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Are There Physical Blessings Today?
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


    “Pastor Sadler, you referred to our having physical blessings today. What exactly do you believe those are?”

While we are primarily blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies (Eph. 1:3), God has also blessed us with physical things. The Bible that you hold in your hand is a physical book with a spiritual message.

When we observe the Lord’s Supper, we are partaking of physical elements, the bread and the cup, which convey a spiritual message (I Cor. 11:23-26).

    “For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer” (I Tim. 4:4,5).

The very food we eat everyday would also be classified a physical blessing. Notice that “every creature of God is good”; that is, every piece of beef, chicken, pork, fish or shellfish we eat is good and not to be withheld as unclean today. Under grace, eating a ham sandwich is acceptable. Paul adds that it is set apart by God in accordance with His Word and prayer, a clear indication that we are to offer thanks to the Lord for what we have at every meal.

The apostle instructed Timothy, “having food and raiment let us be therewith content” (I Tim. 6:8.). While we are clothed spiritually in Christ’s righteousness, I wouldn’t advise leaving home physically unclothed. Our very clothing is a physical blessing.

In the context of prayer, Paul prayed that he might have the Lord’s prospering on his physical journey to visit the saints at Rome (Rom. 1:9,10). “In everything [not just some things and not just spiritual things] give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thes. 5:18.).

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Freedom's Light
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


    “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:18.).

Some time ago I read the fascinating autobiography of Governor William Bradford, who courageously led the Pilgrims to the New World in 1620.  The Governor documents how their quest for “religious freedom” brought them face to face with many perils.  He describes how, en route to what we now know as Cape Cod, they nearly went to a watery grave when the supporting beam of the Mayflower’s mainmast snapped.  By the providence of God, one of the families on board had brought a jack, which was used to reinforce the beam.

But this was only the beginning of sorrows.  The arrival of the Pilgrims on the shores of liberty was also filled with many hazards, as nearly one-half of their number perished the first year due to disease.  Nevertheless, their faith in our Lord remained unmoveable.  Throughout it all, they found much for which to be thankful that “first” Thanksgiving.  And so do we, for our “freedom of worship” was originally conceived in their sacrifice.

Today, however, this freedom is being threatened on every hand, both here and abroad.  Perhaps the greatest threat is Islam!  Christians around the world are being persecuted for sharing Christ with those who are living in darkness.  Islam, of course, is a religion of hate, which is clearly seen in the riots and recent murders of innocent Americans in Muslim countries.  The hallmark of Christianity, on the other hand, is love.

As we gather with family and friends this Thanksgiving, may we be mindful of the great price that was paid to secure our liberty.

May we be mindful that Christ also died for Muslims; only He can deliver them from the brutality of their religion and set them free from a life of oppression.

May we be mindful of our troops overseas who are the guardians of our nation, preserving our freedom to worship here in America without fear of persecution.  Many of these defenders of our values will be sitting in a bunker this Thanksgiving in some faraway country.  There was a popular saying at the time of our country’s founding which is as true now as it was then: “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”

May we all give thanks for the salvation that we enjoy in Christ, even the forgiveness of our dreadful sins that would have condemned us.  “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever” (Psa. 107:1).  AMEN!

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True Evangelism
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


In St. Paul’s mighty Epistle to the Romans he declares “the gospel [good news] of God… concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 1:1-3).

The good news which Paul proclaimed was essentially about Christ. He was always talking about Christ. His epistles were filled with Christ. In his message Christ was everything.

This is in striking contrast to much of modern evangelism, which is not Christ-centered, but man-centered. Dr. A. W. Tozer, shortly before his death, wrote:

    “The flaw in current evangelism lies in its humanistic approach… It is frankly fascinated by the great, noisy, aggressive world with its big names, its hero worship, its wealth and pageantry… This gross misapprehension of the truth is back of much… of our present evangelical activity…

    “This concept of Christianity is a radical error, and because it touches the souls of men it is a dangerous, even deadly, error… It is little more than a weak humanism allied with weak Christianity to give it ecclesiastical respectability… Invariably it begins with man and his needs and then looks around for God, while true Christianity reveals God as searching for man to deliver him from his ambitions.”

