THE REDEEMER MAGAZINE - The Magazine for Thinking Christians.

Foreword: Here is a topic that most Christians have never discussed or ever thought about. The reason for that is most Christians rarely read or study the Bible other than showing up on Sunday morning listening to a preacher give his take on scripture; quoting popular scriptures or posting them in social media without having any idea of what the scriptures stand for or means. The latter is very popular with the advent of facebook, twitter and other posting media. Often scripture posting is a means that some uses to show their loyalty to Christ while trying to affirm to others their appearance of Holiness. Some use scripture posting as a way of trying to convince others that they know scripture. While others would post as a means in trying to teach others to know God. But do we really need to teach people to know God? I bet over half the Christian world has not read or even knew the following scriptures I am about to talk about were written in the Bible. Please pay close attention to the following scriptures and see how the beauty of the New Covenant in its functions eradicates the needs for work(good or bad) to affirm our salvation. Until the church world comes to grips with the New Covenant bestowment it will not see the beauty and majesty that God has given mankind through the death of His son JESUS CHRIST. The two scriptures that I want the readers of this article to pay close attention to is: Jeremiah 31:34 and Hebrews 8:11.  This article should cause Christians to think in paramount proportions.

THE REDEEMER®- VOLUME 84 ****EDITION 42 - OMPS® INC. 2014
 All articles in this magazine are written in whole or part by Dr. Otis T. Williams Sr. Th.D.....© 2014  These articles are the literary properties of Otis Media Publications Syndication Inc.©

Digital Version

Why Do We Still Teach People to Know God?

Are we to ignore the scriptures from the Old and New Testament?

*Jeremiah 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
   
*Hebrews 8:11 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

         As odd as it may sound the title and subtitle in this article cannot be ignored. If it be ignored; the process of sweeping scriptures under the rug begins. How often does it occur? We sweep scriptures under the rug all the times on account of not having the knowledge to interpret nor the fortitude to study.
        In bringing this topic recently to friends and colleagues; they didn’t know these scriptures existed. In all my years being affiliated with the church not one time was I ever told that the bible contained such scriptures. Now as they seems to come to light I am being given watered down interpretations as to there meanings. One thing for sure until the church get away from all the Old Covenant Pomp and Pageantry we will never realize or baste in the Glory of the new and better promises that God has given.

TEMPLE WORSHIP HAS GOT TO END
       You may ask. How do we still revel in the ways of the Old Covenant Rituals? Nearly everything that goes on in church on Sundays mornings are patterned after activities that took place in Herod’s Temple that was destroyed by God in 70 AD. God saw fit to put an end to the temple and all the activities that took place therein. How can one hold fast his profession of Faith if he has to go to church every Sunday to renew a quenched spirit? The ways of the Old Covenant called for a remembrance of sin. However, God gave us a new Covenant that no longer remembered our sin. But when we go to church on Sunday we are reminded of our sin continuosly and some even confess the same sin every Sunday. God gave Jeremiah a vision of the New covenant(Jeremiah 31:34) that would do away with the remembrance of sin. Then years later the writer of Hebrews again reiterates that promise(Hebrews 8:11) as coming into fruition. Both of the scriptures are written above and they both are written almost word for word. These are promises that God has given and we cannot gain the concept of this if we are still trying to live under the Old Law where God had no satisfaction of those things. Hebrews 8:11 .......... I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
         When we remember our sin we bring it up just like the priest did once a year in the Temple during the days of atonement. God did away with that system. Why can’t we just let it die instead of practicing those principles when we gather. Let’s be compassionate and look at the Passages/scriptures below: These are taken from the book of Hebrews: Hebrews 10:8:Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;

9:Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

10:By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11:And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

12:But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

13:From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

14:For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

15:Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,

16:This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

17:And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

18:Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

Look at verse 18. Isn't that the opposite of what we do each Sunday when go to the alter sacrificing our sins for forgivness. In essence we are telling God that He has given us no remission for our sins. That's old Covenant typology.

