Welcome and thank you for taking a bible break to test your knowledge of God's word.
This week's question:

Why do the scriptures say, "For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Him Will not be disappointed.'" (Romans 10:11), and of course, "…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;" (Romans 10:9), and then again, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;" (Ephesians 2:8). Even Jesus Himself declares, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." (John 5:24), and again, "He who believes in Me, as the scriptures said, "From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'", then one more time, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26). One would almost say that belief alone with confession of Him would be all that is required to find life everlasting, and all the other scriptures are for so much window dressing.

But just what does the scriptures say concerning the "New Testament Law"? Is there a law within? Jesus tells the Jewish leaders who were seeking to kill Him for healing on the Sabbath, "You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;" (John 5:39). So, let us search the scriptures for life everlasting. There is no doubt that we must have faith in Jesus as the Christ for the way to life. But let us remember, "So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17). Jesus tells Nicodemus that we cannot enter the kingdom of God without being born by water and the spirit and "…he who practices the truth comes to the light." (John 3:1-21). Jesus also says, "Sanctify them in truth, your word is truth." (John 17:17), and we must keep His word of truth by abiding in Him by walking as he walked (1 John 2:3-6). According to the scriptures we are not to distort or change (Galatians 1:6-10) the true gospel by either adding to the word, or taking things away from the word (2 John 9, Revelation 22:18-19). So, the question that bears contemplating once more is just this, "Will belief alone be enough for life everlasting?", as many attest. Let us look at this scripture to settle this question, "You believe that God is one, You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder." (James 2:19). We also see in that same chapter "You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone." (verse 24).

To finalize the answer to our question we turn to the Roman letter once again as we see Paul attesting that the Old Law gave the Jews the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20 & 7:7), but if the Old Law was faultless there would have been no need for a new covenant (Hebrews 8:7-13) could not justify them, as it was a mere shadow of the second covenant to come (Hebrews 10:1-10). Apart from the Old Law of works is a man justified by a "Law of faith" (Romans 3:27). So there we have the answer to our question as there is indeed a new law, a Law of faith in the New Testament! Let us build our faith by hearing and studying the word of God so that we may be able to handle accurately the Word of truth for life everlasting (1 Timothy 2:15). "But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man is blessed in what he does (James 1:25).

May we study the word for life by abiding in Him for life. Have you been born of the water and the spirit in that burial just as Jesus was buried and raised again, so that we become the "new man" for life (Romans 6:1-10)? If not, isn't it time?