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Once Saved Always Saved - Why is it so hard?

stuart lawrence

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Errant context is nothing!

If you have a righteousness of observing any law you must have a righteousness of your own under it.

You decide whether to obey it or not. If you obey it you have a righteousness of your own under it.

Paul never once states Christ died to annul a righteousness from mosaic law only, that is your personal belief not backed up by scripture.
And I have shown you more than once Paul gives
Thou shalt not covet as the reason he had to die to a law of righteousness.
You have many times stated that law still applies and will send you to hell if broken.

Your contradictions are piling up
 
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Well, my strength is in studying God's Word in not trying to give myself the right label according to how the world names or defines certain beliefs. Okay, so I believe in Synergism. It doesn't change anything. We still act of our own free will in cooperation to God.

Concerning John 6:44:

Well, you have to understand that the Pharisees believed salvation was a form of Works Alone Salvationism. It was all works and it did not include grace or a Savior by repenting of one's sins to ultimately get right with God. They were trying to force their way into the Kingdom (Matthew 11:12) when Jesus was the door or the gate (John 10:9). This is why Jesus says that no one can come to Him unless the Father draws Him (John 6:44). He was saying you can't force your way in by your own efforts alone (by doing it your way) but you have to respond to the drawing of the Father. For God so loved the WORLD (John 3:16). And God is not willing that ANY should perish (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus says come unto me (Matthew 11:28). And Christ draws all men unto Himself (John 12:32).

I mean why do you think Jesus wept over Jerusalem? Again, Jesus desired for the Jews (Pharisees) to be saved but they wouldn't allow Him to do so. They wouldn't listen. They wanted to do things their way (or the Burger King way).

Listen to the words of Jesus,

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God's messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn't let me." (Matthew 23:37 NLT).​

Now, if you believe in Calvinism: You have to ask yourself: "How on Earth does Calvinism make any sense when one reads the words that are enlarged and bolded in this above verse?"

The short answer is that it simply doesn't make any sense.


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stuart lawrence

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If Jesus only died at Calvary to annul a righteousness concerning Torah only, what do Gentiles gain from Christs death?
They were not under torah!

And why would Jesus die at Calvary solely to annul a righteousness of law man could faultlessly obey?

It doesn't add up does it
 
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stuart lawrence

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Are you saying the Pharisees didn't believe sacrifices for sin could be made?
 
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You told me previously Jesus died to annul a righteousness of obedience to Torah, but not the Ten Commandments

The Torah is the five books of Moses.
And only 9 out of the 10 Commandments are repeated in the New Testament (with the Sabbath Command being ommitted).
But even some of the 9 are attached with capital punishment.
Meaning, if you break certain moral laws in the Old Covenant out of the 10, you could be put to death.
But Jesus came to fulfill this Law.
Not in the sense of completely destroying it or abolishing it (as He says).

Jesus came to fulfill the Old Law by bringing forth a New and better Law in the New Covenant. Not as a means of salvation all by itself. Nobody can be saved by rule keeping alone without Jesus. Salvation is still ultimately in Jesus Christ. But if one repents of their sins and accepts Christ and Jesus lives in them, then the Lord will desire to work thru their life so as to obey His Word. For Jesus said you can do nothing without Him (John 15:5). Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. So all glory, honor, and power goes to Jesus.



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Are you saying the Pharisees didn't believe sacrifices for sin could be made?

From now on I will not reply to your posts directly. I will only reply in a general way.

Peace be unto you.


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stuart lawrence

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Credit where credit is due, the above is a great improvement on many of your posts.
However, to get back to the point.
You say Paul is speaking solely of OT law concerning a righteousness of your own under the law.
However Paul gave thou shalt not covet as the example of why he had to die to the law of righteousness and you certainly believe that commandment exists now.
 
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stuart lawrence

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Produce just one verse of scripture from Paul's letters where he states you die to a law of righteousness solely concerning non applicable OT law.
I can give you scripture that proves that Is not the case. Have you any?
 
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Acts 17:30 commands all men to repent.

1 John 3:23 commands us to believe in Jesus Christ.

Did you not depend upon your own effort to reach out to Jesus to save you in the first place? Does not one have to act to be saved by Jesus initially? Is that also an effort of righteousness or merit on their part? Did not a believer (who has truly accepted Christ) act in accordance with the above two commands?

