Message 30 - By Jerry D. Green
Laws, Ordinances,
and Traditions
Introduction
For many years I questioned whether James (the writer of the book
of James, and whom we are told was the Lord’s brother according to the flesh)
was an apostle. I questioned this, not because James doesn’t say some good
things, but because, unlike Peter, John, and Paul, there is no indication that
he ever had a spiritual revelation of Jesus, as “the Christ;” which is the
gospel. Like so many today, James seemed to have a strong desire for things to
do, to keep, to obey (i.e., laws, ordinances, traditions, principles, etc.,
most of which are simply carryovers from the Old Testament; the Old Covenant).
In fact, I have suspected for many years that his letter was chosen to be
included in the scriptures simply because he was, or was believed to be, the
Lord’s brother (actually, half brother), according to the flesh, and/or,
because he was believed to be an apostle. I have since learned that the
reformer, Martin Luther, held the same view.
I am NOT writing this message with the intention of casting doubt
on the scriptures, but to aid the person who is seeking truth, to deal with the
incongruousness between the doctrine of James and the doctrine of those apostles
who Jesus personally chose and gave revelation of the gospel to; by the Holy
Ghost sent down from heaven (John 6:70;
Acts 9:15; Matthew 16:15-17; Galatians
1:11-12; I Peter 1:12). JDG
------------------------------------------------------------
Laws, Ordinances, and Traditions
In writing this
message I feel first, to explore
whether James was a scripturally bona fide apostle. A
typical reading of the scriptures in the KJV would seem to indicate that James,
purported to be the Lord’s brother, is also the author of the book of James;
also, that he was an apostle.
Recently however, I did a brief search of the scriptures and quickly discovered
that there was very little evidence, if any at all, to support that assumption.
As always, I’ll share my findings with you and let you draw your own
conclusions.
“James,
a SERVANT of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are
scattered abroad, greeting” (James 1:1).
First: James himself does not claim to be an apostle. His only
claim is that he is “…a SERVANT…” of God and of Jesus Christ; Not
a Son of God (I John 3:1-2), not a spiritual brother of Jesus (Hebrews 2:11-13), who was and is, the Christ; and not, an apostle. Also, his letter was
written specifically to those Jews of “…the twelve tribes…” (of Israel) who were “…scattered abroad…” where they had built their Jewish synagogues throughout
those regions of the world. I must assume that James, who, claims to be a
SERVANT of Christ, could be numbered among those Jews who had heard about and believed on Jesus (John
8:30-31); but, did not believe in his heart that Jesus was indeed, “the
Christ.” James did not believe in his heart, nor does he preach in “his” gospel
(his epistle), that “Jesus, the Christ” did all that God had promised by the
angel Gabriel that “the Christ” (“the Messiah”) would do, were done. Most
certainly, to his (as with their) thinking, He did not “…make an end of sins…” (Daniel
9:24-27; therefore, He could not be the Christ, the Messiah of God. Rather,
James was writing to establish them in his
version of the gospel. Therefore, my question to this point would be, are
you one of those Jews who were numbered among the twelve tribes of Israel, who
had been scattered abroad; or, are you of “Jesus, the Christ, and His church?”
Any answer other than “Jesus, the Christ, and His church,” means that you do
not yet know Jesus as “the Christ” (“the Messiah”) of God.
Secondly: I would point out that two of Jesus’ personally chosen disciples (whom He would later call
apostles) were also named James. One
of these was the brother of John (both, sons of Zebedee; Matthew 4:21) and the second
was the son of Alphaeus (Matthew 10:1-4 [verse 3 in particular]). Also, in Luke 6:13-16, Jesus calls His disciples
(those who were following His ministry) unto Him, and of them, He chose twelve,
whom He would also call apostles (Matthew 10, verses 1 through 4). He
then gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all
manner of sicknesses and all manner of diseases; but in Acts 12:1-2, a short while after the
day of Pentecost, Herod stretched forth his hand against the church and killed
the apostle James (the apostle John’s brother), with the sword (Acts 12:12). Yet, there remained one
more of the original twelve apostles named James; James, the son of Alphaeus.
When Peter was
miraculously delivered from prison, he instructed them to go and tell these
things to James, and to the brethren. Whether this was James the Apostle, or
James the Lord’s brother, I don’t know.
Neither do I know how anyone could know for certain; but, it seems
to me that it would have been a chosen apostle (i.e., James, the son of Alphaeus) who would have been in charge of the church in
Jerusalem (the brethren) at that time. On another occasion (Acts 15:7-13), the scriptures say that “…after they (Peter, Barnabas, and Paul) had held their peace, JAMES answered, saying,
Men and brethren, hearken unto me.” But again there is no way of knowing, from the scriptures, which
James this was.
In Acts 21:18-20 the scriptures again say:
“…the
day following, PAUL went in with us (us being those who accompanied Paul) unto JAMES; and all
the elders were present. And when he (PAUL) had saluted (greeted) them, he declared particularly what things God had
wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. And when they (JAMES and all the elders) heard it, they
glorified the Lord, and (presumably James) said unto him (Paul), Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there
are which BELIEVE
(on Jesus; John 8:30-31; read text in the following
paragraph); and
they are ALL ZEALOUS of THE LAW” (of MOSES). It seems fair to assume, based on the words
of James himself in Acts 15:20, and
the prevailing sentiment of the Jerusalem church in this verse (Acts 21:20; although
it’s not clear if the speaker is James himself, or an elder speaking for James
and the church in Jerusalem) that this James probably was the Lord’s brother;
for history seems to bear out that he did become prominent in, and possibly by
this time, head of the church at
Jerusalem.
It is recorded
that on at least one occasion during His ministry, Jesus had specifically
addressed some Jews who BELIEVED ON HIM (perhaps some of these same Jews; John 8:30-31). “Then said Jesus to
those JEWS which BELIEVED ON HIM, if
ye CONTINUE in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the
TRUTH, and the TRUTH shall MAKE YOU FREE” (from sin; Please read the entire discourse, John 8:32-36). The truth He was
referring to was the truth of the gospel
that would make [a soul] free indeed from sin; and the reason
they must continue in His word
before they could know and experience this truth
was that He had not yet, at that time, suffered the death of the cross. Clearly
these Jews had not continued in Jesus’ words for, even after Calvary, they were
still refusing to receive and believe the truth
of the gospel of Jesus, the Christ. Being zealous of the law of
Moses, they were still refusing to hear,
believe, and submit themselves unto the precious gospel that was (and is) able
to save the soul, in making it FREE FROM sin; NOT from just the penalty of sin,
but from sin itself; and in this, the
penalty of sin. Sinners will
never be free from the penalty of sin,
as long as they continue in sin. Being “born again,” through faith in the fact
that Jesus is “the Christ (I John 5:1),”
makes “free from sin ().”
