The Law and the Prophets

The Law and the Prophets

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 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. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

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.

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.

Matthew 5:17-19

First off, let’s define “the Law or the Prophets” and “the Law.”  These phrases are commonly used in the New Testament to refer to the Old Testament (cf. Matt. 7:12; 22:40; Rom. 7:1ff; Gal. 3:10ff).  An even better example is Jesus’ reference to “the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44), because these three terms show us how the Jews of Jesus’ day defined and categorized the Old Testament canon.  “The Law of Moses” refers to the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis through Deuteronomy) which were authored by Moses and contain the laws given to Israel by God through Moses during their wilderness wanderings.  “The Prophets” refer to what was known as the Nebhiim, the category in which were found the Old Testament books known as “the former prophets” (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings [the latter two would later be divided up into 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings]) and “the latter prophets” (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and a scroll containing the 12 books which we categorize today as “the minor prophets” of Hosea through Malachi).  “The Psalms” refer to what was known as the Kethubhim, the category in which were found three poetical books (Psalms, Proverbs, and Job), five rolls (the Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Esther, and Ecclesiastes), and several historical books (Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Chronicles [again, the latter would later be divided up into 1 and 2 Chronicles]).

Thus, the Old Testament Scriptures of Jesus’ day were called “the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms,” “the Law and the Prophets,” or simply “the Law,” and were ordered in a way that started with Genesis and ended with the Chronicles.  We see an allusion to this when Jesus, while condemning the Pharisees, said to them, “so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah…whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar” (Matt. 23:35).  He was referring to a murder recorded in Genesis 4:4, the first book of the Jewish canon of the Old Testament, and to a murder recorded in 2 Chronicles 24:21, the last book of the Jewish canon of the Old Testament.  Basically, Jesus was telling the Pharisees that on them would come all the blood of the prophets in the Old Testament “from Genesis to Chronicles” (in the same way we would say, “from Genesis to Malachi”).

Now that we have established what Jesus meant when he referred to “the Law and the Prophets,” let’s examine what he meant when he said he had not come to “abolish” them but rather to “fulfill” them.  The Greek for “fulfill” basically means “to complete,” or to “bring to realization.”  Paul would later show that one of the purposes of the Law (i.e., Old Testament) was to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah (Gal. 3:24-25).  Thus, Jesus, being the Messiah whose way the Law would prepare, would naturally come to “fulfill” it rather than destroy it.  This he did by fulfilling its prophecies (Luke 24:44) and its demands (Gal. 3:11-13; Heb. 4:15), something none of the Jews could do due to their sin.  Since he fulfilled it, he took it out of the way when he died on the cross (Eph. 2:14-15; Col. 2:14) and by doing so fulfilled its prophecy that it would be replaced with his new covenant and testament (Heb. 8:6-13; 9:15-17; cf. Jer. 31:31-34; Rom. 7:1-4).

That being the case, why did he then say that “not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law” until “heaven and earth pass away”?  Here’s the thing, though.  He didn’t actually say that.  There are many who believe that Christians are obligated to obey the laws of the Old Testament today, and thus think that is what Matthew 5:18 is saying: that the Old Testament will be in effect until the end of the world.  That is not the case, because what Jesus actually said was this:  “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.”  He is not say that the Law would stay in effect until the end of the world.  He is saying that the world would not end until everything in the Old Testament was accomplished…something that took place when he died on the cross.  Keep in mind, he said this three years before he himself fulfilled the Old Testament on the cross.  During those three years, not one thing about the Old Testament changed, not even the tiniest iota or dot…and heaven and earth did not pass away, either.  However, at the end of those three years he took the Law out of the way at the cross and fulfilled it completely.

Since the Old Testament laws would be taken out of the way at the cross and replaced with the laws of Christ in the New Testament, why did he then say that those who are great in the kingdom of heaven will be those who both obey and teach the commandments of the Law, and those who are least in the kingdom of heaven will be those who do not obey these Old Testament commandments and teach others to do the same?  He said this for two reasons, both of which have to do with the time in which he made this statement.

