Law Vs. Grace Pt.2 - Cain and Abel

This is part 2 of Law and Grace. Enjoy.

Genesis 4:3-7
In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

What do you notice in these passages?
a) BOTH wanted to offer to God
b) Cain brought some fruits of the soil
c) Abel brought fat portions from the firstborn of his flock
d) God had favour on Abel and his offering but not on Cain and Cain’s offering
f) Cain became angry and his face was downcast
g) God rebukes Cain that what Cain did was wrong
h) God says ONLY to Cain that sin is crouching at his door

These are 2 brothers. Both with clear-cut motives. Good motives to make an offering to God. Whether for righteousness or just a mere offering, we do not know. Neither is there any record that God clothed Abel with garments of skin.

But what is clear is this – both men offered to God.

Cain’s Fruit Of Self Effort Cannot Please God
Please remember at this point of time, the Law of Moses has not come in yet. This may have taken place 20-30 years after the fall in Eden. The curse on the ground is still in effect. Man had to worked the ground to feed his mouth. Notice Cain offered what was curse: The ground. The ground was cursed because God has curse man that it is with his sweat that he works the ground. “Sweat” is synonym with stress and hard labour. This means Cain tried to please God with his works.

Here Cain offers his fruits to God. He worked the ground. Waters it. Puts manure on it. He sweats. He might even have injured himself a few times in the process, as there are no tools. No cangkul, no irrigation, no best known way to bear fruits.

Yet somehow he produces them and offers them to God.

His offering speaks of what he does. The effort he puts in. It describes all the pain and toil that he went through. It was his ‘ministry’ if you can call it that. It was his calling. It was his duty. It was not only his effort, but his self-worth. His work defines him.

Abel’s Fat Portions Speak Of God’s Mediator For Man
Abel offers the fat portions from his flock.
Abel was born with sin. He needed a mediator. A perfect and unblemished lamb. And as much as the Bible doesn’t say lambs, I think we all know it was fat portions from his flock of lambs.

One here must appreciate that God had to clothe Adam and Eve when they had sin in order that they could overcome their nakedness and shame. God clothed them with skin of an animal. An animal had to die in a substitution death for Adam and Eve so that Adam and Eve will have covering over what they did. God provided this death as a means of his grace. That animal we all know from what Abel offered was a lamb. This point to fact that Abel wanted to please God by telling God he was gracious!

The lamb speaks of a relationship – a shepherd and the lamb. It talks about how God (as a shepherd) deals with his people. That lamb talks about Jesus’ perfection and goodness. How unblemished and perfect it is.

It speaks of the quality of the mediator and not the offerer. It speaks of sacrificial love and not human effort. And God showed favour on the unblemished flock. Abel’s acceptance was based upon the lamb, not his own merit.

The Works Of Flesh Is Prideful
Cain was obviously not too happy about being rejected.
After all he had good intentions. He worked hard to please God.
Imagine having grown up as a boy, and having your mom and dad talk about Eden and how at the fall, God made garments of skin for them. Adam and Eve might have even shown Cain the garments.

Yet Cain had the strange idea to offer fruits. To offer self-effort. To offer his best is filthy rag. And when his filthy rag were rejected, instead of realising why he failed, he was angry at God and with Abel.

God Rebukes Cain And Not Abel
God said to Cain - If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

When I was younger I always thought that it was Cain that withheld the best from God. I was always previously taught that Abel gave his best, but Cain offered some. But now I realise that that could not be.

Cain was not able to offer his best because he offered himself – his effort, his results, his fruit – the focus was always on himself. And God said it straight to Cain’s face that Cain would have been accepted if he offered the right sacrifice. The fruit of self-effort CANNOT please God.

Even Hebrews testify about Abel’s offering: Hebrews 11:4
By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

Earlier we established that there was no clear understanding why the offerings were made, but despite that, IT WAS STILL COUNTED AS RIGHTEOUSNESS to Abel!

