Romans 3:20
"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
The Law condemns. Remember I said already, it was a ministration of death and we’re going to be looking at it in probably chapter 8. But let’s jump ahead and turn to II Corinthians chapter 3 and look at it. I used it but, it bears repeating and I’m going to use it like I said, in the next chapter when we speak to the "tables of stone" that were in the Ark of the Covenant. I’ll make some statements on that that will shock people. But here, since I’ve already alluded to it, let’s read it.
II Corinthians 3:6
"Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; (or the new covenant) not of the letter, (now whenever Paul uses the letter, he’s referring to the Mosaic Law) but of the spirit: for the letter (the levitical Law, the written law, and the Ten, if you want to call it that, they can do nothing but) killeth, but the spirit gives life."
Now maybe I should stop. I’ve probably made statements over the years that have shocked people because they probably don’t understand where I’m coming from. But when I say we’re not under Law, we’re under Grace, the first impression people get is, "Well he’s telling me I can do what ever I want to do." No, no! The Law, you see, "demanded," whereas Grace is total freedom, total liberty, but instead of the Law telling us what we can’t do and what we can do, we now have the indwelling Holy Spirit who changes our whole modus operandi so that we don’t want to break the law (God's divine and spiritual law, wherein God has said that He'll do in us what we could not do or accomplish through our own self efforts of the flesh). And what a difference! Jeremiah tells us that God writes on our heart look at Jeremiah chapter 31 drop down o verse 31:
“Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that 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 I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was an husband to them, says the LORD: But this the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, says 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.”
And then He says in verse 34:
“And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, says the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. “
Then in chapter 32 and verse 40 we'll start at verse 38:
“And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them
good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.”
Then Ezekiel utters much the same statements, which we'll allow you to search out.
That’s where Israel [and the worlds church] fails so miserably all up through her Old Testament history. They were under those demands of the Law but with no power of the Spirit to help them keep it. And so, consequently, what were they doing most of the time? Breaking them. And it almost became despairing because they just couldn’t help it. They didn’t have the indwelling Spirit. So always remember that when I say we’re not under Law, we’re under Grace. I’m not saying we’ve got license - I’m saying now we’ve got something that empowers us to keep God’s law (the law of Kingdom-Life, which holds Eternal Life, Love, Truth and Grace above the Law of works because its through divine Righteousness, Holiness, Godliness by sanctification out of death to all self will and the spirit of the world) and being placed into the New Covenant. Now verse 7 and here it comes.
II Corinthians 3:7a
"But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones,…"
Now listen, what was engraven in stone? The Ten. And what are they? They are a ministration of death. They don’t give life because all they can do is condemn.
I Corinthians 3:7
"But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones was glorious, (and it was, it was perfect from God’s vantage point. Now if that was glorious) so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:"
Remember that the stone was a symbol of the heart condition and the glory on Moses' face faded away the same as the Law, was to do at the end of its assigned time. For its glory also faded just as that which was visible on Moses face faded with time. It would be done away when this whole new concept of Grace would be brought in. Well, we could just keep going, but I think we’d better make a little headway. Let’s go back to Hebrews chapter 7 and now we can go into verse 20.
Hebrews 7:20-21
"And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest:(For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)"
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