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SPIRIT vs TRADITIONS

DOES GOD BREAK HIS OWN LAW?
FULFILLING THE LAW WHILE VIOLATING IT
TRADITION OF THE LAW
SPIRIT OF THE LAW
KEEPING THE SPIRIT, VIOLATING THE TRADITION
THE ABOMINATION OF LIVING IN THE TRADITION OF THE LAW
SPIRIT OF THE LAW INCARNATED
THE LAW AND TRADITIONS OF THE GENTILES
THOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY
CHRIST, LAW, GRACE & PATRIARCHY
THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH IS IN THE LAW & GRACE OF GOD
FURTHER EXAMPLES FOR UNDERSTANDING

DOES GOD BREAK HIS OWN LAW? (Go Top)
God is the Giver of the Law. The Law is holy. Yet for many times in the scriptures, it seems that God broke His own laws. Why? Because He is above the Law. He is greater than the Law. No doubt God is above and greater than the Law, but that alone is not the reason why He should break His own Law. The answer lies in understanding the difference between the spirit of the Law and the tradition of the Law. And if we so understand this well, we’ll know that God actually never break His own Law. He never did at any one time violated the spirit of the Law which is the essence and purpose of the Law, but in the process of fulfilling the spirit of the Law, the traditions of the Law had to be broken sometimes, even by God Himself or by men with God vindicating them. The spirit of the Law is the heart of God, His intent and His ways. It’s the life and the breath of God that should be imparted through the Law.

FULFILLING THE LAW WHILE VIOLATING IT (Go Top)
Rahab the prostitute was spared and vindicated even after she told a lie to protect the spies. According to the Law, she should have been stoned to death for being a prostitute and for telling a lie. Tamar played prostitute to her father-in-law to produce offspring. Not only were both women spared, but by their acts for the Kingdom, found favor in God, and thus were appointed to be the great grandmothers and foundation for King David, who was to build an everlasting Kingdom for God. Why is this so? Because they were in effect Kingdom-minded, and in the way they knew best in their lowly state at that time, they fulfilled the spirit (purpose) of the Law while they violated the practice (tradition) of the Law. It would be best if one can fulfill both, but it not always possible. And sometimes it would mean breaking the practices of the Law in order to fulfill the intent of the Law. Thus in this sense, the Law was not broken but instead fulfilled. Something that the Pharisees and Saduccees would not be able to accept because they live by the traditions (continual practice) of the Law and not by the spirit of the Law. As Jesus put it, they strain at a gnat and swallow a camel, which means they pick on the nitty-gritties of the practices of the Law and of what is pleasing to the general public and overlook the weightier part, which is to preserve the spirit of the Law, thus failing the very purpose of their office. Jesus also said, "Sabbath (Law) is for man and not man for the Sabbath (Law)." The purpose of the practice of the Law is to guide man into the spirit of the Law, which is the heart of God.

TRADITION OF THE LAW (Go Top)
What then is the tradition of the Law? It is the ritualistic outward practice of the Law, the do’s and the don’ts of the Law, without intelligently considering the heart and purpose of God in those practices.

SPIRIT OF THE LAW (Go Top)
What then is the spirit of the Law? It is the heart and intent of God as manifested through the Law to give life to those who live by it.

KEEPING THE SPIRIT, VIOLATING THE TRADITION (Go Top)
Let’s take the observance of traffic rules to demonstrate the Law of God. When we were young, we were taught to adhere to traffic rules very closely while crossing the road. This is needful and good. We were taught to look right and left and right again (British road system), making sure there were no vehicles before we cross the road. But as we grew, we knew that we would never get to cross some very heavy traffic roads this way. What if the traffic flow is the opposite, as in another land? It would be totally disastrous. But then there would be another set of safety rules. Thus the observances of rules and regulations may change from place to place and time to time but the "spirit" of the Law of safety remains universal throughout the world in every traffic system. That’s how we must understand the Law of God. As we grow older, we would have learned the "spirit" and purpose of the traffic regulations which is safety first (preservation of life) rather than a rigid adherence to rules, and sometimes to preserve life means having to break some of the rigid rules at critical moments. Will you break the speed limit if you have to rush someone to the hospital in an emergency? I will. You will. Otherwise we may "murder" someone by observing the speed limit. Thus, blind observation of the Law can be murderous too. But this does not warrant us to hurt others just because of the liberty or because we are helping another. Thus we see that sometimes the fulfillment of the Law necessitate the breaking of the Law. But this is usually an exception rather than a norm.

I never forget that after I had gotten my driving license, my instructor wanted me to do him a favor by driving him into town. When we got into town, he said, "Now that you have the license, you can drive as you like, as long as no accident." I do not say that grace is the license to violate the Law, but I say that grace gives us greater liberty to fulfill the spirit of the Law and if so necessary, break the traditions of the Law. One who has never broken traffic rules to put safety first, is one who does not know the reason for having traffic rules and how such rules work. And such a road user is a danger to himself and his fellow men. Sometimes we are forced to violate some rules in order to avoid a major accident. If anyone disagrees with this spiritually, he must be a hypocritical Pharisee. I must add that I had my first accident soon after I got my license, in less than 10 mins after I bought my first car. And it happened because I was rigidly abiding by traffic regulations to keep to my lane while turning on a very busy street. Apparently, my instructor knew what he was saying. By keeping the Law, I had in fact violated the spirit of the Law.

