yeshuaslavejeff
simple truth, martyr, disciple of Yahshua
Read what I said again --- no 'sacred words', just my words are spirit, and they are life.
If you don't believe you have good news for someone, you don't have the gospel of Jesus.
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What is the Gospel?
- Thread starter DamianWarS
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If you don't believe you have good news for someone, you don't have the gospel of Jesus.
The statement, “Is God the God only on the circumcised?” means “Is God only the God of those entering a covenant?” No He isn't. Both Jews and Gentiles have rewards and punishments facing them. However, God will make a new covenant with His People, His House, His Covenanted. Which admits believers of both Jewish and Gentile origin, making up the Body of Christ, the Olive Tree.
The text tells us that God is indeed the God of those who have not entered a covenant too. Those who sin under the covenant will be judged for the good and bad acts under the covenant and those who live lives without a covenant will be judged without a covenant, the good receiving rewards and the bad receiving punishment. There is no advantage of righteousness to those under the covenant, Jews who thought they were righteous though circumcision, they are not automatically declared righteous, they are sinners, just like the Gentiles.
Gentile Christians are grafted into the covenanted People of God.
Is God the God only of those with covenant? Israel has been cut off, is no longer covenanted. Israel survives because even today a remnant exists who have not bowed their knee to Baal, the only condition for mercy.
First of all, you haven't showed different salvations, for Jews and gentiles, male and female, my original question, only different requirements, works of the law. Judaism actually teaches Gentiles will have a lesser reward.
The word “circumcised” is used to mean covenanted. In the Old Covenant, Israel was covenanted by circumcision. The Old Covenant no longer exists. The New Covenant is open to both Jews and Gentiles by faith. This faith can be manifested by loyal acts and perfected with loyal responses in different situations. The benefit of the New Covenant is the Rest, union with God, to be found in the second Adam. If a believer tries to enter the Covenant by circumcision, he cannot enter Rest, Christ is of no benefit to him. He is locked into an obsolete Covenant, and must obey all the mitzvah, including Temple sacrifice for consecration, to remain covenanted. Which is impossible and pointless.
Believe meaning those who abide in Him, by letting His words abide in them. If Christ's commands do not abide in you, if you do not eat His flesh and blood, live like He lived, you can have no part of Him.
Jews who are not consecrated through Temple sacrifice are unclean, must stay out of the Camp, the covenanted group. Therefore no Jews who are in covenant exist today.
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In a nutshell:
The Gospel is that the Kingdom of God has arrived amongst men, who must enter its Rest by force, throwing away unbelief.
John the Baptist believed the Messiah would come and cleanse Israel, by fulfilling the law, following it perfectly. All the blessings of Deuteronomy 29 would follow and the world would be saved by becoming Jewish.
Jesus does indeed fulfill the law , but Jesus is also the Bridegroom, He is the both the one who obeys AND the one who rewards obedience with blessings. He is also the one who makes a new Covenant with the Household of God, after completing the old contract. Now they, Jews, must be saved by becoming New Covenanters, by entering the Body of Christ. By doing so, they will enter rest, and receive the promise made to Abraham that through them the nations of the world will be blessed.
If the Good News is that the blessing to the People of God, the giving of Kingdom of God, has started through perfect obedience as promised by Deuteronomy 29, then the resurrection of Christ is its greatest proof, the feast spread in the desert, the Wedding Banquet:
Luke 11
20“But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
1 Corinthians 15
1Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importancea : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas,b and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 9For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 11Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
12Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.15Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
Hosea 13:14aShall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? O Death, where are your thorns? O Sheol, where is your sting?
Matthew 11
2Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” 4Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. 6“And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”
Matthew 11
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Psalms 78:11They forgot His deeds And His miracles that He had shown them.
Psalms 78:19Then they spoke against God; They said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
John 10:14“I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. 17“For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18“No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
Salvation is by repenting, meta noia, changing mind, stopping serving mammon, starting serving God.
