Law/No Law

Fred R. Coulter—November 30, 2013

- Video | - PDF | Audio - 11/30/13

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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services. We're living in a world that is very desperate and lawless. As we have seen, Jesus said that lawlessness shall be multiplied. As a result of that, the love of many grows cold.

Right in the middle of that comes the theological theory that has been recycled many, many times, and that is Protestant theology: law or no law. One of the big theories is this, and many theologians absolutely believe it and it is taught that from the time of Adam to Moses there was no law. How could that be? That presents some very difficult problems.

Why is it that people do not like God's  Law particularly, and law in general, except as it gives them an advantage. Some have said, 'You know the Bible was written to control people.' If it has, then it's really been a failure—hasn't it? Yes, indeed!

What is the Word of God? The Word of God has been written by 40 men—that's all—in the whole history of the world. Forty men who were Holy men, whom the Holy Spirit moved to write what God wanted them to write using them and their own personalities, which God Himself, in fact, created—didn't He? Yes, indeed!

Let's begin with one of the most basic Scriptures, which is something that you learn in the very first step of coming to understand the Word of God: Sin is the transgression of the Law; sin is lawlessness. That's a basic fundamental Scripture that goes throughout the Bible from beginning to end, from Genesis to Revelation.

We'll take a look at what Adam and Eve did a little later, but let's understand the condition of the human mind today. The human mind is rebellious and they do not like the Law of God. That's why the world is in the trouble that it is.

What we're going to see those who are the people of God:

• who love God
• who keep His commandments
• who obey Him and serve Him
• who believe Him and trust Him
• who look to Him for everything that they have
  • compared to those who are in the world
  • compared to those who live their lives
    • according to their lust
    • according to their emotions
    • according to how they feel

We see that exemplified, especially at what they call Christmas time. As you look at all the things that go on concerning Christmas, there is not one 'centillian' of a particle of truth concerning Christmas.

• It is the celebration of the fall of man!
• It is the celebration of letting Satan the devil be the god of this world!

That is symbolized by the Christmas tree, an evergreen tree, which is a symbol of false salvation, temporary life.

What is the Christmas tree? All the decorations are various things of sex symbols! The draping around the tree is the coiled serpent who comes to the top, symbolized by the star. That is none other than Satan the devil. Someone will say, 'How can that be, these people are well intentioned. This is a wonderful thing.' It's a lie, every bit of it! The only reason that people agree with it is that they are carnal-minded and love their lies. 'Put the name of God over here, so we have God somewhere in it,' but they do everything that Satan wants them to do as perpetrated through his religions of Babylon the Great to fulfill the 'lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.'

• the Truth of God
• the love of God
• the Sabbath of God
• the Holy Days of God

versus:

• Satan the devil
• the lies of this world
• Sunday keeping and the religions with their various days
• the holidays

Romans 8:5: "For those who walk according to the flesh mind the things of the flesh…" What does that mean? That means they have their things constantly on physical things! Mind the things of the flesh.

• What is your mind on?
• What are you thinking on?

"…but those who walk according to the Spirit… [because they have the Spirit of God in them and the Spirit of God is leading them] …mind the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded… [that is the mind of flesh] …is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (vs 5-6).

What I want you to do is while this Christmas season is going on, look around and see how much real life, peace and hope. They can say all they want to, 'Oh, we gotta put Christ in Christmas.' The fact is He was never in it, and He will not be put in it by any man. That's an important thing to understand. So we're going to learn a lot of things today, law or no law, the carnal mind does not like law, especially God's  Law.

Verse 7: "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God…" What does enmity mean? It means that it's set on edge in anger against God! Another word is it is an enemy of God. Notice what that produces:

"…for it is not subject to the Law of God; neither indeed can it be" (v 7). Stop and think of that for a minute. Are there some people in the world who are generally good people? Yes! Are there some people in the world who keep Sunday and the holidays and are considered good people? Yes! That is by the society! That is by one another! But what is the view of God?

