Page 54 - The Road from Babylon to Zion

law, which is merely the outward husk of type and shadow, but he keeps
the spirit of the law which is the inward law of the spirit of life in Christ
Jesus. This results in the living expression of the nature and character
of God in all things, not a keeping of external rules and regulations
which give only the appearance of godliness. Thus the righteousness
of the law, and not its external forms, are fulfilled in them who walk not
after the flesh but after the spirit. The answer to creation's deteriorating
state is not to preach the keeping of the law; the answer lies in the living
out of Christ, and in Him alone. When Christ comes to dwell in
individuals, they will then keep Father's Kingdom laws of life within,
and the whole creation will be preserved, touched, affected, and
transformed. And unless He lives within individuals, it is a useless
waste of time to urge them to keep God's laws...

The outward law of God is given to reveal to us the nature of God
Himself. I will use one illustration from the Ten Commandments to
make the point. When God says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," He
is not simply trying to prevent us from enjoying the lusts of our flesh.
He is telling us something about Himself — how He is. The only eternal,
unchangeable, immutable, invariable, unalterable, firm, fixed, sound,
solid, balanced, dependable, reliable, steady, steadfast, ethical, moral
and totally trustworthy thing in the whole universe is — GOD! "Thou
shalt not commit adultery" — it means that GOD HIMSELF is
committed, reliable, true, dependable, faithful and trustworthy. He
keeps His commitments. He keeps His covenant. He honors His word.
He is faithful in all His involvements. He will not cheat on you, lie to
you, deceive you, betray you, forsake you or fail you. He loves you and
will take care of you, cherish you, nurture you, protect you, and cleave
to you. He does not "chase skirts," He will not abandon you for greener
grass on the other side of the fence. He is not adulterous, with a roving
eye and a lying, cheating heart. He is love. He is good, He is faithful. He
is persevering, and His nature is constant, abiding and unchanging.
THAT IS HOW HE IS! When you understand the nature of one who is
not adulterous in thought, desire or action, you understand something
about the character of God. And that is how He wants us. His sons, to
be! His law reveals His nature.

Yes, Yahweh’s Law reveals His nature. But men simply want to turn His Law into rules
of conduct to establish their own righteousness. Have you been conformed to the
image of God if you abstain from committing adultery, but you lust after many women
in your heart? Have you been conformed to the image of God if you stop short of
committing adultery, but you lack faithfulness in your dealings with others, and the
bottom line in your decisions is what best benefits you? Has keeping the Law in this