Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 13 - Acts 21-28

Acts 21:20-21 - "When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: 'You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. They have been informed that you teach all Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to their customs." Then they gave Paul instructions on what to do (in verses 24-25) so that "everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from teh meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality." It appears that it was good for Jewish Christians to still keep the law (the whole thing), but Gentile Christians were only put under the Noahide laws. This will be clarified later in Paul's writings.

Acts 22:3 - Paul was a Jew and thoroughly trained in Jewish law

Acts 24:14 - "However, I admist that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets..."

Acts 24:17-18 - Paul says he was ceremonial clean when we brought gifts for the poor and presented offerings. If one of the arguments in favor of Sabbath-keeping for Christians is that Paul "kept" the Sabbath, we should be consistent and say that we need to be ceremonial clean since Paul made sure to follow Jewish law. In fact, in verse 8, Paul says, "I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar."

Acts 26:22-23 - "...I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen - that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles."

Acts 28:17 - Paul says he has done nothing against the Jewish people or the customs of their ancestors.

Acts 28:23 - "They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets."

Acts 28:26-27 - fulfillment of Is. 6:9-10

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 12 - Acts 11-20

Acts 11:1-18 - Peter explains the meaning of the vision about the unclean animals - Gentiles were no longer to be considered "unclean" and they were to receive the Gospel message as well. It's interesting to note that some people believe there are meats that are still considered "unclean" by God. If that were the case, it would make this story very confusing - the literal meaning of this would be false but the figurative meaning of this story would be true. But the same could be said of, say, the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man. Would Jesus use a parable that was literally false but figuratively true if it would confuse people about what happens when you die? It seems to me that His parables were based on everyday events and things that really could and did happen (people losing a coin, people finding a buried treasure, a shepherd looking for his sheep, etc.). Anyway, there are many other passages that let us know the ceremonial "clean" and "unclean" meats are done away with, but this is one many people dismiss since it also demonstrates another point.  Fulfillment of shadow in Lev. 20:22-26 (Thanks, Michael M.).

Acts 12:3 mentions the Feast of Unleavened Bread & verse 4 mentions the Passover. Some people argue that because the Sabbath is mentioned in context with the disciples or Jesus that it is evidence we should keep it today. Should we also keep this feast because it is mentioned? It's easy to see how silly that logic is when applied to this. And yes, the Sabbath is mentioned more often because it was a weekly occurrence for the Jews - whereas the other Feasts occurred once a year.

Acts 13:14-52 - Paul went to Jewish synagogues on the Sabbath (since that is when they met to worship) and told them about Jesus. They weren't meeting with fellow Christian believers. It wasn't a Christian meeting - they went into the Jewish synagogues when they were there in an attempt to reach them for Christ. Verse 15 - the leaders read "from the Law and the Prophets." Verse 27 - "The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath." Verse 29 - "When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb." Verses 32-33 - "We tell you the good news: What God promised to our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus..." Verses 38-39 - "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses."

Acts 13:33 - fulfillment of Psalm 2:7

Acts 13:34 - fulfillment of Is. 55:3

Acts 13:35 - fulfillment of Psalm 16:10

Acts 13:41 - fulfillment of Hab. 1:5

Acts 13:47 - fulfillment of Is. 49:6

Acts 14:1 - "At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed."

Acts 14:15 - also uses the phrase, "who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them." It's not talking about the Sabbath at all or putting the Sabbath at Creation - simply telling people that God is the Creator!

Acts 15:1 - "Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: 'Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.'" Verse 5 - "Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, 'The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.'" While the law given by God through Moses was good and holy and served it's purpose, it was not eternal and was decided by the apostles that it didn't apply to Christian. Circumcision was the entrance sign to the entire law. Once you were circumcised, you had to keep the law. If you weren't circumcised, the law didn't apply to you. The Jewish converts to Christianity wanted the Gentile Christians to be circumcised, too, and to keep the law of Moses, but Peter said (in verse 10-11) - "Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." Verse 19-21 - "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath." This was all that was asked of Gentile Christians. One may say, "Oh, so it was ok for them to kill and lie and steal???" But that conclusion is made without an understanding of how salvation works. When we accept Jesus and are saved, the Holy Spirit lives inside of us and changes our hearts. When we love God & love others, we will naturally abide by the moral laws. Interestingly, the laws imposed on the new church were the laws given to Noah. Jews believed those laws to apply to all people (Gentiles as well as Jews) since God made that covenant with all of mankind (not specifically the Children of Israel like the Mosaic covenant). Jews, however, did not expect un-circumcised people to keep the law (613 laws) of Moses. In order for Jews to take Gentile Christians seriously, they would expect them to follow the Noahide laws. The Noahide laws are reiterated in verses 28-29. Here's an article on the Laws of Noah - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Laws_of_Noah

Acts 16:31 tells us what is required - "They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your household.'"

Acts 17:2-4 - "As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. 'This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,' he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.'" He went to Jewish synagogues to reach them with the Gospel! He was witnessing - not worshipping with fellow believers.

Acts 17:11 - "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." They studied the Old Testament to see if Jesus fulfilled what it said about the Messiah. They also studied every day.

Acts 18:4-6 - "Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, 'Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.'" It is interesting to note that this is the LAST mention of Paul "keeping" the Sabbath. Once he turned his outreach from the Jews to the Gentiles, there is no more mention of anyone worshipping on Sabbath. In fact, the next time (and only time after this) that the word "Sabbath" is used is Col. 2:16 - "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ."

Acts 18:12-13 - Paul was taken to court for "persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law."

Acts 18:28 - "For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ."

Acts 20:6 - They reference the Feast of Unleavened Bread

Acts 20:7 - Believers were meeting on the first day of the week to break bread.

Acts 20:27 - "For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God."

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 11 - Acts 1-10

Acts 1:16 - "and said, 'Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus -"

Acts 1:20 - fulfillment of Psalm 69:25 & Psalm 109:8

Acts 2:17-21 - fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32

Acts 2:25-28 - fulfillment of Psalm 16:8-11

Acts 2:31 - David talked about the resurrection of Christ

Acts 2:34-35 - quotes from Psalm 110:1

Acts 2:41 - 3,000 were saved at the birth of the church; Exodus 32:28 - 3,000 died at the birth of the law. "Ministry of death" versus "Ministry which brings life".  Both took place on the day of Pentacost.  (Thanks, Michael M. for this one!)

Acts 2:46-47 - the believers met every day

Acts 3:18-25 - "'But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you - even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. For Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people. Indeed, all the prophets, from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. As you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all people on earth will be blessed.'" - Quoting from Deut. 18:15-19 & Gen. 22:18 & 26:4

Acts 4:11 - quoting from Psalm 118:22

Acts 4:24 uses the phrase - "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them." - I've heard this used in other verses to tie it back to creation to prove it's talking about the Sabbath existing from creation. This has absolutely nothing to do with the Sabbath here.

Acts 4:25-26 - quoting from Psalm 2:1-2

Acts 4:32 - the believers shared everything they had. Verse 34 & 35 - from time to time people sold what they had and distributed it to those who needed it. It wasn't a prescribed amount (for example, 10%), but everything or whatever the Holy Spirit impressed.

Acts 6:11-14 - "Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, 'We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.' So they stirred up the people and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, 'This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.'"

Acts 7:3 - quotes from Gen. 12:1

Acts 7:7 - quotes from Gen. 15:13-14

Acts 7:27-28 - quotes from Ex. 2:14

Acts 7:32 - quotes from Ex. 3:6

Acts 7:33-34 - quotes from Ex. 3:5-10

Acts 7:37 - quotes from Deut. 18:!5

Acts 7:40 - quotes from Ex. 32:1

Acts 7:42-43 - quotes from Amos 5:25-27

Acts 7:49-50 - quotes from Is. 66:1-2

Acts 8:32-33 - quotes from Is. 53:7-8

Acts 8:35 - "Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus." He showed the Ethiopian man how Jesus fulfilled Isaiah.

