Salvation is through faith in the Lord Yeshua with the ability to walk in His ways provided by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Salvation is a gift from Adonai given though His grace and mercy to undeserving sinners. The Lord Yeshua’s sacrificial death provided the seal for the New Covenant; a covenant for the forgiveness of sin and justification.
This has been mankind’s situation for nearly 2,000 years. But let us look back to examine the stages by which Adonai’s plan unfolded: 1) the promises to Abraham 2) the law given through Moses 3) the New Covenant.
The Promises to Abraham.
Before and after the Flood, mankind had demonstrated the rebellious sin-nature inherited by all because of Adam’s sin.
Paul identified the issues in Romans 3: 10 – 18 by quoting a number of Old Testament texts to confirm this situation.
“There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understand; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Fallen man is unable to comprehend the truth of Adonai or to grasp His standards of righteousness. Sadly, fallen man’s spiritual ignorance does not result from a lack of opportunity, but is an expression of his depravity and rebellion.
The world of false religions is fallen man’s attempts to escape the true Lord by not seeking Him. Man’s natural tendency is to seek his own interests. It is only as a result of the work of Adonai in the hearts of men that anyone seeks Him.
All people are inclined to leave Adonai’s way and pursue their own. The unregenerated person’s foul language reveals the decay of his heart along with his caustic comments and expressions of hostility.
Fallen man damages and destroys everything he touches, leaving a trail of pain and suffering in his wake. He demonstrates a tendency to strife and conflict.
Fallen man’s true spiritual condition is nowhere more clearly seen than in the absence of a proper submission to Adonai.
The First Stage of Adonai’s Response: His Covenant with Abraham.
We see Adonai’s grace and mercy in His sovereign choice of Abraham and his descendants (Isaac and Jacob) to be His special people and to receive His blessings.
Deuteronomy 7: 6 – 8.
“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people to Himself; a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love nor choose you because you are more in number than any other people; but because the Lord loves you …”
The covenant which Adonai made with Abraham and his descendants was based on His promises to Abaham.
Genesis 17: 2 – 8.
“ “And I will make My covenant between you and Me, and I will multiply you exceedingly.” Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father to many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” “
Adonai’s response to the rebelliousness of mankind was to choose a people to be His special treasure. He did not choose them because of any worthiness of theirs. His choice was through grace and mercy. He provided them with promises for their future on an unconditional basis. Adonai swore this by Himself. This was a direct blessing from Adonai with no mediator involved.
Adonai promises to make from Abraham a great nation and from his “Seed” all nations would be blessed (Genesis 12: 1 – 3). He would multiply Abraham’s descendants and give them the land of Canaan forever. Adonai promised to establish an everlasting covenant with Abraham’s descendants, and this was confirmed with Isaac and Jacob.
These promises from Adonai are unconditional, eternal and irrevocable. And they had a positive impact on Abraham and his great grandson, Joseph, in particular.
Abraham’s faith in the promises of Adonai was confirmed when he was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac, before the Lord intervened to stop him.
Genesis 15: 2.
“And he (Abraham) believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him as righteousness.”
The entire story of Joseph shows his trust in the promises of Adonai.
Genesis 39: 2 “… the Lord was with Joseph.”
Thus, Joseph was able to cope with his brothers’ betrayal, being sold into slavery, being wrongfully imprisoned and being forgotten by the fellow prisoner who promised to help him. He resisted the attempted seduction by Potiphar’s wife and gave Adonai the credit for the interpretation of Pharoah’s dreams.
He even managed to impress the prison governor who put him in charge of things.
Genesis 39: 22 – 23.
“And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.”
When in power in Egypt, Joseph did not use his position to take revenge on his negligent fellow prisoner, nor on Potiphar nor his brothers when the opportunity arose. Joseph had trusted that Adonai was in control of all that was happening and that he was secure in the promises. Adonai would have placed him in Egypt for a purpose and that of course was to save the family.
Thus, Adonai completed the first stage of His plan for the salvation of mankind. He established for Himself a special relationship with a people based on His gracious irrevocable promises.
The Second Stage of Adonai’s Response: The Law of Moses.
