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The meat of the word, part 2

There are many deep truths in the word, which are difficult to understand. These truths require explanation, because the truth is obscure and even contradictory to current religious beliefs. In the first century the meat of the word centered primarily on the changes in the law from basic Judaism to Christianity.

These changes were not at all acceptable to religious Jews of the day, those who were fixated on tradition beliefs established during the previous centuries. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Himself brought forth many corrections in men’s interpretations of the law. We read that “you heard that the ancients were told… but I say to you” (Matthew 5:21, 22). Jesus was not abolishing the law (Matthew 5:17); He was correcting men’s traditions and interpretations of the law, showing reverence to the law itself.

Jesus’ teachings, when they seemed to contradict the usual interpretation of the law, provide us with a basic foundation of the meat of the word. For instance, we read in Matthew 5:43, 44,

⁴³ You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

There is no law that commands us to hate our enemies, even if our enemies hate us. But hatred was condoned in Judaism—both then and today—which was evident in their hatred for the Samaritans and Romans. When a man asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” in Luke 10:29, Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan, implying that Samaritans were also their neighbors.

Jesus did not answer the question directly but gave the man the tools by which he could figure it out for himself. The answer is more readily apparent today, because we have the New Testament, but it was far from obvious to the average Jew in Jesus’ time. To include Samaritans as one’s neighbors was strong meat in those days, which few could digest.

When men accused Jesus of putting away the law, they misunderstood Him completely. Jesus put away men’s wrong interpretations of the law, that is, the traditions of men. Matthew 15:1, 2 says,

¹ Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ² “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

There was no law commanding anyone to (ceremonially) wash their hands before eating. It was a long-standing tradition that had become one of the standards of religious righteousness. So Jesus told them in Matthew 15:3,

³ And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

Few are able to distinguish between the word of God and their interpretation of the word. I have heard it said by Christian preachers, “The word of God says it; I believe it; that settles it.” That would be a fine principle if they actually understood what the word says. However, in practice, it is more accurate to say, “The word of God says it; I believe I know what it means and I believe my interpretation; that settles it.”

I grew up in a strong Christian home and spent my early years in a mission school where the Bible was one of our courses. I learned all the major doctrines of the church and believed what they said without question. This began to come to an abrupt end when I was 21. Suddenly, God began to show me—one by one—misconceptions and errors in the way in which I had been taught. Some of these teachings could be classified as the meat of the word; other things were just changes in my understanding of the milk of the word.

In Paul’s day the meat of the word was primarily in understanding of the changes in the law—or rather, changes in the forms of the law. If we have studied the book of Hebrews, we know about those changes. Unless we come from a Jewish background, it is easier for us today to understand these things, because we have not been steeped in earlier traditions that must be overcome. The book of Hebrews was addressed specifically to Jews, and the meat offered to them was in the changes in the law, a change of priesthood, a once-for-all Sacrifice for sin, a new Jerusalem, a better temple with better furniture, and a better covenant with better promises.

Yet strangely enough, I find many Christian believers seem to be largely ignorant of the book of Hebrews. To this must be added the fourth chapter of Galatians, which focuses upon the two covenants and the two Jerusalems that represent them. I am astonished that so much prophecy teaching promotes the earthly Jerusalem and even encourages Christians to become children of “Hagar” (Galatians 4:25).

I am also astonished that I used to believe such views of Bible prophecy. If I was taught from Galatians 4 in my youth, I certainly do not remember it. Even later in life, when I read this chapter, the meaning, though clear today, escaped me. It is as if there is a veil over the face of the church when believers place their hopes in the earthly Jerusalem. They do not realize that this carnal city is bound to the Old Covenant, which, Paul says, is a veil (2 Corinthians 3:14). A veil prevents people from seeing truth clearly.

For this reason, in the past 170 years, prophecy teachers have put Christians back under the Old Covenant, while at the same time teaching them that the law has been put away. They should have been taught to keep the law and put away the Old Covenant. The gospel of salvation has been taught in an Old Covenant fashion, because it is based upon man’s vow to God, as seen in Exodus 19:8. Christians are taught that they are saved if they vow to follow God. They do not realize that their faith is in themselves and their ability to keep their vow.

On the other hand, New Covenant salvation is based on the promise of God (Romans 4:22, 23). True faith is believing in God’s promise to save and to bring us to perfection. As the Spirit of God works in our hearts by faith, our nature is changed gradually to conform to the demands of the law. The law itself, when understood by the mind of God, is an expression of the nature of God and the image of Christ. No one can attain to this standard of righteousness by the will of man or by his good works.

This is stated expressly in John 1:12, 13,

¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, ¹³ who were born [begotten], not of blood [bloodline, or genealogy], nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

It is certainly not wrong to decide to follow Christ. We must all take that step. But if we base our salvation on “the will of man,” or if we put our faith in “the will of the flesh,” we will soon be disappointed and perhaps even discouraged. Instead, we ought to recognize that the promise of God has been applied to each of us personally when God revealed Himself and His promise to us. We then believe the promise of God, and our faith is in His ability to keep His word.

So Romans 4:21, 22 tells us that Abraham, our pattern of faith, was “fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness.”

Abraham’s faith was not in his own ability to keep his word, for that would have been by the will of the flesh. His faith was in God’s ability to “perform” what He had promised. Realizing this, we can rejoice, not in our ability to refrain from sin and do works of righteousness, but rather in God’s ability to change our hearts by His Spirit from within.

This is without doubt part of the meat of the word which few seem to grasp. It represents a shift from Old Covenant salvation—which always fails—to New Covenant salvation that is based on faith in God’s ability to work in our hearts until we have been transformed fully into the image of Christ.