Law and Commandment vs Grace and Mercy

Soyeong

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Rom. 3:20-21

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;"

There is no salvation in the Law or the commandments. They pointed to the Cross, that was their purpose.

The Cross of Christ is the focal point of all the Law and that is where your salvation will be found.

We are keeping the Law and Commandments of Christ by faith in Christ, not by observing them.

God requires that ALL our faith be in Him, not in the laws that condemn us.

Nothing in my post said anything about needing to obey God's law in order to earn our justification by obeying God's law. Our salvation is from sin and sin is the transgression of God's law, so there is no sense in saying that there is no salvation in the law. Without the law, there would be no need of salvation from living in transgression of the law. Again if we believe in what Jesus accomplished on the cross, then we will become zealous for doing good works in obedience to God's law and will not return to the lawlessness that he gave himself to redeem us from. In Matthew 23:23, Christ said that faith is one of the weightier matters of the law, so obedience to it is what faith in Christ looks like and it is contradictory to speak about keeping the law while not observing it. In 1 John 2:6, those who are in Christ are obligated to walk in the same way he walked, and he walked in complete obedience to the law.

In Revelation 14:12, those who kept faith in Jesus are the same as those who kept God's commandments. Every example of someone living by faith is an example of someone living in obedience to God's will, such as those listed in Hebrews 11, whereas disobedience to God's law is referred to as breaking faith, such as in Numbers 5:6. In Habakkuk 2:4, the righteous shall live by faith, and in Isaiah 51:7, the righteous are those on whose heart is God's law. At not point is living by faith in God ever treated as an alternative to living in obedience to God's law. God is trustworthy, therefore His law is also trustworthy (Psalms 19:7, Nehemiah 9:13) and a law that isn't trustworthy can't come from a God who is not trustworthy, so to put our faith in the law is to put our faith in the Lawgiver while refusing to put our faith in the law is refusing to put our faith in the Lawgiver. It doesn't even make sense to think that putting putting our faith in God to guide us in how to rightly live through His law involves refusing to submit to His law. God can be trusted to give us laws that our for our own good in order to bless us (Deuteronomy 6:24, 10:12-13), not to condemn us.
 
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Charlie24

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Nothing in my post said anything about needing to obey God's law in order to earn our justification by obeying God's law. Our salvation is from sin and sin is the transgression of God's law, so there is no sense in saying that there is no salvation in the law. Without the law, there would be no need of salvation from living in transgression of the law. Again if we believe in what Jesus accomplished on the cross, then we will become zealous for doing good works in obedience to God's law and will not return to the lawlessness that he gave himself to redeem us from. In Matthew 23:23, Christ said that faith is one of the weightier matters of the law, so obedience to it is what faith in Christ looks like and it is contradictory to speak about keeping the law while not observing it. In 1 John 2:6, those who are in Christ are obligated to walk in the same way he walked, and he walked in complete obedience to the law.

In Revelation 14:12, those who kept faith in Jesus are the same as those who kept God's commandments. Every example of someone living by faith is an example of someone living in obedience to God's will, such as those listed in Hebrews 11, whereas disobedience to God's law is referred to as breaking faith, such as in Numbers 5:6. In Habakkuk 2:4, the righteous shall live by faith, and in Isaiah 51:7, the righteous are those on whose heart is God's law. At not point is living by faith in God ever treated as an alternative to living in obedience to God's law. God is trustworthy, therefore His law is also trustworthy (Psalms 19:7, Nehemiah 9:13) and a law that isn't trustworthy can't come from a God who is not trustworthy, so to put our faith in the law is to put our faith in the Lawgiver while refusing to put our faith in the law is refusing to put our faith in the Lawgiver. It doesn't even make sense to think that putting putting our faith in God to guide us in how to rightly live through His law involves refusing to submit to His law. God can be trusted to give us laws that our for our own good in order to bless us (Deuteronomy 6:24, 10:12-13), not to condemn us.

Rom. 3:28,
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law.

That's because there is no salvation in the Law! Only by faith alone in Christ.

God sees the believer as a law-keeper by virtue of faith in Christ.

Rom. 8:3-4,
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Christ fulfilled the demands of the Law for us. It is fulfilled in each and every believer.