So, what else
would this truth make them free from? Specifically, it would also make them free from the law of Moses (an
accumulation [we are told] of 613 individual laws), as well as the religious laws of any and all
other men aside from Jesus (Romans; chapters 6-7), and, free from the
devil.
In I Corinthians 15:5-9, Paul says, concerning those 500 plus eyewitnesses of the
resurrected Christ, that He (Jesus, the Christ) was (first) seen of Cephas (Peter), then of the twelve. Adam Clark tells us in
his commentary that the word twelve in this particular place was a
mistranslation and should have been translated “eleven.” Assuming this to be
correct: This could then mean that Jesus was first seen by Peter, then
afterward, by the other eleven; or, afterward by the twelve, including Peter.
After that, he was also seen of over
five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remained unto that
present day; but some had already fallen asleep (died). “After that, he was
seen of James, then of all the apostles.” Again,
the wording here could be interpreted to mean James, the Lord’s brother, then
of all of the twelve apostles, or,
as I believe it to be: He was seen by the Apostle James, and then by all of the twelve apostles including
the Apostle James, or, all of the
other eleven apostles. “And last of all he
was seen of me also
(Paul), as of one born out
of due time (Acts
9:15-16). For I
am the least of the apostles, that am not meet (worthy) to be called an
apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”
In Galatians 1:19, the King James and some
of the other versions have Paul saying, “But other of the apostles saw I none, SAVE (some versions have “except,”)
James
the Lord’s brother. ” Either of these two words make the verse say that James was an apostle; however, there are at
least three translations I am aware of (the NIV; the GWT; and the ERV) which
have the verse translated in this manner: These versions have Paul saying, Aside from the apostle Peter (spoken of
in the previous verse; Galatians 1:18),
“I saw (at least one version has it ‘met’) none of the other apostles, “only”
James, the Lord’s brother.” The word “only”
in these translations make the verse say that James was not an apostle, but, “only”
the Lord’s brother (according to the flesh); and I believe this to be the
correct translation of this verse.
It is hard to
determine whether the James of Galatians
2:9 and the James of Galatians 2:12
are the same person, or not. The James of Galatians
2:9 could have been the apostle James, while the James of Galatians 2:12 is most likely James,
the Lord’s brother, and head of the church at Jerusalem; I have no way of
positively confirming this one way or the other. But even if James, the Lord’s
brother (according to the flesh) was head of the church at Jerusalem, that in
itself does not, of necessity, make him an apostle.
I have a little
“test” that I recommend for all gospel messages (whether written, presented
orally, in person, on tape, radio, TV, CD, DVD, or any other way they may be
presented); always ask the question, what’s
NOT being said? If after a few messages you’re NOT hearing freedom FROM sin by Jesus Christ and the finished
work of Calvary, it’s a good indication that the New Testament Jubilee Message is not being preached by that
particular ministry (Please read JDG Message one, the “The Message of
Jubilee,” which is “the true gospel of
Jesus Christ”). I would also recommend this same little “test” for the book of
“James.”
In a message
written by Brother and Pastor Leroy Surface, titled “A Bit for the Mouth,” he
points out some things which might be missed by the typical reader, which
“James,” the writer of the book of James, does NOT say. The following paragraph
is an excerption from his message:
“The Book of
James is unique in that it mentions Jesus Christ two times, but, there is never
a mention of Him as Savior, Redeemer, or Son of God. There is no mention of His
blood, His cross, or an atonement. There is no mention of sanctification,
forgiveness, or salvation. Neither is there a new creature, a new creation, a
new man, or a New Covenant.” And, as I, JDG, have already pointed out, he goes
on to say: “James addresses his letter to ‘the twelve tribes, which are scattered
abroad.’ Throughout his letter he also calls them ‘my brethren,’ and ‘beloved brethren,’ while
at the same time referring to them as ‘double minded,’ ‘despisers of the poor’ (James
2:5-6), ‘adulterers and
adulteresses’ (James 4:4).” In James 4:2 he says, “‘Ye lust… ye kill… ye fight and war,’ yet he gives no answer except ‘law,’
saying, ‘Brethren,
these things ought not to be’ (James 3:10). In
the book of James there is no fountain for sin,
no ‘balm
in Gilead;’ yet, ten times there IS ‘law.’ In that he identifies the problems that are so prevalent among
the ‘religious’ world today, James does a great job.
However, in that he considers these, to whom he addresses his letter, to be ‘brethren’ who simply need a little fine
tuning, he fails. He is like so many in the church today, who believe that
one more principle applied to the life is the answer to every problem, while
being ignorant to the fact that it was for such as these that Jesus died to
save ‘FROM
their sins’ (Matthew 1:21). All such as James
addresses his letter to, while professing the ‘faith of Christ’ (James
2:1), need to hear the truth, of the ‘gospel of Christ,’ that will make them ‘free indeed’ FROM the sin
which works in their heart and nature (John
8:34-36). Unfortunately, they will never hear it from James.” And to all this, I (JDG) totally
agree.
The book
(epistle, or letter) of Jude is
another place in the scriptures that could cause many to assume that James, the
Lord’s brother, was an apostle. It is also one of the hardest to reconcile. It
takes some digging and sifting to get through it all, but it’s worth the effort
just to know what the scriptures do say. Please be patient as we go through
this as simply and quickly as possible.