Tozer was right in this. God’s good news for the world is about Christ and His power and love in defeating Satan, overcoming death, nailing the Law to His cross and paying for man the just penalty for sin, so that all who believe might be justified. This is why Paul’s gospel is called in Scripture “the gospel [good news] of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24) and “the gospel of the glory of Christ” (II Cor. 4:4).

To enter experientially into the truth of this good news is the greatest blessing one can possibly enjoy.

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When The Lord Became Angry
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “And He saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

    “And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man. Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other” (Mark 3:4,5).

Why did our Lord become angry when the Jewish leaders refused to answer His questions? He was “grieved for the hardness of their hearts.” Their silence was not the silence of ignorance but of willfulness. They had “watched Him whether He would heal… on the sabbath day; that they might accuse Him,” but they could not tell Him what was wrong about it. Indeed, when He asked them what was wrong they refused to answer His questions.

How inconsistent! How unreasonable! How unjust! And, as we read the context, we are amazed to find that this sullen, stubborn opposition came not from the Sadducees but from the Pharisees, not the religious “liberals” but the “conservatives,” the Bible-believers of the day!

They were the orthodox group. Nevertheless, because of their pride and bigotry generations following have looked down upon them and have pronounced with contempt the name Pharisee.

Paul stood with them, doctrinally, against the Sadducees. He said: “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee” (Acts 23:6), nevertheless the Pharisees had joined the Sadducees in their opposition to him and to the glorious message he proclaimed. In this respect times have not changed, for those who stand boldly for God’s message and program for our day will find themselves still opposed by Sadducees and Pharisees alike.

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Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


    “Though a grace believer, one of my brothers recently denounced the medical profession’s ability to help those suffering from mental illness. He denounces any form of medication. He said that he believes only our beloved physician, Jesus Christ, could heal such ‘defects of the spirit.’ This man has suffered terribly all his life. Can you tell me please, is this his own belief or one that the BBS would also endorse? He will listen to you and I beg you to enlighten all of us.”

Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Paul instructed Timothy:

    “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities” (I Tim. 5:23).

The apostle clearly wanted Timothy to use a little wine for medicinal purposes to ease the problems he was having with his stomach—and to treat his other afflictions. Paul himself was ministered to by Luke, “the beloved physician,” who attended to the apostle’s eye infirmity (II Cor. 12:7-10; Gal. 4:13-15 cf. Col. 4:14; II Tim. 4:11). We too should avail ourselves of whatever is at our disposal to address the particular health issues we are facing. God would have us to be judicious in preserving our health.

We would highly recommend that your brother seek out medical attention as soon as possible. Many times the chemical messaging of the brain is merely malfunctioning. Like diabetes, many mental disorders are often successfully treated with medication. This should be done in conjunction with the assistance of a godly pastor who can provide the needed spiritual support. The counsel of the Word of God at such times is indispensable. With God’s help, we are confident that your brother can live a productive and fruitful life for the Lord. The apostle says in II Corinthians 1:3:

    “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.”

Surely God has been merciful in allowing medical science to understand more fully the complexities of the human body, which is a demonstration of the wonders of His handiwork. Therefore, we believe it is prudent to utilize this mercy to relieve our pain and suffering. It is indeed true that Christ is still the Great Physician; and sometimes, He does intervene to heal our infirmities (Phil. 2:27). But today in the administration of Grace, this is the exception, not the rule. More often than not, His grace is sufficient (II Cor. 12:9).

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Did Christ Offer Animal Sacrifices?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    “Did Christ offer animal sacrifices?”

You wouldn’t think He did, since sacrifices were brought “for atonement” (Ex. 29:36), and He had no sins for which to atone. However, He also had no sins of which He needed to repent to receive remission of them, and yet He submitted to John’s “baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:4). Of course, we know that He was baptized “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15). That is, in order for us to be numbered with the righteous, He had to be “numbered with the transgressors” so He could die for them (Isa. 53:12). So He was numbered with the transgressors in His baptism, and also when He died between two transgressors (Mark 15:28.). But if He identified with sinners at the beginning of His ministry with His baptism, and at the end of His ministry with His death, perhaps He identified with sinners in between those events as well, with animal sacrifices.

