Like a chestnut tree

We do not understand many things about God. From morning till night, I ask God many things. Not all knowledge is given to us. But we do not need to know everything until the new kingdom comes. While on earth, we are given the most important knowledge of God concerning our salvation. That knowledge is this: God sent His only begotten Son to die for us and resurrect us with Him to give us new life as the children of God. As Jesus lives forever, we live forever in the new kingdom.

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And although you were previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His body of flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— (Colossians 1: 13-22)

Apostle Paul was given much knowledge so that he could preach the gospel to everyone.

We proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ. For this purpose I also labor, striving according to His power which works mightily within me. (Colossians 1:28-29)

However, this same Paul quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 in Acts 28:26-28. Isaiah proclaimed God’s messages to the Israelites, who had the circumcision on the body. Paul also did. However, the message in Isaiah 6:9-10 was not written to the Israelites only. The message is also written to Christians who had the ceremonial baptism. Many people were brought to churches and received ceremonial baptism. But many do not understand the gospel. Most of them think doing good deeds would save them. They spend much time reading theology books or Christian inspirational books, written by false Christians. They think they are good and respected by others in their churches. They tell one another to read this book or that because they cannot understand God’s words.

We do not yet know why God has decided to save only some. And the Bible clearly tells us that God did not choose people based on their good deeds. Apostle Paul was living proof because he persecuted Christians. I can only conclude that the reprobate people are used for training God’s chosen people. They exist for our learning. We still try to explain the gospel to them. But they talk about Greek philosophy and human wisdom and ideas to nullify the power of God shown on the cross of Christ.

The kingdom has the exact measurements. Nothing will be changed from the original blueprint. Therefore, we do not fear people.

Then there was given to me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. Leave out the courtyard which is outside the temple and do not measure it, because it has been given to the nations; and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. (Revelation 11:1-2)

And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

1 May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
    may his foes flee before him.
² May you blow them away like smoke—
    as wax melts before the fire,
    may the wicked perish before God.
³ But may the righteous be glad
    and rejoice before God;
    may they be happy and joyful. (Psalm 68:1-3)

We as Christians have been hearing about Judgement Day and eternal punishment. We were persuaded to believe in God and join a church so that we could be saved. Punishment accompanies the law. The law accompanies slavery. Christ will indeed come back and judge all people according to their deeds. Some will receive eternal life and others will receive eternal punishment. But Christianity is not about fear but hope. We, as reborn Christians, must look forward to the new world. Everything created is for our education. Once we, as the invisible church, are fully mature, this world will end. The new world will come.

The most pitiful among all people are those who are at ease. They have money, fame, and health. They have nothing to worry about. Their life looks ‘sorted’. But it is easy to see that God does not want these people to repent of their sins. They don’t put all their hope in the new kingdom.

And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” And looking at them, Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:24-26)

Verse 26 is not about the rich people being saved. Here, Christ talks about salvation without works. Within the old covenant, salvation without works is impossible. One must do good deeds to earn righteousness. Christ came to teach us what God truly wanted from His people.

Now go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, RATHER THAN SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:13)

Job was self-righteous. He even thought he was more righteous than God. But he learned through suffering. Can one be saved without works? It is impossible under the old covenant but God makes it possible through the new covenant. But churches around the world go after money and fame. They deny God’s absolute grace. They despise the cross of Christ. True Christians are mocked and ridiculed. However, God will restore His people.

Psalm 42

1 As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God?
³ My tears have been my food day and night,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
⁴ I remember these things and pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go over with the multitude and walk them to the house of God,
With a voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude celebrating a festival.

⁵ Why are you in despair, my soul?
And why are you restless within me?
Wait for God, for I will again praise Him
For the help of His presence, my God.
⁶ My soul is in despair within me;
Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan
And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
⁷ Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have passed over me.
⁸ The Lord will send His goodness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me in the night,
A prayer to the God of my life.

⁹ I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
¹⁰ As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries taunt me,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
¹¹ Why are you in despair, my soul?
And why are you restless within me?
Wait for God, for I will again praise Him
For the help of His presence, my God.

Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not go over there.” (v. 4)

For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. (John 1 :17)

The Law came in so that the offense would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, so also grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21)

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)

This is the last chapter of Deuteronomy. Moses dies and does not enter the promised land. The land symbolizes the kingdom of God. It is only a symbol, not the real kingdom of God. But what happened to the Israelites then teaches us about God’s plan of the kingdom.