Jude begins his epistle much
like the writer of James, telling us that he is “the servant of Jesus
Christ.” This lends some credence in the controversy that he may have been the
brother of the writer of James; for he also plainly states that he is “the
brother of James;” but, of which James? Unfortunately for us,
he does not tell us which one, and like the writer of James, Jude does not
claim to be an Apostle. So which Jude is this, and which James is this Jude the
brother of? Was he brother to James, the Lord’s brother, or was he brother to
James, the Apostle, the son of Alphaeus. If he was
brother to James, the apostle, this would prove that he (Jude) was also an apostle. If he was brother to James, the Lords
brother, it would not prove that
either Jude or James were apostles. In Matthew,
and Luke, the translators have the
spelling of the name of the brother of James the Apostle, as Judas, while in Mark the translators have the spelling of his name, Juda, who was also an apostle and a son of Alphaeus. But whether it’s JUDE, JUDA, JUDAS, or JUDAH, the Strong’s number given for each is the same, Strong’s #2455. This tells me that whatever these
names were, and however they were written (i.e., spelled) or pronounced in
their original language and writings, they were all most likely the same name (Luke 6:13-16; Matthew 13:54-57; Mark 6:1-4;
Hebrews 8:8).
These are the
last of the scriptures that deal with the name, “James,” in the New Testament.
And even though most of the scriptures which lean to the assumption that the
writer of James was an apostle can
be discounted due to poor translation influenced by the beliefs of the
translators; I’m sorry to say that I found no positive scriptural proof that James, the writer of the book of James, was not an apostle. I’m very happy,
however, to say that neither did I find any positive scriptural proof that he was
an apostle. I’m sure there’s a world of information out there, if a person has
the time and knows where and how to access it, that would tell a person
anything they want to hear about this or most any other subject, but I don’t
fully trust any source short of that which “…is given by inspiration of God…” (II Timothy 3:16).
In the case of the book of James, my personal feeling is that the “…inspiration of
God…” was not there.
Therefore, in the absence of any conclusive scriptural proof, either for or against the fact that James was an
apostle, my mind has not been changed. Let me hasten to say, however,
concerning the book of Jude, that
even though I cannot scripturally prove that Jude was an apostle, I do feel
that the “…inspiration
of God…” was there. Possibly, he was an apostle.
If not, he absolutely pointed the reader to those who were apostles, for he says, “…beloved, remember ye the words which were
spoken BEFORE OF THE APOSTLES of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude
1:17). Also, the book (epistle, or letter) of Jude does not dictate
doctrine like the book of James. Rather, it is a letter of warning and
exhortation to the church (Jude, verses 1-5), something the church
of today is in desperate need of. So, based solely on the scriptures, the
conclusion could be drawn that this Jude was the brother of James, the Lord’s
brother, which would also make him the Lord’s (half) brother according to the
flesh. In all honesty I suspect that is the case, even though there is a slim
possibility that he was someone else altogether, named Jude, who also had a
brother named James, and who had been saved and tutored under the ministry of
one or more of those personally chosen “…APOSTLES of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Having said all of this, let us now get to the original intent of writing this message,
which is:
Laws, Ordinances, and Traditions
To begin this
segment let’s deal with the New Testament scripture, Mark 6:13, “And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil
many that were sick, and healed them.”
This verse of
scripture has no doubt persuaded many that anointing with oil is a new covenant “thing to do.” That,
however, would be an incorrect assumption. The first four books of the New
Testament, although commonly called “gospels,” actually contain very little of
the actual “gospel (the good news of that which Jesus Christ does for, and in,
those who dare to believe the true gospel report of Him).” Something extremely important for us to understand is that the entire ministry of Jesus on this earth was done under the old covenant. The new covenant did not begin until after Jesus suffered the death of
the cross, was buried in a tomb, and was resurrected to the right hand of the
Father. Because of this thing which his disciples did during the ministry of
Jesus (Mark 6:7-13), it is easy to
see why many, especially those of the early church, would think that anointing
with oil was an appropriate “thing to do.” However, as we will show in the
remainder of this message, it is not only inappropriate, it is a dangerous
thing to do. Nevertheless, it is easy to see why a person without new covenant understanding could easily
be persuaded in this. Case in point:
“Is (there) any sick among you? let him call for the
elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil
in the name of the Lord.”
James 5:14
Anointing with
oil, washing with water (from which stems water baptism), and circumcision of
the flesh (actually, not a part of the law; but was instituted by God before
the law; Romans 4:8-13), are just a
few of the many things that were done under the Old Covenant (the Law of Moses)
which were only types and/or shadows of the better thing which was to come to those under the New Covenant (the
New Testament; Hebrews 11:39-40; Luke 22:20). Why anyone would desire
the old when they can have the new, the better
thing, is something I have never understood; especially if they understand
the consequences of their actions. For Paul says, “…I testify again to every man that is
circumcised, (or baptized in water, or anointed with
oil, or any other Old Testament ordinance a person may choose to do [i.e.,
keep] in respect of salvation) that he is a debtor to do (or keep) the whole law. Christ is become of no effect
unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from
grace” (Galatians
5:3-4).
God did NOT
establish the New Covenant just so the Gentiles could be saved by it, and the
Jews could still be saved by the Old Covenant, or, that the Jew and/or the
Gentile could have a choice of which way they wanted to be saved (something I
have actually heard preached). For “…by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be
justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). To the Galatians Paul writes, “Knowing that a man
is not justified by the works of the law, but by the FAITH (the GOSPEL) OF Jesus Christ, even we (Jews) have BELIEVED IN Jesus Christ, that we might
be justified by the FAITH
(the GOSPEL) OF Christ, and not by the works of
the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified” (Galatians
2:16). To the Ephesians (Ephesians 2:15-16) Paul says,
“Having
ABOLISHED in His (Jesus’) flesh, the enmity (of the law of Moses, which made
difference between the Jew and the Gentile), even the law of commandments contained in (the) ordinances (of the
law of Moses); for
to make, IN HIMSELF, of twain (i.e., two,
the Jew and the Gentile) one new man, so making peace; …that He might reconcile both (Jew and Gentile) unto God in one body (speaking
of His true church, which is presently His body on this earth) by the cross, having slain the enmity (of the law of Moses, and of all religious law) thereby.”
