Mary’s Story, Chapter I, “Thou Shalt Conceive in Thy Womb”

Hi, my name is Mary. Yes, you know me well, or at least you should; you see, I am the mother of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Messiah. I’m not sure if many of you know, so I will give a quick explanation of what Lord means when it’s connected to Jesus Messiah. You see, “lord” has many meanings, in Greek it is the word “kurios” which means “having power” or “authority”. It can mean; Lord, master, Master, owner, or even Sir. Of course we all know Jesus had power and authority, and is the Master and Lord of all, yet when it is applied to Jesus Messiah, it is thus; Messiah-King; Lord is the designation of Jesus as the Messiah-King predicted in the Psalms, by the Prophets and by Moses. So now we know Jesus Messiah is the King of kings (as reported in Scripture – Revelation 17:14), let me now move on. I had no idea what was to become of my life, yet all the while God had a plan set in motion from the beginning (John 1:1) to use me in His plan of salvation for everyone. While many will scoff and say things against me, my testimony in the Scriptures is truth; let me talk to you a little about it.

I was a devout Jew, I was brought up in a well-to-do family in the line of David. My father was Eli-Joachim, a very rich man and my brother was Joseph of Arimathea, who held the chief seat on the Sanhedrin of the six official seats of the house of Judah. Joseph, my espoused, well, he came from a cursed line, and was not the choice I would have made for myself; suffice it to say he did some work for my father and I was offered as “payment” for this work. So, here I was espoused to someone lower in social status than I and not feeling too blessed when the angel Gabriel appeared to me and spoke these words, “Hail, thou art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” – Luke 1:28. Now, being that I had lost my social status, I wondered at these words Gabriel spoke to me, because I was no longer favoured by anyone, being that I was to marry Joseph. But, Gabriel spoke again, and said, “Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” – Luke 1:30-32. I wondered at this, I had not been with any man and I spoke my thoughts. Gabriel said to me, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.” – Luke 1:35-37. I told Gabriel I am the Lord’s servant, let it be as you have said, and then Gabriel was gone. Of course I was overjoyed, not only was I to carry the Messiah, my cousin, who was supposedly barren, was also with child! What a mighty and awesome God I serve!

I packed up my stuff, being espoused and pregnant isn’t the best thing to be, and headed out to my cousin Elisabeth’s house as soon as I could. As soon as I got there I told Elisabeth all that had happened, and when she heard this, the child in her womb jumped for joy, and she was filled with the Holy Ghost and said, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” – Luke 1:42-45. God had revealed to her the truth as well, how exciting was this!? I couldn’t contain myself and I said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.” – Luke 1:46-55. After this I stayed with her for a while, about three months, and then I returned home.

This is just but the beginning of my story, this is how my great God and Saviour found favour with me and I was to be the mother of His only begotten.  God manifesting Himself in the flesh to redeem His people. I had a lot to learn still, about Jesus, His ministry on earth, and the worst part, my son, the Son of God, would be betrayed and killed. He would willingly sacrifice Himself for everyone. What lay in store for the next 33 years, I did not know, but I was more than willing to find out…

The Law - Part II

It’s been a while since I have written, busy and nothing really caught my eye or inspired me as of late, until again, the subject of the law came up. So, I would like to revisit what I have written earlier and add to it. Recently I am seeing a resurgence of people who want to say we must follow the law and Jesus only did away with the sacrificial part of the law; this my friends, brothers and sisters, is not a truth. What is the truth? Jesus fulfilled the law, no, he did not destroy it and it is written upon our hearts, but there is nothing in the New Covenant which makes us follow one iota of the law, either in part or in its entirety.