I have been driving for many years by now, and those who drive know how frustrating numerous traffic lights are in crowded towns. But there is one traffic light that I particularly like and am almost coming to love it. It’s a T junction near my house that carries a sign that says, "Turn left on red", which means that I can still turn left (British system) when the traffic light is RED, provided that according to my judgement and within my responsibility, it’s safe to do so. This liberty is also extended to some pedestrian crossings with traffic lights. More of such are being tested and implemented throughout the country. They find it expedient to do so.

The world has come to grasp the truth of the spirit of the Law, but sadly, the Church is still far from it. How do I know this? I ask the question, "If you had the opportunity to shoot Hitler when he was exterminating the Jews, would you do it?" Some gladly say yes, while many do not know, and many say they must not commit murder. (I am in no way justifying or propagating any form of modern day terrorism.) The point is that such are still bound in the bondage of rigidity of the Law, not knowing that while they keep themselves in the tradition (blind obedience) of the Law, they would be guilty of passively murdering millions of Jews by not stopping Hitler if they had a chance to do so. They keep the Law in the head, not in the heart. They are tradition bound, not knowing why God instituted the Law, which is to preserve life. And it may be necessary to remove lives (that cause death) in order to preserve life, which was the reason why He led the Israelites into battles when the iniquity of the inhabitants were fully ripe (Gen 15:16). Worse will be the bloody judgement of the world by an angry God when the time has fully come, that everlasting life (eternity) may be ushered in.

THE ABOMINATION OF LIVING IN THE TRADITION OF THE LAW (Go Top)
Jesus said that God holds the scribes and Pharisees guilty of all the committed sins since Adam (Mat 23:35). That’s the scary weight of the sin of living in the traditions of the Law rather than the spirit of the Law, of pleasing men with traditions rather than seeing the fulfillment of the spirit of the Law in Christ! That, in God’s eye is a sin worse than any other sins. Rather, I would say, the sin that originate all other sins!

SPIRIT OF THE LAW INCARNATED (Go Top)
Jesus said of them, if you do the Law of Moses, you would know me. Meaning that if the Jews truly live by the spirit and not the tradition of the Law, they would be able to recognize that He was indeed the Messiah, for He is the spirit of the Law incarnated. He is the WORD, which includes the whole of OT and the commandments and statutes of the Law. John said the Word was made flesh. At the time when this was written, there was no New Testament yet, meaning that it was the Old Testament, the spirit of the Law and the statutes that became incarnated into Man. It was not the traditions but the spirit of the Law that was incarnated. That was why the Pharisees and Saduccees could not recognize Him as the Christ, for they lived not by the spirit, but by the tradition of the Law. Modern conservative Christianity is the same plight, living in only in traditional practices and norms rather than receiving new moves of the works of the Spirit of God. But there is no way one can tell if a new move is of God unless he knows the spirit of the Law (know the purpose of God as from the beginning) rather than the traditions of the Law (of what he is doing now).

THE LAW AND TRADITIONS OF THE GENTILES (Go Top)
One may contend that because we are Gentiles and not Jews, we are thus fortunate in that we are not bound by the tradition of the Jewish Law. So we are safe, thank God. At least that’s what I thought when I was a young Christian. But I say to you, we are in a WORST plight! The Jews have the Law of God. Scriptures say the Law is holy. They lived in the Law and yet they do not see the spirit of the Law. How much worse would we Gentiles be, when our forefathers and culture do not have the Jewish Law. For if the Jewish Law is used to lead the hearers to the spirit of the Law, and those who have the Jewish Law fail to grasp the spirit of the Law, how much worse would be those who do not have it? And if Christ is the goal, where the Jewish Law is pointing to, how do we truly know Him when we do not know the Law, for the Law points to Christ (See Romans 10:4 as according to the Jewish New Testament that is translated from the Jewish point of view). Thus if the Jews are far from God, we are further. Thus when we become believers, we interpret the ways of God and the grace of Christ, not by the Law but by our own heathen cultural traditions instead of from the Hebraic (Abrahamic) backdrop that God has intended. If it were not for the saving grace of Christ, we are nothing but abomination to God. So we may conclude that the Gentiles after receiving Christ see the ways of God and God himself against the backdrop of a heathen culture of their own laws, values and traditions rather than from the Hebraic roots and culture where God had first begun to reveal Himself. This shows how far we can be from the Truth. For if the Jews had the Law and still missed the spirit of the Law, how much worse we Gentiles who do not have the heritage of the Law?

THOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY (Go Top)
Let me cite one example. When God says, Thou shalt not commit adultery. He said it at a time, in a place when adultery means a married woman with another man and other such stipulations as in the Hebrew Law which He gave, and not in the modern definition of a married man taking on more wives. And this principle still remained true at the time of Christ and to these days, for God and His definition of His Word and the spirit thereof never change. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Modern dictionaries and definitions are not Bible, but they have come to define the words in the scriptures and interpreting them for us, thus twisting the true understanding of what God said adultery is. This is just one example, which puts the Gentiles in a wrong track of understanding true godliness. The one who defines the word sets the rules and determines the course. Unfortunately in this instance, it’s the author of the dictionary and not the Author of the Word.

Thus we can see that the Gentiles even though not under the bondage of the traditions of the Jewish Law, are in the worst plight of being under the bondage of their own laws, values, traditions and definitions and interpretation of God’s Word. Thus, by themselves, it becomes impossible to understand the scriptures unless they come to the starting point where God began His works, the Hebrews - the Patriarchal Fathers. In this sense, we Gentiles are basically Greco-Roman slaves, bound by Greco-Roman laws and traditions that have influenced the modern world. We carry them into Christianity when we become converts. Like Hagar who carried Egyptian values into the Patriarch’s family. Refusing to embrace Patriarchy to be submissive to Sarah, she continued to be a bondmaid unlike the maids of Jacob’s wives who were liberated to produce heirs for the Kingdom. If God would accept Ruth, Rahab and the maids of Jacob’s wives, would He not also accept Hagar? Modern Christians who fail to embrace Hebraic roots of Christianity fall into the same plight of Hagar, never attaining the promises of God and never attaining liberty into becoming true sons of God, unless they become true sons of Abraham. Thus to be true sons of Abraham is to embrace the Hebraic roots of Christianity and Biblical Patriarchy.

CHRIST, LAW, GRACE & PATRIARCHY (Go Top)
What is my conclusion? If we Gentiles do not turn to the ways of the patriarchs as seen in the Hebraic roots we will never, never come to know the Truth. No doubt that Jesus is the Truth, but the depth of the Truth is that which is revealed and manifested in the Hebrew roots and not in the cultures, traditions and values of the heathen world which is considered by God to be His enemy. Modern Christianity that does not embrace Hebraic roots is certainly in the wrong boat.

Thus I conclude that the Jews would have to return, from where they have fallen, from where they have departed, back to their Patriarchal fathers whom they have forsaken, and if they so truly do and so truly live by the spirit of the Law, they would then know that Jesus is the Christ.

As for us Gentiles, there is no way that we can come to know the truth and the spirit of the Truth, which is the spirit of the Law unless we get to the Hebraic roots of Christianity and Biblical Patriarchy and be born again in the ways and understanding of God as manifested in the Patriarchal fathers rather than against the backdrop of our heathen culture and values. That’s why the Word says that our mind would have to be renewed. Renew by what? By regeneration with the Word that includes commandments and statutes (as according to correct cultural interpretations) that were given to the Patriarchal fathers. Remembering that when the epistles were written, the New Testament was not yet compiled, thus the "Word of God" and the "scriptures" as mentioned in the NT were largely referring to the Old Testament instead.

THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH IS IN THE LAW & GRACE OF GOD (Go Top)
I do not undermine the saving grace of Christ, instead the more I honor it in awe and with amazement after knowing the Patriarchal truth. The saving grace of Christ is indescribable. For those who are young and shallow and do not know, they are spared because of the bountiful mercies and grace of God, but for those who should know and are entrusted with the souls and resources in the Kingdom, they have no excuse, but to live by the Spirit (spirit of the Law which is the spirit of the Truth). To such this understanding becomes an issue of Truth and falsehood, sin and righteousness, life and death to be reckoned with. The Law and the grace co-exist together in Christ even to this day! I am speaking of spiritual depths and heights in God. When I was a younger Christian, I always wondered why Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and Saduccees so harshly, calling them white-washed tombs and hypocrites. I now understand why. They know the Law, but they choose to live in the tradition of the Law rather than the spirit of the Law as did their patriarchal fathers, for they do not want to risk their position, reputation, families and even their lives for the sake of God’s Kingdom.

The traditional Jews live in the traditions of Law and reject the grace. The traditional Christians live in the traditions of the grace and reject the Law. Both do not have the spirit of the Law and the spirit of the grace. For the spirit of the Law is in the grace and the spirit of the grace is in the Law. For both are the spirit of Truth manifested. Both the Law and the grace are of Christ, thus both Jews and Christians must repent! The Hebraic roots of Christianity and Biblical Patriarchy are both, the Law and the grace.

FURTHER EXAMPLES FOR UNDERSTANDING (Go Top)
Here are more examples for your consideration and study. They will give you wisdom. The answer is not merely mercies and grace of God as always assumed by modern shallow Christianity, but rather it comes in 2-fold. Those who attain the promises are those who:

  1. Fulfill the Law according to the way God gave them to the Hebrews, thus defining and interpreting the scriptures according to the way it was given to the Hebrews through Moses and manifested in the grace in Christ.
  2. Fulfill the spirit of the Law rather than the traditions of the Law of the Jews or the heathen traditions and values of the Gentiles world.

 

RESTORATION OF BIBLICAL PATRIARCHY

HEBRAIC ROOTS OF CHRISTIANITY

Copyright © Israel CS Lim, Apr 1998

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