Also, Jesus said we can do nothing without Him (John 15:5). This means that you literally cannot obey all of God's Word without Jesus working thru you to do it. For there is none good but God. Jesus is the One who does the "good work" thru you and it is not yourself doing a good work all by your own power alone. If Jesus lives in you, then good fruit will be evident in your life and not bad fruit. It's why Paul says we are to prove Jesus Christ is in us us unless we be reprobate. Proving in how we know Jesus or not is explained to us in 1 John 2:3-6. Please read this passage carefully in prayer.

Superscritter said:
The OSAS believer believes that even if they lie, they will still go to heaven because they believe their righteousness comes ONLY from Jesus, not because they made any effort to not lie.

Which is wrong because they are doing evil in the name of God.
God is good and His Kingdom is good, too.
God cannot agree with the OSAS version of Salvation because that would mean God would have to agree with sin in order for it to work.
Revelation 21:8 says all liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire.
Now, if they repent of their lying (i.e. they confess and forsake that sin), then that is a different story. But to do evil and think you are good goes against how we understand basic morality. A person knows the good guys from the bad guys by what they do (And not in what they believe).


We have to look at the reality of the situation or the real world example. Your example in the real world is not taking into account of all the facts. The reality is that we sinned against God. This would be a break in fellowship and it needs to be restored. If a husband cheats on his wife, he could face the consequences of receiving a sexually transmitted disease and lose his life. When we do evil, it comes back upon us. We reap what we sow. Granted, God is not out to destroy us every time we do something wrong (because He desires us to repent), but He is a God of justice. If we do not cooperate with His morality or goodness in this life, things will not go well for us in the End and we will have made our own bed or choice to do evil vs. (versus) choosing God and His right ways.


Eternal Torment is not Biblical. So I do not see it as this great sole motivator for doing good as you say. Yes, hell can motivate a believer to repent, but that is not always the case with believers. Many also are motivated out of love, as well.


There are no short cuts. It takes baby steps. A believer has to many times grow. Perfect love casts out fear; And a believer learns to truly love God by their upright walk with Him. For the alternative is a justification of doing evil in God's name. So there is really no other choice. Grow in the knowledge of God about His love thru the faith and in walking with Him, or do evil in His name. The first one sounds better to me.

Superscritter said:
We can explain it away (that living holy is not at least in part motivated by avoiding hell), but we would be living in a wilful state of denial - denying an inconvenient fact because it makes us feel uncomfortable.

Remember, we did sin against God. You act like we do not deserve to be punished in hell. Sin demands a punishment because God is into fair justice.

Superscritter said:
The core of an OSAS belief is that Christians are ONLY motivated to be holy because they love God. That is the only motivation, because they believe the motivator of 'going to hell' does not exist.

Not true. Many (and not all) OSAS Proponent's motivation is not to obey God's commands (which is sin) (See 1 John 3:4). How so? Well, many of them have mocked others who seek to focus on obeying God's commands. I have seen it happen time and time again. A person cannot mention a few words in their post or create a thread on the New Testament Commands as a part of a Bible study without being attacked. They believe they will always be in sin according to 1 John 1:8 and Galatians 2:17. This is not obedience but disobedience.

Superscritter said:
Therefore the ONLY reason for being holy is because that's what Jesus wants. It is no longer based on one's own merit, being holy is solely to please God.

You did not earn salvation. One can be saved right here and right now by Jesus Christ by repenting of their sins. Even a believer who sinned and needs to get their heart right with God can confess of their sin and be forgiven. This is grace and not merit. But grace is not a license to sin. Grace is a means to overcome sin because Jesus desires to transform our lives into His image.


No. They will be erased from existence. Hell will be cast into the lake of fire to be destroyed. It is not eternal torment. God is love and His judgments are fair and good. He does not punish people beyond what the crimes or sins call for. God is good.



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As for what Law Paul was talking about in Romans 7 in regards to coveting:

#1. Paul is talking from his perspective as a Pharisee in the bulk of Romans 7 (Romans 7:10-24). He explains his struggle in trying to keep the Old Law on his own power without Jesus Christ.

#2. Paul mentions an Eternal Moral Law (taken from the Old Law) that still applies to us under the New Covenant. Paul is mentioning how his struggle to keep a Command that is holy and good is not possible to keep on his own ability because of he was once carnal and sold under sin as a Pharisee (Before he became a Christian).

#3. Paul solution is Romans 8:1-2. Walking after the Spirit in Christ Jesus sets us free from the Law of Sin and Death (i.e. the Law of Moses).

