ADDITIONAL LINKS ABOUT
SALVATION
THE TWO PARTS OF THE LAW
In speaking of the law, one must realize it has two parts. The first part contains the things that man is supposed to do and the things that he is not supposed to do, which result in sin if not adhered to. This effectively eliminates any chance of man receiving the promise without the second part. God knew all this before the beginning, but the law was necessary to reveal mans inability to be good enough. The second part contains the offerings of restitution for failures in the first part and points to Jesus as the way. Jesus fulfilled the whole law, but did not do away with any of it. The law is now in effect through Him; the first part as judge and the second part as savior. Without the law of the Old Testament, what would show Jesus as the way?
PART ONE -- RULES AND CONDEMNATION
The first part started in
the garden of Eden with Adam, containing dos and only one don't. As Adam
walked with God, the dos were easy because he was part of a team, God and man.
The don't was also easy, but he failed.
Gen 2:17
But
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in
the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God
Rom 5:12
Wherefore, as by one
man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all
men for that all have sinned
Jesus fulfilled the first part by
never sinning.
PART TWO -- RESTITUTION AND SALVATION
Man could accomplish the second
part according to the law, but the blood of goats and lambs was not enough
because there was no change of heart. The law could be done mechanically
without any desire to please God. This brought about the need for the law
to be fulfilled by Jesus.
CHRISTIANITY:
THE LAW POINTS TO JESUS
1. Israel is a type and shadow of the Christian walk. The
things they go through, whether of the world or of God, are a parallel to what
the Christian goes through.
2. The law was a type and shadow of the salvation road for Israel
and Gentile alike. The law, of which I speak, is the seven feasts of God.
Heb 8:4-5 there
are priests that offer gifts according to the law who serve unto the example and shadow of
heavenly things
Heb 10:1 For
the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of
the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year
continually make the comers thereunto perfect
Heb 9:13-14 For if the blood of
bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean,
sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
How much more shall
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot
to God, purge your conscience from
dead works to serve the living God?
Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of
things in the heavens should be purified with these; but
the heavenly things themselves with
better sacrifices than these.
Notice that the heavenly things
include more than one sacrifice.
Heb 4:14
Seeing
then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus
the Son of God, let us hold fast our
profession
Heb 10:21 And
having an high priest over the house of God
The high priest is over the house of
God to sprinkle the people; but according to the law and scripture, it doesn’t happen at the
entering of the house.
Eph 1:3 Blessed
be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ:
This says that only those in Christ
receive the heavenly blessings. This is further seen by the next verse.
There is no blood sprinkled at the cross. Jesus
sprinkles it in the heavenly sanctuary but on the people when they entered the
sanctuary of heaven.
The word of God reveals that there was not just one sacrifice
on the cross, just like there was not just one in the law, the Feasts of God.
Jesus was one body, but more than one sacrifice completed by that body.
3. They are also a type of the future.
Col 2:16-17 Let no man therefore judge you in meat,
or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath
days:
Which are
a shadow of things to come; but the body
is of Christ
Heb 8:4-5 there are priests that offer gifts according to
the law:
Who serve unto the
example and shadow of heavenly things
Heb 9:23 the heavenly things themselves with better
sacrifices than these
Heb 8:5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly
things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle:
for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern
shewed to thee in the mount
God demanded Moses to set up the sacrifices and the feasts
according to a pattern because they were a replica of what was done in the
heavenly sanctuary and tabernacle. It can also be seen in verse 9:23 that there
was more than one sacrifice. Hebrews doesn’t speak of the blood of the lamb,
but the blood of the goat. Jesus was our scapegoat and it was the blood of the
goat that was sprinkled on the people to remove their sin.
THE LAW
Passover—
Unleavened Bread—In Exodus those in the house were to
remove all leaven, which stands for sin. Jesus is the bread of life, the true
manna, and we are to eat the true bread as well as remove sin from our house.
Firstfruits—We are reminded that we are merely
stewards of what God has given us. We are also reminded that we are to be
fruit, produced from the first grain of wheat, Jesus who died and fell to the
ground to produce us.
Pentecost—The day that the Holy Spirit was received by the
disciples in the form of tongues of fire. A time to remember we were once
slaves of the world and sin. This is the day that the law was given to Moses,
but with the Spirit of God, the law is to be written on our hearts and minds.
Feast of Trumpets—The Jewish New Year begins.
The spiritual birthday of the world and creation is celebrated. There is
the blowing of trumpets and the coronation of the king. We know Him as the
King of Kings.
Feast of Atonement—Here the atoning blood of the scapegoat
is sprinkled. Notice all that has preceded this feast. It is also very similar
to what was to be done in the house in Exodus, which had the blood of the lamb
on the door. This is the day of forgiveness, spent in prayer, fasting and
confession. The high priest enters the holy of holies to make atonement for the
nation.
Tabernacles --
The word says that these feasts are a pattern of what is done
in heaven. Because this is true, then we must assume that our salvation follows
the same course. It might be denied except for the truth of what was to be done
in the house. God wouldn’t have been so concerned of the accuracy of the
physical elements if the spiritual elements weren’t the same.
For further information see:
http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/feasts/index and
http://www.biblicalholidays.com/
PASSOVER: THE LAMB
ACCORDING TO EXODUS
Ex 12:7 And they shall take of the
blood (of the Passover lamb), and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of
the houses, wherein they shall eat it
The many houses of Israel in Exodus are a
type of the one house now, the house of God. One enters the door
of the house and, while inside before starting out, prepares for the way that
leads to the
Promised Land, the kingdom.
Ex 12:11-12 it is the LORD’S
Passover.