We'll look at that and we'll find out and we're going to see the number one lesson people need to learn is this: No man anywhere, under anytime, under any circumstances is going to tell God what to do or how to do it or when to do it. Those things constitute the greatest sins of mankind, and it comes from the religious world. The reason that the world is in the mess it is in today is because of the religions of this world.

Let's read v 7 again and let's really understand it. As we read it, let's ask: How much of carnal-mindedness that we have had have we overcome and had our minds converted and transformed by the Spirit of God? That becomes the ultimate question for us. The ultimate question for the people in the world is: What are you going to do, because God's judgment is coming!Coming!Coming! It will not stop.

Verse 7: "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God… [an enemy of God] …for it is not subject to the Law of God; neither indeed can it be. But those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (vs 7-8). That's why you have your own religion. That's why Christianity rejects wholesale the first commandment, the second commandment, the third commandment, and the fourth commandment. If you reject those because you are carnal-minded, you have rejected all of them and God is not with you.

It does not matter if you read nicey-nicey things from the Bible. If you don't love God and keep His commandments, you are a liar. You are carnal-minded.

Since there is not much time left, we don't know how long it's going to be, but let me tell you something, if you read Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, especially Jeremiah and Ezekiel, you will understand that God sent them to bring His Word and don't mince anything with it. You speak God's Word. 'You speak My message,' says God—not smooth and pleasant things to make people feel good.

If there is no Law, can God convict you of sin? The Apostle Paul says no! Romans 4:15: "For the Law works out wrath…" Yes, indeed! How does the Law work out wrath? Automatically! You break the commandments of God and the judgment is in motion. Many times you'll be like you are in freefall in the air. There doesn't seem to be anything to be happening. Just like if you jumped out for skydiving at 15,000 feet and you fall and what a wonderful thing this is. But your parachute didn't work. That is the moment of judgment!

Now listen to this: "…because where no Law is there is no transgression" (v 15). If God had not given His Law, there could have been no transgression! You need to understand that carefully.

We're going to see that yes, indeed, there was law from Adam to Moses, from Moses to Christ, from Christ to His second return, all through the Millennium. Guess what? Unless you keep the commandments of God you have no right to eat of the Tree of Life!

• You're history!
• You no longer exist!
• You're ashes as a result of the Lake of Fire!

'Oh, that's brutal!' Yes, it is, but so is the penalty of sin; so is the penalty of going against God.

Let's read some Scriptures here that are very important to understand. We will see, and we will go back to Genesis, that the sin of Adam and Eve was the second worst sin in the history of the universe. The first sin was Satan and his demons rebelling. That was the worst sin of all eternity.

Let's see what Paul writes. Keep in mind—"…where there is no Law…" and Law includes commandments given by the voice of God. Every word that God has spoken becomes His Law! Even if it wasn't written, like it wasn't at the time of Adam and Eve—do you suppose if God speaks to you as He did to Adam and Eve; and commands you, as He did to Adam and Eve; and you go against what He said—you have sinned.

Romans 5:12: "Therefore, as by one man… [Adam] …sin entered into the world… [What is sin? Sin is the transgression of the Law! Paul writes, 'Everyone who names the name of Jesus Christ depart from unrighteousness.'] …and by means of sin came death…" The wages of sin is death!

Adam and Eve, when they were created, were not subject to death. But they were subject to death after they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the Christmas tree today. The whole world bows down to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and Satan is on the top of it. Yes, indeed! Isn't that fun and marvelous? God says He hates it!

Let's learn another fundamental principle: You cannot under any circumstances, anywhere, at any time, worship God with lies!

• God is a God of love
• God is a God of Truth
• God is gracious and kind
• God is merciful and tender
• God is forgiving

but

• God is also judge
• God brings vengeance
• God executes His judgments against the wicked

There are lot of people who don't think they're wicked, because after all, 'we're doing good things.' Really? Do you know what is really good?

"…by means of sin came death; and in this way death passed into all mankind…" Yes, there was a genetic change in Adam and Eve to give them the 'death gene' as part of their judgment for sinning. That has passed into all mankind.

