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I had a similar thought.Best to stop listening to any sermons. They wear special clothes, sometimes have a person devoted to special lighting, and they end a sermon with appropriate music all designed to keep you from thinking and reading for yourself.
I often used to listen to sermons from the control booth and chatted with the lighting and sound control guy. I was dating his sister.
Instead, I attended Sunday class where thought and dialogue was encouraged.
Cool.I had a similar thought.
I once attended a Messianic synagogue where the sermon talk was much more interactive, people would ask questions or make comments and the speaker would respond.
You will not find God in God’s Words? I would rather find God based on Truth from His Words than based on mans interpretation of scriptures. Maybe you should watch the story of my pastor, Doug Batchelor “The Richest Caveman.” He was a druggie, not raised with any religion, mother was an actress, father a very wealthy man. Doug was kicked out of school, stealing from his neighbors and ended up living in a cave. In the cave was a Bible. He started reading it which led Him directly to God and changed His life. So I wholeheartedly disagree.
No, don't misunderstand me. You will read about God, and He will use the Bible to speak to you. Hopefully, when this happens, a person does not reject the gift of Faith that is being offered.
After Faith comes, then we are indwelt by the Spirit. A person of Faith has God living in them! How would it be that they would keep on seeking Him in words?
I understand how it happens sadly. The agony that Jesus felt is unimaginable when the very people who religiously and constantly sought after God - in the Scriptures - looked at Jesus with contempt. The Son of God standing in front of them, and they would rather continue to 'seek' for Him elsewhere.
Think about it. For hundreds of years, there was no "Bible". Yet countless people came to know Christ as the promised Messiah. Some did have the Hebrew Scriptures, but not all. They are good for teaching, reproof, correction, and training - but you are not going to find where they are said to 'contain' God.
If you are looking for God - look for Him working in the life of mankind. He is not some cosmic entity that hides Himself, waiting for only the worthy ones to find Him. Those are man made gods.
[Heb 1:1-2 ESV] 1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
Hi imge, lots of great points in your post!
I don't see myself as removing any of God's laws.
We know that God's laws are fulfilled by loving our neighbor as ourselves.
So if my brother dies without leaving any sons, do I marry his wife and have sex with her, in addition to the wife that I already have, so as to raise up sons in his name?
No, but I do love his widow as I love myself.
I'm feel as if we agree, yet I'm not entirely sure; so please tell me what you think of the following:
I believe that God's laws are eternal, all of them, not just the ten commandments: for example, I think circumcision remains a token of the covenant with Abraham, now transferred to Christ who circumcises our hearts, etc.
I think each covenant has been absorbed by the latter as a natural process of growth seems to absorb the former parts, but has in-fact grown from them; so too do I think God's covenants were all pointing to Christ's final covenant, the redemption of men by grace through faith.
--I simply believe that God's laws have been transferred to Christ, all of them, and that Christ is now the new Administrator of God's laws, like Levi once was.
Hebrews is addressed to NT Hebrews who, because of persecution by the Jews and disinheritance by their families,1. No text says "The Sabbath was fulfilled in Christ"
2. No text says "the Sabbath was a shadow of things to come"
From the incomplete rest of Canaan into which Joshua led them (Heb 4:8).3. Heb 4:9 9 Consequently, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
"Remains" from when ?
Remaining, as in "still available," for the people of God (Heb 4:9) to make every effort to enter (Heb 4:11).Heb 4:9 has it remaining as it was at the time of David.
With the growing number of churches that are teaching God’s laws are a thing of the past citing arguments like “we are not under the law we are under grace” .......
Well, I guess this is where we see things differently.Hi Leaf,
Thanks for the comments. I am glad you are not removing God's laws because it teaches us how to love God (Jesus greatest commandment- love God with all your heart and seek Him first). The first 4 commandments are how we are to show God our love. The last 6 commandments summarizes Jesus second greatest commandment on how we are love and treat each other. We learn through the second covenant Gods commandments are written in our hearts and we obey (mind) because of our love for God and each other.
God bless
I don't need to look for God I found Him. He has provided the Holy Spirit when I seek for His Truth. Yes, during the dark ages when Bibles were not allowed, God spoke to people through His Spirit. What a blessing it is that we have God's Word, the Holy Bible and we should be reading it earnestly to seek Him and pray for His Holy Spirit to guide us on His Truth. When we draw near to God He draws near to us James 4:7-8 We should seek God through His Word John 8:31-36
God will wink at people sins, if they did not know they were sinning Acts 17:30,31 but once we learn the Truth and turn away from it, that is a different story. If we are knowingly breaking God's commandments when God asks us not to it is because we are still a slave to our sins and need to seek Jesus in repentance and confession of sins 1 John 1:9
I appreciate the comments and God bless you in seeking His Word.
I agree yet some do not understand that fact . Those who choose the law under the Old Covenant must be reminded they are under all its commands. We know that can not be accomplished. Those who choose to be under the New Covenant are free from bondage of the law through Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Thanks for engaging. Be blessed.It's not a game on keeping how many, but a state of being that seeks to please God.
Actually, that's not true. Jesus came to give us the love that fulfills the law, as the ten commandments are based on love which is why they can be summed up by the greatest commandments. The New Testament as well as the ancient churches continued to support the moral law as defined by the ten commandments, being, as they are anyway, holy, righteous, good, and spiritual as Paul tells us in Rom 7.Jesus amplified the law to bury us under it. not our failed attempts at obeying it.
