In this issue:
The End of The Law
David Clayton
Some of us may be alarmed at the title of this article, however the phrase is a perfectly legitimate biblical statement taken from the writings of the apostle Paul and it can be found in Romans 10: 4.
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. (Rom 10:4)
What is the implication of this word, “end”, as Paul uses it in this phrase? There are several possible meanings to the word, and of course Christians interpret it in different ways depending on which denominational group they belong to. The word usually means, conclusion, termination, abolition, the point where something ceases to exist. But it can also mean the goal, aim or purpose of something. Many Christians understand Paul to be saying that the law (meaning the 10 Commandments) has been abolished. Sabbath-keeping Christians however, interpret the phrase to mean that the purpose or the goal of the law was Christ. In other words the law was intended to bring us to Christ, but now that we have come to Christ that does not mean that the law has passed away, it is still just as relevant as ever.
Many times when we have two opposing views of a particular topic, neither side has the complete truth. Often there is an imbalance on both sides with the truth lying somewhere in the middle. I believe this is also the case with this particular statement of Paul’s. Context is most important. For most of my life I would not have agreed with those who suggest that it means that the law has been abolished, however, as my understanding of the gospel and the plan of salvation has become more complete I now have to agree that in the context of the verse the word, “end”, really does mean, “abolished”.
Notice that it says that Christ is the end of the law specifically in relation to righteousness. “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness”. Let me ask the question, is the law abolished in terms of how we obtain righteousness? The answer is, absolutely yes! The law has been abolished as a means of providing righteousness! It has no part to play in our experience of righteousness, so in the context of Paul’s statement it is perfectly correct to say that the law has been abolished. Of course this does not mean that the law has no more significance or that it teaches false information.
Christ is the end of the law in relation to righteousness, this is what we need to understand. However in order to get the full impact of what he is saying we need to go back to the beginning of this world’s history and to understand some foundational things.
A Broken Relationship
When God created Adam and Eve and placed them in Eden, right at the beginning he gave them a law, they were forbidden to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Why did God give them this law, what was its purpose? From the beginning God’s purposes have been misunderstood and this has taken humanity onto a path which has affected our understanding of spiritual truths until this very day.
The popular understanding is that the issue behind the law was, morality. God wanted to prevent man from stealing, he wanted to test whether man would live by upright moral principles. However this is a faulty perspective, God was not testing man’s ability or willingness to live in a morally upright way. The real issue between God and man was an issue of relationship, relationship based on trust. If we believe the issue was one of morality, then we go on to build on the idea that moral awareness and moral living are the most important factors in man’s relationship with God. However if we understand that the issue was trust, and that the command concerning the fruit was simply a means of testing man’s trust in God, then we come to the realization that the vital element in man’s relationship with God and in fact in the entire controversy between good and evil, is the factor of trust. It is a question of how much we trust God. In other words, the real disaster in Eden was not a broken law, it was a broken relationship, it was broken trust.
If we start out by believing that the issue was a broken law then this is the background from which we try to understand salvation. We look at the Bible as a book which is primarily focused on morality and our purpose becomes an effort to place the law in a position of prominence. Really, it is not that difficult to fix a broken law, all that is required is that the person who broke it should start keeping it, it is as simple as that.
However, broken trust is a far greater problem. Trust is not something that is created by commandments or appeals or regulations. When trust is broken between two people they start avoiding each other, their conversations are formal and strained, they avoid eye contact and each one views the actions of the other with suspicion. This was the disastrous situation that arose between man and God when Adam and Eve distrusted God and broke the relationship between him and humanity. This is why the constant theme of the Bible is the theme of faith, this is what was really broken and what really needed to be restored. God did find a way to repair that broken relationship but it would take many centuries of untold suffering, misunderstanding and misrepresentations before the situation would finally be remedied and man restored to that first relationship with God.
The Law at Sinai
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: (Rom 5:20)
Paul says that the law entered. What did he mean by this? Where, and when did the law enter? Well if we look at the context of the chapter, Romans 5, we will see that he is saying that the law entered into God’s plan of dealing with humanity. We can’t discuss it in detail at the moment, but as we read the chapter through carefully it is evident that this is what Paul is saying. At some point in time the law came into the picture in terms of the relationship between God and man and of course it is obvious that before this point the law was not a part of the relationship. It had no place in the original scheme of things.
More than 2000 years after man destroyed his relationship with God in Eden, God formally gave a set of rules to the Hebrew nation at Mount Sinai. God established a covenant relationship with these people, identified them as being his in a special way and gave them a set of rules to govern every aspect of their lives. This was the first time since the Garden of Eden that God was giving a law to the human race. The question may be asked, why did God now decide to give these laws to the Hebrews? The apostle Paul gives us a couple of answers to the question.
Because of transgression
Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. (Gal 3:19)
Notice that the law had a beginning point as well as an expiry date. Paul says the law was added but only until the seed (Christ) arrived. He says that it was added because of transgressions. In other words, one reason why God gave the law was because there was the need to limit and control the evil nature of men. Wickedness was increasing and human nature was becoming more depraved, transgression was abounding and in order to bring it under some kind of control, God gave the law. Of course it is evident that the law could not make people better (Heb 7:19) – laws do not change human nature – but it could compel them to outwardly control their behaviour to a certain extent. The punishments which accompanied the breaking of the law would force people to try to control their evil actions, even though they could not change their natures and their evil desires.
This was the first reason why God gave the law. It was “added because of transgressions.”
To prepare for Christ.