You talk about 'I don't believe there was Law from Adam to Moses.' Really? You need to think about that statement. Do you want someone to break into your house and murder you? If there is no Law, who is to say that's wrong? 'Oh, don't look at it that way.' How do you want to look at it? God tells us how to look at it!

Here's another thing to learn. Another great principle to learn: Men can never discover the Truth on their own. Never! They might stumble across some principles of the Word of God, which they would agree with, because they're obvious. But to understand the Truth:

• Who was God?
• Why are we here?
• Why did He create us?
• Why did Jesus Christ have to come?
• Who are true Christians?
• How do you become one?
• What is the Word of God?
• How do we live by it?

They'll never understand it?

Guess what? Finally the atheists are admitting they are 'religious'! There are atheist churches that are meeting, and guess on which day that they meet? Not on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, but on Sunday,Satan's day! 'Fred Coulter, you're just getting downright nasty.' It is the Truth! Do you understand that?

Let me tell you another thing you need to understand. Unless you know and understand the Truth, and unless you have a relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ, and you are a true Christian, you are never going to understand what's going on in this world!

"…and it is for this reason… [because you have a nature of death; a nature of sin] …that all have sinned." That's why there is nothing on this earth that you can do of yourself and from yourself to grant yourself eternal life, to have your sins forgiven. It must come through Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ is the Lawgiver. Doesn't come any other way.

Here is one of their favorite Scriptures, v 13: "(For before the law, sin was in the world." 'Ah, the law wasn't given, because this refers to the Law of Moses.' That's correct it does. Stop and think about it now. Sin—what is sin? Sin is the transgression of the Law! What does that tell us? Before the giving of the law to Israel, there was the Law

• that was given to Adam and Eve
• that was given to Cain and Abel
• that was given to the world
• that was given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,

the same Law, and we will see it.

"(For before the Law, sin was in the world. However, sin is not imputed when Law does not exist" (v 13). What does that tell us? Law did exist!Judgments and penalties for sin were executed by God!

Verse 14: "Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses…" Where if there were no sin, there would be no death. So, death reigned. They all died and he is explaining very clearly here there was Law from Adam to Moses. That's what it says.

"…even upon those who had not sinned in the likeness of the transgression of Adam… [Because Adam was the first man. Eve was the first woman. They talked to God face-to-face. They were the ones created physically by the hand of God. All the rest of us have been created by God through the process of procreation.] …who was a type of the one Who was to come" (v 14).

With that, let's go back to Genesis, and let's look at this. Let's understand what happened. Remember this. If God gives a command and you do not keep it, especially if He told you face-to-face, you have sinned and you're going to pay the penalty of sin.

God created Adam; He put him in the Garden of Eden; He was created a full-fledged human being. He had to be created in the fall of the year because all the fruits and vegetables and everything. He also was created with a fully functioning language in his mind so he could communicate with God. Likewise, Eve was created that way. God appeared to them as a human being. He did not appear to them in His glory, because no man can look upon God in His glory and live.

Genesis 2:15: "And the LORD God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and keep it." Keep it also means to guard. We will see he failed there as well.

Verse 16: "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'You may freely eat of every tree in the garden… [He commanded! If you do not live by every word that proceeds out the mouth of God, you have sinned—period!] …but you shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat of it in dying you shall surely die'" (vs 16-17). He knew! Personal instruction!

Today people wonder, 'I wonder where God is and what He would say to me.' Get a Bible, that will tell you, because He talked face to face to Adam and Eve, to all of the patriarchs. To Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Gave the Ten Commandments to Israel, all of them written down. He spoke to all of the prophets, all of it written down. He spoke to those who were the historians, all of it written down. And He spoke to His apostles, all of it written down. You have no excuse! If you have such contempt for God and are so lazy and are so carnal-minded that you will not go open your Bible and read it, your judgment has already come upon you.

Now here comes the liar, Satan the devil; Satan always like to give a challenge. So let's read it. Because you see, today because of what Adam and Eve did, Satan the devil is the 'god of this world.' He is the one who is inspiring all the things that are going on in the world today. Out of that God calls His few. That's why you need to understand, you cannot answer the call of God and reject His Laws and commandments! The whole history of the Bible tells you the result of that kind of behavior.

Genesis 3:1: "Now, the serpent was more cunning than any creature of the field which the LORD God had made…. [he had already sinned] …And he said to the woman, 'Is it true that God has said, "You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?"'" Of course, she had to correct him, which shows she had knowledge.

Also we will see that she had knowledge of some further instruction from God. It was not something that she dreamt up in her imagination to respond to Satan concerning it.

Verse 2: "And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may freely eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, But of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has indeed said, "You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die"'" (vs 2-3).

Interesting! Of course, they weren't familiar with death. But what this shows, that she, as well as Adam—because Adam was right there with her; he didn't take care of his wife very well, and he didn't guard the garden very well; he shouldn't have let Satan in—knew. This was not something that Eve added. This is addition of God's teaching.

Verse 4: "And the serpent said to the woman…" Understand this: Satan always comes with lies to challenge God. The old story is 'if it feels good, do it.' So that's what happened here. Satan goes on saying, 'Listen, I know a little more than you. I've been around God for quite a while.'

Verse 5: "For God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like God, deciding good and evil." That also tells us that God probably told them the very purpose that they were created. Satan comes along and says, 'Here's a fast track. God didn't tell you this. Try it, you'll like it.'

Verse 6: "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes… [lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, pride of life, the love of the world, all right there] …and a tree to be desired to make one wise…" Yes, let us all be wise.

Just like today, let us come home and sit down in our computer chair, hook on our computer skullcap and download all of our thoughts that we had today in our computer. Let's preserve those thoughts forever and in this way we're going to have immortality. So says Raymond Kurzweil and Gordon Schmidt. Gordon Schmidt, head of Google; Raymond Kurzweil, head of the University of Singularity, dedicated to discovering immortality. Has anything changed from Genesis? Not very much, just the technology!

Verse 6: "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasing to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate… [Adam was watching and behold she didn't die. She did not even faint and fall to the ground. Adam could tell by looking at her, 'This must have tasted pretty good.] …She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate."

The responsibility of that sin fell upon whom? Adam! Remember, where there is no sin, there is no Law, or where there is no Law, there is no sin. Remember this.

• every Word of God is righteous
• Word of God is true

even the judgments of evil upon sinners. So now then, if there was no Law and if God had not commanded Adam and Eve, then there could be no sin; there could be no judgment! That's what the Apostle Paul wrote.

We will see what happened to mankind because of Adam and Eve's sin, because there was Law way before they were created.

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We're going to go to a couple of Scriptures so we can understand the seriousness of the problem that one is confronted with when you say there was no Law from Adam to Moses. Where there is no Law, there is no sin and where there is no sin, there can be no judgment. Primarily, God is the Lawgiver!

Let's see what human beings do, which is exactly what Adam and Eve did, which is exactly what everyone else does.

James 4:11, the last sentence, very key important thing to understand. "…But if you judge the Law…" Think about that! If you say there is no Law, you made a judgment that there was no Law. Or you can say, 'that's my opinion.' No, that is your judgment. All opinions are judgments; maybe not as final as a final judgment. Also remember this: all opinions originate from human minds and 'the way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the ends thereof are the ways of death.'

"…But if you judge the Law, you are not a doer of the Law…" Isn't that true? If you say there was no Law from Adam to Moses, are you doing the Law of God? or rejecting it? Look at how simple the Scriptures are.

Verse 12: "…rather, you are a judge. But there is only one Lawgiver…" (vs 11-12). What does that mean? If you say that there was no Law from Adam to Moses, and then from Christ to His second return, you're not only judging the Law, but you are making yourself a judge! Who are you really judging? Think on that!

"…Who has the power to save and to destroy. Who are you that you presume to judge another?"

Who are you to judge God?If you judge the Law of God, you judge God! If you judge God, you set yourself higher than God, because your opinion and your thoughts are greater than God's. Ever think of that way?

Romans 3 talks about the Word of God and especially that the Jews were entrusted. Now it wasn't the Jews of Judah who were entrusted with the oracles of God, it was the priests and the Levites within the Jewish community that were entrusted with the Word of God. They preserved it.

Here comes the argument; very important to understand. Romans 3:3: "For what if some did not believe?.… [The whole litany of the Old Testament is that most of them did not.] …Shall their unbelief nullify the faithfulness of God?" Or make the Word of God untrue? Think about it! If you judge the Law, you are nullifying the Law of God in your mind!

Let's see what it says that you are actually doing, v 4: "MAY IT NEVER BE! Rather, let God be true but every man a liar, exactly as it is written: 'That You [God] might be justified in Your words, and might overcome when You are being judged by men.'"

Every human being has an opinion concerning God. Is that not true? Yes, it is! What is that opinion? Is not that opinion a judgment? When you judge the Lawgiver and judging the Law, you are no longer a doer of it, but a judge!

• Dare you sit in the judgment seat of God and condemn Him?
• Is that not what Lucifer, Satan the devil, tried to do?
• How successful was he?

In the end result, he's going to be less than nothing!

• How is that for success?

We're going to find out:

• God is true
• His Law is eternal
• His ways are righteousness
• His judgments are always true

Here is the kind of mind we need to come to if we are truly, truly converted. In bringing this—and this is very fundamental, and you need to know this to even begin your Christian walk with God—that you have got to love God and believe Him and know that in order to receive eternal life, you cannot be in rebellion against God!

Think about that in relation to Sunday keeping and holiday keeping. Here these people think that God is all involved in it and He is not. He hates it. He despises it. Yet, the great deception of Satan the devil is that he tells them, 'This is God's way. Don't read the Bible, you don't need to read the Bible. I'll tell you what to do.' No! That's Satan's way!
Isaiah 33:22: "For the LORD is our Judge, the LORD is our Lawgiver, the LORD is our King; He will save us." That's so important. Let's understand something. We have to:

• love the Laws of God
• love the commandments of God
• love the Truth of God
• love God the Father
• love Jesus Christ
• love the Word of God
• repent of our sins
• repent of our ways and come to God

and have a profound personal relationship with Them. They will dwell in us.

"For the LORD is our Judge, the LORD is our Lawgiver, the LORD is our King; He will save us."

With that in mind, let's come back here to the book of Genesis and let's detail this a little bit further, Genesis 3:7: "And the eyes of both of them were opened…" Actually, they were closed to the righteousness of God and opened to their own opinions to decide:

• what was right
• what was wrong
• what was good
• what was evil
• what was righteousness
• what was wickedness

"…and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. Then Adam and his wife hid themselves… [guilty conscience] …from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden" (vs 7-8). God knew where they were, but He wanted a response from Adam.

Verse 9: "And the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, 'Where are you?'" Remember when your mom caught you doing things wrong and you ran and hid. 'Where are you?' Yes, you got caught.

Verse 10: "And he said, 'I heard You walking in the garden, and I was afraid because I am naked, and so I hid myself.' And He said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree which I commanded you that you should not eat?'" (vs 10-11).

Now watch the same thing of human nature that always happens, v 12: "And the man said… ['God, it's Your fault.' Not exactly that way, but notice how he accused God]: …'The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.'"

'Where were you, Adam, when this was going on?' I was standing right alongside her. 'Were you watching her?' Yes! 'Why didn't you tell her to stop?' Well, I wanted to see what would happen to her and nothing happened, so I ate.

Verse 13: "And the LORD God said to the woman, 'What is this you have done?'…."—and she repented on the spot and confessed her sin. No! It's like Adam; human nature always accuses someone else.

• Doesn't that sound like someone in the White House we know today?
• How do you like all the untruths?
• How do you like all the lies?
• How do you like all the deceptions?
• How do you like all the lawlessness?

He acts as if there is no law. If you say there was no Law from Adam to Moses, he's just acting the way it was. You need to understand he's well intentioned.

