When we show hypocrisy, we are no better than Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus Christ. Judas outwardly showed himself to be a disciple but inwardly and in his actions he proved to be a thief and a betrayer. A hypocrite is one who betrays people, for he shows himself to be a lover but is not.

It may appear as though scripture is in error and breeds hypocrisy rather than righteousness. But here is what the Prophet Hosea writes: "Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the righteous will walk in them, but transgressors will stumble in them" (Hosea 14:9). In Grace, the forceful nature of the Law has been lifted. That is, you assertively or willingly submit to the Law rather than by force. Those who are born-again will walk by the Law of the Spirit of God. Those who are walking by the Law of the Spirit will in effect meet the requirements of the Law that came through Moses. Because what counts is the keeping of the Commands of God (1 Corinthians 7:19). R.C Sproul speaking on the subject of Pleasing God: "Godliness is both letter and spirit, external and internal, outside and inside." Jesus in Matthew 23:26 talks of the outside of the cup becoming clean when the inside is cleaned. So a good test to see if we are really walking by the Spirit is to examine the outside of ones own cup. The Law of Love, that of walking by the Spirit, pertains to the inside of the cup where as the Law of Moses pertains to the outside.

Works has conventionally been dismissed on the grounds that they are based on our merit rather than that of our Lord's. Unfortunately Paul's letters have targeted works itself rather than the wrong motive for doing works. The Church too on the other hand does not make a distinction between ritualistic works and good works. Any doctrine that undermines works is totally contrary to what love is all about.

We have studied in the previous parts about the greatest Commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). That is, we have studied that loving God means keeping the Law of God (Matthew 22:40). God does not expect that we love Him like everybody else does. Therefore rest is assured to us because, works taken alone is not a yardstick for our salvation. To the extent of the revelation we have, we love God with all our mind. To the extent God touched our heart, in that he forgave all our sins, even took up our infirmities, those that we should have carried, gives us reason to seek Him -- that is, love Him with all our heart. To the extent God comforted and strengthened us, we love God with all our strength and soul. And this is the injunction no more no less required of the Lord. God reveals, touches and comforts each one according to the grace given each one which is totally in the hands of God (Exodus 33:19). Our love back to Him for the grace that he has given us gives birth to faith. Paraphrasing Hebrews 11:1 KJV, "Faith is [an expression of love, of making] substance of things hoped for, [having little] evidence of things not seen." Faith then gives birth to good works. It is by our works we will be judged commensurate to the amount of evidence or the spiritual strength we have had. This doctrine on sanctification is somewhat in concert with the one espoused by Charles Finney in the 18^th century with minor differences. He also states that, as we are wholly indisposed to use our natural powers aright without the grace of God, no efforts that we will actually make in our own strength or independent of his grace will ever result in our entire sanctification. The provisions of grace are such as to render its actual attainment in this life the object of reasonable pursuit. We are given apostles, prophets, evangelist, teachers, etc, to bring about entire sanctification to the whole Church of a generation in this life (Ephesians 4:11-16).

The perception of God the Father has conventionally been of someone who is all about wrath & condemnation and no love even though most of us know John 3:16 by heart. The viewpoint springs from those who don't see their imperfection as imperfection and their sin as sin. In our state of imperfection, and compared to God's standards we can expect to see God in this way. Most often, we humans ignore the good but highlight what we see as bad to our own loss. God demonstrated His love for His people through grace and mercy even before He gave His only begotten Son as a substitutionary sacrifice for our sins. He established substitutionary sacrifice right from the time of Adam and Eve when He sacrificed an animal and covered Adam's and Eve's nakedness. With Cain and Abel too God accepted substitutionary atoning sacrifices. Substitutionary sacrifice had always been accepted when there was an emotional expense accompanying it and our hearts are in order. (Note that God looked in favor at Abel first and then his offering.) Absolution is always dependent on sincere penitence. These emotions are to be marked by an acknowledgement of the truth and owning our sins. Note that Cain and Abel both brought their best sacrifices for worship but Abel's sacrifice was according to the prescription of God and was accepted. The prescription was made known to Adam and Eve when God covered their nakedness with skin (Genesis 3:21). As Paul writes, one may have the zeal for God, but if it is not in accordance with the full truth or the Word of God, it is to no avail. When Eli's sons brought strange sacrifices God destroyed them with fire. Good deeds are dead works when they are not according to the way God has prepared. It is for this reason that our good works are dead works because God prepared a way to heaven through our Lord Jesus Christ who said, "I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6). Matthew Henry commenting on the sacrifice of Cain and Abel:

