Posted on 11/15/2022 5:18:37 PM PST by grumpa
One of several sources of errors in biblical interpretation is confusing the new covenant with the old one.
For example, the cults (Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses) are famously guilty of this as they emphasize that works are how we are saved. Mormons compound the error by emphasizing the importance of temple worship, having built magnificent “temples” in Salt Lake City and elsewhere―in which they conduct secret temple rituals. These are old covenant things.
Now hear me out. Aren’t dispensationalists guilty of similar infractions? Isn’t their hope of a rebuilt temple, along with temple sacrifices and rituals, obsolete old covenant stuff? Just some questions:
1. Didn’t Jesus replace the temple as the focus of our faith? Isn’t He the cornerstone (Matthew 21:42; John 2:19-21; Acts 4:11; Revelation 21:22) and believers are living stones of the new spiritual temple (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:5)?
2. Wasn’t Jesus the once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:8-10)?
3. Weren’t all the promises of God fulfilled in Jesus (Luke 1:54-55, 69-75; 2 Corinthians 1:20)? 4. Wasn’t the kingdom of God taken from the Jews and given to the church (Matthew 21:18-22; 33-45)―for their serious sins and apostasy (Matthew 23:13-38) as well as their refusal to accept Jesus as Messiah (Matthew 23:37)?
5. Didn’t the old covenant end in finality in AD 70 (Hebrews 8:13)?
6. Isn’t the true everlasting covenant in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:28; 13:20)?
7. Isn’t the Israel of God in the new covenant no long fleshly, natural, national Israel, but rather all believers in Jesus (along with a remnant of faithful from the old covenant (Romans 11):
John 1:12-13. The children of God are believers in Jesus, and not by blood.
John 8:31-47. Jesus explains to the Jews of his day that they are not truly offspring of Abraham, but rather are offspring of the devil.
Romans 9:6-8. Paul taught that not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel (“FOR THEY ARE NOT ALL ISRAEL WHO ARE ISRAEL”), and not all are children of Abraham. It is not the children of the flesh who are children of God.
Galatians 3:6-9, 25-29. Heirs to the promise, i.e. the true offspring of Abraham, comes from faith in Christ, not physical descent.
1 Peter 2:4-10. The new chosen race is the Christian church.
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. James 2:10.
So tell us which commandment is it that you refuse your Lord and savior? Which of the 10 laws did Jesus break? He was accused but he never broke any. He showed us how to to please God. He showed us how man can follow the law. What commandment is it that you refuse to kneel to?
Ordinarily conservatives prefer old things to new things. Of course, that apparently doesn’t apply where Jews are involved.
Nothing "old covenant" about Mormon temple rituals. They're Masonic from beginning to end.
Jesus was the only one that was able to follow the law. No one else can follow it perfectly. It is not the law that is imperfect, but we who are not able to follow it perfectly. A lot of people assume that by following the law of God that the sinner can mitigate his deserved punishment by his own efforts. For some this may be through religious activities, such as church attendance, baptism, contributing to the offering, and doing good deeds. While many agree that “nobody’s perfect,” the law requires it. Some may say that God in His “grace” will overlook our sins if He sees that we have made a genuine effort to do the right thing, mend our ways, and “follow the rules”. This belief contradicts the true meaning of grace, which is unmerited favor.
We are saved by grace, not by a mixture of God’s grace and our meritorious works. All of our righteous deeds are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Even considering our best efforts, we have fallen short of God’s standard of righteousness (Romans 3:23), and we deserve death (Romans 6:23). We are not commanded to “do our best” for God but to love Him perfectly and completely (Matthew 22:37). We fail in that. The command is not to “try” to love our neighbors but to actually succeed in loving our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). Under the Commandment “do not murder” our duty is different than the love God expects, and we are unable to give, outside of of Christ. Jesus expects more from his own than is humanly possible.
“Gods Laws which He has commanded us to follow?”
This is problem. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23)
20Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
So, here is the problem, we are commanded to follow the law, but it is impossible to follow the law. What are we to do? All are sinners and unable to follow the law. God provided the answer in his Son, Jesus. (see Romans 3:20-26 above for the answer)
The Apostles had no problem with this. After Pentecost they were supercharged and went out do His will. Paul said to "go boldly". These were men just like you and I with like passions but they got ahold of the Holy Spirit and said I will do whatever He commands me.
Meanwhile you sit back and say you can't. It's imposssible. But God says all things are possible. Only one of you is correct. I'm betting it's God.
Jesus said “If you love me, keep my commandments”.
He said keep my commandments, not my fathers commandments.
Jesus two commandments Mark Chapter 12
28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
“Did God ask you to do something of which you are incapable? If He did, He’s either ignorant of our capabilities or two He is a cruel god playing a cruel joke.”
Or three he sent his Son to give his life and to spill his blood for our sins that whosoever beliveth in him will have everlasting life. Jesus died and was raised from the dead by God the father for the specific purpose of being the propitiation for our sins.
Propitiation refers to the turning away of the wrath of God as the just judgment of our sin by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.
By the way, I see what you did in post 26. The discussion was about keeping the law, and you changed it to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Two different subjects.
No, you cannot keep the law without the Holy Spirit in you. The New Covenant is about giving you a new heart, one inclined to do His will. You can reject that and say I will go about my business because grace does all of the work for me. The devils words luring one to follow their own inclinations.
You're really reaching aren't you. You think they are not the same commandments?
John 14:9 the one having seen Me has seen the Father. How is it you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? I am not speaking the words which I am saying to you[d] from Myself, but the Father abiding in Me is doing His works.
“You can reject that and say I will go about my business because grace does all of the work for me. The devils words luring one to follow their own inclinations.”
God forbid.
Romans
6 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
On the other hand, the Pharisees were the all time best legalistic people. Jesus called them whitewashed tombs in Matthew 23:27 they “look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean” That describes many Christians who say that to be saved you need Jesus plus X. X = baptism, works, following the law or anything else.
Luke 18 9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Legalistic Christians “have a form of Godliness but deny the power thereof”., thinking they remain saved by works. The best works we can do on our own are like filthy rags in the site of God. The Pharisee in the Temple just knew he was justified but not the tax collector. Now is the time to reject legalism and accept Christ and Him only for your salvation. And stop gossiping about the tax collector, what you hear about him is not always true.
Peace be unto you.
Some theologians say that the command to honor the sabath is not longer valid as Jesus is now our sabath rest.
Yes, the Devil recruits those who have a form of godliness but deny the power within. Sad.
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