TWO LEGAL SYSTEMS
Perhaps the biggest reason the Bible is so difficult to understand is found in the fact that God set up two kinds of legal systems:

The difference between the two systems exists because of the huge gap between the literal interpretations of the Law of Moses and the spiritual, or symbolic interpretation of that law. As written in the Books of the Law (i.e. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), the law was impossible for anyone to obey literally. It contained too many rituals and too many do’s and don’ts for anyone to keep track of and execute faithfully.

The second system (i.e. the law written by the Spirit on hearts of flesh) is contained in the New Covenant where the law is written on the hearts of God’s people. This, of course, is the essence of the New Covenant that Jesus mediates between God and his people.

The first system required obedience to many religious ceremonies and activities which were impossible to understand and obey for a variety of reasons:

For all these reasons we can begin to understand why the law is called a stumbling block. God knew, of course, that obedience to the literal, written law would be impossible for anyone to do. And he knew that religion and idolatry was in the hearts of his people. Therefore, God gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart and their passion to walk in their own religion by tempting them with the literal, written law, with all its various commandments, statutes, precepts and ordinances, as a test to discover who would listen to his voice instead of working themselves to death trying to obey the written law.

God has always been concerned only with the heart attitude. He did not and does not want people who obey legalistically where only the mind and body are engaged. He wants people who obey because their hearts are tuned into hearing the voice of God. He does not want them to obey written rules and traditions created by men. Anyone who obeys religious rules written by and enforced by men and does not listen to God’s spoken voice has stumbled over the law.

Legalistic obedience of written laws is the essence of the Old/First Covenant. It is the essence of religion. But obedience to God’s laws written on the heart is the essence of the New Covenant. As we read scripture, however, it is difficult  to know which law God is referring to. If we don’t know that there are two laws and if we don’t know how to discern between the two laws, we will be confused and stumble over the law.

The following are good examples of scriptures where it is very hard to discern which law is the Old/First Covenant law and which is the New Covenant law. For convenience we have highlighted references to Old/First Covenant law in red, and highlighted references to New Covenant law in bold.

Matthew 5:17-18  Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

COMMENTARY: By saying that he had come to fulfill the law and the words of the prophets, Jesus was saying that he had come to fulfill the prophecies about the New Covenant. He also implied that everything God intended regarding the fulfillment of the spiritual intent of the law, not the written law, would be accomplished through people who make the transition from Old Covenant religion to New Covenant spiritual life.

This all happens when, after they repent of being religious, God writes his laws on their hearts. Another way to say this is that he puts his name (i.e. character) in their hearts.

Matthew 28:16-20 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

COMMENTARY: Jesus’ commandment regarding baptism has been wrongly interpreted to be a literal baptism in water with the tag lines “in the name of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit.” This is nothing more than religious mumbo-jumbo talk. Such statements by religious leaders and dunking or sprinkling in water do not change people. Only the spirit of God can change people.

Baptism is one of the clearest examples we can find of Old Covenant religion. It is a ritualistic work of the flesh just like circumcision,  animal sacrifice or a ceremonial washing. Circumcision means nothing unless it is accompanied by the right heart attitude.

Jesus’ commands to make disciples, baptize and teach are, in effect, commands to convert people from Old Covenant religious behaviors to New Covenant faith and works that result in the law being written on their hearts.

The “end of the age” anticipates the end of the season Old/First Covenant for individual religious people. It is not, as dispensationalists teach, a global event that happens to everyone in the world at the same time.