Now God requires !00% of our faith in Christ apart from the Law because we are law-keepers by faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit guides us in law-keeping, we no longer have to use our will power and observe the Law as did those under the Law.
 
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Soyeong

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There is a judgement seat of Christ. This for what your works are, to inherit the crowns and rewards. The finish work in the cross was God glory only. Dont put your works were redemption is finish. That is the promise of the spirit in which we are one body in Christ. He can not deny himself. He doesnt lose anyone. In my eyes this is diminishing God and putting power to sin.

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 obey His law is itself part of God's free gift of salvation, and participating in that training through faith in God in no way diminishes Him, but just the opposite.
 
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Soyeong

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Rom. 3:28,
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law.

That's because there is no salvation in the Law! Only by faith alone in Christ.

God sees the believer as a law-keeper by virtue of faith in Christ.

Rom. 8:3-4,
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Christ fulfilled the demands of the Law for us. It is fulfilled in each and every believer.

Now God requires !00% of our faith in Christ apart from the Law because we are law-keepers by faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit guides us in law-keeping, we no longer have to use our will power and observe the Law as did those under the Law.

Again, I've said nothing about needing to obey God's law in order to earn our justification. In Matthew 23:23, Christ said that faith is one of the weightier matters of the law, so only those who have faith alone in Christ will be doers of the law, and will be justified by that said faith, which is why Paul said in Romans 2:13 that only doers of the law will be justified, but did not say that we earn our justification by obeying the law, so there absolutely is salvation in the law. In Romans 3:31, Paul did not want us to conclude from the preceding verses that our faith abolishes our need to obey God's law, but rather our faith upholds it, yet you seeking to do the opposite.

Again, our salvation is from sin and sin is the transgression of of the law (1 John 3:4), so there is no sense in trying to separate salvation from living in transgression of the law apart from out need to live in obedience to it. In Romans 8:3-4, Christ set us free from sin so that we might be free to obey the law and meet its righteous requirement. In Romans 8:4-7, those who walk in the Spirit are contrasted with those who have minds set on the flesh who refuse to submit to to God's law.

Nowhere does the Bible say that Jesus fulfilled the demands of the law for us. In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus summarized the law as being about how to love God and our neighbor, so saying that Jesus fulfilled the law for us would be like saying that he loved the Father and our neighbor for us so that we don't have to, but rather he did so in part so that we would have an example to follow, and as his followers we are told to follow his example (1 Peter 2:21-22). In Romans 14:12, those who kept faith in Jesus are the same as those who kept God's commandments. Not once does the Bible ever treat living by faith as an alternative to living in obedience to God and it doesn't even make sense to think that putting our faith in God to guide us involves refusing to follow His guidance. The Spirit guides uus to keep the law straightforwardly by leading us to obey what it instructs. It is contradictory to think that the Spirit leads us to keep the law instead of us keeping the law.
 
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St_Worm2

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Hello @Charlie24, GotQuestions.org posts interesting things that are usually worth considering. Here's some of what they have to say about this topic (it can be watched, listened to and/or read as the written text and the text of the video are identical).

Question: "What does it mean that Jesus fulfilled the law, but did not abolish it?"

Answer: Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17–18). This important statement of our Lord gives us insight into His mission and the character of God’s Word.



Jesus’ declaration that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, not to abolish them, obviously contains two statements in one. There is something Jesus did and something He did not do. At the same time, Jesus emphasized the eternal nature of the Word of God.

Jesus goes out of His way to promote the authority of the Law of God. He did not come to abolish the Law, regardless of what the Pharisees accused Him of. In fact, Jesus continues His statement with a commendation for those who teach the Law accurately and hold it in reverence: “Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19).

Note the qualities that Jesus attributes to the Word of God, referenced as “the Law and the Prophets”: 1) The Word is everlasting; it will outlast the natural world. 2) The Word was written with intent; it was meant to be fulfilled. 3) The Word possesses plenary authority; even the smallest letter of it is established. 4) The Word is faithful and trustworthy; “everything” it says will be accomplished. No one hearing Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount could doubt His commitment to the Scriptures.

Consider what Jesus did not do in His ministry. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says that He did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. In other words, Jesus’ purpose was not to abrogate the Word, dissolve it, or render it invalid. The Prophets will be fulfilled; the Law will continue to accomplish the purpose for which it was given (see Isaiah 55:10–11).