But here we have to be careful how we say the Lord offered such sacrifices. As a Jew under the Law (Gal. 4:4) He had to keep the Law, for to transgress it would be sin (I John 3:4). Well, the Law required men to keep the seven feasts of Leviticus 23, each of which involved an animal sacrifice, and we know the Lord kept Israel’s feasts (Luke 22:15; John 7:2,10). These sacrifices were offered for the people of Israel as a whole, and He was one of the people, and so in this way He identified with them with animal sacrifices. But the One who “knew no sin” (II Cor. 5:21) never brought a sacrifice for any personal transgression.

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Purgatory
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    “I’m witnessing to my mom, who has questions by the boxcar about Purgatory. Can you help?”

This place where men must go after death to purge their sins is an invention of religion. The word purgatory comes from the word purge, and the Bible says that Christ “by Himself purged our sins” without any help from us (Heb. 1:3).

The Lord told the dying thief, “To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). This is significant, since the inspired Word of God calls this man a thief, and it was his own testimony to the other thief that “we receive the due reward of our deeds” (v. 41). That is, he was admitting he had not been framed or misjudged, but had indeed committed crimes worthy of the death penalty. If there was a Purgatory, this man would have gone there, yet we have the Lord’s word on it that he did not.

If anyone needed to go to Purgatory, it was the carnal Corinthians! Yet Paul told even these sinful believers that they could be “confident” that “to be absent from the body” is “to be present with the Lord” (II Cor. 5:8.).

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'Faith of Christ' and 'Faith in Christ'
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


    “I was wondering what the distinction is, if any, between the ‘faith of Christ’ and ‘faith in Christ’ found in Galatians 2:16? The modern translations seem to suggest that both phrases are one and the same.”

    “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified” (Gal. 2:16).

We believe that the King James Version of the Scriptures best conveys the sense of the original language. The modern versions change the phrase “faith of Christ” to “faith in Christ” throughout, which overwhelms the passage with redundancy. Paul never intended the emphasis to be upon what man has achieved, but instead what the Savior has accomplished on his behalf. The apostle here is clearly contrasting these two phrases.

We are not justified by keeping the law, rather we are declared eternally righteous by the faith of Christ. It was Christ’s faithfulness that is the basis of our justification. He faithfully carried out the will of the Father to provide redemption through His finished work at Calvary (Heb. 10:5-10). While salvation is a free gift given to all who place their “faith in” what Christ has done, He being the object of our faith, it was at great cost. The payment to rescue us from the eternal consequences of sin is the precious blood of Christ. Only those, however, who place their faith in Him have the forgiveness of their sins (Eph. 1:7).

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214 Is Going Down
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


I heard something over the radio a few weeks ago, the like of which I’ve never heard before — and certainly never want to hear again. I heard the last words of the pilot on aboard.

Because of the weather conditions the planes were “stacked” rather high around the Philadelphia airport, so the airport tower had just asked him: “Do you want to go on or do you want to hold?” The pilot had barely replied that he wanted to “hold,” when he said something about his big Boeing 707 being on fire! Then came the awful words: “We’re going down. Two fourteen is going down in flames.” He said it calmly, and the Philadelphia tower answered back: “We have your message, two fourteen.”

Just imagine, hearing the actual last words which the pilot uttered while he and eighty others were being hurled more than 5,000 feet to their death amid the flaming parts of their stricken plane!

Yet, one does not have to be in a plane to meet death suddenly. He can stumble off a curb and be killed or die suddenly in a hundred different ways.

The important thing is to be ready. We do not wish to frighten people into accepting Christ as Savior, but it is a fact that we ought to think more than we do about the uncertainty of life. Prov. 22:3 says: “A wise man forseeth the evil and hideth himself, but fools pass on and are punished.”

No wonder Paul wrote in II Cor. 6:1,2:

    “We then as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain…. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation.”

We cannot offer salvation yesterday, for yesterday is passed. Nor can we promise it for tomorrow, for the opportunity may be withdrawn by then. The best we can do is to tell you that God loves you, and that Christ died for you, and urge you to act upon this now.

