Like a chestnut tree

 And it will be righteousness for us if we are careful to follow all this commandment before the Lord our God, just as He commanded us. (v. 25)

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (v. 5)

You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. (v. 13)

There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. (1 John 4:18)

God has been teaching His people by His words and works throughout history. And Israel’s history teaches the churches today what God has truly intended from the beginning.

The Israelites were promised blessings if they kept the law. The law required them to love and fear God. But we all know very well that we cannot love someone out of fear. Neither can we make ourselves love someone by our will and effort.

It is Moses who gave the Israelites the law and was the mediator of the old covenant. Moses could not enter the promised land because he was bound to the old covenant. He was the representative of the conditional covenant. The conditional covenant requires faith, not just works shown outside.

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Since you did not trust in Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, for that reason you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12)

It was not that God did not love Moses. But what happened in the wilderness taught the Israelites and still teaches about the Messiah who would free them from sin and punishment. Jesus Christ did not need to obey the law perfectly to give us righteousness. If so, our righteousness would still be tied to the law. He came to change our status from slaves to children of God. Obeying God’s commandments requires a change of a person, a new heart.

Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and bring it about that you walk in My statutes, and are careful and follow My ordinances. (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

Verse 25 tells us that the old covenant was given for us to understand why the new covenant is different from the old. Righteousness depending on our works is impossible and perishable. Righteousness from faith given by God is eternal because God gives us faith. God gave us the Son and the Spirit. Once declared righteous, we are eternally righteous before God. This righteousness is not from works of the law but from God. Only God is righteous. If God declares that this one and that one are born in Zion, they are children of God. Verse 25 was given so that we would understand why the old covenant must be replaced by the new.

The LORD will count when He registers the peoples, “This one was born there.” Selah (Psalm 87:6)

One thing we need to bear in mind is that Moses was required to have complete trust in God. Does that mean faith has been the real condition for salvation? Moses hit the rock twice at Meribah and God was angry with Moses. Moses could not enter the promised land because of what he did. We all know that the promised land symbolizes the kingdom of God. Can any saint lose salvation based on his/her faith?

Whether the law or faith, salvation does not depend on a condition. It is easy to think that one must have faith in God to be saved. But we know that the new covenant is completely unconditional and grace is total and absolute grace.

Apostle Paul understood that faith is useless without love. Faith without love is not true faith. He concluded that love is what God wants. Many think that faith makes them righteous as if it is a condition for justification. It is not a condition but a feature of a reborn person. It is a work of the Holy Spirit. The children of God trust that our Father will fulfill all the promises written in the Bible. Those promises lead us to the kingdom of God, where its foundation is love.

Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away with; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with. For we know in part and prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away with. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:8-13)

The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, all of us who are alive here today. (V. 5)

What I am saying is this: the Law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise. (Galatians 3:17-18)

And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:11-12)

The Reformation in the 16th century was God’s grace shown to the afflicted who were slaves of false Christianity. However, the Reformation changed its course and started to teach people lies about God. Theologians modified Anselm’s erroneous theory called the Active Obedience of Christ. Then the Protestant churches turned to law-based salvation. Many cult religions have one thing in common – misinterpretation of the law, especially the Ten Commandments.

The law of God is about love (agape).

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40)

This love is not something we can generate. We do not have love in us. Similarly, we are not born with faith or knowledge of God. We are born dead. We are born blind. We do not know God until the Holy Spirit comes and makes us understand God’s words.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. (1 John 4:18-19)

When interpreting the Ten Commandments, we need to understand the reason why God gave the law. Self-sacrificing love is not something that we can earn by will and effort. When we read 1 Corinthians 13, we admire the greatness of love (agape). But that does not mean we can love. Likewise, we admire the holiness of the law, but that does not mean we can keep the law or become holy by keeping the law.

I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully agree with the law of God in the inner person, but I see a different law in the parts of my body waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin, the law which is in my body’s parts. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7:21-25)

The Ten Commandments were given for us to know God’s love for His people. The Father’s love is given to us so that we would love one another. And we understand God’s love shown in the cross of Christ. We eagerly wait for the kingdom of God where love is abundant and flows unceasingly.