3 "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:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8:3-4).​

So thru Jesus, we now have the capacity to walk after the Spirit and fulfill the righteous aspect or part of the Law (Which is the Law of love - See Romans 13:8-10).


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Jason0047 said:
Isaiah 59:2

“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

Dear HG:

Grace, peace, and love to you from the Lord Jesus Christ.
I hope all is going well with you in regards to the good things of the Lord.
Anyways, to get down to business:

First, Isaiah 59:2 plainly says their sins have separated them from God.

God is not ultimately concerned about our physical well being but He is ultimately concerned about our spiritual well being. God is Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24). If God’s Word says that our sins have separated us from Him, that means He is talking spiritually. We ultimately sin against God on a spiritual level because God (as the Trinity) is a spirit being. So if we commit serious sin, we separate ourselves from God unless we repent.

Second, the Israelite’s sin is used as a warning to us.

We see that the Israelite's sin is was what consumed them.

"And the LORD'S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed." (Numbers 32:13).​

And then we see God telling Moses that he will blot their name out of His book if those Israelites who sinned against Him.

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book." (Exodus 32:33).​

Moses was willing to blot his own name out God's book in order to save the Israelites (Exodus 32:32). Obviously if Moses knew they would be safe in God’s arms in the afterlife if they died physically, then it would have been pointless for Moses to throw down his own life (if he knew they would be saved spiritually by God).

In fact, Revelation 21:2 and Revelation 21:27 says this about the book of life,

2 "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, ..."
27 "And there shall in no way enter into it anything that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes a lie: but they who are written in the Lamb's book of life."​

Here in verse 27 of Revelation 21, we learn that nothing can enter the holy city of Jerusalem that defiles, works abomination (sin), or makes a lie. But who can? Those whose names are written in the book of life can enter. So this tells us that those whose names are written in the book of life are NOT those who defiles themselves or those who work abominations, or who lies.

Revelation 22:19 says,

"And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."​

Okay, this is pretty clear in letting us know that the sin leads to a loss of one's salvation. If a person were to take away the words of the book of this prophecy (Whether you believe that is the book of Revelation or the Bible), God will take away their name out of the book of life.

Isaiah 59:20 is repeated in part in Romans 11:26.

"And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:" (Romans 11:26).​

Romans 11:22 says if we do not continue in His goodness we will be cut off. This is talking about righteousness and it is not talking about receiving the mercy of Jesus Christ by having faith in Him alone. John 15:6 says, "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." 1 John 2:3-6 says,

3 "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked."​

So we know if whether or not Jesus is abiding in us if we find that we are keeping His commandments. If we are not keeping His commandments and claim to know Him, we are a liar. This means we have to keep his commandments in order to be true in saying we abide in Christ. But Jesus says if we do not abide in Him, then we are cast off as a branch and burned. This is obvious. You cannot claim to sin and say you know Him or abide within Him. Jesus says if you do not abide in Him then you will be cast off and burned. This is clearly talking about hell.

Matthew 13:41-42 says the same thing. It says Christ will send forth his angels and gather out of HIS KINGDOM all who offend (sin) and which do iniquity (intense sin) and cast them into the furnace of fire (hell).

Also, in 1 Corinthians 10:1-14 it talks about how many of the Israelites who were set free from Egypt had drank of that spiritual rock who is Jesus Christ, but because of their sin, they died. Their death was an example to us that we should not sin. For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Verse 13 in 1 Corinthians 10 concludes the point with the sin of Israelites by saying that God provides a way of escape if we are tempted. Hebrews 3:8-12 mentions how the Israelites had tested God because they always do err in their heart and they have not known His ways. God declared an oath in his wrath that they (i.e. the Israelites who fell in the wilderness) would not enter into His rest. The rest spoken of here is talking about salvation. The Israelite’s error was sin. They provoked God by their sin (which is unbelief). They departed from the living God.

“12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:12-13).​

Did you catch that? There is a warning to us about hardening our hearts to the deceitfulness of sin. So yes. Sin is a big problem. It hardens the heart and causes an evil heart of unbelief making us depart from the living God. The deceitfulness of sin is the lie that the devil pushed in the Garden of Eden.

“Yea, you shall not surely die.” ~ The Devil.
But people today are buying into the same lie that Eve bought into back in the Garden.
The devil was trying to get Adam and Eve to break God’s one Command.
When they broke that command, they died spiritually.


