Law Covenant v. Law of the Spirit (New Covenant)…

7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. Hebrews 8:7

Law Covenant, Sinai Commandments, Mosaic Law, ANIMAL-BLOOD SACRIFICE…

The Law Covenant with Israel, nine of the ten Sinai Commandments, the moral portions of the 603 Mosaic Laws, are nothing new or novel but are a reiteration of the Moral Law of Conscience (Romans 2:14-15) possessing some specificity for Israel’s children who were inundated by pagan tribes serving pagan gods relentlessly seeking Israel’s compromise, compromise that would have thwarted or stymied Yahweh’s eschatological plans through His Messiah.

The Law Covenant is performance-based (Deuteronomy 28), compliance-based, relevant to the 10-Sinai Commandments (9-moral, 1-ceremonial law) and the 603-Mosaic Laws, a conglomeration of moral-civil/ceremonial laws.

The Law Covenant’s path to Israel’s righteousness with the Father was predicated upon strict obedience, perfection, to every aspect of the written law and “cursed” was anyone who disobeyed (Deuteronomy 27:26; Deuteronomy 28; Galatians 3:10; James 2:10).

The Law Covenant was Yahweh’s chosen method of demonstrating to Israel’s children and the World that mankind, due to the sin-nature, was absent the moral ability to attain righteousness (a right standing) with the Father through obedience to Laws, ordinances, days, diets; this, as all of humanity is under the condemnation of Adam’s curse (Romans 5:12). The Law Covenant acted as a “tutor” to point Israel’s children to their need for an Intercessor, a Messiah (Galatians 3:24) who could fulfill the righteous mandates of the Law Covenant in perfection as a “Spotless Lamb” while simultaneously fulfilling the blood-atonement mandates of Leviticus 17:11.

The Law Covenant, in part, was destined to be a failure because the Law Covenant sought absolute compliance, obedience, by the sin-nature of man; mankind struggling in the flesh in vanity, pride, arrogance, self-sufficiency, self-righteousness, striving to keep the Law that only defined their sin void atonement (Romans 3:20-23).

The Law Covenant was therefore subject to hypocrisy, subject to subjectivity through aberrant definitions of the Law’s elements that constituted or defined a violation of the Law’s actual intent; intent far too often redefined, obscured, perverted, by sinful men in positions of religious authority over the children of Israel.

Law Covenant – Animal Sacrifices

Animal sacrifices possessed the potential for righteousness (a right standing) with the Yahweh. Blood sacrifices were ordained in the Law Covenant as a temporary covering for personal and national sins but could never provide lasting, enduring, atonement as the blood of animals could never take away sin (Hebrews 10:4), but the “faith” of the one who offered the sacrifice was pleasing to Yahweh and our Lord credited that faith as righteousness as the one offering the sacrifice “believed” what Yahweh had promised (Leviticus 17:11) and their belief-faith justified them and prepared them a place in Sheol-Paradise, a temporary abode for the righteous souls awaiting the acceptable blood atonement of Messiah who was promised to come through the Tribe of Judah.

Law of the Spirit, the New Covenant established in Messiah’s blood (Matthew 26:28)

The New Covenant, established in the sinless blood of Jesus Christ (Matthew 26:28), is based upon grace (unmerited favor unattainable through human effort – a divine Gift) through faith (trust-belief) in Jesus Christ as Messiah, believing that Jesus died in our place to pay our sin-debt owed the Father and by covenant promise, the Father agrees to forgive-forget our sin, forever (Hebrews 8:12) and in exchange for our sin – in place of our sin, the Father imputes-gifts the perfection-righteousness of His Son, Jesus Christ, into and over our life, forever (2 Corinthians 5:21); additionally, the Father, in accordance with covenant promise (Ezekiel 36:27; John 14:16-17; Ephesians 1:13-14; John 3), Gifts the redeemed with the indwelling Holy Spirit who takes-up residence within the faithful in Jesus and it is the Holy Spirit who provides the redeemed with a “new nature,” a New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), that wars against, battles against, seeks to resist, the sin-nature inherited from our father Adam (Galatians 5:16).

It is the indwelling Holy Spirit who anoints the redeemed in Jesus as spiritual warriors (Ephesians 6:10-20) through the daily process of sanctification where the Holy Spirit employs the “conscience” of the faithful in Jesus and walks them methodically in the Father’s will as the Spirit prepares the redeemed for an eternity of service to Jesus Christ in the New Jerusalem (John 14:26; 1 John 2:27).