    “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

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The Resurrection Mourning
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping” (John 20:11).

Why did she weep? Because the tomb was empty! What needless sorrows follow in the wake of unbelief! Those tear-dimmed eyes did not see the evidence of the Lord’s resurrection. And when the angels asked: “Why weepest thou?” she said: “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him.” Poor woman! She would rather have found His body there!

But here are two on their way to Emmaus, no less sorrowful. They are talking together about all that has happened during the past few days and “[as] they communed together and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them, but their eyes were holden that they should not know Him. And He said unto them: What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?” (Luke 24:15-17).

The word “walk” here does not mean to walk on but to walk about — to wander aimlessly. They were on their way to Emmaus, but they were so brokenhearted that they did not care whether or not they got there. What had caused them to give up hope? Listen to their own explanations:

    “We trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done” (Luke 24:21).

They had given up hope because this was the third day since the Lord’s crucifixion, yet this was the very day He was to rise from the dead, according to His own oft-repeated promise.

Mary weeps because the tomb is empty! The two disciples are brokenhearted because this is now the third day since His death! We smile at the irony of unbelief. But what about ourselves? The risen, glorified Christ exercises far greater power and offers far greater blessings to believers now than His followers of old knew anything about.

“Oh, what peace we often forfeit! Oh, what needless pain we bear!” All because we do not take God at His Word.

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The Christian's Prospect
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Those of us who trust in Christ for salvation have a glorious prospect. For the present, while waiting to go to be with Him, “we have redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7). In infinite love God has made us to be “accepted in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:6) and has pronounced us “complete in Him” (Col. 2:10).

Our position is now a blessed and exalted one, for God has made us to “sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6) and has “blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).

But this is only the beginning, for, referring to the Christian’s death, Phil. 1:23 tells us that “to depart, and to be with Christ… is far better”; far better, not only than earth’s sorrows and troubles, but far better even than earth’s dearest treasures and joys.

But even this is not all, for the time will come when, the Church, “the Body of Christ,” having been completed, the Lord will come to receive all of its members, living and dead, to Himself. Referring to the resurrection of the deceased believer’s body, I Cor. 15 declares that “it is raised in incorruptibility” (Ver. 42), “it is raised in glory” (Ver. 43), “it is raised in power” (Ver. 43), “it is raised a spiritual body” (Ver. 44), for “as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” (Ver. 49). And as to those believers who will be alive at His coming, he says: “We shall all be changed” (Ver. 51).

    “For… we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself” (Phil. 3:20,21).

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Campaign Excitement
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The Republican and Democratic conventions are past and we are in the midst of the 1964 Presidential Campaign. It is bound to get more exciting as election day approaches. We hope our readers are interested in our government and in what policies it pursues, but there is something even more important than this — important to you and me personally, and for all eternity.

God has put each man on the spot, as it were, by offering justification and eternal life as a free gift, through Christ, who died for our sins. Rom. 6:23 clearly states:

    “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Now the question is: Will you accept this gift, or will you reject it? Perhaps you reply: “I won’t do anything about it; I’ll take my time and think it over.” But you can’t; you can’t just do nothing about a free gift which God offers for your acceptance “now” (II Cor. 6:2). If you do not accept it, you thereby reject it.

God purposely puts us on the spot in this matter, for the consequences are truly great. God’s Word says, in John 3:35,36:

    “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand.

    “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

God does not take it lightly when He offers forgiveness and all the riches of His grace as a gift and this gift is spurned. Unbelievers are not condemned only because they have sinned, but because they have spurned God’s grace and rejected salvation through Christ, who died to save them. Thus it is written in John 3:18:

    “He that believeth on Him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Which will you do, accept Christ or reject Him and the gift of salvation He purchased for you with His blood?

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Simple As Can Be
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Have you ever heard some preacher say: “There are many things in the Bible which are hard to understand but, thank God, the plan of salvation is as simple as can be.”

Well the plan of salvation is simple IF we obey II Timothy 2:15, “rightly dividing the Word of truth.” Otherwise it is far from simple.

