What do we say about the Ten Commandments?

What do we say about the Ten Commandments?
I am not interested to preach the Ten Commandments as the gospel. The Ten Commandment is not the gospel. However, they are the words of God. Like the love of God, peace, joy, patience, goodness, faithfulness, meekness .., the words of God or the sword of the Spirit helps the believers in many ways. Many ignorant believers classify or mistaken the Ten Commandments as the law of Moses, the Mosaic law, the Old Covenant, or the law of death. Well, I won't waste my time arguing with the ignorant who insist that all the laws and covenants of God are useless.  Of course, we are not required to keep the Old Covenant now. However, when we compare it with the New Covenant, we can still learn something from it. Under the Old Covenant, the names of all the tribes were engraved on the ephod and breastplates of the high priest; however, under the New Covenant, the laws of God are engraved on hearts of the believers. Both covenants show the beautiful pictures of the love of God to His people and the love of His people to Him. But this pictures of love could become ugly when the preachers of either covenants are corrupted with lawlessness or crafty motives.  

Hence, if there are crafty preachers who capitalize on the controversy between the old and the new covenants so that they can falsely accuse God's preachers who still do and  teach the law and principles of God faithfully and correctly under the new covenant, we should question them on how well they know about the Ten Commandments or God's commandments? I would ask them on what basis they preach that the Ten Commandment are the law of Moses and therefore the commandments are not applicable to the believers under the new covenant? If the commandments are not applicable, why did Paul still teach the believers about them in Eph 6:1-3 and Rom 13:9-10? Hence, if we must be accurate about our biblical stand on the Ten Commandments or the law of Moses, we can say that the law of Moses is obsolete; but not the Ten Commandments which are still the basic principles and commandments in the doctrine of Christ and faith in Christianity, for eg. We worship God and love God; not the idols. We still keep the law of God and Christ to love our parents, our wives, and others too; however, we do not follow the law of Moses (or the covenant) to circumcise ourselves and sacrifice animals:

• Act 15:5-6 KJV  But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.  (6)  And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter ... (24) Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: .. (27)  We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.  (28)  For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;  (29)  That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

        




God's words or commandments may not save like grace; but we cannot live without the words or commandments of God (Mat 4:4)   
Compared with the traditional grace preachers, modern grace preachers (those who claim that they preach better grace or pure grace today) are very much aggressive against the teaching of the Ten Commandments or God's commandments. However, they preach it with a perverted basis that any law, commandments, or do's and don'ts, are hindrances to the preaching of their radical grace doctrine, effortless prosperity, or revolution. They claim that it will mix law and grace and stop the people from thinking of pure grace. But I think that this is nonsense. If thinking of God's laws, God's commandments, or God's words will corrupt their so-called 'pure grace', God would be unjust to give any law, command, or word to Adam in the first place.
Hence, I would think that, contrary to the philosophy of 'pure grace' or 'radical grace' preachers, thinking and understanding of God's laws and words should bring us closer to the grace of God; but departing from them will only separate us from God and His grace. Thinking and meditating on God's laws and words should make us understand more on God's way, God's will, men's sins, and the need for men to repent:  

• Psa 1:1-6 KJV  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  (2)  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.  (3)  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.  (4)  The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.  (5)  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.  (6)  For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
• Luk 24:44-48 KJV  And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.  (45)  Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,  (46)  And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:  (47)  And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  (48)  And ye are witnesses of these things. (These Bible verses show us that we still teach God's doctrine based on what Jesus said; not entirely on what Paul preached or the gospel that Paul preached, as vehemently argued by the radical grace preachers)

The glory of the Lord will appear again (in the ark, in the temple, or in us)
Yes, the glory of Adam was forfeited (Gen 3:7, Psa 8:5), the glory on the face of Moses had faded, and the glory of the Old Testament has also disappeared with the loss of the ark of covenant, the tablets of the testimony, the manna, and the rod. But it does not mean that the glory or the commandment of God has become obsolete. It is because the glory of the ark, the commandment, or the word will still shine again (Heb 8:10,10:16) when every prophecy of God for the church is fulfilled in the end time in the book of Revelation:

