June 16, 2009
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Luke 4-6 - Pastor Nishida
Luke 4
9/21/2008
Luke 4:1-13 (Part 1) In Genesis 3 we see that Adam failed to listen only to the words of God, but listened rather to the words that the woman heard from the serpent. This is in total rebellion against the sovereignty of God. Adam had received a contract from God in Genesis 2:16-17. He was the representative of mankind. If he kept the contract, all mankind would be blessed, and if he didn't, all mankind would be cursed. Paul explains this in Romans 5:12-20. Satan tempted Adam, succeeded, and became the ruler of this world and the humankind that indwells it. When Christ came as a new representative, Satan understood that if he could tempt Him to sin, that he would still reign over humanity.
Satan uses the same techniques against Christ as He did against Adam. He tries to make a Jesus who does not respect the sovereignty of God. Had Christ turned stones to bread, he would have been doing it at the suggestion of Satan and not of God. Had Christ worshipped Satan to regain the kingdoms of the world that God had delivered over to Satan (Romans 1:20-28) it would again have been at Satan's suggestion, not God's. Jesus tells Satan that he listens and obeys only the words of God and no one else. Satan tries another ploy, this time using God's words against God suggesting that since God had promised to protect Him, it would be all right to jump off a precipice. Satan says that if the words are God's, it is all right to listen to them. Jesus says that even if they are God's words, that Satan is using them to test, manipulate and control God when he quotes them out of the context of God's sovereignty. This also is rebellion.
Jesus does what Adam should have done, and begins His work of reversing the curse that Adam's rebellious choice brought down on mankind, and succeeds where Adam failed. (John 1:12)
10/5/2008
Luke 4:1-4 Jesus faces the temptation of making stones into bread. He must have been very hungry after 40 days with nothing to eat. Just as God allowed the first Adam to be tempted, God allows Jesus, the last Adam to face temptation. Adam fails to live according to the Words of God and decides he has the right to determine good and evil for himself. Jesus passes the test of choosing to follow only the Words of God. Satan tries to make Jesus use his power. There is nothing wrong with making stones into bread. Jesus would later use His power later to make enough bread to feed 5,000 people. The difference is that Jesus would use His power according to God's plan and not by Satan's plan. Just as Adam was our representative and brought the curse of sin into the world, Jesus was our representative, and would overturn the curse by obeying only the words of God and living a perfect life. He would offer that perfect life in place of our sinful lives, and give us His victory and His righteousness, and eternal life.
How are we to fight this battle that Christ has already won? We win by faith. Look at Matthew 6:24-34, where God tells us that we cannot truly love Him if we are constantly worried about bread or money. We are the servant of what concerns us the most. If we are always concerned about money, we become the servant of money. God knows what we need, and has promised to give it to us if we are His servants, and put Him and His desires, His heart and His will first.
10/12/2008
Luke 4:5-8 The temptation of Christ was an opportunity for Jesus to keep the contract that Adam broke. Satan takes Jesus to a high place and shows him all the kingdoms of the world. This is physically not possible, so perhaps it was a kind of vision. Satan claims power and authority over these kingdoms. Does he really have such authority? John 12:31, 14:30 and 16:11 indicate that the kingdoms of the world are "given over" to him. This is the same Greek word used in Romans 1, where God speaks of the "giving over" of wicked people to their sin. It is certainly not a positive term. It is a curse over mankind and its kingdoms, and is the worst possible situation. Jesus has indeed come to remedy the results of the fall of man, but the process involves two things. He must live a perfect life according only to the Words of God, and then he must sacrifice that life for cursed, fallen man. When these two things are accomplished, the kingdoms come back into Jesus' hands. Satan suggests that he would like to help Jesus accomplish His goal by giving Him a short cut. All Jesus had to do was worship Satan, and the short cut would be accomplished. Again, Jesus says that He will only act according to the Words of God and is victorious over the temptation.
This temptation was unique to Christ. We will never be offered all of the kingdoms of the world, but we must ask ourselves if we are living lives worthy of the victory that Christ won for us. Are we truly separating ourselves from sin? We will be tempted to take short cuts or to take an easy road that is not according to the Words of God, but we can never develop spiritually if we attempt to bypass the fight against the sin in our lives. Hebrews 12:1-12 tells us that God loves us enough to send us trials and discipline that purify us and make us suitable citizens of Heaven. We are not instantly transformed to perfection the moment that we "pass through the pearly gates." God allows us much practice in the fight against sin, because there are no short cuts to holiness.