Acts 10:9-16 - Peter has the vision about the unclean meats. He was told, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat... Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." (Verses 13 & 15) Later, in verse 28 Peter says, "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew ot associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean." In the Old Testament (under the old covenant), God made many things ceremonial "clean" or "unclean". They were all symbolic. As Jesus said, it's not what goes into a person that makes him clean but what's in his heart.

Acts 10:43 - "All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 10 - John 15-21

John 15:9-17 - This is a long passage, but worth reading the whole thing - “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.'" I've heard bits and pieces of this passage quoted and applied to say that if we love God we should keep the 10 Commandments, but that is not at all what is being talked about here. It's crystal clear when read in context - especially in light of the other passages in John we've already covered. Yes, if we love God we will obey His commands - and what are His commands? To love one another! It's repeated in case we missed it the first few times! :)

John 15:25 - "'But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: "They hated me without reason."'" - Quoting from Psalms 35:19 & Psalm 69:4. Psalms was included in the Law. And this is very distinct from the commands of Jesus spoken of in previous verses.

John 17:8 - "For I gave them the words that you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.'" Jesus' words are the Father's words.

John 17:12 - "While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.'"

John 17:14 - "'I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the wolrd any more than I am of the world.'"

John 18:9 - fulfillment of what Jesus spoke in John 6:39

John 19:24 - fulfillment of Psalm 22:18

John 19:28 - "Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, 'I am thirsty.'" Verse 30 - "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.'"

John 19:36-37 - Fulfillment of Ex. 12:46, Num. 9:12, Psalm 34:20, and Zech. 12:10

John 20:9 - "(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)"

John 20:30-31 - "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." - We see how Jesus fulfilled the things that were written about Him.

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 9 - John 8-14

I don't know about you guys, but I'm sure learning a lot through this experience! Many of these passages were already familiar to me, but many are new, too! It's exciting to read the New Testament and see how the Old Testament was pointing to Jesus. It's all about Him! I'm sure there are far more eloquent articles on this subject elsewhere, but for me this is all about reading it straight from the source so I'm sure of what it's really saying - then I share it here. I know these are much different from my usual blogs, but even if I'm the only one reading this, I am learning & growing by reading & writing these passage down. Here we go again! :)

• John 8:1-11 is talking about the woman caught in adultery. Verse 5 - "'In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?'" Now remember, this was the law that God gave through Moses - it included stoning. Instead of abiding by the law that He Himself set, Jesus told them that whoever was without sin could throw the first stone. We are all sinners, but through Jesus we have forgiveness. The law that God gave through Moses was for a specific people for a specific time frame - it wasn't for everyone everywhere for all times!
• John 8:28 - "So Jesus said, 'When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.'" Much emphasis is put on the fact that God spoke the 10 Commandments. And yet even more emphasis should be put on everything that Jesus Himself spoke. He was here speaking to us the very things that God the Father wanted Him to say. Talk about direct access to God! And yet somehow that isn't as "big" as God speaking the 10 Commandments to the Israelites...?
• John 8:31-32 - "To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.'" We aren't told to hold to Moses' teachings (which was in fact God speaking to the Israelites through Moses since He gave the laws), but to hold to Jesus' teachings. Jesus revealed the will of God to us while He was here. He gave us commands to follow under the new covenant. Keeping these commands won't save us, but because we accept Him and He saves us we want to follow Him!
• John 8:31-41 talks about the Children of Abraham
• John 8:48-59 talks about how Abraham longed to see this day
• John 9 talks about Jesus healing a blind man on the Sabbath. Verse 16 - "Some of the Pharisees said, 'This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.'" Sound familiar? Hmmmm.... You know, it's interesting to me that if the Sabbath is so important and is supposed to be the final test at the end times that Jesus Himself broke the Sabbath according to the laws that God set. Yes, some of the Sabbath rules were man-made, but God commanded the Israelites not to pick up sticks on the Sabbath - Jesus told a man to pick up his bed & walk (knowing it would cause a stir). God commanded the Israelites not to gather food (manna) on the Sabbath - Jesus & His disciples picked wheat on the Sabbath to eat. Jesus compared the Sabbath to ceremonial things - circumcision and eating sacred temple bread. He seems to go out of His way to heal on the Sabbath, knowing it would be a big deal. Multiple times, we are told in the Bible that Jesus broke the Sabbath, and it isn't disputed.
• John 10:22 mentions Hanukkah (the Feast of Dedication)
• John 10:34-36 - "Jesus answered them, 'Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'? If he called them 'gods', to whom the word of God came - and the Scripture cannot be broken - what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world?..." This passage quotes from Psalm 82:6. Jesus references Psalms as part of the Law, so the Law included more than just the first 5 books of the Bible.
• John 12:13 quotes from Psalm 118:25-26
• John 12:15 - fulfillment of Zech 9:9
• John 12:16 - "At first his disciples did not understand this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him."
• John 12:34 - "The crowd spoke up, 'We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever, so how can you say, "The Son of Man must be lifted up"? Who is this "Son of Man"?'" The Law included more than just the actual commands given in the books of Moses.
• John 12:38 - fulfillment of Is. 53:1
• John 12:40 - fulfillment of Is. 6:10
• John 12:41 - "Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him."
• John 12:47-50 again talks about the judgement and what it's about - "'As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.'" Jesus spoke what the Father wanted Him to speak. We are to keep the words that Jesus spoke - and those who reject Jesus will be condemned by the very word that Jesus spoke.
• John 13:18 - fulfillment of Psalm 41:9
• John 13:34-35 - "'A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.'" In the Old Testament, God set aside His people by a bunch of rituals - circumcision, holy days, priesthood, 613 rules... That is what made them distinct from other nations. Under the new covenant (in the New Testament), Jesus tells us that what sets us apart is love. They will know we are Christians by our love! Not by outward appearances. Not by what day we "keep".
• John 14:10 - "'Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.'" Why do we pay more attention to what God spoke to the Israelites in the Old Testament than to God's instructions to us in the New Testament?
• John 14:15 - "'If you love me, you will obey what I command.'"
• John 14:21 - "'Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.'"
• John 14:23-24 - "Jesus replied, 'If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teachingg. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.'" Again and again - If we love Jesus we obey His teachings! He doesn't say, "If you love me, obey the 10 Commandments," or, "If you love me, obey the law of Moses." Remember, He refers to the law of Moses a lot. But here it's something different - we are to obey Jesus' teachings!

On a side note, if you have a Strong's Concordance or access to the internet, look up "entole" and "nomos". They are the original Greek words that are translated as law or commands in English. Nomos is used for law (as in the law given to Moses - the whole thing) and entole is used for the commands of Jesus. They are different words completely, even though in English they are sometimes both translated as commandments or similar.

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 8 - John 1-7

John 1:17 - "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

John 1:23 - Quoting from Is. 40:3

John 1:45 - "Philip found Nathanael and told him, 'We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.'"

John 2:17 - fulfillment of Psalm 69:9

John 2:22 - "After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken." - Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures, but they couldn't see it until after the fact. They then saw the Scriptures through the understanding of Jesus fulfilling them.

John 2:23 - Jesus observed the Passover (as required by law)

John 3:14-15 - "'Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.'" What Moses did was important to the Children of Israel and those that believed were healed. But it was just a shadow of the real thing - Jesus.

