Fulfilling the Law

Fulfilling the Law

7/19/17

This topic of Theology is one that has been debated, talked about, and argued over for as long as I can remember and to this day there are still separating issues that divide God’s children.  This divisionary tactic by Satan has been effective in hurting many people and keeping even further amounts of people away from God and the truth about their lives.  What is so amazing is that while we have stared at the Bible for centuries we have yet been able to admonish the truth about this specific issue.  Why?  The answers to this question are contained in the Bible, in Genesis to be more exact.  It is time for us to place petty divisions behind us, accept God’s Word as the eternal Word of God and the source of which we have our origin, life, and eternal destination for when we accept this truth we can share the Gospel according to how Jesus commanded us to do, without compromise or selfish cravings for seniority.

I have mentioned in the past that I usually shy away from discussions concerning Theology on social networks for they usually turn out to be disasters and division baiting sessions that only prove denominational or secular beliefs that no party is willing to separate from.  As I scroll through some of these discussions I cannot help but wonder why the Church has lasted this long for the doctrinal settings of many people is just plain false and lies from the pit of hell.  It pains my spirit to read such atrocities that Christians do to others in order to prove their point as being correct, yet while doing so totally step foot into worldly values and ignore Biblical timelines as their backing and foundation for such acknowledgments.  It frightens me to come to the conclusions that Jesus’ Church and future bride does not have a clue about the simple message of salvation or why Jesus even came to the earth much less if we can fulfill God’s Laws or not.

While trying to figure out if a human can truly fulfill God’s Laws should be a “no brainer” but because the Church has skewed God’s Word for her selfish ways, this truth has fallen in the section of heresy that is now rampant inside church walls or it is not even considered to be a truth at all.  Why is this so difficult a position to face and to accept, it is because our societies today – and in the past – have always done their best to prove that God is not who He says He is and have done an excellent job at promoting such lies.  When people do not truly believe God is all everything they cannot understand what is actually occurring around and through our existence.  I must admit that there have been times in everyone’s life and in mine that I struggle to comprehend who God is and just how big He is.  When I do try and contemplate His existence for any length of time, my mind aches for I reach a certain point and I cannot go any further for my mind cannot comprehend such vastness and purity at the same time.  When it is all said and done, I cry out for forgiveness because even though my mind tried to understand God’s presence I have subjected Him to a life of limitations and since God has no limitations my thoughts of Him do not and cannot fulfill His Laws.

In the book of Genesis, we have the first chapter that gives us a glimpse of the creation of the world and how God designed it.  Through this glimpse, we have an opportunity to imagine just how God operates in His eternal and pure light, one that provides light and knowledge to the entire world on a continual basis.  At the same time, we have a picture of how God rubs His eternal life giving process into the face of Satan by ordaining the first creative motion and from that moment forward everything that God sets into motion cannot go unrecognized.  By the end of Genesis Chapter 1, we have the entire world set into motion and God’s prized creations (us) are placed according to how God wants things to be evident.  It is at this point where many people will fall away for they struggle with the truth that God alone created all things and that only He has the capability to ensure this process for eternity, it also serves as the setting for the stumbling block for the topic at hand for if one cannot get passed this truth about God there is no way that they can believe His Laws either.

In Genesis Chapter 2 we begin to see the details about how God designed mankind and what God expected from them while they lived in the Garden of Eden.  We find that there are no iniquities in their lives, nor is there any type of animosity or pain that dwells within their dominion.  At this point, sin has not found a place of residence and it seems like Adam and Eve’s job that God commanded them to do, along with the single rule about a single tree was intact and had not been violated.  All types of communication with God were on a daily and direct level and the auricles of God were freely given to them as their walks and talks continued.  Perfect conditions both in the Garden of Eden and in the lives of Adam and Eve were set in place and up until this point, the Laws of God were intact, both on God’s side and on mankind’s side as well.

