God commands that we study His Word in order to learn about Him.  If we are honestly seeking Truth, we will search out all relevant Scriptural information, especially the parts that contradict what we have been told, which, as this website has proven repeatedly, has been mostly wrong.  Pride and fear prevent most salvation seekers from wanting to know God’s ways.  The purpose of knowing God’s ways is to know Him.  The Jews (tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi) did not recognize who Jesus was when He came among them preaching, teaching and performing miracles.  He came so that man could BELIEVE what was written about Him and His Father in the Old Testament.  John the Baptist told them Who He was, but only a few believed Him because He did not march to their beat.  Nothing has changed.  The church rejects Him today for the same reason.

If we indeed do believe what is written in the Holy Scriptures, we will ACT ON (OBEY) WHAT IS WRITTEN.  Jesus did.  Recall that, as a man, He repeatedly said, “It is written ….” in Satan’s attempt to get Him off track.  Notice that He told Satan that man, Himself included, must “… LOVE and SERVE the Lord God” (Mat. 4:4,7,10).  God’s Word was written for Satan and the angels also.  They failed and man is determined to follow in their spiritual footsteps.  Let us do the opposite of Satan and his angels.  Otherwise we will join them in the Lake of Fire.  No one is exempt from God’s Law (Mat. 25:41).  Even the Very Elect are subject to the temptations of Satan (Mat. 24:24).  Note that the words if possible are in italics, meaning that they were not in the original manuscripts.  Even Jesus was subject to failure.

When God’s Truth (Word/Law–Jn. 17:17) is presented to us WE MUST OBEY IT, or else His Word, by which we will be judged (Jn. 12:48), is useless to us.  THE ONLY WAY TO SERVE GOD IS TO OBEY His Word/Law/Gospel/Light/Truth/will, JUST AS DID ABRAHAM–the “FATHER OF THE FAITHFUL”  (Rom. 4:12/ Gal. 3:7,9).  Recall that “the Scripture (Word–Jesus) preached the GOSPEL unto Abraham” (Gal 3:8).  Note that Jesus preached THE Gospel, not some other another Gospel, to Abraham.  Why was the pan-theistic heathen chosen to be the “father of the faithful?”  BECAUSE HE BELIEVED AND OBEYED GOD WHEN HE HEARD HIS WORDS.  That Gospel of the Kingdom of God has not changed.  The Holy Days are part of the Gospel which God gave to Moses who recorded the first five books of the Bible where we are commanded to observe them.  The part that was nailed to the cross was “that which was added because of transgressions”–the sacrificial law (Gal. 3:19).

However, we are told from pulpit and podium, from t.v. and radio, from internet and street corner that to obey the tenants of the Old Testament is “EARN” salvation, which means that one has “fallen from grace.”  This is Satan’s attempt to keep us in a state of sin while believing that we are in God’s good graces.  Jesus died to cleans us of our PAST sins as we are told in Romans 3:24,25: “Being justified (having sins removed) freely by His GRACE through … FAITH in His blood, to declare His righteousness FOR THE REMISSION (FORGIVENESS) OF OUR PAST SINS ….”  Note it: JESUS DIED TO FORGIVE OUR PAST SINS.  Once we have been justified we must prove our love for Him by obeying His Law, thereby keeping sin out of our lives.  “To transgress the Law is sin, for sin is the transgression of the Law” (1 Jn. 3:4).  The Law contains God’s command to observe His festivals (Holy Days).  Recall that Jesus said He did not come to destroy the LAW OR (THE WRITINGS OF) THE PROPHETS, BUT TO FULFILL THEM–OBEY THEM TO THE FULLEST (Mat. 5:17).  Which He did to perfection as an example for us (1 Jn. 2:6/ Rev. 3:21).

Justification is awarded freely by God in accordance to our faith and His grace.  However, justification is merely the starting point.  Being justified is the starting point in the Christian “walk,” or the “race,” as Paul called it.  Contrary to church “truth,” the crown (salvation) awaits the convert at the finish line–the return of Christ–not at the starting line (after completing a prescribed ritual, known as the “salvation experience”).  Also, just finishing the race is not enough.  The race must be run according to God’s rules.  Otherwise, one has run the race in vain (Gal. 2:2).  Jesus said this about those who substitute their words (church doctrine) for His Words (the Holy Bible) : “In vain do they worship Me ….” (Mat. 15:9).  Those who teach that the Law, including the Holy Days, was “nailed to the cross” are false prophets who do Satan’s dirty work for him.  I know, for I was once one of them.  I praise God for delivering me from the devil’s religion of death.

Once having received justification (removal of all PAST sins), we must remain justified.  Notice who does this: “For NOT the hearers of the LAW are (remain) JUST(TIFIED) before God, BUT the DOERS (OBEYERS) OF THE LAW SHALL BE (REMAIN) JUSTIFIED” (Rom. 2:13).  If, following justification, we continued to sin and repent we become like the sow that returns to her mire after being cleansed.  We are like the dog that returns to his vomit after expelling it (2 Pet/ 2:2).  This perfectly describes the sin-repent cycle that church people claim is God’s version of the “Christian life.”  The cycle does describe the walk of church-defined Christians, but not the life of Scripture-defined Christians.  Within Christendom there are two walks, two gods and two saviors.  Catholicism/Protestantism has its god, savior, walk, etc.  God’s church has her God, Savior and walk.  They are as different as life and death.  Once justified, the true God seeker will maintain his justified status by obeying God’s Law.  Jesus died so that we can receive the Holy Spirit which empowers us to overcome Satan’s temptations to sin, as did Jesus (Heb. 4:15/ Rev. 3:21).  Because church people refuse to receive the real Holy Spirit, they have not received justification and God’s grace is of no effect in their lives.

As we will see in a future posting, the prophets, Jesus and the apostles kept the Lord’s festivals/Holy Days whose times are established by the sun and moon as the earth rotates beneath them.  As we will see, celebrating the festivals is a “sign” of one belongs to the Lord.  One of the Holy Day “signs” that identify believers is the observance of the 7th day Sabbath (Exo. 31:12-18).  Recall that God called the 7th day Sabbath “My Holy Day” (Isa. 58:13).  The counterfeit church chooses to obey Roman Emperor Constantine who declared that she must work on that day and observe the first day of the week as her sabbath.  Deceived salvation seekers by the billions have bowed to his decree ever since.  L.J.