Consider these words: Here at COCG we believe that if one important truth is pressed to the exclusion of another equally important truth, it becomes an error, and loses its hold upon the conscience.
Remember them as you read this Newsletter.
Now let's start with some very important verses from the book of Deuteronomy… and I quote…
As for you, you will once again obey the voice of the Lord your God and do His commandments, whatever I command you today.
The Lord your God will take great care of you in all the work of your hands, in the offspring of your womb, in the produce of your land, and in the offspring of your cattle.
For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good, as He rejoiced over your fathers, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God to keep and do all His commandments, ordinances, and judgments written in this book of the law, and if you return to the Lord your God from your whole heart and from your whole soul.
For this commandment I command you today is not too burdensome for you, nor is it far off.
It is not in heaven above, that you should say, 'Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear and do it?'
Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear and do it?'
But the word is very near you, in your mouth, in your heart, and in your hands, that you may do it.
See, I set before you today life and death, good and evil. If you hear the commandments of the Lord your God I command you today, to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His ordinances and judgments, then you shall live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you go to inherit.
But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but go astray and worship different gods and serve them, I announce to you today, you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land the Lord your God is giving you, into which you are crossing over the Jordan to inherit.
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you: I set before you life and death, blessing and cursing.
Therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live and love the Lord your God, obey His voice, and cling to Him.
For this is your life and the length of your days, that you may dwell in the land the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.
(Deuteronomy 30:8-20)
Now the "form" of these words we see worked out in the Old Testament as an example for us today.
And the "function" of these words are lived out in every generation!
But wait! You say, "Has not the Law been done away with? The Law was nailed to the cross! Wasn't it?
Well, to answer that from the perspective of the early and historic Church, and not the perspective of the senile modern Church, I would say this: The curse of the Law was done away with, yes indeed it was nailed to the cross. But not the Law itself; not that natural Law which defines for us the Will of God, the good works of our salvation.
In the following verses I'll walk through this idea.
To start, let's read these words from Colossians 2:13-15:
"You, who were spiritually dead because of your sins and the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God has now made to share in the very life of Christ! He has forgiven you all your sins: Christ has utterly wiped out the damning evidence of broken laws and commandments which always hung over our heads, and has completely annulled it by nailing it over his own head on the cross. And then having drawn the sting of all the powers ranged against us, he exposed them, shattered, empty and defeated, in his glorious triumphant act!"
And now consider that it was the law surrounding the Levitical priesthood that was done away with, not the natural Law which defines good from evil. See this plainly according to our Lord in His word found in the book of Hebrews:
"9:6-7 – Under this arrangement the outer tent was habitually used by the priests in the regular discharge of their religious duties. But the inner tent was entered once a year only, by the High Priest alone, bearing a sacrifice of shed blood to be offered for his own sins and those of the people.
The old arrangements stood as symbols until Christ, the truth, came
"9:8-10 – By these things the Holy Spirit means us to understand that the way to the holy of holies was not yet open, that is, so long as the first tent and all that it stands for stood uninterrupted. In this outer tent we see a picture of the present time, in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered and yet are incapable of cleansing the life of the worshiper. The ceremonies are concerned with food and drink, various washings, rules for bodily conduct, only intended to be valid until the time of reformation when Christ should establish the truth.
"9:11-14 – But now Christ has come among us, the High Priest of the good things already here, and has passed through a greater and more perfect tent which no human hand has made (for it was no part of this world of ours). It was not with goats' or calves' blood but with His own blood that He entered once and for all into the holy of holies, having won for us men eternal reconciliation with God. And if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a burnt heifer were, when sprinkled on the unholy, sufficient to make the body pure, then how much more will the blood of Christ Himself, Who by His eternal Spirit offered Himself to God as the perfect sacrifice, purify our conscience from dead works, that you may serve the living God!"
This is even further clarified in the teaching of our Lord in Hebrews Chapter 10:
Sacrifices under the Law were "typical" not final
"10:1-4 – The Law possessed only a dim outline or shadow of the benefits Christ would bring and did not actually reproduce them. Consequently it was incapable of perfecting the souls of those who offered their regular annual sacrifices. For if it had, surely the sacrifices would have been discontinued – on the grounds that the worshipers, having been really cleansed, would have had no further consciousness of sin. In practice, however, the sacrifices amounted to an annual reminder of sins; for the blood of bulls and goats cannot really remove the guilt of sin.
Christ, however, makes the old order obsolete and makes the perfect sacrifice
"10:5-7 – Therefore, when Christ enters the world, He says: 'Sacrifice and offering You desire not, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, Behold, I have come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me), to do Your will, O God'.
"10:8-10 – After saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are made according to the Law, He (Christ) then says, "Behold, I have come to do Your will." That means He is dispensing with the old order of sacrifices, and establishing a new order of obedience to the Will of God. And by that Will we have been made holy by the single unique offering of the body of Christ.
"10:11-16 – Every human priest stands day by day performing his religious duties and offering time after time the same sacrifices – which can never actually remove sins. But He, after offering one sacrifice for sins for ever, took His seat at the right hand of God, from that time forward expecting till "His enemies be made His footstool". For by virtue of that one offering He has perfected for all time every one whom He makes holy. The Holy Spirit Himself endorses this truth for us, when He says, first: 'This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them'.
"10:17 – And then, He adds, 'Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more'.
"10:18 – Where God grants remission of sin there can be no question of making further atonement.
Through Christ we can confidently approach God
"10:19-25 – So by virtue of the blood of Jesus, you and I, my brothers, may now have courage to enter the holy of holies by way of the One who died and is yet alive, who has made for us a holy means of entry by Himself passing through the veil, that is, His own flesh. Further, since we have a great High Priest set over the household of God, let us draw near with true hearts and fullest confidence, knowing that our inmost souls have been purified by the sprinkling of His blood just as our bodies are cleansed by the washing of clean water. In this confidence let us hold on to the hope that we profess without the slightest hesitation – for He is utterly dependable – and let us think of one another and how we can encourage each other to love and do good deeds. And let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as is the custom of some; but let us do all we can to help one another's faith, and this the more earnestly as we see the final day drawing ever nearer.
"10:26-31 – Now if we sin deliberately after we have known and accepted the truth, there can be no further sacrifice for sin for us but only a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fire of God's indignation, which will one day consume all that sets itself against Him. The man who showed contempt for Moses' Law died without hope of appeal on the evidence of two or three of his fellows. How much more dreadful a punishment will he be thought to deserve who has poured scorn on the Son of God, treated like dirt the blood of the Covenant which had once made him holy, and insulted the very Spirit of grace? For we know the One who said: 'Vengeance is Mine: I will repay'. And again: 'The Lord will judge His people'. Truly it is a terrible thing for a man who has done this to fall into the hands of the living God!
"10:32-38 – You must never forget those past days when you had received the light and went through such a great and painful struggle. It was partly because everyone's eye was on you as you endured harsh words and hard experiences, partly because you threw in your lot with those who suffered much the same. You sympathized with those who were put in prison and you were cheerful when your own goods were confiscated, for you knew that you had a much more solid and lasting treasure in Heaven. Don't throw away your trust now – it carries with it a rich reward in the world to come. Patient endurance is what you need if, after doing God's will, you are to receive what He has promised. 'For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. And My righteous one shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My Soul has no pleasure in him'.
"10:39 – Surely we are not going to be men who cower back and are lost, but men who maintain their faith until the salvation of their souls is complete!"
So these verses should make it clear to you that it was the old order of sacrifices that have been done away with; along with their curse; which was the constant remembrance they brought of sin.
And in so doing, in so making clean your conscience through that holy means of entry by Himself passing through the veil that the old order of sacrifices could never do, our Lord then put what into our "now made ready" hearts and minds?
His Laws!
You see, God is no fool… He did not attempt to write anything into your heart and mind until you were made ready to so receive it; and having been made ready, he would not have then written into your heart and mind something He had nailed to His own cross.
So, you see, and this is a straightforward teaching of the early and historic Church, our Lord did away with the old order of sacrifices, replacing them with the perfect sacrifice that could actually cleanse your conscience, and thus make you ready to receive His Law in your very heart and mind.
And now, really, this is just using your common sense, what could these verses possibly mean when they speak of "sinning deliberately" if there is no Law, given that sin is by definition the breaking of the Law?
I think the ONLY way you can return to the logical and reasonable faith of our fathers is for you to STOP listening to the senile teachings of the modern Church and return yourself to a common sense approach like that taken by the early and historic Church.
Now, granted, there are some crazy beliefs from throughout the past 2000 years, but those we can see and set aside. Use your head! That's all you need to do. God revealed the mystery, he has not made it yet darker…
So with this all in mind, I want you now to see that it is not the "world" or the "enemies of Christ" or Satan or your supposed "fallen nature" or the supposed "curse" from the fall or any other such nonsense that has left you today in a world where there no longer remains a single Christian nation.
It is instead all the ridiculous false teachings of the modern Church, that has caused all of this.
Yes, remember that there was a time when the great majority of the intellectuals of each generation were Christians! Why? Because the Christian faith made sense.
But no longer, not today, in fact today the great majority of the intellectuals are NOT Christians. Why? Because the Christian faith no longer makes sense. It has been altered beyond recognition.
This is why it is time for a reboot.
And that's what I have done here at COCG, a complete reboot of the faith back to the fundamental principle-based teachings of the early and historic Church. Not rules based teaching. Not law based teaching. But teachings based on the fundamental principles of right and wrong as clearly taught throughout Scripture.
So what would the early and historic Church teach about the modern Church and its senile understanding of God's Law?
Well, for one they would point out that you have passed not over the Jordan (the form), but over the river of death itself into everlasting life (the function).
Therefore, you have lost your inheritance in the modern world (the world itself being your inheritance in this life as you have been made priests and kings of the new eternal order (the function), not just a small parcel of land (the form)); all because you have participated in false sacrifices and offerings, when simple obedience was the only requirement. (1 Samuel 15:22)
Why have you lost your inheritance such that there remains not a single Christian nation on planet earth? Because the modern Church has left the Law of its Maker.
The modern Church has forsaken the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ its God: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15)
The modern Church has forsaken to do all His commandments, ordinances, and judgments.
The modern Church has preached Grace, but forsaken the Law.
The modern Church has lost the faith of Abraham, whose works proved his faith (James 2:21-23), and adorned its faith with "other" works not according to the word of the commandment.
The modern Church has lost its way.
Really you should read all of Deuteronomy chapters 27 through 30 to see the fundamental principle of blessings and cursings based on the simple truth of cause and effect.
After so doing, then build again your altar to the Lord from scratch, this time eschewing the modern Church and instead building with the whole stones prescribed.
The whole stones of uncensored Scripture.
The whole stones where you are saved by faith, and prove your faith by living in accord with the Law of the Maker of that faith.
Works will not get you into heaven. Never have. Never will.
Salvation is by faith alone.
But faith without works is dead.
And your maker has defined for you the works of His children.
Yes, the whole stones of the early and historic Church as built upon the uncensored Scripture of their day, these call out to you still today.
Only these whole stones will return unto you, the blessings accorded the true sons of Christ.
Salvation by faith alone is a right doctrine. Indeed it is.
But pressed beyond the realm of thinking men to the exclusion of another, equally important truth, it is rendered impotent. It becomes error. And ultimately loses its hold on the conscious of all thinking men.
This is what has happened to the modern church.
This is why the intellectuals have fled her walls.
Having pressed the doctrine of salvation by faith alone (a true doctrine indeed) beyond the realm of common sense to the exclusion of the equally important truth of God's commandments, ordinances, and judgments, the modern Church has now lost it hold on the consciousness of all those with the most basic notion of common sense.
And so we see, as a result of this confusion (and so many others in like manner creating confusion in the modern Church), the earth succumbing to others who never were born of the Son.
All the while, the answer to this sad state of affairs lies hidden right before your eyes. Not above the heavens. Not beyond the seas. But in the very Law written in your own heart and mind; whose good works are in your very own hands.
Let's look at this in the most practical of terms…
If you tell someone that God is love, and His only commandment is to love God and one another, the first question that arises is "which God shall I love?" And you would then answer by going to Scripture, into the "Law", and showing that Jesus is the one God you should love, for it is by His name alone that you can be saved.
And then the question would arise, "But how do I show this love?" And you would go into Scripture and show how those who love God are baptized, and then partake regularly in communion.
Then one might ask, "Can I love this same God by other names? Or can I love other gods along with this one?" And you would go into Scripture and show in the "Law" how there is only One God, and there is no other "way" into heaven but through this One God. And you would ask me to believe it is so based on this "Law" written in Scripture.
Then the question might arise, "So how do I love my neighbor?" And you would probably point me to the parable of Christ regarding the love of your neighbor.
And then one might say, "Love means to support my neighbor in every way regardless of their lifestyle, then, correct?" And you would probably point to Scripture and start to put "rules" around what kind of love is acceptable in the eyes of this One God. For instance, you might say that according to Scripture, and the "Law" found therein, marital love is only right when it is between one man and one woman.
And then the question would inevitably be asked, "But I thought you taught that the Law has been done away with? That it is only Love and through my relationship with God I will 'know' what it means to love."
And all your credibility as a modern day Christian would be gone.
Maybe now you can see, then, how it is that only by properly discerning the Word; only by understanding the difference between the law nailed to the cross and the Law that remains; will you ever see the true value of your Christian faith.
May Christ our God, Jesus our King, show unto you the resolution upon which His peace rests.
