A. God's Law

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SHORT STUDY ON THE LAW OF GOD – IS GOD'S LAW FOR CHRISTIANS?

 

1. Jesus will give us our answer, but first, who is Jesus and why is it important to listen to him?

 

 Deuteronomy 18:17-18, “And YAHOVEH said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good.  I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.  And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.”

 

 Acts 3:22, “For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘YAHOVEH your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.” (Peter says Deuteronomy 18 is speaking about Jesus).

 

Acts 7:37, “This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘YAHOVEH your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’” (Stephen says Deuteronomy 18 is speaking about Jesus)

 

​John 5:46-47, “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”  (Jesus said, ‘I'm the one Moses wrote about in Deuteronomy 18’.)

 

 Matthew 13:57, “So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.”  (Jesus said he is God's prophet, i.e., Deuteronomy 18).

 

Answer – The Scriptures tell us that Jesus is Yahoveh’s anointed (Messiah)Prophet mentioned by Moses in Deuteronomy 18.  Jesus speaks Yahoveh’s words with Yahoveh’s authority, we better listen to him or we will be held accountable.

 

      2. What did Jesus say about keeping the law?

 

Matthew 5:17-20, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven..”

 

 Answer  - Jesus said, speaking with Yahoveh’s words and authority, that we are to keep the Old Testament ‘law and prophets’, ‘every jot and tittle’, even the least of them, until ‘heaven and earth pass away’.  He also said that will be the source of the righteousness which we will need to enter the kingdom of heaven.

 

     3. If we reject some, or all, of God’s law (that being lawlessness) what will happen to us? 

 

 Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

 

Matthew 13:41-43, “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

 

 Hebrews 10:26-27, “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.”

 

Answer -  Jesus (and the writer of Hebrews) tells us the ‘lawless’ (who know God’s law but reject it – presumptuous sinners) will be rejected at the gates of heaven and cast into the ‘furnace of fire’.  Then in Matthew 13:43 Jesus contrast to the ‘lawless’ with the ‘righteous’ who will ‘shine’ in God’s kingdom.  We are one or the other, there is no other group.

 

      4. That is a terrible fate for the ‘lawless’.  How do we avoid being in this group?

 

 Jesus tells us how; Matthew 7:24-25, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”

 

Again Jesus said in John 8:51, “Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”

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Hebrews 5:9, “And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.”

 

Revelation 22:14, “Blessed are those who keep His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.”

 

 Answer – Jesus tells us that if we listen to him and obey him when he tells us to keep the commandments of God (the law and prophets) we will receive eternal life. Those who reject God’s law, reject God’s authority to rule over them.

 

      5. Does that mean sinners will not be in heaven? 

 

Matthew 9:12-13, “When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” 

 

Mark 2:17, “When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”.

 

Matthew 4:17, “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

 

 Answer – Jesus came to call sinners to repentance so that they may enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Those sinners who repent of their sins will be received into God’s kingdom, but those sinners who continue to break God’s law without repentance are the lawless who will be rejected at the judgment seat and cast into the furnace.

 

      6. Does that mean we have to keep all of God’s laws?

 

Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4, “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

 

James 2:10, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”

 

Matthew 5:18-19a, “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven…”

 

Answer – God expects us to keep every ‘jot and tittle’ of the Old Testament ‘Law and Prophets’, and repent when we fail.  However, there are many Old Testament laws, some for priest only, some are for men only, some are for women only, some are for children only, some are for kings only, some for farmers only, some pertain to the sacrifices, etc.  So some of them are not for us and those we can't keep.  But, if we reject even one of God’s laws which we can keep, we are lawless presumptuous sinners who spurns God’s authority, despises His word and rejects His direct commands.  A presumptuous sinner presumes that they don’t need to keep God’s law(s) and presume that there will be no consequences for violating God’s law(s) – and therefore they will never repent.  But they are dead wrong.  But in contrast a presumptuous sinner is a repentant sinner who humbly submits to God’s authority, and they are considered righteous.

 

According to the Scriptures, by repentance sinners are pardoned, forgiven, their sins are forgotten, blotted out, cast into the sea, they are white as snow, we are considered righteous and justified - now that is saving grace.

 

When we let someone convince us that we don’t need to keep all of God’s laws, or we decide that for ourselves, we have placed that lawless authority above God’s authority, trumping God’s commands to keep His law, and we then have a new supreme authority, or god. And that would make us a presumptuous sinner who will not repent, and without repentance, there is pardon, forgiveness, or atonement, not even by Jesus’ blood (Hebrews 10:26-27).

 

      7. Aren’t we saved by grace alone?

 

Yes we are. The question is then what is the means of that saving grace. As we saw, a sinner receives saving grace by repentance, which is a commitment to forsake sin and keep God’s laws.  God said He ‘love those who love Him and keep His commandments’ (Exodus 20:6, John 14:21,23). God’s love is also a source of ‘saving grace’, for God will save those whom He loves.  So saving grace is not earned by keeping the law but it’s given to those who love and fearfully respect God enough to submit to His authority.  Can you image God giving saving grace to those who refuse to keep His commandments, despise His word and spurn His authority? It won’t happen. Those are presumptuous sinners, they have been deceived, or self-deceive, into thinking that they can reject some, or all, of God’s Old Testament ‘Law and Prophets’ which Jesus clearly told us to keep, and still be right with God.  Jesus said by his word we will be judged, John 12:38, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”  Obey him.

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God's Nature

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SHORT STUDY ON GOD – IS GOD ONE OR A TRINITY?