No. Jesus said repent or perish.
Perish means to perish spiritually in the Lake of Fire because most everyone dies regardless of whether they are saved or not saved.
“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation.” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
Peter said to Simon, “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.”
If Peter believed as you did, then he would have never said to repent to God and pray that he may be forgiven for his sin.

1 John 1:9 says if we confess of our sins he is faithful and just to forgive of us our sins.
This is in context to forsaking sin in 1 John 1:7 that says that by doing so (i.e. walking in the light of the Lord) the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from sin.

We also see that the Prodigal Son was willing to repent (Which is a part of his restoration to his father), too. In other words, when the son went prodigal and then he later returned home, his father said to his son that he was dead and is now alive again.

Jason0047 said:
Micah 3:4

Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.
HatGuy said:
...we're dealing with the nation of Israel here, we're not dealing with individuals and their eternal destiny.

No. Nations are made up of individuals. If not, then they wouldn't exist. If God is judging a nation he judges them by the majority of people living there. A call of repentance for a nation starts with one individual and then goes on from there. God was calling the Ninevites to repent, and they were a really large city or people. But Scripture records how the Ninevites repented as a whole.

Jesus cried over the city of Jerusalem. He said,

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God's messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn't let me.” (Matthew 23:37 NLT).​

Jesus was not talking to some national entity as if it was a monster like creature. Jesus was talking to the people as a whole.

But Matthew 23:37 proves the same thing that Micah 3:4 says. Their sin or unbelief separated them from God. If God hides his face from you, how is their salvation? To say that Micah 3:4 is not talking about salvation is a huge strain against what the text says. God will hide His face from you and yet He will still save you? Sorry, I am not buying that. It goes against the plain normal reading of the text. Hebrews 12:14 says without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.


As for Micah 4: Yes, Israel will one day repent as a nation, but that does not mean sin (which is another way of saying unbelief) did not separate them from God in the past or in the present. For sin is transgression of the law (1 John 3:4); And there is a law or command telling us that we have to believe on Jesus Christ. That is why those who do not believe on Jesus are condemned in John chapter 3. It is a breaking of God’s Command that is very serious and proves yet again that sin is separation from God.


I partly agree with you here. I believe God sent Israel into captivity to make them repent. But I disagree with you on that God always finds a way to restore His people. Paul says that the Jews were cut off because of unbelief. So this does not mean that the people of Israel as a whole were walking correctly with God throughout all points in time. These people of Israel are made up of individuals and I believe on a national level each generation’s status of right standing with God in the afterlife was not always the same.

Also, the fact that they were restored later does not mean that they were saved during the time that they did not repent.

Oh, and I am not doubting that God can restore a believer (who has backslidden into a life of sin) back to the faith to the saving of their soul. James 5:19-20 talks about this. But that still does not negate the truth that sin is the cause for our separation between us and God.

Jason0047 said:
Luke 13:3

I tell you, Nay: but, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish

So a person’s free will in regards to salvation is taken away after they accept Christ?
I am sorry, I just do not see that.
I see Ananias and Sapphira as an example that we as believers need to fear the Lord because they did a horrible sin (like lying to the Holy Ghost).
Perish means exactly that.
It means to perish in the afterlife because all people die.

In addition, Jesus also says,

27 “But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Luke 3:27-28).​

Jason0047 said:
John 3:20

"For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved

No. That is a wrong translation. The King James says that their deeds will be reproved in verse 20 and it is not the word exposed. Meaning, if they are reproved that means they would have repented of their sins.

“For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” (John 3:20).

For all who do evil hate the light. For all men loved the darkness rather than the light unless their deeds are reproved (i.e. meaning unless they repented of their sins whereby their deeds will then be brought forth by God doing the good work thru them).

Also, “belief” in Jesus here is more than just a belief on Jesus the person but it is a belief on everything He taught and commanded us to do. If not, then one is believing in another Jesus.

Jesus says why do you call me Lord, Lord if you do not do what I say? Jesus says if you love me, keep my commandments. 1 John 3:10 says, “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.”

Jason0047 said:
John 9:31 ESV

We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him
HatGuy said:
You've quoted the blind man that was healed, not Jesus.

Nowhere did I state that it was Jesus. I just quoted John 9:31 under a general list of verses that show how sin is separation from God.


No. You are making the text say something that it does not say. The man that Jesus healed did not say that he was reminding his accusers of what they believe. In verse 31, the man said… “we” and he does not say, “you say.”