11/2/2008
Luke 4:9-14 Here Satan tempts Christ by quoting from Psalm 91, which is a confession of faith in God's protection. He particularly quotes verses 11-12 about how angels will be commanded to lift the protected one up should he even trip over a stone. He says that since Jesus trusts in God, that this promise applies to Him. When Satan quotes from Psalms, however, he leaves out "for he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways..." Satan twists the Scripture to imply that it means that Christ will not meet injury if he jumps off a precipice. God promises protection from things such as stones, lions and snakes that one may encounter on the ground on a path along which God is leading. Protection is not promised to those who leap from a cliff to which God did not lead them. We can trust in God's promises, but we are not allowed to use them to our own advantage. Christ would be protected by God until His mission was accomplished, but it would not have been right to misuse the promise to gain protection for a rash course of action. Even if Satan is quoting Scripture, to do anything at his suggestion is sin.
It is also possible for us to test God. He has promised us salvation. Upon believing, we are credited with Christ's righteousness. This certainly does not mean that since we are forgiven that it is all right to continue in sin. We are to repent of sin and turn from it, and strive towards sanctification.
11/9, 11/16/2008
Luke 4:14-30 Jesus is teaching at a synagogue in Nazareth, and reads from Isaiah 61 about how He is the fulfillment of it. In God's eyed all are prisoners oppressed by sin and spiritually blind. Both Jews and Gentiles would be be liberated from sin's kingdom. Their debts of their sins would be canceled, and they would return to a relationship with God. Jesus came to free us from sin and to open our spiritual eyes. How did the listeners respond to this sermon? His words were evaluated as positive - all were amazed. But their evaluation of the speaker was negative, and they imply that although His words were good, that He had to show that He was qualified to speak them. The listeners challenged Jesus to perform the same miracles that he had done in Capernaum. Then they would believe. Jesus then stated that a prophet is not accepted in his own hometown, and then added oil to the fire with two stories from the Old Testament. I Kings 17:1-16 was about how a Gentile widow fed the prophet Elijah during a famine. II Kings 5 tells the story of how the Gentile Naaman was healed of a skin disease by following the words of the prophet Elisha. Non Jews had shown faith in the God of Israel and had been rewarded for it. Jesus implies that His Jewish audience should show the same faith as the two Gentiles did. The problem was not with the words of the speaker, it was with the ears of the audience.
11/30/2008
Luke 4:31-37 This passage deals with Jesus casting an unclean spirit out of a man in the synagogue at Capernaum. The people listening to Christ's words felt his authority, but the spirit felt fear and cried out, because he know that Jesus could destroy him. The purpose of Christ's authority is to set those imprisoned free, and he would use this authority to free this man. Jesus does not allow the unclean spirit to speak, because letting such beings speak about Him would be a source of misunderstanding. He simply tells the demon to be silent and leave. Jesus is being presented as the 2nd Adam who would take back the creation that the first Adam lost. Pastor Nishida examined this passage in light of Genesis, where God said, "Let there be..." and it was so. When God speaks, it becomes reality. When Christ spoke His words became reality as well. It is obvious where His authority comes from. His listeners saw the authority, but their understanding stopped at the result of His words rather than looking to the source of the words. Christ's word becomes reality because of who He is. They should have recognized it.
12/7/2008
Luke 4:38-44 Jesus healed Peter's mother in law of a fever, and many others came to Jesus for healing as well. They arrived in the evening, as it it was considered work to travel to see Jesus during the daytime on the Sabbath. The healing continued all night, and the people asked Jesus to stay with them, but Jesus told them that He had to preach the good news to other towns also, because that was why He was sent. We see two aspects of Jesus here, one that is warm when he lays hands on the people to bless and heal them, and another that is cool when he says that He cannot stay with them. He is not pushing them away, but rather keeps priorities straight. Christ's ultimate mission is not to be a doctor who erases suffering in this present life, but to go to the cross to bring eternal salvation.
