Keeping Knowledge

[Mr. M]

Malachi 2:7. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

Nehemiah 8:
1 Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, [Devarim]
which the Lord had commanded Israel.
2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month.
3 Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand;
and the ears of all the people to the Book of the Law. [Deuteronomy]
4 So Ezra the scribe stood on a migdal of wood which they had made for the purpose; and beside him, at his right hand, stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and at his left hand Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people;
and when he opened it, all the people stood up.
6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered,
“Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads
and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law;
and the people stood in their place.
8 So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense,
and helped them to understand the reading.
9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.
10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow,
for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.”
12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.

 

[Peter J Barban]

Yes, certainly, and for decades.

 

[Mr. M]

1 Peter 4:11. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

[Blood Bought 1953]

Here are some additional comments in regard to the Law......

The Law is “ weak” and “ useless”

The Law was give so that Sin would INCREAsE

By the Law, NO Flesh shall be Justified

If a Law could be given that would Save , Jesus died for nothing

The Law was a “ School Master”, meant to take us by the hand and lead us to Christ

Sin gets its Power from the Law

By the Law is the knowledge of Sin

If you break ONE Law you are guilty of breaking all of them

Christ is THE END of the LAW for all that Believe.....


A wise man will clearly see that The Law is NOT the route to Salvation......either humble yourself and accept God’s Grace, made available to you by Resting in the Gospel Of Pure Grace found in 1Cor15:1-4 or be left out in the cold.....

 

[Broken Fence]

We are as Christians suppose to establish the law. I think a lot of people are ignorant of the fact Holy Spirit is trying to establish God's law in your heart and your life.

Is no coincidence Pentecost is the day The law was given and the day Holy Spirit was given. They work hand in hand.

 

[Mr. M]

Malachi 2:7. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

Isaiah 42:
1 Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.
4 He will not fail nor be discouraged,
Till He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands shall wait for His law.
5 Thus says God the Lord,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
6 I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You
as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations.
7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
8 I am the Lord, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.

16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know;
I will lead them in paths they have not known.
I will make darkness light before them,
And crooked places straight.
These things I will do for them,
And not forsake them.
17 They shall be turned back,
They shall be greatly ashamed,
Who trust in carved images,
Who say to the molded images,
You are our gods.
18 Hear, you deaf;
And look, you blind, that you may see.
19 Who is blind but My servant,
Or deaf as My messenger whom I send?
Who is blind as he who is perfect,
And blind as the Lord’s servant?
20 Seeing many things, but you do not observe;
Opening the ears, but he does not hear.

21 The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake;
He will exalt the law and make it honorable.

 

[Soyeong]

Here are some additional comments in regard to the Law......

The Law is “ weak” and “ useless”

The Law was give so that Sin would INCREAsE

By the Law, NO Flesh shall be Justified

If a Law could be given that would Save , Jesus died for nothing

The Law was a “ School Master”, meant to take us by the hand and lead us to Christ

Sin gets its Power from the Law

By the Law is the knowledge of Sin

If you break ONE Law you are guilty of breaking all of them

Christ is THE END of the LAW for all that Believe.....

God's law straightforwardly does what it was given to do and does not do what it was not given to do, so the reason why we do not earn our salvation by obeying it is because it was never given for that purpose, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't obey it for the purposes for which it was given. As you said, the law was given to give us knowledge of sin, so if you agree that we should refrain from doing what God has revealed to be sin, then you should agree that we should obey the law.

Paul spoke about multiple different categories of law, such as God's law, the law of sin, and works of the law, so if you assume that he was always speaking about the same law, then you are guaranteed to misunderstand what he was saying. For example, in Romans 7:25, Paul contrasted God's law with the law of sin and in Romans 3:27, he contrasted a law that is of works with a law that is of faith.

In Romans 7:7, Paul said that God's law is not sinful, but was given to reveal what sin is, and when our sin is revealed, then that leads us to repent and causes sin to decrease. However, the law of sin stirs up sinful passions in order to bear fruit unto dead, so it is sinful and causes sin to increase, which means that it is the opposite of the Mosaic Law. So verses that refer to a law that is sinful or that causes sin to increase are referring to the law of sin rather than to the Mosaic Law, such as Romans 5:20, Romans 6:14, 1 Corinthians 15:56, and Galatians 5:16-18.

The law leads us to Christ because everything in it testifies who he is, how walk as he walked as he walked, and how to have a relationship with him. Now that faith has come we are under a superior teacher, but the subject matter is still how to walk in God's ways in obedience His law in accordance with what Christ taught by word and by example.

If we break and law and become a lawbreaker, then we need to repent and to return to obedience, which is precisely what James 2:1-11 was encouraging them to do.

In Romans 9:30-10:4, the Israelites had a zeal for God, but it was not based on knowledge because they did not understand that the righteousness of God only comes through faith in Christ. So they failed to obtain righteousness because they pursued the Law as through righteousness were by works in an effort to establish their own instead of pursuing the Law as through righteousness were by faith, for Christ is the goal of the Law for righteousness for everyone who has faith. In Romans 10:5-10, Paul quoted Deuteronomy 30:11-16, in regard to this faith saying that God's Law is not too difficult for us to obey, that the one who obeys it will obtain life by it, and in regard to what it means to submit to Jesus as Lord. So there is nothing in the context of this verse that even remotely suggests that Christ is ending his eternal Law, but just the opposite.

A wise man will clearly see that The Law is NOT the route to Salvation......either humble yourself and accept God’s Grace, made available to you by Resting in the Gospel Of Pure Grace found in 1Cor15:1-4 or be left out in the cold.....

In Psalms 119:29, David wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him to obey His law, and in Titus 2:11-14, our salvation is described as being trained by grace to do what is godly, righteous, and good, and to renounce doing what is ungodly, which is what God's law was given to instruct how to do, so God graciously teaching us to do good works in obedience to His law is itself part of the content of His free gift of salvation, and participating in that training does nothing to earn it, but rather that is what it looks like to receive it. Our salvation is from sin and sin is the transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4), so being trained by grace to live in obedience to God’s law through faith is what Jesus saving us from living in transgression of God’s law looks like. There is no sense in someone wanting salvation from living in transgression of God's law without involving the route of living in obedience to God's law. Obedience to God's law is what it looks like to humble ourselves and accept His grace. In Titus 2:14, Jesus gave himself to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people of his own possession who are zealous for doing good works, so if believe everything in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 and understand what it means for how we should live our lives, then we will become zealous for doing good works in obedience to God's law (Acts 21:20) and will not return to the lawlessness that Jesus gave himself to redeem us from.

 

[Blood Bought 1953]

God's law straightforwardly does what it was given to do and does not do what it was not given to do, so the reason why we do not earn our salvation by obeying it is because it was never given for that purpose, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't obey it for the purposes for which it was given. As you said, the law was given to give us knowledge of sin, so if you agree that we should refrain from doing what God has revealed to be sin, then you should agree that we should obey the law.

Paul spoke about multiple different categories of law, such as God's law, the law of sin, and works of the law, so if you assume that he was always speaking about the same law, then you are guaranteed to misunderstand what he was saying. For example, in Romans 7:25, Paul contrasted God's law with the law of sin and in Romans 3:27, he contrasted a law that is of works with a law that is of faith.

In Romans 7:7, Paul said that God's law is not sinful, but was given to reveal what sin is, and when our sin is revealed, then that leads us to repent and causes sin to decrease. However, the law of sin stirs up sinful passions in order to bear fruit unto dead, so it is sinful and causes sin to increase, which means that it is the opposite of the Mosaic Law. So verses that refer to a law that is sinful or that causes sin to increase are referring to the law of sin rather than to the Mosaic Law, such as Romans 5:20, Romans 6:14, 1 Corinthians 15:56, and Galatians 5:16-18.

The law leads us to Christ because everything in it testifies who he is, how walk as he walked as he walked, and how to have a relationship with him. Now that faith has come we are under a superior teacher, but the subject matter is still how to walk in God's ways in obedience His law in accordance with what Christ taught by word and by example.

If we break and law and become a lawbreaker, then we need to repent and to return to obedience, which is precisely what James 2:1-11 was encouraging them to do.

