The Believer's Heart

Here is why it is so completely important that a preacher actually understands the Bible and conveys it properly.

Your heart is not "wicked," Christian! As a reminder, when the Bible speaks of your "heart," it actually means your mind. The heart organ is only capable of pumping blood throughout your body; everything else we attribute to the "heart" are actually properties of the mind. Yes, Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful," but that is before Yahweh God's transformation in your life. The genuine Christian believer, upon placing their trust in the person and work of Jesus, has been given a new nature, a new heart, a new spirit, and new desires. Because of this, the believer's heart is righteous and obedient (Ezek. 36:26-27; Rom. 6:17).

Yahweh does not live in dirty places. He cleaned house and moved in. Your heart is not a "fixer-upper"; it is a pristine palace where Jesus resides (Eph. 3:17). Why do you mistrust the very place He chose as His dwelling?

The goal of our instruction is to "love from a pure heart" (1 Tim. 1:5). That is not wishful thinking, it is your reality. Yahweh gave you a heart that is pure—now live from it, whether in marriage, work, or life itself! Living from the heart is not some sentimental fluff. Stop overthinking, over-analyzing, and second-guessing. Trust the new desires Yahweh gave you (2 Pet. 1:3-4).

Sin is not the heart language of the Christian believer. Those rogue thoughts you experience? That is sin operating in you (Rom. 7:17). That is not personal sin, that is the entity of sin that God warned Cain about (Gen. 4:7). You will still be tempted by such thoughts, but you have the power to say "No!" to them (Rom. 6) because you have died  to sin. James describes what takes place when we give in to those temptations (James 1:13-15). Your new heart that Yahweh gave you is fluent in righteousness and eager to say "Yes!" to Yahweh.

Christians do not need "behaviour management" as if we are training some wild, savage beast. We have new hearts infused with Yahweh God's Spirit. The goal is not merely to "sin less," but to know Him and live from the heart He gave you! You are not "faking it 'til you make it"; you have already made it. You have been "made complete in Him" (Col. 2:10) and have been "perfected for all time" (Heb. 10:14). Yahweh ripped out your old heart of stone and replaced it with a new heart of flesh that is alive and fully His. The idea that you can "lose" or forfeit your salvation is nonsensical when you actually understand the New Covenant, the Gospel, and Yahweh's grace. When Yahweh spiritually transforms you and changes all these things (regenerating you, making you spiritually alive, giving you a new heart, etc.), unless you are somehow more powerful than God Himself, you cannot change any of that back to its former ways. It would be like a diamond trying to change itself back into a piece of coal.

"The Lord knows those who are His" (2 Tim. 2:19), so Christians need to stop placing themselves as Judge over others (especially those of differing denominations). Yahweh knows people's hearts. We do not. There are people around you who regularly attend service, read the Bible, pray, speak Christianese, etc., who will not make it into the Kingdom of God, and there are those who have seemingly left the faith (Do you know their struggles?) who we will see in the Kingdom of God because Yahweh "began a good work" in them and He is faithful "to bring it to completion" (Phil. 1:6), even if that is on our death bed. Maybe some of these believers encountered issues with the theology they were lead to believe and they mistakenly attributed that aberrant theology to Yahweh, and because they had no good Christians in their lives to help them with such things and get them back on track, the way Scripture tells us to (Gal. 6:1), it appears "they were never saved to begin with." It could very well be true, but we are not God. They may have fled from God, but if He began a work in them, He still has hold of them and will complete that work. Bank on it!

Stop striving and start living—from your new heart, where Jesus lives!

Origen Refutes Calvinism

So you believe that Calvinism is "biblical" and interprets the Bible "correctly"? Read Origen's apologetic against the Gnostics of his day and take note of the verses they used and what they taught. Notice the parallel with Calvinism. Origen refutes their interpretation and obliterates their beliefs.