Luke 5
12/14/2008
Luke 5:1-11 A large crowd has gathered in the shore of the Sea of Galilee to hear Jesus preach the Words of God. So many have come to hear that Jesus enters Peter's boat and speaks from the water. Peter is able to hear what Jesus has to say at close range. When Christ is finished preaching, he told Peter to let down his fishing nets. Peter the fishing expert told Jesus that they had fished all night and caught nothing, but he says that he will do so because it is Jesus who is telling him to do it. There was a catch so large that the nets could not withstand the load and Peter had to call for help. What was Peter's reaction? The crowds were touched by the authority with which Jesus spoke, and asked Him to remain with them, but Peter was touched by the attribute of Christ's holiness and horrified by the consciousness of his sin, and told Jesus to "depart from him." Jesus told Peter not to fear. Jesus "catches" those who confess their sin and allow Him to change them. The caught ones become fishers of men and are promised a big catch. We must always be willing to change direction at Christ's Word. It is this Word that the church must preach, and no other. Also, as Jesus did not stay in one place to preach but ventured out, His Word must also be taken out into the world. Both aspects are important. Who are those who are going to change their direction at Christ's Word? We don't know. Only God knows this. It is our responsibility to continue to spread the message, and the results are God's, to His glory. Ours is to continue to live showing evidence of our change of direction.
12/21/2008
Luke 5:12-16 Jesus heals a man infected with "tsara'ath," a ceremonially defiling skin disease that has been translated in the past as leprosy. This man is an outcast from society, and unable to join in temple worship. He displays his faith that whatever Jesus speaks becomes reality by his plea, "If it is your will, it will happen." Jesus Words have total authority. His will and his Words are the same. Jesus tells the healed man to go and show himself to the priest so that his healing may be recognized and he may be restored to temple worship and to society. In the same way, when Jesus forgives our sin, we have reinstatement of fellowship with God and we can also enjoy the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in the church.
12/28/2008
Pastor Nishida taught on the nature of the ailment "tsara'ath" and questioned as to whether it is properly translated as "leprosy." This should never be used to discriminate against sufferers of Hansen's disease.
1/4/2009
Genesis 16:1-4 Pastor Nishida took a break from Luke to look at the story of Abraham waiting for God to fulfill His promise of a son. Abraham was humanly anxious and took human actions instead of waiting for God's plan. He couldn't wait and took skewed actions in impregnating his wife's maid resulting in the birth of Ishmael. God could have scolded Abraham for messing up the play, but doesn't, includes Ishmael in the promised blessing and makes a nation of him. God is still big enough to carry out His original plan, and shows of the nature of His gracious covenants. John 1:9-13 tells of God's will and plan to make all those who believe that Christ died for the forgiveness of sins His children. We have God's promise, but sometimes we want to confirm it through human activity, which can lead to involvement in cults. God will confirm His promise of salvation in His time according to His plan. We should also take care not to take foolish actions when we don't know God's entire plan. God can see us through to the end even if we make our own history a bit more complicated than need be.
1/11/2009
Luke 5:17-26 This is about Jesus authority to forgive sins. A paralytic is lowered through a roof by four friends and from Jesus receives invisible forgiveness of his sins and visible healing of his body. When Jesus declares that the man's sins are forgiven, the Pharisees accuse Him of blasphemy, because only God has the authority to forgive sins at the last judgement, and Jesus is declaring forgiveness now. Those witnessing the miracle are awed by the paradox, an occurrence that is totally contrary to the world's thinking. Just as the man who received forgiveness and healing, we don't have to wait until the last judgement to receive forgiveness of our sins. We can receive it now, during our present lifetime at the moment of our faith. We don't have to wait in fear of the last judgement, but be confident in the promise that we have eternal life.
1/18/2009
Luke 5:27-32 Jesus calls Levi, the tax collector, to follow him, and Levi (Matthew) responds immediately. He later holds a gathering at his home with all of his friends. The Pharisees and teachers of the law complained that Jesus would eat with such sinners. The Pharisees considered themselves as righteous and refused to realize that the terms "sinner" and "righteous" were declared by God alone, and that God had declared all as sinners. Jesus had come to call ALL to repentance. This was the very purpose for which He came down from Heaven, to call sinners back to the place where they should have been from the first.