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Gal 3:24)
Another reason why God gave the law was that it was designed to prepare his people for the coming of Christ. It did this in two ways; first of all the system of the law contained many rituals and ceremonies which were intended to be teaching tools, illustrations which taught lessons about the life and ministry of Christ, and the plan of redemption. For example, the sacrificing of animals was a graphic illustration of the death of Christ.
But secondly, the law also prepared people for the coming of Christ because it made people aware that there was a great gap between God and man. It made them aware that they were not fit for a relationship with God and created a desire for someone who could bring them back into a meaningful relationship with him. So in creating a desire for a mediator, it really was preparing them spiritually, for the coming of Christ.
To create an awareness of sin
The third reason why the law was given was in order to create an awareness of sin. This is the reason that the apostle Paul emphasizes more than any other and in the context of this article it is most important that we understand it thoroughly.
Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. (Rom 7:13)
Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. (Rom 4:15)
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. (1Cor 15:56)
Look at the verses above carefully; what are they really saying? According to these verses the law was not intended to be a solution to sin, but rather, to magnify and to multiply the problem of sin! This is not me putting words into the Bible, this is what the apostle Paul teaches. But let us take a moment to understand exactly what he’s saying.
Sin is a principle which separates man from God and results in death. But how much sin is necessary to accomplish this separation and death? How many wrong actions does it take in order for sin to produce this alienation between God and man? The tiniest degree of sin is all that it takes, the wages of sin is death, regardless of how much sin is involved. All humanity, every single person has been condemned by his involvement in sin. This is the problem which we have inherited from Adam, because Adam involved us all in sin and this is why we are told that Adam brought sin and condemnation upon all men.
… by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation ….
…. by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners …. (Rom 5:18-19)
So the law never solved the original problem of the broken relationship with God and that was not it’s purpose. Clearly, it is not the solution to the sin problem. When Israel was governed by the system of the law, God was seen as a person who is fearsome, vengeful, a person to be avoided, so the law did not bring about reconciliation between God and man, but rather, it increased the separation! There were times under the law that it seemed that God was very harsh and exacting and this is not always easy to understand. But this is the way it had to be under the law. Whenever we are dealing with law there is the need of penalties. No law can accomplish its purpose if there are no penalties connected to it and furthermore, the worse the condition of the people the more severe the penalties need to be. If we follow through on this fact it helps us to better understand why God had to relate to the people as he did during the age of the law. He was dealing with people who were loose and wild, without any self-control, who were dominated by the carnal nature. They had to be controlled by an iron hand.
However, it was never about the law, the law was never a solution to the real problem and it was only a temporary measure. When a problem arises between friends and the relationship is damaged, the real necessity is the need to rebuild trust and confidence. Of course one person can come to the other and say, “you can trust me”, but trust does not work like that. When a relationship is broken people stop trusting the motives, the intentions, even the words of the other person. Even kind actions are often regarded with suspicion. So when the relationship between man and God is broken, God cannot just come and say, “trust me”. He may threaten us so that we try hard to keep his rules and to walk a straight line, but this will not build a relationship of love and trust and when a person serves because of fear, he might as well be a slave! This is God’s problem, he is trying to build a relationship with a race of people who are naturally afraid of him. It is a difficult problem because the carnal mind is naturally at enmity with God (Rom 8:7). This is the real reason why it is so difficult to speak to worldly people about God; they are naturally afraid of him and have no desire to come close to him or to serve him. So this is God’s problem, the question of how to get his children who fear him, misunderstand him and even hate him to come to him. This is where the gospel comes into the picture.
The Gospel
The problem was a broken relationship and the need was reconciliation. This was the problem from the time that man turned from God in the Garden of Eden and it has been the true problem ever since. The trust and the relationship was broken and we became enemies of God.
God’s solution to the broken relationship was not the law. What God did was that he took one person, one human being and in this person he restored the broken relationship between himself and humanity. This person was his Son who became the son of man, Jesus Christ. This was a man who knew God well enough that he trusted God 100%. In this person God was fully reconciled, not only to that one man but to the entire human race of which that one man was now a part.
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (2Cor 5:18-19)
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Rom 5:10)
This is amazing! Notice that it was while we were enemies that we were reconciled! Notice that it is the world that was reconciled to God! Our behaviour, our performance, our keeping the law had nothing to do with this reconciliation, it was something that happened independently of us, without us, accomplished entirely by the son of God! We were not there and we were not involved, we were reconciled in our absence! In Jesus Christ God took that problem of sin out of the way comprehensively and permanently. It is never again to be an issue between God and man, Jesus will never again have to die for sin. Notice the amazing statement in 2 Corinthians 5:19, “not imputing their trespasses unto them.” God does not hold anybody’s sins against him or her, they have all been dealt with through Jesus Christ. Sin is never again to be an obstacle in the way of man’s relationship with God.
For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Heb 9:26)
Why then will so many people still be lost and experience everlasting death? It is because they will not believe the truth, the real problem is a problem of unbelief not the problem of transgressing the law! It is still the issue of lack of faith and trust in God. The issue of the broken law has been dealt with long-ago, but unbelief is dependent on each individual and that is why it is still such a major problem, one which will result in eternal loss for billions of people who have already had their sin dealt with. There is a place for every human being in eternity, but the tragedy is that most will never accept what is theirs.
So we are reconciled to God in the sense that God no longer has any barrier between himself and us, but let us consider the question, what was it that created the barrier between man and God? It was unbelief or lack of trust. But whenthe law came into the picture, it became an issue of more than lack of trust. The law created an additional problem because the law made man morally guilty. So it is not just that we were separated from God but we also became morally guilty, so we had two things against us. Now the Bible says that we have been reconciled to God, but if reconciliation is to be complete, it is clear that there are two things which must be removed. The first is the element of unbelief, the element of lack of trust has to be removed and the second thing is the element of guilt. In order for man to be restored to a comfortable and complete relationship with God the element of guilt must be taken out of the way.
