Inside Out

In studying the last couple of days, I have come across some interesting web sites by Jewish people. I am always interested in their wisdom and insights in the Scriptures. On one website, a Jewish man had an article about life after death which I found intriguing, but none of what he writes on the subject is accompanied by Scripture references. I was going to email him to ask about it, but then read that they don't necessarily need any specific Scriptures to back up what they say, if it is something that is in the Oral Talmud, and simply eluded to in the Scriptures. As for me, I also need to see something in the New Testament on the subject as well. (A thing shall be established by two or three witnesses.)

On this website, they gave an outline of the time lines of human history. It was interesting - they did start out with the idea of human history encompassing 6,000 years, but added some very different ideas, like the idea that the nation of Israel's sins are keeping the Messiah from coming. This was interesting to me because of the fact that the Messiah has already come! But many in Israel (the Messiah's own people) did not recognize Him. The article on the website described the Jewish people's hope for the Messiah to come and restore their nation. I thought about how even the disciples of Jesus looked for the restoration of the nation and redemption from Roman rule. However when Jesus came, he taught things they did not expect, such as: "The Kingdom of God is within you." Also in the New Testament we are told that we are "translated out of the kingdom of darkness, into the Kingdom of Light". These concepts of a Spiritual Kingdom and waging Spiritual Warfare are more difficult to comprehend than a literal, physical Kingdom because we cannot see a literal Kingdom. But spiritual forces have a powerful impact on the physical world we see with our natural eye. We are called to exercise His authority in the Spiritual Realm. Then we will see changes in the natural realm.

One thing that has definitely NOT changed from the Old Covenant to the New, is that God requires us to trust Him - to obey Him - to live by faith (have confidence in Him). We can have confidence that He is good and His mercy endures forever. We have confidence because He proved His love to us. However, we can miss seeing His love if we look to the natural realm rather than the Spiritual Realm first. As we comprehend His love through faith in His goodness (faith works by love) we will gain confidence in Him, and our lives will be changed - inside first, then out.

Giving to the Poor

Giving is important in the life of a disciple of Jesus; that is not something anyone would dispute. It does become difficult, though, when the issue of "enabling" is brought in to the picture. What if the needy and poor are needy and poor because of their own behaviors - like laziness?

The first, most easy answer to the question of, "How do we know if or when to give?", is to say, "Just be led by your spirit." But that is not really the end-all answer. First of all, because being led by your spirit requires experience to develop the ability to tell the difference between your spirit and your mind - intellectual ability. ". . .but strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." (Hebrews 5:14)

Second of all, in order for our spirit to be strong we must build it up through Bible reading and communication with God (prayer). ". . .Be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2)

Without a renewed mind and the ability to see things the way God sees things, we are left to our own unregenerate ways of thinking.

Giving to the poor, however, can be a great way to be a witness to them about the goodness of God. It can be an open door to tell them that you are able to bless them because God has blessed you, and that He loves them too and cares about them.

As far as troubles being self-inflicted goes, a good deal of the troubles we all experience are self-inflicted. Neglecting prayer and Bible reading, procrastination or falling into temptation and making bad choices can cause us to experience negative circumstances. Perhaps that is why Paul wrote, "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith." "Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits." (Roman 12:3 & 16)

It is good for us to remember that in God's sight, we too were poor and destitute, rebellious, ignorant of His ways, and yet, "God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

Another reason to give to the poor is because human beings are made in the image and likeness of God. (Genesis 1) Even though they may be in a fallen state and are not deemed worthy of respect right now, each person carries the potential to be an image- bearer of God.

If you decide to give help to the poor, remember to do it as though you are giving directly to the Lord, expecting nothing in return and remember to pray for them also - that God will use your witness and these circumstances to soften their hearts and open a way for them to be drawn to Him and ultimately be set free from the bondage of sin in their lives. We are not the saviors, but we can tell them who is the savior; and we cannot single-handedly meet everyone else's needs. The needs are so great, and we are limited in what we can do. However, praying beforehand is always a good thing! :-) If the Lord's blessing is upon our work it will have a far greater impact, and we will have joy in the work we do. If there is no joy in our giving, then perhaps the Lord is not leading you to give monetarily - but praying is always the right thing to do!