• Rev 11:19 KJV  And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
• Mat 17:2 KJV  And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
• 2Co 3:1-8 KJV  Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?  (2)  Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:  (3)  Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. .. (7) But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:  (8)  How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? ..
• Heb 8:10-13 KJV  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: .. (12)  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.  (13)  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. (When God's laws are in our hearts or mind, there is grace - because God will be merciful to our unrighteousness, and .. )

1. Jesus is the Lord of Sabbath - He is the law of Sabbath too
Jesus came and fulfilled everything in God's words, including God's laws and commandments, not to abolish them, but to made them become more established. Hence, He did not abolish the law of Sabbath; He became the law Himself.

• Luk 6:5-6 KJV  And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.  (6)  And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.

Hence, all those who believe in Him do not just keep His laws physically, but more so spiritually. We do not just worship God once a week ('physically' in our churches) in our rest day; we worship God in our rest everyday 'spiritually'. Jesus showed us that we do not keep the law of Sabbath by doing nothing; instead He showed us that we keep His law of 'Sabbath' or rest by doing more:

• Luk 13:15-17 KJV  The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?  (16)  And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?  (17)  And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
• Rom 3:31 KJV  Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

2. Jesus fulfilled the Words so that we will not just keep them physically or superficially, but spiritually
God gave us the Ten Commandments called the Decalogue (the 'Ten Words'). If Jesus has fulfilled the law of Sabbath in the Decalogue, He fulfilled every word in it. For example, the Commandments tell us not to make for ourselves any physical idol or carved image of any likeness (Exodus20:2-17); but Jesus said that we cannot make for ourselves any spiritual idol of any form, including mammon (Mat 6:24,Luk16:13) and self (Joh 12:24):

• Luk 16:13-15 KJV  No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.  (14)  And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.  (15)  And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
• Joh 12:23-25 KJV  And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.  (24)  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.  (25)  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

3. Jesus fulfilled the Words so that ..  
..

What Jesus did should wake us up to repentance
I don't have time to explain every word or every commandment that Jesus has fulfilled in the Decalogue. But the two examples of the commandments above will show clearly why the Ten Commandments have been fulfilled by the Lord, not to make us rest and 'sleep' without any law of God, but to make us rest and keep the laws of God more 'fruitfully'.
We have seen many explanation and definition of the Ten Commandments as 'the Decalogue' (or the 'Ten Words' in English). But do we know that the Ten Commandments can be explained and shown more graphically and meaningfully in other languages too? For example,

The 'Decalogue' or the 'Ten Words' in English = the '十字' in Chinese translation.  

Hence, when Jesus was on the cross, He was on the 'Ten Words', the 'Decalogue', or the '十字架'. He died on the cross so that we will keep His commandments in our hearts. He is the Word who came in the flesh ..

• Joh 1:14-17 KJV  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. .. (17) For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (For the law or the Words were given by Moses .. but now the Words came by Jesus Christ. There is a big difference: last time the words were given from a distance; but now the Word is with us and in us!)
• 1Jn 4:2-3 KJV  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:  (3)  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world ..
• 2Jn 1:7-11 KJV  For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.  (8)  Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.  (9)  Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.  (10)  If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:  (11)  For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. 

All the believers who repent will know the doctrine of Christ or what Jesus meant when He told us to carry our cross (unless we are stuck on the cross like the thief who could not do anything):

• Luk 14:27 KJV  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

However, when most of the radical grace or hyper grace preachers preach the death of Jesus Christ today, they do not see the cross that bear the death of Jesus; they see only the blood, the gory, and the 'drama' of how much blood will flow from the cross to cleanse their future sin or lawlessness. However, to me, it means nothing if we do not know, carry, or keep the cross or the commandments of the Lord. If we are not ready to carry our cross, we are not His disciples yet.
Today Jesus is not on the cross any more. He has risen from the dead. But He has left behind the cross, a very simple cross (or a simple command) that ..

