The Law of Moses is an abridged, negative, covenantal form of the eternal moral law of God. The Law of Moses was fulfilled in Christ and has no authority over those who have entered the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. But the eternal moral law of God always has total authority over all of God's creatures.

For example, our interpretation of the Sabbath Day, the fourth commandment, is expanded to include our whole personality and state of existence and is not confined to one day out of seven. We think the Lord Jesus desires that we view the Ten Commandments with enlarged perception.

Perhaps the greatest error in Christian thinking is that Christ's grace brings us eternal life and fellowship with God apart from obedience to the eternal moral law. It is a misunderstanding of the Apostle Paul of enormous significance. This error has wrecked the work of the Kingdom of God in the earth.

Eternal life can exist only where there is righteousness—righteousness that comes from obedience to the eternal law of God, the law written in our conscience and codified in the four Gospels and the Epistles.

The Lord Jesus Christ obeyed the letter and intent of the Law of Moses (and consequently of the eternal moral law), and then died for our sins. Now we can receive Christ by faith. As we do, the righteousness proceeding from the justifying authority of the blood of the righteous Jesus is imputed (ascribed) to us. On this basis God gives us eternal life.

It is after this initial state of redemption that the monumental error of Christian thinking begins its deadly work of undermining the Kingdom of God (the doing of God's will in the earth). It never has been God's intention that His grace should serve as an alternative to obedience to the moral law. Rather, the propitiating (appeasing) and remitting (forgiving and canceling) aspects of Divine grace serve while the dynamic aspects of that same grace are transforming us until we begin to keep the eternal moral law by nature.

But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:33)

If such is not our understanding and our experience we may be turning the grace of God into an excuse for lawlessness. This is what is taking place today in many places where the Gospel of Christ is being taught.

The present apostasy has arisen in large measure from our lack of understanding of the Kingdom of God. We are picturing the Christian salvation as being one thing when in fact it is another.

The Kingdom of God, of Heaven, is more "down to earth" than we understand it to be.

The Kingdom of God consists of ordinary people like you and me. God calls us to Himself. If we respond by repenting of our old way of living, receiving Christ, and being baptized in water, God counts us as "saved."

Being "saved" means God is ready, through the Lord Jesus Christ, to make us fit to dwell in His new world, His world of resurrected humans—people who are given back their bodies and live in immortal life.

To be continued.