Book of Enoch

Here are a few of sites that talk about the Book of Enoch:
http://www.heaven.net.nz/writings/enoch.htm
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/boe/boe002.htm
http://www.new-life.net/faq013.htm

There are differing opinions on it, but I find it to be interesting anyway.

ghosts part two

Continuing on the study of ghosts, I am reminded of the story in Scripture that tells about Jesus walking on a lake late at night during rough weather. When He approaches the boat that the disciples were in, they thought He was a ghost, and the Bible says they were terrified. It even says they screamed with fear! (Matt. 14:22-26) If ghosts weren't real, I think Jesus would have said so then and there. lol. Even after Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to the disciples, again they thought He was a ghost and were terrified. (Luke 24:36-42)

Some things to consider in these stories is that the disciples had not yet been filled with the Holy Spirit. After they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they were no longer fearful - even under persecution. When Jesus was arrested, they had all fled and even denied knowing Jesus. In our natural state a human being is no match for spiritual things; fear is natural. But once we are born anew and have the Holy Spirit of the Living God within our hearts we will find a new sense of boldness if we build up our spirit-man. Scripture says, "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind."

I believe that people open themselves up to ungodly spiritual experiences mostly out of ignorance. Just this morning on tv Montel Williams hosted Sylvia Brown who contacts dead relatives and answers peoples questions about what happened to their dead relatives. I don't think those people are "bad"; just ignorant. Sylvia Brown thinks she is doing a good thing. That does not mean it is a good thing. A good thing would be for her to humble herself and read what the Bible says. Without the Scriptures we are truly lost and without an anchor; we are open to the wiles of the devil. The Scriptures are our safe guide and light for our path.

I have found another Jewish website that has provided me with some fantastic insight into some things, but they write on there that they believe that if a person does not strenghten their spirit by studying Scripture, when they die their spirit sometimes does not leave the body because it does not know how and is not strong enough. They say that people then have to help it along. I never heard of such a thing - and I will email her and ask for Scripture references - which she gave none of. I must see it in Scripture! I will let you know if I find anything else out on this. I know when my moms brother passed away, she had been taking a nap and woke up because she thought someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and no one was there. Shortly after that the phone rang and she was told he had died. Hmmm. My mom has seen angels too. I never have. One Bible teacher, the late Kenneth Hagin, tought that there were people who became demon possessed because they sought spiritual visions instead of seeking the Word. The devil will accomodate people who are seeking spiritual experiences and don't have the Word as an anchor to their soul.

Another interesting insight is the Book of Enoch. It is not a cannonized book, but it is quoted in the Book of Jude (vs. 14). I googled it and downloaded a copy of it. It shed some hugely interesting light on the "Nephilim" mentioned in Genesis 4-8, and what was going on that caused God to send the flood. If you would like to google it for yourself you can, or I can copy and send what I have. I am quite careful about delving into these things - mostly it is best to keep your eyes on Jesus and the letters to the Churches. They will build your spirit. But this other stuff is definitely interesting! Joey and I googled to find out why the Book of Enoch was not cannonized. That is something I would like to find out more about.