John 3:18 - "'Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.'" THAT is what we are judged on.

Confirmed in John 3:36 - "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

John 4:1-26 - Jesus compared the water from Jacob's well with the living water the He gives

John 5:1-15 - Jesus healed the paralytic on the Sabbath then told him to pick up his bed and walk, even though that was against the law to do on the Sabbath.

John 5:16-18 - "So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. 'My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.' For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." Let me point out that the laws God gave to the Children of Israel were good and had their purpose, but they served to point to Jesus. The Sabbath was the sign of the old covenant and was a shadow of the rest we have in Jesus. It isn't inherently moral or holy - Jesus had no problem breaking it by the very laws God had given through Moses. Remember, even picking up firewood, cooking, or gathering manna on the Sabbath was forbidden to the Israelites by God!

John 5:24 - "'I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." (Salvation - yes, this is off my original topic, but I still had to point these passages out since they are so powerful!)

John 5:39-40 - "'You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you posses eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.'"

John 5:45-47 - "'But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?'"

John 6:28-29 - "Then they asked him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?' Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.'" Wow! That is the work God calls us to do! To believe! Not to keep His law perfectly to show to the universe that He is just.

John 6:25-59 - Jesus tell us He is the Bread of Life and compares Himself to the manna that God sent the Israelites (again, a comparison of Jesus with Moses). He shows how He is superior to the manna that God sent. This just occurred to me. Verse 47 tells us - "'Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.'" God gave them manna which was just a shadow of the real thing - Jesus the Bread of Life. Jumping ahead to Hebrews 3 & 4, we are told that the Israelites kept the 7th day Sabbath (also a shadow - see Col. 2:16-17) but never entered God's rest. Heb. 4:10 tells us how to enter God's rest - by resting from our own works. Jesus tells us that HE will give us rest. I just thought thought the symmetry of these two passages was neat!

John 6:31 - Quotes from Ex. 16:4 & Neh. 9:15 & Psalm 78:24-25

John 6:40 - We are told what God's will is - "'For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.'" Verse 47 - "'I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.'" It's that simple!

John 6:45 - Fulfillment of Is. 54:13

John 7:1-13 - Jesus attends the Feast of Tabernacles

John 7:19 - "'Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law..."

John 7:22-23 - "Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath?'" This is a very revealing passage. Some people consider the Sabbath to be sacred and part of God's eternal law, and yet the so-called ceremonial laws trumped the Sabbath - even in the law that God gave. Remember, God is the one who gave circumcision and said that it must be done when a child is 8 days old (Gen. 17:12). He also gave the whole Law through Moses. And yet circumcision could be done on the Sabbath so "that the law of Moses may not be broken." How could a "ceremonial" law (circumcision) trump a "moral" law (the Sabbath)?

John 7:38 - "'Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.'"

John 7:42 - "Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David's family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?"

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 7 - Luke 17-24

Luke 17:14 - Jesus told the lepers He healed to show themselves to the priests

Luke 17:26-37 - Jesus compares the days of Noah & the days of Lot to the days of the Son of Man

Luke 18:18-30 - Story of the Rich Young Ruler (see notes from Matthew & Mark) - Quotes from Ex. 20:12-16 & Deut. 5:16-20

Luke 18:31-33 - "Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, 'We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.'"

Luke 19:9-10 - "Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.'" There seems to be major/recurring themes in Scripture. Along with the covenants, there are a lot of references to Abraham & Moses. Abraham received the promise of the Messiah (apart from the law) and Moses received the law. We are sons of Abraham and receive God's promise apart from the law (more later).

Luke 19:38 - Quotes Psalm 118:26

Luke 19:46 - Quotes Is. 56:7 & Jer. 7:11

Luke 20:17 - Fulfillment of Psalm 118:22

Luke 20:27-40 - The Sadducees brought up something in Moses' law (which again, came from God thru Moses) and Jesus told them how that differed from eternity. This is also an interesting passage on what happens when you die (read verses 37-38 in particular), but that's off topic! :)

Luke 20:37 - Quotes from Ex. 3:6

Luke 20:42-43 - Quotes from Psalm 110:1

Luke 21:23 - Mentions the hardships of fleeing the city - this passage doesn't mention the sabbath

Luke 21:32-33 - "I tell you the truth, this generation (or race, according to the footnote) will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." Wow! When you read this with Matt. 5:17-18 you start to see the bigger picture. Jesus says that heaven & earth will pass away but His word will never pass away! Nothing would disappear from the Law (the whole Law) until Jesus accomplished it!

Luke 21:37-38 - Jesus taught at the temple EVERY day!

Luke 22:7-8 - Jesus kept the Passover and also ate the Passover lamb since He was born "under the law." Jesus was not a vegetarian. :) Ok, that's off-topic, but I had to bring it up! If some people say Jesus was our example and we should follow everything He did...

Luke 22:19-20 - "And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.'" Under the old covenant, the continuing "remembrance" sign was the Sabbath - "Remember the Sabbath day..." Under the new covenant, we aren't told even once to remember the Sabbath, but "do this in remembrance of me" (the Lord's Supper).

Luke 22:37 - "'It is written, "And he was numbered with the transgressors"; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.'" (Quotes from Is. 53:12)

Luke 23:30 - Quoting from Hos. 10:8

Luke 24:25-27 - "He said to them, 'How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to then what was said in the Scriptures concerning himself."

Luke 24:32 - "They asked each other, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?'" - Jesus if the fulfillment of the Law & the Prophets (the Scriptures). Unless we look at them with that understanding, we will miss the point and not see the big picture!

Luke 24:44-47 - "He said to them, 'This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.' Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, 'This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from teh dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 6 - Luke 9-16

Luke 9:28-36 - The transfiguration. Again, Moses & Elijah (representing the law & the prophets) disappear leaving only Jesus. Verse 35 - "A voice came from the cloud, saying, 'This is my son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.'"

Luke 10:23-24 - "Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, 'Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did no hear it."

Luke 10:25-37 - In the story of the Good Samaritan, a teacher of the Law asked Jesus what He must do to gain eternal life. Verse 26 & 27 - "'What is written in the Law?' he replied. 'How do you read it?' He answered: '"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind," and, "Love your neighbor as yourself."'" These are quoting from Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18.

Luke 11:28 - "He replied, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." - Clearly, we as Christians are supposed to obey God. The main points of disagreement are what commands of God's apply to us (Christians) and how our obedience to God affects our salvation. God gave many, many commands in the Bible. Some were directed at specific individuals and we don't have a problem saying those commands don't apply to us so we don't have to follow them. The key is discerning what we as new covenant Christians are told - and the way we learn that is to see what Jesus (as the mediator of the new covenant) and His disciples taught. As far as obedience goes, when we accept Jesus' sacrifice for us we are saved! God sends His Holy Spirit to live inside of us and change our hearts. We obey out of love because we are saved, but even then we are still sinners and aren't judged by our ability to keep God's commands perfectly or "good enough." For some reason there is the idea that if our actions don't affect our salvation then people will freely sin, but if we are truly saved and if we truly have the Holy Spirit living inside of us then that won't be the case at all!

Luke 11:30 & 32 - "'For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will be the Son of Man to this generation...The men of Ninevah will stand up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here." If we read the Old Testament without understanding how it is fulfilled in the New Testament we will miss the bigger picture and can completely misunderstand it!

Luke 11:42 - This is often used to prove tithing, but this is one of the few places in the New Testament where tithing is mentioned. It's talking about tithing mint, rue, and garden herbs. That goes along with tithing in the Old Testament which was done on crops & flocks, not on money.

