The Apostle James specifically emphasized that to commit a sin (break a commandment) is to break the entire Law (2:10). The Apostle John leaves no doubt as to GOD’S DEFINITION OF SIN: “TO TRANSGRESS (BREAK) THE LAW IS SIN; FOR SIN IS THE TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW” (1 Jn. 3:4). Nowhere in the Holy Bible can be found a statement that allows anyone to break the Ten Commandment Law. Is anyone hearing God’s Word? If you are of God you will hear it, so says John in 8:4: “HE WHO IS OF GOD HEARS GOD’S WORDS.” Note that it is GOD’S HOLY BIBLE that is God’s Word–not someone’s version of His Word. The Lord had His Word recorded in writing and preserved for thousands of years. Why? to serve as His rules of engagement as “the end of the world” approached (1 Cor. 10:11). We are living in that time period now. With His Word at our fingertips, we do not need church doctrine.

Church doctrine is an abomination to God because it is man’s self-serving INTERPRETATION OF GOD’S WORD. He tells us plainly that it is a sin to interpret His Word (2 Pet. 1:20–2:2). His Word interprets itself for those who will study it with an open heart. Peter warns that false prophets will interpret God’s Word to suit their own theological desires which God calls “damnable heresies.” Those who proclaim them “deny (the Truth of) the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” But that is not the total problem, as the last verse makes clear: “And many will follow their pernicious (hellish) ways so that the ways of the Lord will be put forth as evil.” They will “call good evil and evil good” (Isa. 5:20), which is exactly what Law-haters do. Such people have no fear of God, which is “the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10). Peter warned that such unlearned and unstable men were wresting (twisting) Paul’s teachings to mean what they did not mean (2 Pet. 3:16). Their religious descendants continue in their footsteps today.

With that Scriptural background firmly ensconced in our minds (“hearts”) we can understand statements made by the Apostle Paul such as: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).” Since the Biblical definition of sin is the breaking of God’s Law, then equally true is that “WHERE THERE IS NO LAW THERE IS NO SIN” (Rom. 4:15). Church people claim that there is no Law, but that there is sin for which they ask forgiveness. Question: what is the (nonexistent) sin for which they repent? Answer: sin is whatever they want it to be. For example, sin is holding a weekly church service on the day God commands it to be held–the 7th day of the week which we call Saturday. The church “knows” that obeying the fourth commandment is a sin. Question: if so, then why is it not a sin to obey the other nine commandments? Having rejected God’s Holy Day (Isa, 58:13), which would be a sin, they instead observe their sabbath on the day sun worshipers paid homage to their god, which they claim is good. They do not realize that, in the eyes of God, they are practicing idolatry–placing another god (the sun–Tammuz–Eze. 8) before Him. In the hearts of church people, God just needs to sit down and shut up.

The sin-repent cycle embraced by “sinners saved by grace” is ultimately popular within professing Christendom. God supposedly forgives them when they repent of their inevitable sins. Some questions come to mind: Why repent of sin that does not exist? If there is no Law–which means there is no sin–why does the church need a savior? Why celebrate Christmas and Easter? If there is no Law to observe the 7th Day Sabbath, why celebrate a sabbath on any day? Why wear crosses signifying the crucifixion of a savior Who supposedly died to forgive sins which do not exist because His Father supposedly nailed the sin-defining Law to His cross? Now let us focus on the Christ that we do need, that does exist, that did die on a cross (or stake). Read Did Jesus Die on a Cross. Key word–Die.

Consider this: It was our sins (the breaking of God’s Law) that brought about Christ’s terrible death in order to forgive us for breaking His Law, which defines sin. DO WE NOW BELIEVE THAT GOD’S GRACE ALLOWS US TO BREAK THAT LAW? Paul asks that question in Romans 6:1: “Shall we continue to sin so that God’s grace (underserved pardon) can be manifested?” Paul’s answer: “GOD FORBID.” GOD FORBIDS US TO EVEN THINK SUCH A HERETICAL THOUGHT.

Once having received God’s gracious forgiveness of all of our PAST sins (justification), WE MUST THEN OBEY HIS TEN COMMANDMENT LAW. As Jesus said: “If you love Me, keep (OBEY) the commandments” (Jn. 14:15). To the contrary, to break the Law proves that we DESPISE Him and His Father–so said Jesus as recorded in Luke 10:16. Now we will look at the verse that is at the root of all of the confusion–Colossians 2:14: “Having blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was contrary to (against) us, and having taken it out of the way by nailing it to His cross.”

What does this statement mean? Previous Biblical statements prove that it DOES NOT MEAN THAT GOD DESTROYED HIS TEN COMMANDMENT LAW by which His people live and by which all of mankind will be judged (Jn. 12:48). Something was indeed nailed to Christ’s cross. But what was it? In Second Corinthians 5:1 it is written that “HE (GOD) MADE HIM (JESUS) SIN FOR US ….” Note what Paul said: JESUS CHRIST BECAME SIN. He did not merely carry our sins in His body, THE SINLESS SON OF GOD BECAME SIN. In Hebrews 9:28 it is stated that “HE (JESUS) BORE OUR SINS.” First Peter 2:24 states that Jesus “BORE OUR SINS IN HIS BODY ON THE TREE.” IT WAS OUR SINS–IN THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST–THAT WERE NAILED TO THE CROSS. He had literally become the sins of the world in human form.

So sinful had Jesus become that God, Who cannot look upon sin (Hab. 1:13), refused to look upon His Son as He hung on the cross. Knowing this, Jesus cried out: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” (Mat. 27:46). But our sins were not the only thing Jesus erased on the cross. A deeper phenomenon took place with His final breath. Please, please hear God’s voice in what you are about to “hear.”

What we must understand is that our sins brought on our INDICTMENT THAT WAS “AGAINST US.” In a court of law, the prosecutor puts forth an INDICTMENT for which the accused will be tried. Our indictment was for sinning–BREAKING GOD’S LAW (1 Jn. 3:4). God’s Law was not “contrary to (against) us; it was the indictment for breaking His Law that was “against us.” JESUS ERASED THE INDICTMENT THAT WAS AGAINST US BY TAKING OUR SINS UPON HIMSELF AND DYING BECAUSE HE HAD BECOME THEM. What was cancelled was not the Law, but rather the Law’s INDICTMENT against us. The “handwriting of ordinances” was the INDICTMENT–the bond, the debt–that we could not pay. We had a death indictment declared against us for having broken God’s Law. JESUS PAID THAT DEBT AND CANCELLED THE INDICTMENT. PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME. I am literally tearing up as I write this.

When Jesus said, “IT IS FINISHED” He did not mean that the Law had been destroyed. He meant that HE HAD DONE ALL HE NEEDED TO DO TO PROVIDE SALVATION FOR MANKIND. OUR ETERNITY IS NOW IN OUR HANDS. WHERE WE WILL SPEND ETERNITY IS OURS TO DECIDE. WE CAN OBEY HIS LAW AND SPEND ETERNITY WITH HIM, OR DISOBEY IT AND BECOME ASH UNDER THE FEET OF THOSE WHO DO (Mal. 4:3).

Jesus warned in Matthew 24:4,5 that before His return Satan would send forth false prophets who would declare that He, Jesus, was indeed the promised Messiah. Having gained the trust of the church masses, they would lead them away from the Lord. Such is the history of the Catholic/Protestant Religious System known as “the church.” We have been warned by the Messiah Himself. We can hear Him to our advantage or ignore Him to our peril. L.J.