answers about ghosts

Hi to Jess - those were all good questions you had! One thing you might want to consider is getting a concordance. I have "Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible." It is a very large book that lists every word in the Bible, gives the verse it is found in, and also gives the definition of that word from the Hebrew (Tanach-Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament). It is a lot of fun to study things using this tool. One example of a word study using the concordance is the word "large". In the New Testament there are four words translated "large". One is found in Mk 14:15, ". . .he will show you a large upper room." Large here is the Greek word, "megas" which means big. In Galations 6:11, Paul wrote, "Look at the large letters I use. . ." Here, the word translated "large" is the Greek word, "megaleios" meaning "magnificent", "a conspicuous favor", or "perfection". Then in Rev. 21:16 it says, ". . .the length is as large as the breadth. . ." The Greek word here is, "tosoutos" meaning, "so vast as this". This is not the best example, but is the only thing I could come up with this late at night. lol Just in curiosity, I looked up the word, "ghost". The verses there did not shed any light on your question. Then I looked up, "spirit". In the Old Testament there are two words translated "spirit". The most common one is, "ruwach" which means wind, or by resemblance, breath, or spirit of a rational being. The other word used for "spirit" is "owb". The definition is a little hazy but basically refers to a necromancer. A necromancer is a person who makes contact with the dead. The Bible refers to those people as those with a "familiar spirit" The verses that speak about that are: Lev. 19:31, 20:6 and 27, Deut. 18:11, ISam. 28:3,7,8,9 and 2Kings 21:6, 23:24, IChron. 10:13, and 2Chron. 33:6. Basically, trying to make contact with the dead is something that God warns His people to stay away from. The spirit world is very real. We do not need to fear it, but it is not something to play games with either. People who practice "spiritual" things outside of the realm of the guidelines given to us in the Scriptures are playing dangerous games and will eventually end up in trouble. The verses in ISamuel 3-9 actually tell about King Saul calling on the services of a woman with a familiar spirit. According to the story, she did contact Samuel, who then spoke to Saul. It should be noted that the reason Saul sought her services is that he was in big trouble, and God refused to answer him because of his rebellion toward God. That is not a good position to be in!

Generally, people involved in spiritual activity outside of the guidelines of Scripture are seeking power for themselves. One New Testament example is in Acts 9:9-24; "There was a man named Shim'on in the city who for some time had been practicing magic and astonishing the nation of Shomron, claiming to be somebody great. Everyone gave heed to him, from the lowest to the highest, saying, 'This man is the power of God called, The Great Power'. They followed him because for a considerable time he had amazed them with his magic."

You can read the rest of the story for yourself and see what happens to him.

Another New Testament story concerning something along these lines is Acts 19:13-16.

I have read stories of missionaries that tell about instances that dealt with the power of evil spirits in countries where witchcraft and voodoo are widespread - like Haiti for instance. The thing to remember is that Jesus is greater and more powerful than any of these other things. As we grow in him, our confidence in His power in us will give us strength. Remember the story in Luke 10 where Jesus sends out 70 disciples, and they came back all excited because, ". . .even the demons submit to us." In America we have not had so much experience in these things. Our country was founded upon the values found in Scripture, and most people did not dabble in things like astrology and fortunetelling. But as these things increase, it opens the door for Satanic activity. That is why so many Christians are against the Harry Potter books and movie. They stir ignorant people who become curious about witchcraft.

For our part, we need to stay close to the Lord in prayer and Bible study, meditating on what He says about us.

God raised Jesus to the highest place and gave Him the name above every name;
that in honor of the name given Yeshua, every knee will bow - in heaven, on earth and under the earth - and every tongue will acknowledge that Yeshua the Messiah is Lord to the glory of God the Father." Phil.2:9-11

Grow powerful in union with the Lord, in union with His mighty strength!" Eph.6:10

All who are led by God's Spirit are God's sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to bring you back again into fear; on the contrary, you received the Spirit, who makes us sons and by whose power we cry out, "Abba!" (that is, dear Father!)
What then are we to say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare even his own Son, but gave Him up on behalf of us all - is it possible that, having given us His Son, he would not give us everything else too?" Romans 8:14,15 and 31,32

The Law is Holy and Good

Since I have been studying and reading more works written by Messianic believers, I have realised more and more how much of the New Testament was written about the division and unity of Jews and Gentiles. Understanding the relationship between the Tanakh and the New Testament and the place they hold in our lives today is something I find to be instrumental in giving me a deeper understanding of God's will, His Word and His relationship to the various races of people. As a gentile I have found it enlightening to recognize that the Scriptures were written in the context of Jewish culture, not American. . .lol. . .and they need to be understood in their context (which was not an American paradigm). Also, as a believer (one who trusts in Yeshua - Jesus - as the Messiah), how do we balance the place of grace and the place of the Law of God that was given through Moses?

In connection to this, there seems to be some contradictions in the Scriptures (though we know the contradiction is only in our understanding). For instance, Romans 3:28 says, "Therefore, we hold the view that a person comes to be considered righteous by God on the ground of trusting, which has nothing to do with legalistic observance of Torah commands." Then we read in Romans 3:30 & 31, "Therefore, He will consider righteous the circumcised on the ground of trusting and the uncircumcised through that same trusting. Does it follow that we abolish Torah by this trusting? On the contrary, we confirm Torah."