"Let us observe how Paul, too, addresses us as having freedom of the will and as being our- selves the cause of ruin or salvation. He says, "You are treasuring up for yourself wrath on the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God—who will render to everyone according to his works." . . . There are, indeed, innumerable passages in the Scriptures that establish with exceeding clarity the existence of freedom of the will. But, since certain declarations of the Old Testament and of the New lead to the opposite conclusion-namely, that it does not depend on ourselves to keep the commandments and to be saved, or to transgress them and to be lost—let us examine them one by one and see the explanations. . . . The statements regarding Pharaoh have troubled many, respecting whom God declared several times, "I will harden Pharaoh's heart." For if he is hardened by God and commits sin because of being hardened, he is not the cause of sin to himself. If so, then Pharaoh does not possess free will. . . . There is also the declaration in Ezekiel, "I will take away their stony hearts and will put in them hearts of flesh so that they may walk in My precepts and keep My commandments." This might lead someone to think that it was God who gave the power to walk in His commandments and to keep His commandments—by His withdrawing the hindrance (the stony heart) and implanting a better heart of flesh. And let us look also at the passage in the Gospel . . . "That seeing they might not see and hearing they may hear and not understand. Lest they would be converted and their sins be forgiven them."

There is also the passage in Paul: "It is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God who shows mercy." Furthermore, there are declarations in other places that "both to will and to do are of God" and "that God has mercy upon whom He will have mercy; and whom He wishes, He hardens." . . . And also, "But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, 'Why have you made me like this?' Does the potter not have power over the clay—from the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonour?" Now, these passages are sufficient of themselves to trouble the multitude—as if man were not possessed of free will, but as if it were God who saves and destroys whom He wills. Let us begin, then, with what is said about Pharaoh—that he was hardened by God so that he would not send the people away. . . . Some of those who hold different opinions [i.e., the Gnostics] misuse these passages. They essentially destroy free will by introducing ruined natures incapable of salvation and by introducing others as being saved in such a way that they cannot be lost. . . . Let us now see what these passages mean. For we will ask them if Pharaoh was of a fleshly nature. And when they answer, we will say that he who is of a fleshly nature is altogether disobedient to God. And if he is disobedient, what need is there for his heart to be hardened—not only once, but frequently? Unless we are to think that . . . God needs him to be disobedient to a greater degree in order that He could manifest His mighty deeds for the salvation of the multitude. Therefore, God hardens his heart. This will be our answer to them in the first place.

Since we consider God to be both good and just, let us see how the good and just God could harden the heart of Pharaoh. Perhaps by an illustration used by the apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews, we may be able to show that, by the same operation, God can show mercy on one man while he hardens another, although not intending to harden. . . . "The earth," he says, "drinks in the rain that often comes upon it and produces crops to those for whom it is farmed, receiving the blessing from God. But that which produces thorns and briers is worthless, and is in danger of being cursed. Its end is to be burned." . . . It may seem profane for the One who produces rain to say, "I produced both the fruit and the thorns that are in the earth." Yet, although seemingly profane, it is true. If the rain had not fallen, there would have been neither fruit nor thorns. . . . The blessing of the rain, therefore, fell even on the unproductive land. But since it was neglected and uncultivated, it yielded thorns and thistles. In the same way, the wonderful acts of God are like the rain. The differing purposes are like the cultivated and the neglected land. . . . If the sun had a voice, it might say, "I both liquefy and dry up." Although liquefying and drying are opposite things, the sun would not speak falsely on this point. For wax is melted and mud is dried up by the same heat. In the same way, the operation performed through the instrumentality of Moses, on the one hand, hardened Pharaoh (because of his own wickedness), and it softened the mixed Egyptian multitude, who departed with the Hebrews. . . . Now, suppose that the words the apostle addressed to sinners had been addressed to Pharaoh. Then, the announcements made to him will be understood to have been made with particular application. It is as to one who—according to his hardness and unrepentant heart—was treasuring up wrath for himself. For his hardness would not have been demonstrated nor made manifest unless miracles had been performed, particularly miracles of such magnitude and importance. . . .