On a side note, in Luke 11:37-54, Jesus calls the Pharisees out on their actions. They even said, in verse 45, "...'Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.'" Sound familiar? But Jesus didn't stop - He kept speaking the truth, regardless of whether people felt insulted.

Luke 12:56 - Jesus calls the crowd hypocrites because they could predict the weather but couldn't interpret the signs that pointed to Him.

Luke 13:10-17 - Jesus heals on the Sabbath. The synagogue ruler was indignant and told Him there were 6 days that were made for work, but Jesus rebuked him.

Luke 13:35 - quotes from Psalm 118:26

Luke 14:1-6 - Jesus heals again on the Sabbath

Luke 15:11-32 - In the story of the prodigal son we see how God saves us in spite of the fact that we don't deserve it at all! All that we need is to come to Him!

Luke 16:16-17 - "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear that for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law." The law as a whole was proclaimed until John the Baptist. It'd be easier for heaven & earth to disappear than for any part of the law as a whole to disappear from the law.

Luke 16:19-31 is talking about the Rich Man and Lazarus. At the end, the rich man is begging Abraham to send someone to warn his brothers. Verses 29-31 - "'Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' 'No, father Abraham,' he said, ' but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' 'He said to them, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 5 - Luke 1-8

Luke 1:1 & 4 - "Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us...so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught." By showing how Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures (the Old Testament - the Law & the Prophets), we can be certain that He was the promised Messiah!

Luke 1:6 - "Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all of the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly." And yet the Bible teaches us that ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So even those who manage to keep God's commands perfectly still fall short!

Luke 2:22-24 - "When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons." From this one passage, it is clear that the Law of the Lord is more than just the 10 Commandments and the "rest" of the law is also considered to be the Law of the Lord. The two are one in the same and are used interchangeably. This passages quotes from Ex. 13:2 & 12 and Lev. 12:8. When the Bible speaks of "the law" it is not divided up into the 10 Commandments vs. the "rest" of the law. It is just one law - the law that God gave through Moses to the Children of Israel which included the 10 Commandments but also included 603 additional laws for 613 total commands.

Luke 2:21-24 & 27 & 39 - we are told that Jesus was born "under the law", and here we see how He fulfilled some specific requirements of the law. If we are to follow Jesus' example in everything, should we manditorily circumcise our children and offer sacrifices?

Luke 2:41-43 - Jesus attended the Feast of the Passover. Should we, too, if we are following His customs?

Luke 3:4-6 - fulfillment of Is. 40:3-5

Luke 4:4 - quotes from Deut. 8:3

Luke 4:8 - quotes from Deut. 6:13

Luke 4:10-11 - quotes from Psalm 91:11-12

Luke 4:12 - quotes from Deut. 6:16

Luke 4:18-19 - fulfillment of Is. 61:1-2

Luke 4:21 - "and he began by saying to them, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.'"

Luke 4:24-27 - Jesus compares Elijah's time to their current time

Luke 5:14 - Jesus told the man He had just healed to offer the sacrifices that Moses had commanded (the commands were from God through Moses). Since Jesus was under the law, He kept the whole law.

Luke 6:1-5 - Jesus compares the breaking of the Sabbath to the breaking of ceremonial laws (eating the consecrated temple bread).

Luke 6:27-38 - Jesus gives new commands

Luke 7:27 - fulfillment of Mal. 3:1

Luke 8:10 - fulfillment of Is. 6:9

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 4 - Mark 9-16

Mark 9:2-12 - the transfiguration. Verse 7 - "...This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" Same notes as from Matt.

Mark 9:12 - "'But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.'"

Mark 9:48 - quotes Isa. 66:24

Mark 10:1-12 - Jesus changes the laws on divorce from what God had commanded the Israelites through Moses and reverted back to His initial plan from the beginning.

Mark 10:6 - quotes from Gen. 1:27

Mark 10:8 - quotes from Gen. 2:24

Mark 10:19 - quotes from Ex. 20:12-16 & Deut. 5:16-20 (see my notes on Matthew for the Rich Young Man)

Mark 10:33 - "'We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, 'and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles." - I find it really interesting that the people who focused on what God gave through Moses (the priests and the law) held onto it so tightly that they couldn't see what it all pointed to - Jesus. By holding on to the shadow (which was good for a time) they missed the reality.

Mark 11:9-10 - fulfillment of Psalm 118:25-26

Mark 11:17 - fulfillment of Isa. 56:7 & Jer. 7:11

Mark 12:10-11 - fulfillment of Psalm 118:22-23

Mark 10:19 - quoting from the law given through Moses

Mark 12:26 - quoting from "the book of Moses" - Ex 3:6

Mark 12:28-31 - The greatest commandment - quotes from Deut 6:4-5 & Lev 19:18

Mark 12:36 - quotes from Psalm 110:1

Mark 13:14 - refers to Dan. 9:27, 11:31, & 12:11

Mark 13:17-18 talks about the additional hardships when fleeing the city - this account leaves out the sabbath

Mark 13:24-25 - quotes from Is. 13:10 & 34:4

Mark 13:31 - "'Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.'"

Mark 14:12-15 - Jesus celebrated the Passover since He was born "under the law." If we follow His example in everything, should we, too, keep the Passover?

Mark 14:24 - "'This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,' he said to them." (Some transcripts say "the new covenant") Just as the old covenant began with the blood from animal sacrifices, so the new covenant began with blood - Jesus' blood.

Mark 14:27 - fulfillment of Zech. 13:7

Mark 14:49 - "'Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled."

Mark 15:28 - fulfillment of Is. 53:12

Mark 15:34 - quotes from Psalm 22:1

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 3 - Mark 1-8

I thought about only covering one of the four Gospels since they have a lot of overlap, but I decided against that since they are each written to a different audience and do have new material as well.

• Mark 1:2 - fulfillment of Mal. 3:1
• Mark 1:3 - fulfillment of Isa. 40:3
• Mark 1:44 - Jesus told the leper who had been cured to offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded (they were still under the law until Jesus' death)
• Mark 2:23-28 - Jesus & His disciples break the Sabbath by picking grain (which was against the law given by God through Moses to the Israelites). Jesus compares it to David breaking God's law by eating the holy bread in the temple - which was a purely symbolic/ritualistic thing that though it was law for the Israelites has no inherent moral value to it and isn't applicable to us today. He then tells us that the Sabbath was created for the benefit of man, not the other way around. It's interesting to me that the Sabbath is considered moral to some when it was clearly created. Worshipping God has always been right. Murdering has always been wrong. Moral laws are by definition eternally right/wrong and aren't created. The Sabbath was ceremonial just as the Passover, New Moon Festival, and the other holy-days were. Jesus then tells us He is above the Sabbath - He is Lord (or ruler) of it just as He is Lord of all!
• Mark 3:1-6 - Jesus seems to go out of His way to heal on the Sabbath, even though He knew it would cause a stir
• Mark 4:12 - fulfillment of Isa. 6:9-10
• Mark 7:1-23 is the same as the passage in Matthew dealing with clean/unclean. The summary is verse 18-19 - "'Are you so dull?' he asked. 'Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.' (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean")." Note that I didn't add that last part - it's in the Bible.

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 2 - Matt. 16-28

I'm continuing my study on how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies and "shadows" of the Old Testament.