So how do we confirm the Torah? For me, the passage in Romans 3:21 holds an interesting insight. It says, "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets." It seems to me that throught the ages, the Torah was a witness. Now is human experience, witnesses can only give an accurate account of an event that has already happened which they personally saw. For instance, a witness to an accident must have been at the scene when the accident occurred. And they cannot be a witness to the accident, before it occurred. However, Scriptures tells us that Yeshua was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Therefore, the Torah - even in the Tanakh was a witness concerning the sacrifice of the Lamb, even though the event had not yet manifested in our physical world. It pointed to the coming manifestation of His sacrifice. When the the Messiah appeared, He indeed fulfilled the events the witness told us about. Yeshua said that the law and the prophets spoke of Him. Once He came and did what the law and prophets said He would do, did that make their witness void? Of course not. It confirmed what the witness said all along! When we believe the testimony of what He did - His righteous life, death and resurrection - we also affirm that what the law and the prophets - the witness - told us. We agree with the witness they give. We concur that their testimony is true and we declare God's faithfulness in doing what He said He would do. My King James Bible lists 38 passages in the Old Testament that foretold the events concerning the Messiah, and were fulfilled in the New Testament. It is not a comprehensive list either, because I am thinking right now of a foretelling (prophecy) that is not in that list. I will share it here because it is one of my favorites. It is found in Numbers 21:5-9. The Israelites were travelling around the land of Edom and became discouraged. They spoke against Moses - and God - and complained. Because of this, God sent poisonous snakes which bit the people, and many died. When the people repented and asked Moses to intercede for them, God told Moses, "Make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. When anyone who has been bitten sees it, he will live." Moses did as the Lord told him. Scripture records that, "Moses made a bronze snake and put it on the pole; if a snake had bitten someone, then, when he beheld the bronze snake , he stayed alive." The serpent on the pole represented our sin that was nailed to the execution stake along with the Messiah. Colossians 2:14 speaking of Yeshua says, "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us,which was contrary to us,and took it out of the way, nailing it to the execution stake." 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "God made this sinless man be a sin offering on our behalf, so that in union with Him we might fully share in God's righteousness." As the Israelites beheld the serpent on the pole and as we behold the Messiah on the execution stake, we are made whole, healed and brought into right standing with God. Those are only the prophets. Then there is the witness of the law. The peace offerings, the sin offerings, burnt offerings and the passover all were foreshadows and types that were fulfilled in Yeshua. Bible teacher Marilyn Hickey has some excellent teachings along these lines.

Because of a lack of time today I will not go into it further, but if there is an interest in it, I could blog on this topic more at another time. But for now I hope it is a little clearer why Paul could confidently say that the Law is Holy and Good. It witnessed of Yeshua and the grace that was brought to us through Him.

Does Bible Reading Promote Democratic Thinking?

Yesterday (Sunday, July 15), we had some family members come for dinner in celebration of Joey's 17th birthday. Toward the end of the evening, during the conversation, a couple of family members remarked that as I am getting older my thinking is becoming more "democratic". This was in response to my comment that sometimes it does take a "village" to survive in life. We need each other. I had said I had gotten this thinking from reading the Bible which says, "When one member of the body suffers, we all suffer." When I brought up the fact that the Bible says, "We are all one body," there was also much scoffing.
I believe the strong negative response I got from that remark is because people immediately think you are excusing lazy, undisciplined and immoral living. As a matter of fact, when I brought the subject up again later with my husband, he brought up crooks and criminals and even terrorists!

I was not talking about us - Christians - as being "one" with crooks, criminals, terrorists, or even with religious yet unregenerated people (those not truly born again). As I told my husband, even Jesus said to the religious leaders whose religion was a mere outward display, "You are of your father, the devil." Paul also cautions against having close ties to unregenerate people: "Do not yoke yourselves together in a team with unbelievers; for how can righteousness and lawlessness be partners? What fellowship does light have with darkness? What harmony can there be between the Messiah and B'liya'al? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement can there be between the temple of God and idols?" (2Cor. 6:14-16)

So this morning I looked up the Scriptures again that talk about us being one body. I noticed that the context of the scriptures has to do with Jew, Gentile, slave and free people. It also has to do with differences in spiritual gifting.