First, remember that the Sermon on the Mount, a sermon whose theme was the approaching kingdom of heaven (Matt. 4:17, 23; 5:3, 10, 19-20; 6:10; 7:21), was preached three years before he died on the cross and the kingdom, the church, arrived (Acts 1:6-9; 2:1ff; 8:12; Col. 1:13; 1 Thess. 2:12; Rev. 1:4, 6, 9).  The Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms were still in effect at the time of the Sermon on the Mount (cf. Gal. 4:4).  His Jewish audience, as well as Jesus himself, were obligated by God to obey those commandments.  Some of these Jews would later be converted to Christianity and added to the kingdom, the church in Acts.  With this in mind, ask yourself this:  If you were a Jew who was in the habit of rebelliously disobeying the laws of the Old Testament, what makes you think you would obey the laws of Christ in the New Testament as a citizen of his kingdom?

Secondly, Matthew 5:20 and the rest of the chapter gives us insight into what Christ was thinking when he made that statement.  Verse 20 reads, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  What were the scribes and Pharisees doing that was so bad?  Basically, they were adding their own traditions to the established Word of God in the Old Testament (Matt. 15:1-9) and were focusing only on obeying parts of the Law rather than all of it (Matt. 23:23).  This is seen in the rest of chapter 5, where Jesus time and again tells his Jewish audience, “You have heard that it was said…” (a reference to what they were being taught by the scribes and Pharisees), followed by, “But I say to you…”

An examination of each case of what Jesus cited as being taught to the Jews of his day by the scribes and Pharisees would reveal that in some cases they were teaching only following the letter of the law while ignoring the spirit behind it (i.e., focusing on the commandment to not murder while ignoring the anger that would lead to murder [vs. 21-26], or focusing on the commandment to not commit adultery while ignoring the lust that would lead to adultery [vs. 27-30]).  In one case, the scribes and Pharisees were apparently telling the Jews to “hate their enemy” (Matt. 5:43), while the Law actually commanded the opposite (Ex. 23:4-5; Prov. 21-22).  In another case, they were taking a command which in its proper context prompted the death penalty for the murder of babies and moving it out of context to teach vengeful retaliation (Matt. 5:38-42; cf. Ex. 21:22-25).

Therefore, the scribes and the Pharisees were proving through their teachings and actions that they were not following the commandments of the Old Testament, and were teaching others to do likewise.  That is why they would be called “least” in the coming kingdom of heaven, and why Jesus would enjoin his listeners to make their own righteousness exceed theirs.  For again, if one was in the unrepentant habit of disobeying and misinterpreting Old Testament commands while teaching others to do the same, they would certainly not be welcome in Christ’s kingdom of the church which upheld the laws of the New Testament.

Posted in Jon Mitchell | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Law and the Prophets

It is Finished

It is Finished

Tragically, men have taken the words of the Bible out of context. Consider the following illustration. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” there was no way anyone there could have understood what He meant. Have you ever thought what the Jewish leaders thought was finished at the cross?

What wasn't finished at the cross?

What wasn’t finished at the cross?

It was not finished for the religious leaders who crucified. I do not know how many of them heard Jesus say, “It is finished,” but they definitely thought the death of Jesus brought the finish to problems which had plagued them for many years.

The preaching of John the Baptist was the beginning of their first-century problems. When John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees in his audience, he said, “Brood of vipers…flee from the wrath to come…bear fruits of repentance…even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees…” (Matt. 3:7-10).

The death of John did not end their problems. Read Jesus’ rebuke of them in the “eight woes” of Matthew 23 to see that Jesus was even more severe. After His death, they could have taken Jesus’ words about it being finished and said, “Thank God, it is finished,” but they would have been so wrong. Bible words always have a Bible context!

It was not finished for those who thought the threat from Rome had past. Rome was very much aware of the unrest that the teachings of Christ was creating. Both Pilate and Herod knew of Him. The Jewish leaders could say, “We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15), but the multitudes wanted Jesus as their king (John 6:15). Those leaders might have thought that the death of Jesus would finish the threat of Roman intervention, but they were wrong. It was not finished, and in that generation, Jerusalem was leveled. Jesus’ words, “It is finished,” have a Bible concept.

It was not finished for those who thought they would never have to deal with Jesus again. We have His very words in that book which God has provided for us. That book also tells of the words and actions of those who killed Him. It is not true that His death ended it all. One day that book will be opened and these same men will face the One they crucified!

What was finished? Not the work of Jesus, for He was raised and is our mediator with God. He continues to work on our behalf. What was finished? It was the work God had given Jesus to do. Redemption, salvation, the purchasing of the church, atonement, the uniting of all men in the one glorious body, the remembrance of sin, the end of that old covenant, the destroying of the power of Satan—all that the New Testament shows has been brought to us.