Law of the Spirit – superior to the Law Covenant,

The Holy Spirit, via the conscience, guides the redeemed in Jesus Christ in the Father’s will and the Christian who is led by the Spirit does not walk daily concerned about laws, edicts, days, food…they listen to the Spirit via the conscience (Romans 7:6) and they are therefore led, methodically, to walk in righteousness in every aspect of life; even those most minute controversial subjects not addressed by commandments, edicts, ordinances, are discerned through the Spirit’s anointing (Galatians 5:16).

Through sanctification, the Holy Spirit’s discernment is provided instantaneously and the Spirit’s interceding wisdom is an infinitely superior, efficient, form of behavioral modification than cognitively attempting to discern a written law, its subjective elements, its applicability, its relevance, in any given circumstance in life; the Spirit’s discernment via the redeemed conscience is provided in a timely, relevant, God honoring fashion; therefore, the success of the New Covenant is based upon,

1) the Father’s grace through one’s faith in His Son (John 3:16);

2) the imputed righteousness of Jesus into the life of the redeemed resulting in an eternal adjudication of “not guilty” (2 Corinthians 5:21);

3) the gift of a “new creation” that is anointed and prepared to war against the sin-nature (2 Corinthians 5:17) and finally, and most importantly,

4) the Gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14) who becomes our best friend in Time and Eternity as He sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24) and loves us unconditionally as He prepares God’s children for honorable service in the New Jerusalem where we will abide with and intimately commune with Jesus in Elohim, subsequent the resurrection, forever.

Life in the Spirit,

8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8 (ESV)

Response to the Skeptics who deny the “Security of the Christian” forever…

Why do you call Jesus a liar? Why do you call the Holy Spirit a liar? Jesus promised that those who are His will never be snatched from His hand or the hand of His Father (John 10:28-30).

The Holy Spirit has told us that by covenant promise He is our Seal and Guarantor of covenant relationship forever (Ephesians 1:13-14)…why do you doubt, scoff, reject, what the Scriptures tell you…why can’t you “believe” that the one who is truly redeemed by faith is a “new creation” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and that God is not a man that He should lie or deceive (Numbers 23:19)?

Where is your faith, that faith, that trust, that pleases the Father and motivates Him to reveal these truths to the one who truly loves Him and trusts in Him by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ (John 6:29; Hebrews 11:6)?

Legalism – Law Obsessions – Rabbinical Error – Christian Cults – demonic deception that condemns the soul of man…

Two of the most obvious identifiers of a religious cult, more specifically – a Christian cult, is the denial of Jesus’ divinity and a denial of Jesus’ divine sufficiency to save by grace through faith, ALONE. Cults will always practice the demonic formula of “Jesus + something = salvation” and far too often that “something” is some form of self-righteousness through law, works, personal performance e.g. legalism.

Christianity and Law,

Christianity does not deny the necessity, the veracity, the holiness, of Elohim’s Ten-Commandments, the 603-Mosaic Laws, the Natural – Moral Law of Conscience (Romans 2:14-15) but Christianity places the Law in its proper context and understands its purpose. Unlike the brainwashed, self-righteous, legalistic-zealots in these forums who continually worship and idolize the Law, the Christian understands that Law has been relevant as an arbiter of free will since the creation of the angels and Elohim’s moral-natural law, as arbitrated by the conscience (Romans 2:14-15), was infused within the human genome on Day-6 specifically for Elohim’s eschatological purposes going forward as human kind was created in the spiritual image of Elohim (“Us”- “Our,” Father-Son-Spirit) (Genesis 1:26-28). Elohim chose to infuse certain divine communicable attributes into the human genome as humanity would play a key role in Elohim’s battle strategy i.e. “The Gospel of Jesus Christ” which would be divinely employed by Messiah 4000-years subsequent Eden to “destroy the works of the Devil” (1 John 3:8b; 2 Timothy 1:8-10).

The Purpose of Law,

Law is not given to be worshiped or idolized but Law is given for the lawless (1 Timothy 1:9), to act as a bulwark buffering, tempering, the sin-nature inherited from Adam to stymie societal extinction via unrestrained narcissism; Law was also given as a Tutor to point humanity to their need for an Intercessor – a Savior – a Messiah (Galatians 3:24) as the Law concerning righteousness (a right standing) with the Father mandates absolute perfection (James 2:10; Galatians 3:10) and all of humanity is cursed by the Law as all of humanity is guilty of disobedience (Galatians 3:10; Romans 3:20-23) as all of humanity suffers the curse placed upon our first-father, Adam (Romans 5:12-21), a curse transferred through the human genome via federal headship; therefore, Law is given for the lawless, not the righteous (1 Timothy 1:9). That same Law will also be the basis for adjudication by Jesus at the Judgment of the Condemned (Revelation 20:10-15) subsequent Messiah’s Millennial Reign.