Once I had a chat with a former Christian who has become an atheist. I asked him about his understanding of Christianity. He said faith came because people could not keep the law and get saved. What he said is accepted by most churches as the right understanding. But he is wrong. Faith did not come as an alternate way to salvation. God planned the kingdom with His only begotten son as the cornerstone before He created the world. So there was no such thing as salvation (or righteousness) by perfect keeping of the law.

A person who obeys God perfectly may be called upright and blameless as in the case of Job.

The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil. (Job 1:8)

The Hebrew words used for Job here are not righteousness described for Abraham, which I’ve mentioned in a previous post. Through much suffering, Job comes to understand who God is. His uprightness was nothing compared to God who alone is righteous. No one can earn righteousness by observing the law because the law was given to teach us that we cannot earn righteousness. This does not lead us to lawlessness. We know that the law is holy if the Holy Spirit teaches and guides us. We no longer offer to God various animal sacrifices because all law is fulfilled by Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection made us the children of God through faith. So the law is perfected and its essence, love, remains as the eternal law. Only God can love. Only God is righteous. And we love God and His people as ourselves by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Moses, as the mediator of the old covenant, was only a foreshadow of the Savior. That is why he was not allowed to enter the promised land. This does not mean that he was not saved. We must focus on what this teaches us.

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen; to him you shall listen. (Deuteronomy 18:15)

Christ was accused of breaking the law and killed. But He lives forever as the mediator of the new covenant.

For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the violations that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:15)

Christ was born under the law but free from the curse of the law because He is the only begotten Son of God. He became like us so that we would become like Him. He became like us to redeem us. There is much difference between the words “keep” and “fulfill”. However, theologians keep insisting that Christ made us righteous by keeping the law perfectly. I pray to God that you understand what the Bible teaches and make the right judgment. There is no freedom under a false gospel. Many people left Christianity because churches preach a false gospel. That is why churches are full of false Christians.

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)

“There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
Who rides the heavens to your help,
And the clouds in His majesty.
The eternal God is a hiding place,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
And He drove out the enemy from you,
And said, ‘Destroy!’
So Israel lives in security,
The fountain of Jacob secluded,
In a land of grain and new wine;
His heavens also drip down dew.
Blessed are you, Israel;
Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord,
The shield of your help,
And He who is the sword of your majesty!
So your enemies will cringe before you,
And you will trample on their high places.” (vv. 26-29)

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be. (John 14:3)

Who is this who comes from Edom,
With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah,
This One who is majestic in His apparel,
Marching in the greatness of His strength?
“It is I, the One who speaks in righteousness, mighty to save.”
Why is Your apparel red,
And Your garments like one who treads in the wine press?
“I have trodden the wine trough alone,
And from the peoples there was no one with Me.
I also trod them in My anger
And trampled them in My wrath;
And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments,
And I stained all My clothes.
For the day of vengeance was in My heart,
And My year of redemption has come.
I looked, but there was no one to help,
And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold;
So My own arm brought salvation to Me,
And My wrath upheld Me.
I trampled down the peoples in My anger
And made them drunk with My wrath,
And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.” (Isaiah 63:1-6)

Only God saves His people and revenges His enemies. As God’s children, we love His people and hate His enemies. We are one with God through Jesus Christ. God gave us the Holy Spirit, the new heart to know and love Him. And this knowledge of God has come through Jesus Christ, the Word. The Holy Spirit teaches us the meanings of God’s words. Therefore, it is impossible to know God without understanding His words. The summary and the culmination of all His words is Jesus Christ. Christ came to preach the kingdom of God. The world was made to build this kingdom, God’s people. We are trained in this world. Once the church is fully matured, the world will disappear or rather be destroyed. Without understanding this, no one can understand the covenants mentioned in the Bible.

One must read the whole Bible to understand the big picture of creation. Churches do not encourage people to read the Bible. Instead, they encourage people to listen to their ministers and elders. They preach salvation by perfect keeping of the law although they pretend to preach God’s grace. They use Bible verses as they like. They pretend to live a moral life but are lawbreakers from God’s point of view. Therefore, we, the children of God, pray to God for guidance and eagerly wait for God’s final judgment at the end.

The enemies of God are those who deny God’s absolute grace. Faith and obedience are the results of the work of the Holy Spirit. God chooses His people before they are born and makes them into His children. If you have faith in God and understand His plan for His kingdom and grace that came through Jesus Christ, you are a child of God. We praise God for His wonderful works.