(Colossians 2:8-14) “Beware lest any man
spoil you
(lead you away as booty, i.e. [figuratively]
seduce you) through PHILOSOPHY
and VAIN DECEIT, after the TRADITION of men, after the RUDIMENTS of the world,
and NOT after CHRIST. For IN Him (Christ
Jesus) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And… (we) are complete IN HIM, which is the head of all
principality and power: IN whom also… (we) ARE CIRCUMCISED WITH the circumcision made
WITHOUT hands, in putting off the body (the whole; the entirety) of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision (figurative of the crucifixion) of Christ: (Being) buried WITH him IN BAPTISM (we were
[and are] baptized INTO HIM [Romans 6:3 and I Corinthians
1:30 below], NOT, into water), wherein… (we) are… also… risen WITH Him through the faith
of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead.” And… (WE), BEING DEAD in… (our) sins and the uncircumcision of… (our) flesh (our
unrestrained fleshly, sin nature; whether circumcised or uncircumcised in our
physical body), hath… (God) quickened (MADE
ALIVE) together
WITH… (Christ), having forgiven… (us) all (of our) trespasses; (and,) Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances (specifically, the law of Moses) that was AGAINST US,
which was CONTRARY TO US, and took IT (along with all of ITS
religious laws, ordinances, and traditions; as well as all of the religious laws, ordinances, and
traditions of all men, aside from Jesus) out of the way, nailing IT (and them) to His cross” (Colossians 2:8-14).
In Romans
6:3 Paul asked this question of the Romans, “Know ye not (Don’t you know) that… (as) many of us as were
baptized INTO Jesus Christ were baptized into HIS death?” Now it’s not Paul, but me, that is asking
the question. Don’t you know, that it’s NOT
by water, that we are baptized into Jesus Christ; “But
(it’s) OF Him (God, that we) are… IN Christ Jesus…” (I
Corinthians 1:30). Don’t you know
that it is God, “Who HATH delivered us from the power (the strength, the influence, the authority; of the kingdom) of darkness, AND hath
TRANSLATED us INTO the KINGDOM of HIS dear SON” (the kingdom of light; Colossians
1:13). And don’t you know that it is OF God, that we are “Buried with… (Christ Jesus) IN baptism… (into HIS death) wherein also… (we) are risen with HIM through (our faith IN) THE FAITH (of, the
true gospel report) OF THE OPERATION (‘…THE WORKING of… [the] mighty power of GOD’; Ephesians
1:19), who
hath raised… (Christ) from the dead” (Colossians
2:12). All of these scriptures are speaking of the same spiritual work which God did for all mankind; but unfortunately it can
only be experienced by those who hear it, come to the knowledge of it, and believe it (Romans 1:16). “…His (God’s) Dear Son…,”
Jesus Christ, is the kingdom of God,
and God translates the true gospel believer INTO HIM (into Christ). It is only IN Christ that all of the spiritual promises and blessings of God which Jesus
purchased for us through the finished work of Calvary are received (John 14:20; Colossians 3:3). It is only through believing the true gospel report, that God delivers us from the
power of darkness and translates us INTO Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God.
Paul writes in I Corinthians 11:2, “Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember
me in all things, and keep the ordinances (Strong’s #3862)
as I
delivered them to you.” I only mention this scripture because I know that someone
will say, Paul said to keep the ordinances; but the Greek word (Strong’s #3862, meaning the oral, or written,
transmission of precept or instruction) which, in this verse, was translated ordinances, was used 12 times in the
New Testament; and in all the other 11 places it was translated, either tradition or traditions. So the tradition
or traditions which Paul had
delivered to them and was instructing them to keep, had to have been concerning
those things he had instructed them in, concerning the setting up of the
churches. They were certainly not concerning
the ordinances of the Old Testament LAW
of Moses, nor the perverted TRADITIONS
of the Jews. Example: “Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of
Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the TRADITION of the elders?
for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and
said unto them,
Why do ye also transgress the
COMMANDMENT OF GOD by your TRADITION?” (Jesus
is speaking here of the ten [10] commandment law of God, NOT the six hundred
and thirteen [613] individual commandments of the law of Moses; because at that
time they were still under the law of Moses; Matthew 15:1-3).
The New Covenant Anointing and Anointer?
“Thou… (the psalmist, speaking prophetically of Jesus [Psalms 45:7], is quoted by the writer of Hebrews,) …hast loved
righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy GOD, hath ANOINTED
THEE with the OIL OF GLADNESS above thy fellows” (Hebrews 1:9).
In Acts 10:37-38, Peter declares how that after the “Old Testament” water baptism
which John, the Baptist, preached, “…GOD ANOINTED Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and
with power: who went about doing good, and healing all… (who) were oppressed of the devil; for God was with
him.” Being baptized
in water by John, had nothing whatsoever to do with Jesus being anointed of, and by, God; other than
His obedience in fulfilling the Old
Testament law (which, as previously mentioned, was still in effect during His
entire life and ministry). Jesus would also say, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law,
or the prophets: I am not come to destroy (them), but to fulfil” (them; Matthew 5:17). Not only did
Jesus fulfill the Old Testament law of God, but He also fulfilled all the words
of the Old Testament prophets concerning Himself. Peter is simply pointing out the fact that the powerful, Holy Ghost
ministry of Jesus, who was anointed
by God, began “…AFTER the (ministry
of water) baptism which John (the Baptist) preached” (and ministered).
The primary purpose of the
ministry of John the Baptist was to introduce “the Messiah” (“the Christ”) to
Israel. Afterward, the followers of John the Baptist began to diminish because
John always pointed the people to Jesus, and away from himself. Let’s also keep
in mind that the Old Testament (the Old Covenant) was still in effect during
the entire ministry of John the Baptist; as well as the ministry of Jesus. So
why did Peter command that these Gentiles, upon whom God had poured out the
gift of the Holy Ghost, be baptized in water? Because he did not yet have the
revelation of the gospel.
It was not until
AFTER God had ANOINTED Jesus with
the Holy Ghost that He says, quoting from a prophecy of Himself by Isaiah the
prophet (Isaiah chapter 61), “The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me, because HE HATH ANOINTED ME to preach the gospel to the poor;
He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the
captives, and (the) recovering of sight
to the blind, (and) to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke
4:18). These are the reasons God still desires to anoint men with the Holy Ghost (which, endues them with power from
on high; Luke 24:49), that they
might effectively ministry the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who Satan holds
captive; that He, God, and not man, might be glorified. Later still, after the
New Covenant is established in the shed blood and broken body (the bruised,
battered, broken flesh; not broken
bones) of Jesus, Paul is to say in II
Corinthians 1:21, “Now He which (e)stablisheth US, with YOU, IN
Christ, AND HATH ANOINTED US, is God.”