We must keep in mind that Christ came to free us from slavery. All humans are born to be destined for destruction. The law reveals that we are sinners. Where there is no law, conscience acts as the law as written in Romans 2:14-16. And yet, Christ did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. The written code kills while God’s love (agape) resurrects people. The law as the written code leads us to God’s love shown in the cross of Christ eventually but it does not bring life.

Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. (Matthew 5:17)

Therefore the Law has become our guardian to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24)

Then the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—there was only a voice. (v.12)

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24)

Verse 12 teach us that we cannot see God. In the world, people judge everything by what they see. It is clear that most churches have gone astray because they put much emphasis on appearances. They build large church buildings and ministers and priests wear specially made robes on Sundays. Churches have choirs and sing men-made songs. It is all about how they look and hear. Christians are not interested in hearing God’s words. They are delighted when they hear lies about God. They seek after anything that can please their eyes and ears. They make images of God from their imagination.

Numerous miracles were shown to the Israelites. But they did not know God. Did God fail to make Himself known? No. This was God’s plan. What does Israel’s history teach us?

Or has a god ventured to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation by trials, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, just as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord, He is God; there is no other besides Him. (vv. 34-35)

The Bible says that the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. However, we see that the Israelites faced a new form of slavery because of the law given by God after the exodus. Most of them died in the wilderness because of disobedience. Israel’s history is written for us to understand why God gave them the law. The law brings slavery. Blessings rooted in obedience brings slavery because they are taken away when one disobeys. In the old covenant, we must obey first to receive blessings from God. But the new covenant teaches that we receive blessings first just as what happened between Abraham and Melchizedek.

And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who has handed over your enemies to you.” And he gave him a tenth of everything. (Genesis 14:19-20)

In the father-son relationship, a father loves his son and gives all he needs first and his son obeys his father because of his love for him. Likewise, our relationship with God is not something we earn by works. We cannot earn grace by works.

From the beginning, only those who trusted God wholeheartedly were saved. This rule was applied to Adam and Eve because their rebellion was rooted in disbelief. They were unfaithful. Faith requires knowing the person whom we trust. Faith and knowledge of God are inseparable. This knowledge of God requires us to be one with God. In other words, we must have His Spirit and become His children. The only way to be His children is through His only begotten Son. That is the whole reason of all creation. God wanted to create a bride, a lifelong partner and friend who loves and trusts in Him.

But as for My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring him into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it. (Numbers 14:24)

Christians think that children will obey God better if they are taught the Ten Commandments in youth. It is important that children are taught about God and His words. But churches use the Ten Commandments to make them blindly obey the church authorities. I have met people who are in their 60s and are still struggling with the guilt of not following the Ten Commandments perfectly and experiencing difficulty in understanding freedom and grace. Hypocrites in churches do not judge themselves but judge others because their job is to enslave people. They also promote sinning as Balaam did. I see that Christians are back in the wilderness or even in Egypt. The law teaches about God and makes us realize our sinful nature. Every day we praise God for sending His Son to die for us and make us children of God. We carry our own cross to follow Him. We are already living eternal life because of the blood of Christ.

With this in mind, it is very absurd to say that Christ kept the law perfectly all His life for us to gain eternal life. We must not think that our righteousness is rooted in the perfect keeping of the law, which 17th-century reformers taught. The Westminster Confession of Faith, The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, and the Savoy Declaration of 1658 are erroneous and even dangerous. These documents lead people to think that our life is from the perfect keeping of the law. The history of the world after the 17th century proves that churches have gone astray from truth.

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:2)

We utterly destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children of every city. (v. 6)

When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy them?” But He turned and rebuked them [and He said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”] And they journeyed on to another village. (Luke 9:54-56)

From the history of the world, we learn that people have been killing others in the name of religion. It is still happening today. The Crusades, colonization, and enslaving people are a few of the examples that happened in the last 1000 years. The problems we have in the world are largely from the misunderstanding of the OT. The Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism dominate the Protestant churches. But they give the wrong understanding of the OT.