In this portion of humanity and our creation, we can honestly say that we fulfilled the complete Law of God for the Bible states this truth through Genesis chapters 1 & 2.  As long as Adam and Eve obeyed the single rule that God had issued and lived through and by this single rule all would be okay.  But at some point, Adam and Eve began to slack off in their upkeep duties of the Garden of Eden and as this dereliction of duty continued and increased an enemy who had been present all the time began to make his move on the couple.  As long as the couple did not eat of the tree and dress the Garden of Eden as they should, all would be okay but when one side of the rule was broken it automatically opened the door for the entire law to be disobeyed, thus establishing the reason as to why we cannot fulfill the Law of God.  Sin represents disobedience, and if our lives are born into sin then that means some huge drastic change occurred in order for this reality to now besiege our lives.  It is at this point also that many people have issues with because they cannot comprehend just how one couple’s disobedience caused all of the havoc that we face today, a procedural status that cannot be understood if you do not believe that God is everything on all sides either.  God is the beginning of everything; the definition of God is defined as the beginning and therefore represents faith and trust as the guiding force in this truth for our finite minds.

Genesis Chapter 3 contains a wealth of information that God has already shared with us and will probably continue to share with us because He continues to reveal such fruitful information about this chapter that further expands the concept of His Love for His children and the necessity of His Laws in our lives, and most importantly the reasons why we need to follow His Laws in order to survive.  As Genesis 3 opens we find a quick description of the serpent and how he is considered to be the most subtle of all the created animals and yet we find Eve having a direct conversation with him and from all appearances seems to not be afraid of his presence, which means she is comfortable about having a talking snake in front of her; a relationship if you will.  Even at this moment in our history, humans still have the ability to uphold and to fulfill the Laws of God for the sinful act and the specific action of the law given had not been broken, but the breach had occurred and our existence was now about to take a horrible turn.

As we see in Genesis 3:6 the conversation between Eve and the serpent is now on a “Theological” level and the serpent is now able to dictate the conversation through one simple question, a question that Eve fumbles with and tries to correct her words but in doing so kicks the ball forward with her words making the door of opportunity for Satan to snatch the covering of the Law of God from humanity.  Here we find Adam and Eve still in a purified, holy, and perfect creative state until this verse arrives and gives us details about what occurs when Eve then Adam agrees to eat from the tree.  It is here that the subtlety of the serpent is fulfilled in the lives of Adam and Eve and thus the fulfillment of God’s Law has been abolished.  It is also at this point that clearly defines the battle of eternal kingdoms that is ongoing in our lives as well and furthermore, it provides and proves the necessary information to stand upon that God’s Kingdom and Satan’s kingdom cannot be shared or mixed in any shape or manner.  For if these two eternal entities could exist together the Bible would end here and no further words written but since Genesis 3:7 is present, the proof is undeniable.

Genesis 3:7 is a single verse but one that proclaims so many aspects of our lives before sin entered into our lives and after this apocalyptic event occurred.  While the Bible does not give account to exactly what occurred in / on / over their bodies something drastically occurred for the Word of God to state what happened to them in verse 7.  The change is quickly evident to Adam and Eve for this verse states that they immediately recognize they are naked and then take steps to “correct” the matter according to what they believe is adequate.  It is this action taken by Adam and Eve that tell the story that humanity is no longer in complete accordance with God and His Laws because up until that moment where they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they had no concerns about what their appearance before God looked like or stood for either.  The point here is that if a human being is created in a perfect state with no ailments or adversities lying in wait inside their bodies and has direct access to their Creator and they decide to ignore the Law of God and do things on their own, then it is this redefining moment that takes us from the ability to obey and fulfill God’s Law automatically and completely and place us into a position of noncompliance and un-fulfillment on the same level as our creation.  But as this verse shows us, when mankind tries to complete the job of eternal covering themselves they (we) cannot do it at all and end up making throw away articles.

Here is a consistency of God moment that is important to remember.  We must never forget that eternity is not negotiable on any level and once we make up our minds to accept either way and our life ends, our eternal motion is then set into an irreversible pattern.  When Lucifer fell he sealed his fate for eternity and he can never return to his prior position in heaven. When we eternally set into motion our final destination we can never reverse that direction either, it too is sealed.  If God who had created Lucifer as the beautiful and powerful angel that he is and when he sinned against God was thrown out forever, what makes us believe that when we do not follow those same Laws of God that God will just up and change His status for us?  It is this verse 7 that also signifies that God is a consistent God and cannot change His ways for anyone or anything.