Sin Crouches At The Door Of Self-Effort
What many Christians do not know is this:
Your self-effort arouses your sinful nature.

1 Corinthians 15:56
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

At the time of Cain and Abel, the Law of Moses have not been given.
But you must realise what sin does.
Romans 7:11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.

Sin seizes the commandments (Law of Moses) and condemns you to death.
Hence if a person is offering self-effort, the more:-
i) unrighteous he would become
ii) realise the more sinful he is
iii) more powerless to turn from sin
iv) basically give up changing

But if you offer like Abel, you get the opposite:-
i) righteousness apart from the law & self-effort!
ii) focuses on the Perfection of Jesus
iii) gain power to overcome sin – for you are not under law, but under grace
iv) you are transformed by beholding His face

You see, God is more concerned about the perfection of your offering, than the amount of trouble, sleepless nights and effort you put in.
He is more concerned about you having Christ than you having deeds.

There is a place for deeds – but only in the way God approves.
There is no room for law and self effort.

Law & Grace Pt.1 - Deception of Eden

Over the last few weeks, I've been really busy. Even as I'm typing this out, I've got tonnes of work on my hands that I'm not sure how to even start. May I have abundant Grace to finish them.

But this topic i'm sharing now has been on my mind quite some time.
I guess, I need to get it out.
Maybe God willing, in a form of a book in the future.
May you be blessed!

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I don't know if you've noticed. But EVERYTHING in the Bible is separated between Law and Grace. And I've come to realise that the greatest deception of Satan was not that he does not exist, but that - you can gain through your effort, what you already have through the cross. 1

Think about it:

Law - Grace
Law of Moses - Walking in the Spirit
Righteousness through works - Righteousness through faith
Keeping the Commandments - Christ kept the Commandments
Knowledge of good and evil - Tree of life
Sinner - Saint
Cain - Abel
Ishmael - Isaac
Esau - Jacob
King Saul - King David
Moses, the OT guide - Holy Spirit, the NT guide
Circumcision of flesh - Circumcision of heart


Let's begin from Eden.
God made Adam and Eve and God gave them free will to choose.
That is why the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life is there.
It was placed there so that God honours the free will of men to choose.
And God made men in HIS IMAGE. Adam was NOT GOD, but he WAS LIKE GOD. (Genesis 1:26)

Then came the Serpent.
People say the greatest deception of the serpent is the he does not exist.
What nonsense! Here he is in the open! Showing himself existing!

He said:
Genesis 3:5 - "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Now, let us consider the statement above.
Are Adam and Eve already like God? YES! (they were made in His likeness!)

Where is the deception then?
It was when they sought to attain that likeness by their own effort, when they already received it by grace...

You see, law is not only a written code, but it is also SELF-EFFORT

Everything you need for salvation and life is already found in Jesus Christ.
It's either you accept it, or you go about it through your own efforts.

It is this deception that is STILL HAPPENING in Churches all over the world.
Preachers preach that you need to work out your salvation in fear and trembling - which is in fact a misquotation that is not based on the context.
How can God who gave you not a spirit of fear, but of Sonship, encourage you to go back under a system of fear? Yet it is preached!

Preachers say that you need to repent from the acts of sin. But the Bible is clear that we repent (metanoia - change our minds) from unbelief and dead works -> to believing Jesus Christ who is the Son of God who came and died for our sins and was raised again 3 days later. We are transformed from glory and glory from beholding Jesus, not from our discipline or 'acts of repentance'.

Preachers preach that you need to obey the law of Moses (or at least the 10 commandments) as a guide to living. Paul writes that we have died to the law - and we now serve in the new ways of the Spirit. (Romans 7:6)

Don't you know those who goes back under the Law are called the 'lawless'?
After all, Colossians 2:14 - having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

The law was nailed to the cross! No more law of Moses!
Now, that the law is gone, we live by the Spirit!
In the same way a 'homeless' man desires to have a home but does not have one, so is:-
a 'lawless' man who desires to follow the law of moses, when it is already fulfilled in Christ!