• Matt. 17:1-13 is the Transfiguration. Such an incredible story! Moses & Elijah show up and the disciples offer to make altars for all three (including Jesus). But then Moses & Elijah disappear and God speaks - "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" (the last half of verse 5). God is getting rid of Moses & Elijah and telling the disciples to listen to Jesus. It's reminiscent of God speaking the 10 Commandments to the Israelites at Sinai, but this time He's replacing the law (represented by Moses) and the prophets (represented by Elijah) with Jesus' teachings! So powerful! That in no way diminishes the importance of the law & the prophets to the people that it was intended for, but once Jesus came they had served their purpose. We aren't supposed to focus on the law or the prophets anymore. God told us to listen to Jesus!
• Matt. 17:10-13 - Jesus compares John the Baptist to Elijah
• Matt. 18:16 - Jesus is quoting from Deut. 19:15 and reiterates & expands the command for the church (similar to what he did in the Beatititudes sermon).
• Matt. 19:1-9 is dealing with divorce. Jesus refers back to Gen. 1:27 & 2:24 speaking for the permanence of marriage. In verse 7, the Pharisees ask why Moses allowed a certificate of divorce (see Deut. 24:1-4). Verse 8 - "Jesus replied, 'Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.'" It's interesting to note that the original law in Deut. was from God (through Moses - the mediator), along with the other 612 laws. They were given to a specific people at a specific time, but when Jesus came He is changing it.
• Matt. 19:16-26 - the story of the rich young ruler. He asks Jesus what he has to do to get eternal life & Jesus tells him to obey the commandments. He lists off 6 commands - 5 of which are part of the 10 Commandments and one which is in the rest of the law (Lev. 19:18). The young man said he had kept them all (he had kept the law perfectly, apparently), but asked what he still lacked. Jesus told him to sell everything he had and to follow Him.
• Matt. 21:1-5 - fulfillment of Zech. 9:9
• Matt. 21:9 quotes from Psalm 118:26
• Matt. 21:13 quotes from Isa. 56:7 & Jer. 7:11
• Matt. 21:16 quotes from Psalm 8:2
• Matt. 21:42 - fulfillment of Psalm 118:22-23
• Matt. 22:32 quotes from Ex. 3:6
• Matt. 22:34-40 - When asked what the greatest commandment in the Law was, Jesus didn't quote from the 10 Commandments but instead quoted from other parts of the law (Deut. 6:5 & Lev. 19:18). Verse 37-40 - "Jesus replied: '"''Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hand on these two commandments.'"
• Matt. 22:43-44 quotes from Psalm 110:1
• Matt. 23:2-3 - "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you..." This fits perfectly with the new covenant beginning at Jesus' death. Until then, they were obligated to keep the whole law given to Moses.
• Matt. 23:39 quotes from Psalm 118:26
• Matt. 24:15 refers to Dan. 9:27, 11:31, and 12:11. He goes on to list inconveniences (not impossibilities) - pregnant women, nursing mothers, leaving in the winter or on the Sabbath (they were in a Jewish city whose gates were closed on Sabbath - Neh. 13:19)
• Matt. 24:29 quotes Is. 13:10 & 34:4
• Matt. 24:36-41 compares the situation to the days of Noah
• Matt. 25:31-46 talks about the actions of the saved vs. the actions of the lost. It's not at all about law-keeping (in Matt. 23 Jesus was raking the Pharisees over the coals for keeping the law but missing the point - love), but about loving God and loving your neighbor. Feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, taking the stranger in, clothing the naked, taking care of the sick, visiting those in prison.
• Matt. 26:24 - "The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him..." (fulfilling more prophecies with His death)
• Matt. 26:26-29 is the Lord's Supper. Jesus makes it clear that His blood is the blood of the new covenant. Verse 28 - "This is my blood of the (some transcripts say "the new") covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." We will learn more about the new covenant in the rest of the New Testament (it's interesting to note that testament and covenant are interchangeable in the Bible!).
• Matt. 26:31 fulfills Zech. 13:7
• Matt. 26:53-54 & 56 - "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?... But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled..."
• Matt. 27:9-10 - fulfillment of Zech. 11:12-13, Jer. 19:1-13 & 32:6-9
• Matt. 27:35 - fulfillment of Psalm 22:18
• Matt. 27:46 quotes from Psalm 22:1
• Matt. 28:18:20 is the Great Commission - "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 1 - Matt. 1-15

I am starting a study - verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book - to see how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament (the Law & the Prophets) and how the new covenant has replaced the old covenant. Here are some of my notes.

• Matt. 1:22-23 - fulfillment of Isa. 7:14
• Matt. 2:4-6 - fulfillment of Micah 5:2
• Matt. 2:15 - fulfillment of Hosea 11:1
• Matt. 2:17-18 - fulfillment of Jer. 31:15
• Matt. 2:23 - fulfillment of "He will be called a Nazarene."
• Matt. 3:1-3 - fulfillment of Isa. 40:3
• Matt. 3:15 - "Jesus replied, 'Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. (This was pertaining to Jesus' baptism)
• Matt. 4:12-16 - fulfillment of Is. 9:1-2
• Matt. 5:17-20 - "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." Jesus isn't destroying them - but He is fulfilling/completing them. Their purpose was to point to Him, and He has fulfilled their requirements.
• He then goes on in the rest of Matthew 5 to teach a new way. Note that He views the law as a whole (the 10 Commandments as well as the other laws). He starts each section by saying things like, "You have heard that it was said," or "It has been said" or "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago..." And then He lists certain laws that God gave to the Israelites in the law - Do not murder (Ex. 20:13), do not commit adultery (Ex. 20:14), anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce (Deut. 24:1), and eye for an eye (Ex. 21:24, Lev. 24:20, Deut. 19:21), love your neighbor (Lev. 19:18). He replaces those commands with His commands - "But I tell you..." Those were the laws that God had given through Moses for the Children of Israel, but Jesus was changing them. Jesus gave a completely new set of guidelines for those who were listening to Him. He goes from Matt. 5 through 7.
• Matt. 7:12 - "So in everything, do to others what you would have them to do you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." If we love we don't need a list of rules. Not only will we not kill people (which only a few people do this), but we won't even hate others. Better yet, we'll love them and be compelled to help them.
• Matt. 7:29 - "teachers of the law" (the law was viewed as a whole)
• Matt. 8:1-4 - Jesus healed a leper and then commanded the man to offer the gift that Moses commanded (remember, the law came from God thru Moses. While Jesus was here, He started the transition from the old covenant to the new covenant. The new covenant began at Jesus' death, but Jesus was born under the law and kept it Himself).
• Matt. 8:17 - fulfillment of Isa. 53:4
• Matt. 9:12 - Jesus quotes from Hos. 6:6
• Matt. 10:35-36 - Jesus fulfilled Mic. 7:6
• Matt. 11:10 - fulfillment of Mal. 3:1
• Matt. 11:13 - "For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John."
• Matt. 11 ends and Matt. 12 begins talking about rest. In Matt. 11:28-30, Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Chapter 12 starts of by saying, "At that time..." then goes into the story about Jesus and the disciples picking grain on the Sabbath and Jesus healing a man with a shriveled hand on the Sabbath. Jesus then compares what they did to King David & his friends eating consecrated bread (which broke the laws that God had given the Israelites). He also compared it to the priests in the temple breaking the Sabbath to fulfill what was required of them by law and saying they were innocent of breaking the Sabbath. In verse 6, Jesus says that He is more important the the temple. And in verse 8, Jesus said that He is Lord of the Sabbath - just as He is Lord over everything He has made! The Sabbath was symbolic of the rest we have in Jesus.
• Matt. 12:15-21 - fulfillment of Is. 42:1-4
• Matt. 12:38 - "teachers of the law"
• Matt. 12:39-42 - Jesus compares Himself to Jonah & Solomon
• Matt. 13:13-15 - fulfillment of Is. 6:9-10
• Matt. 13:34-35 - fulfillment of Psalm 78:2
• Matt. 15:1 - "teachers of the law"
• Matt. 15:1-9 - Jesus says that the Pharisees and teachers of the law are breaking God's laws and keeping their own. Among what Jesus says are "the command of God" and "the word of God" are - "Honor your father and mother" (Ex. 20:12 & Deut. 5:16) and "Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death" (Ex. 21:17, Lev. 20:9). They are both from "the law", although they are not both part of the 10 Commandments.
• Matt. 15:7-9 - fulfillment of Isa. 29:13
• Matt. 15:10-20 Jesus talks about the "clean/unclean" laws. He says, "What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean." (verse 11) Verses 17-20 describe it even more - "Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.'" The clean/unclean laws given to the Israelites were symbolic, just like most other things given to them.