For I will pass
through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the
land of Egypt
This is a type of Adam, the first and his
death that came upon all mankind (Rom 5:18). Keep in mind that Egypt is a type of the
world. At the same time it is a shadow of the true firstborn, Jesus, the
only begotten. The firstborn and the Passover lamb are both Jesus.
Jesus was smitten, bringing safety to those who are under the blood of the lamb,
but there are requirements for those who are in the house under this blood.
ACCORDING TO THE GOSPEL
Jn 1:29
The next day John
seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of
the world
1Pe 1:18&19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye
were not redeemed with corruptible things
But
with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot:
THE LAMB IS NOT ETERNAL
Jesus finished the whole law, but the lamb of God is only the
first of seven parts. The whole law of salvation is not finished by the
lamb. The lamb of God takes away the sin of
the world but the whole world is not saved. The lamb of Exodus saves those
in the house, but they do not all receive the promise.
1Cor 15:1 Moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye
have received, and wherein ye stand;
By which also ye are
saved, if ye keep in
memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have
believed in vain.
This verse reveals that there are those
who believe in the gospel and now stand in the house of God, being saved.
However, it goes on to say that they must keep in mind that gospel to remain
saved. Because God never takes back a gift, and being saved is a gift, one
must look farther for truth. The gospel contains the whole law, not just
the lamb part of it. If one doesn't get past the lamb and onto the goat,
they believe in vain.
REPENTANCE
Repentance, which means to
change ones mind, is twofold just like
the law and salvation. First, it was man's responsibility to obey the
rules; but he couldn't. With this truth, it became necessary for God to
make a way. He did that through Jesus and the cross. At that point,
it became man's responsibility to accept that sacrifice and admit that he wasn't
able. This, however, couldn't happen until God had revealed Jesus through
the Old Testament Law of sacrifices. One must also change ones mind about
living life for self, or living it for God. Scripture does say, however;
if one gives up their life, they shall find it.
1. REPENT IS
MORE THAN JUST CHANGING ONES MIND ABOUT WHO CHRIST IS
Mt 3:1-12 These seem to be worried about their
sins, confessing them.
Lk 13:3&5 The context of these verses seems to
indicate the need to bare fruit and to do works
for God. The works don’t save, but are part of repenting.
Lk 16:30 The repentance here seems again to be
a change in lifestyle.
Lk 17:3 Repent seems to be in consideration of
trespasses.
Acts 26:20 Paul says repent, turn to God, and
do good works It would seem one can do
each of the three without doing the other, yet the three seem to
go hand in hand
Rev 2:1-7 though this is a church rather than
an individual, there is a principal. The
church has fallen, not
remained an unbeliever. If this is the case, then it
isn’t coming that is the repenting, it is
acting like one knows the lord.
Rev 2:21&22 Repent of fornication and repent of
works
Rev 3:1-3 They do believe, but have stopped the
works. Hold fast what you believe AND
REPENT. Their works aren’t perfect before God, though they
still believe.
UNLEAVEN BREAD
(God said cleanse all leaven/sin from ones house.)
Jn 6:33
For the bread of God
is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world
(Again, it is the
world that receives; yet the world is not saved. Like Passover, this is only
part of THE WAY.)
Lk 4:4 It is written, That man shall not live
by bread alone, but by every word of God.
Deu 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee
to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy
fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man
live.
FIRSTFRUITS
(Remember that God gave us our land and our harvest.)
At this point the
harvest of barley is being waved before the Lord. Jesus the Firstfruit has been
planted and raised again to produce more fruit, the church, his body. At the
start, the barley is waved as it comes from the field; then at the end of 50
days, it is waved in a refined state. Two loaves of bread are waved, one
representing Israel and one representing the church. Salvation has not occurred
yet so we go to the next stage.
Rom
6:4 we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was
raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk
in newness of life.
Ja 1:21-22 lay apart all
filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the
engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
But be ye doers of
the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
One who
hears the word only is deceiving himself as to the manner of man he is. He is
not on his way to the promise. He has forgotten what manner of man he WAS.
Don’t just receive the word, but also live it. If one does, then he can be
blessed in his work also. If he doesn’t continue in the law of liberty, then he
can’t be blessed in his work. It would only be religion. One has to live the
word.
PENTECOST or SHAVUOT
(A time to remember that we were slaves to
Egypt/the world.)
This day ended the
barley harvest and began the wheat harvest. The time of Israel ended and the
age of the church started. It was the day the Ten Commandments were given and
the day that the law was written on our hearts. The Holy Spirit was given on
this day to those who were gathered. If one was not where he could receive the
Spirit, then they didn’t receive him.
Jn 14:15
If ye love me, keep
my commandments.
16 And I will
pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with
you for ever; 17
Even the
Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive
Even here one can
be more of the world than of the spirit.
Gal 6:7
Be not deceived; God
is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For he that soweth to
his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit
shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Sowing is action,
works, not simply believing. Sowers reap life, not hearers only.
Jn 4:24
God is a
Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in
truth.
FEAST OF TRUMPETS
(Celebrate the New Year, spiritual birth, and coronation of the King.)
If one has
continued with each of these feasts in their heart, then they get to the next
feast. One must keep the lord as their
lord in heart, not just in vain words. One has to live it, not just say it.
They have made Jesus their king and have truly been born again.
ATONEMENT
(Forgiveness of sin takes place here with the blood
of the goat, not lamb.)
Heb 9:13-14 For if the blood of
bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an
heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
How much more shall
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot
to God, purge your conscience from
dead works to serve the living God?
Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that
the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but
the heavenly things themselves with
better sacrifices than these.
(plural
TABERNACLES
(Remember that one lived in a tent when they were
brought out of Egypt.)
One is to be
separate. This could also be the seven years of the trib when those who make it
to be with the Lord are in heaven.