Greetings, Rrobsr. I don't believe we've talked before.
Ok, I will engage with you here, although I reserve the right to kindly and respectfully back out if I can tell we are hopelessly at odds in our theology.
Here would be my question to you: The verse in question is Matthew 7:14. If this only applies to Jews, are you saying that the entire passage of Matthew 7:12-20 only does as well? If so, then what is the "fire" referred to in Matthew 7:19? Not setting the stage to argue with you. As stated, I may be backing out of this in a post or two. I'm just curious as to how you apply the surrounding context.
The Old Testament, including the Gospels, were written to the Jews, so yes, all of Matthew was written to the Jews before the day of Pentecost when the new birth became available for the first time ever. The church of God, composed of born again believers (Christians, including you and I) did not come into existence until the day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
In the Old Testament, justification came by following the law to the letter, a narrow road indeed. In the New Testament we are freely justified by grace (Romans 3:24). Not so narrow. If only Christians knew what they were freely given by God in the New Testament, the world would be a different place. I don't understand why the churches keep everybody under the Old Testament. When was the last time your minister taught from the book of Ephesians? The churches are largely silent when it comes to the books of Romans through Thessalonian. Those are the
only books in the Bible written specifically to the born again believers. Now please don't say I dismiss the rest of the Bible.
Rom 15:4,
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Aforetime what? Before the age of grace, i.e. the Old Testament. We can certainly
learn from the OT, but it is not written
to us. Else, why don't we sacrifice heifers and doves every Sunday on the altar? Because that was written to the Jews before the day of Pentecost, not to the Cristians after the day of Pentecost.
I hope this stimulates your curiosity to study this matter. Every believer that becomes free from the shackles of the OT law and walks into the glorious light of the NT introduces more light into this otherwise dark world. Try to learn the difference between Jew, Gentile and the Church of God (1 Corinthians 10:32). Also investigate the different "eras" in God's word.
Eph 2:11-13,
11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in
time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That
at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But
now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
God talks about time past, and now. The difference is dramatic, to say the least. But the best is yet to come.
Eph 1:10-11,
10 That in the dispensation of the
fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
The
fullness of times is speaking of his return when God will establish a new heaven and new earth spoken of in the book of Revelations. We can keep track of past, present, and future in everyday life, but when it comes to God's word, all logic flies out the window. I don't get it.
The main thing to understand to make sense out of the Bible is that God speaks to different people at different times. The things he told Moses are
not the same things at all he told the Apostle Paul. It's so simple. I don't understand why Christians so want to argue with God.
