, in Christ, God is restoring everything back to its original design, beauty, and glory, including his law, just as it was in the beginning. And this is exactly why those who are in Christ are held to an infinitely higher and more demanding standard than anything we see in the Torah. Again, it is just as Paul said, the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. And this is why it is so misleading to point God's people back to the Torah, and the law of Moses has God's eternal and highest standard of righteousness. Let me explain. Now it's written in the Torah, the sixth commandment is clear. Thou shalt not murder. That means homicide, pure and simple. Christ, however, said in no uncertain terms that if you even hate your brother in your heart, you're guilty of murder. Yet nowhere in the law of Moses does it say you're guilty of murder if you hate your brother in your heart, and yes, I know Leviticus 1917 says, You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but that is not the same as equating it with the capital crime of murder. That sure sounds like a new law to me, which in fact it is. What about the capital crime of adultery? Well, as written in the Torah, the seventh commandment is also perfectly clear, thou shalt not commit adultery. And that means the physical act of adultery, pure and simple. Christ, however, said in no uncertain terms that if you even lust after another in your heart, you're guilty of adultery. Yet nowhere in the law of Moses does it say you're guilty of adultery if you lust after another in your heart. It's just not there. Now many try to get around this by pointing to the tenth commandment, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. Well, I'm sorry, but once again, that is just not the same as equating lusting after another in your heart with the capital crime of adultery. This too is a new law. There's no way around it. Now these are just two of many other similar examples by which sincere but misguided teachers try to make the law of Moses say something it never did. They all miss the mark because each and every one of them in one way or another tries to change, add to, or alter what is written in the law of Moses, and that, brother, is a big problem. Moreover, where in the law is there any commandment to take up our cross and follow Christ? Or to resist the devil, or to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, or to not love the world, or for husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church, or to put off the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness, or Christ's new commandment to love one another, not as ourself, but as He has loved us. They're not there, not one. And this explains why the Bible contrasts the righteousness that is from the law of Moses with the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. Eternal be to Galatians chapter three. Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not, for if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. This is it. The law of Moses is holy, true, and righteous, but it was never designed or intended to lead us to eternal life. This again is exactly why Paul, contrasting his former life as a Pharisee with the new creation in Christ, could also say, But what things were gained to me? These I have counted lost for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. So then, what exactly are the commandments Christ was referring to, and what is the key to unlocking this? Simply stated, eternal life. You see, Christ is the way, the truth, the resurrection, and the life. The words he spoke are spirit and they are life. So just as Mary told the attendants at the wedding in Cana, the answer is, whatever Christ says to you, do it. Let me explain what I mean. By faith, we take everything he said, every single word, as a direct communication from God Himself and the lens through which we view and interpret everything written in the Hebrew scriptures, including the Torah. This in no way diminishes or denigrates what Moses wrote, but rather fulfills it just as God intended. We do not try to differentiate between what we think are commandments, inspired commentary, or sanctified opinion. We instead view everything he said as the absolute standard by which we order our thoughts, motives, words, and deeds. And not just what Christ said and did. We view the same with everything the apostles said and wrote. By faith we receive and submit to what they said and wrote as having the same authority as Christ Himself, which in fact they did. As Christ told the apostles, if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. And as led by the Holy Spirit, we do the same with the rest of the New Testament as well. Not as a matter of duty, but as his friends, and out of love for him, we see and value them for what they actually are the heart of God and the words of eternal life. This is exactly what the prophet Micah meant when he said, He has shown you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. And it is the polar opposite of what it means to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In other words, we either take it upon ourselves to decide what is good and evil, or we humbly submit to what God has said. It's really that simple. Let me give you a well-known example from 1 Corinthians chapter seven, where Paul contrasts the direct commandment of the Lord with his own commandment concerning marriage and divorce. Now to the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord. A wife is not to depart from her husband, but even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife, but to the rest I, not the Lord, say. If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. Now there should be no question in anyone's mind about what Paul described as the commandment of the Lord. But what he says to the rest, I, not the Lord, we're not confronted with a choice. Either use this as an excuse to dodge what Paul said because we've decided it's just his opinion, or by faith and out of love for Christ, humbly receive what he said as it truly is. The inspired word of God spoken with the same authority as if Christ himself had said it, which in fact is the case, since Paul was writing under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who is also the Spirit of Christ. So let me say this loud and clear to everyone who speaks against my Jewish brother Paul, questions or challenges his authority in standing as an apostle, or otherwise seeks to subvert what he said and wrote. Not only did Peter view his epistles as inspired scripture, Christ himself said that Paul was his chosen vessel to bear his name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. What Paul said and wrote therefore bears the full authority of Christ himself, and woe to anyone who says or teaches otherwise, so take heed. It isn't matters like this that the determination of who will be greatest and least in the kingdom is being made, or for that matter, who will be allowed to enter the kingdom, and who will be told, I never do you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. And this is how our profession of love for Christ will be judged. Simply stated, it is the extent to which we, by faith and out of love for Christ, voluntarily submit our thoughts, motives, actions, plans, and even our very lives to everything he and the apostles said, whether given as commandments, instructions, principles, exhortations, judgments, or even sanctified opinion. This then is what Christ meant when he said, If you love me, keep my commandments. And it can be summarized as follows. Whatever he and his apostles say to you, do it. It's that simple. So please, do not let anyone cheat you out of your reward with deceptive words that undermine the authority, inspiration, or validity of anything Christ, the apostles, or New Testament writers said. Every word, as recorded in a faithful and accurate translation of the Bible, was written under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and it is the fulfillment of everything that was written in the law and the prophets. Every commandment, instruction, exhortation, and judgment they gave is part of the eternal law of God and is to be read, understood, and kept accordingly. Not outwardly as when the law was written on tablets of stone, but inwardly, as we are being transformed from glory to glory into the image of Christ. This is the true grace of God in which we are to stand, and it leads to actual righteousness, leading to true holiness, which in the end will lead to eternal life. There is no higher law or calling in all of creation, as it is written, and this is the testimony that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his son. He who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. If this is your first time tuning in, please be sure to like, share, comment, subscribe, and ring the bell so you can be notified whenever we post new episodes. If you like what you've heard today, please also leave a review wherever you're listening to this podcast. Tell us what you loved about this episode, how they have helped or encouraged you, or you can simply leave a comment about any other topics you'd love to hear us cover in the future. Finally, remember to always keep your lamps trimmed, lit, and full of oil. Shalom and see you next time.