Human reasoning vs. the Bible

I'm sure we've all heard that we should take what the Bible says on a subject and not resort to human reasoning, but that's easier said than done. Often, it's hard to sort out what is just a "good story" or what is actually in the Bible. Just because something makes sense and sounds good doesn't mean it is Biblically supported. If the Bible talks about the subject then we need to first look at what the Bible says while putting aside our own preconceptions and the "good stories" we've heard. That's not to say that they aren't necessarily true - but when we read the Bible we shouldn't be doing so with the purpose of making our beliefs work. If we do that, we can take texts completely out of context and twist them to say whatever we want.
Here are some examples of human reasoning (or "good stories") versus what the Bible actually says on the subject.

1. The 10 Commandments - Human reasoning says, "They were written on stone so God must have meant for them to last forever," "God spoke them with His voice, so we should pay attention to what God has deemed important," "They are God's perfect, royal, eternal law - they existed before the world was made and will continue to exist in heaven." While these all seem like good arguments and they make sense (for the most part), there are some problems with them. I haven't found a single text in the Bible to prove these assertions. On the contrary, when we look at the Bible DOES tell us about the 10 Commandments, we get a completely different picture. Over and over again, they were called the words of the old covenant or the tables of the covenant, and the new covenant has replaced the old covenant.
2. The Law - Human reasoning says, "God divided up the old covenant laws into moral, ceremonial, and civil. Only the moral laws carry over" - in otherwords, "Only the 10 Commandments carry over." The Bible, however, doesn't separate them. It is "the law" - not "the laws". And it intermittantly uses "Moses' law" and "the Lord's law" when talking about the law (one great example is Luke 2:22-24 & 39). Contrary to popular belief, the 10 Commandments aren't "The Law of the Lord" and the "rest" of the law considered "the Law of Moses." That is human reasoning and not what the Bible teaches.
3. The Sabbath - Human reasoning says, "The Sabbath was instituted at Creation. Adam and Eve kept the Sabbath. The patriarchs kept the Sabbath." The Bible tells us otherwise. The Bible doesn't mention the Sabbath until the time of Moses. Multiple verses put the giving of the Sabbath at Sinai - not creation. Yes, the Sabbath was given to the Israelites as a reminder that God was their Creator, but it was also given as a reminder that God delivered them from Egypt. There is no Biblical record of anyone before Moses' time keeping the Sabbath.
4. Wine - Human reasoning says, "Wine is bad - God couldn't possibly have endorsed drinking wine. All positive mentions of 'wine' in the Bible must refer to grape juice." This is a prime example of humans reading things into the text. I've had someone ask me - "You couldn't POSSIBLY think Jesus actually turned water into alcoholic wine?!?!?" Well, yes, actually I do. The Bible tells us it was wine, and it tells us that the custom was to bring out the best stuff first and save the poorer quality for later when the guests were too drunk to notice.

These are just a few examples (and since I've written on these subjects before, I'm not including the texts here, but I would be happy to provide them if you want). If we are Christian like we claim to be then the Bible should be our authority. We need to make sure that our beliefs line up with what the Bible says, and not try to force the Bible to match our beliefs.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/note.php?note_id=197312573614179 - Biblical references here

Why I left Adventism

Growing up Adventist, I rarely heard of people leaving the Adventist church.  The few that day were thought to have backslidden, apostatized, or turned their backs on God.  Not once did I hear of anyone studying their way out of Adventism or leaving due to doctrinal reasons - after all, we had the truth.  And yet that is the sole reason I ended up leaving the Adventist church - over doctrines.  After months & even years of intensive Bible study, I realized that I could no longer reconcile the Bible with Ellen White or Adventist doctrines.  For that reason alone, I had to have my membership removed and find a Biblically-based church to attend.

My experience is far from unique.  It was only after studying my way out of Adventism that I became connected with a network of other former-Adventists who had very similiar experiences to mine.  In fact, just a few months ago, someone took an unofficial survey of "formers" to see why people left.  The vast majority left over doctrinal reasons after discovering that the Bible and SDA doctrines didn't line up.  Why isn't that common knowledge in Adventism?  Why do people still think people just leave over a "bad experience" or because they are backsliding?  This is clearly not the case.  Here is a link to the survey - https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/K5T52NM - You can sign up to receive the results of it, too.

This experience of studying my way out of Adventism has been by far the most challenging and difficult thing I've had to face.  I've lost my reputation.  I've lost friends.  I've been personally insulted and had my motives & sanity questioned.  Why?  All because I posted what I've learned along the way.  It's not a pleasant task.  It would be much easier to keep quiet and let everything think I was still an Adventist.  But that would not be the right thing to do.

“I love you, and because I love you, I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies.”  Pietro Aretino

So, for the record, I didn't leave because I had a bad experience in Adventism.  I didn't leave because I wanted the easy way out (trust me, this is much harder).  I didn't leave because of the people.  I don't share what I've learned to hurt or attack anyone.  I don't want to offend anyone, but I would rather share what I've learned than keep quiet to avoid possible offense. I would never, ever want someone to go against their conscience.  I'm not asking anyone to blindly give up with they believe in.  All I'm asking is that you check it out for yourself.  Look at the evidence on BOTH sides.  Pay attention to what happens when you start asking questions - especially honest, heart-felt questions.  It will surprise you...

The Great Controversy worldview vs. the Bible

One of my Adventist friends asked some great recently that got me thinking about the Adventist view of what's going on behind the scenes versus the standard Christian view. Although I always thought the Great Controvery view was Biblical, I have learned a lot over the last year or so. I'm still learning and have a lot more to learn, but here are her questions as well as some of my thoughts (this was in the context of a discussion on the covenants). Feel free to add to them.

I have a few questions.. Why are we in the position we're in? What caused the fall of humanity? What happened prior to the fall of humanity that affected us? Why did God allow us to live even though we should have died? Why did he send Jesus to die the death that we earned and deserved? What does the devil want? What does he want to prove?

The farther away from Adventism I get the easier it is to differentiate between what the Bible says and what Ellen White says. After all, growing up I thought they both said the same thing. We were certainly taught that Ellen White doesn't contradict the Bible. I've seen so many instances of that being untrue now that I've lost track. But I still forget how deep the thinking goes. The very worldview presented by Ellen White is so different from what we find in the Bible that if two people try to discuss the same thing (but coming from #1 the Great Controversy worldview and #2 the Biblical worldview) the conclusions reached will be miles apart.

To very briefly summarize the Great Controversy worldview the way I understand it (the way I believe Ellen White and Adventism teach) - Lucifer was jealous of Jesus in heaven because God exhaulted Jesus over him. Lucifer felt this was unfair of God and rebelled. Long story short, God gave Lucifer (Satan) rule over the Earth to demonstrate what happens when we don't obey God's laws (or to demonstrate that Satan couldn't set up a better system). The battle of the universe is whether or not God is fair in His laws. If humans can keep God's commandments perfectly (with God's help) then we will vindicate God and prove that He is fair (in both the laws He sets and that He is able to save us). The basis of the Great Controversy theme is that God's holy law is the 10 Commandments. The final test which will divide true followers of God from followers of Satan will be the test of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is viewed as the seal of God and Sunday-keeping is the mark of the beast (because you are ultimately worshipping Satan by worshipping on a day other than the one God designated).