       In the above scriptures we find that God 1.)was not  happy with the offerings and burnt offerings that were sacrificed in the Temple according to the Law because they could not forgive sin. 2.)The priest in the Temple a lot of times offered up the same sacrifice over and over that could not take away sin. 3.)In making a better promise God made Jesus that one sacrifice to take care of the sin issue. Therefore with the coming of Jesus to be the sacrifice for sin God took away the (first) Old Covenant Law and created a (second) New Covenant Law...... How much similarity do we see in 2.) above as the same rituals are practiced over and over in church on Sundays. It is the same thing each time going to the altar offering our prayers as sacrifices asking forgiveness of our sin when the scriptures explains that our sins are forgiven because Jesus was that one sacrifice for sins for ever...  Sunday mornings make a mockery of the New Covenant by ignoring the very fact that it exist. I have said over and over. “Until the Church get away from Old Covenant Theology practices the Church will never realize the goodness that abounds under the New Covenant.”

        Now if we look in verse 16 above the covenant that God speaks of is the New Covenant and He signifies that after “those days” meaning after the days of the Old Covenant God would put His laws into their hearts, and in their minds he would write them. Once God Laws are in Our Hearts this is when we know the Lord; thereby calling for no relegation for the teaching of knowing the Lord. The Laws are written in our hearts and not on the tablets of stones as were given to the children of Israel by Moses. This is exactly what God spoke thru the Prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 31:34 and then again through the writer of  Hebrews in Hebrews 8:11.

     Going to church is the same as the children of Israel being read the Ten Commandments by Moses. The preacher gets up and read scripture then preaches a sermon. See the similarity. Or going to church is the same as the children of Israel gathering around the base of Mount Sinai waiting to hear from The Lord. Everyone gather around the altar then the preacher prays. See the similarity. They had to do something physical to receive the laws of God. Moses had to do something physical to give the laws of God to the people. The laws of God was written on tablets of stone and not in the heart and minds of mankind. Moses had to teach the way of The Lord to the people. There were teachers and prophets that conveyed the laws of God to the people all being done under the Laws and ways of the Old Covenant system or to say under the laws of the old Mosaic Covenant. Under the new and better covenant there is no need for teachers, apostles, prophets, pastors or clergy for the specific teaching of knowing The Lord. (See THE REDEEMER MAGAZINE VOLUME 84; EDITION 41 as I explain how God closes the office of prophecy under the New Covenant.) (See THE REDEEMER MAGAZINE VOLUME 18 as I explain how the great commission was fulfilled in 1st century generation as the book end of the Old Covenant.) The job of these modern day clergymen is to preside and submit authority over the Old Covenant ceremonies that takes place today. That covenant was fading away and became obsolete as spoken by the writer of Hebrews. Hebrews 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

       God took it upon Himself to place his laws and the remission of sin into the hearts of His people and all of God's people know The Lord without the teachings of man. Now teaching the bible and teaching to know The Lord is two different subjects all together. However, one can study and know the entire bible yet not know The Lord if God has not placed his Laws within the heart and mind of that individual. On the other hand one can know The Lord without knowing the containment of the Bible.
       The summary of this is there is no need of church services to know The Lord. One of the main reasons for church is learning the elements of the Book. Going to the church building to learn the bible is a tradition not a commandment nor necessity. The bible is probably better taught and learned
without all the other distractions that goes on in the modern day church setting.
     Only God can write His laws into the heart of his people. In the two scriptures of concern Jeremiah 31:34 and Hebrews 8:11 In the two scriptures God said “for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them” who is not inclusive of “all”? Does all of God’s children find it necessary to  attend Sunday church? No they don’t.

        As been noted there is no need for church services to learn the Bible to know The Lord. I understand the scriptures as written. I also understand the concept of the New Covenant. God gave a better way of doing things and that is the heaven on earth not being guide by the old system of death(the Old Covenant).
      Yes, I think we do God and the scriptures a disservice when we do contrary to what the scriptures say and mean. However, one cannot focus on scriptures when their eyes are blinded by the arrogant and pretentious traditions that man considers holy.  Let’s look at something. The average person before they even went to a church service knew right from wrong. Most even knew there is a God just by breathing and knowing the natural order of human progression. Before I was taught anything about or from the Bible I knew there was a God of mercy. I know God’s law was written in my heart because no one had to tell me or teach me to know the Lord. I knew the Lord for myself. Then why did I even bother to go to church? That’s an easy answer. TRADITION. If God says he will write his laws on the heart of his people then that’s what I’m going to believe. I can grasp the concept of the New Covenant and beg of those in the institutionalized church to join in. The New Covenant is like a good gift that has been given to Christians but they are so self righteous that they won’t open the box.