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cognitivemagic -> RE: Paul distinguishes between Law of Moses and Christ (6/19/2008 10:47:12 PM)
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quote:
All the benefits that came about through the sacrifices in the Old Testament are now given through the sacrifice of God’s son.
On the contrary, none of the sacrifices did anything to remove sin:
quote:
1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
--Hebrews 10:1-4
Swordsman quote:
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But the OT laws are not to be followed (Rom.7:1-7) including the ten commandments with "thou shalt not covet" mentioned specifically in that passage.
sw: No, God does not change. He is just and merciful, loving and holy, full of grace and truth.
BUT, some things have changed.
The Law has changed.
The priesthood has changed.
The sacrifices of the old testament have ended.
The OLD testament is gone and the NEW has arrived.
(Hebrews)
etc.
What one must do to be saved has changed.
This is flat out false:
quote:
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
--Matthew 5:17-20
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law. (emphasis mine)
--Romans 3:27-31
4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. 10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
--1 John 3:4-10
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can the love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
--1 John 4:20,21
21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
--James 1:21-27
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
--Galatians 6:7-10
I would also include St. Peter's injunction, by the Holy Spirit, to "be holy for I am Holy".
The ceremonial aspects of the "Law" have been abolished, since they were "shadows" that pointed to and emanated from the substance of which they were all about: Jesus Christ. They were pictures that were intended to be seen as the testimony of that which God was going to accomplish; namely, become man, live, die, rise from the dead, ascend back to His Father in heaven, and return again to judge the living and the dead. This is the blessed and glorious Gospel of God (1 Cor. 15:1-4).
And, of course, they were looking forward in anticipation of the fulfillment of these "types", which were fulfilled in Christ. For example, Christ is both High Priest and sacrifice. His blood was offered in the Holy of Holies (the throne of God the Father) as a healing remedy for the sins of the people. Manna came down from heaven and water poured forth from the rock in the desert to sustain life to the wandering pilgrims in the desert. Christ is the true bread that came down from heaven; and His blood is true drink, for the life of the world.
However, it is an egregious error to say that the moral obligations to obey God, as delineated by the moral prescriptions of the Law and the Prophets, are now nullified by Christ. On the contrary, as the Lord says "not one jot or tittle shall pass til all is fulfilled" and "whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches other's to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven".
I recommend reading the Puritan writer Ezekial Hopkin's essay on the Law, in "Essays on Old Testament Interpretation" (ed. Walter Kaiser).
God has given warnings to those who will not obey God:
quote:
5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds” 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.
12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law 13 (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; 14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
--Romans 2:5-16
However, God is merciful towards us. He gives us another Helper to prod us along to conform to His likeness. We are being renewed daily, if indeed we are "in Christ".
But let it never be said that God is not in the business of making us holy; by grace, refusing to regenerate us into adoption as sons and daughters of God to obey Him, but instead, sits by idly as we walk in the path of darkness and hell. May it never be!!
The "Law" could no more change than that God could change, because the "Law" embodies God's own unchanging character.
There is saying, in regard to human sin and folly, that "to err is human".
On the contrary, to "err" (i.e. sin) is to lower yourself from your high estate and calling in God. Sinning is lowering yourself, even below, that of the brute beasts.
To be human is to be Jesus Christ. Not only was He truly God; He alone is the only One who was ever truly human.
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