Discrepancies
I point out these
things because, whether we want to admit it or not, there are glaring discrepancies between the message that the writer of
James taught and preached, whichever James he may have been, and the message
which Paul, a chosen Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, taught and preached. As
a matter of fact, there was always contention between the two because of their
messages. This is made very clear in Paul’s letter to the Galatian church, and
was his overriding reason for writing the letter. In Galatians 2:12 (Please read the entire chapter.), he speaks of
those who “…came
from James…,” very probably (though I can’t say for sure)
the same ones who came down from Judaea in Acts
15:1, who were preaching, “Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, YE
CANNOT BE SAVED.” How often these came from James and from
what other sources they may have came, I don’t know. What I do know is that
they came with a gospel other than that which Paul the Apostle was preaching;
and Paul didn’t hold back in his correction of those Galatians. He calls them, “O foolish Galatians,” and went on to ask the question, “…who hath bewitched you, that ye should not
obey the truth…” (Galatians 3:1). He proceeds, “For I testify again
to every man that is circumcised (or is baptized in water, or who anoints with oil, or any one or
more of countless other things [AS A
PART OF THEIR SALVATION]), that he (the
person who does these things) is a debtor to do (keep) the whole law. (The point here is that if
salvation is in the keeping of the law of Moses, all of it’s 613 laws must be
kept; but Paul makes it very clear that, “…by the works of the law [of Moses] shall no flesh be justified” [Galatians 2:16])
Christ
is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by (any
part of) the (old,
Mosaic) law; YE ARE FALLEN FROM GRACE” (Galatians 5:34). I have
no doubt that if Paul were here today, he would have the same words to say to
most of us. O, foolish Americans, or whatever the nationality; “…who hath bewitched
you, that ye should NOT obey the truth…?” (Galatians 3:1).
Conclusion
Under the New
Covenant, God is the anointer; however,
He doesn’t anoint with oil, but with
the oil of gladness, the Holy Ghost, and neither should we.
Why? Because in so doing, we put our faith in the oil, in the water, in the
knife, etc., and not in Him who does
the work. But because of our lack of the true
anointing, and/or our lack of faith in
(and only in) the true anointing, we reach for the oil
bottle. I believe that most people who anoint
with oil today (or circumcise the flesh, or baptize with, and/or in water)
do so simply because their church fathers did so, and in most cases still do; “…after the TRADITION
of men… and NOT after Christ…” (Colossians 2:8). Jesus
said to those Pharisees who were yet under the Old Covenant and were probably
keeping it, “For
laying aside the commandment
(the commandments) of God, ye hold (to)
the
tradition
(the traditions) of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and
many other such like things ye do” (Mark
7:8). But thanks be to God, “Christ hath REDEEMED US FROM THE
CURSE OF THE LAW…” of
Moses. NOT from just one, or
some, of the 613 individual curses pronounced under the law, but from
the CURSED law itself; the whole
law. He has also redeemed mankind from all
(the CURSED multitude of all)
RELIGIOUS laws, ordinances, and traditions of all men, which supposedly bring, or
enhance salvation), being made a CURSE for us: for it is written, CURSED is
every one that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). And again in Colossians 2:14, “Blotting out the
handwriting of
(the) ordinances (of the
law) that
was (and is) against us, which was (and is) contrary to us, and took IT (that CURSED religious law of Moses and those CURSED religious laws of any and all men) out of the way, nailing IT (and them) to his cross.”
An issue that has
caused as much, or perhaps more division in the church than any other I know
about, is water baptism. When I was first saved I saw people contend over this
issue to the point of cursing. At the time, I didn’t know the scriptures well
enough to know who was right and who was wrong on the issue (reason enough that
we should know and rightly divide the word of truth), but
I knew by what I was feeling from their spirit that something was grossly
wrong. This is a typical trick of the devil; provoking people to fight over a
non issue. The question is not, how
should we do it (i.e., submerge, sprinkle; pronounce certain words over a
person; etc.), but whether we should be doing it at all. I believe the
answer is no. Water baptism is only
one of the many Old Testament ordinances that was and is, taken
away in Christ. The truth of the
matter is this; “…their minds were blinded: for until this day (the day Paul was writing this letter to the Corinthians;
there) remaineth the same
vail untaken away in the reading of the old (and in our case, both the old and the new)
testament; which vail is done
away in Christ” (II Corinthians 3:14 KJV). To those
whose minds are blinded, that same vail (yet today) remains untaken away in the
reading of both the Old and the New Testament (which Paul doesn’t
mention) because in his day there was no
written New Testament as we have today, even though the weighty letters
he was writing to the churches would become an essential part of the New Testament as we have and know it today.
In any and all
discrepancies between the writings of James and the writings of the chosen,
hand-picked apostles of the Lord, Jesus Christ, I must go with the apostles;
the ones with the revelation of the gospel (Galatians 1:12). Always keep in mind that it is an apostle who says
to us, and to “…every man that is circumcised…, and, to every person that keeps any part
of the old Mosaic law, or any other religious law; you can’t just pick and
choose which one, or ones, you will keep. If you keep any one of them, you are a debtor to do (i.e., keep) the whole law. Christ is become of no effect
unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace” (Galatians
5:4). And even if you could keep it, you still
wouldn’t be saved (Galatians 5:2-6; Acts 13:39; Galatians 3:11). Paul was certainly one who could testify to that (Philippians, Chapter 3). What “…glorious (freedom)
liberty…” we have IN the Lord Jesus Christ, both FROM
sin, and FROM the burdensome, RELIGIOUS law (and laws) of ANY and ALL men (whether it be Moses,
and/or any other man [or woman] on the planet; Acts 15:10; Galatians 5:1-2).
“…Only
use not (this
wonderful freedom; this glorious) liberty, for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve
one another” (Galatians 5:13; Romans 8:21).
In closing
this segment of the message, let me state (or reiterate, as the case may be)
the fact that the “Ten Commandment Law
of God” must yet be kept, as
well as all of the commandments and sayings of Jesus. So then, it is not as
though we are lawless under the New Covenant; but these commandments, which are
yet in effect under the New Covenant, are written in the heart; and cannot be
kept by anyone on this earth outside of the
provision of God which is “IN Jesus, the Christ” (this is the New Covenant,
written in the heart; Hebrews 8:8-10).
------------------------------------------------------------
“The Passover”
A Brief Study on “The Passover.”
Something we DID
NOT discuss in the above message is the “the
passover.” In light of that
which we have already seen in the scriptures, should we even be observing “the passover?” Was it not also abolished in Christ? Let’s search the scriptures
a bit and see if we can find answers to these questions.
