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The God Who Shines – Week 4 / January 21st
“And the commandment, which was to bring
life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking
occasion by the commandment, deceived me,
and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy
and the commandment holy and just and good.”
Romans 7:10-12
life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking
occasion by the commandment, deceived me,
and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy
and the commandment holy and just and good.”
Romans 7:10-12
Moses and the Law
When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai his face shone with the glory of God because he had received the holy law of God that, if fully obeyed in all its aspects, brings eternal life. The Ten Commandments or majestic law is more than just a list of do’s and don’ts; it is the glory of God shining forth. This is why scripture affirms that all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) We can only understand what sin is in the light of the glory of God. (Romans 3:20)Thus sin is rebelling against God’s character. Moses could not retain the glory of God so as he noticed this glory fading away he put a veil over his face so that the Israelites could not see this fading process. By this action he actually deceived them into thinking that by attempting to keep the law, by their own power and ability, they could be saved. This deception or veil of unbelief persists until this day. (2Corinthians 3:18; 2Corinthians 4:6)
Definition:
The Law or Torah of God is the shinning forth of God’s character which is His glory. (Leviticus 18:5)
David and the Law
David had a high view of the law. His very first Psalm demonstrates this as does Psalm 119. Sadly the Church has a low view of the law today; very often mocking it! Jesus warned against this and stated that those who do this will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-20) David longed for the day when the glory of God’s law would shine again over Israel. (Psalm 80:3) Notice the link between keeping the law and salvation in this verse.
Definition:
Salvation is being restored to the image of God reflected in the Majestic or Moral Law.
Jesus and the Law
Jesus is the Law of God displayed in the flesh and He is thus the perfect outshining of all that God is. He is the God who shines! (Hebrews 1: 1-3) It is for this reason that, in answering an enquiry about how one gets saved, He said keep the Law, take up your cross and follow Me. (Matthew 10:17-21) Actually, the way of salvation has always been the same, even in the Old Testament period. Therefore, salvation was always based on the principle of faith. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness, (Romans 4:2-5) David the great King of Israel was also saved by faith, (Romans 4:6-8) Moses was also put right with God by faith (Hebrews 11:23-29) as were all the other servants of God of that period. (Hebrews 11:13) This is the message that Jesus preached as He ushered in by His death the New Covenant.
Definition of the New Covenant:
The New Covenant is that promised eternal life and blessing of God whereby, to those who embrace it, the principle of God’s Law or Torah is spontaneously lived out through them.
Jeremiah wrote:
“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a
new covenant with the house of Israel…………….But this is the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days
says the Lord: I will put my Law in their minds, and write it on their
hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No
more will every one teach his neighbor and every man his brother
saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least
of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their
iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Jeremiah 31:31-34
new covenant with the house of Israel…………….But this is the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days
says the Lord: I will put my Law in their minds, and write it on their
hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No
more will every one teach his neighbor and every man his brother
saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least
of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their
iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Paul wrote:
“For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh,
God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account
of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement
of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the
flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Romans 8:3-4
God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account
of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement
of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the
flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Romans 8:3-4
In other words the Law or glory of God was given through Moses but the ability or grace of God to live it out was given to the world by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)
The Law Summarized
Both the New and Old Testaments sum up the Law by stating that it means loving God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Deuteronomy 6:25; Leviticus 19:18) Jesus Himself affirmed this (Mark 12:29-31) and thus the work of the Spirit of God within us is to manifest this through our lives. (Romans 13:8-10) This is what it means to be saved! Those who allow this power of the Law to fill their lives because of what Jesus did for them on the cross are promised many wonderful blessings. (Deuteronomy 30:11-16; Romans 10:4-10; Ephesians 6:1-3)
Finally
The New Testament does not constitute a new revelation concerning the way of salvation. Rather it is a faithful exposition of the Old Testament and thereby demonstrates that salvation was always based on exercising faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. This is why, when Jesus caught up with the two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus, He demonstrated this truth by “beginning at Moses and all the Prophets” He revealed to them the things concerning Himself. (Luke 24:27, 44) Jesus is the Law of God shining into and out of our lives; He is the very Word of God; the God that shines!
Malcolm Hedding.
©Malcolm Hedding Ministries
2013Devotional Blog