If it is not we who do anything towards the production within ourselves of the heart of flesh—but if it is [all] God's doing—it would not be our own act to live agreeably to virtue. Rather, it would be altogether an act of divine grace. This would be the statements of one who from the mere words annihilates free will. But we will answer, saying that we should understand these passages in this way: It is like a man who happens to be ignorant and uneducated. On perceiving his own defects—either because of an exhortation from his teacher, or in some other way—he spontaneously gives himself up to an instructor whom he believes can educate him and teach him virtue. Now, on his yielding himself up, his instructor promises that he will take away the man's ignorance and implant instruction. Yet, it is not as if the student contributed nothing to his own training. . . . In the same way, the Word of God promises to take away wickedness (which it calls a stony heart) from those who come to Him. But not if they are unwilling to come. It is only if they submit themselves to the Physician of the sick. . . .

After this, there is the passage from the Gospel where the Saviour said, . . . "Seeing, they may not see, and hearing, they may not understand. Lest they would be converted and their sins be forgiven them." Now, our opponent [the Gnostics] will say . . . it is not within the power of such ones to be saved. If that were so, we are not possessed of free will as regards salvation and destruction. . . . In the first place, then, we must notice the passage in its bearing on the heretics, who . . . daringly assert the cruelty of the Creator of the world. . . . They say that goodness does not exist in the Creator. . . . Come, then, and let us (to the best of our ability) furnish an answer to the question submitted to us. . . . The Saviour . . . had foreseen them as persons who were not likely to prove steady in their conversion, even if they heard the words that were spoken more clearly. For that reason, they were treated this way by the Saviour. . . . Otherwise, after a rapid conversion and healing through obtaining remission of sins, they would despise the wounds of their wickedness, as being slight and easy to heal. As a result, they would again quickly relapse into them. . . .

"Shall the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me this way?" Has not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour?" . . . Now we must ask the person who uses these passages whether it is possible to conceive that the apostle contradicts himself. I presume that no one will venture to say it is. If, then, the apostle does not utter contradictions, how can he, according to the person who so understands him, justly find fault with anyone? How could he condemn the individual at Corinth who had committed fornication, or those who had fallen away? . . . And how could he bless those whom he praises as having done well? . . . It is not consistent for the same apostle to blame the sinner as worthy of censure and to praise him who had done well as deserving of approval—but yet, on the other hand, to say (as if nothing depended on ourselves that the cause was in the Creator for the one vessel to be formed to honour and the other to dishonour. . . . The power that is given us to enable us to conquer may be used—in accordance with our faculty of free will—either in a diligent manner (in which case, we prove victorious) or in a slothful manner (in which case, we are defeated). For if such a power were wholly given us in such a way that we would always prove victorious and never be defeated, what further reason would there be for a struggle—for such a one could not be overcome? Or what merit would there be in a victory, if the power of successful resistance is taken away? However, if the possibility of conquering is equally conferred on all of us—and if it is in our own power how to use this possibility (either diligently or slothfully)—then the defeated can be justly censured and the victor can be deservedly praised."

Calvinists use these exact same verses from Romans 9 to teach the exact same teachings the Gnostics believed. The early Congregation of the Lord condemned these beliefs as heresy and Origen refuted them beautifully. If you have been taught to believe Calvinism is "biblical," then reading Origen's apologetic should give you pause to reconsider your beliefs. If you are not willing to confront your own errors and correct them, then you are part of a cult and have a cult mindset.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 is NOT "the Gospel"!

David J. Stewart has no clue what the biblical Gospel is. He frequently refers to 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, but this is not "the Gospel." "But," you will argue, "Paul says, 'I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you.'" Yes, he does, but you misread this passage. Nowhere does Paul identify that which he says in verses 3 and 4 as "the Gospel." You make this leap in logic by trying to connect these verses to his use of "Gospel" in verse 1. If he were indeed saying this is the Gospel, who do we trust and believe to rightly identify what the Gospel is? Paul or Jesus? Who is the Author and Founder of Christianity? Paul or Jesus? What Paul identifies here as "of first importance" are the essentials of the faith, that which all believers in Jesus the Messiah must hold in unity. Jesus declared to us what "the Gospel" is in Mark 1:14-15. Believe the Lord Jesus over that which originates with Martin Luther!

"Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.""

"The time is fulfilled" refers to the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel's prophecy, initiated by Jesus' baptismal anointing. "The kingdom of God is at hand" refers to Daniel 2:44 in fulfillment thereof. The "Good News" is that Yahweh's anointed King of the whole Earth has come, and the long-awaited Kingdom is in our midst.