Abolishing Guilt
However, if guilt is to be permanently taken out of the way, how can this be possible if the thing which causes guilt remains in the picture? If guilt is to be permanently taken out of the relationship between God and man then the thing which causes that guilt, must be removed from the relationship! As long as the law remains involved in the relationship we will continue to accumulate guilt, and guilt will continue to be a barrier in the relationship between us and God. This may be a very difficult idea for many of us to accept, but note carefully that I am not saying the law has been abolished as a statement of what is good and bad, of what is right and wrong. What I am saying is that the law has been taken out of the equation as a means of defining the relationship between God and his people. In other words our relationship with God is no longer defined by how good we are, how well we conform to the law or how badly we fail at keeping the law! This is what the apostle Paul is alluding to when he tells us,
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. (1Cor 6:12)
So in the context of what Paul is saying in Romans 10:4, it is correct to say that Christ has abolished the law. So the verse, paraphrased, would read,
For Christ is the ABOLITION of the law as far as the relationship with God is concerned, to every one that believeth. (Rom 10:4)
In other words, as far as obtaining righteousness is concerned, the law has been abolished. It is no longer involved in the experience of either obtaining, or of losing righteousness. Christ has brought an end to the legal relationship with God. We are not accepted by our performance, our keeping of the law or any other works. The converse is true, we are not rejected because of our performance or our failure to keep the law. As one person put it, “what cannot make us righteous, cannot make us become unrighteous.” As far as righteousness is concerned Christ has brought the law to an end! So the apostle Paul tells us very clearly,
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (Eph 1:6)
We are accepted, “in the beloved”. There is no other basis for our relationship with God – nothing else is involved. We are saved or lost on the basis of our relationship with, “the beloved”, Jesus Christ.
Servants and Sons
This is the difference between being a servant and being a son of God. In Galatians 4, the apostle Paul says concerning Christians:
Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Gal 4:7)
There is a vast difference between a servant and a son. The place of a servant in the home depends upon his performance, it depends upon how well he keeps the rules and obeys the master of the household. If he disobeys, his place is jeopardized, if he displeases the master then most likely, he will have to leave. However sons do not operate on this basis, their right to a place in the home is based upon inheritance, it is based on the fact that they share the same life as the other members of the household, they are members of the same family. There is no danger that they will ever be put out. Even if their behaviour is bad, they are assured that the family will work to help them to do better, not that they will lose their place. Their performance has absolutely nothing to do with their privilege of a place in the home.
So God not only took our guilt out of the way, but he placed our relationship upon a solid foundation, something which can never be threatened. He did this by removing the thing which caused the guilt, which is the law. Can we see the beauty of this? We never again need to feel threatened or insecure in our relationship with our heavenly father. Yes, we may fail him or sometimes come short of the mark, but this does not and can never jeopardize our relationship with him because our success or failure have been eliminated as a basis for defining our relationship with him. The only relevant factor is our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Now we behave right, our lives are in harmony with the law, but it is not because of the law, it is because we have the life of Christ in us and we are sons of the living God. We behave like sons because we are sons, “his seed remains in us” and we will not sin because we are born of God (1 John 3:9). Our behaviour as Christians is not determined by our attentiveness to the law because the law is no longer a factor in our lives and how we live it, our behaviour is determined by the one who lives in us.
Our Contribution
In the experience of salvation man has only one contribution and it is faith, man must believe. And yet faith is not even man’s contribution because it is God who nurtures and develops faith in us, however it is we who must exercise that faith. This is our only contribution to the process of salvation, there is nothing else as far as we are concerned. Everything else is the work of God.
Some of us may suggest that surrender is also another thing that we contribute, but surrender is an integral part of faith. In other words faith and surrender are not two different processes, surrender is the work which accompanies or is a part of true faith. True faith always produces surrender.
This is the amazing truth of God’s grace. If human work was involved in our acceptance with God, then how could we ever succeed? The only thing that is guaranteed is that we would fail, but God in his amazing love has made it all dependent on his grace. Thank God for Jesus! Thank God for the gospel! May we all believe it, and live by it!
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My Journey to God
I was a part of a large family, my parents eventually had seven boys and three girls. My father was a Seventh-day Adventist minister at the time when I was born. Later on, when I was ten years old, he resigned from the ministry because of personal indiscretions and friction with the church administration.
After Daddy left the ministry, things became very difficult for us. My father knew how to be a minister, but was not very good at anything else. He was not a very practical person and was not good with his hands. However, he worked as an insurance salesman, as a teacher, as a newspaper editor and as a probation officer at various times after he left the ministry.
As I was growing up, from time to time I met people who remembered Daddy from the time that he had worked as a minister. Many of them would tell me of what an outstanding preacher he was. That seemed to be the main memory which people had of him. I could well believe it for my father was one of the most eloquent and well-spoken persons I knew. He loved words and valued their power and he used them to great effect. Many times I remember being indiscreet as a boy and feeling my father’s disapproval. He never really had to spank me although he did once or twice, but his words were enough. He did not often raise his voice or speak in anger to his children, but when he spoke, the words were not easy to forget.
Not a shadow of his seed.
From time to time, Daddy would tell us, his children, of something which God had revealed to him before we were born. He told us that God had shown him, “you will not be a shadow of your seed.” We didn’t know what to make of it, especially since Daddy never told us how he had received this revelation, but it was an interesting statement and I at least, never forgot it. However, I don’t think any of us ever gave it much thought other than remembering that he said this several times.
