Concerning life, most people are like animals. They think only of themselves, they live only for themselves. They think of food and drink, rest and sleep, weather and wind, their personal advantage and their personal needs. Day after day they follow their usual routine just as day follows night. Most people do not get past thinking of themselves and their own possessions. This is precisely what animals do. The more you think about this, and the more you consider it, the more striking are the similarities. Then you can better understand the Preacher’s words about men and animals. Eccl. 3:18. Where it concerns responsibility, people have a responsibility that far exceeds that of the animals. When the responsibility is that much greater, and what they accomplish is just as bad, then the end result of it all is that people are that much worse than the animals. When it is a question of opportunities, people have indescribably more and greater opportunities than beasts. A person can live and hear God’s Word and His voice; and then he can subsequently speak and write and live everything that God has to say to him and thus have unlimited opportunities to help others and to advance much further than just living for himself and all his possessions. This is the great thing: to receive something divine to give to your poor fellow men, to receive an attitude of mind, love, time, opportunity, and strength to do something really good for them, and the more the better. Oh, how poor and cold and barren the person is who thinks only of himself and his own possessions. He is truly like an animal! Moreover, it is worse with him than it is with an animal precisely because he has such great opportunities through the gospel!!! It is therefore vital to go beyond yourself, and not neglect your responsibility there. God gives abundant grace to every willing soul.Elias Aslaksen

By Elias Aslaksen Matthew 5:17-19; Hebrews 10:1; Romans 10:4, 8:4; Hebrews 8:10; Romans 8:2, 7:12: What God’s people usually think is that Jesus came to annul the law, but He Himself says that we must not think that He came to destroy the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them. A superficial consideration of Romans 10:4 seems to confirm this gross error, but Matthew 5:31-44 tells us with all desirable clarity how He became the end of the law in the following manner: The laws of the old covenant—which were only a shadow of the perfect law—were far too weak, and now they were not annulled in and through Christ in any other way than by being replaced by a law that was many times stronger and more perfect! It is replaced by Christ Himself, by the fullness of the Godhead (Col. 2:9-10), or by the laws of the Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2). These perfect laws—the laws of the new covenant—are written in our hearts and minds. Heb. 8:10. More and more laws are written in our heart as we are faithful. This is the central point of Christianity. Obedience to the law is Christianity itself. Lawlessness is destruction and the power of Satan. Antichrist (against-Christ) is therefore rightly called the lawless one. 2 Thess. 2. We are noble, God-fearing, and pleasing to God to the extent that we love laws and commandments. If we do not love laws and commandments, our minds are corrupt even if we have the appearance of godliness and speak ever so many nice words about Jesus. Christ came with the kingdom of God’s perfect laws, and at the same time, He came with all grace and abundant power for all upright souls, so that they all can become happy by keeping these laws, which is their greatest longing. We can divide it into three parts. 1) Lawlessness. The person does not want to keep the laws. 2) Transgression of the law. The person wants to keep the laws, but he cannot. 3) Obedience to the law. By God’s grace he has come to the point where he both wills to and can keep the laws. Phil. 2:13.