What Did Jesus Really Look Like?

[Feral]

The usual definition of zombie is “a dead person’s body, reanimated but continuing the process of decay.” A zombie is considered “undead” rather than fully alive.

Ultimately there are no similarities, mainly because what the Bible presents is not a reanimation but a true return to life. When Jesus was resurrected, His physical body was perfected and glorified.

Maybe he was a shinny vampire?

[Faklon]

The usual definition of zombie is “a dead person’s body, reanimated but continuing the process of decay.” A zombie is considered “undead” rather than fully alive.

Ultimately there are no similarities, mainly because what the Bible presents is not a reanimation but a true return to life. When Jesus was resurrected, His physical body was perfected and glorified.

Maybe he was a Greyjoy.

[Pjeter Pan]

The usual definition of zombie is “a dead person’s body, reanimated but continuing the process of decay.” A zombie is considered “undead” rather than fully alive.

Ultimately there are no similarities, mainly because what the Bible presents is not a reanimation but a true return to life. When Jesus was resurrected, His physical body was perfected and glorified.

I'm not saying Jesus was a vampire but that he hunted vampires and killed them brutally because that's what OGs do hence the title vampire hunter.

[Taiguaitiaoghyrmmumin]

I'm not saying Jesus was a vampire but that he hunted vampires and killed them brutally because that's what OGs do hence the title vampire hunter.

[wvwvw]

By Kevin Williams

The greatest Biblical support for the near-death experience comes from all the New Testament verses concerning love. Like the teachings of Jesus, NDEs reveal the critical importance of love in all facets of life and death. Many NDEs complement Jesus' teachings of unconditional love and forgiveness. In fact, my research shows that an experience of God's unconditional love is the aspect most felt by experiencers. Love is also one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit; and God is love. Because Jesus taught that bad trees do not produce good fruit, it can be safely assumed that the love found in NDEs is good fruit and that NDEs themselves are a good tree. It is by their fruits that we will know a bad tree from a good tree. The following article is devoted to proving from the Bible that the NDE is a good tree and its fruit is holy.

1. The Bible affirms love is the way to eternal life
The following are those verses supporting the unconditional love of God and how this love is the way to heaven:

"On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. 'Teacher,' he asked, 'What must I do to inherit eternal life?'

"'What is written in the law?' he replied. 'How do you read it?'

"He answered: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and, love your neighbor as yourself.'

"'You have answered correctly,' Jesus replied, 'Do this and you will live.'" (Luke 10:25-28)
In terms of logic, the verse above states: Loving others and God IS THE WAY TO eternal life.

In this passage of scripture, Jesus affirms that love for God and others is the way to eternal life (i.e., no more dying). This corresponds with what people having NDEs say about God as pure unconditional love. This unconditional love is the source we can draw from to love our neighbor unconditionally just as Jesus taught and practiced.
BIBLE: "Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." (1 John 4:7)
LOGIC: Loving others IS EQUAL TO being born of God AND knowing God.

BIBLE: "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16)
LOGIC: Living in love for others IS EQUAL TO you living in God AND God is within you.

BIBLE: "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:8)
LOGIC: Not loving others IS EQUAL TO not knowing God BECAUSE God is love IS EQUAL TO Love is God.

BIBLE: "For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen." (1 John 4:20)
LOGIC: Not loving others you see IS EQUAL TO not loving God who you cannot see.

BIBLE: "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death." (1 John 3:14)
LOGIC: Loving others IS EQUAL TO having eternal life. Not loving others IS EQUAL TO not having eternal life.

BIBLE: "God is love." (1 John 4:8) AND "Love keeps no record of wrongs." (1 Corinthians 13:5)
LOGIC: God IS EQUAL TO love AND love keeps no record of wrongs.
God keeps no record of wrongs because God is unconditional love. These Bible verses refutes the misconception that God is full of wrath. It refutes the misconception that Jesus will cast people headlong into the fire of hell merely because they never had the opportunity to pledge allegiance to Jesus.
BIBLE: "God is love." (1 John 4:8)
BIBLE: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

LOGIC: God is love AND God is patient, kind, doesn't envy, does not boast, is not proud, is not rude, is not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil, rejoices with the truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, and never fails.