But what does Hebrews 8:10 mean - when God said He will write His Laws in our hearts?
This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.

You Pharisees insist that because of this quotation, there is a need to obey the written code.
But don't you know the Law of Moses were given through angels?

Acts 7:53 [stephen before the sanhedrin]
you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it." (NIV)
Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. (KJV)

or
Galatians 3:19b
The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. (NIV)
and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. (KJV)

The Law of Moses were given through an angel!
Shocking? It is.

Hence, the law that God writes in their minds are not the Law of Moses!
It is the law of Christ!
1 Corinthians 9:21
To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law.

Brethren, you are not required to obey the Law of Moses!
May the truth set you free!
Walk in the Spirit and unleash his Fruits! The law of Moses will only bring out the 'workings of your flesh'!

Today Satan wants your life stunted. He wants you to go back under law.
He wants you to work with your bare hands what has already been attained through the Cross...
What is your choice?

Be blessed!

Next article:- Law Vs. Grace Pt.2 - Cain & Abel
Copyright @ randykhoo.blogspot.com
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All You Need Is Jesus

I love this song. Not because of the lyrics.
Not because of the music.
But because every time I hear it, I wanna sit down, sing along and worship.

There is great beauty in simplicity.
The same Jesus who made the world, also made the simplest of atoms.
From the biggest galaxies, to the littles of nano-particles of atoms.

Please stay, listen, enjoy it. And maybe you'll sing along to as well.
God Bless you. And God grants you His peace.





Lyrics - How Great Is Our God - Chris Tomlin

VERSE(1):
The splendor of a King,
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice,
All the earth rejoice
He wraps himself in light,
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at his voice,
And trembles at his voice

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

VERSE(2):
Age to age he stands
And time is in His Hands
Beginning and the End,
Beginning and the End
The Godhead, Three in one
Father, Spirit, Son
The Lion and the Lamb,
The Lion and the Lamb

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

CHORUS(2)
Name above all names
You are Worthy of all praise
and My heart will sing how great
Is our God
(x2)

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

The Greatest Deception

People have often said - the greatest deception of the Devil is that he wants you to believe he does not exist.

You know what? I don't think he cares about that.

The real deception is that he wants you to work with your own effort for what you already have through Jesus Christ at the Cross.

Think about it.

2 trees in Eden, law vs faith righteousness, work vs rest, etc...
Everything that is attacked, has already been given through Jesus Christ.

Eden - Adam already possessed God's glory. The Jews call it the Shekhainah glory. He was already in the state of Glorification (if you can call it that). The serpent came and offered Adam a lesser thing through the law, that is the forbidden tree.

Job - satan's charge against God was that Job was already in a state of immunity and blessing. He says that if that is lifted from Job, Job will in fact curse God for the removal. And turn away from God to human effort. [Naturally, with human effort meeting failure, one would be bitter with God]

Jesus - the serpent told Jesus to turn these bread into stones in Matt 4 - which in fact means taking your nourishment from the 10 commandments - that is the law! Satan tries to turn Jesus' ministry back to Moses'!

Present time - Churches are feeding fear of failure to people - so much so, they doubt their salvation when they sin, or that they are not rooted in righteousness, or that they are taught to obey some parts of the law and mix it with grace.

Lord Jesus, help us all to see your light.

Does The Holy Spirit Convict Believers Of Sin?

Recently some fellow Christians brothers came against a few of us because we, after reading the bible time and time again, were convinced that the Holy Spirit does not convict believers of sin.
Some brothers even came to the point of slandering us openly and behind our backs. (these were also because of other things we spoke/taught/preach.)

This article is to answer the questions and misconceptions we believe many practice...

