What does this passage mean?

[andrewlya]

Hi all,
can someone interpret me Mark 2:20-22:

"20 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

What is the meaning of this message in this passage?

Thank you.

 

[dysert]

In a nutshell, I think it's talking about the Old Covenant (under the Law) versus the New Covenant (instituted by Jesus). They don't go together any more than an old cloth can be sewed onto a new cloth without it eventually ripping it. Or new wine being put into already stretched old wineskins without the latter breaking.

Jesus was here during the time of transition, and this comes on the heels of the question about John's disciples (Old Covenant) versus Jesus' disciples (New Covenant). Add vv. 18-19 to what you quoted and I think it will make more sense.

 

[com7fy8]

Hi, Andrewlya God bless you I am Bill

One thing I understand is that Jesus meant that He the Bridegroom of His disciples was with them at that time, and so they might eat and drink with Him, enjoying and celebrating that He was with them. But there would come the day when Jesus would be taken from them and Jesus would be crucified. Then would be when they would fast and pray.

And Jesus means how if we have a worldly nature, instead of the character of Jesus and His love, then we can not receive and benefit from the message of how the Bible says to love. Ones of a selfish nature can burst asunder, rather than receive and hold and live in the message of how Jesus says to be with God and to love any and all people. First, we need how our Father changes us into new creatures, so now we can receive and benefit from His word with His correction (Hebrews 12:4-11), and grow in His love.

 

[andrewlya]

In a nutshell, I think it's talking about the Old Covenant (under the Law) versus the New Covenant (instituted by Jesus). They don't go together any more than an old cloth can be sewed onto a new cloth without it eventually ripping it. Or new wine being put into already stretched old wineskins without the latter breaking.

Jesus was here during the time of transition, and this comes on the heels of the question about John's disciples (Old Covenant) versus Jesus' disciples (New Covenant). Add vv. 18-19 to what you quoted and I think it will make more sense.

But surely the moral Laws of the O.T. are still applicable to Christians even Jesus said in Mark 10:19 :"You know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud; honor your father and mother." So, obviously these laws of the O.T. we have to follow since this is what Jesus said.

Perhaps this passage refers to the Judaistic traditions of the O.T. ?

 

[andrewlya]

Hi, Andrewlya God bless you I am Bill

One thing I understand is that Jesus meant that He the Bridegroom of His disciples was with them at that time, and so they might eat and drink with Him, enjoying and celebrating that He was with them. But there would come the day when Jesus would be taken from them and Jesus would be crucified. Then would be when they would fast and pray.

And Jesus means how if we have a worldly nature, instead of the character of Jesus and His love, then we can not receive and benefit from the message of how the Bible says to love. Ones of a selfish nature can burst asunder, rather than receive and hold and live in the message of how Jesus says to be with God and to love any and all people. First, we need how our Father changes us into new creatures, so now we can receive and benefit from His word with His correction (Hebrews 12:4-11), and grow in His love.

Hi Bill, nice to meet you and God bless you too
Thank you for your interpretation. It makes sense in the way that we need to leave our sinful life behind and take up our cross, so to speak, and follow Jesus, Amen.

 

[com7fy8]

You are welcome, Andrewlya

Yes, Jesus says,

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." (in Luke 9:23)

And Jesus on the cross was loving. So, I can see that taking up our cross, which Jesus means, includes how we become loving and generously forgiving like Jesus was, on the cross >

"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." (Ephesians 5:2)

This requires getting rid of self, or else we can be like old wineskins hanging on crosses of our own making, then bursting as we go through things. But if God has made us new in Jesus, we are able to receive the water of His word (Ephesians 5:25-27) in His love (Romans 5:5), and we can age in this love to become deeply pleasing to God, in our nature > sweet-smelling, even like Jesus (1 Peter 3:4, 1 John 4:17)

 

[NJA]

Squeeze Gut Alley, Whitstable, Kent

 

[Greg J.]

But surely the moral Laws of the O.T. are still applicable to Christians even Jesus said in Mark 10:19 :"You know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud; honor your father and mother." So, obviously these laws of the O.T. we have to follow since this is what Jesus said.

Perhaps this passage refers to the Judaistic traditions of the O.T. ?

What do you mean by "have to" (follow the laws of the O.T.)?

