Literature Library
Articles and essays listed on this page address the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, and of living within the laws of God. If a disciple's righteousness does not exceed that of the Pharisees (Matt 5:20), the disciple will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus of Nazareth labeled the Pharisees as hypocrites and vipers; He said their father was the devil. Their righteousness was not of faith, and they were woefully short on love for their neighbors.
Although rabbinical Judaism contends that the
Pharisees of the
Disciples are, by faith, to keep and teach the
least of the commandments (Matt 5:19) if they want to be called great in the
kingdom of heaven. They are to live by Paul's law of faith (Rom 3:27), which Paul
identifies as the righteousness that comes from faith (Rom 10:6-8), and he
cites Deuteronomy 30:11-14, from the second covenant (Deut 29:1) mediated by
Moses on the plains of
When the mediator of this second covenant changed
from Moses to the glorified Jesus, better promises were added. Instead of
physical life and blessings, and return to a geographical Promised Land,
disciples will receive everlasting life and a place in heavenly
In the first century CE, when the waters of humanity were divided between those born of Spirit and those who were not, receipt of the Holy Spirit and circumcision of the heart preceded obedience. But as the natural body of Christ Jesus died, His spiritual Body, crucified with Him, also died. But the gates of Hades could not prevail over His natural body; the gates of Hades cannot prevail over His spiritual Body. And as His natural body was resurrected after three days, His spiritual Body will be resurrected after three days, the first three spiritual days of the Genesis one creation account [the “P” account].
A disciple is no longer under the law written on stone tablets for this same law of God will be internalized when the heart is circumcised—the disciple is now under Grace, which remains outside the disciple as the garment of Christ’s righteousness, put on daily as a person puts on clothes. Therefore, the articles and essays on this page advocate the necessity for living by the spiritual laws of God. The relationship between the visible physical law and the invisible spiritual law is the relationship between the act of murder to the desire of the heart to hate; the act of adultery to the thought of the mind that produces lust.
Christ bears the sins of all who remain within this covenant of faith--no sin will be imputed to those disciples who remain within the covenant. Jesus said, however, not to be surprised when some disciples are resurrected to life and some to condemnation (John 5:29). Disciples who leave the covenant will experience the second death.