Jeremiah 31:33, “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Hebrews 10:15-17, “Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”

Let me explain the difference between fulfill and destroy. When you fulfill a contract, you have met the requirements and now the contract is done, over. If you buy a car, when you pay it off the contract is over yet the contract itself still exists, now days somewhere in cyberspace. This contract is not destroyed, it is kept on record, yet it is over, it is fulfilled. Alright, let’s take a look at dictionary definitions;

Merriam-Webster defines:
Main Entry: ful•fill
Variant(s): or ful•fil \fu̇(l)-ˈfil also fə(l)-\
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): ful•filled; ful•fill•ing
Etymology: Middle English fulfillen, from Old English fullfyllan, from full + fyllan to fill

Date: before 12th century

1 archaic : to make full : fill
2 a : to put into effect : execute b : to meet the requirements of (a business order) c : to bring to an end d : to measure up to : satisfy
3 a : to convert into reality b : to develop the full potentialities of

Main Entry: de•stroy
Pronunciation: \di-ˈstrȯi, dē-\
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French destroy-, destrui-, stem of destrure, from Vulgar Latin *destrugere, alteration of Latin destruere, from de- + struere to build — more at structure

Date: 13th century

transitive verb 1 : to ruin the structure, organic existence, or condition of ; also : to ruin as if by tearing to shreds
2 a : to put out of existence : kill b : neutralize c : annihilate, vanquish

Now, Read 2a, b, c and d of the definition of fulfill and 2a of destroy:  Jesus was the only man who could measure up to and meet the requirements (fulfill - 2b, d) set forth by God to bring to an end (fulfill - 2c) the Old Covenant (The Torah – The Law) and put into effect (fulfill - 2a) the New Covenant whereby we no longer have need to follow any part of the law. Jesus did not put out of existence (destroy -2a) the law, He didn’t take a flame to the Torah and burn it nor did He rip the pages out of Scripture; they remain as record, yet Jesus fulfilled the law, bringing it to an end (fulfill – 2c). It’s really that simple. The Old Covenant is over and done, it has been done away with and the New Covenant has been put into effect, no law.

Malachi 2:14, “Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.” Again I will use the marriage covenant as an example. There is a significant difference between a marriage being destroyed, and a marriage being fulfilled. In the marriage ceremony one of the vows is “’til death do us part.” This vow then being taken means this marriage, or covenant, cannot be broken unless/until one of the partners passes away. This is then the fulfillment of the covenant. Was the marriage destroyed? No, it is forever known you and your spouse were married and now, being that one has passed away, this covenant is fulfilled, yet still remembered. The living spouse is no longer held to this covenant though, even though it existed at one time, it is fulfilled and the living partner may go on living their life and even remarry if they so desire.

Colossians 2:15-17
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

So, let’s look at the law, one of the “ten commandments” even; following the Sabbath and it being a holy day. Under the law the seventh day was a day of rest, from Friday sundown to Saturday sun down, you did almost nothing. You had to prepare everything the day before the Sabbath, again, you could literally do almost nothing on the Sabbath, including leaving your house (until the Jews reinterpreted the law and said you could leave…anyway). If you did anything on the Sabbath you were to be killed (FYI – some laws, if broken, it states in the law you are to be killed, as with the Sabbath). So we see here a man who, on the Sabbath, decided to go gather sticks, let’s see what happened to him;

Numbers 15:32-36
32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
35 And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.

They literally killed a man just for picking up sticks on the Sabbath, he broke the law. Sunday, believe it or not, is not the Sabbath, nor was it ordained by the RCC or any other “church” to be a day or worship, but rather in accordance with things happening on the 8th day (Sunday), Apostolics chose this day to worship. Do we have to worship on Sunday? No, nowhere in Scripture does it say what day we must worship, and as a matter of fact we should praise and worship Him every day! So, knowing this, if we are to keep any part of the law, then we are to keep all of the law, and if we are to keep all of the law then we are not in agreement with Scripture, with Jesus or the apostles.

Romans 10:4, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”

“If a Gentile is converted to accept the Law and begins to observe moons, Sabbath days, eating of meats, circumcision, and other practices, this is going back into the bondage of the curse of death. For all who accept the law must be willing to accept the punishments for violations of the law. In some cases as in the Sabbath keeping, a violation is death. Yet most law-keepers do not practice the death penalties. Therefore they do not keep the law.” – Dr. (Bishop) G. Reckart.