As Genesis Chapter 3 progresses we come to the realization that many things in the lives of Adam and Eve have changed and once they understand the consequences of their actions it would not be difficult to believe that their day was an overwhelming one.  But even after God had told them of the consequences of their actions He was not going to just end the conversation without some type of resolution, for as the paragraph above states God is a complete God and one who loves His creations with all of His heart so a plan was made in order with His Order in order for us to once again obtain this perfect status in His eyes and not the world’s.

This truth is displayed in verse 21 of chapter 3 when God’s Word states: “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”  It is this act by God that seals the deal when it comes to whether or not we are able to fulfill His Law after sin entered into our lives.  In verse 7 it states that when Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened they made coverings for themselves to hide their nakedness a process that they initiated and did, a way that two humans produced which were now subject to sin and death a total opposite of the condition that they had been created.  In verse 21 of the same chapter, we see that God has made coverings for them and gave the coverings to them to wear.  Now, this may look like the same type of setting for clothing, with a little bit of difference in material but we must understand that from the moment sin entered into their lives their dominion was stolen and they were no longer in complete and holy control of said dominion.  This means that they could no longer have authority to use such dominion as their haven, they had to work the land from now on.  God performs this act of covering for them which says, that He alone still can complete holy and pure tasks for He has not violated His promise of covering or protection for Adam and Eve.

It is through the actions of Adam and Eve in verses 3:6 – 3:7 that gives rise to the difference between holiness and sinfulness, thus forever changing the way we operate under God’s Laws.  Before Genesis 3:6 took place we were equal in holiness through our creation and thus composed the definition of we up until that moment but when Genesis 3:7 arrives a huge change has occurred and we are no longer in said holy ordinances with God or His Laws, thus providing the answer to if we can fulfill God’s Laws or not which is given in Genesis 3:21.  What God did in verse 21 is to give an example of His Covenant and what His protection means and how it operates, and just how important it is to live under those coverings.  See the coverings that God gave to Adam and Eve covered their bodies, which means they were on them and hid their skin from visual methods.  It also states that there is no way that mankind in our new state of life can or would ever be able to fulfill God’s Laws ever again and would always have the choice to once again live under God’s Laws with a protection over us or to simply ignore God and take our chances with the world just as Adam and Eve did.

God cannot live with, stand for, or even look upon sin and this truth is why God could not accept the homemade skins of covering that Adam and Eve made.  And if God could not accept this offering of covering by two humans, it really sheds some light about just why Adam and Eve’s son could not find favor in God’s eyes when he tried to sacrifice to God in his own manner as well.  God had no choice but to fulfill His own Law of sacrifice and covering inside the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve left because if He did not then Satan could have ruled God’s actions as incomplete and not thorough enough to be deemed pure, holy and complete as God claims to be.  This act by God in verse 21 confirms that there is only one way to receive this eternal protection from Him, not 2 or 10 various ways but only One true way.

One may argue the fact that in the New Testament there is a passage in Luke 1:5-6 where it talks about a priest named Zacharias who was found to have kept all of the commandments and laws of God.  In verse 6 it gives specific details of his ways when it states: “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”  But we must keep in mind one detail about our lives that while we shall never be able to overcome during our physical lifetime and that is the sin that our bodies harbor.  There can be no question that Zacharias and Elizabeth kept all of God’s Ways in their daily lives but the sin that lied within their physical bodies they could not overcome which automatically made them sinners in the almighty eyes and heart of God.  It is this detail that we must keep in mind that separates us from the life that Adam and Eve once knew from the one we live today.