For the strong, persistent:
Luke 18:8“I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
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justbyfaith
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To @Bible2+:
Jeremiah 31:33, as the human author wrote that verse, from which Hebrews 8:10 and Hebrews 10:16 are quoted, could not have been speaking of the New Testament "law of Christ". Because the New Testament "law of Christ" did not even exist when Jeremiah wrote that verse. Therefore Hebrews 7:18-19 is referring to the fact that the former law is disanulled in that we are now forgiven of all iniquity and therefore it no longer condemns those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1, John 5:24); not that even one jot or one tittle has passed away from the Old Covenant law (Matthew 5:18).
Also, when Jesus spoke the New Testament "law of Christ" in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7), He was not establishing a new law of conduct (1 John 2:7-8); but He was expounding on the law of the Old Covenant and showing that it applies to more than mere outward behaviour, but to the motivations and attitudes of the heart.
Also, Jesus was indeed referring to the Old Covenant law in Matthew 5:17-20, if one takes a close enough look at the passage.
Jeremiah 31:33, as the human author wrote that verse, from which Hebrews 8:10 and Hebrews 10:16 are quoted, could not have been speaking of the New Testament "law of Christ". Because the New Testament "law of Christ" did not even exist when Jeremiah wrote that verse. Therefore Hebrews 7:18-19 is referring to the fact that the former law is disanulled in that we are now forgiven of all iniquity and therefore it no longer condemns those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1, John 5:24); not that even one jot or one tittle has passed away from the Old Covenant law (Matthew 5:18).
Also, when Jesus spoke the New Testament "law of Christ" in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7), He was not establishing a new law of conduct (1 John 2:7-8); but He was expounding on the law of the Old Covenant and showing that it applies to more than mere outward behaviour, but to the motivations and attitudes of the heart.
Also, Jesus was indeed referring to the Old Covenant law in Matthew 5:17-20, if one takes a close enough look at the passage.
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justbyfaith
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The gospel is not that we will become worthy of heaven and that this is our salvation (1 John 1:8); it is that we are counted worthy of heaven through the forgiveness of Christ.
If anyone is forgiven much, they will love much (Luke 7:36-50, 1 John 4:19) not in word or in tongue only, but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18). But this is not the salvation of the believer (Ephesians 2:9 and context), it is only the result of salvation (Ephesians 2:10).
Salvation means being forgiven by the Lord God; and we do not obtain forgiveness by becoming worthy. Those who become worthy do not need forgiveness any longer. If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead; and that in vain. Those who are justified by the law (by being perfect, even impeccable according to the law): Christ is of no effect for them; indeed, they have fallen from grace.
If you don't know what scripture backs these words up I encourage you to read Galatians through at least once.
In Isaiah 28:13 I find the teaching that we ought to read books through; understanding the entire context of the book. "Here a little, there a little" is not a good way to understand scripture unless your faith is built on the sure foundation of a living relationship with Jesus (Isaiah 28:16, 1 Corinthians 2:13). I just thought I would add that here as a teaching because of 2 Corinthians 9:6.
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yeshuaslavejeff
simple truth, martyr, disciple of Yahshua
The GOD NEWS,
, GOOD NEWS, is for everyone with some possible exceptions - (as in don't cast pearls? perhaps) .....Often, the GOOD NEWS is too late to fix someone - they already took the wide road to destruction willfully and will not turn to God for the Truth, ever.
I saw a long time ago this witness: these words (paraphrase I think, or commentary?) >
Jesus never spoke to someone unless they (who Jesus spoke to) had first spoken to the Father.
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Here N T Wright explains how the Law in Galatians means circumcision and dietary restrictions, cultural markers that identify Jews. In other words, Paul is not condemning perseverance in good works in order to obtain salvation, but the teachings of the Judaisers, that believers needed to perform the requirements of the Law for becoming Jews. God's promise was meant for Abraham's seed, identified by circumcision, and God's word never changes. In Romans, Paul clarifies that Abraham's seed isn't identified by circumcision, but by faith, making Abraham the father of all who are saved by faith.