Worship Messiah Jesus, not Law,

Worshiping the Law; Idolizing the Law; Preaching the Law as valid supplemental doctrine for salvation, is spiritual deception, is legalism, is demonic at its root, when such obsessions with vanity and self-righteousness obscure, seek to negate, the suffering and blood-shed of Messiah Jesus who obediently destroyed the curse of the Law for us through His impeccable compliance (Galatians 3:13) and by incomprehensible grace offers us His perfection, His righteousness, imputed into and over our lives by faith in Him as our Messiah (2 Corinthians 5:21); therefore, the pathetic hypocrisy that under girds the legalistic obsessions with “LAW” is rooted in the demonic and destroys the soul in self-righteousness, destroys the peace of God in one’s life due to daily fears of non-compliance, doubt, anguish which is the antithesis of the Gospel’s intent i.e. peace with God through faith, alone, in Jesus as Messiah (Romans 8; 5:1; Matthew 11:28-30).

Water Baptism – Legalism – Apostasy – Confusion…

The suffering and blood-shed of Messiah Jesus at Golgotha is wholly sufficient to save you from your sin by faith in Jesus as your Messiah. Salvation does not manifest by our works of self-righteousness which the Father equates to a bloody menstrual cloth (Isaiah 64:6) but our Salvation is wholly contingent upon what Jesus did for us by shedding His innocent blood to fulfill the mandates of Leviticus 17:11, a divine act of obedience that no man born of Adam’s seed could accomplish as we’re all sinners and we’ve all fallen short of the Father’s righteous mandates i.e. perfection (James 2:10; Galatians 3:10).

The ONLY righteousness we can receive in this life is the righteousness of Jesus Christ IMPUTED into our life by faith, alone (2 Corinthians 5:21)…not our works of obedience; not our philanthropy; not our baptism(s); not our church attendance, but by grace (unmerited favor unattainable through human effort-a divine Gift) through faith-trust-belief in what Jesus did for us at Golgotha (John 3; Matthew 26:28).

Concerning Baptism,

Water baptism is a “work” of obedience that is to manifest SUBSEQUENT initiating covenant relationship with the Father by faith-belief in Jesus, first. Water does not save; entering into a Baptismal does not save…it’s simply an outward sign of what has already manifest in the heart of the redeemed the moment one believes; that is, salvation by faith in Jesus as our Messiah believing that Jesus died to pay our sin-debt for us…a debt we could never pay our self; this, a covenant relationship Sealed and Guaranteed by the Holy Spirit (John 3; Ephesians 1:13-14).

Every child of God by faith in Jesus as Messiah should be baptized by immersion in water as commanded and demonstrated by our Lord but obedience to this command should NEVER be confused with the sole-sufficiency of Jesus to save through His obedience at Golgotha and that salvation actuated by faith, alone, in Jesus, alone.

How does the Holy Spirit testify with our spirit that we’re children of God?

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” Romans 8:16 (ESV)

The Holy Spirit lives within those redeemed by faith in Jesus as the Holy Spirit is the Seal and Guarantor of covenant relationship with the Father (Ephesians 1:13-14). It is the Holy Spirit who teaches, tutors, counsels, comforts, defends, intercedes for, those who belong to the Father by covenant promise (Jeremiah 31; Ezekiel 36; Hebrews 8:12; Hebrews 10); the Holy Spirit works in the daily life of the redeemed via the process of sanctification e.g. a divine preparation for service in the New Jerusalem; this is accomplished via the human conscience via the “new creation” in Christ (Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:17); therefore, the presence of the Spirit in one’s life is undeniable and the Spirit therefore testifies with our spirit that we belong to the Father by faith in His Son; in this, there is peace (Romans 5:1).

Why the Astrophysicist, the Darwinist-Evolutionist, the Anthropologist, will NEVER define origin of matter, origin of Time, origin of the complex human genome. Why those who espouse creation ex nihilo are in error…

For thousands of years, “great minds” have pondered, argued over, theorized, guessed, contemplated, debated, the origin of matter, causation for Time-life-purpose. Modern science remains baffled, the evolutionist remains deceived, the astrophysicist remains overwhelmed, far too many “theologians” espouse error…

God the Holy Spirit clearly articulates the who, what, where, when, why, how, concerning the origin of matter, the creation of Time and the meticulous construction of the human genome but mankind, thwarted by pride, arrogance, self-sufficiency, refuses to listen and more tragically, refuses to “believe.”