Even though the sacrifice is offered, if it does not accompany the natural emotional expense or in other words, it is treated or regarded as worthless, negligible or distasteful, then a more severe penalty will be required to be paid to bring about the order necessary. But then, as Scofield comments on Amos 9:1 "when the altar and sacrifice are despised, the altar becomes a place of judgement only." In general, the judgement seat of God has always been that of bringing man into conformity with the universal order and into closer fellowship with God. The end thereof is not punishment as is conventionally understood. God did forgive and save those who have repented from their sins through the sacrifices of goats and bulls. Why did the Psalmist say in chapter 51:16, "You do not desire sacrifices, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart -- These, O God, You will not despise"? Is the Psalmist here saying sacrifices have no value and are not to be offered? No. What he is saying here is that sacrifices without the accompaniment of a contrite heart is of no value. The sacrifices of innocent goats and bulls were intended to produce a contrite heart. Without the means of which there is no way for the beneficiary to know the gravity of his sin and the degree of contriteness he ought to have for his sin. Note for instance in Leviticus 4:29: "He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it...." When the author of Hebrews writes in 10:4, "...it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins," I believe, he is simply declaring the status quo of a despised altar.

There is no forgiveness where there is no remorse for sins. To summarize what we said earlier, substitutionary sacrifices are there to evoke remorse for the sins we have committed. Since the sacrifice of goats and bulls had been despised, God sent His only begotten Son as a sacrifice so that at least this will not be despised.

Unless one repents from sins specifically, the righteousness of Jesus Christ pertaining to those broken Laws cannot be accounted to oneself. It is for this reason it is said, "Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins" (Acts 2:38). Though Baptism is a step after the act of faith in Jesus, it by itself is not an act of faith for the forgiveness of sins but it is an act of our will, the first-fruit (works) of our love back for God. That is, baptism alone will not save. The one who is baptized has owned up his sins and has received Jesus Christ as his savior. He has taken the Altar call! By that I mean he has owned up his sins and is now offering the blood of Jesus Christ at the altar for the remission of his sins. Herein lies the anatomy of the entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Baptism is the pledge of one who is repenting or one who pledges not to sin -- one who repented (1 Peter 3:21). That is, the one who takes Baptism will pledge that from that moment on he will keep the Law the best way he knows how. If a person has no remorse and therefore no love back to God, but on account of benefits receives the Grace but does not obey the Commandments including the Baptism Commandment which is part of the firstfruits of a Christian life, there is no way such a person can be saved. As Jesus said "But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little" (Luke 7:47). Baptism is the least amount of work one has to do (i.e. obey the Commandment) to express his love back to God for the least forgiveness he has received. Since all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God, all those who are saved have participated out of their own will in the waters of Baptism. Therefore Baptism should be a believer's undertaking immediately after he is born-again (that is, after he willingly receives the blood of Jesus Christ as having cleansed him from all his sins).

However one may quote the thief who died alongside Jesus who was ushered into paradise by the Lord Himself. To this i answer, God searches our hearts and is willing to make exceptions.

To the Christian, for whom there is grace upon grace, there is the Lord's Table which reminds us of that one great sacrifice. Not that we have a different altar but those who offer goats and bulls at the altar do not have a right to participate at the table as God closed the door for those sacrifices because they were despised by men. Here again God expects a contrite heart when we partake in the Communion. We can gather this from Luke 22:19 where Jesus says, "Do this in remembrance of me."

The one who participates in the Lord's Table must make a commitment -- "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord" because it is in serving that we worship (Gk. Latria) and show our love for the Lord. Worship without a sacrifice is no worship at all. Serving the Lord starts with serving one another as Jesus commanded at the Last Supper. "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you" (John 13:14,15). This ordinance of washing each other's feet before partaking in the Communion is symbolic of making ourselves available for service to each other. Jesus emphasizes this point again in the same discourse at the Supper. He adds, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (John 13:34). So our service for one another is to be to that extent that we should be willing to die for one another. Paul applies this principle as he write to the Galatians in 6:1-2--"Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the Law of Christ." Serving one another like this will follow when Foot Washing is taken seriously, done from out of the heart and not made common place. The Ordinance should go hand in hand with the actual washing of the heart with the Word of God. Is it not a privilege to be a member of the body of Jesus Christ? The Foot Washing and Communion represents just that. In John 17:21 Jesus states, "That they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that you sent me." Francis Schaeffer commenting on this in "The Church at the end of the Twentieth Century" writes:

Communion is a time of both celebration of our union with God as well as a time of penitent introspection in remembering the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. As the Psalmist writes in 2:11, "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling." Baptism represented the washing by the blood of Jesus of all past sins. After being baptized the sinner is made holy and becomes part of the body of Christ. But due to temptation, trial and tribulation when a member falls again into sin the body bears the burden. The foot-washing ordinance symbolizes the cleansing of sin, that is accumulated from the last cleansing. Worthy is he who walks the Christian walk, in spite of all temptations, trails and tribulations and shares in the sufferings of Jesus Christ in this manner. Worthy indeed to take part in the Communion who carries his stake. One has to introspect himself/herself thoroughly before partaking (1 Corinthians 11:28). Sins are to be confessed to each other (James 5:16). Restitution for sins has to be made before taking part in the Communion (Matthew 5:23-26). Any sin may be forgiven him by the one who washes as Jesus said, "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 18:18) and then again in John 20:23 He says, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Indeed we who have the Holy Spirit, priests of the living God, members of the body of Jesus Christ have authority to forgive sins. But remember there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood (Leviticus 17:11). The blood of Jesus Christ is available only for those sins discovered anew by the one who confesses. Blood continues to be available through the body that is present here on earth for sins committed unknowingly. It is not available for presumptuous sin. And if indeed any one takes the Communion in an unworthy manner (i.e. having any unconfessed sin) he will be guilty of sinning against the body (1 Corinthians 11:27). There is also the unpardonable sin or the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit as Jesus called it (Matthew 12:31), for which there is no forgiveness (that is, there is no forgiveness for the one who insults or shows contempt for the work of a minister who speaks on behalf of the Holy Spirit).

Why did Jesus give this Ordinance of Foot Washing? Is it because His sacrifice was not sufficient? We know first of all that Foot washing is an ordinance through verse John13:10-- Jesus said to one, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you." Here Christ is referring to one who has taken Baptism or is spiritually clean, need only wash his feet to remove sins that were accumulated since the last washing. Secondly, reading John 13:14,34 : "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another." -- He wanted us to be bonded to each other as well as being bonded to Him!

Also foot-washing is not just one of the services that Jesus performed on them along with His death on Calvary's tree. We can say this for a fact because Jesus said to Peter in v.8, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with me."

The core work of redemption on which each person's redemption hangs, was finished at Calvary (John 17:4; John 19:30). But for the righteous requirements of the Law to be fully met in someone, one must have repented from all sins. At the time of Baptism one may not have come to the knowledge of all his sins and therefore not have repented from them all. Also as we discussed earlier due to temptation, trial and tribulation we may inadvertently commit sin even the kinds of sin for which we have once obtained forgiveness. Through confession to one another and Foot Washing, both these categories of sins are borne by the body and are forgiven. We have to remember here it is still Jesus Christ through His body, the Church, is bearing the sins, and all of it hinges on the one sacrifice at Calvary. But the moment the sin becomes presumptuous, there is no sacrifice left neither that of Jesus' nor that of his neighbor's.

By partaking in the Communion on a regular basis, we remain in Him and He in us (John 6:56). Keeping short accounts with God (i.e. partaking daily if need be) will keep us ever ready to meet our redeemer. Judgement will result when we partake in the Lord's Table in an unworthy manner including if we harbor any unconfessed sin, not discerning the Lord's body - 1 Corinthians 11:29. But all are encouraged to partake in the Lord's Table (Numbers 9:10; Matthew 26:27). Since the Lord's Table is a communion, God will purge the impurity because He is Holy and cannot allow anything impure to become part of His body. As discussed earlier in Part 1, Judges who hold the office of the Reprovers on the other hand, should administer the disciplining in order that we may not be condemned or judged along with the world (1 Corinthians 11:32).

For those who have reached a state of entire sanctification can wash those ones' feet who have not reached that state. Communion here takes the form of a pledge not to sin.

When we see the "shadows" or "types" in the Old Testament in all its colors, we can comprehend and be in a capacity to appreciate the heavenly position Christ has set us in. While we have the heavenly position, we are ambassadors here on earth wearing the righteous robes of Christ. The robes were obtained for us with a heavy price. The payment or substitutionary sacrifice made by Jesus Christ is three fold: 1) The sacrifice by the Son of God leaving the comforts of heaven and taking the form of man; 2) After being born into a human body, maintaining holiness by keeping the Law of God without sinning even once, against all odds; 3) Ultimately offering this body as a sacrifice without blemish at Calvary. The metaphor of "robes dipped in the blood" that God employs to denote the state we are in after we have received Jesus Christ (Revelation 7:13-14) is not without a purpose. For one thing, clothes tear and clothes get dirty if our walk is not upright. But to be more precise, they loose their whiteness if our walk is anywhere inferior to that of Jesus'! This contrast is obvious not only because our walk is compared with Jesus Christ as we call ourselves Christians, but also because we are united with Him as a member of His glorious body. However we have corruptible bodies which are apt to sin and so we are not without help. We have the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete who comes along side us to enable us to rise up to the standard of Jesus Christ with whose righteousness we began this new life. And so in our Kingly robes we jump directly to satisfy the need for self-actualization and thus we are conformed to His very likeness. Here is where the efficacy of being under Grace, is greater than being under the Law of Moses. Paul writes in Romans 5:20 -- "Where sin increased Grace increased all the more." When God keeps forgiving us even though we are sinning again and again, our will finally catches gear by experiencing the awesome love of God. We no longer want to not sin on account of fear but now we don't want to sin because we are willing, for the love we have back for God and our neighbor. But where Love diminishes the Truth about sin, Grace will cease and there will be punishment or atoning sacrifice necessary.