When I was a young man, about 20 years old, still living with my parents, our family moved to a different part of the island of Jamaica and we went to live in a large house where there were several young men living in one section. This house was owned by a Seventh-day Adventist minister, but he rented it to my father while reserving one section for these three young men who were working at the Adventist school, West Indies College. One of these young men had a strange dream, but I never heard of it until many years later when I became very good friends with him and we became a part of the same fellowship.
He dreamed that he saw a huge coconut tree growing in front of the house where we lived. This tree was so magnificent that people gathered around to admire it. Everyone kept commenting on the beauty and the size of the tree. Suddenly, as everyone watched, the tree fell to the ground with a great crash. There was much lamenting and consternation at the fall of the tree, but as everyone bemoaned the loss of the tree, suddenly a young coconut tree sprang from the root of the old tree and grew up to the size of the former tree, then to the amazement of everyone, it became even taller and more magnificent than the first tree!
This dream made such an impact on this brother’s mind that he began to ask around for a possible interpretation. Eventually he asked the minister who had rented us the house what he thought it meant and the minister replied that he supposed the fall of the tree could apply to my father. He saw significance in the magnificence of the tree and the way it was admired and then in the sudden fall of it and he thought it was a parallel to my father’s ministry and fall. However, he had no suggestion to make as to the significance of the young tree which sprang from the roots of the old tree. Many years later when this brother related this dream to me and the minister’s suggested interpretation, it sent shivers through my body and did much to help me in my personal life and convictions.
My father’s statement and this brother’s dream were two of the things which helped me to become convinced later in life that God had a purpose for my life, a calling that he wanted me to fulfill. I suppose that everyone has a calling from God and that everyone has a story to tell, but this is one way that God brought the conviction to my mind that he had a definite purpose for my life. I know that these dreams could have applied to any of my brothers or sisters, but subsequent events convinced me that God was speaking to me in particular through these experiences.
The dream at 16.
At the age of sixteen, I was not yet a Christian. All my family attended Church from time to time, but I had no personal conviction, no true relationship with God. Yet, one night I had a striking dream which was so vivid and real that the impression remains with me until today.
At this time, I was attending high school in Montego Bay, but I lived in Falmouth 26 miles away. Each day I would travel this 26 miles to and from school and sometimes I would travel by bus. The bus was what we called a “country bus,” in Jamaica. A huge machine capable of carrying anywhere between 50 to 75 passengers depending on how tightly the conductor would cram it.
In my dream, I was sitting on this bus, travelling from Falmouth to Montego Bay. There was the usual collection of people on the bus, people going to market, school children etc. I was sitting in a seat by the window and in my dream I fell into a doze. Suddenly, I awakened to realize that I was alone on the bus. This seemed strange to me for I was aware that the bus had not stopped, yet now, there was not another person on the bus. I was alone. As this thought sank into my mind, I looked at the driver’s seat for the bus was still moving and what I saw sent a chill through me. There was no one sitting in the driver’s seat. The steering wheel was moving with a life of its own!
Suddenly the bus began to pick up speed. I can still vividly recollect the swaying of the bus from side to side as it rocketed around the corners with the steering wheel turning rapidly first to the left, then to the right as something directed the bus’ course. I realized it was night for I remember seeing the lights from the bus flashing on the trees outside the window as we sped past.
Suddenly a thought fixed itself in my mind. “Look behind you.” It was an urgent thought, but I was afraid to obey. Something told me that something unpleasant awaited me when I turned around so I was afraid to turn, but more afraid not to, so I turned my head and looked over my left shoulder as I was sitting on the right side of the bus. My eyes travelled down the aisle between the empty seats and came to rest on the last seat, the long seat at the back of the bus. There was somebody sitting there!
I could make out the form of the person, but I could not see his face. He was wearing a shiny black raincoat with a shiny black rain hat on his head, but he had his head bowed so all I could see was the hat. But as I sat there staring, he started to raise his head very, very slowly. Gradually his face began to appear and the first thing I saw were his teeth. There was a grin which stretched across his face from ear to ear. The head went up a little bit more and what I saw next revealed the identity of this person. The eyes, when they appeared were glowing and red as blood. Instantly I knew who it was. The words flashed into my mind, the Devil!
I was horrified, but I could not move. I sat rooted to my seat as he very slowly arose from his seat with his eyes fixed on me and that awful grin never leaving his face. I sat transfixed, as he started towards me with deliberate silent steps, like a snake gliding towards its prey. When he was about two feet from me, he made a lunge towards me with his hands stretched out to grab me and he cried out in triumph, “I have you now!”
A cry was torn from my throat in that instant, “Jesus, help me!” It just sprang to my lips without premeditation and I heard myself cry rather than thought of what I was saying. But instantly there was a flash of light and everything disappeared. The bus and the devil were no more and I found myself standing at a place called Salt Marsh where there was a junction in the road. The main road was the road from Falmouth to Montego Bay, but the other road led to a place called Chatham. I realized that it was no longer night, but it was late evening, some time after sunset, and it was beginning to get dark.
I barely had time to gather my wits and to recognize that I really had escaped the horror of the bus when I saw a girl approaching me from the direction of Chatham. I recognized her as an acquaintance of mine named Cherry, a girl from Falmouth. She greeted me and asked me if I was going home. I told her that I was, and she invited me to walk with her. So we started off walking on the road to Falmouth which was about six miles away. After a while I found myself lagging behind. There was something strange about the road. The road itself was beautifully paved and smooth but it was a winding road and as I lagged further and further behind I noticed that it seemed to grow hazy and indistinct and just disappeared into nothingness after a while. The girl herself seemed to be made of smoke or fog. Her shape grew wavy and indistinct and I dropped further behind as my uneasiness increased.