In Romans 9:30-10:4, the Israelites had a zeal for God, but it was not based on knowledge because they did not understand that the righteousness of God only comes through faith in Christ. So they failed to obtain righteousness because they pursued the Law as through righteousness were by works in an effort to establish their own instead of pursuing the Law as through righteousness were by faith, for Christ is the goal of the Law for righteousness for everyone who has faith. In Romans 10:5-10, Paul quoted Deuteronomy 30:11-16, in regard to this faith saying that God's Law is not too difficult for us to obey, that the one who obeys it will obtain life by it, and in regard to what it means to submit to Jesus as Lord. So there is nothing in the context of this verse that even remotely suggests that Christ is ending his eternal Law, but just the opposite.



In Psalms 119:29, David wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him to obey His law, and in Titus 2:11-14, our salvation is described as being trained by grace to do what is godly, righteous, and good, and to renounce doing what is ungodly, which is what God's law was given to instruct how to do, so God graciously teaching us to do good works in obedience to His law is itself part of the content of His free gift of salvation, and participating in that training does nothing to earn it, but rather that is what it looks like to receive it. Our salvation is from sin and sin is the transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4), so being trained by grace to live in obedience to God’s law through faith is what Jesus saving us from living in transgression of God’s law looks like. There is no sense in someone wanting salvation from living in transgression of God's law without involving the route of living in obedience to God's law. Obedience to God's law is what it looks like to humble ourselves and accept His grace. In Titus 2:14, Jesus gave himself to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people of his own possession who are zealous for doing good works, so if believe everything in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 and understand what it means for how we should live our lives, then we will become zealous for doing good works in obedience to God's law (Acts 21:20) and will not return to the lawlessness that Jesus gave himself to redeem us from.

When one realizes that he is totally forgiven because they have Faith in the Finished Work Of The Cross and they’ve realized that they are free from the Crushing Burden Of trying to keep 613 Laws That are impossible to keep, they are so relieved, so grateful that God is not expecting a certain level of performance in their lives....they experience a true Love for God they never knew.
Completely Trusting in the Gospel , which men’s RESTING in it , Spurs Love—- NOT licentiousness .That “ Love” is the Engine that drives Obedience......it comes naturally to those who have “ entered His Rest”......

 

[HARK!]

the Crushing Burden Of trying to keep 613 Laws That are impossible to keep, they are so relieved, so grateful that God is not expecting a certain level of performance in their lives....they experience a true Love for God

(CLV) 1Jn 5:3
For this is the love of God, that we may be keeping His precepts. And His precepts are not heavy,

 

[Soyeong]

When one realizes that he is totally forgiven because they have Faith in the Finished Work Of The Cross and they’ve realized that they are free from the Crushing Burden Of trying to keep 613 Laws That are impossible to keep, they are so relieved, so grateful that God is not expecting a certain level of performance in their lives....they experience a true Love for God they never knew.
Completely Trusting in the Gospel , which men’s RESTING in it , Spurs Love—- NOT licentiousness .That “ Love” is the Engine that drives Obedience......it comes naturally to those who have “ entered His Rest”......

Again, Titus 2:14, if we have faith in the finished work of the cross, then we will become zealous for doing good works in obedience to the Mosaic Law and will not return to the lawlessness that Jesus gave himself to redeem us from. In Deuteronomy 30:11-20, it says that the Mosaic Law is not too difficult obey and that obedience brings life and a blessing while disobedience brings death and a curse, so it was presented as a possibility and as a choice, not as something that was impossible to keep. Likewise, in 1 John 5:3, to love God is to obey His commandments, which are not burdensome, so to argue against obeying God's commandments is the argue against loving God.

In Matthew 23:23, Jesus said that faith is one of the weightier matters of the law, so obedience to it has always been about putting our faith in God to guide us in how to rightly live, and has never been about trying to have a certain level of performance. Jesus set a sinless example of how to walk in obedience to the Mosaic Law and in Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus was inviting people to find rest in him by learning from him, not by refusing to follow him. By saying that we would find rest for our souls, Jesus was referencing Jeremiah 6:16-19, where the Mosaic Law is described as the good way where we will find rest for our souls. This rest for our souls comes from having faith in God to guide us in how to rightly live through his law, not from taking a break from following His guidance. In Hebrews 4:11, we should strive to enter into that rest so that no one may fall away by the same sort of disobedience, so using entering into God's rest to justify the same sort of disobedience is exactly the opposite of what was being said.

