The law in the Garden and the law given on Sinai

This is a comment I wrote under a post somebody wrote about how the law God made in the Garden with Adam is the same law God gave to Moses on Sinai:

+ + +

It's also just straight Federal Theology. The parallel of the two Adams demands that the law given on Sinai be the same as that given to Adam in the Garden.

Jesus came to fulfill what Adam failed to fulfill.

Where some stumble at all this is to wonder what the Sinai law has to do vis-a-vis the nation of Israel, and that is simple: Israel was a type for the Messiah. Jesus' life mirrors the history of national Israel. In the fulness of time Israel was to bring the Messiah, the pure bloodline from David, into the world.

In God's plan of redemption, as well, it has to be seen that Adam and national Israel are unique players. Neither pre-fall Adam nor national Israel can be compared to fallen man. National Israel had a role to play (just as Adam in the Garden did) that was unique in God's plan. Individually each Israelite (or foreigner among them) was saved by faith in the coming Messiah, just as we are saved by faith in the already-come Messiah, but National Israel itself plays a role in the plan of redemption that makes it unique and non-correlative to fallen mankind in general.

This is why Paul struggles in the language he uses to explain the unique position of his people in Romans. He wants to say they are unique in God's plan (they are) yet they are also individually under the curse of the law as any other, but because they are unique in God's plan let God judge them and so on.

Jesus in Leviticus 14

To see the deeper meaning in any passage of the Old Testament, especially the ceremonial laws, see Jesus in them. Jesus himself said it was all about him. This is how Old Testament saints knew about the coming Saviour, and hence were able to have faith in Him, by the types and shadows in the ceremonial laws.

Also, to read the Old Testament passages, any of them but especially the particular descriptions of the ceremonial laws, to see Jesus and His work in them you can get more understanding of Jesus. Take Lev. 14 for instance. Below is a commentary on it from this site. I can't vouch for the site or the commentary as a whole, but I like this passage:

Leviticus 14 - Rituals On the Cleansing of a Leper



A. The sacrifice for a cleansed leper.



1. (1-9) The first seven days of the ritual.



Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "This shall be the law of the leper for the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest. And the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall examine him; and indeed, if the leprosy is healed in the leper, then the priest shall command to take for him who is to be cleansed two living and clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop. And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water. As for the living bird, he shall take it, the cedar wood and the scarlet and the hyssop, and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water. And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose in the open field. He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, and shall stay outside his tent seven days. But on the seventh day he shall shave all the hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows; all his hair he shall shave off. He shall wash his clothes and wash his body in water, and he shall be clean."



a. Then the priest shall command to take for him who is to be cleansed two living and clean birds: In this cleansing ceremony, one bird was killed in an earthen vessel over running water, and its blood was applied to a living bird, to some cedar wood, to some scarlet fabric, and to some hyssop. Then, using these things, the blood was sprinkled on the one who was cleansed from leprosy. Then, the living bird was let go.



i. This seems to be a picture of Jesus’ death and its spiritual application; a “heavenly” being (as a bird is “of the heavens”) dies in an earthen vessel, while remaining clean (because of the running water). The death of the bird is associated with blood and water; the blood is connected with life (applied to the living bird), and then applied to the one cleansed.



ii. Cedar wood: Cedar is extremely resistant to disease and rot, and these qualities may be the reason for including it here - as well as a symbolic reference to the wood of the cross. Some even think the cross Jesus was crucified on was made of cedar.



iii. The connection with hyssop is also important. Jesus was offered drink from a hyssop branch on the cross (Matthew 27:48), and when David said purge me with hyssop in Psalm 51:7, he was admitted that he was as bad as a leper.



b. He shall shave all the hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows: After the sacrificial ceremony with the birds, the cleansed leper had to wash their clothes and shave off all of their hair. They started all over again, as if they were a brand new baby.



i. Again, this seems to be an illustration of being “born again” - a completely new start.

Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and general revelation

Somebody has written a book on the subject of Homer and general revelation. Here is apparently an abstract the author has written of his own work:

http://fc.hbu.edu/~lmarkos/homertochristbook

Good quote from Ouspensky's wife

I will just leave you now with a definition of 'being' you might find useful to consider (attributed to Madame Ouspensky, by John G. Bennett, as quoted by Tony Blake in "The Intelligent Enneagram")

'Being' (said Madame Ouspensky) is what you can bear.

From here.

Providence and sanctification

John Flavel - Puritan - writes about providence and in one chapter he talks of sanctification:

"Now there are two means or instruments employed in this work. The Spirit, who effects it internally (Rom. 8. 13), and Providence, which assists it externally."

I've never seen it this way, but it rings so true when you see it put this way. Providence, events, people, places, things, phenomena, work to help or give friction or what have you. You see this in Work effort. When you have the Spirit from making self-remembering efforts you then are in a new world where providence is acting on you externally.

Havn't you observed the 'coincidences' that occur when you are doing something 'bad' or wrong or what have you. A person appears out of no where. Something. Also, the difficult, surprising event that occurs when you are filled with higher energy. Things like this. Other examples, different types of examples, as well.

Spiritual Warfare contains it all

Living in a neither fish nor fowl realm between the two languages of the Work and the Faith I see what I knew long ago (but forgot, or didn't see strongly enough at the time) that spiritual warfare is what brings together Work knowledge and practice and the Bible without mixing languages or creating watered-down weak hybrids of systems and teachings. The Grail knight is engaging in spiritual warfare and the Israelites between Egypt and the Holy Land are engaging in spiritual warfare. The church Christians are doing anything but engaging in spiritual warfare. This is the sickness of the mainstream Christian realm and is why Christians like myself are such an immediate, intuitive, instinctive threat to them and their environments. They don't even cotton to Puritans when it comes down to it (I speak of the self-professed Calvinists and Reformed), not that the Puritans even wrote about or practiced spiritual warfare at the truly practical level.