In fact, the man who was healed struck a nerve with his accusers by saying that God does not listen to sinners but he listens to the Godly person who does his will because they said to the man (Jesus healed) that he was steeped in sin at birth and how dare he to lecture them on such matters. So your view on this passage is simply not true and does not make any sense in light of what it actually says.

HatGuy said:
This is the issue with posting tons of scriptures but not actually considering their context. It's a shotgun approach with very little value. It's far better to slow down and use the scriptures effectively - quality rather than quantity in this case.

Well, I disagree with the majority of your conclusions and think they actually go against what the Bible says plainly. Jesus says if you do not forgive, the Father will not forgive you (Matthew 6:15). Yet, you have to change the plain straight forward reading of that. 1 John 3:15 says he that hates his brother is a murderer and we know no murderer has eternal life abiding within them. Again, this is pretty straight forward sounding. Only if one does not want to believe such verses is where one will run into a problem.

Anyways, I pray you will see where I am coming from.
May God’s love and blessings be upon you.

With loving kindness to you in Christ.

Sincerely,

~ Jason.



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stuart lawrence

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So my brothers, you also died to the law( of righteousness) through the body of Christ that you might belong to another, to him that was raised from the dead in order that we might bear fruit for God.
For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinfull passions aroused by the law were at work I our bodies so that we bore fruit for death.
But now, by dying to what once bound us we have been released from the law, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not the old way of the written code
Rom7:4-6

You have to die to a

law of righteousness I order to live for God.
If you live under it sinful passions are aroused in you by the law.
You are released from the law and serve in the new way of the Spirit.
Which law arouses sinful passions in you if you live under it?
Paul was referring to the moral law/ Ten commandments.
He gives an illustration from his own life as to why he had to die to a law of righteousness.
Through his knowledge of the commandment:
Thou shalt not covet
Sin used that knowledge/commandment to arouse all manner of concupiscence in Paul. Therefore sinfull passions were aroused in Paul by the law when he lived under it.
Paul is speaking In:7:11 of when the law came to him. This would have been as a young Pharisee when he came of age to make a commitment to God.
An earnest law of righteousness resulted in Paul being corrupted on the inside.
As Jesus said to the Pharisees. They were full of wickedness, hypocrisy and everything unclean on the inside. They broke the commandment.
Thou shalt not covet.
In verses 14-25 Paul goes into detail as to how living under a law of righteousness concerning thou shalt not covet/ the moral law resulted I faliure after faliure to obey the law, no matter how hard he tried.
That is the result of trying to be righteous/ attain heaven under the letter of the law.
Your oft repeated argument of the law changed is not applicable concerning this subject( if at all) for Paul is speaking of law Tha fully exists today as the reason he must die to a law of righteousness.
His experience in rom 7 tells us why he believed the TC were the letter Tha kills and the ministry of death and condemnation.
If you truly understood romans ch7 you would run away from a law of righteousness
 
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stuart lawrence

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Sin in the flesh is condemned for Jesus died for our sins.
If you follow after the Holy Spirit, you look to Christ and trust him to change you by the sanctification of the Spirit.
You have to look away from the TC/ moral law , for you cannot obey the letter of it, it will always condemn you, and sinful passions will be aroused I you by the applicable law if you live under a righteousness of observing it.
When you trust christ the fruits of the Spirit grow in your life. Those fruits are the embodiment of how God wants you to live, they do not bring you into conflict with Gods good and holy laws that exist today under the NC
Against those fruits of the Spirit there is no law gal5:23.

However, you cannot follow after the holy spirit for you insist in following after the letter That kills, and according to Paul, that results I corruption on the inside. You can only follow one or the other, not both
The letter that kills is the letter of the moral law/TC
It exists today the same as it did under the OC, it has not changed, it is the same now as it was then
 
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stuart lawrence

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Who most earnestly hinged everything on a law of righteousness when Christ walked this earth?
The Pharisees.
Which law could they not obey?
The moral law/TC

They, as Saul the Pharisee could faultlessly obey Torah, but not the moral law.
How different were the Pharisees from King David.
He ultimately relied on Gods unfailing love to attain heaven, whereas the Pharisees relied on a righteousness of their own under the law. Yet his resulted I them neglecting the love of God and being full of wickednness, hypocrisy and everything unclean on the inside.

On the outside, before men the Pharisees appeared the most Godly of people, and they insisted the ordinary folk must fully obey the letter of the law. The letter they could not themselves keep on the inside, the letter only God need know they broke.