Next, consider what Jesus did do. Jesus says that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. In other words, Jesus’ purpose was to establish the Word, to embody it, and to fully accomplish all that was written. “Christ is the culmination of the law” (Romans 10:4). The predictions of the Prophets concerning the Messiah would be realized in Jesus; the holy standard of the Law would be perfectly upheld by Christ, the strict requirements personally obeyed, and the ceremonial observances finally and fully satisfied.

Jesus Christ fulfilled the Prophets in that, in His first coming alone, He fulfilled hundreds of prophecies concerning Himself (e.g., Matthew 1:22; 13:35; John 19:36; Luke 24:44). Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law in at least two ways: as a teacher and as a doer. He taught people to obey the Law (Matthew 22:35–40; Mark 1:44), and He obeyed the Law Himself (John 8:46; 1 Peter 2:22). In living a perfect life, Jesus fulfilled the moral laws; in His sacrificial death, Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial laws. Christ came not to destroy the old religious system but to build upon it; He came to finish the Old Covenant and establish the New.

Jesus came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them. In fact, the ceremonies, sacrifices, and other elements of the Old Covenant were “only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves” (Hebrews 10:1). The tabernacle and temple were “holy places made with hands,” but they were never meant to be permanent; they were but “copies of the true things” (Hebrews 9:24, ESV). The Law had a built-in expiration date, being filled as it was with “external regulations applying until the time of the new order” (Hebrews 9:10).

In His fulfillment of the Law and Prophets, Jesus obtained our eternal salvation. No more were priests required to offer sacrifices and enter the holy place (Hebrews 10:8–14). Jesus has done that for us, once and for all. By grace through faith, we are made right with God: “He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14).

There are some who argue that, since Jesus did not “abolish” the Law, then the Law is still in effect—and still binding on New Testament Christians. But Paul is clear that the believer in Christ is no longer under the Law: “We were held in custody under the Law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the Law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian” (Galatians 3:23–25, BSB). We are not under the Mosaic Law but under “the law of Christ” (see Galatians 6:2).

If the Law is still binding on us today, then it has not yet accomplished its purpose—it has not yet been fulfilled. If the Law, as a legal system, is still binding on us today, then Jesus was wrong in claiming to fulfill it and His sacrifice on the cross was insufficient to save. Thank God, Jesus fulfilled the whole Law and now grants us His righteousness as a free gift. “Know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:16).

--David

Matthew 5
17 Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
.
 
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Charlie24

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Again, I've said nothing about needing to obey God's law in order to earn our justification. In Matthew 23:23, Christ said that faith is one of the weightier matters of the law, so only those who have faith alone in Christ will be doers of the law, and will be justified by that said faith, which is why Paul said in Romans 2:13 that only doers of the law will be justified, but did not say that we earn our justification by obeying the law, so there absolutely is salvation in the law. In Romans 3:31, Paul did not want us to conclude from the preceding verses that our faith abolishes our need to obey God's law, but rather our faith upholds it, yet you seeking to do the opposite.

Again, our salvation is from sin and sin is the transgression of of the law (1 John 3:4), so there is no sense in trying to separate salvation from living in transgression of the law apart from out need to live in obedience to it. In Romans 8:3-4, Christ set us free from sin so that we might be free to obey the law and meet its righteous requirement. In Romans 8:4-7, those who walk in the Spirit are contrasted with those who have minds set on the flesh who refuse to submit to to God's law.

Nowhere does the Bible say that Jesus fulfilled the demands of the law for us. In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus summarized the law as being about how to love God and our neighbor, so saying that Jesus fulfilled the law for us would be like saying that he loved the Father and our neighbor for us so that we don't have to, but rather he did so in part so that we would have an example to follow, and as his followers we are told to follow his example (1 Peter 2:21-22). In Romans 14:12, those who kept faith in Jesus are the same as those who kept God's commandments. Not once does the Bible ever treat living by faith as an alternative to living in obedience to God and it doesn't even make sense to think that putting our faith in God to guide us involves refusing to follow His guidance. The Spirit guides uus to keep the law straightforwardly by leading us to obey what it instructs. It is contradictory to think that the Spirit leads us to keep the law instead of us keeping the law.

Soyeong can you keep the Law? If you can, you are the first since Christ to do it!

If you can't keep the Law, is there any salvation in it for you?
 
