In previous OPs I and other new covenant Christians have been deemed as being lawless because we do not conform to their belief systems of having to keep ritual commands of the Sinai covenant. I submit the following as a rebuttal to their claim. Telling others they are lawless is a real slam unless it can be proven. Your comments will be greatly appreciated.
Paul wrote a lot about the Laws of the Sinai covenant and how they related to Jews and Gentiles. His writings have been a great help in how I am to relate to the laws of the covenant given to Israel. Are those who believe I have to observe the Sabbath and those who go even further and claim I have to observe the feast days of the Law correct in telling me I am lawless unless I do the same? Well, I am going to let Paul answer that for me. After all, he was Jesus ambassador to all mankind. His letters to the different churches are just as relevant to churches today as they were to the early Christian churches.
Gal 5:
Freedom in Christ Comments in parenthesis and bolded statements are mine.
1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. (from the old covenant law) Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. ( Love is the command that Jesus gave for us to keep. Jn 15:10 If I do what Jesus commanded how can anyone refer that I am lawless?)
7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” 10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. 11 Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12 As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!
Life by the Spirit
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. (free from the old covenant law) But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ( Isn't that telling me I am not subject to the ritual demands of the Sinai covenant laws when I obey Jesus command to love?) 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. (Doesn't that mean when some tells me I am lawless that they are trying to bite and devour me?)
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (old covenant law)
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
For those who put their faith in the teachings of the SDA church's believe I cannot be justified unless I keep the Sabbath that was given to Israel, how do you reconcile that with Paul's words to the Galatian church. How do you compare your prophet's claim that unless I keep the Sabbath of the yoke of slavery, as Paul described the Law, I will loose my eternal inheritance with what you just read from the words of Paul? Where is your ability to reconcile that I am lawless after reading Paul's words?
Bob the term "
God's Word does not teach "lawlessness" simply means
without law. It has been used because you and some others teach that Gods' 10 commandments have been abolished which is
not biblical or supported in the scriptures. Nothing more and nothing less. It is a true statement. Gods' Word does
not teach lawlessness. According to the new covenant promise of Hebrews 8:10-12 from Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Ezekiel 36:24-27 if we have been born again into Gods' new covenant promise through faith and been given a new heart to love we
obey what Gods' Word says
not disobey what God's Word says.
This is what Jesus is talking about when he says after quoting the old testament scriptures of Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 "on these two great commandments of
love to God and
love to man hang all the law and the prophets in Matthew 22:36-40. Paul agreeing with Jesus demonstrates the same thing when he shows us that if we truly love our neighbor as our self we will by
obedient to those laws in Gods' 10 commandments that show us how we are to
love our fellow man in Romans 13:8-10. James shows the same thing as Jesus and Paul when he says that if we show partiality in love to our fellow man it is the same as showing partiality in
keeping God's 10 commandments and we will stand guilty before God of sin by breaking anyone of God's 10 commandments. Finally John is also in agreement with Jesus, Paul and James when he defines love from the heart as
obeying God's commandments in 1 John 5:2-3. So if your teaching lawlessness (without law or Gods' law is abolished) it is an
unbiblical teaching because the new covenant specifically states that sin is breaking anyone of God's 10 commandments and not believing and following what Gods' Word says in James 2:10-11; Romans 14:23.
The purpose of God's law in both the old and the new covenant has the same role and that is to give us a
knowledge of what sin is when broken (Romans 7:7) and to
lead us to Christ that we might be forgiven through faith *Galatians 3:22-25 and be made free to walk in His Spirit *Galatians 5:16; Romans 8:4; through
faith *Romans 3:31. Those who are
born again according to the scriptures
do not practice sin *1 John 3:6-9 which is defined in the scriptures as
breaking anyone of God's 10 commandments and
not believing what Gods Word says. The purpose of God's law therefore is to simply give us the knowledge of
good (moral right doing) and
evil (moral wrong doing);
sin (moral wrong doing) and
righteousness (moral right doing) *Romans 3:20; Romans 7:7; 1 John 3:4; Psalms 119:172. God's 10 commandments are the standard of righteousness and moral right doing. If we break them we stand under the law guilty before God of
sin *Romans 3:19-20. God's Word does not teach lawlessness (without law)
No one therefore walks in
God's Spirit by being
disobedient to what Gods' Word says because according to the scriptures, in Acts of the Apostles 5:32 God only
gives His Spirit to those who obey him.
No one therefore can claim to l
ove God or their fellow man therefore by breaking God's 10 commandments when
obedience to God's 10 commandments is the
fruit of love *Romans 13:8-10; James 2:8-12; 1 John 5:2-4 and
no one can claim to
know God by breaking his commandments *1 John 2:3-4; 1 John 3:6-10. This is because those who have been born again to love
do not practice sin (1 John 3:4) and are
obedient to Gods' law by faith that works by love *Romans 3:31; Romans 8:4; Romans 13:8-10; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 14:12; Revelation 22:14. Anything else according to James is simply the
dead faith of devils *James 2:13-26.
Take Care.