Luther began to reform the church by condemning the use of grace as a commodity only, it's buying and trading but when he finally broke of completely he began to condemn all other teachings as well. He thought that the Pharisees who converted were being criticised by Paul in Galatians for teaching salvation by self effort, works, and the RCC were repeating the error of the Jews, but Paul was against judaising, the need to become Jews in order to be saved.
http://ntwrightpage.com/2016/07/12/new-perspectives-on-paul/
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Allow me, if you will, a moment of autobiography, for reasons similar to those of Paul in Galatians 1 and 2. In my early days of research, before Sanders had published Paul and Palestinian Judaism in 1977 and long before Dunn coined the phrase ‘The New Perspective on Paul’, I was puzzled by one exegetical issue in particular, which I here oversimplify for the sake of summary. If I read Paul in the then standard Lutheran way, Galatians made plenty of sense, but I had to fudge (as I could see dozens of writers fudging) the positive statements about the Law in Romans. If I read Paul in the Reformed way of which, for me, Charles Cranfield remains the supreme exegetical exemplar, Romans made a lot of sense, but I had to fudge (as I could see Cranfield fudging) the negative statements about the Law in Galatians. For me then and now, if I had to choose between Luther and Calvin I would always take Calvin, whether on the Law or (for that matter) the Eucharist. But as I struggled this way and that with the Greek text of Romans and Galatians, it dawned on me, I think in 1976, that a different solution was possible. In Romans 10.3 Paul, writing about his fellow Jews, declares that they are ignorant of the righteousness of God, and are seeking to establish ‘their own righteousness’. The wider context, not least 9.30–33, deals with the respective positions of Jews and Gentiles within God’s purposes – and with a lot more besides, of course, but not least that. Supposing, I thought, Paul meant ‘seeking to establish their own righteousness’, not in the sense of amoral status based on the performance of Torah and the consequent accumulation of a treasury of merit, but an ethnic status based on the possession of Torah as the sign of automatic covenant membership? I saw at once that this would make excellent sense of Romans 9 and 10, and would enable the positive statements about the Law throughout Romans to be given full weight while making it clear that this kind of use of
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The GOD NEWS,
Often, the GOOD NEWS is too late to fix someone - they already took the wide road to destruction willfully and will not turn to God for the Truth, ever.
I saw a long time ago this witness: these words (paraphrase I think, or commentary?) >
Jesus never spoke to someone unless they (who Jesus spoke to) had first spoken to the Father.
"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown"
Through this parable Jesus shows us where seed may fall, the path, rocky places, among thorns, and good soil. The desire is of course good soil but using the parable as our guide although there are those that the enemy has a hold of (the path) and are unwilling or unable to turn the others show a willing response to the gospel. I'm not sure what you mean by "often" if it is "most" or if it is "many times" but this parable seems to reveal that most actually respond to the gospel even if only a few take root.
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justbyfaith
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Paul the apostle taught that works do not save a man (Ephesians 2:9 and context). Jesus taught it too (John 14:6). Paul was not only condemning the concept of Judaizing, that one must become a Jew to be saved. That was part of it; but Paul definitely understood and taught that works as a means of salvation is diametrically opposed to faith (Galatians 3:11-12). Once a man is saved by faith, he will do good works. But he is not saved by the works that he does, they are only the result of his salvation (Ephesians 2:8-10). Romans 11:5-6 also teaches that concerning what saves a man, grace and works are mutually exclusive. Titus 3:4-7 and Romans 4:1-8 also speak on this issue quite clearly; if anyone chooses to be a real Bible student and look these passages up.
You gave this quote previously in this same thread and it was answered by me. I will go and retrieve that answer now and post it very shortly.
PS It is obvious that you snipped away the majority of my post (#205: in your post: #208) simply because you don't have an answer that supports your doctrine.
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justbyfaith
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justbyfaith
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Romans 9:30-33 and Romans 10:1-4 brought me a life-giving revelation that would be nullified by the concept, if it were true, that, as you quoted from your man, Supposing, I thought, Paul meant ‘seeking to establish their own righteousness’, not in the sense of amoral status based on the performance of Torah and the consequent accumulation of a treasury of merit, but an ethnic status based on the possession of Torah as the sign of automatic covenant membership?
