K132. Are we under Moses or under Jesus? (3)

Many think that coming to Jesus should be as effortless as eating their bananas in a resort world where they can just lie down on their reclining chair near the beach and enjoy the cool breeze from the sea. Obviously this is a man's created picture; not the picture which I saw when I read the words of Jesus. Jesus said that His way is a narrow way and he that can find it are few.

We are under Jesus to walk through the narrow gate or narrow way
Mat 7:13-15 KJV  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  (14)  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.  (15)  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

1. Jesus Christ is that narrow gate or narrow way
I believe that Jesus is that narrow gate or narrow way who leads us to God. His way is narrow because there are restrictions or constraints. But the false prophets would preach another gate or way which is broader and wider with more religious freedom, more physical wealth, more 'spiritual' prosperity, more 'anointed' favours, more effortless success, more easy-believism, more 'liberty' of love, and more boasting and confession of 'self-righteousness'. They will try to convince you that they can bring you to a much better 'place' or a more loving 'God'; but it could be through their broader way of deceitfulness of riches, unrighteousness, and lawlessness too:
Luk 13:23-27 LITV  And one said to Him, Lord, are the ones being saved few? But He said to them,  (24)  Labor to enter in through the narrow gate, for I say to you that many will seek to enter in and will not have strength.  (25)  From the time the Master of the house shall have risen up, and He shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. And answering, He will say to you, I do not know you, from where you are.  (26)  Then you will begin to say, We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.  (27)  And He will say, I tell you I do not know you, from where you are. "Stand back from Me all workers of unrighteousness!"
Mat 7:14-23 LITV  For narrow is the gate, and constricted is the way that leads away into life, and few are the ones finding it.  (15)  But beware of the false prophets ....  (23)  And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; "depart from Me, those working lawlessness!"

2. His gate or way is narrow because it has God's commandments
I have just said that the strait gate or the narrow gate could be the gate with restrictions or constraints. To be more exact, it is the gate through which we will enter the city of God by doing God's commandments and instructions:
Rev 22:14-16 KJV  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.  (15)  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.  (16)  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Hence, the gate is like the law and commandment of God. It is the word of God, but it is more than just the word which informs, assures, or promises about something. It is the word of instructions, godly advice, and do's and don'ts, which has rewards for obeying it, and consequences for not obeying it. Similarly, there are rewards for entering and judgement for not entering through the gate too. In another words, there is constraint which we must follow and it cannot be ignored simply by believing and thinking about hyper grace or by having good opinions about God.

3. God's commandments will lead us as the narrow gate (or tunnel)
I will tell those who believe only in hyper grace, Yes, of course, if you were the hero who travelled in a spacecraft in the science fiction, it would be cool to travel in super speed or hyper speed. But what you might not know is that before you could travel in hyper speed in space, you must have a sophisticated compass or radar system which could see beyond the stars and dimensions, detect all the obstacles in space, determine the exact space location, and compute that narrow path (or space tunnel) which you and your spacecraft could travel safely without crashing into any objects too. Hence, hyper speed in hyper space can only work if there is such a system which can find the narrow 'gate' in space. Similarly, it would be foolishness if we will just depend on hyper grace alone. Without the light and commandments of God, we can go nowhere:
Pro 6:23 KJV  For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
Psa 119:35 KJV  Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.
1Jn 2:7-8 KJV  Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.  (8)  Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
The new commandment to love under Christ is actually not a new commandment. It was the same commandment which the lawyers, the Jews, and the disciples knew from the beginning:
Luk 10:25-28 KJV  And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?  (26)  He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?  (27)  And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.  (28)  And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
The Jews were taught to keep the commandments since young; but they might not know that there is eternal life and eternal light in keeping the commandments under Jesus Christ:
1Jn 2:8-11 KJV  Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.  (9)  He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.  (10)  He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.  (11)  But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
Jesus has confirmed it: If we are under Him or under the light, we must keep His commandments or God's commandments; or else we are in darkness. Many argue that it is impossible for anyone to keep God's commandments. I will tell them, Please do not be confused by the lawless preachers. They will say, "If you want to walk in God's commandments, you must keep all God's commandments perfectly well first before you can come to Jesus. But, since you can never keep any commandment, you should just think about grace and you will be saved. Keeping of God's commandments is Plan A or the old way; but if Plan A cannot work, God will give us Plan B or the new way which will no longer require any obedience to His laws .."
I will tell them, Please read your Bible again. Did Jesus say that, if 'Plan A' cannot work, He will give you 'Plan B'? No. Jesus did not say that. Neither did He say that we must keep all His commandments perfectly well first before we can follow Him; but He did say that those who believe in Him must keep His commandments. It doesn't matter if we obey first and believe later or vice versa (believe first and obey later). What matters the most is: Will He be able to see true obedience from you at end of your walk in Him?
2Jn 1:5-7 KJV  .. (6)  And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it ..
Joh 15:8-10 KJV  Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.  (9)  As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.  (10)  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Jesus would not expect you to keep His commandments perfectly well even after you have believed in Him. On the contrary, you can expect Him to give you more grace while keeping His commandments. However, if you are afraid, you are not willing to obey, you rebel (thinking that whoever give you the commandments are hard and legalistic), or you insist that He must give you 'Plan B' (to do nothing) before you would even try, you are not His disciple.
Mat 25:24-26 KJV  Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:  (25)  And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.  (26)  His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