Rabbinism, Zionism, and Dispensationalism ignore, deny, and reject the teachings of the Holy Scriptures in favour of Jewish myths. The interpretations of the Pharisees in Jesus' day were constantly refuted and corrected by the Lord Jesus. These three groups are looking for a physical kingdom where ethnic physical Israel rules over all other nations, but God's Word teaches no such thing!

After everything Jesus had said and taught, the apostles still did not get it. "So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). They were with Him for three and a half years and did not listen to a single thing He had to say concerning the Kingdom. "Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst."" (Luke 17:20-21). "Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."" (John 18:36). I think come Pentecost the apostles finally understood about the Kingdom because there appears to be a change in their understanding. Otherwise, how would they preach about the Kingdom of God if they did not fully understand what Jesus had been conveying, even in His parables?

Yes, the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus were prophesied long ago in the Old Covenant. However, these were not identified by the Lord Jesus as "the Gospel." They had to happen, and they did, and they are part of the Gospel, but they are not what Jesus identified for us as "the Gospel." We would do well to pay attention to the words of Jesus and accept them as true than to elevate Martin Luther's redefinition of "the Gospel" using the atonement. In Jesus' parables about the Kingdom, He says the King sent His own Son and the children of the Kingdom (who would be cast out for their rejection) killed Him. The atonement is meaningless without that which it conveys.

What people like David J. Stewart call "the Gospel" is actually the atonement. While the atonement is true and is part of the Gospel, it alone is not the Gospel. The atonement grants us entrance into this Kingdom through faith (trust) in Jesus and His work on the cross, as well as by repentance and obedience. The Bible only has to say something once for it to be true. So how to so-called self-identified "Christians" who say repentance and obedience "are works" and have "no part with salvation" deal with the fact that we are repeatedly told to "Repent" and "Obey"? At the end of the Instruction on the Mount, Jesus addresses obedience and disobedience to His teachings. Repeatedly throughout the entire New Covenant, it is said "If you love [Jesus] you will [obey His] commandments/teachings."

If you call yourself a Christian, STOP listening to what preachers tell you and START reading the Scriptures for yourself and believing what they say. If a preacher tells you something that is blatantly in contradiction to the Word of Yahweh, then you need to reject it and conform to the Scriptures. If you blindly trust what these preachers tell you, like the Pharisees of old, they will prevent you from entering the Kingdom and make you twice the children of Hell that they are! Preachers, theologians, and "scholars" are the modern day Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes. Beware their leaven!

Here's the Actual Point

A sound, biblical soteriology can be taught, maintained, and defended without subscribing to the bankrupt theology of Calvinism.

This claim is highly demonstrable. If one is not willfully ignorant, all one has to do is look to the first three centuries. Tom Nettles claims that,

"the loss of Calvinism in issues concerning election, depravity, and effectual calling paralleled the loss of inerrancy and soteriological exclusivity and has led to a truncated evangelism that jettisoned the doctrinal foundation for the examination of an experience of grace. This affected not only soteriology, but ecclesiology."

This claim, however, is not demonstrable. It is fallacious and engages in projection, assumptions, and conclusions drawn from assumptions.

Evangelism does not include recognition and warning about the deceitfulness and hardness of the human heart, nor affirmations that only by divine prerogative and power will anyone believe, as that was not in the preaching of either Jesus or Paul, nor the first three centuries of the early Christians. These ideas were prominent among the Gnostics (to which the early Christians rejected as heresy), were then revived by Augustine (the father of both the Roman Catholics and the Protestant Reformation), and then embraced by John Calvin (whose conduct and character did not reflect that of a biblical Christian in the least). These ideas are entirely irrelevant and can be trashed without harm to evangelism, both in message and method.

A soteriology with Calvinism is a path to bad religion and compromised churches. In the past 500 years, the Calvinist experiment has been at work and has failed. Scholars have noted that Calvinism (a.k.a. "TULIP" or "The Doctrines of Grace") has risen up in popularity four times over the past 500 years. Every single time, it always dies back down. Why do you suppose that is? Well, either God ordained it to be such, or else the system just does not hold any water theologically and/or logically. The "move beyond Calvinism" is a move toward biblical religion; the move toward Calvinism is a move toward bad religion, that which mars the eternal nature of God in both His love and His holiness.

The ten-point Traditionalist statement as put forth by Leighton Flowers does have some unbiblical statements within it because it is still holding to certain Calvinistic teachings. However, all one has to do is read the first three centuries of the early Christians to see what the historical teaching of the Congregation has been. If one discerningly reads and carefully pays attention to what one is reading, it is clear that the Bible teaches the exact same things. Leighton Flowers thinks his ten points are entirely biblical, but he could not be further from the truth. He is less wrong than the Calvinist, but he is still wrong. He would do well to study the early Christians. In fact, all professing Christians would do well to study the early Christians. If you want to discover the truth, go to the primary sources; go to the beginning to see what they taught and believed.

Calvinists like Tom Nettles have a problem with humility. Their pride and ego get in the way. They assume that because they have been taught a particular way, that what they have been taught is inerrant and infallible. Guess what? Every denomination believes their systematic to be without flaw. Most Christians lack the humility to consider the possibility that they may be wrong and to subject their entire belief system to extreme doubt and scrutiny. If the Calvinist bothered to pay attention to the random isolated verses they frequently rip out of context by use of proof text methodology, eisegesis, and Scripture twisting, they would discover that their doctrines are abhorrent to actual biblical theology.

Leighton Flowers considers himself a Traditionalist, but several thoughts in his ten points deviate from the traditional teachings of the early Christians from the first three centuries. He would be more accurate if he referred to himself as a partial-Traditionalist.

2025 Goal

Starting tomorrow, I plan on reading the New Testament from every copy of the Bible I have in my possession in one year (or sooner). That means that I will read through the entire New Testament 30 times in a single year (or sooner). Apparently it takes the average person 17 hours and 44 minutes to read the entire New Testament. Eighteen hours multiplied by 30 books gives you 540 hours. If it were possible to read them back-to-back without stop, it would take 22.5 days to read them all. If I read 3 hours a day, it till take between half a year and three quarters of a year to read through them all.

Breaking the 17 hours and 44 minutes down, if you wanted to read the New Testament in one week, you would need to read for 2 hours and 32 minutes per day. So potentially, if I did that, I could read all 30 versions in 30 weeks.

The following list is the translations I will be reading from:

1526 - TYN — Tyndale New Testament
1537 - MATTHEW — Matthew's Bible
1560 - GNV — Geneva Bible
1611 - KJV — King James Version
1961 - Kenneth Wuest's New Testament: An Expanded Translation
1862 - YLT — Young's Literal Translation
1965 - AMP — Amplified Bible
1971 - NASB — New American Standard Bible
1978 - NIV — New International Version
1982 - NKJV — New King James Version
1985 - George Lasma's Holy Bible: From the Ancient Eastern Text
1989 - NRSV — New Revised Standard Version
1995 - GW — GOD'S WORD Translation
1996 - NLT — New Living Translation
1998 - CJB — Complete Jewish Bible
2001 - ESV — English Standard Version
2002 - MSG — The Message
2004 - CSB — Christian Standard Bible
2005 - NET — New English Translation
2011 - CEB — Common English Bible
2011 - EXB — Expanded Bible
2011 - KNT — Kingdom New Testament
2012 - TV — The Voice Translation
2014 - MEV — Modern English Version
2014 - TLV — Tree of Life Version
2016 - BSB — Berean Standard Bible
2018 - MJLT — Messianic Jewish Literal Translation
2020 - LSV — Literal Standard Version
2021 - LSB — Legacy Standard Bible
2022 - UASV — Updated American Standard Version

I will provide updates on my progress here:

• DATE: Finished reading . . .

The Ignorance of Sabbatarians and Torah Observance

For those professing "Christians" who continue to flirt with Moses, cheating on Jesus, such as the Seventh-Day Adventists, the Sabbatarians, the Torah Observant people, and other Judaizing cults, perhaps you should try paying attention to Jesus' words.

Jesus, being God, is the original Law-giver. He is the true Interpreter of the Law, and His word is final.

Mark’s interpretive comment makes it crystal clear that Jesus had annulled the Levitical food laws: “Thus He declared all foods clean” (Matt. 7:19).

If you are attempting to keep the Jewish dietary laws, then you are ignorant of Scripture, truth, and reality. Not only did God declare all foods clean in His vision to Peter, which also had another primary intended meaning concerning gentiles, but Jesus Himself declared all foods clean much earlier.

In Matthew 12, Jesus re-interprets the Sabbath command (see verses 6, 8, and 12). The Lord of the Sabbath has brought Sabbath rest for those who trust Him today (Matt. 1:28-30).

We are not beholden to a day. The day was made for us; we were not made for the day. Those who say we should observe the day are worshipping the day, enslaving themselves to it.

In His teaching on divorce, Jesus shows that the created order trumps the Mosaic order!

Everything I have taught on marriage, divorce, and re-marriage is 100% biblical. Those preachers who try and tell you that Jesus provided an escape clause and that Paul provided another escape clause are lying to you. They are imposing upon the text that which is not there! In my accurate exegesis of the biblical text on marriage, divorce, and re-marriage, there is one aspect I failed to address: Grace.

While everything I teach on marriage, divorce, and re-marriage is true and accurate to the Scriptures, we need to remember that Jesus' teachings are still under the Old Covenant. Jesus was increasing the weight of the Law upon those under the Law so that they would see the impossibility of keeping it and look for something better. While it is true that Jesus wants us to never divorce, if we happen to end up in a divorce situation, it is not the end of the world; it is not the unpardonable sin. There is still grace. Grace forgives the sin of divorce like every other sin and lets us move on with our lives. If God can forgive this sin the same way He has forgiven all other sins, then we can do so, too. We should not beat other people up just because they got a divorce, even when they knew it was against Scripture and the teachings of Jesus.

Unlike Yahweh’s previous sons—Adam (Gen. 1:28; 5:1; Luke 3:38), Israel (Ex. 4:22; Hos. 11:1; Ez. 37), and David’s sons (2 Sam. 7:14)—Yahweh is well-pleased with this Son (Matt. 3:17).

Jesus is:

• the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:21, 45; Rom. 5:12-21),
• the true seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:16),
• the new Moses (Num. 12:7-8; Deut. 18:15-18; 34:10; Matt. 5; John 1; Acts 3:22; 7:37; Heb. 3:1-6),
• the true Israel (Matt. 2:15; 4:1-11; John 15:1), and
• David’s greater Son (Matt. 1:1-17; Acts 2:29-36; Rev. 22:16).

The dietary laws, the festivals, the Sabbath . . . they are all fulfilled and done away with. They have no part of the New Covenant. They have no place in the Christian's life. Read Colossians 2:16-17. Any professing "Christian" who is flirting with Moses is cheating on Jesus. Learn the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. Learn the biblical Gospel. Gentiles never had a part in the Law, and we were never required to: "excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12). For us, it is the New Covenant or nothing.

A Biblical Truth That Christians Miss

Can anyone explain to me how professing Christian believers can possibly miss crystal clear explanations like these?

"For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory." (2 Cor. 3:9-11)

"Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. ... In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away." (Heb. 8:6-7, 13)

The Old Covenant (consisting of the Law, the Covenant, and the Priesthood) was like a candle; it gives off light, but its light pales in comparison to when you turn on a light bulb. The New Covenant is that light bulb. Jesus fulfilled everything in the Old Covenant (in that it all pointed to Him), put it aside because it was "weak and useless" (Heb. 7:18) and "made nothing perfect" (Heb. 7:19), and established the unbreakable, effective, and eternal New Covenant. The Old Covenant was our babysitter, pointing us to Jesus. Since it accomplished its intended purpose, it has been made obsolete.

There are more passages we could look at that convey this fact, but these are probably the clearest. The Ten Commandments belong to the Law, which is part of the Old Covenant. They have no place in the life of the Christian. The Christian has one Royal Law, which fulfills the Law: "Love one another just as I have loved you" (John 13:34). This love is to be extended to our neighbours (Mark 12:31) and our enemies (Matt. 5:43-48). "This is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Christ Jesus and love one another" (1 John 3:23).