Sadly, not all Israel could respond to Adonai’s promises as had Abraham and Joseph. Man’s sin-nature remained.
Israel grew greatly in numbers in Egypt, but great oppression came upon them. When Adonai decided that it was time to bring them out of Egypt to take possession of Canaan, further assistance would be required to keep them as a separate holy people for Himself. Hence the law was given in the desert at Sinai.
The unconditional promises to Abraham were unaffected; they remain in force as they are irrevocable.
However, the law of Moses was a conditional covenant between Adonai and Israel, mediated through Moses on behalf of the people and by angels on behalf of Adonai.
In scripture the law of Moses is variously described as a “tutor”, a “guard” or as a “steward”.
Galatians 3: 23.
“But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law …”
Galatians 4: 1 – 3.
Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world …”
In ancient times, guardians were slaves entrusted with the care of underage boys from wealthy families. These guardians manged the property of these boys until they came of age. Along with the tutor, they had almost complete charge of the child. They were often chosen because they were strict disciplinarians. So that for all practical purposes the wealthy father handed the child to a slave, rendering the child into a similar position to that of the slave.
So, the law was to guide Israel, like a guardian, when they came into the promised land. The law was designed to keep the people separate and in a faithful relationship with Adonai.
The law was given to a nation of sinners. Its conditional nature demonstrated the unworthiness of the people to receive free and unconditional blessing.
Elsewhere in scripture the law is describes as a “curse”. Now, It seems strange to describe anything provided by Adonai to guide His people as a ”curse”.
Deuteronomy 27: 26.
“Cursed is the one who does not conform all the words of this law by observing them”.
Galatians 3: 10.
“For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse … “
James 2: 10
“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”
The Mosaic covenant is a conditional one. Such a contract between two parties requires a mediator; a go-between. The law involves two parties – Adonai and Israel. Moses acted as a mediator for the people and angels acted for Adonai. The participation of Moses and the angels spoke of the distance, caused by sin, between Adonai and His chosen people.
If there is only one contracting party and he makes unconditional promises requiring nothing of the other party (such as Adonai’s promises to Abraham), there would be no need for a mediator. The fact that the law required a mediator meant that the people had to keep their part of the agreement.
The problem was that despite being given plenty of time and people, the law demonstrated that people could not keep it and avoid sin. Thus, the law is a curse bring which “brings about wrath” (Romans 4: 15.)
The law cannot bring about justification: it was never intended to.
Romans 3: 20.
“… by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified.”
Galatians 3: 11 – 12.
“… that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident.”
Romans 9: 32.
“… Israel did not seek righteousness by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law … they stumbled at that stumbling stone.”
As we have seen (James 2: 10) failure to keep one aspect of the law, means complete failure.
Adonai does not allow selective obedience. One cannot choose the parts of the law that are to one’s liking and disregard the rest. The Pharisees during the Lord Yeshua’s time on earth, were guilty of this. They carefully and publicly observed some of the requirements of the law, such as keeping the sabbath whilst ignoring others, such as honouring one’s parents. They fooled themselves into believing that they were keeping the law and would be justified. The Lord Yeshua saw them for what they were.
Matthew 23: 27.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
As people recognised that they could not keep the law of Moses, some simply gave up trying and their sinfulness would lead to destruction.
Amos 5: 10 – 13.
“They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks uprightly. Therefore, because you tread down the poor and take grain taxes from him, though you have built houses of hewn stone, yet you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink wine from them. For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: afflicting the just and taking bribes; diverting the poor from justice at the gate.”
So, the law of Moses did not replace the promises Adonai made to Abraham. It was to be a guide or tutor to Israel to fashion their conduct in the promised land. It was not in itself designed to be a means of gaining salvation. Indeed, it was a curse upon the people because they could not keep it. Which raises the question of what was Adonai’s ultimate purpose for the law.
Paul gives helpful insights in his letter to the Romans.
Romans 3: 20.
“Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified (i.e., made righteous) in His sight, for by the law is knowledge of sin.”
Romans 7: 7 – 12.
“What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.”