Romans 3:19-24: Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For no human being will be justified in his sight by works of the law, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; 23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus,

Romans 4 What then shall we say about Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to one who works, his wages are not reckoned as a gift but as his due. 5 And to one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. 6 So also David pronounces a blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not reckon his sin.” 9 Is this blessing pronounced only upon the circumcised, or also upon the uncircumcised? We say that faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it reckoned to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received circumcision as a sign or seal of the righteousness which he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised and who thus have righteousness reckoned to them, 12 and likewise the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but also follow the example of the faith which our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. 13 The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that they should inherit the world, did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants–not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations” –in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations; as he had been told, “So shall your descendants be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “reckoned to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him that raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Romans 5 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. 6 While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man–though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. 8 But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation. 12 Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned— 13 sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the effect of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. 17 If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Then as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous. 20 Law came in, to increase the trespass; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

COMMENTARY: It is important to understand what verse 18 means by an “act of righteousness”. The act of righteousness for Jesus and other New Covenant disciples is to lay down their lives for their friends who are still practicing Old/First Covenant religion. The righteous act fulfills God’s commands to utterly destroy religious kingdoms and to set captives free from religion.

When we read verses 18 and 19, we should interpret “one man’s act of  righteousness” to be our personal efforts to destroy religious kingdoms so we can help set captives free from religion.

Romans 6:14-15: For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!

COMMENTARY: Sin here is the sin of religion. New Covenant disciples are under grace — not law.

Grace is what God gives to people whom he delivers from religion.

New Covenant disciples who live free from religion are grateful that God has delivered them from it and have no desire to go back into slavery to religion.

Romans 7 Do you not know, brethren–for I am speaking to those who know the law–that the law is binding on a person only during his life? 2 Thus a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives; but if her husband dies she is discharged from the law concerning the husband. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. 4 Likewise, my brethren, you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit. 7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I should not have known sin. I should not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, finding opportunity in the commandment, wrought in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died; 10 the very commandment which promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, finding opportunity in the commandment, deceived me and by it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, working death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. 17 So then it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, 23 but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I of myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Romans 9:31 Israel who pursued the righteousness which is based on law did not succeed in fulfilling that law.

COMMENTARY: Judaism is a way of life based on obedience to many laws/rules/regulations derived from the Law of Moses. Obedience to these many laws (i.e. religious laws) is the standard of righteousness for observant Jews.

Jews past and present believe that fulfilling all of these laws was/is the way to achieve righteousness. They are wrong. They righteous with respect to their religious laws, but they are not righteous with respect to God’s spiritual laws.

Christians have made the same mistake as Jews. They have many religious laws that they observe but they still do not fulfill God’s spiritual laws because God’s laws are not written on their hearts.

Romans 10:1-9 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified. 5 Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on the law shall live by it. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 or “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach); 9 because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

2-Corinthians 3:2-6 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 being revealed that you are a letter of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in tablets that are hearts of flesh. 4 Such confidence we have through Christ toward God; 5 not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God; 6 who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

COMMENTARY: Tablets written with ink and tablets of stone contain the letter of the law. They are symbolic references to the written Bible and they bring death.

These tablets written by man on paper/stone are  not the same as a heart of flesh with God’s laws written on it by his spirit.

Acts 15:1-29 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoeni’cia and Sama’ria, reporting the conversion of the Gentiles, and they gave great joy to all the brethren. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up, and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the law of Moses.” 6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter rose and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God who knows the heart bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us; 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore why do you make trial of God by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” 12 And all the assembly kept silence; and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brethren, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, as it is written, 16 ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up, 17 that the rest of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, 18 says the Lord, who has made these things known from of old.’ 19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the pollutions of idols and from unchastity and from what is strangled and from blood. 21 For from early generations Moses has had in every city those who preach him, for he is read every sabbath in the synagogues.” 22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsab’bas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, 23 with the following letter: “The brethren, both the apostles and the elders, to the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cili’cia, greeting. 24 Since we have heard that some persons from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from unchastity. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

COMMENTARY: This is a story about controversy among followers of Jesus regarding how much of the Old Covenant law should be observed. Those who were legalistic (i.e. the Pharisees) argued that circumcision and rigid observance of all parts of the Law of Moses was still necessary. Others argued that keeping those laws was even difficult for Jews and that Gentiles should not be held to the same legalistic requirements. By saying that the Law of Moses was read in synagogues every Sabbath, they were acknowledging that new Gentile believers would be exposed to the Spirit of the Law of Moses and would then come to understand what was required of them anyway without putting any extra legalistic expectations on them.