Bible words always have a Bible context!

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on It is Finished

The Personal Standard

Perfecting The Art Of: Self-Deception, Destruction, And The Drawing Away Of The Disciples After Them.

The Word of God is truth (Jn. 17:17). Every individual word is true (Matt. 4:4), as well as the entire totality thereof (Psa. 119:160). No part or portion of the Word of God is a matter of one’s own, private interpretation (2 Ptr. 1:20-21). It is the perfectly pure (Psa. 19:7-11) and totally timeless (Psa. 119:89, Matt. 19:4-6; 1 Tim. 2:11-15) standard by which we shall all be judged on the last day (Jn. 12:48-50, Rev. 20:11-15).

God's standard will not fail.

God’s standard will not fail.

In a somewhat similar manner, the spirit of mankind hasn’t changed a whole lot over the years either. As King Solomon in all of his God-given wisdom once said regarding such, “There is nothing new under the sun” (cf. Eccl. 1:8-9). Take for example, today’s occasional God-professing but personally and secretly pride driven disciple; he or she who wants and will insist on their own way no matter what, and despite whatever the biblical truth of the matter actually is; he or she who has already come to some biblically-contradictory conclusion on a timeless topic with eternal implications, but for whatever privately-held and personally pride-driven reason, absolutely refuses to sit down, sincerely study, deeply discuss, honestly understand, humbly accept, and truly repent of their egregious error.

Some of today’s biblically-addressed topics wherein this rebellious and God-defying attitude might be seen as most in evidence could include, but not be limited to, such subjects as so-called “social drinking” (the public consumption of alcohol by any saint); marriage, divorce, and remarriage; the divisive sin of denominationalism; women’s roles in the church; and even, sadly, such things as the essentiality of repentance and baptism both before and in order to obtain the forgiveness of one’s sins amongst other things.

Now, the overall point of this article is not to seek to prove that such God-resisting and rejecting mindsets have existed for millennia (for that is pretty blatantly obvious from even a peripheral skimming of the Scriptures), but to warn and to outline in far greater detail, the fact that their tactics in today’s church have not changed a whole lot from those of their pride-filled and scripture-resisting and rejecting predecessors from previous centuries.

For example, when God’s “old paths” truth (Jer. 6:16) is fully and faithfully presented by either an elder, preacher, or bible class teacher regarding some of the harder teachings of scripture, some will simply walk away, never to return (Jn. 6:60-66). Others may travel to a nearby, truth-nullifying congregation where God’s word is not so clearly taught, in order to have their “ears tickled” (2 Tim. 4:3-4), their sins remain unaddressed, and their consciences therefore falsely comforted. Still others, like Korah and his crew, might seek to assemble a gang of rebellious, religious, congregational leaders and openly revolt against God’s chosen plan (Num. 16:1-50). And while these sorts of scripture-rejecting rebellions are all fairly easily seen and identified, others in ages past have practiced a far more secret, subtle, and sinister form of subterfuge… laboring at length to lay the groundwork for a far more sly and stealthy sneak attack on their intended target – seeking to strike from within before the faithful leaders or people of God ever know what hit them (See 2 Sam. 15:1-14)!

Hence, Jesus’ warning to His disciples very early on in His ministry to always be on guard and aware of such devious, dubious, extremely well-disguised but still ravenous ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’ (Matt. 7:15-20) – a crucial warning also echoed by the Apostle Paul to the leadership of the first-century congregation of the Lord’s church at Ephesus (See: Acts 20:17-38). In that text we see several essential and eternally-vital elements:

  • That it is by fully and faithfully declaring and defending the whole and total counsel of God that God’s messenger can stand innocent before Him (vss. 26-27);
  • That after Paul’s departure, “savage wolves” would come in among them from the outside (vs. 29), as well as the fact that even from within their very own number, would come some personally power-hungry and pride-driven disciples “speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after themselves” (vs. 30). (It is also interesting to note that the Apostle Peter says something very similar in 2 Ptr. 2 + 3, wherein he warns of sinister false teachers who would secretly bring in damnable heresies, denying the truth and causing it to be blasphemed in their greedy lust for money, while the Apostle Paul warns of those false teachers who would do so out of their lust for personal power and the acquisition of their own following.)
  • That it is only by faithfully proclaiming and defending God’s word – no matter the opposition, cost, or consequences – that one can be truly and fully assured of heaven (vs. 32).