• Mar 8:34-38 KJV  And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  (35)  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.  (36)  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  (37)  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  (38)  Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. (I will tell those who argue vehemently that Jesus words were obsolete because they were said to the Jews under the law, The emphasis of the word 'Whosoever' above will show clearly that your argument or explanation is a lie.)

Jesus would never want us to do and teach like the Pharisees

Under the Old Testament, the Pharisees taught the commandments of God with the 'shortcut' and 'loophole' to avoid doing them, and accuse others for not doing like them:

• Mar 7:10-11 KJV  For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:  (11)  But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.
• Joh 8:6-7 KJV  This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.  (7)  So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

Under the New Testament, Jesus came and taught the commandments of God with the parables and illustrations to show us that we ourselves (including the Pharisees) must repent, and do and teach the commandments of God:

• Luk 10:25-37 KJV And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? .. (27) And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbour as thyself .. (29) But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?  (30)  And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves ..  (36)  Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?  (37)  And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

However, in the end time, or today, we have no more Pharisees who still teach God's commandment with 'shortcut' and 'loophole' to avoid doing it; but we have many false prophets who will teach God's law with false doctrine, false law, or 'false grace' to avoid doing it. They may profess that they know Jesus, but Jesus will profess that He does not know them because they work lawlessness.

• Mat 7:23 KJV  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (lawlessness).

Working lawlessness is not limited only to doing lawlessness. 
Working lawlessness could mean loving, preaching, teaching, inventing, creating, entertaining, hiding, mixing, multiplying, or thinking lawlessness:

• Mat 24:11-12 LITV  And many false prophets will be raised and will cause many to err.  (12)  And because lawlessness shall have been multiplied, the love of the many will grow cold.
• 2Th 2:7-10 LITV  For the mystery of lawlessness already is working, only he is holding back now, until it comes out of the midst.  (8)  And then the Lawless One will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume by the spirit of His mouth, and will bring to nought by the brightness of His presence. (9)  His coming is according to the working of Satan in all power and miraculous signs and lying wonders,  (10)  and in all deceit of unrighteousness in those being lost, because they did not receive the love of the truth in order for them to be saved. (Lawlessness can be a mystery. Many antinomian preachers will hide themselves. They are not obvious, but they are dangerous)

Many will argue, "No, we can never be lawless in our behaviours, thinking, or teaching. We still tell the people to confess that they are sinners. We still preach against sins. We preach that the wages of sin is death"

• Rom 6:20-23 KJV  For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.  (21)  What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.  (22)  But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.  (23)  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I will tell them, Did you meditate or at least think, What is sin? Do you know that, if there is no transgression against God's law, there is no sin? Hence, if there is no law, there is no sin too. Hence, how can you preach against the wages of sins when you do not know or believe in the law of God? Hence, how can you say that you confess that you are sinners when there is no more law? If there is no more God's law, it makes no sense for you to preach that you are a sinner or that the wages of sin is death:

• 1Jn 3:3-4 LITV  And everyone having this hope on Him purifies himself even as that One is pure.  (4)  Everyone practicing sin also practices lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

Working lawlessness and doing righteousness are far apart
They will still argue, "But many believers associate righteousness with a list of things that they have to do .. But the Bible tells us in 2Cor 5:21 that God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. We are not righteous because we do right. You are righteous because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross!"
I will tell them, What you said is partial truth. Yes, Jesus did not give us a list of things that we have to do; He gave us no list. But it does not mean no list to do anything. On the contrary, it is no list to do more things. It is because we are no longer under the law which is limited by a list of things which we must do; it is now an invisible list which is under the Spirit of the law of Christ for those who do not walk in the flesh:

• Rom 8:1-10 KJV  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  (2)  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  (3)  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:  (4)  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  (5)  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  (6)  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  (7)  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  (8)  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  (9)  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.  (10)  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (Please think, What kind of mind do you will have if you are in Christ? You will mind the the things of the Spirit, the things which please God, or the things which are in the will of God. It means that you must have the law of God in your mind, or else you cannot be subject to the law of God (v7) and walk in the law of the Spirit of Christ. However, if you are not prepared to do so, please don't say that you are thinking of the cross.)

