Feedasheep

Or do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:19)

There has always been some ambiguity with regards to the Law of God. Are we free from keeping them? Were they “nailed to the cross“, or were they nailed in our hearts?

In the beginning, after God called the world into existence, He formed the first man and woman. God dwelled with them in the garden. They were innocent and did not know anything about being ashamed. This was because there was no wrong doing, nor disobedience. God visited them in that garden and there was nothing separating them from Him.

Now, picture the Israelites in the wilderness near Mount Sinai.

God told Moses not to let any one go near the mountain; it was for their own safety. This was because the presence of God was there.

“Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death.” (Exodus 19:12)

The disparity between the garden of Eden and and the wilderness is evident. Sin placed a barrier between God and the ones He formed by hand. In its place was hostility. Sin could not dwell in the presence of God.

Yet, God always wanted to be among His people. Always. He also desired them to be the light for the nations. He wanted everyone in the world to be drawn to this light which would eventually lead to Him.

God never wanted His people to be exclusive, they were to be a light to other nations, and their light was supposed to draw all people to Him.

To be this light, they needed to show the character of God by following the Law that He gave them: The 10 Commandments. To help them further, He broke them down into little laws detailing what constituted lying, stealing, killing, adultery, covetousness, dishonouring Him, etcetera.

This proved too much. It became burdensome, like a list to be checked off. God’s people couldn’t keep up with all those Laws.

They became more concerned with keeping them than being a light to other nations. It also did not draw them into a close relationship with the Lawgiver. In fact, it made Him seem harsh and exacting and they too became that way.

Furthermore, the punishments that accompanied many of the Laws were severe. Those who kept them and knew them well became puffed up and those who were tired and weary of them became lawless.

God saw that this method of teaching His Law did not produce the results He desired. He Always knew this would happen, but, this particular experience with the Law was crucial for the understanding of its importance. We needed to understand that the Law was holy and good. Yes, it needed to be followed because it was a guide on how to love God and our neighbor. We also needed to understand how profound the great sacrifice of Christ was; it was the sacrifice that would spare us from the consequences of sin.

God had always desired to live among His People, and so, the Son of God came into this decaying world. Jesus, became that Light that God wanted His people to be. God the Father dwelled or lived in His son, showing His people how to live the true meaning of His Law. He was drawing His people to Himself. (See John 6:44).

At the famous mountain, Jesus explained the Laws pertaining to man in their true sense. He told His people, forget physically killing, if you threaten someone, you’ve already killed them; if you think about being intimate with another, you’ve already committed adultery in your heart, and it goes on. Jesus further said that not one part of the law was abolished, but fulfilled.

Again, God always wanted to live among His people. When the amazing act of love was demonstrated by Jesus, the Son of God, He received all the punishments for all those laws broken. You would have heard that all our sins, before and after, yes, all, were placed on Him. This is Jesus dying in our place. He took the penalty. This act put an end to the ceremonial laws, which were the killing of lambs, rams, bulls, in short, the spilling of blood. His blood was more excellent and meaningful. He placed a value on us that is far more priceless than anything.

It is important to understand that God the Father was in His Son reconciling or drawing the world, to Himself. He wasn’t sitting down up in Heaven as a distant spectator. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”

After Rising Again and returning to His Father, He was glorified. God sent His Holy Spirit to live in us: remember, He always wanted to live among us. The Law was good, but the old dispensation or order did not fulfill God’s desire to be Among us. Now, the laws can be placed in our minds.

When we read and teach or share what the Law says, it stays there. We learn that stealing, killing and lying, are wrong. It hurts people and relationships, it isn’t love, it’s the opposite.

So the Law is good. Yes. We must love it if we want to live in God and have Him live in us. It’s like going to school to learn our lessons, afterwards, we no longer need the text books. Or, it’s like learning an instrument, practicing and following teaching methods. There’s the desire to learn, then the effort. Then one day, our fingers naturally find where to go and we play beautifully.

Revelation 21:3 says:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”

Just as it was in the garden of Eden, so shall it be. God always wanted to be among His people. Always. He wants to purify us and make us clean. He washed us by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ and He wrote His Laws in our minds. He cannot wait to live visibly among us. Isn’t that beautiful? Isn’t He beautiful?

Tags: dwell, hope, Jesus Christ, Law, Law abolished, love, redeemer, Saviour, sins