This is the focus and anchor and consolidating pursuit now for myself: spiritual warfare.

When I engage in Work efforts I am putting myself on spiritual ground where the forces of light and darkness meet. When I am provoking my limits to then give myself the potential to extend my limits I am engaging in battles with the world, the flesh, and the devil that is spiritual warfare.

I found when I was putting together Bible verses and passages to bring to mind in everyday situations and events and circumstances that what naturally occured was a presentation of categories of spiritual warfare. This is what the Christian comes to when the Christian gets to the practical level of the faith: spiritual warfare.

This is sanctification: spiritual warfare. It is what we do because it is our nature after regeneration by the Word and the Spirit to do. We desire to engage in spiritual warfare. The churchians desire to avoid spiritual warfare at all costs and to remain comfortable and smug in villages of morality and pretend the faith is about family and 'being good.' A Christian born again by the Word and the Spirit knows differently.

It is in our new heart to engage in spiritual warfare.

It is in the heart of the world, the flesh, the devil and churchianity to dissuade Christians from engaging in spiritual warfare.

This they can't do. The Holy Spirit gives us guidance to fight the world, the flesh, and the devil and any who would tempt or put fear into us or attempt to dissuade us from engaging in the battle until the return of our King.

Scripture worth remembering

1Th 5:16 Rejoice evermore. (Always be joyful. I.e. remember God's remarkable promises to those who believe in His Son.)
1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing. (This is a constant command in the New Testament. One can't really see it's practical meaning without including some aspect of self-remembering. But always asking for what you need, and for wisdom and strength and so on too.)
1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (Gratitude in place of resentment regarding anything. It's powerful that the will of God is being defined here.)

This is Scripture worth remembering.

Quick summary of classical covenant theology (Federal Theology)

In classical covenant theology (Federal Theology is classical covenant theology systematized) there are three basic covenants. The Covenant of Redemption made between God the Father (representing the Trinity) and God the Son. This covenant was made before the foundation of the world. In this covenant the Son agrees to pay the price for God's elect. The Covenant of Redemption is a covenant of 'works.' Then there is the Covenant of Works itself made between God and Adam. This takes place in time, in history. God commands Adam "do this and live" and Adam fails to fulfill the covenant and falls, and all who are 'in Adam' fall as well because Adam is the *federal head* of all humanity. The creation itself falls as well.

Once Adam falls the Covenant of Grace is announced to him (this is the aforementioned Covenant of Redemption as it plays out in historical time). The Covenant of Grace says "believe this and live". It begins with types and shadows of the coming Saviour. The object of Old Testament saint's saving faith was the *coming* Messiah, which they knew of in the types and shadows of the ceremonial laws and from their prophets. The object of New Testament saints saving faith is the *already come* Messiah.

All the other covenants from the fall to the incarnation of Christ are part of the Covenant of Grace (including the Mosaic Covenant). The Noaic Covenant is part of the Covenant of Grace because with it God sets the stage for the Covenant of Grace to play out. He says He won't bring destruction on man or creation like He did with the flood. The Abrahmic is the covenant of grace, the Davidic as well. The Mosaic Covenant *seems* like a covenant of works and it *is* BUT only for Jesus to fulfull. The Mosaic Covenant is a *republication* of the Covenant of Works in the Garden that God made with Adam. Jesus needed to be born under the law to have that law to fulfill. It is made with *national Israel* which is a type for Jesus Christ. When Jesus fulfills the law (to a 't') he is doing what the *first Adam* failed to do, and thus as the federal head of God's elect he is fulfilling the Covenant of Works AND he is paying the penalty for it being broken - death. Jesus' following the law to a 't' and his willing death on the cross is called his active and passive obedience. It is *imputed* to any who believe in Him.

The new covenant is different from the old in that what God demands in the new he *gives freely.* Faith for instance. Among other ways it's new and better.

Behind all this is - and what this is - is the Plan of Redemption. Man created 'on high', a fall, and then being drawn back up to a higher level than where you were created at (that is the eschatological glorification aspect). The Plan sets up the mechanics for created beings to develop by God's will *without* it being merely by fiat (which would just make us robots).

It's mystical. Self-will vs. God's will. The position (with all the tensions and mystery and acting 'top down') the covenants and our 'federal heads' Adam and Christ put us in gives us the potential to come alive in a real way (or not, i.e. hell is real, as real as glorification). You become 'in Christ' and no longer "in Adam" by simple belief in Jesus Christ and who He is. Of course this 'simple belief' entails alot of inner battle and getting above vanity, worldly pride, and rebellious self-will. It requires regeneration by the Word and the Spirit. Etc. You have to become a new man.

But everything else on this planet and in all cultures and activities of man is general revelation and idol worship and basically vanity chasing its tail. You can learn from it all, develop in it, but eventually there is one thing that is real and necessary. John 3:16! - C.

Guiding metaphors...

I'm beginning to wonder if the desert metaphor (having left Egypt - symbolic of the world - but not yet at Canaan - the promised land) is the best way to get context and understanding of where one is and what one is supposed to be doing. What does the desert part of the journey call for? Persevere. Stay strong. Continually refresh yourself as to why you are here and what it's all about. (It's easy to forget in the withering immediate conditions of the desert.)

This clashes some with the big Work metaphor of the Grail Knight. You know, take to the trackless forest, meet conflict, persevere, enter new worlds... Hmm... Maybe it doesn't clash so much...