Replies

In a medieval city, the alleyways were narrow streets and paths where the sun did not shine directly down to the pathway except when the sun was directly overhead. It was in these alleys that too many 'unbecoming' activities thrived since they were so poorly lit, especially at night. You are trying to invite me down a Mormonism alley, whose entrance seems innocent enough: "Salvation comes of Christ and by none other."

Mormonism apologetics is demonically directed. BY changing in subtle ways what the Gospel teaches, the reader is led astray, to consider as reasonable that which is blasphemous.

Paul stated clearly that the law could save no one. And the commandments from Jesus were to love the Lord your God above all and to love your neighbor as you would love yourself. In striving to keep the law of Moses, the Jew was faithing in the saving power of God. You see, the ten commandments are a clear thoughlimited definition of God's nature. Humans had that nature in their human spirit before the fall. After the fall, the light of the human spirit was gone. Through faithing in Christ and only through faith Christ's atonement the 'light' gets switched on again. The law could not switch it on. Once the light is on again, we can dim it by disobedience to the leadership of His Holy Spirit, but we cannot switch it off. Jesus made this promise to the believer. Mormonism cannot cancel that promise.

Jesus did not teach to follow 613 Jewish laws in order to be worthy of His sacrifice on the Cross, nor to follow 613 laws after being Born Again of the Spirit. Had He done so, the Pharisees would have embraced Him instead of killing him via Roman execution, and the Judaisers would have been Paul's assistants, not his nemesis.

So, I will decline to dart down the darkening alley to which you invite my inspection. Ordinances are man-made behaviors. Jesus did not put any preconditions upon being Born Again, as the work God commands so adequately shows yet you chose to try and pervert in order to make room for Mormon legalism.

Your mormonism's demonic apologetics asks, in what seems such an innocent way, "We do have something to do. What is it? ... Obedience is a requirement of Salvation. Obedience to what?" You have been shown what God commands, and that is precisely what the human soul must obey for salvation in Christ Jesus: believe on Him, that's all.

Once truly born again, His Spirit leads your human soul in all things where you obey Him, and that isn't keeping 613 laws to prevent satan from snatching your salvation away! Jesus promised that those who are His are in His hand and no one can snatch them out.

Mormonism seeks to get the mind into a darkened alley, to consider as if reasonable that there is something else God in the person of Jesus didn't offer in the answer Jesus gave to your question ... as if God lies by omission! Sorry, that is demonic inveigling methodology. Get thee behind me, Satan.

Even darker would have been Jerusalem in Jesus' time.

Blasphemy would have to be against God. The truth never can be that. That we disagree doesn't make me evil. I try hard to be Christlike, but that makes me all the more glad for the Atonement.

Paul didn't attack the law, but its abuse. The law cannot save you, Christ can. Obedience, though, is critical to Salvation.

Start here with this explanation:

Legalism's root word, "law" (Greek homos), is very frequent in the New Testament, and may sometimes connote legalism. In 1921, Ernest De Witt Burton stated that in Gal. 2:16, "nomou is here evidently used ... in its legalistic sense, denoting divine law viewed as a purely legalistic system made up of statutes, on the basis of obedience or disobedience to which men are approved or condemned as a matter of debt without grace. This is divine law as the legalist defined it."[1]

The Greek of Paul's day lacked any term corresponding to the distinct position of "legalism", "legalist", or "legalistic", leading C.E.B. Cranfield to commend "the possibility that Pauline statements which at first sight seem to disparage the law, were really directed not against the law itself but against that misunderstanding and misuse of it for which we now have a convenient terminology" (legalism).[2]

Messianic Jewish Bible translator David H. Stern cited these two scholars to support the translation framework that often "'nomos' means 'legalism' and not God's Torah", especially in Paul's constructs erga nomou (literally "works of law", rendered by Stern "legalistic observance of Torah commands") and upo nomon (literally "under law", rendered by Stern by 13 words, "in subjection to the system which results from perverting the Torah into legalism").[3]

You'd enjoy reading the whole thing, although it isn't complete or completely accurate, but the Greek language information is correct.

Restornu, I pinged you because your pinglist might find this interesting.

Keep in mind also, that Jesus criticized and eventually condemned the Pharisees not because they didn't believe in him, but because they didn't believe him (Jesus/Yahweh).

The seven woes

At the same time you cannot worship the words of Paul, over the entire NT.

Here's what Jesus Christ said:

(Young's Literal Translation) And having come near, Jesus spake to them, saying, 'Given to me was all authority in heaven and on earth; Matthew 28:18

(Young's Literal Translation) having gone, then, disciple all the nations, (baptizing them -- to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19

(Young's Literal Translation) teaching them to observe all, whatever I did command you,) and lo, I am with you all the days -- till the full end of the age. Matthew 28:20

Restornu, if this isn't interesting to you or your list, please tell me and I'll drop you from pinging.