I started collecting evidence from Ellen White to support each of these claims, but there is literally so much that she writes on this topic that it fills chapters and even books. If you wish to see evidence for a particular point, let me know and I'll find it for you, but to present all the evidence here would turn this blog into a book! Just read the first few chapters of Patriarch's and Prophets to get the picture that she presents. At first glance, many of the differences may seem subtle, but the whole Great Controversy theme sets the stage for the 10 Commandments and the Sabbath to be viewed with the highest importance.

One thing I was surprised to discover is that the Bible actually doesn't say much about "pre-creation". Unlike Ellen White who gives extensive detail of Lucifer being jealous of Jesus and the fall in heaven, the Bible is mostly silent. Here are 2 passages. Isaiah 14 is often used to describe the fall (and it may well do that - it sounds like it), but technically speaking it is describing the king of Babylon (cross reference 2 Thess. 2 and it sounds like this is speaking of someone other than Satan).

Rev. 12:7-9 - "And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him."

Luke 10:18 - "He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.'"

The fall of man is detailed in Gen. 3. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the fruit. It's interesting to me that the original sin had absolutely nothing to do with the 10 Commandments. From what I understand, the focus in Adventism is on specific sins (namely breaking any of the 10 Commandments), but the Biblical understanding is a sin-condition. I think that Adventism touches on this, but focuses more on specific sins. My understanding is that when Adam & Eve disobeyed God (again, which had nothing to do with the 10 Commandments), humanity was cursed with the sin condition. We are born sinful (even before we commit any actual "sins"). Humans can't stop sinning and our only hope is a Savior.


And since I'm sure this will come up - I'm NOT at all advocating that since we can't stop sinning we shouldn't try to be good or follow God's commands, but I am saying that on this earth I don't believe the Bible teaches that humans can or will stop sinning. If we could - even by simply allowing God to be perfect in us as some would argue - would we really need a Savior? If Jesus didn't have to die for us to save us - if we just had to allow God to help us be perfect - why did He die?

As to why God sent Jesus - John 3:14-18 answers that. "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."

It also explains what the judgement will be about. Other versions translate "condemn" as "judged". The judgement is about this - whether we accept Jesus or not. As fallen humans we can never measure up to God's perfect standard. The good news (the Gospel) is that Jesus died for sinful humans to save us!

I found this passage this morning that gives a great account of what we're talking about

Rom. 5:5-20
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gal. 3:17 fits perfectly with this passage in establishing that the law was given to Moses (not before). "What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise."

This passage in Romans tells us that even those who didn't break a specific command (before Moses) still sinned. The Bible presents quite a different picture from Ellen White once you really get into it. And you can see how the answers to the original questions will be very, very different depending on whether you get your worldview from the Bible or Ellen White (even if you think she is in line with the Bible). The Great Controversy view is largely all about the 10 Commandments. If you look at them from that perspective you will never be able to grasp that the Bible teaches the 10 Commandments were the old covenant which fades away...

Common misconceptions

There are many common misconceptions that Adventists have toward non-Adventists or former Adventists. I used to believe them myself. I don't remember being taught them specifically, but I obviously learned them somewhere. And now that I'm on the outside looking in, I've come to realize that the mentality I had is common in many Adventists. It's almost amusing, and yet disturbing, to hear the same words come out of the mouths of so many of my SDA friends or relatives during a discussion. The responses are quite predictable now. I'm sure you've experienced some of these, but here are a few examples.

(And let me preface this by saying that the tone may come across a bit harsh. I don't mean it to. I tried thinking of a better way to write it, but it comes across as "us" vs. "them". As I said before, I used to believe these myself. I'm not trying to attack people who believe this way - I just want to point out that these are misconceptions).

• When I tell people I no longer believe Ellen White was a true prophet, I'm asked things such as, "So why don't you like Mrs. White?" That is not the issue. My belief that she wasn't speaking for God has absolutely nothing to do my "liking" or "disliking" her. They'll bring up things like, "You have to take what she said in context - don't read compilations," as though that were a cure-all for every one of her odd or contradictory statements. And it assumes that we've heard random bad or strange things about her without checking it out - basically believing "all that garbage on the internet."
• When I say that I don't believe the 10 Commandments apply to Christians the assumption is made that all morality is thrown out the window. "So you believe it's ok to kill and commit adultery? And steal? And lie?" Really? Why is that the logical conclusion? And even when I point out examples of morality outside of the 10 Commandments, it doesn't seem to change the mentality at all.
• When I say that I don't believe the Sabbath applies to Christians - "So you keep Sunday? But that's the mark of the beast! God never changed the day from Sabbath to Sunday! The Pope did!" There's so much to say on this one, but I'll keep it brief. In their question, they completely miss the point. I don't believe a day is holy at all. Sunday isn't holy. Saturday isn't holy (it was to the Jews, as were the other feast days - but they were all just a shadow of Jesus). It is incomprehensible to most Adventists that we could believe no day is holy. Their focus (because of Ellen White) is on Sunday vs. Sabbath, but for the majority of former Adventists the day is a non-issue! We are told to worship God TODAY! When I point out that I don't "keep" any day, the conversation usually goes silent. They know exactly how to argue against Sunday vs. Sabbath, but I never once heard in an SDA Bible study or sermon about people who didn't keep any day holy. The "right" day was always the issue in Adventism!

I think that is one reason that as an Adventist we felt so sure we were right. We had seen the arguments - what we thought to be the issues - and Adventists made a much stronger case. What we didn't know then - and what Adventists don't know now - is that those aren't the issues at all. To make their doctrines seem air-tight they build up a straw man and then tear it down with their arguments. They present this picture of what people who leave Adventism are like, but the reality is much different. In my 28 years as an Adventist, I never heard an Adventist say another Adventist left the church for doctrinal reasons. It was always presented as the person was backsliding, going into the world, leaving God, they were hurt by someone in the church, abandoning "the truth", or something along those lines. And yet I would wager that a huge percentage of those who leave Adventism today are leaving for doctrinal reasons.

This is a huge stumbling block when you try to have a conversation with an Adventist. They think they know what you believe and so - no matter what you say- they hear what they think you are saying, not what you are really saying. It's really frustrating. And it's so hard to get the other person to understand that you don't believe that way, because they are taught that is what non-Adventists believe.

Is it un-Christian to point out error?

Is it possible to be pro-something without being anti-something? Is it possible to stand up for the right without standing up against the wrong (borrowed from a Christian song)?

Is it possible to believe in sanctity of marriage without being against divorce, abuse, and adultery?

Is it possible to believe in the sanctity of human life without being against abortion?

Is it possible to believe something without believing the opposing views are wrong?

As with everything, there is a balance. For example, being a Christian, I believe Jesus is the only way to God (which the Bible teaches). I believe that those who believe different (for example, Muslims, Hindus, athiests/agnostics, etc.) are incorrect. The balance comes in how you handle it. I completely respect the individuals who believe differently than I do, even though I disagree with them. I don't get in people's face and tell them that their beliefs are wrong. I don't post comments on their Facebook page saying, "I'm right and you're wrong." I don't think less of a person for believing differently than I do. Those would all be very un-Christian things to do.