If we go back to law keeping, in any form, we have made the death of Christ in vain:  Galatians 2:21, “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”

There are 613 precepts to the law, if Christ only did away with the sacrificial part of the law, we are all well out of order, yet we know we are not. The law was a shadow, a schoolmaster and now it is done and over. We live by grace through faith in our great God and Saviour Jesus Messiah, not by the law. We are the Israel of God now, His Church, His chosen people.

May we all grow in the grace and knowledge of our great God and Saviour Jesus Messiah.
Minister of the New Covenant

World Map

If you visit here you will see a general location of where you are on the map, and I will know too, just thought this was interesting.

Minister of the New Covenant

Jesus Never Said, "I Am God, Worship Me"

Let he that hath eyes to see, open them to the truth of the only great God and Saviour Jesus Messieh!

Recently I saw a video put out by one Sheikh Ahmad Deedat. Now, this video started out with him proving what we already know, the "trinity" is a false doctrine of men, good on him I was thinking and at first I thought he was a man from the Middle East that was maybe an Apostolic Evangelist, I have never heard of this man, then…he went on and told straight out lies. For those who sit and listen to him, how many of them actually sit and read the Scriptures for themselves, probably 99% of them do not, for they are Muslim. Those who do, do not have understanding of Scripture, even though they can quote it, just as this sheikh has no understanding but can quote from Scripture.

This sheikh stated Jesus never said He was God. If the sheikh knew and understood Scripture he would know of his lie and blasphemy. Trying to prove Jesus was only a man/prophet, he quoted Jesus saying everything He (Jesus) did was of the Father and not that of Himself, etc., etc. Well, partial understanding at least, right? No. Again, he was trying to prove Jesus was nothing but a man, only a prophet. He rebuked the virgin birth, how can God be in two places at once? On and on...I stopped watching at this point. This was getting more and more ridiculous, and what really got me was that everyone there would believe this man because he is learned. He’s an intellectual, having degrees, titles, papers, etc., a Muslim preaching to Muslims. This means absolutely nothing if you have not the understanding and the revelation of Jesus Messieh. This sheikh can quote biblical Scripture all he would like, yet he (as any other religion does that knows not the truth) twists it, perverts it, and makes personal interpretations of Scripture, without any understanding or knowledge of Scripture.

So scripture is where I will take you...

Did Jesus say He was God? He most certainly did! John 14:9, "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?" Philip didn't get it either, the Father (God) was in their midst, among them and teaching them, yet Philip had to be told. Jesus says, I and the Father are one (John 10:3), this is not two, not three, one! Jesus says if you have seen me you have seen the Father and now you know him (John 14:7), Jesus clearly stating He is God manifest in the flesh. And of course we all know Jesus says he is the I AM, The Almighty; Revelation 1:8, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Jesus speaking to the Apostle John saying He (Jesus) is The Almighty.

I posted a reply to this effect, to which a Muslim man responded, "I don't want words of paul, peter, mark, luke (I only quoted Paul once in my original reply, all the rest were Jesus' very own words, notice that). I want words of Jesus straight forward that says I am God, worship me." Again, not knowing Scripture, this man didn't understand people knew who Jesus was; he didn't have to tell them, they already knew it! Here is the second and last reply (I will only reply twice to those who argue without knowledge, if I reply at all, for I have given them truth, it is now up to them to receive it or not)...

First I took him to the Book of Revelation, Jesus says He is the Almighty, and the 24 elders who sat around Him fell upon their faces and worshipped Him, and called Him God Almighty.

Rev 1:8, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Jesus Messieh is God. Revelation 11:16-17, "And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O LORD Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned." Jesus said He is the Almighty; the 24 elders fell upon their faces and worshiped God, giving Him thanks saying, "O LORD God Almighty." Saying as well, "and art to come;" I then stated, "who is to come, and every eye shall see Him coming in the clouds, just as he left? Jesus Messieh."