Jesus began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent from for the Kingdom of God is at hand (Matthew 4:17-23) and the Mosaic Law was how his audience knew what sin is, so repenting from our disobedience to it is an integral part of trusting in the Gospel message, which Jesus prophesied would be proclaimed to the nations (Matthew 24:12-14). In Exodus 20:6, God wanted His people to love Him and obey His commandments, so obedience to the Mosaic Law has always been spurred by love. You spoke about being free from the Mosaic Law, but also about our love spurring obedience, so you seem to be contradicting yourself, and I'm sorry if I've misunderstood this aspect of what you were saying.

 

[HARK!]

1 John 2:3
By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments.

 

[Mr. M]

1 John 3:
22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

 

[Blood Bought 1953]

Again, Titus 2:14, if we have faith in the finished work of the cross, then we will become zealous for doing good works in obedience to the Mosaic Law and will not return to the lawlessness that Jesus gave himself to redeem us from. In Deuteronomy 30:11-20, it says that the Mosaic Law is not too difficult obey and that obedience brings life and a blessing while disobedience brings death and a curse, so it was presented as a possibility and as a choice, not as something that was impossible to keep. Likewise, in 1 John 5:3, to love God is to obey His commandments, which are not burdensome, so to argue against obeying God's commandments is the argue against loving God.

In Matthew 23:23, Jesus said that faith is one of the weightier matters of the law, so obedience to it has always been about putting our faith in God to guide us in how to rightly live, and has never been about trying to have a certain level of performance. Jesus set a sinless example of how to walk in obedience to the Mosaic Law and in Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus was inviting people to find rest in him by learning from him, not by refusing to follow him. By saying that we would find rest for our souls, Jesus was referencing Jeremiah 6:16-19, where the Mosaic Law is described as the good way where we will find rest for our souls. This rest for our souls comes from having faith in God to guide us in how to rightly live through his law, not from taking a break from following His guidance. In Hebrews 4:11, we should strive to enter into that rest so that no one may fall away by the same sort of disobedience, so using entering into God's rest to justify the same sort of disobedience is exactly the opposite of what was being said.

Jesus began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent from for the Kingdom of God is at hand (Matthew 4:17-23) and the Mosaic Law was how his audience knew what sin is, so repenting from our disobedience to it is an integral part of trusting in the Gospel message, which Jesus prophesied would be proclaimed to the nations (Matthew 24:12-14). In Exodus 20:6, God wanted His people to love Him and obey His commandments, so obedience to the Mosaic Law has always been spurred by love. You spoke about being free from the Mosaic Law, but also about our love spurring obedience, so you seem to be contradicting yourself, and I'm sorry if I've misunderstood this aspect of what you were saying.

Learn the Truth about the “ useless” Law—— Paul’s Description— not mine......

The Law did the only thing it was ever intended to do in my life.....it showed me that I could never keep it.....It lead me to put my Faith in the Gospel.....The GOSPEL is where the POWER to Save is revealed.....there is NO POWER in The Law to Save Anybody .....so why revere something we are supposed to be “DEAD” to.....Why use a “ beggarly” System Of Laws to guide your Life when you have an Indwelling Holy Spirit That will do a MUCH better job of making you obedient —- IF you will Trust God to perform His Will “ Through” you.......”Let go and let God.....”



Many Christians give lip service to the fact they live in the New Covenant.

The truth however is that because they fail to realise they are no longer under the law they are really still living in an Old Covenant reality.

Here are 37 scriptures that prove that Christians are not under the law!

Acts
The law is an unbearable yoke. (Acts 15:10)

Romans
The law reveals sin but cannot fix it. (Romans 3:20)

If the law worked then faith would be irrelevant. (Romans 4:14)

The law brings wrath upon those who follow it. (Romans 4:15)

The purpose of the law was to increase sin. (Romans 5:20)

Christians are not under the law. (Romans 6:14)

Christians have been delivered from the law. (Romans 7:1-6)

The law is good, perfect and holy but cannot help you be good, perfect or holy. (Romans 7:7-12)

The law which promises life only brings death through sin. (Romans 7:10)

The law makes you sinful beyond measure. (Romans 7:13)

The law is weak. (Romans 8:2-3)

1 Corinthians
The strength of sin is the law (1 Corinthians 15:56)

2 Corinthians
The law is a ministry of death. (2 Corinthians 3:7)

The law is a ministry of condemnation. (2 Corinthians 3:9)

