Scripturally as symbols of spiritual sins, that is, sins not in respect to material things affecting the individual’s relationship to Jehovah God, but in respect to unseen things affecting the individual’s relationship to Jehovah. The literal practices themselves, however, even after they came to stand for spiritual transgressions, were not permitted in Israel. This is emphasized in respect to the antitypical theocratic Christian organization that came on the scene at the termination of the Mosaic law covenant under which Israel was organized.

THE CHRISTIAN ANTITYPE

19. What great change did Jehovah provide through Christ Jesus?

¹⁹ Moving forward with his purposes looking to the complete vindication of his name, Jehovah came to the time when he would provide both the termination and the prophetic fulfillment of the law to Israel in his beloved Son Christ Jesus. Jesus began the development of some things new, different from the typical theocratic nation of Israel, namely, the real theocratic Christian organization. While the law covenant with Israel did terminate with Christ Jesus and has not been in effect since his impalement and ascension to heaven, nevertheless, the righteous principles of the law continue in full force, and, in fact, with even greater force and effect upon those of the Christian organization. With the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ as a basis, Jehovah developed the Christian congregation under the new covenant.

20. As to Christian virtue, what may be said with definiteness?

²⁰ “God . . . has indeed adequately qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant, not of a written code, but of spirit; for the written code condemns to death, but the spirit makes alive.” (2 Cor. 3:2-6, NW) It is noted that Paul is not saying that there is a letter of the law and a spirit of the law and that there is a contrast between the two and therefore we may violate the letter of God’s law but keep its spirit. That is not the situation. Rather, what Paul is pointing out here is that there is a difference between the written code of the law given to the Israelites through Moses and the spirit of God. The spirit of God upon Christians develops in them fruits of righteousness and enables them to remain separate from the ungodly condemned world. The written code condemned the Israelites to death, but the spirit of God, through the operation of the new covenant based in the ransom of Christ Jesus, leads men to everlasting life. There is the contrast. Can we for a moment presume that, while the individuals of the nation of Israel under the law covenant were prohibited from practicing the depraving things that mankind in general then carried on, Christians are any the less obligated to refrain from these practices? No, of course not. On the contrary, the positive Christian commands to righteousness are more penetrating than the negative commands of the Mosaic law; and the spirit of God upon those who serve him in Christian worship now in the activity of the New World society enables them to keep integrity with the sure hope of gaining perfection to righteousness in the glorious future.

Conspicuous by Their Absence

● When preacher Alan Walker of the Methodist Church in Australia addressed 550 church leaders in Silver Bay, New York, he said that teen-agers were “conspicuous by their absence in American churches.” He suggested that Protestant churches had allowed their Sunday Schools to interfere with teen-agers’ attendance at regular worship services, and that “when they leave the Sunday School they leave the church.”—New York Times, July 16, 1956.