The first thing which Paul is saying here is that the law is not sin. The law reveals sin. Sin, of course, can exist without the law, although without the law it may be dormant. Without standards of right and wrong, there can be no judgment of what is sin and what is not.
But the law also stirs up the sinful nature of people. Commands against certain behaviours can arouse the desire to perform those evil behaviours. Confronted by Adonai’s law, the sinner’s rebellious nature finds the forbidden behaviour all the more attractive.
In Romans 7, Paul points out how our sin nature breaks our fellowship with Adonai. The law points out the path of righteousness, but since sin reigns in people’s nature, the law means judgment and death because of people’s inability to follow it perfectly.
The problem is not with the Holy Law of Adonai, but only how people’s sinful nature responds to it. The law is a perfect reflection of Adonai’s holy character and the standards necessary to please Him.
So, we see the ultimate purpose of the law of Moses is to convict people of their sinfulness, for them to recognise their inability to deal with it themselves and to cause them to cry out to Adonai for help.
The Third Stage of Adonai’s Response: The New Covenant.
So, having over a lengthy period provided the law to convince the people of their hopeless sinfulness, the third and final stage of Adonai’s plan could be produced: the New Covenant secured by the blood of the Lord Yeshua.
Jeremiah 31: 31 – 34.
“Behold the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah – not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying “Know the Lord”, for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Galatians 3: 24.
“Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.”
The New Covenant did not abolish the promises of Adonai to Abraham. Indeed, it confirms that all the world would be blessed by the Seed of Abraham. Nor did the New Covenant abolish the moral law of the Mosaic Covenant. Indeed, the Lord Yeshua showed in His ministry the true meaning of Adonai’s moral law and thus fulfilled it.
2 Corinthians 5: 21.
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
This is the heart of the Gospel: how sinners can be reconciled to Adonai through the Lord Yeshua. This brings in to play the doctrines of Imputation and Substitution.
The principle of Imputation refers to the process of justification whereby Adonai declares repentant sinners righteous and does not count their sins against them because the Lord Yeshua has covered our sins with His righteousness. The moment the sinner places his whole-hearted trust in the Lord Yeshua and His sacrificial death, he is declared righteous. Though available to all, actual atonement was made only for those who believe.
By the principle of Substitution, Adonai treated the Lord Yeshua as if He were a sinner – although of course He was not. Adonai had Him die as a substitute to pay the penalty of sin; all the sin of those who would believe in Him.
On the cross He did not become a sinner (as some argue). He remained as holy as ever. He was treated as though He was guilty of all the sin ever committed by all who would believe in Him. The wrath of Adonai was poured out on Him and He bore the just requirement of the law of Adonai for those for whom He died.
He bore our sins that we might bear His righteousness. Trusting in Him, we are reckoned as righteous in the eyes of Adonai. The claims of the law have been fully satisfied by our Substitute.
Ephesians 2: 8 – 9.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
So, the law’s ultimate aim was to convince people of sin and draw them to the Lord Yeshua who alone can ensure the forgiveness of sin and reconcile sinful people to Adonai.
But there is additional assistance to people in the New Covenant. We noted that the law lacked any power to overcome sin, but the New Covenant provided the indwelling Holy Spirit to believers to act as a guide in life and to point to the Lord Yeshua.
Thus, Paul could rebuke the Galatian believers who were considering going back under the law.
Galatians 3: 2.
“This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith” (i.e., by the hearing of the gospel of the Lord Yeshua).
Conclusion.
We have looked at three stages by which Adonai brought in His plan for the salvation of mankind. Firstly, came His promises to Abraham which remain in force as they are irrevocable and eternal. Then came the Law of Moses fulfilled by Messiah who showed their true meaning. The law was to convince man of his hopeless sinfulness and have him commit to the New Covenant sealed by the blood of Messiah.
Salvation is through faith in the Lord Yeshua with the ability to walk in His ways provided by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Salvation is a gift of Adonai through His grace and mercy to undeserving sinners. The Lord Yeshua’s sacrificial death provided the seal for the New Covenant; a covenant for the forgiveness of sin and justification.
Bless His holy name!
AMEN.