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HappyHope

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To the self-righteous Jew, Jesus said, you have heard that whosoever shall murder is in danger of the judgement, but I say, whoever is angry with his brother without cause is in danger of the judgement.

Jesus just placed anger without cause on the same level as murder!

He also said, you have heard you shall not commit adultery, but I say whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery in his heart.

So guys, if you have ever seen an outrageously beautiful woman and for one split second lusted after her, you are guilty of all the Law and commandments. You are condemned.

This is how intense Law and commandment is, do you think you can keep it?

There is no mercy in Law and commandment, whether it be the Law of Moses or the commandments of Christ, which is an extension of the Law. If you are guilty of one, you are guilty of all and condemned.

If you are trying to gain or retain salvation by keeping Law in any form, and that includes the commandments of Christ, you will fail and be condemned.

There will only be grace and mercy for sinful man by faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work alone.

Grace and faith were always the way to salvation. Not even OT folks were saved by the Law. Sacrifice was part of their rules but it only served to hold them over until Jesus-it never actually saved them. It was a mandated stand it but not the real deal. Or at least this is how one of my awesome professors explained it.

The Law is still amazing to behold because it shows us a glimpse of God’s overwhelming holiness. Jesus’s insights into the law were priceless. Yeah, we don’t measure up. We never did. And then comes Jesus to the rescue!!

Versus to support that it was really about faith before the OT Covenant and during the OT Covenant:

Romans 4:3
What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Those of Hebrews Hall of Faith Fame:

Hebrews 11:4
By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings.

Hebrews 11:5-6
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:7
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

The List Goes On in Hebrews 11:
Abraham
Sarah
Isaac
Jacob
Joseph
Moses' parents
Moses
People who passed through the Red Sea
Rahad
Gideon
Barak
Samson
Jephthah
David
Samuel
the prophets


Hebrews 11:39-40
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

My point: People were always made perfect in Jesus, not the Law. Jesus died for all sins from the begging of the world--not just the sins of the New Testament saints until now. The Law never held salvation. The OT sacrificial system never held salvation. It was always faith in the spotless sacrifice: Jesus.
 
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Soyeong

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Soyeong can you keep the Law? If you can, you are the first since Christ to do it!

If you can't keep the Law, is there any salvation in it for you?

Indeed, I am one of countless people who can keep the law. In Deuteronomy 30:11-20, it says that God's law is not too difficult to obey and that obedience brings life and a blessing while disobedience brings death and a curse, so choose life! So it was presented as a possibility and as a choice, not something that no one could do. Thinking that no one but Christ could keep the law is calling God a liar and making Him out to be an unloving Father who essentially gave the law with the goal of cursing His children when in reality God's law was given for our own good in order to bless us (Deuteronomy 6:24, 10:12-13). Likewise, in 1 John 5:3, to love God is to keeping His commandments, which are not burdensome, so saying that we can't keep the law is saying that they are burdensome and denying that there is anyone but Christ who has ever loved God. In Galatians 5:14, loving your neighbor fulfills the entire law, so Jesus was one countless people who have done that. Furthermore, the Bible contains examples of people who have kept the law, such as Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:5-6).
 
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Jesus is YHWH

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The Purpose and Intent of the Law explained by Paul under inspiration of the Holy Spirit !

Galatians 3
3 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? 2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

6 Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. 7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. 8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.” 11 Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” 12 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “He who practices them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— 14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Intent of the Law

15 Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is only a man’s covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it. 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ. 17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18 For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.

19 Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. 20 Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one. 21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. 22 But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.
 
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Jesus is YHWH

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Continued :

Galatians 2:15-21
“We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; 16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. 17 But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! 18 For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”
 
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Jesus just placed anger without cause on the same level as murder!

That's because it starts in the heart. We need to bash those Babylonian babies' brains out before they grow - figuratively speaking.

He also said, you have heard you shall not commit adultery, but I say whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery in his heart.

That's talking about a married woman, hence adultery. But yeah, lust is bad per se, a tough one to overcome. For the flesh wars against the spirit and vice versa.

This is how intense Law and commandment is, do you think you can keep it?

Yes! When we are full of grace, these things - the tyranny of the law, the law of sin and death - are overcome. So we need to be 'in Christ' all day long, and not let ourselves be drawn away by temptation. It's a state of being - in the 'aionian', eternal, transcendent, heavenly, kingdom realm. Always prayerful, vigilant, gracious and wearing the armour of God.