Israel seeking to establish their own righteousness clearly refers to their attempts at earning salvation before a holy God by what they can do, that is, their own righteousness. The stumblingstone in this passage was the law and the fact that they missed the point of the law, thinking that they would save themselves in the keeping of it; when in all reality, the only entrance into the kingdom is by faith (Galatians 3:11-12) and that even the law testifies to this (Matthew 23:23).
Israel seeking to establish their own righteousness clearly refers to their attempts at earning salvation before a holy God by what they can do, that is, their own righteousness. The stumblingstone in this passage was the law and the fact that they missed the point of the law, thinking that they would save themselves in the keeping of it; when in all reality, the only entrance into the kingdom is by faith (Galatians 3:11-12) and that even the law testifies to this (Matthew 23:23).
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The good news is that elect sinners can repent, believe as Christians, and be obedient to God unto eternal life (Hebrews 5:9, Romans 2:7). There is also bad news in the Bible, for nonelect people (John 8:42-47, Romans 9:21-22), and for unrepentant Christians (Hebrews 10:26-29, Luke 12:45-46). It is important to preach both the good news and the bad (John 3:36, Romans 9:22-23; 2 Timothy 3:16 to 4:4). For it is by the fear of God (Matthew 10:28, Matthew 25:41,46) that people depart from evil (Proverbs 16:6, Proverbs 3:7, Proverbs 14:27).
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Yes, He is, in that people can now be saved from hell only by believing in the Messiah's/the Christ's New Covenant (Matthew 26:28).
Also, regarding circumcision, that brings to mind that some people feel that baptism cannot be required for salvation, because baptism is a work, and salvation is not based on works, but on faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). But baptism is a kind of circumcision (Colossians 2:11-13, Philippians 3:3, Romans 2:29). Just as Abraham, who is a model for Christians, was initially saved by faith alone, prior to his circumcision (Romans 4), so Christians are initially saved by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, Romans 4:2-5), prior to their baptism (Acts 8:36-38, John 20:31). But just as Abraham was ultimately saved by his works (James 2:21-24), so Christians will be ultimately saved by their works (Romans 2:6-8, James 2:24, Matthew 7:21, Matthew 25:26,30, Philippians 2:12b, Philippians 3:11-14; 2 Corinthians 5:9, Hebrews 5:9, Hebrews 6:10-12; 2 Peter 1:10-11, John 15:2a; 1 John 2:17b), which must include getting water-immersion (burial) baptized (Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21, Romans 6:3-11, Colossians 2:12, Galatians 3:27, Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16).
He already has.
For the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31:31-34 is already fulfilled, even though the prior, Millennial prophecy of Jeremiah 31:1-14,16-25 (Jeremiah 31:15 was fulfilled in the first century AD: Matthew 2:17-18) and the other Millennial prophecies have not yet been fulfilled. For the making of the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31,33) was fulfilled at Jesus Christ's Crucifixion (Matthew 26:28, Hebrews 9:15-17), just as the New Covenant being made with the houses of Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 31:31,33) has been fulfilled (Acts 2:5,36-41, Romans 11:1,17,24). And the New Covenant being not according to the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law (Jeremiah 31:32) has been fulfilled (Hebrews 7:18-19, Ephesians 2:15-16, Colossians 2:14-17). And the New Covenant law of Jesus being written on the hearts of Jewish and Gentile Christians (Jeremiah 31:33) has been fulfilled (Romans 6:17, Ephesians 6:6, Galatians 6:2). And "they shall teach no more every man his neighbour" (Jeremiah 31:34) has been fulfilled (1 John 2:27). And "they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them" (Jeremiah 31:34) has been fulfilled (1 John 2:13). And "I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more" (Jeremiah 31:34) has been fulfilled (1 John 2:12).
And the vine.
For John 15:5a refers to the body of Jesus Christ, of which all Christians, whether Jews or Gentiles, are a part (1 Corinthians 12:13). The connection between them being part of the vine of the body of Christ, and them also being part of the good olive tree of Israel (Romans 11:17,24, Ephesians 2:12,19, Galatians 3:29), is that the salvation which all Christians have in Christ comes only through the New Covenant (Matthew 26:28; 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6, Hebrews 9:15), which is made only with Israel (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
And there must also be obedience to His words (Hebrews 5:9). For John 15:2a refers to Christians, who are branches in the vine of Jesus Christ, wrongly employing their free will in such a way that they fail to produce good fruit, so that ultimately they are taken away from Jesus (John 15:2a), cut off from Him for their unrepentant laziness, to the ultimate loss of their salvation (Matthew 25:26,30).
Christians can also be ultimately cut off from Jesus Christ, cast away, and burned; they can ultimately lose their salvation, for not continuing to abide in Jesus (John 15:6), in the sense of committing apostasy (Hebrews 6:4-8; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 2:12b), or unrepentant sin (Hebrews 10:26-29, Luke 12:45-46; 1 Corinthians 9:27).
That's right.
For John 6:53-57 shows that all Christians, for their ultimate salvation, must eat the bread of Communion (Matthew 26:26), and drink the wine of Communion (Matthew 26:27-29), which actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 11:27-30), in some spiritual manner (John 6:63).
Also, in Corinthians 11:29, "discerning the Lord's body" means that when Christians partake of Communion (1 Corinthians 11:23-29), they must discern that the bread and wine are the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ (John 6:53-56) in some spiritual manner (John 6:63), or they may suffer the consequences (1 Corinthians 11:30).
Note that there are some Jews who have become Christians, and so they are under the New Covenant of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:15), and so are part of His body (1 Corinthians 12:13).
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That's right.
Also, Galatians 1:8-9 by itself applies to more than Judaizers. For by itself it applies to any other gospel. But, in its context, it is immediately addressing the specific, other gospel which the Galatian Christians had fallen prey to in the apostle Paul's time in the first century AD (Galatians 1:6-7, Galatians 5:1-12).
While Paul was not a Judaizer in the sense of requiring physical circumcision or any other works of the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law, he was a Judaizer in that he taught that all Christians, whether Jews (Acts 22:3) or Gentiles (Romans 16:4b), have become spiritually circumcised Jews if they have undergone the spiritual circumcision of water-immersion (burial) baptism into Jesus Christ (Romans 2:29, Philippians 3:3, Colossians 2:11-13). Also, Paul did not contradict that Christians' obeying Jesus' New Covenant/New Testament commandments (John 15:10) to obtain ultimate salvation (Hebrews 5:9, Romans 2:6-8) is them obeying the commandments of a Jew (John 4:9,22b). Also, Paul taught that all Gentile Christians are grafted into Israel (Romans 11:17,24, Ephesians 2:12,19, Galatians 3:29).
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Of course he could. For he was speaking by inspiration from God (2 Timothy 3:16).
It didn't have to. For Jeremiah 31:31-34 was a prophecy for the future, a prophecy given through God's Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21).
Matthew 5:17-18 means that Jesus Christ came the first time not to abolish the prophecies in the Mosaic law and the Old Testament prophets regarding the Messiah's/the Christ's first coming, but to fulfill all those prophecies (Luke 24:44-48; e.g. Acts 3:22-26, Isaiah 53). Matthew 5:17-18 cannot mean that Jesus came not to abolish the letter of the commandments of the Old Covenant Mosaic law, for He did come to do that, on the Cross (Ephesians 2:15-16, Colossians 2:14-17, Romans 7:6; 2 Corinthians 3:6-18, Hebrews 7:18-19). Also, Matthew 5:17-18 cannot mean that Jesus came to fulfill the letter of all of the Old Covenant Mosaic law's commandments, for He could not possibly have done that. For example, some of those commandments applied only to women after childbirth (Leviticus 12:4-8), or to wives suspected of adultery by their husbands (Numbers 5:19-31).
As the Christ (Matthew 5:17, Luke 24:44-46), the mediator of the New Covenant (Matthew 26:28, Hebrews 12:24, Hebrews 7:22, Hebrews 8:6-9), Jesus had the divine authority to contradict the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law's commandments and replace them with His own, even better, New Covenant commandments (Matthew 5:38-44, Matthew 19:7-9, John 8:5-7), such as those He gave in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:19 to 7:29) and in the epistles of the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 14:37; 1 Thessalonians 4:2). And as the Christ, Jesus had the divine authority to allow His disciples to break the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law's commandments (Matthew 12:1-8).
Of course he was. For regarding 1 John 2:7-8, it refers to the beginning of the preaching of the New Covenant, which is "not according to" the Old (Jeremiah 31:32).
For one example, the now-abolished letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law (Ephesians 2:15-16, Colossians 2:14-17, Romans 7:6) permitted a divorced woman to marry someone else (Deuteronomy 24:2). But if her second marriage ended, the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law forbade her to remarry her first husband (Deuteronomy 24:4). The New Covenant rules turn this on its head. For now a woman divorced from a valid husband cannot marry anyone else (Mark 10:12, Luke 16:18b), but she can remarry her valid husband (1 Corinthians 7:11).
For another example, the Old Covenant had food restrictions (e.g. Leviticus 11), whereas under the New Covenant, all foods are in themselves okay for all Christians, whether Jews or Gentiles, to eat (1 Timothy 4:4-5, Romans 14:14,20, Mark 7:18-19; 1 Corinthians 10:25-30, Colossians 2:16-17, Hebrews 9:10). For under the New Covenant, no meat is defiled in itself (Romans 14:14). All meats are pure (Romans 14:20). Every meat is good, and no meat is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving to God, for it is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer (1 Timothy 4:4-5). Let no one therefore judge you regarding what meat you eat (Colossians 2:16-17, Hebrews 9:10). For the Kingdom of God does not consist of what meat we eat, or do not eat, but consists of righteousness, peace, and joy in God's Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Happy are those Christians, whether Jews or Gentiles, who do not condemn themselves over what meat they eat (Romans 14:22). For no meat can defile them (Mark 7:18-19).
Matthew 5:19-20 refers to the New Covenant/New Testament commandments/sayings (Matthew 5:19, Matthew 7:24-29) which Jesus, as the Christ (Matthew 5:17b, Luke 24:44-46), was just about to give in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:19 to 7:29), and which New Covenant commandments "exceed in righteousness" (Matthew 5:20 to 7:29) the (now) abolished letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law's commandments (Ephesians 2:15-16, Colossians 2:14-17, Romans 7:6; 2 Corinthians 3:6-18, Hebrews 7:18-19), which was kept by the Pharisees. Compare what the apostle Paul says about himself in Philippians 3:5-14.
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Only works of the Old Covenant law, not the New Covenant works of faith (1 Thessalonians 1:3), which are required for ultimate salvation (Romans 2:6-8).
Not necessarily, because of free will. That's why Christians must be careful to maintain good works (Titus 3:8).
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Ephesians 2:8 for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; 9 not of works, that no man should glory.
The above says that Gentiles were included in a grace type salvation because of a gift of God, making Israel a vessel of dishonor, not because they had done anything to be proud of:
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He based his argument on (1) many internal clues (11:13ff., etc., where Gentile pride has cropped up;
https://bible.org/seriespage/6-romans-introduction-argument-and-outline
John 14:6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
The above teaches that no one can enter rest without being cleansed by the word of God, drinking from the Rock. It doesn´t teach that a person is saved only by agreeing with the teachings of God. Judas agreed, was baptized, but had to actually stop serving mammon, stop stealing. Israel had to stop being scared of leaving Egypt, stop trying to go back.
Wrong. Paul is contrasting loyalty with contractual obligations. If I want to be saved, I must be loyal to God, obedient to His plan and His commands, like Peter, like Joshua. The Judaisers were depending on a contract, which promised inclusion in Godś instrument to bless the world if a man performed its entry requirements, circumcision and dietary restrictions. In other words, wages promised on work.