Doing righteousness is keeping God's law or doing the will of God
They will still argue, "But God's commandments do not save; grace saves. We need the grace revolution .. If we break one commandment, we break all the commandments. That's why Jesus use the Ten Commandments to condemn the Pharisees so that no one need to keep any commandment to be righteous.. Jesus did not teach us to keep the commandments; He used the commandments to bring the people to the end of themselves so that they know that they can never and should never keep any law .."
I will tell them, Did Jesus say it? No, this is only your presumption. Jesus did not say it. Obviously you could have quoted it from the letter of James and change the spirit and the intent of it:

• Jas 2:8-11 KJV  If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:  (9)  But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.  (10)  For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.  (11)  For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

Please read the above again. Please read (v11) too. Can you say that you are really righteous because you've never committed adultery? No, James is saying, No one can boast that he is righteous just because he has never committed adultery or looked at another woman. But, if he killed or lied, he is still guilty of sin and he is still considered a sinner. In another words, no one can boast that he is righteous even if he kept all the law or behaved better than the Pharisees. The spirit or the teaching behind the letter of James chapter 2 is not to throw away the law of God; it is to know what is transgression of the law, who are the transgressors of the law, and why we must be humble enough to confess our sin or guilt if we do not keep God's law. If we read on, we should know the spirit and the intent of the letter - if we do not do the words of God, we can still be judged (even if we are the believers who 'believe'):

• Jas 2:12-20 KJV  So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.  (13)  For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.  (14)  What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?  (15)  If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,  (16)  And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?  (17)  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.  (18)  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.  (19)  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.  (20)  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

So, if we are bold enough to quote from the letter of James on God's law, we should be 'men' enough to admit that faith without works (or without doing the law of God) is dead too ! Many believers who believe can claim that they have kept all the law of God perfectly well through the work of Jesus Christ, but without work or doing it, it is a dead proclamation too! James compared those who believe without work to the devils who also believe. This should be clear enough to wake all those who insist that they are 'forever' saved, 'radically' saved, or 'effortless' saved even if they still think and live like the 'old man': 

• Eph 4:17-24 KJV  This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,  (18)  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:  (19)  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.  (20)  But ye have not so learned Christ;  (21)  If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:  (22)  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;  (23)  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;  (24)  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

God's words or God's laws may not save; but they can show and expose lawlessness 
I believe Paul would not give any radical promise to the believers who argue that they will enter heaven even if they have no work. Paul would rebuke them if they keep arguing and thinking that radical grace would cleanse all their past, present, and future sins, and that the Holy Spirit can never convict them of any sin. Yes, they may claim that they are the believers; but their arguing spirit has shown that they are not the true believers. They could have believed like Simon:

• Act 8:12-18 KJV But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.  (13)  Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done .. (18) And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money .. (20)  But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.  (21)  Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.  (22)  Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.  (23)  For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.  (24)  Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. (If Simon, who thought, believed, and did, like a faithful believer, could be rebuked and asked to repent, anyone who thinks that he is a believer and that he could never fall needs to beware too.)

I will tell them, You said that God's commandments do not save; grace saves ..  Yes, I agree. But love does not save, peace does not save, joy does not save too .. Does it mean that there is no more love, no more peace, or no more joy? Does it mean that we cannot preach love, joy, or peace? No. Similarly, God's commandments do not save; but it does not mean that we do not have any God's commandment or we cannot teach any God's commandment.

• Eph 6:1-3 KJV  Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.  (2)  Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)  (3)  That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

I love the grace revolution that was preached by Paul because it exposed the lawlessness and the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and those who were the law teachers; God's laws and covenant had become so corrupted by them that nobody could understand and follow the law - it became the ministry of death instead.
However, sadly the grace revolution today is not preached with the same purpose and intent that Paul had. It has been 'repackaged', not to reveal and condemned the lawlessness of the Pharisees or lawless men, but to remove all the law of God including the law of Christ. This type of revolution will not bring the people of God to a better covenant or the new covenant; it will bring them to more confusion and lawlessness instead.
     
     
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