We have all seen magic tricks of sawing people in half, walking on water, elevating in to the air, disappearing or making things disappear, etc.  Some people believe them to be real; but others know it is a trick even if do not know how it is done.  Later, someone reveals how some tricks are done.  The devil and his ministers do the same with words.  Psychology uses words to change peoples’ thinking, action, beliefs even hypnotise.  The word “under” and “fulfil” has been used to that magic effect on many seekers of God.  Let us briefly examine and unveil the devil who manipulates God’s word using subtlety as a magician uses their hands to misdirect our minds.  As with Adam and Eve in the garden and Yahshua in the wilderness.  

With Eve he said: Gen 3:1  Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  

God actually said. Gen 2:16  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: Gen 2:17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. So the devil changed a positive action of God into a negative.  What we can and should do into what we cannot.  We should see this is his pattern for the purpose of getting us to disobey God, commit sin and thus serve him.   Rom 6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

When that mis-quote did not work with Eve he took away the fear of the punishment that God instituted and replaced it with a feel good one.  God said they will die.  Devil said will not; but be wise.  By his subtlety he led Eve to use her own eyes and understanding when she clearly knew (as we can today read) what God actually said.  Later God warned His people never to use their own eyes and understanding; but stick to His voice (not Paul’s or a prophets), neither to depart from it to the left nor right, add to nor take away (Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.  Num 15:39  Deu 12:8).  

In an attempt to tempt Yahshua in the wilderness, he said in Mat 4:6 for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. This was his apparent quote or paraphrase of Psa 91:11  For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. Psa 91:12  They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

Many times we accept someone’s paraphrase of a scripture without checking word for the word the original or a good translation as the KJV rather than NIV or other.  Many also try to understand Paul’s teaching rather than go back to the clearer source of his teaching, what God actually said.  Hence Peters rebuke of them 2Pe 3:16  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. 

Many seekers seem to know a part of Paul; but not God.  They seem to have made Paul their god and his writings their  commandments over God’s.  Let me quickly try and show what God says and the bible about how one becomes righteous either “UNDER THE LAW” or “UNDER GRACE” i.e. examine the word “UNDER”.  

I will start by doing a quick recap of something I wrote in the Joshua chapters 9 -10 daily study circulated on 20^th March.  

There is a common theology we do not have to keep the law of God because Christ “fulfilled” the law, we are under grace etc.  I am yet to get a clear yes or no from those of that teaching whether “fulfil” means we do not keep the law.  Instead of giving a yes or no they try and beguile with explanations.  Try asking them these questions of Paul and see if you get the same answers Paul gave.  I can almost guarantee you will either get an excuse not to answer, attempt to beguile you with ambiguous bible verses of Paul or the New Testament or  an explanation rather than a clear one word “yes” or “no”.  Remember Peter said unlearned people do not understand Paul’s writings.  So stick to what is clear, Yes or no! 

LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING VERSES BELOW THEN ANSWER THE QUESTION AFTER.

Rom_3:31  Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.  DOES BEING UNDER FAITH MEANS WE NOLONGER HAVE TO KEEP GOD’S LAW   YES / NO? 

Rom_6:15  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.  Note Paul uses the same word “under”.

So DOES BEING UNDER GRACE MEANS WE NOLONGER HAVE TO KEEP GOD’S LAW   YES / NO? 

Gal_2:17  But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.  DOES BEING UNDER CHRIST MEANS WE NOLONGER HAVE TO KEEP GOD’S LAW   YES / NO?

Rom_9:14  What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

Mat 3:15  And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. Does fulfil mean to cancel.  YES / NO? 

Heb 8:8  For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Heb 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 

Was the new covenant not made with Israel and Judah rather than Christians YES / NO?  Does the New covenant still contain God’s laws YES / NO? 

For many seekers of Truth, the New Testament “God forbid” verses quoted would have been sufficient to prove a case that the law given by God, kept by the prophets, Messiah, apostles and New Testament believers is still to be kept today.  In addition: 

1) The way to righteousness was from the beginning.  Gen 7:1  And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Gen 18:23  And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? (There must have been a way of attaining righteousness, regardless whether inhabitants of Sodom achieved it. See also Gen 20:4).  

2) Examples of attaining righteousness under the law are Gen 38:26, Deu 4:8  And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? Deu 6:25  And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us. Psa_119:172  My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness. Luk 1:6  And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. (Also see following which speaks of righteous people Mat 13:17, Acts 10:35, Rom 2:26, Rom 4:3, Psm 1:6, 23:3; 34:15). 

3)  Transgressing the law, i.e. disobedience, is to sin (1Jn 3:4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law) which is Unrighteousness.  Keeping law is righteousness Rom 6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Rom 6:18  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. Rom 6:20  For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.  

4)  A sinner cannot enter heaven / be part of new heaven and earth 1Co 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Luk 10:25  And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Luk 10:26  He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? Mat 19:17  ... if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 

5)  The law provided a way to cleanse sin, become clean from it and thus righteous (repent and animal sacrifices).  Paul refers to this as “righteousness which is in /of the law” or one’s own righteousness through either their good works of not transgressing the law or doing the permitted cleansing sacrifice Php 3:6  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law,  Rom 10:5  For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 

6)  But with the death sacrifice of the Messiah to replace that of animals we get cleansing through the belief in His blood over that of animals FOR REPENTED SINS.  If there is no law, nothing to transgress, we do not need saving from any consequence and do not need a Messiah!!!  Rom 10:4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.  

In short, we can either be righteous under the law or the mercy (under grace) of God.  Those who claim they are not under the law, are right, EXCEPT FOR their understanding of what UNDER MEANS. They have adopted the subtle magic like deception of the devil and his preaching ministers. Or may just be ignorant of its biblical meaning having never examined it.  They should mean, they are sinners and have transgressed the still in existence law so NEED THE GRACE (mercy) of God to forgive their sins, cleanse them through blood of Yahshua and make them fit to inherit God’s promise of eternal life.  THEY SHOULD NOT MEAN, that they nolonger have to keep the law.  We all have to keep the law, so in that sense WE ARE UNDER IT (OBLIGED TO KEEP IT) as we are the laws of whatever country we live in. 

If we are not under God’s laws, then we have no part in His kingdom.  Each kingdom has its laws which are enforced.  Whether some break any or keep all, they nevertheless are still under the laws.  Those who do not want to keep them are either punished or expelled (deported) from the kingdom.  It is the same with God’s.  In each kingdom, there are judges who compare one’s actions against a criteria of laws.  According to their findings they either justifiably set the person free or implement the prescribed consequence. 

We have a biblical judge who would compare our actions (works) by the testimony placed in the Ark of the covenant. OUR JUSTIFICATION will either be “Under the Law” as written on the testimony or “Under Grace” the blood of the Messiah witnessing for our REPENTED SINS. If we have not repented because thought a sin was not a sin...  well He has already stated unless we repent we will perish.  Since AD70 there has not been the temple in which to offer the prescribed justification sacrifice under the law.  So today we only have the latter way of the blood and testimony of Messiah.  That better sacrifice, as spoken of in Hebrews, especially chapters 8-10, was implemented on His death and resurrection.  The less and imperfect system being slowly transferred to the new during the 37 or so years after Messiah’s death until the temple destruction to allow time for the teaching of the new sacrifice i.e. the gospel.  

7)  A further quote from a book “Have I Got It Right God” which can be downloaded from www.forwardtoyahweh.com  “In Matt 19:17 Jesus directs if we are to enter into life (get rest), we are to keep His fathers commandments.  Joh 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  Joh 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour”.  Psa 40:7-8 “Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart”.  Jesus was heading to His father in heaven by doing His will, using the laws and commandments as His guide.  Jesus confirmed He had not come to destroy or change the “Law”.  In fact, He came to magnify it.  Show how it is to be kept.  Shine a light on it and make it clear through clarification and examples.  Isa 42:21   “The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable”.  Jesus was the living Law.  Scripture speaks of their attributes in the same way. Truth (Joh 14:6, Psalm 119:142), holy (Acts 4:27, Rom 7:12), perfect (Heb 5:9, Psalm 19:7) righteous (1 Cor 1:30, Psa119:172), light (Joh 8:12, Pro 6:23), just (Acts 22:14, Rom 7:12), abide in forever (Joh 8:35, Psa 111:7-8), should be in the heart (Eph 3:17, Psa 40:8), gives freedom, no condemnation and liberty (Rom 8:1, James 2:12).  Rejecting the Law is rejecting Jesus (and visa versa), which brings wrath (Joh 3:36, Neh 13:18)”.  

So I hope the veil covering the true understanding of “under” has been removed from some if not all of your eyes.  “Under” nor “fulfil” means to do away with and that the law nolonger has to be kept.  There is no prophecy in the Old testament that prophecies the law of God will be abolished.  So Messiah could not fulfil a prophecy that did not exist.  If you disagree and have biblical scriptures NOT your spin of them, please contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

The purpose of this year daily study is to build our knowledge and belief line upon line and precept upon precept.  You should have copies of the daily studies since 1^st Jan; but for anyone who does not and would like any missing ones, also contact me.  Please go back and catch up with the previous days study notes.  We cannot understand what is called New Testament unless thoroughly know and understand the Old and God through it. 

Shalom.