The Church in Corinth was very carnal. They were full of division. Paul wrote to exhort them to be united under one Father: "Nevertheless, brothers, I call on you in the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah to agree, all of you, in what you say, and not to let yourselves remain split into factions but be restored to having a common mind and a common purpose." (1Cor. 10)

So who is a member of this One Body - the Body of Christ? Jesus said we would know them by their fruit. But the church in Corinth did not have very good fruit. As a matter of fact, Paul says, "As for me, brothers (in Corinth), I couldn't talk to you as spiritual people but as worldly people, as babies, so far as experience with the Messiah is concerned. For you are still worldly! Isn't it obvious from all the jealousy and quarrelling among you that you are worldly and living by merely human standards?" (1Cor.3:1,3) There was even immoral sex going on - not in the whole congregation, but in some members. Yet the rest of the Church didn't bat an eye at it; as a matter of fact, they still felt pride in their supposed spirituality. (1Cor.5:1,2) And then Paul says something to the Corinthians that would shock most people today - Christians included. He says that we are to judge those who claim to be Christians that are a part of our community! Read it for yourself.

1Cor. 5:12 says, "For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Isn't is those who are part of the community that you should be judging? God will judge those who are outside." The Christians in the Church at Corinth should have judged the man who was committing sexual immorality with his step mother.

Paul says, "In my earlier letter I wrote you not to associate with people who engage in sexual immorality. I didn't mean the sexually immoral people outside your community, or the greedy, or the thieves, or the idol-worshippers - for then you would have to leave the world altogether! No, what I wrote you was not to associate with anyone who is supposedly a brother but who also engages in sexual immorality, is greedy, worships idols, is abusive, gets drunk or steals. With such a person you shouldn't even eat!" (1Cor.5:9-11) Wow! Those are strong words!

He goes on to say, "Don't you know that unrighteous people will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don't delude yourselves - people who engage in sex before marriage, who worship idols, who engage in sex after marriage with someone other than their spouse, who engage in active or passive homosexuality, who steal, who are greedy, who get drunk, who assail people with contemptuous language, who rob - none of them will share in the Kingdom of God." (1Cor. 6:9,10)

None of this sounds like Democratic thinking. It is the Democrats who want to make homosexual marriage legal. A couple of days ago I saw a bumper sticker that said, "God is not a republican - or a democrat." That may be true, but I wanted to write on that bumper sticker - "but God IS pro-life!" How could anyone say that they think it is okay with God to cut off a new life before it is even born? Even if they think it is not a human baby - they cannot deny it is a "potential life", and God is for life - not against it.

So, when I say that the Bible teaches that we are all "one body", and "when one member suffers, all the members suffer with it," Paul was writing about the unity between members of the Body of Christ being united in Him, not divided by ethnicity, social class, or spiritual gifting. That is the context of his statements. The preceding verses (1Cor. 12:1-13) are about spiritual gifting and the verses following his statements about the oneness of the body are about gifting (verses 28-30). Prophets are not above the rest of us. Teachers are not above the rest of us. People with gifts of healing are not above the rest of us. Being Jewish ethnically does not make a person superior. Being a slave does not make a person in the Body of Christ less important to the rest of the Body. Paul writes, ". . .the parts of the body that seem to be less important turn out to be all the more necessary; and upon body parts which we consider less dignified we bestow greater dignity; and the parts that aren't attractive are the ones we make as attractive as we can. . .Indeed, God has put the body together in such a way that he gives greater dignity to the parts that lack it so that there will be no disagreements within the body, but rather all the parts will be equally concerned for all the others." (1Cor.12:22-25)

I still feel that so many churches today have such an emphasis on the "prosperity message" that was not taught in the early church. We do not have "slaves" in our culture in America today, as they did in Paul's day, but it is still important to note that Paul did not write on how a slave could become financially independent! The gifts of God are not dependant on our financial status in life - but in many churches, a persons financial status is considered a gauge of your spirituality. Finances are considered a manifestation of God's blessing. Whether or not a person tithes is said to be a gauge on ones' spirituality. That is not what the Bible teaches. Paul writes, "I may give away EVERYTHING I OWN - but if I lack LOVE, I gain nothing." (1Cor. 13:3) Some Churches today - in teaching prosperity have a reverse emphasis - tithe, tithe, tithe, give money, give more money! They are sure to pass the collection plate every service - but is love emphasized every time the church assembles? Is patience, kindness, humility and repentance emphasized in every service?