Other verses that are logically similar to the two phrases "God is love" and "love is God" are the following:
BIBLE: "God is light." (1 John 1:5)
LOGIC: God IS EQUAL TO light. Therefore, light IS EQUAL TO God.
Of course, the "light" does not refer to "sunlight" or "light bulb light". Biblical "light" associated with God is a reference to the divine "light" of unlimited knowledge and understanding. The phrase "God is light" means just what it says: "God" is "light" - not "God" gives "light." It also means that "light" is "God" because they are one and the same.
BIBLE: "He is the true God and eternal life." (1 John 5:20)
LOGIC: God IS EQUAL TO eternal life. Therefore, eternal life IS EQUAL TO God.
When equating "God" with "life", the Bible is not referring to ordinary life. It means eternal life. It is the same as saying "life is God" because "God" and "life" itself is one and the same.

The following Bible verses show how "love" is superior to anything else because love is God:
BIBLE: "If I speak in the tongues of humans and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing ... And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3;13)
LOGIC: IF you speak in tongues OR have the gift of prophecy, etc., but NOT love THEREFORE you are nothing.

BIBLE: "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8)
LOGIC: Love forgives many sins AND God IS EQUAL TO love, THEREFORE God forgives many sins.

BIBLE: "Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (Romans 13:10)
LOGIC: Love IS EQUAL TO fulfilling the law of God AND God IS EQUAL TO love, THEREFORE, love is the law of God.

BIBLE: "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Galatians 5:6)
LOGIC: Expressing faith through love IS EQUAL TO all that counts. All that counts IS EQUAL TO eternal life. THEREFORE expressing faith through love IS EQUAL TO eternal life.

BIBLE: "He [God] is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:17)
LOGIC: God holds all things together. THEREFORE, God IS EQUAL TO the power of the atom holding all things together! AND God IS EQUAL TO love. THEREFORE, love holds the universe together.

BIBLE: "By this [love] all humans will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35)
LOGIC: Loving others IS EQUAL TO being a disciple of Jesus.

BIBLE: "And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love." (2 John 1:6)
LOGIC: Loving others IS EQUAL TO obeying Jesus' commands AND his command IS EQUAL TO walk in love. THEREFORE, loving others IS EQUAL TO obeying Jesus.

BIBLE: "We love because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19)
LOGIC: Loving others IS EQUAL TO God loving us first AND God is love (1 John 4:16) AND love is the way to eternal life (Luke 10:25-28) THEREFORE God is the Source of love.

BIBLE: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16). "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by works, is dead." (James 2:17) "Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (Romans 13:10)
LOGIC: God loves the world AND gave his Son THEREFORE faith in him EQUALS eternal life AND faith without works IS EQUAL TO death AND loving others EQUALS fulfilling the law of God THEREFORE the law of God IS EQUAL TO loving others THEREFORE everyone who loves fulfills God's law and has eternal life.

BIBLE: "Jesus answered them, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) The way to eternal life is by loving others and God (Luke 10:25-28).
LOGIC: Jesus IS EQUAL TO the way to eternal life AND the way to eternal life IS EQUAL TO loving others and God THEREFORE the way to eternal life is by loving others and God. Note: Jesus was not egotistic, and because he often spoke in parables, it would be wise to interpret this verse in light of the other teachings of Jesus. Jesus came to show the way to heaven and that way is God - the light that is love. Nobody can come to God except through the way shown by Jesus - a life lived in unconditional love for everyone. Jesus is certainly not saying that worshipping him will get you to heaven. That would be contrary to all his teachings in the gospels! It is obvious that Jesus came as the light to show humans the way to eternal life. The way to eternal life is through loving others and God.

BIBLE: [Support for love as the way to heaven] "Jesus is the way, the truth and the life." (John 14:6) "They [people going to hell] perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." (2 Thessalonians. 2:10)
LOGIC: Jesus is the way AND the way is the truth AND the truth is law AND the law is love AND love is God THEREFORE people go to hell because they refuse to love. But we know we have eternal life if we love. Near-death experiences reveal the true nature of hell to be more like the catholic concept of purgatory where people go for purification and instruction before going to heavenly realms. Hell is not a place for roasting sinners forever in flames. A God of infinite unconditional love and mercy would not permit even one soul to fall into some crack in the universe and be lost forever (see the parable of the Prodigal Son). So everyone will eventually be saved because it is God's will.