Romans 11:5So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
Wrong. God chose those who were faithful, who had not switched loyalty to Baal. In the Biblical times, a suzerain would be gracious to those vassals who were loyal to him, rather than those who had a contract or agreement with him. In Greece and Rome, a Follower/Client would come to the notice of a powerful Patron if he said good things about the latter and would be given money and jobs and other presents, which were gifts, rather than the results of wages from employment, contract, works (of the law).
Look at the example in the text. Even at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace, favour, for not bending their knee to Baal.
How are we saved?
We are saved by having access to the word of God, drinking from the Rock.
How do we get access to the word of God?
By being loyal to God, faith, leading to gifts or by performing all the requirements of a covenant (impossible), leading to wages.
How is the remnant saved?
By asking for mercy. Under the Mosaic Covenant, since no one could obey all the commandments, only by asking for mercy would a believer be saved.
Titus 3: 4But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
The text does not teach that grace and good works are mutually exclusive. What it is contrasting is washing by wages from the works of the law (circumcision and dietary restriction) with washing by gifts, the words God speaks to us.
Titus 1:10For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.
Romans 4:1What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 2For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” 4Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 5But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, 6just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
7“BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN,
AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED.
8“BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.”
The text does not teach that grace and good works are mutually exclusive. What it is contrasting is justification by the works of the law (circumcision and dietary restriction) with justification by loyalty: saying good things about God, believing His promises, perfecting this, supporting lip service by actually taking Isaac for sacrificing.
Wrong. My strategy is to attack the most glaringly wrong component of your post, as it seems you post too many irrelevant details in order to obfuscate. You never objected to my post which says the Gospel is the announcement of the Kingdom of God amongst men. Instead you posted your own explanation. IOW, if you are addressing my post , you must first defeat my view, nullifying the points one by one.
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I have already explained what the plan, which Deuteronomy 29 outlines, was.
- Israel will perform the requirements of the Law.
- God will bless Israel.
- The world would see the blessings and convert to Judaism.
Israel failed to perform the requirements because they had to follow ALL the requirements. Progressive revelation foretold of a Deliverer, who would fulfill the Law as it needed to be fulfilled and the blessings would then be received. The world would be saved by converting to Judaism.
Romans 11:26And so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB."
Israelś mistake was in thinking it was Jacob, personified Godś Rest. This is the righteousness they were seeking after. But Israel is really the vessel formed for dishonorable use, Esau! The vessel formed for honorable use is those who are saved by faith, of whom Abraham is the real father. So this vessel has been cleansed of unrighteousness, is the new man, the Body of Christ, the righteousness of God, which Israel should have been seeking. Now, the world has a rest to enter, a rest which was not available before because Israel was the vessel formed for dishonorable use.
Hebrews 4:8For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.
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justbyfaith
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See Ezekiel 36:27. God will cause us to walk in His statutes and His judgments after that we have received a new heart and a new spirit.
Now I know that your response to this is to strive about words (see 1 Timothy 6:4, 2 Timothy 2:14) and to say that it is not the right words to say that He causes us to walk in His statutes and in His judgments. In order to keep your doctrine, you have to change what the Bible says to us in the translations that are given to us; which God in His sovereignty, Omnipotence, and love would never allow to be corrupted impaho.
Now of course we have free will. However when a man is born again, he surrenders his will to Christ, and the nature of his will is changed. He now has a desire to obey the Lord; whereas before he was inclined only to disobey, or to obey in an attempt to make God owe salvation to him (Romans 4:4), when God gives us salvation as a free gift (Romans 5:15-17) through grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Concerning a different portion of your doctrine, it should be clear that we do not maintain our salvation by works, so that we are ultimately saved by the good works that we do. This is false doctrine. Salvation is by grace and begins with faith, ends with faith, and is by faith all the way through (Romans 1:17). Having begun in the Spirit (by faith), we are not now made perfect by the flesh (works/works of the law/our own righteousness)...(Galatians 3:1-6). As we have received Jesus Christ our Lord (by faith), so we should walk in Him (Colossians 2:6).
