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The Covenant is only for Israel - Not the World

Gregory Thompson

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Do you think that God gave the Israelites instructions for how to bear fruit
If you're going by the law, the basis of fruit is how you treat those who are least of all.

This is because you are acting benevolent for no selfish reason.

The Israelites however, are not a good comparison since they were not born again.
 
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Gregory Thompson

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It is good to have the self-awareness to recognize when we have interpreted a verse as saying something completely absurd and to conclude that we must have misunderstood it rather than to promote an absurdity as truth.
Paul said that if righteousness can come by the law, then Christ died in vain.

Perhaps this may hint at some absurdities in your theologies expressed.
 
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Gregory Thompson

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God's word reveals that those who do not practice righteousness in obedience to His law are not born again
Where is it written exactly as you have said?
 
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Gregory Thompson

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The Spirit has the role of leading us to obey God.

Using Israelites as a comparison illustrates that the instructions expressed in your post are not for people born again by the Holy Spirit.
 
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Gregory Thompson

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In Matthew 5:28, Jesus taught something that was more difficult than the law, it says that our intent to lust counts as the action of lust. This this not taught in the law, it is alluded to in Job.

What the law teaches on it is easier.

Jesus also taught, no divorce, and that the commandment to divorce was given because the hearts of the people were hardened.

Why then was he not stoned for blasphemy and for adding to God's teachings?
 
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Clare73

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Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant (Lk 20:22, 1 Co 11:25), and then commissioned his apostles to make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19).
 
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Gregory Thompson

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The word, the law through the spirit through Christ is kept. It is of Christ. Those that do are. Those who do not are not.
Sounds like humans saying who is of God and who is not instead of God.

Since God is the only one who can be certain of that, I disagree with the premise of this theology.
 
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HIM

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Sounds like humans saying who is of God and who is not instead of God.

Since God is the only one who can be certain of that, I disagree with the premise of this theology.
They shall be know by their fruits. For it is God that works in us both to will and do His good pleasure. Make us perfect in every good work to do his will, working in us that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. For God has said I will put my laws in our hearts and write them in our minds. So say not in your heart who shall bring it down from above or up from the deep. But say the word is nigh unto thee. In thy mouth and in thy heart that you do it. That is the word of faith in which we preach.
 
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Gregory Thompson

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If it's written in our hearts, then it's a different kind of "law" than in a book.

James speaks of this law of liberty, and it's far different than the Mosaic one, the antithesis of this non-penned law is the law of sin within the body of Romans 7.

Only those in whom it is written, will understand it.
 
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HIM

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If it's written in our hearts, then it's a different kind of "law" than in a book.

Depends on whether we are sinning or not
James speaks of this law of liberty, and it's far different than the Mosaic one,
You might want to reread chapter 1 and 2 again. It is not likely that you are understanding it correctly considering this statement of yours.

the antithesis of non-penned law is the law of sin within the body of Romans 7.
What do you think the law of sin is?
Only those in whom it is written, will understand it.
Exactly.
 
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Gregory Thompson

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Depends on whether we are sinning or not

You might want to reread chapter 1 and 2 again. It is not likely that you are understanding it correctly considering this statement of yours.


What do you think the law of sin is?

Exactly.
The law of liberty speaks about treating others as Jesus has treated you. If you fail to do so, you then get judged without mercy i.e. by the mosaic law.

Paul said, I no longer sin, but it is the sin within me that sins. By identifying the sin separate from the creation, it's like a virus, an infection or something similar that causes creation to malfunction. Sin tends to be defined as a list of offenses, sometimes summary statements are provided, but these lists are just a way of identifying when treatment is required.
 
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fhansen

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And yet if we're not behaving as God's children should we're probably not born again after all.
 
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Soyeong

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If you're going by the law, the basis of fruit is how you treat those who are least of all.

This is because you are acting benevolent for no selfish reason.

The Israelites however, are not a good comparison since they were not born again.
So are you now agreeing that God's law is His instructions for how to bear fruit for Him by teaching us how to treat those who are lest of all? How good or bad of a job that the Israelites followed God's law doesn't change that it is God's instructions for how to bear fruit for Him.

Paul said that if righteousness can come by the law, then Christ died in vain.

Perhaps this may hint at some absurdities in your theologies expressed.
I completely agree that we do not earn our righteousness as the result of obeying God's law and I have never suggested otherwise because that was never one of the reasons for why we should obey it, so that is not contrary to my position.