God did not save us by keeping the law for us. God saved us by dying for us. Jesus Christ is the head of the church and the only begotten Son of God. He paid the price on the cross so that we are reborn as children of God as He resurrected. We are one with God. We love the law because the essence of the law is God’s self-sacrificing love. But we are not under the law. We are no longer slaves. We uphold the law as the children of God. We are clothed with God’s righteousness by becoming one with God through Jesus Christ. Christ was blameless before the law. But He did not keep the law to gain righteousness. He did not keep the law to give us righteousness. If we put the law between Christ and us, we are still slaves. That is what false theologians intended to do back in 17th-century England. In the new Reformation era, there is no place for Covenant Theology, Active Obedience of Christ, or Dispensationalism.

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our lowly condition into conformity with His glorious body, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. (Philippians 3:20-21)

See now that I, I am He,
And there is no god besides Me;
It is I who put to death and give life.
I have wounded and it is I who heal,
And there is no one who can save anyone from My hand. (v. 39)

Rejoice, you nations, with His people;
For He will avenge the blood of His servants,
And will return vengeance on His adversaries,
And will atone for His land and His people. (v. 43)

Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, the One who is and who was, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.” (Revelation 16: 4-7)

I know who my father is. I cannot call someone else “my father” because my conscience will be troubled if I do that. Likewise, I cannot be in an assembly of people who worship a strange god. Even if they say they follow the Reformed theology and learn the doctrines from youth, they are serving an idol because they believe in the Active Obedience of Christ (AOC). Thus, they think that their righteousness is from keeping the law, not from having faith in God. They say they uphold righteousness by faith alone. But they say that righteousness is gained by Christ’s perfect keeping of the law. They nullify the power of the cross. Even further, they insist that Adam could have been the head of the church if he had kept God’s command during a probation period. This is called the Covenant Theology.

The rebirth of the treacherous doctrine started in the 17th-century England. Theologians still debate if the Westminster assembly supported the AOC. The AOC and the Covenant Theology are written in the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. England flourished and became a mighty country. The Industrial Revolution started in England. But we must look at the consequences of material prosperity.

But Jeshurun became fat and kicked—
You have become fat, thick, and obstinate—
Then he abandoned God who made him,
And rejected the Rock of his salvation. (v. 15)

To gain people, theologians forsook truth. They chose the law over the grace of God. They chose money. And we see the consequences of our stupidity and greed in the world. The environments are damaged beyond repair. They call for “mother nature” but there is no such thing. People are drunk and think they are safe when the whole ship is sinking. There is not a thing that we can do to stop the destruction. This is in God’s plan but we caused all these calamities.

Yet, God knows His children. And we wait for the second coming of Christ. Until then, we endure and pray. The words of God are the lamp to our feet.

For the eagerly awaiting creation waits for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. (Romans 8:19)

‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution; In due time their foot will slip. For the day of their disaster is near, And the impending things are hurrying to them.’ (v. 35)

Then it will come about, when many evils and troubles find them, that this song will testify before them as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of their descendants); for I know their inclination which they are developing today, before I bring them into the land which I swore. (v. 21)

For I know that after my death you will behave very corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will confront you in the latter days, because you will do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger with the work of your hands. (v. 29)

God did not give the law to the Israelite for them to be saved by keeping the law. The law was given to them to know God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. But only few understood it. For those who are not given the Holy Spirit, knowing God and His plan is impossible. Thus, they rely on the law but are lawbreakers. The law is a curse because God did not give the law as a way to salvation. God did not give all people the new heart.

Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you. (v. 26)

The law was not given as a witness for the Israelites. It was a witness against them. No one received salvation through the law. The old covenant must fail so that the new covenant can be introduced. However, the new covenant is older because God planned this before the foundation of the world. The new covenant is the one and only eternal covenant between God and His people. Being biological descendants of Abraham does not mean that they are God’s people. Concerning this, the Book of Galatians explains in detail.

And you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. But as at that time the son who was born according to the flesh persecuted the one who was born according to the Spirit, so it is even now. But what does the Scripture say? “DRIVE OUT THE SLAVE WOMAN AND HER SON, FOR THE SON OF THE SLAVE WOMAN SHALL NOT BE AN HEIR WITH THE SON OF THE FREE WOMAN.” So then, brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave woman, but of the free woman. (Galatians 4:28-31)

While we were still sinners, God made us His children through Jesus Christ. This eternal blessing was given free of charge. None of us kept the law perfectly. None of us knew the law. This is called the grace of God. Only those who received the Holy Spirit have the new heart to know and love God. The new heart is given not based on our works. Since God knew all of us before we were born, we conclude that the doctrine of divine election is a true doctrine. Those who rely on the law reject or will reject this doctrine. Most churches do not accept the doctrine. Even Reformed churches moved away from it because their foundation got shaken by the false doctrine called Active Obedience of Christ. The law is not our source of righteousness. Christ bought us to become God’s children. We are one with God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. This was done through Christ’s death on the cross.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

