FROM THE PREACHER'S LENSES

Sam AwedaTuesday, January 27, 2015
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LITMUS TEST TO DETERMINE THE PROOF THAT A RELIGION IS FROM GOD (PART 4)


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Continued from Part 3

ut the shedding of the blood, which God has ordained to cleanse man's sins, was not to be immediate. Angels desired to know the details but they were not opportune. Though the devil knows very much about God, the detailed plan of how the salvation would be executed, God kept it away from him (1Peter 1:12), else he would have prevented the murder of Jesus. The devil certainly recognized Christ as the One who would reconcile man to God, so he (Satan) worked hard to effect the killing of Jesus with the thought that Jesus death would kill God's plan of salvation for man without realizing that it was the death that was designed to accomplish man's salvation. Quite a significant number of prophets of God desired and wished very much that it occurred in their life time but it was not to be (1Peter 1:10-12).

So, salvation by faith was sealed for a length of time and before it was to be fulfilled or accomplished, God put into place a set of ceremonial rules, otherwise known as rules for worship and others, which are classified as civil and moral. Violating the moral laws attracted severe and harsh punishments. The ceremonial laws (rules for worship) were cumbersome, consuming and burdensome. It gave directives on how to pray, what preparations to make before doing; the number of times which prayers must be made on daily basis, what direction to face during prayers, what words to recite during prayers etc. It also gave directives of what to wear and what not to wear, what and what not to eat.

One may ask what is difficult in all these. The burdensome ones are the various sacrifices to atone for sins that were committed deliberately and those committed unintentionally. There were the sacrifices done on daily basis, there were those done on weekly basis, there were those done on monthly basis and there were those done on yearly basis, which were referred to as "annual assemblies". The women were worse off. They were unclean for several days every month and they had to perform the purification ceremonies at each occasion, at the end of their uncleanliness. The same applied after they had a child. (Lev. 12:2-5; Lev.15: 2-23). One needs to read the details of these rituals in order to appreciate what yoke it was. These sacrifices and purification ceremonies involved killing of large numbers of different kinds of animals-bulls, rams, goats, sheep and different kinds of birds at each occasion. Mistakes were not allowed. Mistakes brought instant death for the worshippers on occasions.

In order to have a comprehensive understanding of this subject, the reader is encouraged to look for a copy of my book, titled "Law, Grace & Faith"

Paul, a one-time zealot of these rules after he came to the full knowledge of the truth described those rules for worship as "a curse "or in the Living Bible "doom of the impossible system" (Gal..3: 10). Peter, the leader of the apostles described them as "yoke, which, our forefathers nor we were unable to bear" (Acts.15: 10)

Actually those sacrifices (offerings) i.e. the blood of several animals that were spilled under the law, were just a foretaste, a shadow, a caricature (ridiculously poor imitation), a mock practice or mimic of the real thing that would take away man's sins. They were a dim foretaste of the good things Christ would do for us (Heb. 10:1). "This system of law was to last only until the coming of Christ, the Child to whom God's promise was made" (Gal. 3:19).

Apostle Paul's argument was that if those sacrifices were profitable and able to cleanse man's sins, then it would not need to be repeated year after year.

"The sacrifices under the law system were repeated again and again, year after year, but even so, they could never save those who lived under their rules, if they could, one offering would have been enough; the worshippers would have been cleansed once for all, and their feeling of guilt would be gone. But just the opposite happened; those yearly sacrifices reminded them of their disobedience and guilt instead of relieving their minds. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats really to take away sins" (Heb. 10:1-3).

The rules for worship included annual pilgrimages. The Lord Jesus responded to this obligation by saying "Woman, believe me, the hour is near, when you shall neither in this mountain or in a particular country or city, worship the father��.,the hour comes and now it is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for God is a spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth" (Extract from John 4:21-24). This became possible immediately He (Jesus) offered Himself as the sacrifice for sin and ever since, it became a useless effort to think or adapt any particular pattern or any particular place by which and where we compulsorily have to worship God, but according to the dictate of the Holy Spirit, which can be anyhow, anywhere and everywhere.

Knowing also how easier it will become to make heaven by believing in Him (Jesus) and in His plan of salvation for mankind, said: "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matt 11:30). Without gainsay (contradiction), the yoke of the law system was not easy neither is its burden light.

Continued from Part 3

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