The Law, necessitated by the flesh, has no significance over those of the Spirit. The Spirit—whose origin is God—is not governed by the law of the Flesh. This is why Christ is a symbol of righteousness and in Him we have the good news about our salvation. Otherwise, without Christ, humanity is condemned for all eternity.
The Israelites were governed by the Law of Moses. But the Kingdom of Israel was not necessarily the Kingdom of God, which was to be established through Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of Israel was a shadow of that which was to come through Christ. May those who are of the stock of the kingdom of Israel please take note of the specific words uttered by the angel to Mary:
“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31-33) (ESV).
Suffice to say the above Scripture cannot be popular among those of the Trinitarian doctrine. True, in the child that was born by Marry, we had a human being who was to be called the Son of the Most High. But, in the first place, the entire humanity ought to comprise the Sons of the Most High? All human beings, regardless of race, were created in God’s image, and in His image they were all created (Genesis 1:27). There is a good reason why Paul declared:
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4) (ESV).
Paul specifically refers to the original reality of humanity having been created in God’s image—where Christ is leading us to. The temporary provision of the Law, given through Moses, had obviously not been necessary, for those having been created as the Children of the Most High.
Jewish Scriptures clearly reveal that the Messiah is the chosen one of God, to redeem Israel and the rest of humanity. Even though having not respected Jesus, the Jews had high regard for Moses. Yet, the following are the words of Moses, which the Jews ought to have taken seriously:
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him” (Deuteronomy 18:15-19) (ESV).
Who was Moses referring to, in this Scripture? If this Scripture is referring to Jesus, then, nothing can be more scandalous than the idea of Trinity. From where do theologians get the authority to mislead Christians in that manner?
But perhaps my question ought to be rephrased thus: From where do Christians get authority to trust theologians on matters of Christianity? Jesus declared that anyone who applied His words would be like someone who built his house on the rock. Yet, anyone who did the opposite was like one building on sand (Matthew 7:24-27).
There is a difference between applying what the theologians say and applying what Jesus taught. The four gospel books of the New Testament Bible serve to clearly provide the Words of Jesus, for those taking Him seriously. It is actually not even necessary to study Jewish Scriptures to understand Jesus.
Paul, who attests to having been a Pharisee and a renowned Scholar, under Gamaliel, speaks highly of Jesus. Nothing is, therefore, scandalous of Paul having to declare: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4) (ESV)
Let us now deal with the reason why Christ is the end of the Law—instead of the other way round. When considering the lawlessness that presently exists on this planet. The starting point is to appreciate that the most difficult thing for ordinary humanity is to believe in Jesus Christ. This is just as it is not easy for darkness to ever appreciate the light. Humanity, associated with darkness, since Adam, is at home with darkness, rather than with light.
“The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:9-13) (ESV).
Jesus brought what was absolutely new—but foreign, only to those steeped in sinfulness. What Jesus brought was as old as first initiated at the creation of humanity. In other words, Jesus Christ simply aligns the reality of what came to be, at creation, as purely declared in Scriptures:
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27) (ESV).
I suppose there is nothing ambiguous about this Scripture? It clearly states that humanity was created in God’s image. But, humanity, as known today, can certainly not be associated with God’s image? If anything, humanity can only be said to be the opposite of the nature of God.
Having taken time to study the history of humanity, since Adam, makes it easy to understand why humanity came to be what currently exists. The Man, created in God’s image, is currently in a pathetic condition that needs deliverance. Jesus is, therefore, the only answer for that deliverance to take effect.
But, as the gospel writer, John, clearly puts it: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:9-13) (ESV).
These people are given the right to become children of God. This right came about, simply by believing in His name. In other words, to be granted this right of becoming His own child, one needs to simply believe in His name. Understandably, it may sound tricky to most people, unaware of what it means to believe in His name?
But believing in His name simply implies focusing on Him alone, as the stable datum, on all matters of survival. As highlighted earlier on, this is not easy for those all along associated with darkness, to embrace the light. When the light appears, darkness disappears. However, those taking comfort in darkness, would rather disappear with that darkness, rather than confront the light.
Let us now clarify what Paul meant: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4) (ESV)
The Law is applicable in darkness and not applicable where there is light already. The deceived mainstream of Christianity gets entangled in this reality. Being still of this world, they struggle—as cannot come into terms with such Scriptures, as highlighted by Paul.
Hence you have two groups of Christians—mainly divided by the application of what Paul wrote. One group insists that Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, and correctly quoting Scriptures like Matthew 5:17-20. They are right. Their wrongness lies in failure to differentiate between the Spirit and flesh.
The other group insists that Christians are not under the Law. This group is also equally right. Their wrongness lies in inability to articulate the significance of not being under the Law—as enunciated by Jesus. They are right, particularly, when emphasising grace—but, apparently, still trapped in failure to distinguish between flesh and spirit. See [Unpacking the myth about Law and Grace].
While Christ should not be likened to anything of this world, those who choose to believe in His name, ought to be likened to Him. Christ indicated that to be His follower, one needed to forsake everything, including his/her own family and self (Luke 14:25-33). In other words, a person cannot believe in Jesus, when still believing in anything of this world.
This explains the reason why theologians cannot grasp this reality. They believe in the educational system of this world, more than they ought to believe in Jesus Christ. In other words, they use their educational reasoning in trying to come up with workable solutions for humanity. They give each other glory—thereby, leaving Jesus Christ aside:
“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” (John 5:44-46) (ESV).
While Jesus was referring to the Pharisees who had been stuck on the principle of Law-keeping, His statement equally applies to today’s theologians. One cannot believe in Jesus Christ and still formulate ideas that seem workable, according to the logic that is associated with this world. Christ brought what is absolutely new, as not to be associated with anything of this world.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing reliefs to those having witnessed strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. In a simple conversational tone, most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope.
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