Diane Penny

  A Pharisee asked Jesus, “What is the great commandment in the Law?” Jesus responded, “…Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matt. 22:37-40). The Pharisees of Jesus’ day believed that the oral traditions are equal to the Word of God. As a result, they were such strict observers and enforcers of the Law of Moses that they lacked empathy and compassion for others. The Pharisees rejected the two greatest commandments of God to preserve their own religious traditions. The reference scripture verses for this article are Matthew 23:13-34 in which Jesus rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for their religious traditions and their hypocrisy. We will see from this study of the scriptures that the religious traditions and the resulting fruits of unrighteous...

Through Jesus Christ the saints of God possess the fullness of God, and are heirs to the kingdom of God. We will see through the covenants that God made with his people, that he intends for his saints to be a royal kingdom. In the Mosaic Covenant God promised the children of Israel that they would be a “kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Exo. 1:6). God promised King David in the Davidic Covenant that his house, his kingdom, and his throne would be established forever (2 Sam. 7:16). God’s New Covenant promise is salvation to all who believe on Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is a direct descendent of King David and reigns in the forever kingdom that was established by God. THE MOSAIC COVENANT PROMISES The Mosaic Covenant was a conditional covenant between God and the children of Israel where they would receive blessings for obeying God, and cursing if they did not obey him (Got Questions). God promised the children of Israel, “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy ...