My friend, the gospel in the old testament is the same in the new. In the old testament the law was given that man may be brought into a knowledge of God. By the law was man to come into a knowledge of the requirements of the almighty and that they may see their need of the Savior to come.
Obedience to the law of God was given to man in the old testament to save them from the inevitable suffering that is a result of sin: but to save them from sin itself, the law must be given to man in such a way as to transform the heart. Thus the Son of God, who is the embodiment of the law, was given to man that by partaking of Him, they may be transformed into the image of God.
Man's problem with sin is not just that we have sinned, but that we sin because we have inherited a sinful nature. Thus the remedy for our condition is not simply to show us the ways of righteousness, but to transform our hearts by the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ, for "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20).
My friend, all my life I have been taught that I must be obedient to the commandments of God, and all my life I have fallen short of the required obedience. I was led to believe that my salvation was dependent upon my obedience to the law, and I always felt that I was a sinner before God, unworthy of translation.
I was taught that God was a trinity comprised of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Three individual god-beings that were individually God, and collectively God. I was taught that my salvation was provided to me by the sacrifice of God the Son, and that as I accepted Him as my Savior, the person of the Holy Spirit, which was not the Son, was to reside within my heart. I longed from the peace that was promised in the Scriptures, but I could not find it by looking unto the God as a trinity.
Then I was shown that God was not a trinity; that the Father was the One true God, and that He sent His only begotten Son to redeem us from sin. I was shown that the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, was not the Spirit of another being, but was the Spirit of Christ himself, and it was by His Spirit that we are transformed into the image of God.
My friend, if you are striving to keep the law of God like I was, you are doing so in vain. Our problem with sin is not that we have sinned, but that we have a sinful heart, and we need a transformation of heart. The promise of a new heart is fulfilled by the life of the Son of God living within us. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." (Ezekiel 36:26).
As you accept the true Son of God as your Savior, you are accepting the perfect life of God manifested in His Son. Then the promise of Jesus is fulfilled "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." (Matthew 11:28, 29).
God bless,
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