Now about eternal security dear brothers and sisters beware of false teachings that will only lead you into a false sense of security. A clean slate is given you with a place in Heaven when you come to the realization of your sin nature and receive Jesus Christ. After that you will have to continue in the Lord to the very end to enter life without coming under judgement. "But if we judged ourselves we would not come under judgement" (1 Corinthians 11:31).

Each one will be judged according to the grace given him. We who have received the grace of God in the abundance of the sacrifice of God's only begotten Son are much more obliged to keeping God's Commandments than those who have not received the grace. And what does a man deserve who goes right in the opposite direction; who knowingly and deliberately sins despising the altar of God even the body of Jesus Christ? As the writer of Hebrews puts it in 10:26: "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no more sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgement and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God." Even the Old Testament is in agreement with this. We also read in Numbers 15:30, "But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the Lord, and he shall be cut off from among his people. Because he has despised the word of the Lord, and has broken His Commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be upon him." What remains is the presumptuous sin for which there is no sacrifice left. Jesus Christ paid the greatest substitutionary sacrifice and therefore there cannot be any other atonement through any other substitutionary sacrifice. Moreover, there is no crucifying the Son of God all over again. We have to appeal to the Father for a Grace apart from that which came through Jesus Christ. May be God will show mercy on His sons and daughters and forgive even these sins. We have to realize here, there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22). We deserve to burn in hell fire. So as an emblem of our acknowledgement of our sin, of our owning up of it and as a sign of putting to death the outer man (2 Corinthians 4:16), here is a baptism of Fire one could take. This is my version of a kind of baptism by fire (Luke 3:16) but there is another i believe, which will be administered by the Lord Himself in the lake of fire. You don't want that! Pray and fast for those brothers and sisters who are still dwelling in presumption who are in effect casting themselves into fire (Matthew 17:14-21).

Many have come and twisted the Grace of God into a license to sin and have taken many astray. Indeed even Paul admits that those who obey the Law will be declared righteous (Romans 2:13). And Jesus is more than candid about the Law being the yardstick for judgement. In the story that Jesus told about a rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), he quotes Abraham as saying: "They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them." Who or rather what is this Moses and the Prophets. Is it not the Law and what the Prophets have written? (Acts 15:21) Why would Jesus allude to the Law if he has "redeemed" us from it?

What seems more plausible is that in the new covenant the Kingdom of God has been extended to reach the ends of the world through the work of His Son Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and His servants. Man is now more inclined to the Law of God as Jesus Christ took the form of natural man and lived a life in accordance to the Law, pleasing to God, died and rose again. In order to preserve the old and the new wineskins, God established a new thing. Even as we move from the outer courts into the Holy place, Jesus Christ is handing over the Kingdom to the Father¹⁰.

So my dear brothers and sisters let us bear fruit through good works, starting with the fruit of repentance by pledging in waters and fires of Baptisms. Not stopping there, but going-on on that road by bearing the fruit of representation of the Kingdom of Heaven. Charles Stanley puts it well in his book, "InTouch with God:" "The most powerful sermon in the world can't match the power of a fruit-filled life. Why? Because nonbelievers are not nearly as impressed with what we believe and preach as they are with how we act, especially under pressure." What is it that makes us do good works except were it not for our faith in God that it will result in praise, honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:7). Matthew Henry commenting on the parable of the Ten Virgins writes:

So when Jesus Christ returns will He find faith on earth? (Luke 18:8) Will God's people be diligently occupied with good works prepared in advance for them to do? What will our answer be to our Lord's question, "Do you love me?"

Charles Finney in his closing comments on Sanctification writes:

God has done this much for us--as I mentioned earlier--the three fold sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But to be more precise it is a four-fold sacrifice, counting the sacrifice of the body too, which is the daily bearing of sins of the members of the body. So at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow down in worship (Gk. Proscuni). But more than that we must add to it service as a form of worship (Gk. Latria). When we serve one another we are serving the Lord. In Jesus' own words, "what you have done to the least of these my brethren you have done unto me." Indeed it is Yahwehshammah (the LORD is there) where we serve such as these brethren who do not have a shelter, clothing, food to eat or who are being rehabilitated from jails. The Father is in Jesus and Jesus in the Father and we are in Them as They are in us (John 14:20).

Have mercy on us O Lord and sanctify us into your holiness and rest. Amen!

 Appendix