in fact, sin is lawlessness.
“Sin, which is breaking the law, is also known as, ‘transgression’ of the law.”
The statement, Transgressing the line of the law = Crossing the line of God’s law = Sin, appeared on the whiteboard.
He recited God’s word as his marker worked feverously.
“Ephesians 2:1-2—As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
“Remember, God is not talking to Adam in this verse, he is talking to the people of the disciple John’s time and also to you. God was not speaking about the, ‘You must not eat from the tree,’ law, which he had given to Adam. He was addressing a different law. This other law was the one he gave to Moses as the leader of God’s people in the desert. It was the law under which the Jewish Nation was living at that time. God refers to this law as “the Law” throughout the Bible.”
I interrupted, “What is the Law?”
Tilting his head slightly, he replied with a smile, “You are learning.” He began speaking with new found enthusiasm.
“The first law of God, which he gave to Adam, is found in Genesis.
“Genesis 2:16-17— And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.
“Adam transgressed or crossed the line of this law when he disobeyed God and sin entered into the world. Then sin caused Adam and all mankind, including you, to be distanced from God. The sin nature is passed down through men to their children, and it creates a chasm between you and your Lord. But, because of his love for you, God tolerates living with the sin nature which is harbored in your flesh, while his Holy Spirit dwells within you. This does not mean he likes to do this or encourages your sinful actions in any way. God endures your fleshly sinful nature because by doing this, he can teach you about himself in a more effective way. God wants an intimate relationship with you more than anything and the best method he can use to teach you about righteousness is for him to live within you.”
He pointed to the board as he completed the sentence he had written.
The law of God given to Adam = Don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
“Your next step toward understanding righteousness is to realize that ‘the Law’ 1 John 3:4 is referring to is not the law God gave to Adam; it is the law he gave to Moses.
“The Law of Moses is found collectively in the first five books of the Bible including Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. All five of these books were inspired by God and written by Moses. They collectively are also known as the Pentateuch: Penta meaning, five, and teuch, which means tools or scrolls. God gave him the Law, along with the Mosaic Covenant, on Mount Sinai.” Joshua recited the next verse from memory.
“John 1:16-17—From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
He pulled a sheet of paper from between the pages of his Bible and handed it to me.
“The word ‘Bible’ comes from the Greek word ‘Biblia,’ meaning books. It is a collection of sixty-six separate books, written by forty authors, over a period of fifteen hundred years. All of these writings are bound together by one cover.”
I interrupted, “That is pretty amazing when you think about it.”
He nodded in agreement.
“It has two main sections including the Old Testament, describing the time prior to Christ, and the New Testament, providing history from when Christ walked the earth and after his death. It is also divided further according to content and ascribed authors. This diagram shows how the sixty-six books of the Bible have been grouped. As you can see, the Law is the first series of books in the Bible and contains the law of God given to Moses.”
I examined the drawing, which he had removed from his Bible, and recognized his explanation.
“I understand what you mean by the Law now, Joshua, but you mentioned a Mosaic Covenant. What is a covenant?”
“A covenant in the Bible is an agreement between God and man. God establishes a spiritual contract and in return, man concurs with his stipulations. It is commonly found to be a promise by God, that if you do what he asks and don’t break his covenant, he will do something for you. This gift from God usually expresses how he will bless you, take care of your needs, and protect you.
“We also find that when God gives man his laws, he also creates covenants with him. So… with each law comes a covenant. There were many covenants between God and men. Some examples of these include: God’s law and covenant with Adam, one he made with Abraham, one with Moses, and one with the house of Israel, known as the ‘New Covenant.’
“The Law of Moses was also called the law of sin and death. If you broke or transgressed this law, that transgression equaled sin, and the consequence of sin was death. Therefore, we find the law of sin and death appropriately named.” He wrote the next line on the board.
The law of God given to Moses = The Law = The law of sin and death
“This law was established on the same premise as the law of Adam. It was based on obedience. If you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you will surely die was the crux of the law God gave to Adam. Adam’s flesh did not drop dead the moment he ate the fruit, but the death process began when he committed this act of defiance. Also, because he had sinned, he could no longer live in the Garden of Eden with God. Sin caused Adam’s soul to become somewhat distanced from his Lord.
“Now you must understand that you cannot become completely separated from God. He loves you too much to allow that to occur. But recurring disobedience of his laws is like pushing away from his loving arms that are continually trying to raise you up in love. And Adam’s initial sin started that rebellious attitude for all mankind.
“The Law of Moses was similar to Adam’s law in that it was based on obeying God and not committing the number of sins listed in that law. The consequence of sin, once again, was death of the flesh, and the soul’s distancing from God, just like with Adam. Therefore, you must be forgiven for your sins if your soul is to gain access to God’s unending love in Heaven.
“Tell me, John, in order to be forgiven for breaking the Law, what must occur? At the time of Moses, according to God’s law, what had to be done for forgiveness of your sins?” He took a sip of lemonade as he awaited my response.
“Wasn’t that back when they sacrificed animals for the sins they had committed?”
“Excellent! At that time, your sins were forgiven by the shedding of blood. This was performed through animal sacrifice.”
He opened his book to read.
“Hebrews 9:22—In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
“Animal
