Precisely what is the relationship between the Law and statutes of Moses and the grace of God in Christ?

We Gentiles maintain we are not under the Law but under grace. Do we really understand what we mean by this? Has the Law truly been abolished?

Some of the Messianic Jews and, in fact, some Gentile Christians, are returning to part or all of the Law of Moses. Why are they doing this?

They are doing this because of the way grace is preached in the Christian churches. Instead of Divine grace being presented as the means of enabling us to attain eternal life and godliness of character, grace is defined as an unconditional forgiveness existing in God's mind but unrelated to our behavior.

For people, such as Jews, who desire more of God in their life than an overlooking of their sins, the current teaching is too shallow. Individuals who are seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness want more than the endlessly repeated assurance that no matter what they do Jesus loves them and has forgiven them.

When there is added to this the notion that any moment now the trumpet will sound (not too loudly for this is a secret!) and the careless, lukewarm believers of our day will be hurried off to their mansions, harps, golden slippers, and acres of diamonds to do nothing of significance for eternity, the person who is thirsting for the living God looks for something more substantial in the area of righteousness. He or she can find this in the synagogue listening to the Rabbi give rich interpretations of the Law of Moses.

Perhaps in this brief article we can point out the true nature of the new covenant. Then it will be seen that the new covenant is infinitely superior to the Mosaic covenant and will provide the seeker with the righteousness of personality and behavior and the Presence of God he or she so ardently desires.

Man is Created in Two Stages

There is no way in which we can understand the new covenant until we grasp firmly and clearly the concept that man is not made in one stage but in two.

The first stage of man is the adamic creation.

The second stage of man is the new creation in Christ.

There has been tremendous confusion throughout Church history as the ministry has labored to bring the first man, the adamic man, to Heaven, to Paradise.

However, the new covenant is not the bringing of the adamic man to Paradise. The new covenant has to do with the crucifixion of the adamic man and the birth and formation of a new man, a man born not of human parents but of God.

One can see immediately the difference between these two distinctly different goals and the implication the distinction has for the Christian ministry.

It may be noted that when we speak of the crucifixion of the adamic man we do not mean the crucifixion only of the evil that is in the adamic man, but the putting to death of the entire first personality.

To be continued.