The Doctrine of the Law
Of Moses, Of Man, Of Faith, Civil Laws
“By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified”
Before we begin, we must first have a foundational understanding of why we are here. And we must have an understanding of the makeup of man.
Why God Created the Earth and Man
Prior to the attempted overthrow of the Father by Lucifer, there had been no temptation. It was known and assumed that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were the only ones to follow, to worship, to bow down to. Since there had been no temptation, no resistance to temptation had been built up in God’s creation. When Lucifer, the Guardian Cherub of the Mount of God, grew proud and decided that he and he alone deserved to rule as god and creator, he found little resistance among the angels when he began his overthrow.
God, in His brilliance, with the Son and Holy Spirit by His side, devised a plan to create a loyal, loving following who would become His children. Jesus would become our Brother and the Author and Finisher of our Faith, Whom we would willingly follow in heart and behavior as children of the Most High God.
The Father designed the plan, and the Son executed the plan, where a world would be created where man would be given a choice; follow God, or don’t follow God. When Adam and Eve chose to not listen to God, the plan was triggered into action. It goes like this:
God stepped into the background so that man had no direct access to Him. The Father changed man’s physical makeup so that man’s eternal spirit now lived within a body of the flesh. Since God would not be there for man on a moment-by-moment basis, He gave man a biological computer for a brain with preconceived behavioral bents that would assist in keeping him alive in his new reality. Man would have a fear of things that could do him harm, talents in certain areas that would assist him to survive, etc. All these were contained within his human brain.
Simply stated, God replaced Himself as man’s daily protector and guide, and gave that task to man’s human brain. This human brain, from conception, would constantly feed input to man’s eternal spirit that resided within his heart, demanding he do this, requiring he do that, putting terror into his soul to never go there, etc. From birth this human brain endlessly demanded unconditional, complete obedience. The end result is that each of us, that is, our eternal spirit, has been conformed to and molded into the image of our human brain.
The Law of Moses
We think of the Old Testament Law as the law that came from God. However, not once did Jesus refer to the Law that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai as coming from God. He referred to it in some form or other as the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses was unable to restore the relationship with the Father that we lost because it was intended to deal with man in his present state; composed of flesh with a human brain guiding his every thought and decision. Because the Law of Moses was passed from man to man with no direct ministration from the Holy Spirit, each individual's Mind of the Flesh processed and interpreted the Law based on their talents, life experiences, personality bent, and personal preferences.
The obvious purpose of the Law of Moses was to teach Israel about God through spiritual laws, requirements and prohibitions; and to civilize the people through civil laws of health, hygiene, and how to interact with each other through requirements, prohibitions, and punishments for devient behavior.
A not-so-obvious purpose behind the Law of Moses is that it became a measuring stick for all creation. Anyone who could keep the Law in its entirety; understanding when laws applied and when they didn’t, who exercised correct judgment in all things while never making a mistake, who kept control over their body and Mind of the Flesh, properly caring for it but never bowing down to its demands, such a one could stand beside the Father, break the seven seals one at a time, and then open the scroll. Holy Writ tells us that no one in Heaven, nor on the earth, nor under the earth was found worthy to open the scroll. Simply stated; not one living being; angels, man, the sons of God, etc.; among all of the Father's creations passed the perfection test as worthy to break the seven seals and open the Father's scroll. Then came Jesus.1
The Law of Moses became a measuring stick for all creation to show that none of us are equal to God except God-the-Son, Jesus Christ. It was only through His unconditional faithfulness to the Father, His never bowing down to His own body and Mind of the Flesh, nor bowing down to any man, power nor principality, nor to His own will and desires, that Jesus proved Himself worthy to take the scroll from the Father and break open its seven seals.
The Law of Man
For our purposes here, the Law of Man refers to religious laws that churches or individuals make that replace the Law of Moses regarding “thou shalt” and “thou shalt not.” The argument, often unspoken, is that
“The Law of Moses didn’t work because it was weak. We now have the teachings of Jesus and New Testament wisdom, so we’ll create our own Christian laws to govern us to ensure we measure up to the standard of righteousness.”