BIBLE: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Psalm 111:10) "But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)
LOGIC: Those who "fear" God are not perfect in love. "Fearing" God is merely the beginning of wisdom. But mature wisdom comes when we cast away our childish "fear" of God and replace it with love. Those pastors who enjoy preaching only fear, hellfire, and damnation, are not being very wise.

BIBLE: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:39)
LOGIC: This verse reveals the unconditional aspect of God's love. Because God loves everyone, God's love for everyone is unconditional. This is one of the strongest verses supporting universal salvation.

BIBLE: "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:19)
LOGIC: Faith implies the possibility of doubt. Knowledge implies absolute certainty. But love is greater than both of these because God is love.

All of these Bible verses describe the unconditional love that is God. All of these Bible verses, when interpreted properly, completely agree with the information brought back by near-death experiencers. They return knowing the supreme importance of the unconditional love that is God. Being in the presence of this love changes people forever. This unconditional love that is God is the true inner spirituality taught by and lived by Jesus.

[Taiguaitiaoghyrmmumin]

By Kevin Williams

The greatest Biblical support for the near-death experience comes from all the New Testament verses concerning love. Like the teachings of Jesus, NDEs reveal the critical importance of love in all facets of life and death. Many NDEs complement Jesus' teachings of unconditional love and forgiveness. In fact, my research shows that an experience of God's unconditional love is the aspect most felt by experiencers. Love is also one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit; and God is love. Because Jesus taught that bad trees do not produce good fruit, it can be safely assumed that the love found in NDEs is good fruit and that NDEs themselves are a good tree. It is by their fruits that we will know a bad tree from a good tree. The following article is devoted to proving from the Bible that the NDE is a good tree and its fruit is holy.

1. The Bible affirms love is the way to eternal life
The following are those verses supporting the unconditional love of God and how this love is the way to heaven:

"On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. 'Teacher,' he asked, 'What must I do to inherit eternal life?'

"'What is written in the law?' he replied. 'How do you read it?'

"He answered: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and, love your neighbor as yourself.'

"'You have answered correctly,' Jesus replied, 'Do this and you will live.'" (Luke 10:25-28)
In terms of logic, the verse above states: Loving others and God IS THE WAY TO eternal life.

In this passage of scripture, Jesus affirms that love for God and others is the way to eternal life (i.e., no more dying). This corresponds with what people having NDEs say about God as pure unconditional love. This unconditional love is the source we can draw from to love our neighbor unconditionally just as Jesus taught and practiced.
BIBLE: "Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." (1 John 4:7)
LOGIC: Loving others IS EQUAL TO being born of God AND knowing God.

BIBLE: "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16)
LOGIC: Living in love for others IS EQUAL TO you living in God AND God is within you.

BIBLE: "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:8)
LOGIC: Not loving others IS EQUAL TO not knowing God BECAUSE God is love IS EQUAL TO Love is God.

BIBLE: "For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen." (1 John 4:20)
LOGIC: Not loving others you see IS EQUAL TO not loving God who you cannot see.

BIBLE: "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death." (1 John 3:14)
LOGIC: Loving others IS EQUAL TO having eternal life. Not loving others IS EQUAL TO not having eternal life.

BIBLE: "God is love." (1 John 4:8) AND "Love keeps no record of wrongs." (1 Corinthians 13:5)
LOGIC: God IS EQUAL TO love AND love keeps no record of wrongs.
God keeps no record of wrongs because God is unconditional love. These Bible verses refutes the misconception that God is full of wrath. It refutes the misconception that Jesus will cast people headlong into the fire of hell merely because they never had the opportunity to pledge allegiance to Jesus.
BIBLE: "God is love." (1 John 4:8)
BIBLE: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

LOGIC: God is love AND God is patient, kind, doesn't envy, does not boast, is not proud, is not rude, is not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil, rejoices with the truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, and never fails.