Suddenly I heard a voice from the sky over my head. At that time I had a teacher who taught me Spanish at my high school, Cornwall College. He had a very deep voice. I heard his voice saying, “Clayton, do you want to get home safely?” I immediately stopped and answered, “yes sir.” “Well then, do not follow the girl any further. Stay where you are and I will send two messengers to guide you. They will take you home.” So I stood there for a few moments while I watched the girl disappear into the darkness.
The road from Salt Marsh to Falmouth is bordered on both sides by Mangrove trees, growing mostly in swampy ground. As I waited, two little boys emerged from the swamp on the left side of the road. One took my right hand and the other took my left. They led me to a path among the trees at the side of the road and we started off on this path which led through the swamp. It was strange that while I was on the bus, it had been night. When I was at the crossroads and later, following the girl, it had been late evening, growing dark. Now, walking with the boys among the trees it was broad daylight. There were shadows among the trees, but I could see patches of bright sunlight filtering between the leaves and I knew I was finally on the sure road home.
I awakened from this dream at this point, covered in perspiration. I was sure that it was a message from God and I never forgot it. The meaning of most of it seems too plain to be misunderstood.
My conversion
I was converted when I was 22 years old. As I stated previously, I came from a Christian home and grew up in religious circumstances. But my personal experience emphasizes the truth that nobody can be a child of God in a second hand way and that God has only children, no grandchildren.
When I was 17 years old, I left high school and immediately obtained a job as a pre-trained teacher at a primary school in the backwoods of Trelawny parish, in a village called “Sherwood Content.” I was not fit to be a teacher, but at that time teachers were in short supply and the schools which were in deep country especially suffered from a shortage of teachers, so many of these schools accepted graduates from high school to work as, what was called, “pre-trained teachers.” So there I was.
As soon as I started to earn my own money, I broke the restraints which had been placed on me by my parents. I still lived at home, but now, my job gave me a measure of independence and I set about using my freedom to indulge in many of the fantasies which had only been in my mind up to that point. At that time we were living in a seaside village and the decadence and immorality which existed there was appalling. However, in my state of mind, I settled down quite happily to fit in to the lifestyle of the community. My parents were deeply concerned for me and my younger brother Don, as we were the ones who adapted most readily to the lifestyle of the village, but I was not willing to listen to their appeals.
With my new lifestyle, I began to realize that I was heading for destruction. I could not silence or escape my conscience, but neither was I willing to change my ways and I realized that I was heading for hell. At this time, I came upon a book sitting on the bookshelf at home, which was just what my carnal mind was craving. It was entitled, “Chariots of the Gods.” I suppose that my father had placed it there in some careless moment, but now, here it was, just what I wanted. This book was written by a man named Erich Von Daniken and it proposed that the God described in the Bible and in most religions, was nothing more than a visitor from outer space. He presented evidence which he claimed indicated that the ancient people had encountered beings from a higher civilization outside of this planet, and whom they had regarded as Gods, because they were too primitive to understand who they really were.
This was exactly what I wanted, a way to get away from God. I embraced this foolish idea wholeheartedly and from that time I began to claim that I did not believe in God. Naturally, my parents were horrified, but I had a question which it seemed they could not answer and I used it to silence them whenever they got on my case. I would ask, “Daddy, does God know whether or not I will be lost or saved?” Of course he had to answer, “yes,” so then, I would say, “well, if God knows I will be lost, I cannot be saved, and if God knows I will be saved, I cannot be lost, so don’t bother me about it.” My father tried to get me to understand the truth, but to my perverse mind, my reasoning seemed to be beyond argument.
For five years I lived this lifestyle with my professing atheism. I did not speak of it so openly at home, but secretly I held to it and it soothed my conscience whenever it began to trouble me about my ungodly state. During that time I completely abandoned church and for about five years I don’t remember that I attended worship at all. My mother realized that I would not listen to anybody so she settled down to pray for me and she petitioned God for me continually.
At long last, after living like this for five years, I got myself into a problem which I could not deal with. My loose, careless living landed me into a difficulty which I had no idea how to get out of. This problem was of such a nature that it led me to contemplate killing myself. No matter how I racked my brain I could not think of any way out of it, but I did not find the courage to take my own life. For three long days and nights I was tormented by this problem, trying to think of a way to escape, but no solution offered itself to me.
By the fourth day, I had exhausted all my resources and I had come to the end of my rope. During the past three days I had looked back over my life and everything appeared to me in a vivid new light. It seemed to me that my life was just a progression from one failure to another with no direction and no purpose to it. I was twenty-two years old and I had no idea of what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. It seemed to me that I just drifted from one place to another, from one thing to another and that my life was just a series of disappointments. A great desire came over me to have something better. The thought came that surely, I was designed for something better than this and I was filled with a longing that the potential which was in me might be fulfilled, that my life might have some worthwhile purpose.
Finally, my thoughts began to turn to God and I realized to my amazement that I really believed in God, in spite of my denials for the past five years. It dawned on me that I had really been deceiving myself. Out of the darkness which enshrouded me, I remembered two texts from the Bible which I had learned in better days. One of them was Romans 8:28,
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Rom 8:28)
This was what I badly needed, some way for this problem to work out for my good. I saw no possibility of this, but the verse seemed to present a hope. After all, wasn’t it true that “with God all things are possible?” But then I thought, “this verse is not for me. First of all, I don’t love God. I have been His enemy for five years and I can’t come crawling to Him now, asking for His help when I have been throwing abuse into His face for all this time.” I had nowhere else to turn, but my pride presented itself as a barrier and I resisted the idea of asking for help from Someone whom I had rejected for so long, now that I was in trouble.