Nevertheless, it was agreed that, at a minimum, Gentile believers should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from unchastity. These were held up to be the three minimum laws that Gentiles should observe. There was an attitude of trust that beyond these three issues Gentiles would know what to do because the New Covenant law was written on their hearts.

This story anticipates the kind of arguments that New Covenant disciples will receive from religious people when they tell them that religion, with all of its physical activities, is not what God wants. Not being able to discern between flesh and spirit, they will argue that the there should be churches, pastors, rabbis, singing, prayer, sacraments and so on because all these activities are found in the Bible.

1 Corinthians 9:20-21:And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.

Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 3:1-7     O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? 4 Did you experience so many things in vain? –if it really is in vain. 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? 6 Thus Abraham “believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 7 So you see that it is men of faith who are the sons of Abraham.

Galatians 3:8-13: And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are men of faith are blessed with Abraham who had faith. 10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be every one who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no man is justified before God by the law; for “He who through faith is righteous shall live“; 12 but the law does not rest on faith, for “He who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us–for it is written, “Cursed be every one who hangs on a tree.”

Galatians 4:1-5: I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no better than a slave, though he is the owner of all the estate; 2 but he is under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. 3 So with us; when we were children, we were slaves to the elemental spirits of the universe. 4 But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

COMMENTARY: Old/First Covenant religionists are born into slavery to religious leaders (i.e. guardians and trustees) because their parents raise them to be religious. They are slaves to religion (i.e. elemental spirits of the universe).

When they become New Covenant disciples, however, they are spiritually born again and become children of God.

Galatians 5:13-24: For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another take heed that you are not consumed by one another. 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

COMMENTARY: God is not really talking about cultural/social fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness and carousing. These are all natural terms with which people in all cultures are familiar and which are forbidden according to cultural laws, ethics and mores in most cultures. God is not unconcerned about these issues, but there is no need for him to remind people about these issues because they are essentially human, social issues — not spiritual issues.

God uses these natural terms with which people are familiar to symbolically represent spiritual concepts with which people are not familiar. Each of these cultural/social concepts represent some aspect of the way God sees the heart attitude of Old/First Covenant religionists. In other words, because God finds his spiritual version of these attitudes and behaviors present in religion, and he warns people to avoid these attitudes of the heart.

Religious people who only interpret these terms according to their cultural references will make religious rules and regulations out of them. Thus they will say that to be a good religious person, one must not fornicate, envy, carouse and so on. Their righteousness is based on how well they do with respect to these religious regulations.

New Covenant disciples, on the other hand, do not interpret these terms literally. They already know what their cultures accept and reject as good behavior. They do not need the Bible to remind them.

New Covenant disciples therefore seek to understand God’s spiritual meaning of these terms. They seek to understand what God means by spiritual fornication, idolatry, envy and so on. They desire to see their hearts as God sees them.

When they see their hearts as God sees them, they desire to cleanse themselves (i.e. crucify their flesh) from these spiritual conditions. After they crucify their fleshly, religious thinking and behaviors, they judge everything according to spiritual terms — not according to what they can see or hear with natural eyes or ears. Then, and then only then, do they walk in the spirit and exhibit the invisible fruits of the spirit which are all matters of the heart — not of the flesh. They are transformed by the renewal of their minds when they stop reading the Bible literally and interpret it spiritually by listening to God’s voice.

Deuteronomy 6:20-25 ”When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the ordinances which the LORD our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; 22 and the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes; 23 and he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land which he swore to give to our fathers. 24 And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as at this day. 25 And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.’

COMMENTARY: The commandments God wants people to obey are spiritual laws written on the hearts of New Covenant disciples.