Other verses that are logically similar to the two phrases "God is love" and "love is God" are the following:
BIBLE: "God is light." (1 John 1:5)
LOGIC: God IS EQUAL TO light. Therefore, light IS EQUAL TO God.
Of course, the "light" does not refer to "sunlight" or "light bulb light". Biblical "light" associated with God is a reference to the divine "light" of unlimited knowledge and understanding. The phrase "God is light" means just what it says: "God" is "light" - not "God" gives "light." It also means that "light" is "God" because they are one and the same.
BIBLE: "He is the true God and eternal life." (1 John 5:20)
LOGIC: God IS EQUAL TO eternal life. Therefore, eternal life IS EQUAL TO God.
When equating "God" with "life", the Bible is not referring to ordinary life. It means eternal life. It is the same as saying "life is God" because "God" and "life" itself is one and the same.

The following Bible verses show how "love" is superior to anything else because love is God:
BIBLE: "If I speak in the tongues of humans and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing ... And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3;13)
LOGIC: IF you speak in tongues OR have the gift of prophecy, etc., but NOT love THEREFORE you are nothing.

BIBLE: "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8)
LOGIC: Love forgives many sins AND God IS EQUAL TO love, THEREFORE God forgives many sins.

BIBLE: "Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (Romans 13:10)
LOGIC: Love IS EQUAL TO fulfilling the law of God AND God IS EQUAL TO love, THEREFORE, love is the law of God.

BIBLE: "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Galatians 5:6)
LOGIC: Expressing faith through love IS EQUAL TO all that counts. All that counts IS EQUAL TO eternal life. THEREFORE expressing faith through love IS EQUAL TO eternal life.

BIBLE: "He [God] is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:17)
LOGIC: God holds all things together. THEREFORE, God IS EQUAL TO the power of the atom holding all things together! AND God IS EQUAL TO love. THEREFORE, love holds the universe together.

BIBLE: "By this [love] all humans will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35)
LOGIC: Loving others IS EQUAL TO being a disciple of Jesus.

BIBLE: "And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love." (2 John 1:6)
LOGIC: Loving others IS EQUAL TO obeying Jesus' commands AND his command IS EQUAL TO walk in love. THEREFORE, loving others IS EQUAL TO obeying Jesus.

BIBLE: "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." (James 2:17)
LOGIC: Having faith NOT acts of good works IS EQUAL TO dead faith.
This verse reveals that faith without doing good works is worthless and does not get anyone to heaven. This salvation by good works described by James is the true teachings of Jesus - not Paul's salvation by faith alone. It means that faith alone is does not get anyone to heaven.

BIBLE: "We love because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19)
LOGIC: Loving others IS EQUAL TO God loving us first AND God is love (1 John 4:16) AND love is the way to eternal life (Luke 10:25-28) THEREFORE God is the Source of love.

BIBLE: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16). "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by works, is dead." (James 2:17) "Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (Romans 13:10)
LOGIC: God loves the world AND gave his Son THEREFORE faith in him EQUALS eternal life AND faith without works IS EQUAL TO death AND loving others EQUALS fulfilling the law of God THEREFORE the law of God IS EQUAL TO loving others THEREFORE everyone who loves fulfills God's law and has eternal life.

BIBLE: "Jesus answered them, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) The way to eternal life is by loving others and God (Luke 10:25-28).
LOGIC: Jesus IS EQUAL TO the way to eternal life AND the way to eternal life IS EQUAL TO loving others and God THEREFORE the way to eternal life is by loving others and God. Note: Jesus was not egotistic, and because he often spoke in parables, it would be wise to interpret this verse in light of the other teachings of Jesus. Jesus came to show the way to heaven and that way is God - the light that is love. Nobody can come to God except through the way shown by Jesus - a life lived in unconditional love for everyone. Jesus is certainly not saying that worshipping him will get you to heaven. That would be contrary to all his teachings in the gospels! It is obvious that Jesus came as the light to show humans the way to eternal life. The way to eternal life is through loving others and God.

BIBLE: [Support for love as the way to heaven] "Jesus is the way, the truth and the life." (John 14:6) "They [people going to hell] perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." (2 Thessalonians. 2:10)
LOGIC: Jesus is the way AND the way is the truth AND the truth is law AND the law is love AND love is God THEREFORE people go to hell because they refuse to love. But we know we have eternal life if we love. Near-death experiences reveal the true nature of hell to be more like the catholic concept of purgatory where people go for purification and instruction before going to heavenly realms. Hell is not a place for roasting sinners forever in flames. A God of infinite unconditional love and mercy would not permit even one soul to fall into some crack in the universe and be lost forever (see the parable of the Prodigal Son). So everyone will eventually be saved because it is God's will.