We see the power of Jesus' words as He calls Matthew. It is an instant decision. What Jesus says becomes instant reality, as was the case in the change in Matthew's personality. We are not told of the instantaneous change that took place in Matthew's mind, but we do see the immediate change in his life. Pastor Nishida introduced a theological term 不下降的恩恵 that I will translate as "God's effectual call." When Jesus speaks to someone, it becomes reality. Matthew right away begins connecting with all of his acquaintances to come and meet Jesus. This was Matthew's "original work." He was called back to what he should have been doing all along. This does not only happen to Matthew. We have all been called effectually by God. We are not machines or robots, but throughout our lives God was using grace to bring us to the place of his effectual call. We cannot resist it or shake it off. When we repent of our sin and return to God, we "return" to doing the work that we should have been doing all along. Let us do it with all our strength.
1/25/2009
Luke 5:33-39 The Pharisees ask Jesus why his disciples do not observe days of fasting. Fasting is supposed to express sadness or repentance. Jesus tells them that his presence is an occasion for celebration and not sorrowing. What bridegroom tells people to cry at his wedding? There will be a suitable time for fasting later. It will look like the same activity, but it will actually be very different. For example, when one who does not know God comments on a pretty flower, it stops there, but a Christian who comments on the same flower appreciates and is endlessly thankful to the God who created it. This is a completely new life style. It is very easy, however, to remain caught up on one's own traditions and 価値体系 value system and to stubbornly resist change. Jesus gives two illustrations of this, new wine in old wineskin and a new unshorn patch on an old garment. The old wineskin are ruined and the wine is lost. The new garment is destroyed and the hole in the old garment becomes worse. The old and the new cannot coexist. Jesus is talking about a new kind of walk that is totally different from the one that the Pharisees are trying to preserve. They are attempting to please God by their own efforts to achieve bride status, while the truth is that we can, through repenting and being declared righteous achieve joyous bride status now. Jesus invites the Pharisees to break down the walls of their traditions and choose to live in joy. He invites each of us to break down the walls of our traditions to, and enter into a joyous relationship with Him.
Luke 6
2/1/2009
Luke 6:1-5 Jesus disciples are gleaning on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees engage in the "first Sabbath debate" by saying that they are acting unlawfully. Deuteronomy 23:24-25 states the it is all right to glean in a field not one's own to fill one's stomach, but not to harvest in baskets. It is proper to want to obey laws. The Pharisees knew that Israel had gone into exile in Babylon as a result of not keeping God's law, and they even made other smaller laws to keep so that one could not be in danger of breaking the main law. To be sure that the law against work on the Sabbath was not broken, they made many other laws that defined the nature of work.
Jesus calls their attention to I Samuel 21:3-6 where David ate bread that was only to be consumed by priests in the temple because there was no other food available for him. The Pharisees didn't have a problem in David's case, so why would they have a problem here? Jesus extends the meaning by saying the He is the one who decides what is proper to do on the Sabbath.
The meaning of the Sabbath was extended in Hebrews 3:12-4:11, which speaks of entering into God's final Sabbath. In creation, days 1-6 were aimed at day 7, a day of completion and rest when there was no more work to be done. This Sabbath is actually still "open," because the problem of sin has not yet been finally dealt with. In Genesis 3:22-24 Adam and Eve are cut off from the Tree of Life, but in Revelation 22:1 access is again provided, because sin has been finally and totally dealt with and is no more.
Sabbath is a time of completion, healing, wholeness, health, satisfaction and worship. It is not a time to be hungry. It is an expression and foretaste of Heaven. It is not a day where work is forbidden, it is a day to enjoy not working.
2/8/2009
Luke 6:6-11 This is the "second Sabbath debate," in which Jesus heals a man's withered right hand on the Sabbath. A useless right hand would render on unable of making a living. The Pharisees are watching what Jesus will do, since they are looking for an opportunity to trip Him up. Jesus asks them which is lawful on the Sabbath, good or evil, saving of destroying. The Pharisees are enraged, first, because in the first Sabbath debate they were the ones who brought up the question of what is lawful on the Sabbath, and now Jesus turns the question around on them. They cannot even answer, because they teach that it is righteous to do nothing on the Sabbath. When the man is healed, a normal reaction would be to rejoice, but the Pharisees are so bound by their man made traditions that they are unable to see what is plain.
Pastor Nishida then took us back into Hebrews 3:12-4:11. This is a warning to heed the bad example of the Israelites in the wilderness, who although came out of Egypt, were not all able to enter into the promised land because of sin and unbelief. We are to encourage each other and remain confident in God's promises. The Book of Revelation promises a final Sabbath rest in Heaven, and we must combine the Gospel message with faith and persevere against sin.
The Pharisees could not answer Jesus' question, but we can, that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Rev. 21:1-4 tells of the final completion of Sabbath in the New Heaven and the New Earth. Let us also wipe away the tears from the eyes of those who cry and ease the pain of those who suffer, and work towards the final Sabbath where there will be rest and wholeness.
2/22/2009
Luke 6:12-19 An interesting parallel was drawn between Jesus going up a mountain to pray before choosing his 12 disciples and Moses ascending Mr. Sinai to receive the Law for the 12 tribes of Israel. Israel had been chosen as a people who would belong to God and declare His praises, according to Exodus 19:6. I Peter 2:9-10 interweaves these covenant words in his passage about the church being a chosen people, a royal priesthood and an nation belonging to God. Israel suffered in slavery in Egypt, and we suffer in slavery to sin. As Moses led Israel from slavery to freedom and a promised land, Jesus leads us to freedom from the bondage of sin and a new heaven and a new earth. In order to fully understand and grasp the reality of this promise, it must be read and understood in the historical context of Exodus.
3/1/2009
Luke 6:20-23 The 12 Disciples have been chosen as a symbolic new Israel as understood against the backdrop of the Old Testament. As Moses came down from Mt. Sinai to teach the people about the Law, Jesus now comes down from the mountain to teach about the meaning of the Law. The Kingdom of God belongs to those who are poor, starving or weeping for Christ's sake, but this will all be reversed to become blessedness in the Kingdom. Christ's resurrection from the dead is proof that we will be resurrected also. Creation will be taken back from fallenness and be completed with a new heaven and a new earth.
3/15/2009
Luke 6:20-26 What kind of people are these to whom the Kingdom of God belongs? They are those who listen to and submit to Christ's words. Just as surely as the historical Moses led the nation of Israel to the promised land of Canaan, Jesus will lead us the the new Heavenly Kingdom. Jesus speaks woe to those who are rich, well fed and laughing, because these do not submit to His words and find their sufficiency in themselves. The prophets who spoke against them were poor, hungry and weeping. They submitted to and spoke the words of God, but suffered persecution for it. There are those who submit and suffer loss for it, and those who will not hear the message or submit to it because they have material goods that they deem more precious than the words of God. Matthew 19 tells the story of the rich young ruler who could not follow Jesus because he could not part with his possessions.
Israel did not go straight to Canaan, but they did indeed arrive there, just as was promised. God displays that He always keeps His promises. Those who believed Moses and followed Him arrived in Canaan. Those who believe and follow Jesus will arrive in His Kingdom just as certainly. In John 15:46 Jesus says that if Moses is to be believe, that He is to be believed all the more. We can believe what Jesus will do in the future as firmly as we can believe what Moses did in the past. It is truly fantastic to see how God weaves history together in the Old and New Testaments.
3/22/2009
Luke 6:27-36 This passage continues to call to mind the image of Moses and the second half of the Ten Commandments that deal with loving one's neighbor. The historical context is persecution under the Jewish hierarchy and oppression under the Roman Empire. The passage contains eight admonitions that reflect the heart of God and the character of His disciples. God loves His enemies, and so must his disciples love when they are hated and rejected. They must reflect God's loving character in their attitudes, speech and actions, and will thus stand out as belonging to Him. With the Holy Spirit's help, we are to change and be as God is.
3/29/2009
Luke 6:27-36 God is gracious to those who commit offenses against Him, and His disciples are to be like Him, full of mercy and lovingkindness. I John 3:1-3 also shows a picture of Christ's disciples. Our starting point is that we believe and confess that Christ's death was the atonement for us sinners. We receive the status of being a child of God. When Christ returns we will move to the final goal of becoming like He is, and our status as a child of God will be actualized. How are we to live between the starting point and the goal? We are to purify ourselves as Christ is pure by making Him our model for imitation. This Luke passage follows the same logic. Those with the status of "Sons of the Most High" will live as Jesus did, and will have a great reward when their status is actualized. We are to imitate the Father's mercy, and work on reflecting Him in our lives as Jesus did.