In most modern
day “Protestant” churches, “the passover,” “the
Lord’s passover,” or, “the feast of passover” (all Biblical
terms), is more commonly referred to as “the
Lord’s Supper,” or, “Communion.” For a basic understanding of what
the first “passover” was; when it first took place; and when it was first to be
observed as a memorial; please read
the entire twelfth chapter of Exodus, and,
Numbers, chapter 9:1-14. (These passover
references from the Old Testament, as well as some New Testament passover
scriptures, can be found just a few paragraphs down on this page.)
The first memorial observance of the passover (Old Covenant) was to be observed one year after the actual passover; on the same (fourteenth)
day of the first month (of the newly established Jewish calendar; Exodus 12:1-2), in the evening.
It was to be observed at this same time annually
(once each year), as an ordinance,
forever. Like the ten commandment Law of God, this ordinance was also administered by
Moses, but, neither were a part of
the law of Moses (which is comprised of 613 burdensome individual laws),
all of which were added because of Israel’s transgression in worshipping the
golden calf; Galatians 3:19). As we
have already shown, under the New Covenant, the law (or laws) of Moses was (or
were), and is (and are), all together, done away in Christ; but not the “ten commandment law of God,” nor the commandments (and/or sayings)
of Jesus, nor the observance of “the passover” (Numbers 9:14; II Corinthians
3:7-14; these scripture verses can be found below). The memorial observance of the passover was
to be observed as an ordinance, forever. Everything God did for
Israel through the blood of the lamb which they offered that night in Egypt,
was only a type (figure) of that which He would eventually do for the whole
world through the offering of His Son, Jesus Christ (the Lamb of God). This is the reason Jesus instructed His disciples at that last supper (which,
in fact, took place on passover evening
as prescribed by God those hundreds of years before), that from thenceforth (from that day forward), “…as often as you do this (once each year at the exact appointed
time; as Israel had by then, done for centuries) do it IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.” No longer would Israel celebrate the
deliverance afforded by the offering of the lamb in Egypt, but from
thenceforth, they (the “Israel of God; the true church [Galatians 6:16]”) would celebrate the offering of the Lamb of God which delivers all
who will ever believe the true gospel of Him; from the captivity of SIN; and, the cursed law of Moses (Galatians 3:13).
For hundreds of
years the children of Israel observed this memorial
as prescribed by God, until the day came that the Lamb of God Himself was offered (sacrificed) for the SINS of the
whole world. From that day forward, there would never be any other sacrifice accepted by God.
Let’s look at
some of the things which the offering of the lamb which Israel offered in
Egypt, and the offering of Jesus,
the Christ, the Lamb of God, had in common.
-------------------------------------------
Institution
of the First Passover
In
the following excerpts from the scriptures, only the words of Jesus are shown in red.
Exodus
12:1-51
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
saying,
2 This month shall
be unto you the beginning of months:
(i.e.) it shall be the first month of
the year to you.
3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they
shall take to them every man a lamb,
according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and
his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls;
every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
5 Your lamb shall be
without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the
sheep, or from the goats:
6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the
congregation of Israel shall kill it
in the evening. (Both
the passover lamb from the flock,
and Jesus, would be offered on the
same day, by the same people.)
7 And they shall take of
the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post
of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
8 And they shall eat the
flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter
herbs they shall eat it.
9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast
with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance
thereof.
10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and
that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11 And thus shall ye eat
it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your
hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’s passover. (The
benefit afforded through the offering of each passover lamb, was [and in the case of Jesus, is,
and will continue to be, throughout all eternity] in the flesh and blood of the offered lamb.)
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will
smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against
all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
13 And the blood shall
be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague
(which, for the world,
is sin) shall not be upon you to destroy
you, when I smite the land of
Egypt.
14 And this day shall be
unto you for A MEMORIAL; and
ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye
shall keep it a feast by an ordinance FOREVER.
15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened
bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for
whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that
soul shall be cut off from Israel.
16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in
the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work
shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be
done of you.
17 And ye shall observe the
feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies (your host; your tribes; your divisions) out
of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your
generations by an ordinance for ever.
18 In the first month,
on the fourteenth day of the month at even(ing), ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day (the
21st day) of the month at even(ing).
19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened,
even that soul shall be cut off from
the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the
land.
20 Ye shall eat nothing
leavened; in all your habitations
shall ye eat unleavened bread.
21 Then Moses called for
all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb
according to your families, and kill the passover (lamb).
22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with
the blood that is in the bason; and none of
you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the
lintel, and on the two side posts, the
LORD will pass over the door, and
will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
24 And ye shall observe
this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons forever.
25 And it shall come to pass,
when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath
promised, that ye shall keep this service.
26 And it shall come to pass, when
your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?
27 That ye shall say, It is
the sacrifice of the LORD’s passover, who passed over the houses of the
children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our
houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.
28 And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had
commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
29 And it came to pass, that
at MIDNIGHT the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the
firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive
that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and
all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a
house where there was not one dead.
31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up,
and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and
go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.
32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be
gone; and bless me also.
33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might
send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.
34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their
kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses;
and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and
raiment:
36 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the
Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they
spoiled the Egyptians.
37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses
to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.
38 And a mixed multitude
went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.
39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought
forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of
Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any
victual.
40 Now the sojourning of
the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty
years.
41 And it came to pass at the
end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it
came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.
42 It is a night to
be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt:
this is that night of the LORD to be
observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.
43 And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:
44 But every man’s servant
that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat
thereof.
45 A foreigner and an hired
servant shall not eat thereof.
46 In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry
forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.
47 All the congregation of
Israel shall keep it.
48 And when a stranger
shall sojourn with thee, and will keep
the passover to the LORD, let all
his males be circumcised, and then
let him come near and keep it; and
he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
49 One law shall be to him
that is home born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth
among you. (One law
for both the Jew and for the Gentile [the law of the Spirit of Life]; Romans 8:2; Ephesians 2:15.)
50 Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded
Moses and Aaron, so did they.
51 And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the LORD did bring the
children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies (their host,
tribes, or divisions).
-------------------------------------------
Memorial Observance
of the First Passover
Numbers
9:1-14
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in
the first month of the SECOND
year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
2 Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season.