 

[pshun2404]

But surely the moral Laws of the O.T. are still applicable to Christians even Jesus said in Mark 10:19 :"You know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud; honor your father and mother." So, obviously these laws of the O.T. we have to follow since this is what Jesus said.

Perhaps this passage refers to the Judaistic traditions of the O.T. ?

You must take each passage in context. Here He was speaking to those still obligated to adhere to the rules of their covenant (the one from Horeb through Moses) not ours. The Old Covenant as it is called (though there were others) was all about what they must do if they were to be seen as perfect or righteous by God, the New Covenant is all about what He has done on our behalf and is therefore dependent on Him not on our personal perfections.

Now that is not saying we should ignore the letters written in stone but that with the Spirit (regarding those who actually received it) the Spirit of the law takes precedence over the letter of the law. For them they would strive to do (and sooner or later fail) sometimes what they would have preferred not to do (thus doing by duty or obligation sometimes resented or mourned) and for us sin our very nature has changed such that we no longer desire to sin (though perhaps still may on occasion) and do the right things as a matter of a changed nature (by grace) and thus if we follow Jesus four summations

Love God
Love your neighbor as you would want to be loved
Love as He has loved us
Love your enemies
(see 1 Cor 13 for a definition of the love He is referring to)

Then we shall do fine. Remember...in Christ the Old Covenant has been fulfilled (and we who are actually born from above are in Christ)

The word tells us:

2 Corinthians 3 - 3 Forasmuch as you are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone (the 10 Commandments), but in fleshy tables of the heart (by the indwelling Spirit of God). 4 And such is the trust have we through Christ toward God: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves (like as if we keep the commandments and others do not); but our sufficiency is of God (because it is not by what we do or have done, but of Christ); 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter kills (brings death), but the spirit gives life (His life in us the expectation of glory).


7 But if the ministration of death (the sin consciousness brought on by the Law), written and engraved in stones (that is the 10 Commandments), was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance; which glory eventually faded (because by the commandments they were all guilty): 8 How shall the ministration of the Spirit not be even more glorious (who while we were yet sinners Christ dies for the ungodly…by love and grace)?


9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory (that righteousness which is by faith and not works).


10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excels (for it never ends). 11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more is that which remains glorious.


(In the Mosaic Old Covenant....You shall, you shall, you shall not, you shall not…it is all about “You” and the eye turns onto self)


(In Jesus New Covenant....And they went about preaching the wonderful works of God…they glorified Christ, and led them to salvation…it’s all about God and the eye turns to Christ…what He said and what He did and His gracious offer of love – 2:37-39)


Through the Law comes the knowledge of sin…though grace the love of God to-usward…the ministry of death was engraved on stone and the ministry of righteousness engraved on our hearts by the knowledge of salvation.


Romans 7: 6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.


7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.


8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.



9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.



Alive apart from the law…dead by the law! Alive through Christ’s sufficient and pleasing sacrifice alone plus nothing else.


Colossians 2 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all your trespasses;


14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us (the Law), which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.


So He not only nailed our sins to the cross but also the ordinances against us so they no longer have any effect…by grace we are SAVED.

 

[jacobs well]

You must take each passage in context. Here He was speaking to those still obligated to adhere to the rules of their covenant (the one from Horeb through Moses) not ours. The Old Covenant as it is called (though there were others) was all about what they must do if they were to be seen as perfect or righteous by God, the New Covenant is all about what He has done on our behalf and is therefore dependent on Him not on our personal perfections.

Now that is not saying we should ignore the letters written in stone but that with the Spirit (regarding those who actually received it) the Spirit of the law takes precedence over the letter of the law. For them they would strive to do (and sooner or later fail) sometimes what they would have preferred not to do (thus doing by duty or obligation sometimes resented or mourned) and for us sin our very nature has changed such that we no longer desire to sin (though perhaps still may on occasion) and do the right things as a matter of a changed nature (by grace) and thus if we follow Jesus four summations

Love God
Love your neighbor as you would want to be loved
Love as He has loved us
Love your enemies
(see 1 Cor 13 for a definition of the love He is referring to)

Then we shall do fine. Remember...in Christ the Old Covenant has been fulfilled (and we who are actually born from above are in Christ)

The word tells us:

2 Corinthians 3 - 3 Forasmuch as you are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone (the 10 Commandments), but in fleshy tables of the heart (by the indwelling Spirit of God). 4 And such is the trust have we through Christ toward God: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves (like as if we keep the commandments and others do not); but our sufficiency is of God (because it is not by what we do or have done, but of Christ); 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter kills (brings death), but the spirit gives life (His life in us the expectation of glory).


