Page 66 - Laying Down the Law

the command to slay “every man his brother, every man his companion, and every
man his neighbor.” The Law does not discriminate. The Law is a minister of
condemnation and death.

Romans 7:9-11
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.

Look at the contrast revealed when Christ sent forth His Spirit to indwell man.

Acts 2:38-42
Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the
name of Yahshua Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all
who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call..." Then those who
gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand
souls were added to them.

At the inauguration of the covenant of Law three thousand souls died. At the
inauguration of the covenant of the Spirit three thousand souls were made alive. The
life of Christ stands as the pivotal point between these two covenants. Christ fulfilled
the Law and was put to death by men who sat in the seat of Moses. The chief priests
and entire priesthood that condemned Him were of the tribe of Levi, the same tribe
that Moses commanded to slay their brethren. The righteousness of the Law was
fulfilled in Christ, and the penalty of the Law was paid by Christ. His death ended the
rule of the Law. With His dying breath He said “It is finished.” When He sent forth
His Spirit 50 days later to indwell mankind, the covenant of promise was renewed.
Moses stands as a symbol of the Law. He guarded and instructed the people of
God in their childish state. In their immaturity the people, although called to be sons,
were treated no differently than slaves. Such a condition can only be temporary.

John 8:34-35
Yahshua answered them..., “A slave does not abide in the house forever, but a
son abides forever.”

Moses, the servant of God, could not remain forever. From the moment that
Moses descended the mountain, the days of his ministry were numbered. This is
further observed in the fact that his face shone with a radiant glory when he came
from the mountain bearing the Law of God, but the glory soon began to fade away.