The Apostle Paul wrote: “We conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Rom. 3:28.). Yet James wrote: “By works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (James 2:24).

Again, at Sinai God said to Israel through Moses: “If ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people …” (Ex. 19:5). But our Lord said, as He sent His apostles to witness for Him that, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved… and these signs shall follow them that believe: in My name shall they cast out demons, they shall speak with new tongues…” etc. (Mark 16:16-18.). Thus, according to their “great commission” water baptism was required for salvation and miraculous signs were the evidences of salvation.

Confusing? Contradictory? Not if we “rightly divide the Word of truth.” It was after “the law was given by Moses,” after our Lord’s earthly ministry, after the commission to the twelve, that God raised up another apostle, Paul, and sent him forth with “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).

It was Paul who was sent to declare: “But NOW, the righteousness of God without the law is manifested…” (Rom. 3:21). “To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:5). “Therefore, being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).

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Miles And Miles Of Scripture
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


How much, I wonder, do the Christian parents among our readers show their children their love for the Word, and for Christ, and for the souls for whom He died?

For many years I worked with my father, first full-time, then part-time, as a city missionary in Paterson, N.J. All during these first years dad and I walked to work together each morning — a little over a mile.

Do you know how we invariably occupied ourselves on the way? By quoting Scripture passages on some particular subject. One morning we would quote as many passages as we could on the deity of Christ, another on His death or resurrection; others on His love, power, grace, or other attributes and characteristics. Sometimes, for days or weeks on end dad would use these morning walks to ply me with questions such as: “What Scriptures would you use to deal with a blaspheming unbeliever?” or “a self-righteous person” or “one who rejects Christ on intellectual grounds?”

In this way we covered “miles and miles” of Scripture, as it were, and this in addition to Scripture reading before every meal at home, and again before we retired for the night. And all this again in addition to the oral and written Bible teaching of many of the great Bible expositors of that day, whose teachings we studied with deepest interest.

What a precious heritage! We wish that more of our Christian young people today were as well off. Parents: it’s strictly up to you. What are your priorities? What are you willing to pay — in terms of pleasure, ease or financial “success”? Do you set an example to your children — and others — by really putting God first?

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Important Contrasts in the Bible
by Pastor John Fredericksen


When parents are blessed with both a daughter and a son, there are obvious differences. Each has his or her own distinct looks, clothing, goals, and requirements. Both are recognized for their God-given differences, and loved separately, yet equally. Even after they have children of their own, this continues to be true. In a similar way, God established two distinctly different programs and peoples in the Bible. One is the children of Israel, who were given the Mosaic Law as their instructions and to whom nearly two thirds of the Bible was written, and the other is the sons and daughters of God in the Body of Christ, who are under Grace.

The Nation of Israel

There are several specific reasons why God made the nation of Israel His “special people” (Deut. 7:6). It begins with the persistent rebellion of man very early in history. We learn from Romans 1:21-32 that even “when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God.” Mankind plunged so deeply into idolatry and immorality that they sank to the level where “they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.” Since man was created as a free moral agent with choice, God did not force man to have a relationship with Him. However, He was not willing to stand idly by and allow the entire human race to foolishly run down a course leading to the eternal Lake of Fire, so He intervened by establishing the nation of Israel.

When Abram was called to become the father of Israel, God promised him three things: “I will make of thee a great nation… and make thy name great… and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:2-3). The first two promises amount to using the nation of Israel as an undeniable witness of God to an unbelieving world. Repeatedly, the Scripture tell us this was one of the primary purposes for Israel as a nation and all she encountered in history. Solomon’s prayer was “that all people of the earth may know thy name…” (I Kings 8:43). Hezekiah prayed that the Lord would deliver them from enemies “that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only” (II Kings 19:19). Ezekiel was told to predict a future when enemies will “come up against my people of Israel…that the heathen may know me” (Ezek. 38:16). Likewise, Isaiah predicts a day when “all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob” (Isa. 49:26). Even those who do not want to retain the knowledge of God have heard of the Lord parting the Red Sea and providing a host of miracles for Israel. Israel has been God’s witness to the world.