 

1. Jesus will give us our answer, but first, who is Jesus and is it important to listen to him?

 

 Deuteronomy 18:17-18, “And YAHOVEH said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good.  I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.  And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.”

 

 Acts 3:22, “For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘YAHOVEH your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.” (Peter says Deuteronomy 18 is speaking about Jesus).

 

Acts 7:37, “This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘YAHOVEH your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’” (Stephen says Deuteronomy 18 is speaking about Jesus)

 

​John 5:47, “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”  (Jesus said, I'm the one Moses wrote about in Deuteronomy 18)

 

 Matthew 13:57, “So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.”  (Jesus said he is God's prophet).

 

Answer – The Scriptures tell us that Jesus is Yahoveh’s anointed Prophet (Messiah) mentioned by Moses in Deuteronomy 18.  Jesus speaks Yahoveh’s words with Yahoveh’s authority, we better listen to him or we will be held accountable.

 

    2. Let's start with Yahoveh God, what does He write about Himself?  Written on stone…

 

 Exodus 20:2-3, “I am YAHOVEH your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

 

 Answer  - The first of the Ten Commandments tells us that Yahoveh is God and we are to worship Him alone.

 

    3. Who does Jesus tell us to worship and serve?

 

 Matthew 4:10, Luke 4:8, “Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship YAHOVEH your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” (Yahoveh is Our Father according to Deuteronomy 32:6 and many other verses.)

 

 Answer -  Jesus tells us to worship and serve Yahoveh alone.  To ‘serve’ is what is done in worship; bow, sing, dance, light candles, praise, sacrifice, etc.

 

    4. Jesus was asked a key question, which will help our understanding.  He was asked about the ‘first’ (first in importance) or ‘greatest’ commandment.  What was it?

 

 Mark 12:28-29, “Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”

29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, YAHOVEH our God, YAHOVEH is one.”

 

 Answer – Jesus quotes from the Old Testament and tells us that first and foremost commandment is; Yahoveh is God and Yahoveh is One.  God is not three or a trinity.

 

    5.  Jesus said Yahoveh is God and God is one, not three.  Now, does Jesus worship someone? Who does Jesus worship? 

 

 John 4:22-23, “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”

 

 Answer – In saying the ‘we worship’ he was including himself as one of those who worships Yahoveh, Our Father.  That's who Jesus told us to pray to 'Our Father', Matthews 6, and Jesus also prayed to Him.

 

    6. Did Jesus ever refer to himself as God?

 

 John 14:1, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”

  

Answer – No, Jesus did not include himself in the title God, but always distinguished God as a separate being. (This is a clear denial of being God)

 

    7. Here in John 17, Jesus is praying to the Father (Yahoveh), what does he say about the nature of God?

 

 John 17:3, ”And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

 

 Answer – Jesus tells us that God is one, and that he himself is the sent Messiah.  Jesus also says ‘eternal life’ is based on knowing that.

 

    8. If Jesus isn’t God, does he have a God?  And Creator?

 

 John 20:17, “Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ”

 

 Answer - Jesus himself has a God and Father.  He is Jesus’ ‘Father’ because he brought Jesus into existence.

 

    9.  The ‘redeemed of the earth’ have the Father’s name written in their ‘foreheads’.  Why? 

 

 Revelation 14:1, “Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their foreheads.”

 

 Answer - That is a symbolic way to say that the redeemed submitted to Yahoveh’s authority, and thus their behavior, beliefs, and worship were in compliance with Yahoveh’s will.  The redeemed worshiped Yahoveh and did His will. (In Revelation 22:14 we read those who do the commandments of God (Yahoveh's will) are the redeemed who enter the New Jerusalem and eat from the tree of life.)

 

    10. Here we see the confused John bowing to worship Jesus.  What happened? 

 

 Revelation 22:8-9, “Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

9 Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

 

 Answer - Jesus said, ‘don’t worship me, worship God’. Another denial that Jesus is God, and thus he should not be the object of our worship, i.e., Matthew 4:10, Luke 4:8 and john 17:3. ("I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets and of those who keep the words of this book" is a reference to Deuteronomy 18)

 

    11. When the plagues of Revelation start falling, and 2/3 of the people are killed, then we come to this verse.  What do we learn about those who redeemed?

 

 Zechariah 13:8-9, “And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says YAHOVEH, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it:   I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name (Yahoveh), And I will answer them.  I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘YAHOVEH is my God.’

 

 Answer - These are the redeemed people of Revelation 14:1, who knew that Yahoveh was the one true God (John 17:3).  “YAHOVEH” was written on, or in, their foreheads because they worshiped Yahoveh alone (Matthew 4:10, Luke 4:8).  They didn’t have ‘JESUS’ or ‘Trinity’ written on their foreheads, because they knew that Yahoveh alone is God and He is one (Mark 12:8-9), not three. 

 

​There are no references to the Trinity in the Scriptures.  The word Trinity or the concept of it, is not used in the Old or New Testaments.   There are many more verses which speak of the oneness of God and denials by Jesus about being God, but I will stop here, because if these powerful, clear and straight forward verses don't convince you that Yahoveh alone is God, I don't know what will.

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An interesting quote...

 

  History of Christianity 1776 Edward Gibbon, "If Paganism was conquered by Christianity, it is equally true that Christianity was corrupted by Paganism. The pure Deism of the first Christians . . . was changed, by the Church of Rome, into the incomprehensible dogma of the trinity. Many of the pagan tenets, invented by the Egyptians and idealized by Plato, were retained as being worthy of belief."  

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