3 In the fourteenth
day of this month, at even(ing), ye shall keep it in his appointed season:
according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof,
shall ye keep it.
4 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should
keep the passover.
5 And they kept the
passover on the fourteenth day of the FIRST month at even(ing) in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded
Moses, so did the children of Israel.
6 And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body
of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came
before Moses and before Aaron on that day:
7 And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body
of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the
LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel?
8 And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what
the LORD will command concerning you.
9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
10 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a
dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD (in the next, or following month).
11 The fourteenth day
of the SECOND month at even(ing) they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
12 They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according
to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it. (No
bone of either offered lamb was to be broken.)
13 But the man that is
clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth
(refrains) to
keep the passover, even the same soul shall be CUT OFF from among his
people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed
season, that man shall bear his sin.
14 And if a stranger shall
sojourn among you, and will keep the
passover unto the LORD; according to
the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he
do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him
that was born in the land (both for the Jew and for the Gentile; Ephesians 2:15).
-------------------------------------------
Institution
of the New Passover
John 6:47-58
47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath
everlasting life.
48 I am that BREAD of life.
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the (living) BREAD which cometh down from heaven, that a man may EAT THEREOF, and
NOT die.
51 I am the living BREAD which came down from heaven: if any man eat of THIS BREAD, he
shall LIVE FOREVER: and the BREAD that I will give is MY FLESH, which I will give for the LIFE of the
world.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this
man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said unto them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye
have no life in you.
54 Whoso
eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and
I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He
that eateth my flesh, and
drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me,
and I in him.
57 As
the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so
he that eateth me, even he shall
live by me.
58 This
is that BREAD which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna,
and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever.
-------------------------------------------
Luke 22:7-20
7 Then came the day of unleavened bread,
when the passover must be killed.
8 And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may
eat.
9 And they said unto him, Where wilt thou
that we prepare?
10 And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city,
there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the
house where he entereth in.
11 And ye shall say unto the goodman of the
house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest chamber, where I shall
eat the passover with my disciples?
12 And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make
ready.
13 And they went, and found as he had said
unto them: and they made ready the passover.
14 And when the hour was come, he sat down,
and the twelve apostles with him.
15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this
passover with you before I suffer (before I Am crucified [killed]):
16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, UNTIL
IT BE FULFILLED IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
17 And he took the cup, and gave
thanks, and said, Take
this, and divide it among yourselves:
18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine,
UNTIL THE KINGDOM OF GOD SHALL COME.
19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is MY BODY which is GIVEN for
you: THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.
20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament (the new covenant, which is) in my blood, which is shed for you.
-------------------------------------------
Memorial Observance of
the New Passover
I Corinthians 11:23-32
23 For I have received of the Lord that which
also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was
betrayed took bread:
24 And when he had given thanks, he brake
it, and said, Take, eat: this
is MY BODY, which is BROKEN for you: THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.
25 After the same manner also he took
the cup, (and) when he had supped, saying, This cup is the NEW TESTAMENT (the new
covenant, which is sealed) in MY BLOOD: THIS
DO YE, AS OFT
(often) AS
YE DRINK IT
(once each year on
passover evening; more commonly
called, Good Friday evening), IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.
26 For as often as ye EAT this BREAD, and
DRINK this CUP, ye do SHEW THE LORD’S DEATH till he come.
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this
bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, UNWORTHILY, shall be
GUILTY of the BODY and BLOOD of the LORD.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let
him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh
UNWORTHILY, eateth and drinketh DAMNATION to himself, not
discerning the Lord’s body (i.e., the Lord’s true church, which is
presently, His body on this earth).
30 For this cause (because they do not discern His body;
His [true] church) many are weak and sickly among you, and
many sleep (have already died prematurely).
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should
not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened
of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
-------------------------------------------
A Short Summary of the New Passover
As we can see by
these scripture excerptions (above), the passover in Egypt was only a type of
something much greater. That greater thing being the offering of our Lord
Jesus, the Christ, on the cross of Calvary. This took place, as near as I can
determine by “The Reese Chronological Bible,” approximately 1491 years after
the exodus from Egypt. If you have read the (above) scriptures, you probably
recognized that this was not only a MEMORIAL to that which God did for Israel
in Egypt, but, was also a prophetic similitude of Calvary; example, “…neither shall ye
break a bone thereof….” The thing I was most interested to find in this study, is not, whether we should, but, how,
and how often we should celebrate
the passover. It seems clear to me, that we will be celebrating the passover
Lamb of God throughout all eternity. “…ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance
FOREVER….” This is repeated several times. But the
real passover Lamb is now the Lamb of
God; our Lord and Savior, Jesus, the Christ.
The apostle Paul,
in his letter to the Corinthians, tells us plainly that under the New Covenant, “…Christ (is) OUR passover… (I Corinthians 5:7).” He also gives
instruction as to how we should celebrate the “NEW” passover MEMORIAL. Keep in
mind that, for us, this is not only a MEMORIAL SERVICE in remembrance of
something which has already occurred; but, something we will be enjoying the
benefits of, forever. Let’s
recall the words of Jesus on the night He instituted the NEW passover
celebration. From that time forward, “forever,”
as oft (or often) as you do it (which I believe should only be ONCE EACH YEAR
as Israel had done for centuries), it would no longer be the flesh of a lamb
from the flock that would be eaten, but BROKEN BREAD, which was and is,
symbolic of the BROKEN BODY of Jesus, the Christ. “And he took bread: and
gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying: This is my body which is GIVEN for you: this do in REMEMBRANCE OF ME” (Luke 22:19).
In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians (relating that which he had received of the
Lord), he has Jesus saying after He had BLESSED and BROKEN the BREAD, “…Take, (and) eat: this is my body, which is BROKEN for you: this do IN
REMEMBRANCE OF ME”
(I Corinthians 11:24). The broken
body spoken of in these scriptures, refer to the bruised, battered, broken flesh of Jesus; not broken bones (Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12;
Psalm 34:20; John 19:31-36).
Nevertheless, there is no way we can possibly imagine the horrible abuse our
Lord suffered at the hands of wicked men in order to redeem us to God; through salvation from sin. Only the agape love of God could ever have loved
so.