BIBLE: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." (Hebrews 12:5)
LOGIC: God's discipline can often be very severe. The above verse shows that God's so-called "wrath" is a sign of God's immense love. God's love is also a "tough" love. Because God loves everyone, God disciplines everyone. Love can certainly be a difficult task-master. God's love, although it may be "tough", is all for our own good.

BIBLE: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Psalm 111:10) "But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)
LOGIC: Those who "fear" God are not perfect in love. "Fearing" God is merely the beginning of wisdom. But mature wisdom comes when we cast away our childish "fear" of God and replace it with love. Those pastors who enjoy preaching only fear, hellfire, and damnation, are not being very wise.

BIBLE: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:39)
LOGIC: This verse reveals the unconditional aspect of God's love. Because God loves everyone, God's love for everyone is unconditional. This is one of the strongest verses supporting universal salvation.

BIBLE: "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:19)
LOGIC: Faith implies the possibility of doubt. Knowledge implies absolute certainty. But love is greater than both of these because God is love.

All of these Bible verses describe the unconditional love that is God. All of these Bible verses, when interpreted properly, completely agree with the information brought back by near-death experiencers. They return knowing the supreme importance of the unconditional love that is God. Being in the presence of this love changes people forever. This unconditional love that is God is the true inner spirituality taught by and lived by Jesus.

Of course those are nice bible qoutes. you picked them and interpreted them. I can find some online and you can read them yourself. I was actually surprised when I learned about it myself about the evil that is in the bible from time to time. Especially the old testament.

[wvwvw]

Of course those are nice bible qoutes. you picked them and interpreted them. I can find some online and you can read them yourself. I was actually surprised when I learned about it myself about the evil that is in the bible from time to time. Especially the old testament.

The "law of God" in the Bible is based on the concept of "an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth." This is the natural law of cause and effect; what goes up must come down; do unto others and the same will be done to you; live by the sword and you will die by the sword; you reap what you sow; every action has an equal and opposite reaction; the law of karma, etc... This is the law of nature and the law of the physical realm. While the effects of this law can be seen everywhere, there exists an even greater law revealed from higher sources. It is the law of love - forgiveness and grace. When someone strikes you in the face, you should not strike back. This will stop the vicious cycle of hurt in its tracks. It means loving even your enemies. It means unconditional love. The best way to undo "bad karma" is through love and forgiveness. Like love, forgiveness is a divine trait because God forgives everyone. Actually, NDE testimonies reveal there is really nothing for God to forgive us for. God allows us to make mistakes for higher reasons. God is love (1 John 4:16) and love keeps no record of wrongs (1 Corinthians.13:4-5). In fact, love removes a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Therefore, the law of God is love (Romans 13:10). The commandment of God is love (John 15:12). Love is the very gospel of God (John 3:16). Jesus taught how the way to eternal life is through love (Luke 10:25-28). Everyone who loves is "born of God" and knows God (1 John 4:7). We know we are "saved" if we love others (1 John 3:14). Love is the sign of being a disciple of Christ (John 13:35). Without love we are nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2). Without love we gain nothing (1 Corinthians 13:3). So faith alone without works of love is dead (James 2:17). The Kingdom of heaven can be found within ourselves (Luke 17:20).

The Law's purpose was to show us what sin (=separation from God) is and to lead us to Christ. To show us what a Godless world is like and to make us realise why we need God.

The law was a school master to lead us to Christ.

The law was given so that man could see the condition of his relationship with God. To be acceptable to Him, we must be perfect, holy and righteous. The law shows just how imperfect, unholy and unrighteous we really are.

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. (Isaiah 64:6)

[wvwvw]

The Law Only Condemns

Attempting to follow the law is not intended to make us closer to God. Rather, it's to show us just how far away we are from Him. That's why there were all those rules and rituals for offerings and sacrifices in which blood had to be shed. They demonstrated the severity of the consequences of our sins. The penalty of sin is death and nothing less.

The law was established to shame and condemn us by pointing out our faults, our guilt, our sins. It is supposed to stop us from bragging about how good we are and to show us how desperately we need God's mercy. The law's goal is to break through our stubborn pride and lead us to Jesus Christ for salvation.