I then went on to explain:

Understand He was 100% man and 100% God, and could and did switch instantly when He was talking. When you understand this: John 14:10, "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." The commands and miracles Jesus said and worked, He did because God was in Him; God was manifest in the flesh. Jesus forgave the thief on the cross, only God can forgive sins. Jesus, God manifest in the flesh...

I then went on to answer his question, "Jesus Never Said, I Am God, Worship Me":

Jesus didn't have to say bow down and worship me, it was understood who He was, and many did exactly that, they bowed down and worshipped Him (Matthew 2:11, Matthew 8:2, Matthew 15:25, Luke 24:52, John 9:38, etc.). Even devils did so (Mark 5:6)! If we hold true that we are to only worship the one true God, then worshipping Jesus (if he were not God) would be idolatry, but Jesus did not rebuke anyone who worshiped Him. Thomas answered Jesus saying, "My God and my Saviour." Jesus did not rebuke Thomas. The lack of understanding, and having not the revelation of who God is, leads to words of men who will not put together Scripture, but pull verses here and there to prove their own ideologies and false doctrines, this is called Isolationism, one verse does not a bible make.

I then told him one more time:

There is but one God, who from the beginning of time knew He would have to manifest Himself to save His people (see John 1:1-14). He will come again and receive His bride unto Himself, our great God and Saviour Jesus Messieh.

He never replied again.

All praise, honour and glory to our great God and Saviour Jesus Messieh for truth shutting the mouths of those who would lie and blaspheme Him. The truth shall ALWAYS prove Him, shall always win out!

ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, ONE GOD AND FATHER OF ALL, WHO IS ABOVE ALL, AND THROUGH ALL, AND IN YOU ALL.

May we all grow in the grace and knowledge of our Great god and Saviour Jesus Messiah! May you all be blessed in His glorious, precious name!

Minister of the New Covenant

The Simple Truth of the Matter Is…

Romans 2:28-29, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

Does it really take a piece of paper to show someone something? Just because you have a piece of paper, does it mean you know all? The answer is no, to both. Many things are revealed to us by the LORD Jesus Himself; it is a revelation from Jesus when you understand and accept there is only one God, our great God and Saviour Jesus Messieh. So why, when something else is revealed unto us, and it is preached and taught, do people scoff? Are people so entrenched in their belief system they can’t come out of the box and look around? Aren’t we taught to read Scripture for ourselves, and not to believe every wind of doctrine that comes in?

Ok, so what is the simple truth of the matter? Apostolic Messianic Judaism is the answer. We are Apostolic in faith and doctrine, and believe Jesus is and always has been our great God and Saviour (Messieh). The very same God of the Old Testament, manifest Himself in the flesh and became our Messiah. It’s simple really when you think about it, let’s break it down.

1. Jesus is God. He has always been God; He is the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. Jesus is the one and only living true God.

2. Jesus named His people Israel (Gen 32:28).

3. Jesus came in the flesh (Matt 1:23, I Timothy 3:16), was born the King of the Jews (Matt 2:2), and came unto His own (Israel), but they received Him not (John 1:11).

Can you see where this is leading? If you can’t I don’t think I can make it any clearer. Jesus manifest Himself in the flesh as a Jew. He followed the law, and then fulfilled the law; does this then make Judaism go away? No, the Judaism of Jesus is the only true faith. The Old Testament Judaism is now no longer required because Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant, and now the new Judaism of Jesus takes its place. The New Covenant church is not a gentile church; we have become the New Israel. We are grafted into the good olive tree, and become part of the new Israel (see Romans 11). Why do people not want you to know this, to understand and believe this? It’s right there in Scripture, although, as I did for so many years, people miss it and keep on going.