"…And the woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate'" (v 13). Yes, it looked so good, it smelled so good, it felt so good and that first bite was so great. Remember, Satan always offers benefits.

Verse 14: "And the LORD God said to the serpent, 'Because you have done this you are cursed above all livestock, and above every animal of the field. You shall go upon your belly, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He will bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel'" (vs 14-15).

So, immediately God gave the first prophecy of the coming Messiah to redeem mankind, who would now need the redemption because of the sin of Adam and Eve, and because of the judgment of God which changed their very nature and changed nature itself indeed. That's why when the restitution of all things to come when Christ returns, the nature of animals is going to change. The nature of plants is going to change. All of it!

Here comes the judgment, v 16: "To the woman He said, 'I will greatly increase your sorrow and your conception—in sorrow shall you bring forth children…." Since they're mothers, it runs through the whole life of their children, whether good or whether or evil, whether happiness or whether sorrow.

"'…Your desire shall be toward your husband, and he shall rule over you'" (v 16). That's the order that God set. That is a Law of God.
Verse 17: "And to Adam He said, 'Because you have hearkened to the voice of your wife…'"—instead of My voice. 'You did not obey the voice of God.'

• Is that sin? Yes!
• Is that Law? Yes!

What did Jesus say?

• Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God shall man live
  • it applies in the beginning
  • it applies in the end
  • it applies everywhere in between

"'…and have eaten of the tree—of which I commanded you, saying, "Your shall not eat of it!"—the ground is cursed for your sake….'" (v 17). Does a curse change something? Yes, indeed! Does the curse of Adam and Eve and changing our nature, did that change us as human beings? Yes, it did!

"'…In sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life. It shall also bring forth thorns and thistles to you… [which probably did not exist at that time] …and thus you shall eat the herbs of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return'" (vs 17-19).

• Who do you think you are to make yourself as God?

You are dust!

• If you think no Laws existed beginning with Adam, clear down to Moses, who do you think you are?

You're dust and you're going to return there!

• Can you stand against the Eternal God?
• Can you go against the Word of God and profit?

No, you cannot! You cannot add to it, you cannot take away from it.

Then God made them coverings out of goatskin, clothed them, kicked them out of the Garden of Eden, put cherubim guards with swords at the east gate into the Garden of Eden, because God lived in the Garden of Eden and they lived outside the Garden of Eden. They had two sons, the first one was Cain and the second one was Abel.

Let's see something else concerning the commandments of God, a very important thing to understand. This is true all the way down through the Bible. You know what happened. Abel brought an offering of the firstlings of the flock, and it was accepted by God. Cain came in—Josephus records that this was when they were about 135-years-old. They had

• plenty of time to know about God
• plenty of time to know the Truth of God
• plenty of time to serve God and love God
• plenty of time to be in a covenant relationship with God

though it did not provide eternal life at that time

Cain brought an offering from the ground. God didn't accept it.

• If this were a tithe, would God have accepted it? Yes!
• If these were firstfruits, would God have accepted it? Yes!
• How do we know?

Because if there was the offering of the firstling that tells us the whole knowledge of the sacrifices and the sacrificial system later given to Israel, God revealed it to Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel.

Notice what happened because Cain decided he was going to do it his way. All of those of you who are 'religious' and all of those of you who think you are 'Christian,' unless you are a true Christian indeed, you better listen up.

Genesis 4:5: "But He [God] did not have regard to Cain's offering. And Cain was extremely angry and his countenance fell. And the LORD said to Cain, 'Why are you so angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, shall you not be accepted? But if you do not do well, sin lies at the door….'" (vs 5-7).

Sin is the transgression of the Law. In this case, the sacrificial law, which is a Law lesser than the Ten Commandments. However, God says it was Cain's choice to make and he could have made the right choice, but he did not.

"'…sin lies at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it!'" (v 7). Sin's desire, through Satan the devil is for you, but God holds each one accountable for their own behavior. If it is something that you can choose to do right and you do not do it, sin rules over you! Do you think you have the power to run up to God and say, 'God, there were no laws from Adam until Moses.' I don't think that's going to work very well.

• "…you must rule over it"
• you have to control your own life
• you are responsible for your choices

When you go against God that is sin!

Cain could have repented, but he didn't. He got all angry and bitter and killed his brother Abel—murder! You think murder is sin? Yes! God's judgment was not to kill him at that time, but exile him even further from God.

Let's see what that society developed into, because they rejected the laws and the commandments of God. They did exist! Never was there any a time when they didn't exist. God's Laws and commandments have always existed before the creation of man, because they are from the mind of God and they are an expression of His righteousness, of His Holiness, of our way to begin a relationship with God. That's why.

When we read Gen. 6:5 let's keep in mind, what did Jesus Christ say of the time of the end? 'As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of man.'

• Is the world filled with sin? Yes, indeed!
• Why is there sin? Because they're transgressing the Laws of God!
• Was the world before the Flood filled with sin?
• Why?
• because they transgressed the Laws of God
• they rejected them
• they put them away
• they thought that they could make themselves immortal

God is still in charge! He is now and was then!

Genesis 6:5: "And the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Think of that! God is a heart-knowing God—is He not? Think of what it's like when God looks down here on the earth and if it were not for the true people of God—and we had better get ourselves right with God—God would destroy all flesh again. Not with a flood, but because of the evil.

The more technologically advanced we become, the more we sin. The more technologically advanced we become, the more ignorant we become, because we don't use our minds. Too many things of this technological age are controlled by Satan the devil to go right in so that every imagination of the thoughts of everyone, everywhere—except those who are God's—is evil continually.

I'll tell you one of the most evil thoughts: There was no Law from Adam to Moses. Next, Jesus did away with the Law. The greatest evil and perpetration of the 'religious community' calling itself 'Christian.' They are liars! If you think the one who inhabits the White House is a liar, they are liars. 'Oh, but they're such good people.' Really? By whose standard?

Remember, you break one commandment, you have broken them all! Just like Cain, he came to God and said, 'Oh, I brought this lovely offering. You need to take this as well.' I don't regard it! 'Oh, Lord, this is the day that you have made. We keep Sunday. Isn't that wonderful.' Hello! So do the atheists. How's that for company? Do you think you're going to tell God what to do and come back and say you love God, when you won't honor Him by keeping His Sabbath? You have broken the first four commandments and you claim you have the righteousness from Christ. Never happen!

Just like it is here, "…every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD repented that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart" (vs 5-6). And He is right now, but He knows that Christ is going to return and the whole world is going to be changed. The whole world is going to learn to keep the Laws and commandments of God because the Law is going to go forth from Jerusalem and He is going to have His government, with His spiritual sons and daughters who have been raised from the dead in glory and honor and power. They are going to rule and reign on the earth. Satan is going to be removed. You think on that!

Because here's what He did, v 7: "And the LORD said, 'I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the crawling thing, and the fowl of the air, for I repent that I have made them.' But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD" (vs 7-8). That's why we are here because of one man—one man. He was ridiculed; but through Noah, his three sons and their wives God preserved humanity. Wiped away all the sin from Adam until Noah and the Flood, destroyed them all.

Do you think that 25-feet of water over the tops of the highest mountains worldwide is sufficient to destroy all the life that God said He would destroy? Notice, He didn't say He would destroy the fish, because they had to clean up all the corpses of the human beings who died. That's something!

I want to give you a study assignment. I want you to study verse-by-verse Psa. 119 on your knees. It may take you several days to do so, and pray about it while you go through it. We need to come to the point that we

• love God the Father
• love Jesus Christ
• love His Laws
• love His commandments
• love His statutes
• love His precepts
• love everything about what God is and is going to do and to what He has called us to be

I want you to think about that! Because of that assignment, I'm just going to read only one verse in Psa. 119. This is to show you, since God's ways and laws and commandments are righteousness and Truth that they last forever.