Now in Psalms 37:4 it is written, Delight thyself also in the LORD, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
However in Jeremiah 17:9 we find that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. So then, is it a good thing that we receive the desires of our hearts? It isn't as long as our hearts are deceitful and wicked.
Jesus said, Ye must be born again.
This means that God takes the stony heart out of our flesh and gives us an heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:25-27). The new heart that God gives us when we are born again is honest and good (Luke 8:15); it is filled with the love of God (Romans 5:5). And this love cannot be in word or in tongue only, but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:17-18).
Therefore because the love of God dwells in the heart of the true believer; and because this is a practical love: therefore good works will flow as the natural (or supernatural) result of being born again (through faith alone in Jesus Christ).
If someone says that they are born again, but in twenty years after their "salvation" they never do anything for God and never obey God; to me that it the sign that their faith wasn't genuine. Because if anyone truly has faith in Jesus Christ, the love of God is shed abroad in their heart. And this love will always be practical and will work itself out in what the person does.
Now if a person does many good works but does not have faith in Jesus Christ, their works won't save them. If they think that they have faith in Jesus Christ, but are trusting in their works to "ultimately" save them, their works won't save them. But if their works stem out of a love for God and people that comes from being born again through faith alone in Jesus, their faith alone in Jesus saves them, and their works still do not save them. They are only the evidence to people that they are saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ. And even then, the works do not necessarily testify perfectly to a faith in Jesus. Because many cults today teach salvation by works; and so the motivation for doing good works can be faulty in anyone who does them, from the perspective of those who are looking on. They could be trying to save themselves by what they do; and in such a situation their works will not profit them (Isaiah 57:12); they are as filthy rags before the Lord (Isaiah 64:6). Even for the one who is saved by grace through faith, he is not profited by his works; but it is only the righteousness of faith that saves him (Philippians 3:9).
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justbyfaith
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@Wordkeeper:
In attempting to convolute Ephesians 2:8-9 you are opposing yourself; and because you are preaching a false gospel to others you are in danger of eternal damnation.
I will be praying for you.
In attempting to convolute Ephesians 2:8-9 you are opposing yourself; and because you are preaching a false gospel to others you are in danger of eternal damnation.
I will be praying for you.
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justbyfaith
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Grace and good works are not mutually exclusive period (1 Corinthians 15:10). They are mutually exclusive as concerning election and salvation (Romans 11:5-6 (kjv)).
In other words, when it comes to what saves us, it is evident from scripture that we are not saved by works (Ephesians 2:9, Romans 11:5-6 (kjv), Romans 4:1-8, Titus 3:4-7); but by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8, Romans 5:1-2).
As I have laboured to proclaim over the past few weeks, when a man is saved by grace through faith, he is forgiven much, and therefore he will also love much (Luke 7:36-50, 1 John 4:19). This love also is not in word or in tongue only but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18). We are not saved by the works of love that we do; rather the love that produces these works is the salvation that comes through faith (Romans 5:5). And the works do not save in the slightest (Ephesians 2:9 and context, Isaiah 57:12). They are only the evidence of a living faith (James 1:22 - James 2:26).
In other words, when it comes to what saves us, it is evident from scripture that we are not saved by works (Ephesians 2:9, Romans 11:5-6 (kjv), Romans 4:1-8, Titus 3:4-7); but by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8, Romans 5:1-2).
As I have laboured to proclaim over the past few weeks, when a man is saved by grace through faith, he is forgiven much, and therefore he will also love much (Luke 7:36-50, 1 John 4:19). This love also is not in word or in tongue only but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18). We are not saved by the works of love that we do; rather the love that produces these works is the salvation that comes through faith (Romans 5:5). And the works do not save in the slightest (Ephesians 2:9 and context, Isaiah 57:12). They are only the evidence of a living faith (James 1:22 - James 2:26).
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