So (for the sake of entertainment of our souls) let us take these claims that the Spirit convict believers of sin as true and see if it stands.

So, let us make an assumption.
Let's really assume that the Holy Spirit did convict believers of sin.

But with every theory and assumption, let us put it to the litmus test of the Holy Spirit.

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Problem 1
The Definition Of Conviction Bars Believers From Coming Boldly To God

Let's define 'convict'.
According to: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/convict
Convict (verb)
1. to prove or declare guilty of an offense
2. to impress with a sense of guilt

Hebrews 10:15-18
The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
"This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds." Then he adds:
"Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more."
And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.

In these passage of Hebrews the Holy Spirit himself says He remembers our sins NO MORE.
What is there to convict of sin? What is there to bring to remembrance of sin?

Some said that it is not to convict but to impress the sense of guilt.

But Hebrews 10 later goes on to say in vs 22-
let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.(Hebrews 10:22)

What other sense of guilt is there?
If a believers' 'conviction of sin', 'sense of guilt' or 'whatever-you-term-it' remains, then you cannot draw near! Your "Knowledge of Good and Evil" will cause God to put back that flaming sword. Minds will be veiled.

But what we discover is No condemnation and no separation - Read Romans 8!
Why no more condemnation and no separation? Because He is faithful when He and that remembering our sins no more is part of His faithfulness!

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Problem 2
The Law Is Void Of Purpose If The Spirit Convicts Believers Of Sin!

Paul says in Romans 5:20
The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,

Paul's argument in Romans 5 was that the law was given so that trespass (sin) might increase - hence made known and become clearer - hence the law was given the full right to not only convict but also condemn everyone as a sinner - for all have fallen short.

This resounds in Romans 7:7
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet."

The purpose of the law was to convict sin and to define what sin is.

Hence if the Holy Spirit convicted believers of sin, then would not the purpose of the Law made void? Yet no where in the Bible does any part of scripture shows that the Holy Spirit made sin more clearer!

So where did such teaching come from? Men?

Also, God's word cannot return to him empty. The things of God never fail! How is it that now the Holy Spirit does law's work - that is to condemn and convict - hence implying the Law failed in its purpose???

Hence, the Law MUST HAVE achieved its purpose of bringing out sin clearer - therefore, the Holy Spirit cannot convict believers of sin.

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Problem 3
If the Holy Spirit Convicts Believers Of Sin, He CANNOT Convict Them Of Righteousness

When I read my bible, I discover:
Romans 8:2
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death

If the Spirit of Life (that is the Holy Spirit) sets believers free from the law of sin and death, can you be convicted of sin anymore??? - IN FACT it is Him that sets us free from the conviction of sin!

You cannot be condemned NOR convicted of sin - Why?
Romans 8:3-4
For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

You see, our SINS WERE CONDEMNED at the cross - in the body of Jesus Christ! The result - the requirements of the law were met and now believers no longer live according to sinful nature (condemnation & conviction of sin) but according to the Spirit (that convicts you of righteousness)

Question - Are believers in Christ when they believe in Jesus?
YES THEY ARE! The result?

Romans 8:10
But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.

Why are believers alive? Because the righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed to believers!

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Problem 4
The Holy Spirit's Conviction Of Sin Nullifies Christ's Perfect Sacrifice

The Bible says in 1 Cor 15:2-4
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.
Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Issues -
a) If Jesus died for believer's sins and God REMEMBERS IT NO MORE, why does the Holy Spirit still remembers it and reminds believers? (and to what end?)

b) If Christ Work is already completed and the Holy Spirit now convicts believers of sin, where can we now find forgiveness? There is no more sacrifice for sins! [some say confession - but think about it - Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith - will He save believers halfway, and leave the balance of salvation for you to do? - when in fact the bible says it is ONLY BY GRACE you have been saved and NOT BY WORKS?] Believers are saved by grace through faith - not daily confessions!