Psalm 119:142: "Your righteousness… [that's talking about God's righteousness] …is an everlasting righteousness… [It has been ever from old and ever into the future, because it is eternal. God's righteousness is reflected in His commandments, statutes, and judgments; therefore, they have always existed.] …and Your Law is the Truth."

Let's come to Psalm 19, one of the most wonderful Psalms in the book of Psalms. If you ever have doubt concerning the Laws of God, here is where to come. If you still have doubts, because of difficult Scriptures of the Apostle Paul, then you need to read Appendix Z: Understanding Paul's Difficult Scriptures Concerning the Law and the Commandments of God. Study it in the Bible. If you don't have a Holy Bible in its Original Order, get one for yourself. You can do so through ChurchatHome.org or CBCG.org.

Psalm 19:7: "The Law of the LORD is perfect…"—whether men keep it or not.

• Is God perfect? Yes, He is!
• Does He want us to be perfected in Christ? Yes, He does!
• Where does He put His commandments and laws for those that He loves and converts? In their hearts and in their minds(Heb. 10:16)!

He writes them in there!

…restoring the soul… [gives life to your being] …the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple" (v 7). So you're not led by emotions, by fads, not carried away with the whim and the powers of this world.

Verse 8: "The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandments of the LORD are pure, enlightening the eyes…. [Giving you understanding.] …The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether" (vs 8-9). Even the seven last plagues.

• How valuable are they?
• How much should you seek it?
• How much should you grow and overcome because of God's calling for you out of the sinful and wretched world?

Verse 10: "More to be desired than gold, yea, much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb." Here's what happens when you have the Laws of God in your heart and in your mind and you have the Spirit of God in your heart and in your mind. You need those especially today in this crazy mixed-up sin filled lawless world

• you need the laws of God
• you need the Spirit of God
• you need the Truth of God more than anything else

Verse 11: "Moreover, by them Your servant is warned… [DING! The warning light goes on when you are ready to transgress. Don't do that.] …in keeping them there is great reward." The great reward is eternal life!

Verse 12: "Who can understand his errors?.…" It's a wonderful thing to help you see the internal errors in your minds and your thoughts and your emotions and feelings that if you do not have the Laws of God there to govern you, to control you, that you use to govern and control yourself. It gives you understanding of your errors, because you can't do it otherwise.

Notice what it also does with God's Spirit: "…Oh, cleanse me from my secret faults" (v 12). What are your secret faults? Every one of us have them—don't we? Yes, we do and we know it—don't we? Yes, we do! What should we do? Go to God in prayer, and remember: through this process 'bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.' God sanctifies us with His Truth. He sanctifies us with His Word. In Ephesians it says 'through the washing of the water by the Word' that He, Christ, might sanctify the Church. That's with each one of us individually, day by day-by-day. "…Oh, cleanse me from my secret faults"

Here is a great blessing that will happen, v 13: "And keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; do not them rule over me…"

• It doesn't mean the temptation won't come
• It doesn't mean that difficulties won't be there
• It means this through prayer and God's Word and God's Spirit, they will not rule over you! You can overcome!

"…then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart… [Let it be sanctified. Let it be cleansed. Let it be right.] …be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer" (vs 13-14).

Brethren, this is what we are to do. We are to become perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect!

If there's anyone who has any doubts about the Laws of God and their effect, I hope this helps you a great deal. Of course, this is only a beginning.

I hope you continue in God's way, the way that He desires!

Scriptural References:

• Romans 8:5-8
• Romans 4:15
• Romans 5:12-14
• Genesis 2:15-17
• Genesis 3:1-6
• James 4:11-12
• Romans 3:3-4
• Isaiah 33:22
• Genesis 3:7-19
• Genesis 4:5-7
• Genesis 6:5-8
• Psalm 119:142
• Psalm 19:7-14

Scriptures referenced, not quoted: Hebrews 10:16

Also referenced:

• Book: Josephus
• From the Holy Bible in Its Original Order, a Faithful Version Appendix Z: Understanding Paul's Difficult Scriptures Concerning the Law and the Commandments of God

FRC:lp
Transcribed: 12-11-13
Formatted: bo—12-12-13

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