This is not an easy thing to do. If we do not try, we miss out on God's blessing, and if we do try, we become frustrated by our inability to do so. We need to look at the cross and reconfirm that we are totally and absolutely forgiven. As we repeat this process, we become a living illustration of how we are changed by the Gospel through the Holy Spirit. We are freed from both legalism and fear of God's retribution. Paul talks about this problem in Romans 7:14-25. He has the will to "be" good, but not the power to "do" good. To stop the bad "doing," the "being" must be erased. Our acts must be judged, but God loves us and does not want our "being" destroyed, so on the cross he gave our "doing" to Christ and judged it, and forgave our "being." Paul praises God for this total forgiveness.
Just as God separated our acts from our existence at the cross, He asks that we do the same for others. We don't want to do this naturally, but through the Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit our unwillingness can be transformed into willingness.
4/5/2009
Luke 6:37-38 This passage also displays God's character. Jesus states emphatically three times that we are not to judge others, that is, we are not to go around handing out "guilty" verdicts. Through Christ, God forgives us sets and us free from being judged for our sin, and we are to imitate Him in this regard by imitating Him in our actions towards others. If we imitate God by acting generously toward others, then God will answer our actions by acting toward us with the same generosity. This is more than fostering favorable human relations. We are to act as our Father in Heaven acts and forgive others as God does, totally and in abundance.
4/12/2009 (Easter)
Luke 6:39 Problems arise when a leader does not have clear spiritual vision. There are warnings about this in Ezekiel 34:2-4. During the taking of communion, both the pastor and the members of the congregation need to remember that they are all forgiven sinners, and not be afraid of or too proud to admit mistakes. If a leader is blind, how can he correctly lead the multitudes? They will be taught the wrong thing and head in the wrong direction.
We are to forgive as God forgives, give as God gives and act as God acts, but we cannot do this alone. Look again at I John 3: 1-3. We start by confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior and our goal is to be like Him at His Second Coming. During the time in between we are to live as imitators of Christ. Galatians 5:6-25 tells us that we are to walk in the spirit and not in the flesh with the help of the Holy Spirit, who helps us to reflect both God's "being" and "doing." Because we realize that we cannot change on our own, we also realize that the Holy Spirit is working in us. Immature Christians mistakenly think that they are changing themselves, become proud of their efforts and develop spiritual cataracts.
In Matthew 5:17, Christ says that he came to fulfill the Law. The first Adam broke the works-based contract with God, and all humans break it. Jesus came as the Second Adam and fulfilled the works-based contract for us, and his works are credited to us as righteousness. We are credited with having kept the entire law, even though we did not. Although we are credited with Christ's righteousness, we are certainly far from it and must strive towards it. We cannot demand less of ourselves than was demanded of Christ, but again, we cannot begin to change ourselves without the help of the Holy Spirit. It is all of grace and not of ourselves. We must never forget this, or we run the danger of working through human effort in the flesh, which can lead to spiritual blindness and cultism.
4/19/2009
Luke 6:39-42 These three parables are in the context of I John 3:1-3. We have the status of children of God and with the help of the Holy Spirit, purify ourselves as we wait to actually become like Christ at His Second Coming. If we are spiritually blind, we can neither know our destination or find our way to it. We will not realize that our goal is to become like Christ, and we will not know how to do it with the Holy Spirit's help.
The second parable about a student and his teacher tells us that we can try to be more like Jesus if we try, but we can never surpass Him. The parable does assume that it is our desired to try. The third parable is about correction that we receive from the Holy Spirit. How can we take a beam out of our own eye when we don't even notice that it is there? We need to know what we need to change and then ask for help to change it before we attempt to change others.
4/26/2009
Luke 6:43-49 The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders: One can see a house easily, but one cannot see the foundation. Humans may all look alike on the surface, but the spiritual foundation on which they build their lives is what determines how they will fare in the Last Judgement. Jesus is saying that the results of the Last Judgement depend on who heard and obeyed His Words. I John says that we are to be imitators of Christ, but bearing the fruit of the Spirit (Galations 5:16-25) is not so easily done on our own.
Jesus did not come to do away with the Law and the Prophets, but rather came to fulfill them. As a Second Adam, He lived for us the life that we were unable to live for ourselves, and through His death credits that life to us, as if it were we ourselves who kept the entire law. If we obey His Words, we have a solid foundation at the Last Judgement. Because we have this foundation, we can walk free from fear and know that with the help of the Holy Spirit, we need never give up.