There is no mercy in Law and commandment, whether it be the Law of Moses or the commandments of Christ, which is an extension of the Law. If you are guilty of one, you are guilty of all and condemned.

Guilty as charged! May we forgive others cheerfully, confidently knowing that the shrewd manager has all the credit of his wealthy master to share around.

If you are trying to gain or retain salvation by keeping Law in any form, and that includes the commandments of Christ, you will fail and be condemned.

There will only be grace and mercy for sinful man by faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work alone.

True Charlie, amen.
 
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HappyHope

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Rom. 3:28,
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law.

That's because there is no salvation in the Law! Only by faith alone in Christ.

God sees the believer as a law-keeper by virtue of faith in Christ.

Rom. 8:3-4,
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Christ fulfilled the demands of the Law for us. It is fulfilled in each and every believer.

Now God requires !00% of our faith in Christ apart from the Law because we are law-keepers by faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit guides us in law-keeping, we no longer have to use our will power and observe the Law as did those under the Law.

I agree. I would add. People can't act like the Law is a boogeyman nightmare either to be ignored or scared of. (Though a certain amount of the fear of the Lord is bare minimum decency or else one is very silly.) It has a good purpose or it would not be talked about in both the OT and the NT. The Law is not dark or evil in any way. It shows of so much about God. It is brilliant.
 
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Charlie24

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Indeed, I am one of countless people who can keep the law. In Deuteronomy 30:11-20, it says that God's law is not too difficult to obey and that obedience brings life and a blessing while disobedience brings death and a curse, so choose life! So it was presented as a possibility and as a choice, not something that no one could do. Thinking that no one but Christ could keep the law is calling God a liar and making Him out to be an unloving Father who essentially gave the law with the goal of cursing His children when in reality God's law was given for our own good in order to bless us (Deuteronomy 6:24, 10:12-13). Likewise, in 1 John 5:3, to love God is to keeping His commandments, which are not burdensome, so saying that we can't keep the law is saying that they are burdensome and denying that there is anyone but Christ who has ever loved God. In Galatians 5:14, loving your neighbor fulfills the entire law, so Jesus was one countless people who have done that. Furthermore, the Bible contains examples of people who have kept the law, such as Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:5-6).

All those who are entangled in the Law think they are keeping it, despite Paul telling us that the Law condemns and kills.

Do you know why God placed the Sacrificial System in the Law? Because it would be impossible to be saved without it.

Man would have to be perfect, having never committed one sin in their life to keep the Law. That is impossible.

So God gave man the sacrifice of an animal, which represented the Blood of Christ that proved their faith in the coming Messiah. This is how they were saved, this is how they kept the Law, just as we do today.

Salvation has always been by faith in the Messiah, not by Law.
 
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ISteveB

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If you are trying to gain or retain salvation by keeping Law in any form, and that includes the commandments of Christ, you will fail and be condemned.

There will only be grace and mercy for sinful man by faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work alone.

Good points.....
According to Romans 8, there is only one way to actually succeed in keeping the law.....

3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

As Paul said..... it's simply impossible to please God and keep his law any other way.

the ONLY way to live the spirit-filled life, where we keep God's Laws, is by walking in the Spirit.
As he told the Galatians---

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.​

And in Romans 13, we see that the only way to fulfill God's Law is by living in Love.

8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

As Jesus said in Matthew 22.

34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”​

All the Law hangs on the two great commands.... Love God, and love your neighbor

the genuinely great thing is.... God teaches us how to love.
Isaiah 54:13
All your children shall be taught by the LORD,
And great shall be the peace of your children.​

1 Thessalonians 4:9
But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;​

And
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.​
 
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HappyHope

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There is no mercy if there is no law. What would be the purpose of the mercy?

you wouldn’t need mercy because there is no law to break to even be able to give mercy for breaking it.
I like this. The two work together. Neither truly cancels the other out. The Law/Commandments exposes us and gives us an idea of where we stand next to the God. Jesus then gracefully and mercifully stands in the big gap between us and God's standard. Praise Him! ***The standards (Law and Commandments) and God's ways are still crazy impressive and insightful. Looking at perfection is inspiring to say the least.
 
