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I admit, this is not my favorite subject to write about, for it can be a confusing subject, for certain. So, I will try to make it simple to understand for all of us. The Jews of old were under the Old Covenant (The Law), and it was filled with all kinds of liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, circumcision, dietary, and Sabbath laws that God’s people, the Jews, had to obey. But we who believe in Jesus Christ are not under that covenant.
This is speaking of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who is God, and who is our creator God (see John 1:1-36). He left his throne in heaven, came to the earth, and was born as a baby to a virgin woman, but conceived of the Holy Spirit and not of man, so he was not born with a sin nature as we are, and he never sinned. When he lived on the earth he was fully God and fully human. And at the age of 30 he began his earthly ministry, the primary part of which was sharing the message of the gospel of Christ.
For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
And so it is essential that we understand the message of the gospel taught by Jesus so that we comprehend this whole matter of The Law. For The Law is generally a reference to the Old Covenant God had with his people Israel, Jews only. But once Jesus was crucified on that cross to deliver us out of our slavery to sin, the Old Covenant was done away with, and the New Covenant came into being. But the New Covenant is not lawless, for under the New Covenant we still have to obey our Lord and his commandments.
So, there is The Law, which was the Old Covenant, which had all those liturgical and ceremonial laws the Jews had to follow. And there is the New Covenant God has with his people Israel (Jew and Gentile by faith in Jesus Christ) which did away with all the liturgical and ceremonial laws, but which still requires that we obey our Lord and his commands under the New Covenant. And what God requires of us under the New Covenant is mainly that we die with Christ to sin and we walk in obedience to his commands.
And his laws under the New Covenant have mainly to do with love, grace, morality, faithfulness, honesty, and doing what pleases God and what is righteous in the eyes of the Lord, and that which submits to Christ as Lord and surrenders to his will and purpose for our lives. It is more, perhaps, about our relationship with Christ as our husband, and our desire to love him by doing what he calls us to do as his followers. And it is not about religious practices which do nothing to change the human heart, mind, and soul.
But the situation the believers in Christ of that time period were being faced with was the Judaizers who were trying to convince the Christians that they had to be circumcised and that they had to hold to some of those ceremonial laws of the Old Covenant. And so Paul let them know plainly that the Israel of God is not those who are merely of Jewish descent, but they are those who are followers of Jesus Christ. And all who do not believe in Christ are not the children of God, so we don’t have to listen to what they say.
And what this is telling us (in vv. 21-31) is that physical Jerusalem is of Hagar, the slave woman, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem from above is our mother (allegorically speaking) who bears the children of promise, who are all who believe in Jesus Christ. So we are not to let ourselves be influenced by any Jew who is trying to push us to become more like Jews and to follow the Old Covenant liturgical laws. For all who do not believe in Jesus Christ are not the children of God; not his holy nation.
[Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; John 8:18-19,38-47; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 9:4-8,25-28; Romans 11:1-36; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:1-6; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13;1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:22; Jude 1:5; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
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The Law vs The Law
An Original Work / December 12, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5 NASB1995)
This is speaking of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who is God, and who is our creator God (see John 1:1-36). He left his throne in heaven, came to the earth, and was born as a baby to a virgin woman, but conceived of the Holy Spirit and not of man, so he was not born with a sin nature as we are, and he never sinned. When he lived on the earth he was fully God and fully human. And at the age of 30 he began his earthly ministry, the primary part of which was sharing the message of the gospel of Christ.
For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
And so it is essential that we understand the message of the gospel taught by Jesus so that we comprehend this whole matter of The Law. For The Law is generally a reference to the Old Covenant God had with his people Israel, Jews only. But once Jesus was crucified on that cross to deliver us out of our slavery to sin, the Old Covenant was done away with, and the New Covenant came into being. But the New Covenant is not lawless, for under the New Covenant we still have to obey our Lord and his commandments.
“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Galatians 5:13-14 NASB1995).
“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21 NASB1995).
So, there is The Law, which was the Old Covenant, which had all those liturgical and ceremonial laws the Jews had to follow. And there is the New Covenant God has with his people Israel (Jew and Gentile by faith in Jesus Christ) which did away with all the liturgical and ceremonial laws, but which still requires that we obey our Lord and his commands under the New Covenant. And what God requires of us under the New Covenant is mainly that we die with Christ to sin and we walk in obedience to his commands.
And his laws under the New Covenant have mainly to do with love, grace, morality, faithfulness, honesty, and doing what pleases God and what is righteous in the eyes of the Lord, and that which submits to Christ as Lord and surrenders to his will and purpose for our lives. It is more, perhaps, about our relationship with Christ as our husband, and our desire to love him by doing what he calls us to do as his followers. And it is not about religious practices which do nothing to change the human heart, mind, and soul.
But the situation the believers in Christ of that time period were being faced with was the Judaizers who were trying to convince the Christians that they had to be circumcised and that they had to hold to some of those ceremonial laws of the Old Covenant. And so Paul let them know plainly that the Israel of God is not those who are merely of Jewish descent, but they are those who are followers of Jesus Christ. And all who do not believe in Christ are not the children of God, so we don’t have to listen to what they say.
“And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. But what does the Scripture say? ‘Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.’ So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.” (Galatians 4:28-31 NASB1995)
And what this is telling us (in vv. 21-31) is that physical Jerusalem is of Hagar, the slave woman, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem from above is our mother (allegorically speaking) who bears the children of promise, who are all who believe in Jesus Christ. So we are not to let ourselves be influenced by any Jew who is trying to push us to become more like Jews and to follow the Old Covenant liturgical laws. For all who do not believe in Jesus Christ are not the children of God; not his holy nation.
[Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; John 8:18-19,38-47; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 9:4-8,25-28; Romans 11:1-36; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:1-6; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13;1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:22; Jude 1:5; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Caution: This link may contain ads
The Law vs The Law
An Original Work / December 12, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