In Matthew 12, Jesus re-interprets the Sabbath command (see verses 6, 8, and 12). The Lord of the Sabbath has brought Sabbath rest for those who trust Him today (Matt. 1:28-30). John was right when he said that Jesus' "commands are not  burdensome" (1 John 5:3). Some believe there are five (5) laws to the New Covenant:

1. the Law of Faith (Rom. 3:27; 2 Cor. 5),
2. the Law of the Spirit of Life (Rom. 8:2),
3. the Law of Christ (1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2),
4. the Law of Liberty (James2:12), and
5. the Law of Righteousness (Rom. 9:31).

This may be, but there are two (2) clear commands given us under the New Covenant:

1. believe in the name of Jesus (1 John 3:23), and
2. love one another just as He loved us (John 13:34; 1 John 3:23).

The New Covenant is radically new, "not like the [previous] covenant" (Jer. 31:32; Heb. 8:9). If you do not understand the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, it is about time you studied it out and realized precisely what Jesus did for you on your behalf in your stead. The New Covenant is eternal. There will never be another covenant. This one accomplishes everything the previous one failed to, because it was all accomplished by Jesus. Take the time to read the book of Hebrews and get a grasp of what Jesus did. The book of Hebrews is probably the most Christ-centric of all the epistles. Read it to correct some glaring flaws in whatever particular theological system you prescribe to so that you can conform your beliefs better to Scripture.

Encourage Each Other

"Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Hebrews 10:24-25

This we need to do daily, encouraging the brothers and sisters in the faith to act with love toward all: the brethren (John 13:34), other people (Mark 12:31), and our enemies (Matt. 5:43-48). We are not to be violent, and we do not return evil for evil! Jesus calls us to be non-violent, non-resistant, and also non-conformist (not to become like the world). His Kingdom is one of peace!

"Not neglecting to meet together" does not refer to attending organized religious institutions! That is eisegesis, reading into the text and imposing upon it. It is the gathering of the saints, in whatever capacity, even if only “two or three,” commonly done in households!

"Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. ... Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." Hebrews 13:1-2, 16

Do you love others like this? Jesus commanded us to love one another (the brethren; John 13:34), our neighbours (Mark 12:31), and our enemies (Matt. 5:43-48). If you do not know who your 'neighbour' is, I suggest you go read the account of the Good Samaritan to find out who your neighbour is. You neighbour is every other person on the face of this planet.

By stirring each other up "to love and good works," we are constantly encouraging each other (against the natural tendencies of our flesh) to love others, even when they have hurt us or are hurting us. We are to forgive others just as Yahweh God has forgiven us in Christ Jesus. If we are being persecuted, we are to encourage each other to follow the path of love, just as Jesus did. What we may suffer here is fleeting in comparison with eternity.

Whenever we gather together with fellow believers in Christ, “as iron sharpens iron” (Prov. 27:17a), we should be speaking words of encouragement, words of insight, words of wisdom, and words of challenge. It is the greatest gift we can give each other.

Flirt with Moses, Cheat on Jesus!

If you are flirting with Moses, you are cheating on Jesus!

What does this mean?

If you attempt to follow any part of the Old Covenant Law, or try to marry any part of it to the New Covenant (including the Ten Commandments), putting new wine in old wine skins, you are spitting on Jesus' accomplishment and trying to do it by your own performance. The Law has no place in the life of the Christian (Rom. 6:14; Gal. 5:18). The only law the Christian adheres to is the Royal Law of the Kingdom of God: "love one another just as I have loved you" (John 13:34). This includes loving your neighbours (Mark 12:31) and loving your enemies (Matt. 5:43-48).

The Christian is not a law unto himself, but in his freedom he does not act in a way that violates the limitations that love for others (John 13:34; Mark 12:31; Matt. 5:43-48) and holiness before Yahweh God place on Christian liberty. Jesus died once for all sins for all men for all time. This does not get credited to your account until you trust and believe in and on Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Because He lives, having resurrected from the dead, His sacrifice is eternal. We do not need to offer sacrifices every year. This is how our sins can be forgiven and remembered no more. He eternally sits as our mediator and intercedes on our behalf. He fulfilled the Law (Matt. 5:17) and then made it obsolete (Heb. 8:13) as He established the New Covenant (Luke 22:20), which was activated at His death (Heb. 9:17).