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. (Romans 3:19-20)

Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. (Galatians 3:23-25)

The law had one very special purpose: It was to show what God's required of his people- perfection, holiness, righteousness –attributes that have always been unachievable by man.

Although, the law was specifically given to the Israelites, Gentiles have our own version of it written on our hearts. That's so everyone can recognize their spiritual condition and their need for God's gift through His Son.

Indeed, the Gentiles are a law for themselves, their consciences bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them. (Romans 2:14-15)

The law leads us to Jesus Christ who is the only one who can make that become a reality.

Law (Legalism) vs. Grace

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Gal 5:18 - NIV)

[wvwvw]

James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

"There is no one righteous, not even one;" "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:10, 23)

The New Testament uses the phrase (or words very similar to) "in Christ" over 170 times to describe our new identity. This passage from Romans chapter 6 uses spiritual baptism to summarize this identity change.

God has chosen to never remember our sins again –they are behind His back, never to be seen again. He brought them all to mind once –all of them –even those in the future. And He put them all on His Son who was then crucified in our place. Now our sins are as far from us as the east is from the west. We are new creations in Christ.

If a person tells you that you need to try to keep the law –we read that the law can only show that you are a law breaker– then he's also telling you that Jesus' sacrifice was not sufficient for you. It follows that you are no longer washed, no longer sanctified, and no longer justified. Jesus and the Holy Spirit would be ineffective –unable to keep God's promise of providing eternal life. You would once again be dead and in need of that life.

So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:28)

The Old vs. The New

There are two ways to relate to God –each governed by a law. The first illustration of these laws is found in Genesis chapter 3 –through the story of two trees in the middle of the garden of Eden.

Laws have two parts –an action and a result. The "action" for both was the eating of "fruit". The "result" of the action was dependent upon which tree's fruit was eaten. Eating the fruit from "the tree of life" resulted in life while eating the fruit from "the tree of knowledge of good and evil" resulted in death.

Romans 8:2 gives those laws descriptive names. "Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." God has given each one of us the choice of which law we use to determine our relationship with Him.

Mankind Naturally Chooses to Live Under the Old Covenant

The Law of Sin and Death is "If you sin, you shall surely die!"

After experiencing life in the garden with God, Eve chose to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil ." When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. (from Genesis 3:4-6)

Israel was faced with the same choice. When they first heard the Law from Moses they agreed to do it all. That people could have fallen to their knees and cried out, "Who can live up to all this holy standard that God has set before us? Please God, grant us another way!" Instead, they proudly proclaimed that they would do it all. It was only a few weeks later, when Moses was up on the mountain getting the tablets, they made the golden calf as their god and it was even under the sponsorship of the official religious head –Aaron.

At least three times they proudly said they would do it all –two were after receiving the tablets. That Law was intended to humble them, but it failed. They only gave it lip-service with their sacrifices and offerings (Hebrews 10:5-10). I'm speaking in generalities here. Of course there were the few who lived by faith. But the nation as a whole rejected God's way and followed their own. In the same way, Israel rejected Jesus yet a few did receive Him.

Through Moses, God offered them one more opportunity. They could either display a broken and contrite heart for their wicked ways and turn to Him –living by faith. Or, they could remain proudly independent –attempting to be in control of their own lives –living by self-righteously obeying the law. With a single voice the entire nation shouted "We will obey God's law." They chose the list of fundamental standards of behavior –along with its death penalty for any violation. In the context of Romans 8:2, they chose to relate to God through "the law of sin and death" rather than "the law of the Spirit of life."

The passage below is from the first chapter of Romans. It's a summary of the law's standards along with its inseparable penalty of death for failing to fully comply with them.

They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:29-32)

Jesus explained that the law applied to the attitudes of the heart. When a person comprehends the law's fullness, all self-righteousness and all excuses are obliterated. No one can honestly say that they aren't guilty of committing at least one violation –thus deserving death. Those who choose to live under the Old Covenant –the law of sin and death– are waiting for Judgment Day when that death sentence will be carried out.

God's New Covenant: Grace

The Law of the Spirit of Life is "If you possess the Holy Spirit, you shall surely live eternally!"

