When world history has come to an end it may be revealed that the greatest lie ever to penetrate Christian thinking is that the new covenant, the Christian covenant, provides a "state of grace" such that God does not see the conduct of the believers. It is an enormous lie and has prevented the bringing forth of the new righteous creation that God is looking for, for which Christ died.

It is true that many aspects of the Law of Moses, such as the dietary laws, are not carried over into the new covenant. But the answer to the question raised in the twenty-fourth Psalm indeed is carried over. It reflects the eternal Nature of God.

It always has been true, is true now, and shall forever be true, that if we are to ascend the hill of the Lord, if we are to stand in His holy place, we must have clean hands; we must have a pure heart; we must not lift up our soul to an idol; we must not swear by what is false.

This is the image of the Lord Jesus.

"Clean hands" refers to the fact that our actions must be righteous, that is, acceptable to God.

"A pure heart" refers to our heart and mind, our imaginations and motives. They must be pure in God's sight. Until they are we cannot see the Lord.

Not lifting up our soul to an idol is speaking of the first commandment, that is, loving God above all else.

"Swearing by what is false" has to do with our speech.

The Lord Jesus is perfect in each of these four areas. If we would stand with Him on Mount Zion in the Presence of God we must follow the Holy Spirit until we become perfect in each of these four areas.

One of the great lies with which Satan has filled the churches has to do with doing God's will perfectly. We humans are not an infinite cavern of iniquity. It is true that our heart is desperately wicked. But it is not so wicked that the Lord Jesus cannot cleanse it by His power and virtue.

The Lord Jesus always behaves righteously, in a manner that pleases God. As Christ is formed in us we grow into such righteous behavior. It is not impossible. In fact, it is expected. God is not as hard to please as we have been led to believe.

Satan has bluffed us into believing that as long as we are in the world we must sin. This is not true. It is not scriptural. The Lord Jesus did not come to forgive the works of the devil but to destroy the works of the devil.

It is no wonder God's people are under the impression they cannot live righteously in this life. This is what they have been taught. Therefore they do not approach the Lord Jesus with the faith that He is able to cleanse them from all unrighteousness.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9—NIV)

To be continued.