That's true. Man's righteousness, the "righteousness of God" that man was made for, is defined by love. The New Covenant does not relieve us of the obligation to be righteous, as if God suddenly no longer cares about injustice/sin, but finally provides the authentic means to fulfill that obligation, the right way. God, alone, can justify man IOW.And, as Paul stated, "love is the fulfillment of the law," not our failed attempts at obeying it. This is the love that comes from bearing the fruit of the Spirit God is producing in us. When we are loving others, we are not sinning with or against them.
Well, I guess this is where we see things differently.
I think the ten commandments were to show the Israelites in the wilderness how to love God and love each other.
But they are just a starting point.
The Israelites were told that they could work for themselves six days a week, it was just the seventh that was holy to God.
But as Christians, we know that we work for God everyday. This is why we can understand that some people will regard one day above another, while others will regard all days alike.
I'm one of the
all days are alike people,
because I view all days as holy to God.
God bless you too!
No one person ever could or was ever supposed to keep all "613"
The Jews were under a Theocracy. The laws pertained to them as a nation. The nation of Israel was under the law aka Torah. The take away .... this Theocracy no longer exists as the law was fulfilled. He made a new Covenant with all who follow Him, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.No one person ever could or was ever supposed to keep all "613"
That is good to hear.
There is a difference between abiding(remaining) in Him, versus seeking Him. You do not have to seek for something that you have already found, but you can remain in something only after you found it.
Oftentimes people use different words to mean different things to them, so maybe that is what you are doing?
The times of God's "winking" have passed. They are no more. He now commands that people repent. There are no more excuses for mankind.
A child of God can break His commandments. Not something we should want to do, but because we are in this body of flesh we constantly struggle.
There are some religions/denominations out there that teach a 'true' child of God will slowly but surely find it easier(in a way) to 'obey' the commandments. While it sounds good on the surface, it is deceiving.
Our born-again spirit 'wars' against our flesh. There is a literal war going on as long as we are breathing. When you find that you are no longer battling against something, it means something has decided to stop fighting. I assure you.....as long as we are in our earthly flesh it will not stop fighting to overtake our born-again spirit.
Hebrews is addressed to NT Hebrews who, because of persecution by the Jews and disinheritance by their families,
were considering a return to Judaism. It contains five spiritual warnings about the drastic spiritual consequences
Christ is the fulfillment of the Sabbath, set apart (sanctified) and given for rest (Ex 23:3; Dt 5:14),
which is why we find the NT Christians assembling on the day of Christ's resurrection, the Lord's Day (Ac 20:7; 1Co 16:2; Rev 1:10).
Hmmm let's read Lev 23 and see if they call them "sabbaths" just so there is no confusion...
Lev 23
2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord’s appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these:
3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. (KJV)
26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 27 “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. 28 And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement,.... 32 It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath.”
37 ‘These are the feasts of the Lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day— 38 besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the Lord.
The weekly Sabbath is a memorial of creation week - events that had no sin and no animal sacrifice.
Ex 20:8-11 "Remember the Sabbath day.. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
Gen 2:
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Testimony of Acts 18:4 supports the fact that "every Sabbath" they met for gospel preaching for both Jews and gentiles - those who were believers and those who had yet to believe.
Testimony of Isaiah 66:23 supports the fact that for all eternity after the cross "all mankind" would come before God and bow down in the New earth.
Acts 20:7 does not mention "do not take God's name in vain" and does not mention "love your neighbor as yourself" nor even "honor your father and mother"... it is not a text for deleting scripture. It only mentions that "one time" they were gathered in the evening of what they call in Acts 20:7 "week day 1" to break bread and have gospel preaching since the following day part of week-day-1 Paul was leaving. Nothing here about "ever week day 1 we bid farewell to Paul" or "every week day 1 we meet". No doubt they did meet once - on week-day-1 in Acts 20:7
1Co 16:2 does not say that they rested on week-day-1 only that each person saved up funds by himself at home - on what they were still calling "week-day-1". Nothing there is "week-day-1 is the Lord's day" or "week-day-1 is a weekly day for meeting" or "meet on each week-day-1" etc.
Rev 1:10 - does not tell us which day of the week is "The Lord's Day" all we have for that is "the Sabbath - The Holy Day of the Lord" Isaiah 58:13 - which is The Sabbath, and also Mark 2:28 "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath" -- no other text assigns a day to that term.
The Sabbath was not given to man for rest in Ge 2:1-3.
According to the Bible it was - and also according to scholars of almost every Christian denomination on planet Earth.
for example:
The Baptist Confession of Faith,
the Westminster Confession of Faith ,
D.L. Moody,
R.C Sproul,
Matthew Henry,
Thomas Watson
Eastern Orthodox Catechism
The Catholic Catechism
to list a few.
The Jews were under a Theocracy. The laws pertained to them as a nation. The nation of Israel was under the law aka Torah. The take away .... this Theocracy no longer exists as the law was fulfilled. He made a new Covenant with all who follow Him, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
I agree yet some do not understand that fact . Those who choose the law under the Old Covenant must be reminded they are under all its commands. We know that can not be accomplished. Those who choose to be under the New Covenant are free from bondage of the law through Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Thanks for engaging. Be blessed.
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