Such stealthy, Absalomic opposition from within by any who might covet more personal power and their own following as opposed to humbly accepting and following the Lord of glory and His word, can come in many and various forms. Some might resort to gossip, slander, and/or character assassination regarding those who refuse to compromise God’s truth (Jer. 6:28; Prov. 10:28; Matt. 26:59-67; Ro. 1:28-30). Others may seek to bribe or “buy” either another’s loyalty, influence, or their own way into power (Matt. 26:14-16; Acts 8:18-23). Others seeking more personal power or control may be seen continually inserting themselves into situations they have no legitimate business being involved with, thus becoming “busybodies” as opposed to ‘minding their own business’ as the scriptures command all Christians to do (2 Thess. 3:11-12; 1 Tim. 5:13; 1 Thess. 4:11-12). Still others – like Paul mentioned in Acts 20:29 – might show up only when/after the man of God is gone and the flock appears to be less protected. Hence, Paul’s admonition to the Ephesian leadership in verse 32. Let the church beware (Matt. 7:15-20)!

Posted in Doug Dingley | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Personal Standard

PORQUE LA BIBLIA ES IMPORTANTE

PORQUE LA BIBLIA ES IMPORTANTE

Sin duda alguna lo primero en este tema es re-frasiar la oración anterior, la Biblia no nada más es importante; la ración de los alimentos 3 veces al día es importante, hacer algún tipo de ejercicio es importante, pasear a la mascota de la casa es importante. Sin embargo la Biblia es LO más importante en la vida de cualquier cristiano del Nuevo Testamento y debería de serlo en la de todos los seres humanos. El concepto de Jesús en cuanto a la Biblia es “no solo de pan vivirá el hombre sino de toda palabra que sale de boca de Dios” (Mt 4:4). Las palabras que habían sido inspiradas a Moises en Det 8:3 son empleadas por la segunda persona de la deidad para hacer hincapié al concepto más difícil de aceptar de todos los siglos; la suficiencia absoluta de la palabra de Dios, y el ser con quién estaba teniendo este altercado es el mismo, para nada ha cambiado, el diablo. La manera de aproximación fue la misma desde el inicio; hacer apartar la mirada del hombre de Dios y enfocarla en lo físico y lo material, Pablo le da al blanco cuando escribe: “…buscad las cosas de arriba, donde está Cristo sentado a la Diestra de Dios”(Col 3:1) Con Eva fue igual hizo apartar su mirada de Dios y de la suficiencia de lo que Dios había dicho para poner duda y enfocar la atención en el fruto prohibido. Estimado lector ¿Acaso no puede apreciar usted la tremenda ventaja que tenemos nosotros hoy al tener el relato de Génesis y de Mateo? De la misma manera que se aproximó a Eva y al Señor es como lo va a hacer con usted y con migo (2Co 2:11) Siempre buscará que la palabra de Dios no sea importante y que no sea suficiente para su alma.
El escritor de Hebreos nos aclara que Dios habló antes a los padres por los profetas, pero  que en estos postreros tiempos nos ha hablado por el hijo a quién constituyó heredero de todo (Heb 1:1-2). Observe cuidadosamente con migo que a pesar de que Dios ha cambiado los medios de comunicación, él siempre nos ha hablado, no ha habido un momento en la historia de la humanidad en la que el Ser supremo del universo se  haya escondido del ser humano para que no le conozca, todo lo contrario. La Biblia es lo más importante que existe porque es el canal como Dios se comunica a nosotros, sin ella estamos ciegos, sin ella no existiría un estándar de moralidad entre lo bueno y lo malo, sin ella no existiría un juicio final, sin ella el mundo sería un completo caos, sin ella no sabríamos que existe Dios y ni siquiera pudiéramos imaginar de donde venimos y  como inició todo. Dios el Padre no tiene porqué explicarnos estos detalles pero en su misericordia podemos leer de esto, sobre él y podemos entender cual es su voluntad (Ef 3:4). La palabra de Dios escrita en tan importante, por mencionar algunos, porque:
  1. La concepción espiritual es por medio de la Palabra inspirada (1Co 4:15; Sa 1:18).
  2. La vida espiritual es la operación constante de la Palabra inspirada (Ef 2:1-5).
  3. El lavamiento espiritual es producido al obedecer la palabra (Ef 5:26).
  4. La continuidad de ese lavamiento de espíritu es llevado a cabo por la palabra (1P 1:22)
  5. El alma del hombre puede ser salva por la palabra implantada (Sa 1:21)
  6. El medio de dirección y guía es  el de la palabra escrita (Salmos 119:105); Lc 1:77-79).
  7. El testigo que habita dentro de los corazones de los creyentes obedientes es la palabra (Jn 17:17; 1Jn 5:6).
  8. El crecimiento de todo bebé espiritual es logrado por la palabra escrita (1Ped 1:23).
  9. La fuente de fortaleza es el conocimiento de la palabra (Hechos 20:32; Col 1:10-11).
  10. La palabra inspirada tiene el poder de consolar al desalentado (Ro 15:4; 2Co 1:3-4).
  11. El evangelio de Cristo es derramado en nuestros corazones por medio del evangelio (Ro 5:5).
  12. El ingreso de la palabra ilumina el corazón (Salmos 19:8; 119:130).
  13. La fuente de entendimiento es la inspiración de la palabra (Salmos 119:104).
  14. El primer paso para ser salvo; la fe, viene por el oír de la palabra (Ro 10:17).
  15. La palabra hace al hombre perfecto y enteramente listo para toda buena obra (2Tim 3:16-17).
  16. La desobediencia a la palabra apaga el Espíritu Santo (1Tes 5:19).
  17. El Señor puede seguir trabajando en nuestras vidas por la palabra (Filp 1:6).
  18. El no escuchar a la palabra es resistir al Espíritu de Dios directamente (Hechos 7:51, Neh. 9:30).
  19. La resurrección de entre los muertos se efectuará por las palabras de Cristo (Jn 5:28).
  20. El juicio final tendrá su estándar universal en la palabra escrita (Jn 12:48).
La Palabra de Dios escrita, la Biblia es la cosa más perfecta que existe en el globo terráqueo. Es simplemente imposible  pensar que esta biblioteca fue producto meramente de la mente humana. En un rebusco rápido de internet sobre la importancia de la Biblia hay cientos de cosas que pueden parecer interesantes incluyendo un sitio web titulado: “101 contradicciones de la Biblia”. Amigo mío esa es la mentira más sucia que existe, tenemos 102 soluciones a cada una de esas aparentes contracciones, que en su gran mayoría son resultado de una mala manera de estudio y de interpretación. El apóstol Pablo utiliza una palabra sin duda alguna en nuestro idioma español es la más adecuado para describer la Biblia, el dice: “más cuando venga lo perfecto, entonces lo que es en parte se acabará”. (1Cor 13:10 Enfasis HLM). Teleios, en griego denota algo perfecto, da la idea de completo, de estar lleno sin hacerle falta nada, al punto final de la capacidad máxima de algo, perfecto. A la Biblia no le hace falta nada y por el artículo definido “lo” utilizado para algo y no para alguien sabemos que Pablo aquí está hablando de la Biblia. La perfección de la Biblia se debe a su autor que también es perfecto; Dios, y la conclusión lógica aquí es que su lectores al aplicarla en sus vidas diarias también podrán alcanzar ese sentido de satisfacción final, de que nada le hace falta, de que están completos realmente de perfección. Es nuestra oración sincera que la Biblia sea la cosa más importante en su vida, porque al final es lo único que realmente importará. “El que me rechaza y no recibe mis palabras, tiene quien lo juzgue; la palabra que he hablado, ésa lo juzgará en el día final” (Juan 12:48 LBLA).
Posted in Heiner Montealto | Tagged , | Comments Off on PORQUE LA BIBLIA ES IMPORTANTE

Men Love Darkness

Men Love Darkness

When Nicodemus, who was a ruler of the Jews, came to see Jesus we are told that he came “by night” (John 3:2). It has been noted that we are not told why he came “by night” but many suppose that it was out of fear (John 12:42). This is not a stretch considering that Jesus ends his discussion with Nicodemus on how men love darkness rather than light (John 3:19–21).

Men try to hide their deeds in darkness.

Men try to hide their deeds in darkness.

If men do their deeds in the darkness they may be hid to men but not to God, who will make all things known. “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God” (1 Corinthians 4:5).

In contrast Jesus in chapter four has a discussion with a sinful, adulterous, Samaritan woman in broad daylight to which his disciples “marveled.” Jesus told us to let our light shine (Matthew 5:14–16) and worry about what God thinks rather than what men think. Be not ashamed of the gospel or the Lord. Be obedient, be faithful!

Posted in Tim Dooley | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Men Love Darkness