For this commandment which I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it far away. It is not in heaven, that you could say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and get it for us, and proclaim it to us, so that we may follow it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you could say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us and get it for us and proclaim it to us, so that we may follow it?’ On the contrary, the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may follow it. (vv. 11-14)

But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. (Romans 10:8-10)

Jesus Christ was blameless before the law while He was on the earth and stays blameless forever. But His righteousness is not from the perfect keeping of the law. I am repeating the same thing again and again. But the interpretation of the Bible, especially the two covenants by ministers and theologians has wronged so many people. We must ask this question to understand our righteousness – Can a slave free other slaves from bondage and change their status to princes and princesses? Use your common sense. The answer is no. A few years ago, I watched a film called “12 Years a Slave”. The main character in the film was not freed by another slave because a slave cannot save another slave. Theologians and ministers insist that Christ had to keep the law to impute righteousness to us. They say that Christ did not need to keep the law but did it anyway to give us righteousness. But the Bible says He freed us from slavery by His blood.

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15)

Most of the Israelites in the wilderness did not receive the Spirit. The law was not in their hearts. Their righteousness depended on obedience to the law. It appears that they were given a choice.

See, I have placed before you today life and happiness, and death and adversity, in that I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, so that you may live and become numerous, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to take possession of it. (vv. 15-16)

But their failure tells us that there are only curses under the old covenant. Their disobedience teaches us why God put us under slavery in the first place. The law was only a shadow. Christ is the law expressed in God’s immeasurable love shown on the cross.

“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their wrongdoing, and their sin I will no longer remember.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

All the laws and prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus Christ by making us God’s children. We are His kingdom.

Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave, although he is owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father. So we too, when we were children, were held in bondage under the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters. Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba! Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. (Galatians 4:1-7)

Some misinterpret this passage and say that Christ was a slave because He was born under the law. But a slave cannot save another slave.

Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; (Hebrews 10:11)

For this reason, Christ is the priest forever in the order of Melchizedek apart from the law.

For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses said nothing concerning priests. And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. For it is attested of Him, “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.” (Hebrews 7:14 -17)

The King came and paid for our sins and made us children of God. By believing in God and His work on the cross, we are justified. No one can confess this without the work of the Holy Spirit. Some false believers may appear to follow truth but they go astray because their hearts cannot understand truth.

Many false teachers try to enslave us again. On the outside, they talk about grace and faith. But they despise the cross of Christ. They say the cross of Christ is not enough to make us righteous. Stay alert.

You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? (Galatians 3:1)

Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear. (v. 4)

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)

But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment: regarding sin, because they do not believe in Me; and regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer are going to see Me; and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. (John 16:7-11)

The most important part of our salvation is our adoption as children of God. The law and the Israel’s history are tools for us to understand our adoption. The law does not make anyone righteous. Christ did not become a man to keep the law perfectly but to give us a new heart, which is the Holy Spirit.

For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the form of those things itself, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually every year, make those who approach perfect. (Hebrews 10:1)

Before the foundation of the world, God planned to make His children from dust. Christ is obedient and faithful as the only begotten Son of God. Through Christ, we became God’s children and co-heirs with Christ. And we become obedient and faithful just as Christ through the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. (Romans 8:16-17)

Thus, obedience is not a condition to become God’s child but the result of the adoption. Just as Christ was begotten out of the Father’s love, we have become God’s children out of His love. Likewise, work does not make us righteous, but faith that is given by God as a gift.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

God’s love was manifested in Christ’s death and resurrection. That is why all the apostles emphasized the blood of Christ shed on the cross. The false doctrines that focus on the law as the way to righteousness kill people. False ministers and theologians may appear to keep the law but God knows their hearts.

Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were ridiculing Him. And He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of people, but God knows your hearts; because that which is highly esteemed among people is detestable in the sight of God. (Luke 16:14-15)

The law is important in our daily lives because we are still tempted and challenged every day. It is a guide just as all God’s words to live a life that God wants. But the law is not the way to gain righteousness. Therefore, God’s law is useful only to those who are truly reborn because it requires the Holy Spirit to interpret it and make us obedient to God’s words. A mere moral life that is shown externally does not mean anything to God. It does not save a person. Many non-Christians appear to live a moral life and are praised by others. We judge others by what we see and hear. But God knows who are His children.

The pandemic started all the other disasters in the world. It is the first seal. Churches around the world will face the consequences of forsaking the gospel of God.