The law has no glory at all in comparison with the New Covenant. (2 Corinthians 3:10)

The law is fading away. (2 Corinthians 3:11)

Anywhere the law is preached it produces a mind-hardening and a heart-hardening veil. (2 Corinthians 3:14-15)

Galatians
The law justifies nobody. (Galatians 2:16)

Christians are dead to the law. (Galatians 2:19)

The law frustrates grace. (Galatians 2:21)

To go back to the law after embracing faith is “stupid”. (Galatians 3:1)

The law curses all who practice it and fail to do it perfectly. (Galatians 3:10)

The law has nothing to do with faith. (Galatians 3:11-12)

The law was a curse that Christ redeemed us from. (Galatians 3:13)

The law functioned in God’s purpose as a temporary covenant from Moses till John the Baptist announced Christ. (Galatians 3:16 & 19, also see… Matthew 11:12-13, Luke 16:16)

If the law worked God would have used it to save us. (Galatians 3:21)

The law was our prison. (Galatians 3:23)

The law makes you a slave like Hagar. (Galatians 4:24)

Ephesians
Christ has abolished the law which was a wall of hostility (Ephesians 2:15)

Philippians
Paul considered everything the law gained him as “skybalon” which is Greek for “poop”. (Philippians 3:4-8)

1 Timothy
The law is only good if used in the right context. (1 Timothy 1:8) (see next verse for the context)

It was made for the unrighteous but not for the righteous. (1 Timothy 1:9-10)

Hebrews
The law is weak, useless and makes nothing perfect. (Hebrews 7:18-19)

God has found fault with it and created a better covenant, enacted on better promises. (Hebrews 8:7-8)

It is obsolete, growing old and ready to vanish. (Hebrews 8:13)

It is only a shadow of good things to come and will never make someone perfect. (Hebrews 10:1)

Well there you have it… 37 scriptures that make a very convincing arguement.

 

[Shrewd Manager]

Hard to magnify the law if you're intent on putting it under the microscope.

Surely it's about fulfilling the law by writing it on the heart. Internalising the two commandments upon which all the law and the prophets are based. Which is expressed in the Sermon on the Mount, the 'turning other cheek', 'going extra mile', 'forgiving always' and so on. The aggregate of Christ's moral teachings. Same same as 'Seek ye first the Kingdom and righteousness'.

 

[Mr. M]

Hard to magnify the law if you're intent on putting it under the microscope.

Surely it's about fulfilling the law by writing it on the heart. Internalising the two commandments upon which all the law and the prophets are based. Which is expressed in the Sermon on the Mount, the 'turning other cheek', 'going extra mile', 'forgiving always' and so on. The aggregate of Christ's moral teachings. Same same as 'Seek ye first the Kingdom and righteousness'.

This 'internalizing' that you rightly describe can only be accomplished by the Holy Spirit.
If anything, we are put under the microscope, "for the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous".

The suggestion of the OP is that we magnify the Law by fulfilling the mandate of the priesthood.
Nehemiah 8:8. So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they
gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.
2 Timothy 3:
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, [torah]
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Malachi 2:7. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

 

[Shrewd Manager]

The suggestion of the OP is that we magnify the Law by fulfilling the mandate of the priesthood.

Sure, but sounds a bit narrow and stuffy to me, sorry. What about the freedom that comes through grace? Magnify, exalt, glorify...let it out, write it large, rejoice in it, the living word!

And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM. He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS; And sent away the rich empty-handed. He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever.” (Lk 1:46-55)

 

[Mr. M]

Sure, but sounds a bit narrow and stuffy to me, sorry. What about the freedom that comes through grace? Magnify, exalt, glorify...let it out, write it large, rejoice in it, the living word!

And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM. He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS; And sent away the rich empty-handed. He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever.” (Lk 1:46-55)

The entire OP is scripture, so if it sounds a little stuffy, I guess it is because it has not been enlivened
by the Holy Spirit! I agree with you wholeheartedly. That is our responsibility, by the Grace of God.
If I was speaking, rather than typing, you would know my exuberance.

 

[Mr. M]

1 Timothy 1:8. But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully.
2 Timothy 3:
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, [torah]
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.