4. We must not be confused about the law of Moses and the law of God (under Christ)
Please think, If the law is light, can we say that it cannot save, it cannot guide, it can only kill, it will bring curses and bondages, it will make us legalistic, it is inferior, and it is undesirable? No, if the law is God's words which instruct, guide, lead us to godliness, teach God's commandments, and bring light and understanding to the blind, how can we tell others to depart from His laws? Obviously, when Paul and the Apostles of the early church issued the decree to the believers not to keep 'the law', they were referring to a different law. The law that the churches rejected was not the law which teaches the people to pursue holiness and stop doing wickedness. In fact, the law and teaching of the Pharisees would never teach the law of righteousness, love, and doing good to others, except the law of circumcision, rituals, and rites which helped themselves to think that they were already righteous. But the Apostles would never tell us to abandon all the law of God which teaches God's way, counsel, instructions, and commandments of righteousness:
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 .. (6) For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Mat 21:32 KJV  For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
Rom 2:26-27 KJV  Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?  (27)  And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
Rom 6:12-13 KJV  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.  (13)  Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Rom 6:18 KJV  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Rom 8:4 KJV  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 10:3-6 KJV  For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.  (4)  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness* to every one that believeth.  (5)  For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law (of Moses), That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.  (6)  But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
1Co 15:34 KJV  Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
2Ti 3:16 KJV  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Heb 12:10-11 KJV  For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.  (11)  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
The above are all the laws and teaching of God about righteousness. Obviously it must not be confused with the law of Moses practised by the Pharisees and the law of circumcision which has become obsolete:
Gal 2:21 KJV  I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law (of Moses), then Christ is dead in vain.
Rom 3:20-21 KJV  Therefore by the deeds of the law (of Moses) there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.  (21)  But now the righteousness of God without the law (of Moses) is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

5. If we keep the law of God, we are men after God's heart
Obviously, the Apostles would only cast away the law which became obsolete, for example, the law of circumcision, sacrifices, rituals, ceremonies, and temple rules which the Pharisees had used to promote self-righteousness and enrich themselves:
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.
Act 15:24 KJV  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:
Rom 2:25 KJV  For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
Gal 6:13-16 KJV  For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.  ..  (15)  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.  (16)  And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
Today we are no more under the law of Moses to circumcise ourselves; but we are still under the law of Christ to keep God's commandments. We read about David's delight in the law of God. He was special in the sight of God because, although he was under the law of Moses, he was not like the Pharisees or the Jews who kept the law of circumcision without a circumcised heart. He was truly a man after God's heart and God's laws:
Act 13:16-23 KJV  Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, ..  (17)  The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, .. (21) And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis .. (22)  And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.  (23)  Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:
Obviously Paul knew how king David was after God's heart and law too. Hence, he would never tell the believers to depart from the law of God.