Theologians err in their analysis of the creation narrative by suggesting that our omnipotent Creator, Jesus Christ in Elohim, created “ex nihilo” (out of nothing) but this is NOT what the Holy Spirit teaches.

The creation of the Realm of Time; the creation of matter; the creation of the human genome; are completely and totally in direct response to the coup d’état initiated by an anointed cherub angel and one-third of the angelic creation that followed that cherub angel in the rebellion against Elohim’s authority and dominion in the Kingdom. This rebellion mandated extrication from the Kingdom; therefore, a temporary repository for this spiritual war would be “created” and the rebellion dealt with there apart from the Kingdom where “nothing impure” is permitted to exist (Revelation 21:27). Jesus Christ tells us that He was a witness to the extrication of evil from the Kingdom (Luke 10:18).

A Divine Battle Strategy,

Elohim’s battle strategy in response to the disruption of holiness and order in His Kingdom is the Gospel, the New Covenant, which was ordained “before the beginning of Time” (2 Timothy 1:8-10) and the Warrior that would institute that Gospel and ratify its covenant in His own blood is God the Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 3:8b).

God the Father ordained, decreed, that the Son, Jesus Christ, would receive all authority in Heaven and upon the future Earth (John 3:35; Matthew 28:18) to create (Genesis 1; John 1; Hebrews 1; Colossians 1:15-20). Jesus Christ, in obedience to the Father’s will, initiated the creation narrative by taking elements existing ONLY in the unseen Realm of the Spiritual and fashioned those elements into matter, a tangible substance, that can be apprehended, manipulated, by “life” constrained by the Realm of Time and physics (Hebrews 11:3); therefore, it matters not with what veracity the Astrophysicist; the Darwinist-Evolutionist; the Anthropologist, struggles to define origin of matter, their pursuit is in vain because that which is apprehended by life constrained by Time and physics, that which is visible and invisible, finds its origin in the unseen Spiritual Realm and the human mind, constrained by Time and physics and the sin-nature, will NEVER apprehend or comprehend what Elohim has performed through Jesus Christ.

“By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” Hebrews 11:3 (ESV)

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV)

“The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.” John 3:35 (ESV)

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” Hebrews 1:1-3 (ESV)

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:15-17 (ESV)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (14) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-5;14

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” John 18:36 (ESV)

“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8 (ESV)

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5 (ESV)

Warning: Mark 16:9-20 used by false teachers with intent or by ignorance to promote false doctrine in the apostasy of charismata. What is the Truth?

False doctrines such as “Baptism Saves,” “Snake Handling” and “Drinking Poison” as evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence or evidence of salvation or evidence of “Baptism in the Holy Spirit”…these doctrines of demons find their origin in Scriptural additions not authorized by the Holy Spirit.

Mark 16:9-20 is far too often used by apostates, those with an agenda seeking to obscure and deny the sufficiency of faith, alone, in Messiah Jesus as foundational to salvation, forgiveness of sin, initiation of covenant promise with the Father.

Mark 16:9-20 is far too often used by zealots seeking self-aggrandizement in “Churches” of charismata, Pentecostalism, Full-Gospel Churches, Non-denominational Churches, to promote ludicrous-dangerous behavior, demonically rooted fanaticism.

Mark 16:9-20 is an addition to the Scriptures that does NOT appear in early manuscripts. Mark 16:9-20 was most likely an addendum to Mark’s rather abrupt Gospel conclusion and most likely added as an addendum by a well-meaning Scribe who never intended for the paragraph to be absorbed into the inspired Text.

Most likely, as Mark’s Gospel was copied and recopied over time, the addendum found its way into the Text by error; therefore, do not base doctrine or Church protocol, your personal walk with Jesus, on Mark 16:9-20 and know that the better Bible translations bracket these verses and warn you that they’re not found in early manuscripts.

Mark 16:9-20 (NASB)

9 [[[c]Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.

12 Now after that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country. 13 And they went away and reported it to the rest, but they did not believe them, either.

The Disciples Commissioned

14 Later He appeared to the eleven disciples themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reprimanded them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen from the dead. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 The one who has believed and has been baptized will be saved; but the one who has not believed will be condemned. 17 These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

19 So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.]]

[[[d]And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself also sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.]]