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Soyeong

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All those who are entangled in the Law think they are keeping it, despite Paul telling us that the Law condemns and kills.

Do you know why God placed the Sacrificial System in the Law? Because it would be impossible to be saved without it.

Man would have to be perfect, having never committed one sin in their life to keep the Law. That is impossible.

So God gave man the sacrifice of an animal, which represented the Blood of Christ that proved their faith in the coming Messiah. This is how they were saved, this is how they kept the Law, just as we do today.

Salvation has always been by faith in the Messiah, not by Law.

In Deuteronomy 30:11-20, God's law is not too difficult to obey, so believing that we can keep the law is at matter of putting our faith in God's word. Furthermore, verse 15-20 says that obedience to the law brings life and a blessing while it is disobedience to the law that beings death and a curse, and Paul was in agreement with these verses. The fact that God's law brings death to those who refuse to submit to it has never been a very good reason for someone to refuse to submit to it.

In Deuteronomy 32:47, the law is our very life. In Leviticus 18:5, Galatians 3:12, and Romans 10:5, the one who obeys God's law will attain life by it. In Proverbs 3:18, she is a tree of life for all who take hold of her. In Matthew 19:17, Jesus said that if we want to enter eternal life, then obey the commandments.

Again, Deuteronomy 30:11-20 presents keeping the law as a possibility and as a choice, not as the need to have perfect obedience. Repentance doesn't change the fact that we've already failed to have perfect obedience, so the fact that repentance has value demonstrates that perfect obedience was never a requirement for us. Even if someone managed to live in perfect obedience to the law, then they still wouldn't earn their salvation by their obedience because the law was never given for that purpose, nevertheless, our salvation is from sin and sin is living in transgression of God's law, so living in obedience to God's law through faith is what Jesus saving us from living in transgression of God's law looks like. Someone who has never been obligated to obey God's law has never needed to be saved from living in transgression of God's law and has never needed Jesus to give himself to redeem us from all lawlessness, so it is contradictory for someone who thinks that they don't need to obey the law to also think that they need salvation, though they would be far better off heading the Gospel message, repenting, and obeying God's law through faith in Jesus.
 
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Soyeong

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The Purpose and Intent of the Law explained by Paul under inspiration of the Holy Spirit !

Galatians 3
3 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? 2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

6 Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. 7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. 8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.” 11 Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” 12 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “He who practices them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— 14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Intent of the Law

15 Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is only a man’s covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it. 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ. 17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18 For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.

19 Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. 20 Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one. 21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. 22 But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.

In Matthew 23:23, Jesus said that faith is one of the weightier matters of the Torah, so the Torah is of faith. In Romans 3:27, Paul contrasted a law that was of works with a law that was of faith, so works of the Torah are of works, while he said in 3:31 that our faith upholds the Torah, so again the Torah is of faith and Paul contrasted the Torah with works of the law. In Galatians 3:10-12, Paul associated a quote from Habakkuk 2:4 with a quote from Leviticus 18:5, so the righteous who are living by faith are the same as those who are living in obedience to the Torah, while no one is justified before God by works of the Torah because they are not of faith in God. Likewise, in Isaiah 51:7, the righteous or those on whose heart is the Torah, so obedience to it is what it looks like for the righteous to live by faith. God is trustworthy, therefore His Torah is also trustworthy (Psalms 19:7, Nehemiah 9:13) and a Torah that isn't trustworthy can't come from a God who is trustworthy, so putting our faith in the Torah is putting our faith in the One who gave it while denying that the Torah is of faith is denying that God is trustworthy.

Someone who disregarded everything that their tutor taught them after they left would be missing the whole point of a tutor. 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 to His Torah in accordance with what Jesus taught by word and by example. Jesus did not begin his ministry by telling people that the Torah has ended now that he has come and that they needed to stop repenting, but just the opposite. In John 5:39-40, Jesus said that the Scriptures testify about him so the Torah leads us to Christ because the goal of everything in Scripture is to testify about how to know Christ, which is why he is the goal of the Torah (Romans 10:4). In 1 John 3:10, those who do not practice righteousness in obedience to the Torah are not children of God, so there is no point in someone wanting to be a son of God while rejecting God's instructions for how to be a son of God. The way to put our faith in Jesus is not by refusing to trust him to guide us in obedience God's law, but just the opposite.
 
