- I am not a Jew who practices Old Testament sacrifices. Thus, an Old Testament stricture [sic] about the making of altars does not apply for it is not part of the moral law but part of OT practice which has found fulfillment in Christ.
Oh, but it does apply and remains illuminating, the Spirit of the law being unchanging.
"To read Holy Scripture in the light of grace is to unite it. If one reads it according to the flesh as Jews read it, the law stands as a second entity besides the New Testament; but if it is read according to the spirit, it becomes itself a gospel" -- M. Pontet, as cited by Ratzinger, Principles of Catholic Theology: Building Stones for a Fundamental Theology p. 136
I notice too that again you failed to touch the question "who is the Church" as posed, in context to your own remarks.
Remember --- the question came about concerning the "important distinction" as you put it, between what you referred to as being The Church, and more simply or merely individuals associated and involved with that same.
I raised another issue when I spoke of altars.
I shall try again, showing the two subjects, the "question" and the altar, though not the same, are still related -- with the important thing then being that in this relationship identities need to remain distinct, for you did speak of important distinctions calling those necassary and proper. It is to that aspect which I here write.
- Thus, an Old Testament stricture [sic] about the making of altars does not apply for it is not part of the moral law but part of OT practice which has found fulfillment in Christ.
Not part of...the moral law..?
Then you have just made the letter of the Law to be immoral, for it being other than moral.
The separation you indulged in by setting what was fulfilled apart from itself (by reducing it to merely being "OT practice") is illogical, and while I was citing the text itself, I was not speaking towards the letter, but the spirit, which was obvious enough.
why must you always resist the spirit? Acts 7
The letter of the law itself is not without morals, showing inner truths in it's outward forms, truth in the things of God down to the very furniture of the Holy of Holies.
We are not speaking here of Targum or Hebrew written works (which are not devoid of discussion of "spirit" of the law for that grew into becoming their precise point) that are themselves mere discussions of the Law which early forms in turn served to produce other, later "OT practice(s)" but a passage from Exodus, attributed to being spoken Word of the Creator which itself revealed how one is to approach (His) Holiness -- and more importantly how not to.
Christ fulfilled both, with those two (Spirit & letter) though distinct from on another in one sense, that sense must be remain aware and conscious of the truth, which is; that it was not and is not the Spirit which is derived from the Letter (albeit the Spirit can be discerned in the letter) but is instead the letter of the Law which came from the Spirit.
Surely you agree with that proposition?
Christ fulfilled the Law -- not did away with it...or merely fulfill "moral aspect" of that same. He is Holy, all aspects of Himself in harmony, there being not one Word of His which does not ring forevermore.
Christ speaking for Himself, and as God (who's own Son he truly was and still is) Matthew 24:
- 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
The Creator's full intents in regards to instructions on how to build altar to Him (and how not) cannot be now artificially restricted to apply only to Hebrew OT sacrifices made unto Him for Christ did not come to break (or overturn, either) the Law, nor did in the slightest aspect fulfill the Spirit outside the Letter...and unto this day, there still are altars upon which some do seek to provide offering to God from upon, for is not Christ Himself in Roman rite said to be offered up to God, along with prayers to God?
Is not God Himself said to be unchanging, immutable, the same as He was yesterday, is today, and will forever be?
What yet then this Christ we speak of? His words spoken on the cross, "Father forgive them, they know not what they do" did not stave off the over-throwing of the Temple (not one stone left upon another, for those were cut stones after all, were they not?).
What is the altar but place for offering -- yet now, through Christ a place of reception for us where we offer thanks... with identities in this simplest approach needing to remain as they had, remaining throughout whom and what they were, yet ourselves hopefully all the same changed to conform more towards His own likeness and being. Through Moses The Creator spoke to the children of Israel (Jacob, of lineage Abraham-Isaac-Jacob, who became Israel) telling them of His Law, God's Word unto them.
Centuries later the own known as Jesus, speaking forcefully in Matthew 23 to those whom by both the laws given to them and their own traditions concerning those would manipulate for their own gain all parties involved with the altar, said to them;
19"...For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20 Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. 21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells[e] in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.In regards to the altar, there are three things which are distinct one from each of the others by turn. There is the one who places offering upon the altar, the offering placed thereon, and the altar itself. There is a fourth party, too. The Great I Am, as He answered to Moses when that prophet asked "who should I say sent me?"
Going back to the near beginnings of the written Law;
Not of altars foremost, for those are placement of sacrifice for sins in payment/appeasement for not following Law, even the Spirit of the law (obedience being better than sacrifice) Moses telling what God told to himself, Dueteronomy 5;
29 Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever! 30 Go, say to them, “Return to your tents.” 31 But as for you, stand here by Me, that I may speak to you all the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I give them to possess.’with that which Moses given in total of course included instructions for altars and how to approach them as I provided to you in previous from Exodus 2
From Deuteronomy 6:
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
Echoed in Deuteronomy 11:18-19 ("..You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul.."), Deuteronomy 29:9,
Deuteronomy 30:14 (which nestled among all the rest is killer-primo support for sola scriptura, killer for those who deny the importance, and primo for those whom see how the principle in spirit need apply !
But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.Deuteronomy 32:46 (teach them to your children), again the echo continues in Joshua 1:
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
How many times does He say it?
And yes, He can and does speak to us through the written word, as He does by Spirit also, but what is heard by Spirit is subject always to the spirit of the entire Word which has come before (even that which is filtered through church teachings!) for that is the important test, even if God can seemingly over-ride what a man thinks of the Law (at any one time in salvation-history) as He did with Peter and Peter's own concept of the Law, telling him "arise Peter, kill and eat!" curiously enough being way the Lord opened up to Peter what was His own heart's desire, using there too the figures of "unclean beasts" from the Law itself to indicate the distinction that salvation, even by the Spirit of the Law which had been fulfilled by Christ, was to go out to gentile nations and peoples beyond and outside Israel.
Psalm 119
11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.
42-43 then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word. And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in your rules
"Tempt not the Lord", for it is written man lives not by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Three times in succession when resisting the devil's cunning Matthew 4 Christ affirms the written word, both the letter and Spirit, standing upon the strength of it, arguing not His own personal authority beyond what had been revealed to the Hebrews was Word of God, as it is written.
97 Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.
Proverbs 3:
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,
John 14:
21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”Signed, Jesus
Matthew 7:
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."and 24
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock."
A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man’s heart directs him toward the left.2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.