Footnotes

1. Mark 16:1 Or Jacob
2. Mark 16:4 I.e., its size drew their attention
3. Mark 16:9 Later mss add vv 9-20
4. Mark 16:20 A few late mss and ancient versions contain this paragraph, usually after v 8; a few have it at the end of the ch

The Christian and the Sin-Nature inherited from Adam…

Man is born into sin possessing a sin-nature (Romans 5:12; Romans 3:23)…a sin-nature that can only be redeemed by grace through faith, not striving to keep laws or ordinances (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16).

Even the redeemed in Jesus remain in a sinful body of flesh and struggle with the sin-nature, daily, though they now possess the Holy Spirit and a “new nature” (2 Corinthians 5:17) that wars against the old-nature in Adam (Romans 7:14-25).

If our eternal destiny was contingent or predicated upon our behavior, no man would be saved from Hell; this is but one reason why Jesus entered the Realm of Time, to provide us imputed – gifted righteousness, HIS righteousness, by faith (2 Corinthians 5:21) as decreed in the New Covenant by the Father (Hebrews 8:12; Hebrews 10; Jeremiah 31; Ezekiel 36; John 3:16).

It is the Holy Spirit given the redeemed in Jesus that initiates a transformation of the sinful nature to one of obedience during the daily, life-long, process of sanctification but until we rid ourselves of this body of death, we will struggle with sin as it is the nature of the flesh born of the seed of Adam (Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 6; Romans 7:14-25; Romans 5:12).

Must I be baptized in water in order to be saved from death in Hell?

No…Water Baptism is a “work” of obedience that manifests subsequent faith (noun) in Jesus as Lord. A man or woman is not saved, does not enter into covenant relationship with the Father, by what they DO but in whom they BELIEVE; that is, faith-trust in Jesus Christ as Lord (Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16).

Water Baptism does not save the soul from Hell but Water Baptism is a work of obedience, a sign, a public profession and declaration, to a lost and dying world of your decision to follow-trust-obey Jesus Christ as your Messiah.

Anyone who has truly trusted in Jesus as Lord will desire to be baptized as commanded by our Lord and that desire will be urgent as Jesus has commanded that we be baptized in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; therefore, the truly faithful will obey with urgency and thankfulness as their desire will be to please our Heavenly Father in all things.

A final thought…

When one refuses to follow Jesus in water baptism, though they have entered into covenant relationship with the Father by faith in the Son, they stand to lose reward and intimacy with our Lord subsequent the BEMA Judgment of Jesus Christ, a Judgment concerning the quality of works, obedience, loyalty, performed by the redeemed subsequent salvation; therefore, water baptism should be the first “work” of obedience subsequent one’s profession of faith in Jesus as their Lord.

It is written,

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28 (ESV)

In Jeremiah 17:9; Genesis 6:5, Elohim declares the human heart desperately wicked, evil; therefore, how is man made “positionally right” with Elohim?

This is the reason Jesus as Messiah was necessary and the Gospel ordained “before Time began” (2 Timothy 1:8-10). The Father did not leave us in our hopeless condition of sin, corruption and eternal damnation but sent His Son into the Realm of Time through the Tribe of Judah and Jesus lived a sinless, perfect, obedient, life and thereby fulfilled the righteous mandates of the Law for us and willingly gave His life as our sacrificial Lamb (1 Peter 1:19).

As a result of Jesus’ faithfulness and obedience at Golgotha, the Father, by covenant promise (Jeremiah 31; Ezekiel 36; Hebrews 8:12; Hebrews 10; John 3:16) agrees to forgive, forget, the sins of the one who trusts in Jesus as Lord-Messiah and believes that Jesus died in their place as atonement for our sin (John 3; Romans 10:9-10); in this, the Father agrees to impute-gift, by grace, the perfection and righteousness of Jesus over the life of the one who believes in Jesus as Lord (2 Corinthians 5:21) thereby making that person “positionally right” with the Father by covenant promise; effectively, the Father agrees to forgive and forget the sins of the one who agrees to enter into covenant with Him by faith in His Son and the Father provides the Holy Spirit to indwell the faithful in Jesus as the Holy Spirit is the Seal and Guarantor of that covenant relationship, forever (Ephesians 1:13-14; John 14:16-17; Ezekiel 36:27).

It is the indwelling Holy Spirit that incrementally transforms the faithful in Jesus into the obedient image of Messiah via the daily process, the life-long process, of sanctification as the Spirit prepares the faithful in Jesus for an eternity of service in the New Jerusalem (Galatians 5:16; John 16:13-14). Faith in Jesus transforms mind, body, spirit.