As always, when I blog, one thing leads to another - and one thing I am wondering about now is the connection to being a slave in Paul's day with being poor in today's economy. I hope to blog about that - but not today:-)

And getting back to the title of this blog, I must also say that Democrats are no better when looking for monetary handouts - they are called taxes. The Democrats seem to think they are superior to Republicans in areas of care and concern for the poor. But their attitude of superiority betrays their motives. Their lust and greed for YOUR money betrays their motives. And their willingness to divide and cause jealousy among the poor against the rich betrays their motives (after all, one of the ten commandments is "Do not covet your neighbors goods").

So I will have to look further into the issue of Oneness in the Body. It is true that no man is an island unto himself. It is true that we are all dependant upon one another - we need each other. It is true that when one member suffers, we all suffer - that all the parts of the Body should be equally concerned for all the others. But that does not mean that we excuse those that are not conducting their lives in righteousness. And yes, we are to judge those among us that say they are Christians.

Keeping the Law

I have been reading a book called, "Chofetz Chaim, A Lesson a Day - The Concepts and Laws of Proper Speech Arranged for Daily Study" by Rabbi Shimon Findelman and Rabbi Yitzchak Berkowitz. The reading for day #168, titled, "Taking Hold of the Tree" begins by saying "The Torah is called a 'tree of life for those who grasp it'. The way to grab onto a tree is to take hold of one of its branches; in so doing, one has attached himself to the entire tree of which this branch is a part.'

Now as you may have noticed, the authors are Jewish, and I do not believe that they are followers of Jesus. But they are dedicated to following the teachings of the Tanach (which includes the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings - our Old Testament). Chofetz Chaim was apparently a man who stood out among his fellowmen in his dedication in applying the Words of Scripture to his life, and it would have been an honor to have met him in his lifetime.

When I read the reading for day 168, however, I could not help but think about how Jesus said that He is the Vine - we are the branches.

First of all, I wonder - since we are the branches - if someone makes contact with us, attaching themselves to us in fellowship, presupposing that we are in right relationship with the Father and our faith in Jesus is sound, this should lead them to Jesus Himself. Just as Chofetz Chaim said that when someone grabs onto a branch of a tree, they are attaching themselves to the whole tree of which that branch is a part.

Secondly, I thought of the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament actually contained 613 commandments - not just the 10 we know today in the gentile world. Concerning these 613, Chofetz Chaim said, "The way to attach oneself to the 613 mitzvos is by fulfilling one particular mitzvah with exacting precision and total dedication. Dedicaton and attachment to a single commandment will cause one's soul to become united with Hashem and His Torah and will lead to a proper fulfillment of other mitzvos as well."

The writing for day 168 goes on to say, "One who will dedicate himself to the meticulous observance of these laws in all their fine details, in all situations and under all conditions, will thereby take hold of a branch of the Tree of Life and merit reward that no angel can fathom."

I guess so! I don't know if that is possible! Meticulous observance . . .in all the fine details. .under all conditions. . .in all situations! Oh my goodness!

I thought of something Paul said that seems to me is accurate. It is written that if a person breaks even one point of the law, they broke the whole law! No one except Jesus has been able to say they have never sinned. Jesus has fulfilled all the requirements of the law. He has received a "reward that no angle can fathom." As a believer in Jesus, we are partakers with Him in His inheritance. No wonder the Bible calls it "good news". I thought, "It is actually almost unbelievable," when we consider what we have been given in Him. He fulfilled the Law. When we wholeheartedly believe in Him and live a life in response to what He has done for us, then His righteousness is transferred to us. He kept the law, "in all its fine details, in all situations and under all conditions."

We owe Him our gratitude and love. We could never do it ourselves, so He did it for us! That is good news.