God does not promote killing people based on their religion. The annihilation of the idolators in the OT indicated God’s intolerance of unbelief (disobedience) that brings death. All who reject God will be rejected by Him. They will be eternally condemned. We do not know who are true Christians. If we kill anyone based on his/her religion, we make ourselves God. It is rebellion.

Killing of idolaters and their children is a shadow of what will happen when Christ comes back. There will be no death for God’s chosen people. There will be no unbelief (disobedience) that brings death in the coming world. This does not mean that we would have greater power and will to obey God perfectly in the coming world. Our life is not from perfect keeping of the law. We become the children of God and obey and love Him from our new hearts. This is the promise of the new covenant. This work has been completed by our Lord, Jesus Christ. And this good work is continued by the Holy Spirit.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, As on the day of Massah in the wilderness, … (Psalm 95:8)

… while it is said, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME.” (Hebrews 3:15)

But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass through his land; for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to hand him over to you, as he is today. (Deuteronomy 2:30)

But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, just as the LORD had said. (Exodus 8:15)

The Book of Hebrews is summarized in one word: faith. The writer quoted from Psalm 95 in Hebrews 3. Psalm 95 is about faith. The hardening of one’s heart means disbelief. The Pharaoh who opposed Moses did not believe in God. Despite seeing and experiencing the miracles done by Moses, he did not believe that Jehovah God made all things. He trusted his own gods made by men.

Many think that faith is something we can choose to have. But the Bible says that God makes people’s hearts hardened. So is God responsible for unbelief? If one lives by faith, shouldn’t God give faith to all humans? When we focus on our salvation, we misunderstand God and His will. God who created all things can do anything He wants. His purpose in creating all things is His kingdom. Therefore, when we understand this, God is righteous and just as the Bible describes.

God chose some people before they were born to be made into His kingdom. God uses the devil and his followers to train His people in this world. From the saints’ point of view, God is righteous and just. God will bring justice when the time comes although we suffer in this world. We acknowledge that God is King of kings and Lord of lords.

However, the unbelievers and the false Christians think that God is unjust. They think they do enough good work to deserve eternal life in glory. But they do not understand God’s will. In other words, they do not know God.

God gives His people knowledge, understanding, and wisdom and makes them repent of their sins. God is gracious and compassionate to His saints. His loving-kindness endures forever. But God does not forgive the devil or his followers because they represent rebellion and disobedience. They do not acknowledge that God is King of kings and Lord of lords. They say that they have will and power. So God judges them according to their actions and what is in their hearts.

“Do not harden your heart” is a warning for the saints to stay away from the ways of the evil people. It does not indicate that we can choose to believe in God. The devil and his followers exist for our training. They cannot take away God’s promise to us.

But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass through his land; for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to hand him over to you, as he is today. (Deuteronomy 2:30)

Yet in spite of all this, you did not trust the LORD your God … (v.32)

And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. (Hebrews 3:19)

Then they rejected the pleasant land; they did not believe His word (Psalm 106:24)

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written: “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS ONE WILL LIVE BY FAITH.” (Romans 1:17)

I think most young Christians read the Bible up to Exodus and gradually lose interest as I did in my youth because of the lengthy writing of the law and the history of Israel nation. The law was the basis of the Mosaic covenant. However, the law allowed us to realize the difference between the Creator and humans. Paul wrote about this clearly in the Romans and the Galatians.

God did not give a different condition for salvation before Jesus came. Although we conveniently divide the Bible into two sections – the Old Testament and the New Testament, the Bible talks about the same thing from the beginning to the end. God has been faithful and consistent in what He has been trying to tell His people.

God’s true purpose of creating all things is His kingdom of the priests rooted in love (agape). We must understand why God gave the Israelites the law and punished them for their disobedience in the wilderness. God made them suffer for our education. So what can we learn from the history of the Israel nation?

It was not that the Israelites did not see enough miracles performed by God. Although their eyes saw many miracles, their eyes were blind to see and understand God. For this reason, I emphasized on the knowledge of the Trinity from the start. It is not the works that determine one’s character. It is the other way around. Therefore, we do not understand God’s works without knowing Him. But how do we know Him? We know Him by reading the Bible which contains God’s own words and works. Only by the power of the Holy Spirit, we understand God through the Bible.

If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” (John 10:37-38)

It is believed that Moses wrote the first five Books of the Bible. The fifth Book is Deuteronomy. It may appear to many people that it is about the law and the history of the Israel nation before entering the promised land. But it is more than that. Interestingly, our Lord quoted from this Book when tempted by the devil in the wilderness.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took Him along into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and he said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written: ‘He will give His angels orders concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will lift You up, So that You do not strike Your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written: ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took Him along to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to serve Him. (Matthew 4:1-11)

Christians put much emphasis on the law as the written code and their works but I think most of us have failed to understand why this Book explains God’s grace. In this Book, we understand why God made the conditional covenant with Israel and why they were bound to fail. The conditional covenants exist for the unconditional covenant, not the other way around.

Here, we also understand why Moses could not enter the promised land while Joshua could. Joshua means “the Lord is salvation” or “the salvation of the Lord”. The name Jesus is from the same root.

Moreover, we will understand that God’s love towards His people is His love towards the saints, not the Israelites, the biological descendants of Abraham. Some Israelites were saints chosen by God before the foundation of the world. But the rest were not. We understand this clearly by reading what Jesus said to the Jews.

At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple area, in the portico of Solomon. The Jews then surrounded Him and began saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. (John 10:22-26)

I once mentioned that the church was born when Christ died and was resurrected. And she has been growing spiritually since. The church already existed in the OT era. However, the purpose and existence of the church became clear when Christ died and was resurrected. Thus, the church era started.

We humans judge everything by what we see. Christ told us that people are blind. Christians pay much attention to appearance. But the true church is the invisible church. It is the assembly of true believers which only God can recognize. We do not know who is a true Christian by looking at what we see with our eyes. Although the true church is invisible, it does not mean that she does not have flesh and blood. Each saint has flesh and blood just as Christ has flesh and blood. Although our physical body perishes when we die, we will be given an imperishable body when Christ comes back. God is spirit and we worship Him in Spirit and Truth. We, who are anointed with the Holy Spirit and are united with Christ, receive an imperishable body just as Christ lives forever without His body decaying or aging. Therefore, the church is God’s body.

… in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:52)

False prophets claim that we must build God’s kingdom on earth. This notion is strong in those who think they can make everyone a Christian and make their nation a Christian nation. The kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. It stays invisible until the last day. People get tempted by the devil because he is the prince of the world. The devil wants to make his kingdom on the earth. By using the words of God, he entices many. He attracts people and accumulates wealth. And he builds something that people can see because the blind judge only by what they see with their eyes.

… for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!’ And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and all who make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What city is like the great city?’ (Revelation 18:17-18)

The city Babylon described in Revelation 17 and 18 is contrasted to the city Jerusalem described in Revelation 21, which comes down out of heaven from God.

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:2-4)

God taught the church on the earth. At first, she was taught about the Trinity, which the Three Ecumenical Creeds explain. She was taught about TULIP during the second reformation. Although God taught the saints, they were not perfect. We learn from our ancestors’ mistakes. We now see the limitations of the second reformation because the third reformation has come. The second reformation focused on the salvation of a person.

The Heidelberg Catechism Q1 shows us a limitation of the second reformation.

Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A. That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death — to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

When we focus on individual salvation, the law as the written code is overly emphasized. Question 2 and 3 prove this. However, we must see a bigger picture. The purpose of all creation is the kingdom of God. Christ came to preach the kingdom of God.

But He said to them, “I must also preach the kingdom of God to the other cities, because I was sent for this purpose.” (Luke 4:43)

The law does not give us eternal life. However, that is what theologians and ministers teach. God does not exist for my or your salvation. God made us for a reason.

“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)

However, theologians and ministers changed God to idols. Churches around the world no longer preach the grace of God. Their idea of grace is crooked. People focus on the church life on the earth and fail to see the reality. The irony is that they do not keep the law while judging others by the law.

You who say that one is not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who loathe idols, do you rob temples? (Romans 2:22)