If you know the ten commandments are are honest with yourself, you will realize you break them all the time and often...
The Apostle Paul states, to born again Christians who have the Holy Spirit: The letter(of the Ten Commandments) kills. And yet, there are people who are adamant, this law can be and must be fully obeyed. If it is not fully obeyed, you do not have the fruit of faith, or, you do not love Jesus, for if you did you would obey him. And, if the letter of this law is broken, you are then condemned by the law until you repent of your sin. Though as full obedience is required to prove fruit of your faith, and love for Jesus, surely anything less must condemn you.
So why the divergence between Paul’s belief the letter of the Ten Commandments kills, and peoples views that you must fully obey that letter? Only one of two things are possible. Either some do not have the understanding of what obeying the letter of the Ten Commandments fully entails, the understanding Paul had, or, they are guilty of hypocrisy. Preaching a message they know they cannot attain to in their own lives. Lets assume the best in people, the former, they do not understand what is required to fully obey the letter of the ten commandments. These people will often quote: Thou shalt not take the Lords name in vain for instance as a command all Christians must fully obey. Or, thou shalt not commit adultery the same. And who could or should argue with that? No Christian that I know of.
However, Paul gave an example of why he could not obey the letter of that law in rom ch7:7-11&14-24. The example was: Thou shalt not covet, and those verses concern law relating to the inner man, law only God need know you break, law you break in your thoughts and minds. Paul knew, that was breaking the letter of the Ten Commandments. And because he knew no one fully obeys the letter of that law, he knew the letter of the law kills.
Therefore, according to James2:10 which states if you break one commandment you are guilty of breaking them all, everyone is guilty of breaking the entire Ten Commandments.
So, if we discern the truth of scripture, and do not bring it into contradiction, by claiming we can fully obey the letter the bible says kills, how should we rightly discern the letter of what some quote to support their errant beliefs:
Count/reckon yourselves as dead to sin.
This is often quoted. Simply put, do not seek to live a life of wanting to gratify the flesh, count yourselves to being dead to that. Live your life focusing on Jesus, count yourself dead to thinking of ways you can feed your flesh. No other way is possible to view that, for otherwise, you have to believe Paul contradicted himself. Though you do not want to feed the flesh in your heart, or live your life seeking to gratify it, you will inevitably break the letter that kills along the way.
Lets take a segment many like to quote:
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. Gal5:19-21
Now, if a believer once envies something belonging to another, or has selfish ambition on an occasion, does this mean they are barred from the kingdom of Heaven, thrown into an unsaved state because they have transgressed the letter written? Of course not, no one who preaches full obedience to the TC believes that(I hope) There is a world of difference, between making a shallow/half hearted commitment to Christ, and wanting in your heart to live a lifestyle Paul mentioned in those verses, and hating your imperfections concerning them because you love Jesus and want to live as he desires you to live. Two very different things. If you live your life, seeking in your heart the things mentioned in those verses, you will not inherit the kingdom of Heaven. If you live your life, in your heart not wanting them, and hating imperfections concerning them, you have nothing to fear.
There is no love, mercy or compassion in a message that states: Perform perfect according to the letter that kills or immediatley be condemned by that letter until you earnestly repent. No love at all, only hypocrisy, for those who preach it cannot practice what they preach.
Conclusion. Arguing/debating people that just want to selectively quote the letter, without discernment. And then preach an unloving message concerning it that neither they or anyone can or does attain to do should be avoided. You will never have mature debate that way. The people who preach this unloving message, without being able to discern the true message contained in the letter, will one day be answerable for it. Best to leave it until then, when what is hidden will fully be revealed.