Jesus did not make His Church a gentile church. Was it then some doctrine the apostles taught; certainly not. As a matter of fact they did exactly what Jesus told them to do! Luke 24:47, “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” The apostles stayed in Jerusalem for a long time. Paul tells us in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Also, as we can plainly see from my quote of Scripture at the beginning of this blog, Paul clearly tells us who and what a Jew is; Romans 2:28-29, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

This is a very short blog, yet in its simplicity, it tells who we are and what we are. If you would like in-depth studies on Messianic Judaism; I suggest you look at the following: Messianic Aliyeh To The Judaism Of Jesus Messiah , Defining Judaism
Specifically The Messianic Judaism of Jesus Messieh and Antisemitism Against Messianic Judaism And Messianic Jews.

Minister of the New Covenant

It Is Finished

John 1:17, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

I have never questioned law keeping (Old Covenant/Torah). I was not aware this was an even an issue, Scripture clearly states Jesus fulfilled the law. Yet, many people to this day, who are of the Apostolic faith, still hold to the law (or rather think they do), either in part or whole. It saddens me to see this. I know of at least two separate individuals who made definitive statements we are to either keep the whole law, or only the sacrificial part of the law was fulfilled. I don’t associate anymore with the one who said we must keep to the whole law (this person has some other very off the wall doctrine as well, I can’t understand why this person bothers to say they are Apostolic, as their doctrine is not that of Christ and the Apostles). The other I hold dear to my heart, and we have had a conversation about it, but I cannot seem to change this person’s mind, even with Scripture which clears shows, no law. This is dangerous ground, for Scripture plainly states if we keep the law, then we make the death of Christ to no effect: Galatians 2:21, “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”

What is the law? It was the Old Covenant God made with Israel, and He gave them laws to follow. The book of the law (the Torah – the first 5 books of the Old Testament) contains 613 precepts, all of which, if you observe the law, have to be kept. If not, then you should be put to death. So I took it upon myself to educate myself further. I took a college class on the subject; I have read and reread Scripture. I pulled out my Strong’s and my Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. I have spent some considerable amount of time now on this subject and have come to the same conclusion, the only conclusion available, as the Apostles did: Acts 15:24, “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:” We are not to keep the law, either in part or in whole.

Let me make this clear as well, no “gentile” was made to follow the law; the law was for the Israelites. Romans 2:14, “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:” This is one case where I will say, look at the “who”, because this is important, gentiles were not included in the Old Covenant. Yes, you could convert to Judaism, but the Old Covenant along with the law, as they are hand in hand (see Exodus 34) was made between God and Israel. This is important to understand because we, as gentiles, cannot be law keepers unless we convert to Judaism, and as such, would no longer be Christians.

Now, the law was discussed by the Apostles in Acts 15:1-11. They held a meeting, and in this meeting in Jerusalem, the Apostles came to the conclusion the gentiles were not to be held to the law. It was determined that salvation can only be through faith in Jesus Christ, and the grace of God would be without practice of the law. They then sent out a letter which clearly states no one should keep the law or be circumcised. Acts 15:24, “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:”

It is clear; we are not to keep the law, not one iota of it. The only reason it was ever under debate was because the Jews thought it to be so, the Pharisees and the scribes of the day. Acts 15:5, “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.” But those who knew better, stood against them, and Peter said no, this is not the case (Acts 15:7-11). The Pharisee said the Law of Moses, notice this Pharisee did not say, “This part or that part of the law must be kept,” but “…to keep the law of Moses.” This is the entire law, all 613 precepts, to include the death penalty for anyone who did not follow the law!

Paul observed Peter doing something which was wrong, and not only did he tell him as much, he did it publically so all would know the law is not to be followed, any of it.

Galatians 2:11-16

11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.

12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.

13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.

14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,

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

Acts 13:38-39

38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Romans 10:4, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”

We cannot be justified by the law, in any way. We are not made righteous by the law, yet we have been brought into a relationship with the Lord through our faith in Jesus Christ. This righteousness is inaccessible by submission to any law, or by man’s own merit or any other form than faith in Jesus. II Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice as the fulfillment of the whole of His requirements (the Old Covenant/the law).