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Charlie24

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In Deuteronomy 30:11-20, God's law is not too difficult to obey, so believing that we can keep the law is at matter of putting our faith in God's word. Furthermore, verse 15-20 says that obedience to the law brings life and a blessing while it is disobedience to the law that beings death and a curse, and Paul was in agreement with these verses. The fact that God's law brings death to those who refuse to submit to it has never been a very good reason for someone to refuse to submit to it.

In Deuteronomy 32:47, the law is our very life. In Leviticus 18:5, Galatians 3:12, and Romans 10:5, the one who obeys God's law will attain life by it. In Proverbs 3:18, she is a tree of life for all who take hold of her. In Matthew 19:17, Jesus said that if we want to enter eternal life, then obey the commandments.

Again, Deuteronomy 30:11-20 presents keeping the law as a possibility and as a choice, not as the need to have perfect obedience. Repentance doesn't change the fact that we've already failed to have perfect obedience, so the fact that repentance has value demonstrates that perfect obedience was never a requirement for us. Even if someone managed to live in perfect obedience to the law, then they still wouldn't earn their salvation by their obedience because the law was never given for that purpose, nevertheless, our salvation is from sin and sin is living in transgression of God's law, so living in obedience to God's law through faith is what Jesus saving us from living in transgression of God's law looks like. Someone who has never been obligated to obey God's law has never needed to be saved from living in transgression of God's law and has never needed Jesus to give himself to redeem us from all lawlessness, so it is contradictory for someone who thinks that they don't need to obey the law to also think that they need salvation, though they would be far better off heading the Gospel message, repenting, and obeying God's law through faith in Jesus.

If you are reading the Law, memorizing it or observing it in order to keep it, your faith in Christ is null and void, it will do you no good at all on judgement day. You will be judged by the Law, and you will be condemned.

Rom. 4:14
For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

If your faith is at all in keeping Law and Commandment, your faith is made of none effect by God.

There can be no 50% faith in Christ and 50% in keeping Law, or 75/25, or 99/1.

All your faith must be in Christ that He will fulfill the Law and Commandments in you by the Holy Spirit and not by your ability.

Christ will have all your faith or He will have none of it! Salvation cannot exist in both works and faith, one will cancel out the other!
 
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Soyeong

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Continued :

Galatians 2:15-21
“We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; 16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. 17 But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! 18 For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

In Acts 10:28, Peter referred to a law that forbade Jews to visit or associate with Gentiles, which is not a law that is found anywhere in the Torah, and is therefore a man-made law. It was this law that Peter was obeying in Galatians 2:11-16 when he stopped visiting or associating with the Gentiles and by doing so he was giving credibility to those who were wanting to require Gentiles to obey their works of the law in order to become justified, which is why Paul rebuked him and reiterated that we are justified by faith, not by works of the law. Paul's problem in Galatians was not with those who were teaching Gentiles how to obey God's law as if obedience to God were somehow a negative thing, but rather his problem was with those who were wanting to require Gentiles to obey their works of the law in order to become justified. It doesn't make sense to think that we would need to die to God's instructions for how to live for Him in order to be free to live for Him, but rather we would need to die to a law that was hindering us from living for God in order to be free to live for Him, namely the law of sin.

In Deuteronomy 30:15-16, it says obedience to God's law brings life and a blessing while it is disobedience that brings death. In Deuteronomy 32:47, the law is our very life. In Leviticus 18:5, Galatians 3:12, and Romans 10:5, the one who obeys God's law will attain life by it. In Proverbs 3:18, she is a tree of life for all who take hold of her. In Matthew 19:17, Jesus said that if we want to enter into eternal life, then obey the commandments, yet Galatians 3:21 is also true that if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.

The way that I reconcile these verses is by recognizing that faith is key to everything in the Bible. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus said that faith is one of the weightier matters of the law, so obedience to it is about expressing our faith. Only those who have faith in God to guide us in how to rightly live will obey His law and will be justified by the same faith, which is why Paul said in Romans 2:13 that only doers of the law will be justified, but did not say that we earn our justification by obeying the law. So we attain life by our obedience to God's law insofar as our obedience is an expression of our faith, but do not attain life by our obedience to God's insofar as our obedience is about trying to earn our salvation.
 
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