1 Peter 1:2
who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

The Sanctification process belongs to the Holy Spirit! Not you!
Your role is to make that salvation clear - that is to bring forth the fruits.

Our role is to believe and made clear the fruits of our salvation - that is to show to others what salvation through Christ is in total!

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Problem 5
The Holy Spirit's Conviction Of Sin Categorises You WITH THE WORLD!

John 16:8-11 - The Holy Spirit's Work
When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

If the Holy Spirit convicts you of sin, then you will die with the world!

You need to be clear on a few thing!
Who does the Holy Spirit convicts of sin?
THE WORLD!
Why?
because they do not believe in Jesus!


What does the Spirit convict believers?
Righteousness!
Why?
Because Jesus is at the right hand of the Father!

Who does the Spirit judge?
The prince of this world!

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Summary

The Holy Spirit cannot convict believers of sin! If He did all the problems above will arise.

But the Holy Spirit convicts believers of righteousness!
If you still believe that the Holy Spirit convicts you of sin - then you better brace yourself - because you'll fall in the same category with the WORLD!

Please change your mind! Metanoia please!

The Truth Is Found In Christ

I was at Hebrew class yesterday and we reached the last Hebrew letter in the Hebrew language.
The last Hebrew letter is the Tau ת

My Hebrew teacher said in Genesis 1:1 - there is an untranslated part that is the את (read from right to left)
In the beginning God [aleph tau] created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1
It was left untranslated because it was something the Jews could not themselves understand.
The Aleph-Tau also appears in :
and they shall look upon me [aleph tau] whom they have pierced... Zechariah 12:10

It is made of the first letter Aleph and the last letter Tau - which is Aleph-Tau.

If you have studied Hebrew, you would know that each letter represents one or maybe more pictures.
Aleph - Sacrificial Ox, Strength
Tau - Cross, perfection

To go deeper in Aleph, you'll realise the letter is made of 2 yods and 1 Vav.
Yod - Hand,
Vav - nail, hook

Hence, looking at these insights, you would realise that Aleph-Tau is in fact a reference to Jesus Christ, who was the Son of God who came in the flesh. He took our sins and the law and nailed it to the cross. And the Father rose Him up again after 3 days and seated Jesus at His right hand.

The problem with many denominational Christians today are that some have without knowingly gone back to law (this stems from a lack of understanding what the law is, and what its effects are). Their beliefs and teaching are based on the Cross, but not on the complete and finished work of the cross.

IF WE COULD gain anything apart from Christ and his finished work - his coming would have been unnecessary. If salvation, rewards and blessings could have come through the law, Christ would have died in vain - but not so! For we have a righteousness that comes through His finished work at the cross.

Which is why the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the day of pentecost so important.
To the Jew, Aleph-tau meant little to them - it was only a reference to God who is the beginning and the end.

But when the Holy Spirit was poured out, it filled the aleph-tau - producing truth - that is EMET - Aleph-Mem-Tau = Truth.

Dear Beloved Christian - each and every bible interpretation has to be based on the person of Jesus Christ's and His finished work on the Cross and tested according to the spirit.

If anyone attempts to seek truth without Christ or the cross, it may prove disastrous.
EMET minus the Aleph will product MET - which is death!
EMET minus the Tau - will produce Aleph-Mem Sopit = The Sacrifice Concealed
(this is because any letters that ends with a mem is transformed into its sopit form - which is Mem-sopit which meaning transforms from revelation to concealment)
To seek the truth without Christ and His finished work leads to spiritual death and blindness

Hence why, the truth, being in total has to be understood in total.
Truth - Aleph Mem Tau =
Aleph - sacrificial ox
Mem - reveal, Holy Spirit
Tau - Cross, perfection

=> the Sacrificial Ox Revealed at the Cross
Again the truth testifies the kind of freedom we receive by His finished work and has to be read according to it so.

May you be blessed! And may the truth set you free!