The third promise to Abram was to bless all the families of the earth through him and his seed. Ultimately, this was fulfilled in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, coming as the Son of Man and Son of God to pay the ransom for the sins of all mankind. Salvation is now available to all because God used Israel to produce a needed Savior.

The Mosaic Law of Israel

It is imperative that we understand to whom the Law of Moses was given, what it involved, and why it was given. The Lord told Moses, “I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments…that thou mayest teach them [to Israel]” (Ex. 24:12). These laws were given only to the nation of Israel. They were not given to, nor intended for, Gentiles of the past or present. Moreover, many further misunderstand the scope of the Law of Moses. It was far more than the Ten Commandments; it included volumes of strict requirements governing the social, civil, dietary, and worship life of Israel. It was an entire package to be obeyed. No one was allowed to pick and choose certain requirements and ignore others.

God had several important purposes for giving these laws. They were to be a testimony to all who “hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people…who hath God so nigh unto them” (Deut. 4:5-8.). It was intended to draw lost souls back to God, but it was never intended as a way to merit eternal life. Paul taught, “Ye could not be justified [from sin] by the law of Moses” because it was given that “all the world may become guilty before God… for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:19,20). The law was a beautiful system for Israel, but even Peter acknowledged that it was a heavy “yoke…which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear” (Acts 15:10). God’s ultimate purpose for the law was to prove man’s guilt, to prove his inability to be righteous through good works, and to become “our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Gal. 3:24). It is absolutely not intended for the practice of believers today

How Long Did the Mosaic Law Last?

The Lord Jesus clearly said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). He told His disciples, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles…but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:5-6). In the early chapters of Acts, it is clear that Israel was still the exclusive focus of ministry (Acts 2:5,22,36; 3:12,25; 7:2,51,52; 11:19,20). Moreover, these Jewish believers were still operating under the law. The Lord Jesus taught, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do” (Matt. 23:1,2). They were still to keep the law because Christ said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law… but to fulfil” (Matt. 5:17).

For many present-day Christians, much confusion exists because they incorrectly attempt to apply instructions or promises that were given exclusively to Israel under the law. Only Israel was to “take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat…or drink…but seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:25-33). Only Israel was promised, “And these signs shall follow them that believe… In my name shall they cast out devils… speak with new tongues… they shall lay hands on the sick” (Mark 16:17,18.). Only Israel was promised, “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13,14; 16:23; Matt. 18:19). When we read the Old Testament, the Gospel accounts, and the early chapters of Acts, we are not to claim promises or instruction intended exclusively for Israel. These books were included as part of our present-day Bible because God intended them “for our learning” (Rom. 15:4). Let’s learn the lessons God intended without claiming Israel’s promises.

The Body of Christ

Believers today are not part of the nation of Israel. In the early part of the Book of Acts, God set Israel aside from her favored and exalted position due to repeated waywardness (Rom. 11:11,12). Today, “There is neither Jew nor Greek…for ye are all one in Christ” (Gal. 3:28.). Those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ today are placed into a new group of believers called “the church, which is His Body” or the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). This is a brand new group of believers that began with the Apostle Paul. Dr. C. I. Scofield said it well in his reference Bible when he wrote: “In his [Paul’s] writings alone we find the doctrine, position, walk, and destiny of the Church.” 1

The Apostle Paul teaches us, “Ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:14). God saves us by His grace (Eph. 2:8,9), keeps us Growing in God’s Grace secure because grace “reigns” (Rom. 5:21), and grace provides a lasting daily peace “wherein we stand” (Rom. 5:1,2). Finally, “…the grace of God [is]… teaching us that, denying ungodliness… we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11-13). As we live in this current Age of Grace, we are to depend on grace in every area of our lives, and look consistently for our promises and instructions in the letters of the Apostle Paul.

Israel (under the law), and the Body of Christ (under grace), are like a brother and sister. God is the Father of both, yet each is distinctly different. These differences are not intended to be diluted until they are indistinguishable. We are to recognize, respect, and maintain these distinctions. This is a key to understanding our Bible.

Notes:

    Taken from notes on Ephesians 3:6