The other verse that came to my mind was Proverbs 3:5.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Pro 3:6)
This verse appealed to me more. I felt that I not only needed deliverance from my problem, but that I also badly needed somebody to take control of my life who knew what he was doing, somebody who would take the mess that I had created and make sense out of it, give me some direction which was worthwhile and of lasting value. Somebody who could make my existence a thing of value in the universe. The verse promised that God would direct the path of the one who would “acknowledge” him in ALL his ways. It seemed to me that I could do this.
It is strange how my mind worked. I thought to myself, “I cannot ask God to take away my problem because I cannot come to beg Him for a favor when I have abused Him for so long. But if I choose to acknowledge Him in all my ways from now on, I can ask Him to take care of the future, so no matter what has happened in the past, I will have to live with it, but the future will be better if I will acknowledge Him in all my ways.”
A revolution was taking place in my mind. An excitement began to build inside of me. One of the reasons why I had so completely abandoned the church and religion was that it had all seemed so boring and meaningless to me. My recollections of church were not at all enticing. I remembered noisy, but tedious sermons, repetitious ceremonies, sitting through rituals and formalities which seemed to have no purpose or meaning. Somehow, in it all, the reality of God had never come home to me. Now, suddenly, the thought of God, as a Person, independent of all those ceremonies and formalities presented itself to my mind. For the first time I thought of God as a real Person and the thought filled me with awe and excitement.
As my mind went back over the things I had learned from the Bible, I recognized that the outstanding men of the Bible had developed a relationship with God which was far more appealing than what I had experienced in church. I saw that people like Abraham, Elijah, Moses, had not known God through a church-based religion, but that they had simply known Him as a Person with whom they had developed a close friendship. How that appealed to me! I began to question, “is such a thing still possible? Can it be that there is the possibility that I could have a relationship like that with God?” It was an awesome thought and I hardly dared to think it, but then, I remembered another Bible verse from Malachi (thank God for all the times I had studied the “morning watch.”) The verse said,
“I am the Lord and I change not …” (Mal. 3:6).
Was this true? If this was true, I thought, how was it that I had never met a single person who had experienced the same kind of relationship with God as these Bible characters had experienced? How was it that in all my years in church I had never encountered such an individual. The answer presented itself to my mind; if God had not changed, then it must be that people had changed! It must be that Christians today did not seek the same kind of relationship with God as these Bible characters had done and this was why nobody had it.
This was my cue and it was the turning point for me. When I saw the possibility of something different, something meaningful, something which I had never seen before, but which was possible, I decided that I would give my life to God. But I determined that I was not going to be simply a church member. I detested the formal religion which I had previously experienced and if there had been nothing else available, I probably would never have become a Christian. But now, excited at the prospect which God had presented to me, the opportunity of becoming a friend of the living God, I was filled with excitement and I made up my mind that I would spend the rest of my life as the friend of God. Words cannot express the way this thought excited me. It gave me hope, purpose and filled my life with sudden new meaning. Now there was somebody who would take this dreary, failure of a life and give it eternal purpose. It was a joy to think that with my life in the hands of God, it was impossible for me to be anything but a great success in life. Not successful as men measure success, but as measured in the line of eternity.
That day of my decision is indelibly etched in my mind, I will never forget the date and I count it as my true birthday. It was May 5, 1975.
I don’t remember whether I knelt, or stood, or sat down, as I really prayed that day for the first time in my life. I don’t remember what I said, but I remember that when I began to pray the world was sitting on my head. When I had finished, I was as light as a feather! I looked out the window and was amazed at the color of the sky and the grass and trees. I had never seen such living green and blue, everything seemed to be pulsing with new life and happiness.
So I became a Christian that day and I have never regretted or turned back from this decision. I am not saying that I never again fell into sin or that I never again disappointed God. I wish I could say this, but I can’t. I still had many, many things to learn. However, for the past 43 years, ever since that day, God has been my best Friend and I have always had a driving desire to be His best friend in return. I have known since that day that He loves me with a love which cannot be expressed in words. I have always had this comforting assurance through all the experiences, good and bad which I have passed through since that day.
21 Things
21 THINGS WHICH HAPPENED IN AD 31 FOR THE FIRST TIME
1. The promised deliverer arrived (Gal. 4:4)
2. Jesus became qualified to save mankind (Heb. 5:8,9)
3. Humanity was finally redeemed (Luke 1:68; 1 Pet. 1:18,19)
4. Jesus perfected God’s people (Heb. 10:14)
5. Jesus became qualified to be man’s High Priest (Heb. 2:17,18)
6. Jesus became High Priest (Heb. 8:1-6)
7. The ministry in the heavenly sanctuary began (Heb. 9:8,11,12)
8. Jesus brought sin to an end (Dan. 9:24)
9. Jesus brought in everlasting righteousness (Dan. 9:24)
10. Jesus made reconciliation for iniquity (Dan. 9:24)
11. Salvation came to planet earth (Rev. 12:10)
12. God’s people were given eternal life (John 10:10,27,28; 1 John 5:11)
13. The doors of the grave were opened (1 Cor. 15:21)
14. Jesus obtained the keys of hell (Rev. 1:18)
15. Jesus became Lord of the dead (Rom. 14:9)
16. A human being became Ruler of the universe (Matt. 28:18; 1 Cor. 15:25-28)
17. The kingdom of grace was established (Luke 16:16; Rev. 12:10)
18. The Kingdom of God came with power (Mark 9:1; Rev. 12:10)
19. Satan was cast out of heaven permanently (Rev. 12:9)
20. The Comforter came to God’s people (John 14:15-21)
21. Strength came to God’s people (Rev. 12:10; Acts 1:8)
Thank God that Jesus came to earth! Human HISTORY and human EXPERIENCE changed forever because of the gift which God gave in His Son.
