I interrupted, “That is pretty amazing when you think about it.”
He nodded in agreement.
“It has two main sections including the Old Testament, describing the time prior to Christ, and the New Testament, providing history from when Christ walked the earth and after his death. It is also divided further according to content and ascribed authors. This diagram shows how the sixty-six books of the Bible have been grouped. As you can see, the Law is the first series of books in the Bible and contains the law of God given to Moses.”
I examined the drawing, which he had removed from his Bible, and recognized his explanation.
“I understand what you mean by the Law now, Joshua, but you mentioned a Mosaic Covenant. What is a covenant?”
“A covenant in the Bible is an agreement between God and man. God establishes a spiritual contract and in return, man concurs with his stipulations. It is commonly found to be a promise by God, that if you do what he asks and don’t break his covenant, he will do something for you. This gift from God usually expresses how he will bless you, take care of your needs, and protect you.
“We also find that when God gives man his laws, he also creates covenants with him. So… with each law comes a covenant. There were many covenants between God and men. Some examples of these include: God’s law and covenant with Adam, one he made with Abraham, one with Moses, and one with the house of Israel, known as the ‘New Covenant.’
“The Law of Moses was also called the law of sin and death. If you broke or transgressed this law, that transgression equaled sin, and the consequence of sin was death. Therefore, we find the law of sin and death appropriately named.” He wrote the next line on the board.
The law of God given to Moses = The Law = The law of sin and death
“This law was established on the same premise as the law of Adam. It was based on obedience. If you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you will surely die was the crux of the law God gave to Adam. Adam’s flesh did not drop dead the moment he ate the fruit, but the death process began when he committed this act of defiance. Also, because he had sinned, he could no longer live in the Garden of Eden with God. Sin caused Adam’s soul to become somewhat distanced from his Lord.
“Now you must understand that you cannot become completely separated from God. He loves you too much to allow that to occur. But recurring disobedience of his laws is like pushing away from his loving arms that are continually trying to raise you up in love. And Adam’s initial sin started that rebellious attitude for all mankind.
“The Law of Moses was similar to Adam’s law in that it was based on obeying God and not committing the number of sins listed in that law. The consequence of sin, once again, was death of the flesh, and the soul’s distancing from God, just like with Adam. Therefore, you must be forgiven for your sins if your soul is to gain access to God’s unending love in Heaven.
“Tell me, John, in order to be forgiven for breaking the Law, what must occur? At the time of Moses, according to God’s law, what had to be done for forgiveness of your sins?” He took a sip of lemonade as he awaited my response.
“Wasn’t that back when they sacrificed animals for the sins they had committed?”
“Excellent! At that time, your sins were forgiven by the shedding of blood. This was performed through animal sacrifice.”
He opened his book to read.
“Hebrews 9:22—In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
“Animal sacrifice was performed to obtain forgiveness for breaking the Law. In order for man to be redeemed for his disobedience and return to a righteous state in the eyes of God, a debt had to be paid for this act of defiance. It was part of the spiritual contract man shared with God. The shedding of blood was the required redeeming sacrifice. With return to righteousness, mankind could coexist with God in the intimate way he desires for all of his children.
“If you recall, in the three columns representing the different parts of your being, righteousness was the opposite of sin. Because of your belief, you have been filled with the Holy Spirit and its righteousness, while your body also possesses an opposing sinful nature.”
I interrupted in confirmation, “And Jesus harbored no inherent sinful nature and therefore was the righteous one. Righteousness is the lack of sin.”
Joshua smiled again at my understanding and took a bite of his cookie.
“Let’s back up for a moment. Have you ever heard of Les Feldick?
“No, I haven’t, who is he?”
“Les is a country rancher who hosts a television show where he goes through the Bible, verse by verse, and teaches people in a classroom setting. He does a marvelous job, and we will use some of his ideas to present the progression of requirements needed to obtain righteousness. Let’s return to biblical history as we proceed.
“During the time between the covenant God made with Adam, and the one he made with Moses, God made a covenant with Abraham. In that covenant, God required faith, and faith alone, in order for Abraham to be considered righteous. In other words,
“Abrahamic Covenant = Faith + (Nothing) leads to righteousness.”
He wrote that line on the board, then recited from memory.
“Romans 4:3—What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
“You need to understand that Abraham did not have to sacrifice animals to be forgiven for his sins. Abraham was credited with righteousness based solely on his faith and belief in what God was telling him. Therefore, no animal sacrifice or shedding of blood was needed. Then God established the law of Moses, and his requirement for the forgiveness of sin and the resulting righteousness became the Mosaic covenant.
“Mosaic Covenant = Faith + (Sacrifice/Shedding of blood) leads to righteousness.”
This second line appeared on the board directly under the first.
“Animal sacrifice was the shedding of the blood required for redemption of the debt that sin had created.”
Joshua’s smile revealed the peace his next statement possessed, “Then came Jesus.”
He paused to let the power of his words find a place in my soul.
“And with Jesus a new law and new covenant was created. Jesus shed his blood for all the sins of mankind. He was the atoning sacrifice, the redeeming blood, for every sin any believer had committed or would commit, forever! The forgiveness of sin, according to the Law at that time, required faith plus sacrifice to become righteous in the eyes of God. Jesus Christ gave the ultimate sacrifice by hanging on the cross and shedding his blood, so God’s chosen people could live eternally in Heaven. They no longer had to provide an animal’s blood, or their own blood, as payment for their sins. Jesus satisfied their sacrificial debt with his blood. And he has done the very same thing for you!
“As a result, God no longer requires faith plus sacrifice to become righteous. The obligation required by the law of Moses was fulfilled in Jesus. Remember, Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but rather to fulfill the Law. Now, you gain righteousness through faith in Jesus plus nothing, just like Abraham. You gain righteousness for your soul by simply believing in Christ.” The following words appeared on the board:
The New Covenant = Faith + (Nothing) leads to righteousness
He quoted from memory, “Romans 10:4—Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”
I stood up to stretch my legs and said, “That is pretty cool Joshua. Please go on.”
“It is very cool, as