Unfortunately, just as the Law of Moses dealt only with controlling man’s body and Mind of the Flesh, the same can be said of rules and laws that churches make to govern their membership. These deal only with outward behavior. They are not able to remove the foreskin of flesh that blocks our direct access to God the Father.
One odd side-effect of these rules that I’ve regularly been at odds with is that what the Holy Spirit is leading me to do frequently in some way contradicts or appears to break some rule of the church or violates what some member of the church is spiritually uncomfortable with. I soon found as a young man and husband that I was very limited in what I could do in following the direct leadership of the Holy Spirit because I had to clear it with the church or individuals within the church or risk some kind of retaliation from the body. In essence, my personal faith in Jesus Christ and my direct relationship with the Holy Spirit was at jeopardy because someone in the church always stated, “God would never tell anyone to do that!” I had a choice to make; bow down to the church so that I don’t hurt the faith of some member, or follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and let the chips fall where they may regarding the membership.
The bottom line is that church members who rigidly follow the behavioral rules of the church aren’t following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Whenever the letter of the law becomes the guiding force, then Jesus isn't your God. Church rules have replaced their relationship with Jesus as the god of their daily living. Come judgment day, I’m going to stand before the Father and have to explain to Him why I bowed down to some rule-following member instead of Him. So, I choose to let the Holy Spirit guide me in my daily life. If some in the church lose faith for me doing so, well, their faith isn’t in the Father as demonstrated by His Son, Jesus Christ. Their faith is in the church and its man-made rules. They have the appearance of godliness but lack the overcoming power that only comes through submission and obedience to the direct leading of the Holy Spirit.
The Law of Faith
“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”
The Law of Moses and the Law of Man fail to restore man’s relationship with his Creator because they seek to control the outward behavior of man by placing rules and regulations in place to which the Mind of the Flesh, that is, man's brain, is expected to interpret and adhere. God in His wisdom intentionally created mankind so that we can’t be perfect. No one has a bigger ego than God. He’s not looking for competition in who deserves to be in charge over all of creation. Laws, rules, and regulations fail because they’re trying to make perfect that which by God's intentional design can not be perfect. Salvation isn’t now, nor has it ever been, about behavioral perfection. Salvation is about loyalty; about a direct and unwavering personal relationship with God the Father, as daily lived and demonstrated by God the Son, as we are enabled and empowered by God the Holy Spirit. Salvation becomes ours when we recognize that there is only One God, that He is in charge, that we are to be loving children who unconditionally trust and follow His leading without question as His Holy Spirit bears witness to us, "This is the way. Walk ye in it."
At this point in our story, man's unsaved spirit is still locked inside a human body, with a foreskin of flesh blocking his direct access to God. Thanks to Jesus Christ, He demonstrated that it is possible to have a relationship with God while in a body of the flesh through His unwavering faithfulness to the Father, even unto a horrific death on the cross. It is because of His faithfulness by refusing to bow down to man, any power or authority, His own body of the flesh, His own Mind of the Flesh (his human brain), His own will or desires, instead demonstrating unconditional love and devotion to The Father, that He resolutely and willingly went to Golgotha’s cross. Because of this Jesus proved Himself the only one worthy to break open the scroll with the seven seals, thus ensuring salvation for those of us who are willing to follow His example of faith and devotion to the Father.
When we accept Christ as our Savior; when we hear the Word of the Cross, when the Holy Spirit bypasses our Mind of the Flesh and instead bears witness directly to our eternal spirit that the message of Christ is true, and we then believe and accept it as true, the Holy Spirit circumcises us spiritually by removing the foreskin of flesh that blocks our direct access to God. It is now that we have direct access to God the Father through the Holy Spirit and are restored to our positions as children of the Most High God.
"The eyes of the LORD search to and fro throughout the earth that He might strongly support those whose heart is completely His."
The power in the blood of Jesus Christ is not that I have the strength to hold onto God, but that the Father has the strength to keep a strong, unwavering hold onto me no matter what the enemy and life throw at me.
This is how we overcome the flesh; the Holy Spirit reveals to me through His still, small voice, “This is the way, walk ye in it,” It's only faith if the Holy Spirit whispers to me, and I listen, believe, and obey His voice. I ignore my Mind of the Flesh as it demands that I ignore God and follow it, instead. And when I instead remain faithful to the Holy Spirit, my Mind of the Flesh demands that I do what God is leading me to do in a way where my Mind of the Flesh is controlling my actions and decisions about how to do the Father's will. "Overcoming Faith," that is, the Faith-that-overcomes-the-world, requires that I continue to ignore my Mind of the Flesh, and instead ask the Holy Spirit to provide wisdom and guidance as I seek to complete His will. And it demands that I listen to Him and follow His leading when He does. God, in His faithfulness, continues to guide, to lead, to love.
”But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” - Jesus Christ
The Law of Faith supersedes the Law of Moses and the Law of Man because it has eyes to see what written laws don't. King Solomon was able to determine the mother of the baby by stating to have the baby cut in two with each woman getting half. As he expected, the real mother begged King Solomon not to kill the child while the other woman demanded that the baby be cut in two.
"Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying ... I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make my words unto you."
The written law fails because
- It can't change who we are. It just shines a light on us, pointing out our weaknesses. The written law becomes our accuser, not our redeemer.
- It isn't possible to write laws that cover every situation
- Situations and times change, obsoleting prior laws, requiring new laws
- Written laws kill our relationship with God, because they require that we bow down and submit to them instead of to God
The Law of Faith succeeds because
- It brings us back to the Father as the One and Only authority that we are to rely on in our daily activities, restoring and maintaining our relationship with Him
- The Holy Spirit whispers to us how to respond to a situation, allowing us a glimpse into what He sees
- God's judgment is intended to bring us to repentance and restoration. Man's judgment is intended to punish and destroy the offender. The Law of Faith brings life. The Letter of the Law brings about death and separation, for "the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life."
Civil Laws
Civil laws are not to be confused with Spiritual laws. God is not bound by anything man says, nor by any law that man passes. The Father is no respecter of persons, nor does He share His glory with any man, angel, principality, power, nor entity. He and He alone is God, and He and He alone is ruler over all. We are not spiritually bound by man’s laws, nor does God judge us nor hold it against us when we violate man’s laws.
However, it’s vitally important to understand:
- When we violate God’s spiritual laws, we will be judged by God
- When we violate man’s laws, we will be judged by man
- God’s laws and man’s laws are not synonymous nor are they intertwined. We can be innocent of both, guilty of both, or innocent of one but not the other.
Civil laws, church laws, rules and regulations, while having no bearing on our spiritual life nor our relationship with God, are still necessary. They help us keep a civilized society where we understand that under certain conditions and in certain situations it is necessary that we behave in a certain manner. Can you imagine sitting in a church service where the pastor was preaching while someone else was giving the announcements while a jogger ran through the sanctuary as a church committee held a meeting in the choir loft? Civilization requires structure to exist. However, the deviation from that structure carries no spiritual weight with God, nor does He judge us for failing to keep it because these are man's rules and regulations.
Regarding civil laws: the United States of America follows a simple philosophy regarding crimes; “Let the punishment fit the crime.” Few Americans understand this. Contrary to the Law of Moses, where we are told that anyone who breaks the smallest of the laws is guilty of breaking the whole law, civil law meets out various punishments depending on the severity of the crime. Traffic violations are considered to be a slap on the wrist, and have a small fine. More serious violations can find one imprisoned for a long time.
Civil laws have an entirely different goal than spiritual laws. Spiritual laws exist to restore and maintain our relationship with the Triune God. Civil laws exist to allow society to function and for all individuals within that civilization to exercise their God-given civil rights without interfering with or impeding the God-given civil rights of others.
Blessings,
Glen
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- See Revelation 5:1-5