Superfood Roots
Lenworth Frankson
Three super-food roots that have distinguished themselves exceptionally well are ginger, turmeric and carrots. Individually they are well known and used in culinary applications, treating a variety of ailments and for their nutritional value. Ginger and turmeric both belong to the same botanical family, Zingiberacea. They both have been used as spices in a number of dishes and have been regarded as powerful remedies for some illnesses. One of the important bonuses that ginger and turmeric share is their disease-fighting property. People who eat ginger, turmeric and carrots, especially all three on one plate, significantly lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, inflammation and pain. Combining ginger and turmeric to make a tea is a simple way to ingest these powerful roots. Making the tea involves a teaspoon of each, grated, in a cup of boiled water allowing seeping for a few minutes.
Turmeric
Increases antioxidants: The antioxidant effect is probably one of the best benefits of turmeric to your body. Oxidative damage is one of the mechanisms responsible for aging and many kinds of diseases. Turmeric contains curcumin, a powerful antioxidant that can protect the body from free radicals by neutralizing them. Curcumin doesn’t only block free radicals; it also stimulates antioxidant mechanisms in your body.
Mental function: In a study, the curcumin in turmeric when digested appeared to improve memory and attention in older adults. Some of these adults showed signs of mild mental decline before taking curcumin. But other research shows that curcumin does not improve mental function in older people who don’t show signs of mental decline.
Alzheimer’s disease: Research indicates that turmeric may reverse cognitive decline and dementia. One study on three Alzheimer’s patients who took turmeric powder capsules for 12 weeks showed remarkable improvement. The researchers stated that: “Both the patients’ symptoms and the burden on their caregivers were significantly decreased.”
Heart health: Turmeric has been known to improve the function of the lining of your blood vessels. This can help to better regulate your blood pressure while reducing oxidation and inflammation around your heart. This could mean lowering the risk of heart disease and heart attacks. Early research suggests that taking curcuminoids, starting three days before surgery and continuing for 5 days after surgery can lower the risk of a heart attack following bypass surgery.
Joint pain: Helping to relieve stiffness caused by arthritis is one of the main benefits of this spice. Because turmeric has great anti-inflammatory properties, many people use it for easing their joint pains. Whether you are an athlete suffering from overuse or have aches and pains related to arthritis, adding a little turmeric to your diet can help ease your pain.
One of turmeric’s disadvantages is that curcumin is not quickly bioavailable, meaning that once ingested your body is unable to quickly absorb it to access the benefits. Interestingly, studies show accessibility is increased when you add, say for a cup of tea, a teaspoon of a fat such as coconut oil or flaxseed oil.
Supports the Stomach Lining: India has long used turmeric in curry dishes as a taste and color enhancer. One reason for its longstanding popularity is because of its soothing properties on digestion. Researchers tested the protective effects of turmeric on the lining of the stomach against acidic preparations used to induce stomach ulcers. A preparation containing turmeric essential oils was administered before the ethanol and it was observed that turmeric protected the cells in the stomach reducing damage. In addition, turmeric also appears to offer some impressive protection for other stomach ailments.
Ginger
Ginger is essentially the part of the stem that grows underground, hence the name ginger root. Ginger is potently aromatic with a warm, “zingy” essence, which has made it one of the world’s most sought-after spices. Just a few thin slivers or a small amount grated makes an excellent healing tea. Ginger is often ground to a powder for easy sprinkling and can be added to nearly every type of food. The most powerful compound in ginger is gingerol. Gingerol is the main bioactive compound responsible for much of its medical properties. One particular study reported that: “…Ginger extract may be an even more effective anti-cancer agent than chemotherapy drugs, killing cancerous cells while leaving healthy ones untouched. Its anti-inflammatory properties might also help prevent the progression of precancerous cells to cancer.”
Inflammation: Ingesting ginger lessens pain from different types of arthritis. Participants in numerous studies reported reduced muscle soreness, improved agility and movement, and reduction in swelling, such as knee pain, when using ginger regularly. Inflammatory disorders such as gastritis, esophagitis, and hepatitis, which are caused not only by infectious agents such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites but also by physical and chemical agents like heat, acid, cigarette smoke, and foreign bodies, are recognized as risk factors for human cancer. Ginger consumption before exercise might also reduce naturally occurring quadriceps muscle pain during moderate-intensity cycling exercise. This effect may be due to the anti-inflammatory effect of ginger but further investigation needs to be done.
Nausea: In addition to aiding digestion, colic and soothing more than a few stomach problems, ginger is well known for being able to relieve nausea. This includes morning sickness and motion sickness, and it has even been used successfully for patients after surgery or undergoing chemotherapy.
Referring to ginger the George Mateljan Foundation reported that:
“In herbal medicine, ginger is regarded as an excellent carminative (a substance which promotes the elimination of intestinal gas) and intestinal spasmolytic (a substance which relaxes and soothes the intestinal tract) … A clue to ginger’s success in eliminating gastrointestinal distress is offered by recent double-blind studies, which have demonstrated that ginger is very effective in preventing the symptoms of motion sickness, especially seasickness”
Diabetes: A study published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine reported that ginger has potential blood-sugar controlling mechanism. Basically, ginger tends to prevent enzymes that affect how carbs are metabolized and insulin sensitivity as a whole, which leads to a greater glucose absorption in the muscles. The presence of gingerol, the major active component of ginger rhizome is said to improve the uptake of glucose into muscle cells without using insulin, and may therefore help in the management of high blood sugar levels. This was reported in the journal Planta Medica. Ginger is a low glycemic food, so diabetics can easily add it into their daily diet and benefit from its health promoting properties.