When we are conceived in the body of our mother, it is a miracle that we survive this process alone for there are so many delicate reactions that have to take place in order for cells to form and then grow.  All is well when our egg and sperm join to make a single cell, then two cells and then four cells.  But a grave error occurs at this point in our growth process, a fifth cell appears and when it does the first cell created dies and then the multiplication table returns to its pattern.  It is at this point where sin rears its ugliness in our lives and binds us to the revelation and consequences of Adam and Eve in our lives, death.  This process of reproduction further issues our warrant of slavery to the world through our inheritance of death which has nothing to do with God but of our arch enemy Satan.  But even before Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden God had shown them a way to redeem themselves in His eyes and while they could no longer live in equality with God the way that He provided them would allow God to see them as pure and holy before His eyes.

This is one of the reasons why Jesus said give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and what is God’s to God.  It is why God wanted sacrifices to come from a pure yet sinful heart, and why blood was used in order to fulfill this covering.  Blood is the essential component of our bodies that we cannot live without for if we do not have blood our life is over.  The importance of life depends on Covenant and Covenant is representative of blood.  Jesus understood the exact purpose of what God did in the Garden of Eden when He made the skins for Adam and Eve.  And like clockwork, we have humiliated this eternal and life giving covering the heave ho because we have marginalized its origins and meaning just as every historical society in our history did.

I read a story the other day about an employee of a certain well-known store chain that was fired after he had confronted people trying to shoplift from the establishment.  While this type of activity from the establishment may seem a bit overboard it serves its purposes for future adverse settings yet the entire systematic control seems a bit ludicrous especially for the person who was the recipient of the disciplinary action.  However, it is this type of ridiculous behavior that many who wish to keep God’s Laws operate and thus shows a lack of knowledge when it comes to the truth about how one should see God’s Laws.  God knows that there is no way possible that we can live within the guidelines of His Laws because sin is the root that drives our inner nature now and that is why He provided such a magnificent way of restoration in the Garden of Eden.

God has never once left us in any type of state that would not give us any direction other than what points to Him.  Yes, God’s Laws are important to follow and yes, God’s Laws should be administered to each individual’s life but they should not become a witness for subjection but of freedom.  Remember God is a consistent God and when He placed that single Law into motion in the Garden of Eden He did it so that mankind could continue to live in freedom and not be subjected to the sickness and disease of the world.  If we could not follow one simple Law back then what makes us believe that we can follow thousands now?  The only way to restore us into God’s eyes is for us to accept the truth that while God’s Laws are still in existence, there is no way possible that we can methodically obey every single one of them alone and enter into God’s presence with such ambitions.  Yes, it is VERY important and even vital to our eternal existence to follow these Ways as much as possible and to hide them inside our heart but they cannot become the driving force of our relationship with God because when they do then God becomes a religious figure and not the Figure of a Father that He desperately so wants from us.

The sacrificial procedure that God showed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is the final answer to any question this life brings, and it serves as the foundation of how to live for God in a relationship status.  We need to offer our lives up to God in a sacrificial manner every day that we draw breath and not just on occasion.  God meant for our relationship to be a daily meeting where we can converse with the Creator of everything without shame or blemish.  Humanity had this at one time but now it is hidden from us if we do not accept the Only Way back to God.  Church, where is your sacrifice and where does it come from?  Is your sacrifice a religious setting that finds no favor in the nostrils of God or is it representative of a daily recognition that we need God in our lives so much that we are willing to give up our own life to obtain such restoration?  It is time we forget that we can do this restoration process trying to obey God’s Laws alone for it shall not work.  It is the continual and meaningful relationship with God, from our hearts, that will suffice as the initiative for our restoration process.

There is no way that we can rid our lives of sin while we walk this earth no matter how good we may look to the human eye.  God loves us very much and has supplied us with the perfect opportunity to understand His desires for our lives.  Eternal placement is of the utmost concern to God and He does not wish for anyone to die and be separated from Him for eternity.  God’s Laws are tough and should be adhered to as much as possible without them becoming a religious symbol of idolatry in our hearts, but we must realize that even if we are able to follow every law that God has given there is no way possible that we can bypass our sin to reach this perfect state ever again.  The blood of Christ and its protection as the eternal sacrifice is the ONLY way that we can be seen by God as being holy and blameless again.  It is through living under the blood of Christ, through the obedience of God’s Laws with the heart of Christ that we will be seen as blameless and holy in God’s eyes.

DLB