Enjoy grace!

Have 'Heaven and Earth' Already Passed?

What did Jesus mean when He said, "For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished" (Matt. 5:18), and, "Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" (Matt. 24:34-35)? Was He prophesying or predicting the end of the Earth?

Many preachers, "scholars" (so-called "experts"), and theologians have read these words at face value and attributed them to the utter destruction of our planet. Dispensationalists have run away with all sorts of fictitious imaginations as to what this could mean, imposing those fantasies upon the Scriptures themselves. But what does God's Word actually teach concerning this issue?

"I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, 'You are my people'" (Is. 51:16).

This is how Yahweh describes His choosing of Israel as His people from among the nations of the Earth. He calls it "establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth."

"Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth" (Deut. 32:1).

This is what Moses, the lawgiver of Israel, said when he assembled Yahweh's covenant people. He was speaking to the people of Israel—not to the literal heavens and earth.

"The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again" (Is. 24:1, 3-4, 19-20).

Yet again, we see Israel being referred to as "the earth." Throughout Scripture, Yahweh's covenant with Israel is labeled as Yahweh forming "heaven and earth," so it would make sense that His abolishment of the same would be labeled as the destruction of "heaven and earth."

Even the apostle John wrote of Yahweh dissolving the old "heaven and earth" and establishing a new "heaven and earth"—the New Covenant. In this covenant, Yahweh takes a new Bride (consisting of people from every tribe, nation, and tongue—not just Jews), forms a new priesthood (every believer, male and female—not just a tribe of men), establishes a new nation (all believers are called Yahweh's "holy nation" in 1 Peter 2:9), and institutes an eternal and unshakable kingdom (Heb. 12:26-28).

Jesus came to fulfill the Law, and then He abolished it. By establishing the eternal New Covenant, Jesus caused the Old Covenant to become obsolete. Judaistic cults, like Torah Observant "Christians," would do well to learn how to read and study Scripture, paying attention to what they are reading. By attempting to turn to the Law, they are rejecting Jesus and His grace and spitting directly in His face. As the apostle Paul said, these people have been "severed (separated) from Christ," they have "fallen from grace."

Let us use some common sense and think about this logically. The apostles constantly said that they were living in "the last days." John said it was "the last hour." What are the chances that "the last days" and "the last hour" would last for 2,000 years?!?!? Highly unlikely! But if they were talking about the end of the Jewish era, the end of the Old Covenant, the end of the Law . . . Ah! Now that makes more sense.

"For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the Law as well" (Heb. 7:12). There was a change in priesthood. Under the Old Covenant, a priest had to be from the tribe of Levi. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah. So since there was a change in the priesthood, it necessitates a change in the Law. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35). This is the Royal Law of the New Covenant of the Kingdom of God.

Torah Observant "Christians" would benefit greatly from reading Galatians. "Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" Apparently they think the answer to this question is, "Yes." However, this is a rhetorical question. The obvious answer is, "No!" If you want to observe the Law, you are required to observe ALL OF IT (Gal. 5:3), every last one of the 600+ laws! You do not get to cherry pick which you are going to follow and which you are not. If you fail in even one point, you are guilty of breaking ALL OF IT (James 2:10). Observance of the Law has one of two results: DEFEAT if you are honest, and HYPOCRISY if you are not. No one can keep the entire Law, and no one ever could—except Jesus. The Law was a ministry of condemnation and death (2 Cor. 3:7-11). It could never do what it was intended to do because of our flesh (Rom. 8:3). JESUS fixed all of that. JESUS fulfilled the Law perfectly so we do not have to. If we trust in Jesus, HIS righteousness and all the blessings owed Him for HIS obedience to the Law are bestowed upon us. We get to benefit. This is the GREAT news of the Gospel!

If you want to place yourself under bondage to the Law, then YOU HAVE SEVERED (SEPARATED) YOURSELF FROM JESUS, YOU HAVE FALLEN FROM GRACE!!! (Gal. 5:4)