Some who demand you fully obey the law unto righteousness excuse the sin/ breaking the law only God need know you break.
It always puzzles me how some can do that, I never could
Neither could the people who end up having to be counselled by christian counsellors for they went to churches, That in reality earnestly preached a law of righteousness and they ended up in the state Paul did in rom7:7-11

It is tragic that people today go to christian churches and then try to attain heaven as Saul the Pharisee tried to attain heaven, and they get the same result he got
They were sincere, and refused to be phariseeical In nature, and suffered by only being preached partially the letter, without the heart of the message the letter contained
 
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stuart lawrence

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So lets bring all the scriptures together on this subject:

For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?
Heb2:2&3

Firstly, you have to understand and accept what this great salvation is. You have a righteousness/ justification before God apart from law. You are not judged according to your personal goodness under the law, you are free. You cannot be condemned for your imperfections.
Believing this, believing Jesus is your rightstanding before God, not your personal goodness under the law results I the power of sin being removed from your life. You will see dramatic victory over sin in your life, for the power of sin is the law of righteousness( 1cor15:56)
You will, following This path live a far more holy life than you ever could by striving to obey a law of righteousness. This is the great salvation Paul relentlessly preached.
So what can go wrong?
You never get born again in the flesh. As long as you keep following after the Holy Spirit in the truth of this great salvation you are fine, you are happier than you ever knew you could be. But you can give into the flesh( wilfull sin) as all christians do at times for none is perfect.
When you do, the law placed on your heart brings a seering conscience, it can do nothing else. This results in you coming before your father in heaven and asking his forgiveness for your folly, and all I well.
But what if you kept, constantly giving into the flesh, once you had understood Thi great salvation? What then?
Well you would be seering your conscience, time after time, and your faith will suffer
If you kept it up for long enough sin would harden you, and your faith would weaken. And as hatguy said, if you lose your faith you lose your salvation.
This is an unlikely, but not impossible scenario.
And as you see dramatic victory over sin by following the truth of this great salvation, God may ask something from your life that you balk at giving. This can give rise to your faith suffering, your peace affected. You are not following after the holy Spirit in the direction he is leafing. This allows sin a foothold that it would not otherwise have, and again, your faith suffers

But I stress, all of the above hinges on you firstly understanding and accepting the message of grace. Those who strive to be justified under a law of righteousness do not understand grace.
Personally, I have never met anyone who understood and accepted the great salvation Paul preached whos heart became hardened by sin to the point they walked away from the faith.

I have met many people who tried to attain heaven under a law of righteousness who walked away from the faith for they were not prepared to be hard nosed and phariseeical, they gave up because the route they followed must fail, they never understood the great salvation on offer
 
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As for dying to a law of righteousness:

Galatians 2:21
"I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."

Paul was a Pharisee and obedience to the Law was the focus of the Pharisee religion for salvation. It's focus was not grace or salvation or mercy because you could be killed by capital punishment (according to the Old Law) instead of confessing your sins to Jesus (which is grace). Paul is also proposing that a person cannot be righteous in the old Pharisee way anymore. So when Paul says --- "if righteousness comes by the Law, Christ's death is in vain," --- he is speaking about Justification. Justification is what gets a person clean or forgiven of their sins when they first come to the faith (By asking Jesus to forgive them in being a sinner and in believing in Christ's death and resurrection for their salvation). Justification is also the means by which they can stay right with God by confessing their sins to Jesus, as well (See 1 John 2:1, 1 John 1:9). For we do not go out and do more good works in order to get clean or forgiven. Works are a part of the Sanctification process of the believer (Which is a different aspect of salvation that is a work of Christ or God done in you).

Galatians 2:20
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me"

What is this faith from the Son of God?
It is the same faith that Jesus Christ taught us.
In addition to believing on Jesus as our Savior
The faith that Jesus also taught us said,
If you love me, keep my commandments.
The faith that Paul also teaches us besides believing in Jesus is that what he had written should be regarded as the Lord's commandments.

In other words, Scripture has to be read in a balance with other verses like James 2:17, Hebrews 5:9, Hebrews 12:14, Titus 1:16, Acts 8:22, Philippians 2:12, Matthew 5:28-30, Matthew 6:15, Matthew 13:41-42, 1 John 3:10, 1 John 3:15.


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stuart lawrence

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Paul states the christian has righteousness APART from law( not apart from some law
Rom3:21


Balancing scripture as you put it in an effort to overturn the plainly written word is false balancing!

You are blinded from the truth and unwilling to yield to it
 
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