Knowing that mankind would never be able to live up to the strict demands of the law, God provided a new way –a New Covenant– that does not in any way rely on our goodness, but instead relies totally on His grace and mercy. The new way doesn't just improve the old one –or add more to it. The New Covenant is a complete replacement of the Old. The book of Hebrews clearly spells this out.

Since that time [Jesus' death and resurrection] he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. (Hebrews 10:13-18)

The Hebrews 10 passage above quotes Jeremiah 31. The words "after that time" refer to when the perfect sacrifice –Jesus, the Lamb of God– was to die. Even in the Old Testament, God was telling us that His Son's sacrifice is what makes us perfect and holy forever! Under the New Covenant, God refuses to even think about our sins. He remembered them one time –the day when His Son was executed on the cross. For you and me, He looked into the future and saw each and every sin we would ever commit. At the same time, He also saw that Jesus paid for them all –and He will never think about them again!

The message of the New Testament is this:
Because of Jesus' sacrifice, God no longer counts our sins against us.
He took away everything that could cause spiritual death so that
we can receive His everlasting life without fear of losing it ever again.

The modern term for testament (or covenant) is what we call a "last will and testament" –or more commonly, a "will." And of course, a will only becomes effective after the person who made it is dead. For that matter, only the last will that the person makes is the one that actually goes into effect.

In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. (Hebrews 9:16-17)

The gospels (Matthew through John) document Christ Jesus' life –concluding with His death and resurrection. The life experiences described in the gospels were before that "last will and testament " had gone into effect. Jesus was the One who made that will –and He hadn't died yet.

Although the Old Testament is filled with hints and foreshadows of a life of faith in the One who was to come, that life is disclosed in the New Testament –beginning after the gospels. That is where you can read about how to live in a relationship with God that is completely based on trusting Him to be all that He has promised.

The law is plainly laid out. Under it, anyone who is found to be guilty of breaking a single one of those commandments is to be punished. And "breaking one commandment" doesn't mean one today and another tomorrow; it means that he is to be punished if he ever breaks even one commandment in his entire lifetime! Every commandment has the same purpose. They each show that people choose to be god over the decisions in their lives –just like Eve and just like the Israelites.

The punishment for not totally obeying "the Ten" is death. It's not the sacrificing of an animal or saying a prayer begging for forgiveness. It's being stoned to death at the city gate! God says that anyone who lives under the law is under a curse

All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."1 Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith."2 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them."3 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."4 (Galatians 3:10-13)

This passage in Galatians pieces together a most important truth quoting references from the Old Testament. The numbers in the passage above correspond to the numbered notes below.

It begins with Deuteronomy 27, explaining that if a person lives under the law –tries to obey the law– then he is to never deviate the slightest, else he will receive the curse -death. That person must continue to do everything the law demands –and that includes accepting the death sentence it prescribes.

The next piece comes from Habakkuk 2:4 which states that righteousness can only be received by living in faith –trusting in God's redemptive plan. It brings out that attempting to follow the law only puffs up a person –feeding his pride.

Leviticus 18 emphasizes that the person who tries to obey the law will make his life-choices based on those commandments –and failing to comply with any one of them will bring about his death.

Lastly, Deuteronomy 21:22-23 depicts the worst kind of death that the law requires. The one who is convicted of a capital offense must be hung on a tree. (It even says that he is not to be left on that tree overnight –a foreshadow of the crucifixion.) No one can fulfill those demands –and live. That's why Jesus took on the curse –hung on the cross– for us all.

There is no reason for Christians to wave the Israelites' Ten Commandments like a banner to set us apart from the rest of the world. We are set apart by something so much greater. We have the law of the Spirit of life in our hearts and written on our minds. God provided His Spirit to that lead us every step of our lives. The world will recognize us by our love for one another (John 13:35). Love –God's agape love– can not be commanded to happen. His love flows freely from Him –and then freely through us to others –all without compulsion.

Be Reconciled to God

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. (2 Corinthians 5:17-19 - NIV)

[Prisoner Of Ice]

But only HE rose from the dead. If He didn't rise, then we have no Good News.

"Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20 The Jews therefore said, "It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body." (John 2:19-21).

Jesus predicted he would raise His very body and he did so. "He was declared to be the Son of God...Romans 1:4 says...by the resurrection from the dead." He Himself, in Revelation chapter 1 says, "I am the living One who was dead and am alive forevermore."

He resurrected several people.