However, I do speak my beliefs on this page. I do not attack specific people, and I very much love the Adventist people themselves. It is the doctrine/theology that I have a problem with. Even though I created a site where people would have to come to if they wanted to see it (so it would be less-offensive than having it on my personal page and popping up in people's newsfeed), I know some people still feel like this is a personal, in-your-face attack.

This is something I struggle with. On one hand, I understand where they are coming from and I know it's not very "nice" to point out error's in a church - people tend to take it personally if you express your disagreements with their beliefs even if it not meant to be personal. But on the other hand, I don't know if it's possible to be Pro-Gospel (as someone here put it) without standing up against false gospels.

Sometimes I think this generation in particular has lost focus of what's important. It seems to be more important now to not offend people and just "mind your own business" than to risk offense by sharing your beliefs. But how is that compatible with Christianity? If Jesus IS the only way to God, how is it better to avoid offending someone by sharing that (though they may believe completely differently) than to not tell them and have them be lost? If the Sabbath IS the end-time issue in the world dividing true believers from false believers (as we used to believe), how can anyone say, "I'm happy that you've found another church (even if it's on the "wrong" day) - to each his own"? If Ellen White DOES teach a different gospel than the Bible, how is it "Christian" to not share what we've learned (wouldn't we encourage someone who left LDS Church to share the truth with those they left behind?)?

Why do we think the "Christian" thing to do is to just keep our beliefs to ourselves so we don't inconvenience or offend anyone? Is that what the Bible teaches?

• John the Baptist didn't mince words when he called the Pharisees & Sadducees a brood of vipers. Matt. 3:7
• Jesus' very message was offensive in that it meant people were doing things wrong and needed to repent. No one WANTS to be told to repent - "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." Matt. 4:17
• Jesus denounced unrepentant cities (he wasn't concerned with protecting people's "feelings"). Matt. 11:20-24
• Jesus didn't tiptoe around the Scribes, Pharisee's, and Sadducees. He called them a wicked and adulterous generation (Matt. 12:39), commandment-breakers (Matt. 15:3), hypocrites (Matt. 22:18, 23:13), said they were in error in their beliefs (Matt. 22:29). In fact, read all of Matthew 23, then tell me that Christianity is just about being "nice".
• Jesus said "Get behind me, Satan!" when Peter said that Jesus wouldn't be killed. Matt. 16:23
• He overturned the money-changers' tables at the temple (certainly not a "nice" thing to do). Matt. 21:12-13
• Peter didn't sugar-coat his words when he addressed the crowds at Pentecost. He said YOU killed Jesus. Acts 2:23, 36. Repent! Acts 2:38
• Again in Acts 3:12-15 Peter told the crowd straight up, "You disowned the Holy and Righteous One." "You killed the author of life." Wow, talk about potentially-offensive words!
• 1 Cor. 5 Paul tells them to kick an immoral man out of the church. But wait, that's not very "nice"!
• In Galatians 2 Paul stood up against Peter and called him out for his error.
• Gal. 3:1 is quite offensive - "You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?..."

There is example after example in the Bible of people standing up against error (just think about the prophets in the Old Testament). So why in the world do we think it's more Christian to ignore error and not say anything so as to avoid offense? I think part of the reason for this mindset is because the Bible tells us not to judge others, so somehow we think that we aren't allowed to stand up for right or wrong because somehow that is casting judgement on others.

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. 'Expel the wicked man from among you.'" 1 Cor. 5:12-13

There is a difference between looking down on someone because of their actions and calling sin "sin" or error "error". Saying something is right or wrong isn't the same as judging a person's hearts or motives or saying someone isn't right with God because of externals ("dangly earrings" for example). Christianity isn't about smoothing everything over and making everyone feel comfortable - "It's ok if you believe that. I'm happy for you! (I really think you're lost, but I'm not going to share the truth with you because it's not my business)"

While Christians aren't called to be "nice" and make people feel warm and fuzzy inside, we ARE called to love. There are so many ways to show our love for people. Sometimes the "loving" thing to do is not the "nice" thing to do. If we strap our screaming toddler into a car seat for their protection, they may hate being confined and think we are being mean, but really it's for their protection and it's the loving thing to do. If we smack a child's hand away from a hot stove to keep them from being burned, they won't see that as loving but it's done to protect them. If we point out false doctrine (which we have great examples of people in the Bible doing that very thing), it may come across as offensive or hurtful, but it's done out of love - for those we share with and for the true Gospel.

We need to get our priorities straight. To quote Paul from Gal. 1:10
"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."

Colossians

This morning I was reading Colossians. Lately I have been surprised and blessed by reading the context of passages instead of just reading a verse here and there. You really can't understand what one sentence is saying unless you read it in it's proper context. I read and re-read Colossians 2 several times today and am still surprised at how beautifully and consistently everything goes together in light of the covenants. Please, read the whole chapter, but I will be quoting specifically from just a few of the verses.

"My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments." (verses 2-4)

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." (verse 8)

It then goes on to talk about circumcision and showing that we are figuratively circumcised through Christ (the literal circumcision was pointing to that - it wasn't moral in and of itself, and it talks about baptism as well).

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross." (verses 13-14)

"Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." (verses 16-17)

"Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 'Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!' These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence." (verses 20-23)

I had so many thoughts when reading this. First of all, in Christ is all wisdom and knowledge, and we aren't to be deceived by fine-sounding arguments or deceptive philosophy based on basic principles of the world rather than on Christ. Then it talks about things that were shadows of what was to come (Christ). Among the things mentioned are circumcision, the food & drink laws of the old covenant, and the special days set up under the old covenant (yearly festivals, monthly New Moon, and weekly Sabbath). These things are all called SHADOWS. They played their part and were important at the time (they were given by God), but they weren't the real deal. Christ was.

Most Sabbatarians when they read this (I used to be the same way) start with the assumption - "This passage cannot be saying what it seems to be saying about the Sabbath, so it must mean something else." Then based on that belief, they try to find a way to make it fit. Remember, I am dealing with facts here, not trying to focus on people (and I used to believe the same way, so I am able to say "I was wrong" when proven that was the case), so please don't take this personally.

From that key thought (It can't be saying what it appears to be saying...), this verse is handled in a number of ways. Some people say that the word for "Sabbath" here is plural, so it cannot be talking about the weekly Sabbath but must be talking about the other festival Sabbaths. The problem with that is those are already covered by the first part ("religious festival") and this would be repetitive. Throughout scripture, we are presented this pattern (yearly, monthly, weekly) which include the weekly Sabbath (reference 1 Chron. 23:31, 2 Chron. 2:4, Neh. 10:33, Hos. 2:11, Ezek. 45:17). Not only that, but the word for Sabbath (sabbaton) occurs 68 times in the NT. The other 67 times are clearly referring to the weekly Sabbath, so why would this be any different?

Another way of handling it is by focusing on the "judge" part. They reason that we aren't supposed to judge other people based on these things and that it isn't telling us one way or another if they are still applicable. But that doesn't make sense in light of the next verse - they are a shadow not the reality. That seems pretty clear.

So if this passage is really saying what it appears to be saying (this isn't the only passage that deals with this, by the way, just the one I happened to read this morning), then the Sabbath (weekly) was indeed a shadow of Christ, what does that mean? Well, the Israelites were told to rest of the Sabbath. Jesus tells us not to rest on a day but in HIM. Matt 11:28-29 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Also note Hebrews 4 - the Israelites who had the weekly Sabbath rest still didn't enter into God's rest. And yet we are called TODAY (not on the 7th day of the week) to enter into His rest through Jesus. The Sabbath (and the other things listed) was simply a shadow - Jesus is the reality.