Here are a few
things I have picked up from this study. Seemingly, an annual memorial
celebration of passover is meant to continue forever (throughout all eternity), only now, the passover
Lamb is “Jesus, the Christ,” the “Lamb of God.” To my mind, this celebration
should be a special evening service,
conducted on Good Friday (the
Friday preceding passover, beginning at, or shortly after 6:00 PM, and
concluding at some time before midnight [12 PM]) just as it had always been. I
believe, however, that to celebrate this carnal memorial more often than
annually, and it could, and likely would, become just another carnal work to
make carnal people feel better about themselves, i.e., either “saved,” “or more
saved,” when in fact, this celebration has absolutely nothing to do with
salvation; but, is a memorial service in memory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ and that which He did for us and all mankind through His sufferings: His
death, His burial, and His resurrection. If you are not already saved before
partaking of this passover celebration, you will not be saved afterward; at
least, not because you partook in the celebration.
Now, there is
one other thing we should discuss before concluding this message. It is also the most important thing in this study;
and, that one thing is, true communion.
True Communion
The knowledge of
what I will call true communion
is the most important thing we can derive from this entire study; therefore, I
pray that the Lord will give understanding to both me, the writer, and to you,
the reader. Do you recall that one of the New Testament terms we mentioned at
the beginning of this study was “communion.” We will now attempt to address this. True Communion is so much more
important than any carnal ordinance we could ever do, or keep. In the following
verses, the words communion and fellowship are all translated from the same Greek word; #2842 in Strong’s Greek Dictionary. The full Strong’s definition
is as follows.
#2842 koinonia (koy-nohn-ee'-ah);
from 2844; partnership, i.e. (literally) participation, or (social) intercourse,
or (pecuniary) benefaction:
Listed below are all of the different ways this Greek
word was translated in the King James Version of the New Testament, but for this study, the ones I have bolded are of primary interest.
KJV-- (to)
communicate (-ation), communion, (contri-) distribution, fellowship.
-------------------------------------------
In the following verses of scripture, the apostles, Paul and John,
are bringing spiritual truth far beyond any carnal ordinance or instruction.
I Corinthians 10:16-21
16 The cup of blessing which we bless,
is it not the communion of the
blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not
the communion of the body of Christ?
17 For we being many are one
bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one
bread (the sacrificed,
physical body of Jesus, the Christ; the Lamb of God).
18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not
they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
19 What say I then? that the idol is
anything, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything?
20 But I say, that the things which the
Gentiles (the heathen) sacrifice, they sacrifice
to devils, and NOT to God: and
I would not that ye should have fellowship
(communion) with devils (There are so many today, who call themselves Christians, that
are fellowshipping with devils and do not know it.).
21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the
Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot
be partakers of the Lord’s table (communion with Christ and His true
church), and of the table of devils.
---------------------------------------------
II Corinthians 6:14-18
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers: for what fellowship
hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord (accordance) hath Christ with Belial?
or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of
God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as
God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them,
and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will
receive you,
18 And (I) will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty.
---------------------------------------------
Revelation 18:4
4 And I heard another voice from heaven,
saying, Come out of her, my people, that
ye be not partakers of her sins, and that
ye receive not of her plagues.
All,
non italicized, bolded, and underlined words in the verses
below were translated from the Greek word, koinonia (koy-nohn-ee’-ah) Strong’s #2842.
-------------------------------------------
Acts
2:42 And
they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship
(communion), and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
-------------------------------------------
I Corinthians 1:9
9 God is faithful, by whom ye were
called unto the fellowship (communion) of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
-------------------------------------------
I Corinthians 10:16
16 The cup of blessing which we
bless, is it not the communion
(fellowship) of the BLOOD of Christ? The bread
which we break, is it not the communion
(fellowship) of the BODY of Christ?
-------------------------------------------
II Corinthians 6:14
14 Be ye not unequally yoked
together with unbelievers: for what fellowship (what part, or
participation) hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion (fellowship) hath light
with darkness?
-------------------------------------------
II Corinthians 8:4
4 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us
the fellowship
(communion) of the ministering to the saints.
-------------------------------------------
II Corinthians 13:14
14 The grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion (fellowship) of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
-------------------------------------------
Galatians 2:9
9 And when James, Cephas (Peter), and John, who seemed to be pillars,
perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the
right hands of fellowship
(communion); that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
-------------------------------------------
Philippians 1:5
5 For your fellowship
(communion) in the gospel from the first day until now;
-------------------------------------------
Philippians 2:1
1 If there be therefore any consolation
in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship (communion) of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
-------------------------------------------
Philippians 3:10
10 That I may know him, and the power
of his resurrection, and the fellowship (communion) of
his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
-------------------------------------------
Philemon 1:6
6 That the communication of
thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which
is in you in Christ Jesus.
---------------------------------------------
The following
three verses of scripture from First
John are without doubt, the most important examples of true communion we can possibly have. If you NEVER have an
opportunity to participate in a carnal celebration of passover, be sure that
you participate in the communion
John speaks of in these three verses.
I John 1:3
3 That which we have seen and heard
declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship (communion) with us: and truly our fellowship
(communion) is
with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
-------------------------------------------
I John 1:6-7
6 If we say that we have fellowship
(communion) with
him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as
he is in the light, we have fellowship (communion) one with another, and the blood
of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
-------------------------------------------
The
Importance of Keeping the Passover, which I believe is
the communion John is speaking of in
the scriptures above.
OLD TESTAMENT
Numbers 9:13
13 But the man that is
clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth
(REFRAINS) to
keep THE PASSOVER, even the same soul shall be CUT OFF from among his
people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed
season, that man shall bear his sin.
-------------------------------------------
NEW TESTAMENT
I Corinthians 11:27
27 Wherefore whosoever shall EAT this
BREAD, and DRINK this CUP OF THE LORD, unworthily, shall
be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
There is a serious
consequence in the lack of true fellowship (communion), not just with our
brothers and sisters in the Lord; but with the Father, and His Son (Jesus, the
Christ), in the Holy Ghost (the Holy Spirit of God), by the children of God.
Only a true child of God can have true communion (fellowship) with God.
-------------------------------------------
JDG
Message 30 - Laws, Ordinances, and Traditions
A
Study on “The Passover”
-----------------------------------------------------
TOP of PAGE
NEXT MESSAGE
PREVIOUS MESSAGE
JDG MESSAGES
Keith Surface
MESSAGES
Leroy Surface MESSAGES