Memory: Ginger has been shown to improve memory. In one study, 60 healthy, middle-aged women underwent doses of either plant extracts or a placebo over a two-month period. After being evaluated for their memory and cognitive function, researchers concluded that ginger extract “enhances both attention and cognitive processing capabilities, with no side effects”.
Carrot
Carrot is the root-vegetable for many hearty dishes, as well as a handy, crunchy snack. It is generally recommend to eat carrots in moderation because they contain more sugar than any other vegetable aside from beets. When eaten as part of an overall healthy diet however, the nutrients in carrots may provide multiple health benefits. Beta-carotenes, their most prominent nutrient, are not made in the body, so they are required in your diet.
Improves vision: There is some truth in the saying that carrots are good for your eyes. The beta-carotene in carrots is converted into vitamin A in the liver. Vitamin A is transformed in the retina, to rhodopsin, a purple pigment necessary for night vision. Beta-carotene has also been shown to protect against macular degeneration and senile cataracts. A study found that people who eat large amounts of beta-carotene had a 40 percent lower risk of macular degeneration than those who consumed little.
Antioxidants: According to the George Mateljan Foundation: “The many different kinds of carrot antioxidants are most likely to work together and provide us with cardiovascular benefits that we could not obtain from any of these antioxidants alone if they were split apart and consumed individually, in isolation from each other. The synergistic effect of carrot antioxidants is a great example of a whole food and its uniqueness as a source of nourishment.”
Heart disease: A 10-year study from the Netherlands showed carrots help prevent cardiovascular disease. The research focused on the color of foods: green, purple/red, white and yellow/orange. The latter showed the most benefits. Studies show that diets high in carotenoids are associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Carrots have not only beta-carotene but also alpha-carotene and lutein. The regular consumption of carrots reduces cholesterol levels because the soluble fibers in carrots bind with bile acids.
Cancer: Phytonutrients in carrots have been shown to prevent inflammation, possibly by clumping red blood cells to cut the risk of developing full-scale cancerous tumors. (Phytonutrients are nutrients found in plants that develop to protect the plant from damaging environments) Studies have shown that carrots reduce the risk of lung cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer. One study showed one-third lower cancer risk by carrot-eating rats. Falcarinol is a natural pesticide produced by the carrot that protects its roots from fungal diseases. Carrots are one of the only common sources of this compound.
Promotes healthier skin: Vitamin A and antioxidants protect the skin from sun damage. Deficiencies of vitamin A cause dryness to the skin, hair and nails. Vitamin A prevents premature wrinkling, acne, dry skin, pigmentation, blemishes and uneven skin tone.
Cleanses the body: Vitamin A assists the liver in flushing out the toxins from the body. It reduces the bile and fat in the liver. The fiber present in carrots helps in cleaning out the colon and hastens waste movement.
Prevents stroke: Because there are so many befits from eating carrots, it should not be a surprise that in a Harvard University study, people who ate five or more carrots a week were less likely to suffer a stroke than those who ate only one carrot a month or less.
Super-roots Fight Cancer
One of the best ways to quickly introduce these healthy super roots into your body is through juice treatment. Drinking juice made from carrots, turmeric, ginger and dark leafy greens are an effective way to counteract the growth of cancerous cells and tumors in the body. What is great about juicing is that, if done properly, there are no health side effects to worry about. Juicing good roots for cancer won’t cause you to feel weak nor does it have an adverse effect on important systems in your body.
Here are two simple and fantastic ways to enjoy these super roots in one dish:
1.
Steam a few cups of carrots in a few tablespoons of water, just until tender-crisp. Add a few teaspoons of butter, sea salt to taste and a half-teaspoon each of grated turmeric and ginger (or half that amount of the ground variety). You might want to add a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of vegenaise to enhance flavor. To serve, mash lightly or serve whole for a wildly healthy, delicious side dish.
2.
Carrot Ginger Turmeric Soup
Ingredients
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons ginger finely chopped
2 tablespoons turmeric grated\powder
5 cups carrots peeled & chopped
900 mL vegetable broth
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 can 400mL/ 13.5 oz. coconut milk
Juice from 1 or 2 limes
Method
1. Sauté onion in coconut oil over medium heat for 5-6 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, turmeric and ginger; then cook 1-2 more minutes.
3. Add carrots, stock, salt, pepper and thyme, and stir to combine. Cook for 20-30 minutes, until carrots are soft.
4. Blend until smooth with an immersion blender.
5. Stir in coconut milk and lime juice, and enjoy!
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Open Face
January 2019
Open Face is dedicated to the promotion and the restoration of apostolic Christianity. In particular to the restoration of those truths which have been cast down to the ground and trampled underfoot by the papacy, and adopted by her daughters.
Our purpose is to motivate our readers to commit themselves wholly to the task of personal preparation for the coming of the Lord, and to the taking of the final warning message to every nation, kindred, tongue and people.
Open Face is published bi-monthly, and is sent free of cost to all who desire to receive it.
Editor: David Clayton
Publishing committee: Howard Williams
Karleen Williams
Jennifer Clayton
David Clayton
P.O. Box 23, Knockpatrick
Manchester, Jamaica W.I.
Phone: (304) 932-4543
Jamaica: (876) 603-0821
email: vidclay@gmail.com
Website: http://www.restorationministry.com