For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (1 peter 4:17)

But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to be careful to follow all His commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you. (v. 15)

And the Lord will bring you back to Egypt in ships, by the way about which I said to you, ‘You will never see it again!’ And there you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer. (v. 68)

Jesus said to her, “Believe Me, woman, that a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. But a time is coming, and even now has arrived, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:21-24)

The chapter tells us that blessings from God are promised upon a condition. If blessings are based on a condition, they are not true blessings. Rather, they are curses because we cannot meet the condition. We cannot keep the law perfectly. This does not mean we need someone to meet the condition for us. Many theologians and ministers say that Christ kept the law perfectly to meet the condition. They are wrong. The law requires us to be just like God. Christ fulfilled this requirement of the law by making us one with God. Therefore, the cross of Christ is our salvation and righteousness, not the perfect keeping of the written code. The word ‘fulfill’ is not the same as ‘keep’. Christ did not become a man to keep or abolish the law but to fulfill.

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)

What Christ teaches us in John 4 and many other places in the Bible is that He became a man to be the mediator of the new covenant. The old covenant and the new covenant are different. But they are not different because the old exists for the new. Both covenants are based on God’s self-sacrificing love. The whole Bible teaches us how we become one with God and become like Him through Jesus Christ. However, we must remember that the new covenant is not the extension of the old. The old is bound to the written code and therefore, curses. Jesus Christ crucified the curse of the old covenant.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE” (Galatians 3:13)

Sadly, I see many people wanting to go back to the old covenant. Starting from theologians and ministers, they all go back to Egypt. But this is also God’s doing because He saves only the elect people. We, the elect people of God, understand the difference between the old and the new covenant.

And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one, after drinking old wine wants new; for he says, ‘The old is fine.’ (Luke 5:37-39)

Adam and Eve were slaves and not children of God as we are now. Even though we sin, we are not cast out like Adam and Eve were from the garden of Eden. God teaches and leads us. We are children of God through Jesus Christ. He bought us with the price of His own blood. He changed our status from slaves to children of God. He is the head of the new creation. The Holy Spirit dwells in us. We are one with God.

These things I have spoken to you in figures of speech; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but will tell you plainly about the Father. On that day you will ask in My name, and I am not saying to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father. (John 16:25-28)

For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:20)

If anyone boasts that he or she is a child of God and pursues immorality, we know that the end of the person will be worse than unbelievers on the last day. Immorality is connected to spiritual idolatry. If one commits adultery, he or she commits other sins because they all are from the evil heart. God sometimes lets us sin and taste the bitterness of our sinfulness as in the case of king David. From his case, we learn that there are consequences of our sins. God disciplines His children. Fearing God is the beginning of wisdom.

FOR WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE PUNISHES EVERY SON WHOM HE ACCEPTS. (Hebrews 12:6)

Now I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed someone, has the power to throw that person into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! (Luke 12:4-5)

When you cross the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. For the curse, these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. (vv. 12-13)

I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly. (Galatians 2:21)

Under the old covenant, there are two types of people: those who keep the law and gain righteousness and the rest who fail to keep the law and are cursed. Throughout the history of humans, God has been teaching us that no one is righteous under the law. We all are under the eternal curse. We all stand before Mount Ebal.

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:19-20)

Because of the old covenant, we understand that we are in a helpless situation. If we rely on righteousness that comes from keeping the law, there is no hope. The old covenant makes us rely on God’s mercy. And this mercy was given through the cross of Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

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)

Theologians and ministers add to this glorious blessing of God’s grace and say that Christ kept the law perfectly so that we could be righteous under the law. Therefore, they proclaim that we need the law apart from the cross of Christ. Christ is righteous not because He kept the law as a human. He is God. He is righteous from eternity. He became a human so that His church would be one with Him. We now are the children of God because of adoption through the blood of Christ.

… and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. (Romans 8:17)

There is one common experience shared by all true Christians. That is suffering. Christ suffered under the authority of false believers and pagan worshipers. We also suffer because of who we are – the children of God. We speak truth. But false believers hate truth.

When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are only the beginning of birth pains. “But be on your guard; for they will hand you over to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. (Mark 13:7-10)

Gospel means good news. But churches around the world are not preaching good news. They deny Sola Gratia. They got rid of God’s grace within their churches. While saying grace, they promote rebellion and adultery. Thus, their own words and actions prove that they hate God’s law. The essence of the law is love. However, they misuse the word and commit horrendous crimes in the name of love. God knows everyone’s heart. Those who are not under grace and deny Sola Gratia cannot escape God’s wrath.

Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His;” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to keep away from wickedness.” (2 Timothy 2:19)