Where is it written exactly as you have said?

1 John 3:10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

God's law is His instructions for how to practice righteousness, such as by helping the poor and honoring our parents, and this is further supported by the fact that the context of 1 John 3:4-10 contrasts practicing sin in transgression of God's law with practicing righteousness in obedience to it.

I probably view your theology the same way. Not a problem.
You are free to think that, but if you are unable to explain how your position is not absurd, then the problem remains with your position. You are more that welcome to explain what it is that is innate to a command not to sin that magnifies sin instead of leading us away from sin or to explain why it is not absurd to think that Paul delighted in causing sin to increase.

The Spirit has the role of leading us to obey God.
Why do you say that the Spirit has the role of leading us to obey God, but stop short of saying that the Spirit has the role of leading us to obey what God has instructed?

Using Israelites as a comparison illustrates that the instructions expressed in your post are not for people born again by the Holy Spirit.
The Israelites are a light to the nations either by being an example of what we should do when they obeyed God's law or by being an example of what we should avoid doing when they disobeyed God's law, and we should learn from their example of disobedience what we should avoid doing (1 Corinthians 10:1-13). So regardless of the extent to which the Israelites did what is righteous or wicked, we should still have faith for God to correctly divide between the two through His law in accordance with the leading of the Spirit.
If what you said it correct, then you are arguing that Jesus sinned in violation of Deuteronomy 4:2 and is therefore not our Savior. However, if we correctly understand what is being commanded against by the 7th and 10th Commandments against adultery and coveting in our hearts, then we will not lust after a woman in our hearts, so Jesus was just teaching how to correctly obey those commands as it was originally intended, not adding to or subtracting from the law.

In Matthew 19:3, Jesus was asked whether a man was permitted to divorce a woman for any reason. For context, Gittin 90a-b interprets Deuteronomy 24:1-4 as saying that a man is permitted to divorce his wife if she ruins his meal or if he finds another woman who is prettier than her. It was this sort of divorce over frivolous reasons that was not the case from the beginning, so again Jesus was not making changes to what the Father taught in disagreement with Him.

Jesus was not stoned for blasphemy and for adding to God's teachings straightforwardly because he never did that.
 
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Gregory Thompson

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And yet if we're not behaving as God's children should we're probably not born again after all.
At the same time, there's people who were born into Christian Families, really trying hard ... but didn't get born again. Best to leave this expertise up to God.
 
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Gregory Thompson

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So are you now agreeing that God's law is His instructions for how to bear fruit for Him by teaching us how to treat those who are lest of all?
No. It's not about a written code, it's about maturing spiritually and participating in the divine nature. This divine nature was given to us on second birth.

Until we mature to a certain point, many of the instructions we require are not available, because we cannot receive these things from God.

When a code is written down, it is something that the flesh can use to control the situation.

I'm not interested in sowing to the flesh.

The rest of your long response to my responses is full of misconceptions, so I will not address the strawman.
 
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Soyeong

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Do you affirm or deny that God gave the Israelites instructions for how to participate in the divine nature? For example, if someone obeys the command to love their neighbor as themselves through faith in God, would you affirm or deny that they are bearing fruit for God and that they are participating in the divine nature? God's law is spiriteual (Romans 7:14), while works of the flesh are contrary to it. For example, in Galatians 5:19-22, everything listed as works of the flesh that are against the Spirit are also against God's law, while all of the fruits of the Spirit are aspect of the divine nature that are in accordance with it
 
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fhansen

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At the same time, there's people who were born into Christian Families, really trying hard ... but didn't get born again. Best to leave this expertise up to God.
Oh, I'm not saying I can judge who's of God and who's not-but good fruit is pretty necessary as evidence, while all different for each person most likely, depending on individual circumstances.
 
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Gregory Thompson

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Oh, I'm not saying I can judge who's of God and who's not-but good fruit is pretty necessary as evidence, while all different for each person most likely, depending on individual circumstances.
I agree with the concept of Good fruit in the context most Catholic teaching says you need to express Christian love.
 
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Gregory Thompson

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I disagree with the premise of your question, thus will not provide any answer to it. There are two covenants, and two sets of providence from God. The requirements of those participating in the second covenant, cannot be reached by using the providence from the first.
 
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