6. We are not just hearers of God's words; but doers of God's words
If God's words do not require us to do anything, they would be just God's promises, God's assurance, God's knowledge, or God's wisdom. However, if they require us to do something, they are commandments or laws. Hence, when Jesus taught the disciples to be a doer of God's words, He wanted them and all of us to be the doers and keepers of God's commandments.
However, many argue that they believe only in the words of God; but not in any law or commandment of God. They believe in hearing only the word that has no more do's and don'ts for them. They boast that they can believe in a more effortless way of getting more prosperity, more favours, more righteousness, and more blessings by just hearing and confessing the words about hyper grace only.
Unknowingly, they believe only in hearing their own words. It is because the words that they will hear are only the word or teaching (taken out of the Bible context) that has no more law, no more commandment, no doctrine, no principles, no instructions, no demands, no do's and don'ts, no disciplines, no reproofs, .. and no constraints, and that will never point to the way of Jesus Christ!
Mat 7:21-24 KJV  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  (22)  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, ..  (24)  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Rev 1:3 KJV  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Rev 22:10-15 KJV  And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.  (11)  He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.  (12)  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.  (13)  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.  (14)  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.  (15)  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

7. We cannot deny that there are rules and constraints everywhere
Many said that they left churches because the churches were legalistic and had many constraints or commandments. They thought that if they go to a church which preaches grace, it would solve all their problems. However, they may be disappointed to find out that a grace church is still equally 'legalistic' with its church rules and regulations too. Obviously they had the wrong concept about God's commandments because they were misled by the false doctrine and the false testimonies of some preachers who gave them the false impression that all the churches who do and teach God's commandment are 'legalistic and judgemental', and they lied that the people will sin even more after keeping God's commandments. Hence, they will still be disappointed to find out that there are still 'gates' and commandments in heaven (before entering into the kingdom of God).
I will ask them, Do you know why John saw a city with gates instead of a city without any gate or walls? It means that although the city of God is big and unlimited; we must still enter though the gate (which is a very small and narrow opening compared with the size of the whole city). It means that although
1. there is unlimited freedom and liberty in the city of God when we live in it,
2. there is very limited freedom when we enter through the narrow gate of the city
It means that we must still do and keep the commandments of God to enter His kingdom. However, false prophets will confuse us to think that teaching or doing any commandment of God is equivalent to compelling the people to be circumcised under the law of Moses and that it will take away their liberty in Christ. They will always quote the following Bible verses:
Gal 2:3-4 KJV  But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:  (4)  And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage..
Obviously they have quoted the words of Paul out of context again when Paul did not say that doing God's commandments was compelling the people to be circumcised and that it would take away their liberty in Christ.

8. Are we under bondage if we choose to constraint ourselves in Christ?
I will tell them, No, if we willingly constraint ourselves to do according to the law of God or live under the constraint of the law of God, we are not living under the law of Moses or under the law of bondages; but we are living in the will of God and no one can take away our liberty in the law of Christ:
1Pe 2:15-16 KJV  For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:  (16)  As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
Jas 1:21-25 KJV  Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls  .. (25) But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Jas 2:12 KJV  So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
So, we will still go through the constraint of the law of God and we will still enter through the narrow gate in the kingdom of God. But, of course, we know that the walls and the gate in Revelation are just analogies or pictures which help us to understand the kingdom of God. We can also picture:
1. ourselves as the keys and
2. the gate as the lock
If we are rightly 'fashioned' or crafted according to the mould of the lock, we will not only enter it; we will unlock it too. Hence, a true believer who can enter the gate must be a 'key' himself. His life must be fashioned or moulded by the laws of God in his heart and mind (Heb 8:10, 10:16), or else he cannot open the gate and enter the city. Rev 22:14-16 above is not only a picture which shows that we are the 'keys'; it is also a picture which shows that there are many 'broken keys', 'rubber keys', 'bad keys', 'false keys', or 'imitation keys' outside the gate. There are many sinners who are outside the city; but few may find their ways to the gate only to realize that they do not have the keys. Some may even think that if they will just confess 'Jesus' or put 'Jesus' into the lock as the 'magic key', the gate will open. However, they will realise that they do not need to bring any key; they themselves are the keys if they are truly in Christ !

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