Romans 4:8-40

8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:

12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.

13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:

20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Abraham was not circumcised when he received the Abrahamic Covenant, it was later used as a seal or sign of the covenant. Because of Abraham’s faith he received the covenant; so all of us, who by faith believe on the LORD Jesus, shall also be heirs in the promise (covenant).

Marriage is a good example of a covenant and what happens when it (the covenant) is fulfilled. When two people enter into a marriage, they enter into a covenant (Mal 2:14). The fulfillment of this covenant is when one of the partners passes away. When this happens, the covenant has been fulfilled (“’til death do us part”), the marriage is over, it no longer exists, it is finished, sound familiar? John 19:30, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” When Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant, it was finished, done, over.

Hebrews 8:10, “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:” He has written it upon our hearts, no longer are there stone tablets with commands on them which we must follow, for God has put them in our minds and in our hearts.

For one last emphasis on not following the law, let’s look at the Sabbath, which we do not follow. Exodus 34:21, “Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.” This is the commandment written upon the tablet which was placed into the Ark of the Covenant, a little different than what you see in the “10 Commandments”, yet this is the one, again, that was written on the tablet. Question: How many of us do not do anything, including cooking, leaving home, cleaning, any “work” at all, from Friday night ‘til Saturday night (no Sunday sun up to sundown is not the Sabbath). This was the observance of the Sabbath, 24 hours of doing nothing, you were to rest. All food had to be prepared the day before. You couldn’t even collect sticks, or you were put to death:

Numbers 15:32-36

32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.

33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.

34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.

35 And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.

36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.

Our rest (Sabbath) is now found in Jesus. Hebrews 4:10, “For he that is entered into his rest {Sabbath}, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.” Let no man judge you on observance of any holy day, including observing the Sabbath. Colossians 2:16, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:” Once again it is clear, the law, including the 10 Commandments, was fulfilled by Jesus at Calvary.

If we say we must abide by any of the law, including what most call the “10 Commandments”, for they are part of the law, then again, we make Christ’s death in vain.

May God bless you!

Be encouraged –

Minister of the New Covenant

One God, One Salvation

Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:”

There is but one God


Jesus declares this: Mark 12:29-31, “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”


Paul tells us in his Epistle to the Ephesians: Ephesians 4:5-6, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

Mark 12:32 tells us: “And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:”

Deuteronomy 6:4 states: "The Lord our God is ONE Lord."


Scripture repeatedly states there is one God, and this God is our Saviour, our Father, and our Comforter. God states in Isaiah (as he spoke through the Prophet Isaiah): Isaiah 44:8, “Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.” The one thing God does not know, another God. How that is then anyone knowing there is only one God, would then believe in other “gods”? There were no gods formed before Him or after Him (Isaiah 43:10). This is stressed over and over again, to the point you can’t miss the fact that God is trying to get across the point, one God, and one God only, I am He, and I am Jesus Messieh (Rev 1:8). All the prophets, the Apostles, every saint in the Holy Bible, only believed in one God.


There is only one throne in heaven, and only One sits upon that throne (Revelation 4:2), our great God and Saviour Jesus Messieh (Titus 2:13).


God is our Saviour


Isaiah 43:11, “I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no Saviour.” God died for us: I John 3:16, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” How did God accomplish this? God manifest Himself in the flesh: I Timothy 3:16, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” The Prophet Isaiah foretold of the coming of God in the flesh when he wrote these words: Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” As well, Isaiah states in Isaiah 25:9, “And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”


In the Gospel of John, John makes it crystal clear who Jesus is, from the beginning:


John 1:1-14
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2The same was in the beginning with God.
3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14And 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.


In this we can see the Word (Logos, NOT the Son of God), has always existed. This word, the plan of salvation for all mankind, Jesus Messieh dying on the cross taking on all man’s sins and defeating death, is uttered by a living voice (God’s voice), it embodies a conception or idea, it’s a part of God. Just as if I were to say something, those words are mine, my thoughts are mine, not separate from me, but a part of me, expressed by me, and me only. We know God created the world by speaking it into existence, it didn’t just appear. Now, this Word, God’s thought, His plan, is put into action and God takes on a human body, manifest in the flesh, and he lived among us.


There is but One Path to Salvation


Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”


Indeed we are saved by grace, yet so many fail to read the very next line of text, “through faith”. So many times I have written you must act upon your faith! But I get ahead of myself, let’s go through some of Jesus’ ministry and see what He had to say about salvation.


Jesus talks with Nicodemus:


John 3:1-7


1There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Jesus states in no uncertain terms, you cannot see the kingdom of God if you are not born again of water and Spirit; unless a person is born again of water and Spirit, a person cannot enter into the kingdom of God, “Ye must be born again.”


Jesus again talks about baptism as a must: Mark 16:16, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”


Jesus tells the Disciples what to do:


Luke 24:46-48


46And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
47And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48And ye are witnesses of these things.


Jesus tells them he has to suffer, die and rise again, and that REPENTANCE (A change of mind, as it appears to one who repents of a purpose he has formed or of something he has done. {To repent [repentance - metanoia, 'change of mind'] involves a turning with remorse from sin to God; the repentant sinner is now ready for remission of sins.}) and REMISSION (aphesis – forgiveness or pardon, of sins, remission of the penalty {letting them go as if they had never been committed}) OF SINS be preached in HIS NAME among ALL NATIONS.


Repentance (Repent) - How can you come to God if you don’t repent? You must turn from sin, God tells us to be Holy because He is holy (Leviticus 19:2 and 1 Peter 1:16). We are saved from our sin, not in our sin. This is the first step toward salvation. We turn from sin and turn to God, knowing we are sinners and sorry for our sins, looking to God now to forgive us.


Remission of sin(s) - This is the next step one must take. How does one receive remission of sins? It’s certainly not by the mouth, for by the mouth we confess our sins, this is where we say we are sinners and now we need to receive remission of these said sins. This is water baptism in Jesus name. To ensure you are now one of God’s elect, one of God’s chosen, if you haven’t already (and if you have already received the Holy Ghost, you better run down to the nearest true Acts 2:38 Apostolic church and get baptized in Jesus’ name!). Now your you have no sin(s), washed by the blood of the Lamb as white as snow, though your sins were red like crimson they are gone, you are clean, white as snow and wool (Isaiah 1:18).


The Gift of the Holy Ghost – You will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, as evidenced by speaking in other tongues as the infilling of the Holy Spirit occurs, again, if you haven’t already.


Where does all this come together? “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” – Acts 2:38. Many people think they have the right or the responsibility to reinterpret this verse. They claim it’s legalism or law-keeping, forcing people to do something, stating no faith or grace can be received by this because it doesn’t match up with their belief system, their theology.


I mentioned we are saved by grace, through faith, and that is a fact. We have to step out in faith, act upon our faith. Once the revelation of Jesus is received, act on your faith. The grace is not imputed to anyone who just confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, anyone can say Jesus is God, and many do (even the devils believe and tremble! – James 2:19), yet they have not repented, they have not had their sins washed away and they have not the Holy Ghost! When someone has repented, been baptized in Jesus name and received the Holy Spirit by faith they are saved by grace through faith. The person relies on Jesus only for salvation, by faith and by grace.


Act of Faith                           Grace Recevied
---------------                     ---------------------
Repentance                          Forgiveness of sins
Baptism in Jesus’ Name       All sins washed away
Receive the Holy Ghost        Life eternal with God


Ephesians 4:4-6
4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.


There is but one God, our great God and Saviour Jesus Messieh, and but one baptism, in His glorious name!


May God bless you!

Be encouraged -
Minister of the New Covenant