7 But if the ministration of death (the sin consciousness brought on by the Law), written and engraved in stones (that is the 10 Commandments), was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance; which glory eventually faded (because by the commandments they were all guilty): 8 How shall the ministration of the Spirit not be even more glorious (who while we were yet sinners Christ dies for the ungodly…by love and grace)?


9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory (that righteousness which is by faith and not works).


10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excels (for it never ends). 11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more is that which remains glorious.


(In the Mosaic Old Covenant....You shall, you shall, you shall not, you shall not…it is all about “You” and the eye turns onto self)


(In Jesus New Covenant....And they went about preaching the wonderful works of God…they glorified Christ, and led them to salvation…it’s all about God and the eye turns to Christ…what He said and what He did and His gracious offer of love – 2:37-39)


Through the Law comes the knowledge of sin…though grace the love of God to-usward…the ministry of death was engraved on stone and the ministry of righteousness engraved on our hearts by the knowledge of salvation.


Romans 7: 6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.


7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.


8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.



9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.



Alive apart from the law…dead by the law! Alive through Christ’s sufficient and pleasing sacrifice alone plus nothing else.


Colossians 2 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all your trespasses;


14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us (the Law), which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.


So He not only nailed our sins to the cross but also the ordinances against us so they no longer have any effect…by grace we are SAVED.

Let's first note that God's Law is not something that was ever against us. On the contrary it is holy, just and good. God's law has always being a blessing to mankind
Romans 7:12
Christ did take out of the way something that was nailed to His cross-that something was the record of our sins-our transgressions- not God's Law.
the Greek word translated as blotting out in Col 2:14 is exaleipho It means to wipe away, wash off.
Scripture always uses exaleipho in reference to wiping away sin, never the Law.

 

[andrewlya]

Let's first note that God's Law is not something that was ever against us. On the contrary it is holy, just and good. God's law has always being a blessing to mankind
Romans 7:12
Christ did take out of the way something that was nailed to His cross-that something was the record of our sins-our transgressions- not God's Law.
the Greek word translated as blotting out in Col 2:14 is exaleipho It means to wipe away, wash off.
Scripture always uses exaleipho in reference to wiping away sin, never the Law.

Exactly, Jesus has paid for our sins, but this doesn't give any licence to sin again if we can help it. We must believe to be saved but we have to act accordingly. What is a belief? Belief is action, so if you say to your wife I love you, but then go on to committ an adultery that is not a proper love, is it? The same analogy is with the Christian fait, if you think you are saved but behave contrary to the teachings of the Bible then that is not a real belief. One that trully believs in God,truly follows or acts according to His Commandments.

 

[andrewlya]

You must take each passage in context. Here He was speaking to those still obligated to adhere to the rules of their covenant (the one from Horeb through Moses) not ours. The Old Covenant as it is called (though there were others) was all about what they must do if they were to be seen as perfect or righteous by God, the New Covenant is all about what He has done on our behalf and is therefore dependent on Him not on our personal perfections.

Now that is not saying we should ignore the letters written in stone but that with the Spirit (regarding those who actually received it) the Spirit of the law takes precedence over the letter of the law. For them they would strive to do (and sooner or later fail) sometimes what they would have preferred not to do (thus doing by duty or obligation sometimes resented or mourned) and for us sin our very nature has changed such that we no longer desire to sin (though perhaps still may on occasion) and do the right things as a matter of a changed nature (by grace) and thus if we follow Jesus four summations

Love God
Love your neighbor as you would want to be loved
Love as He has loved us
Love your enemies
(see 1 Cor 13 for a definition of the love He is referring to)

Then we shall do fine. Remember...in Christ the Old Covenant has been fulfilled (and we who are actually born from above are in Christ)

The word tells us:

2 Corinthians 3 - 3 Forasmuch as you are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone (the 10 Commandments), but in fleshy tables of the heart (by the indwelling Spirit of God). 4 And such is the trust have we through Christ toward God: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves (like as if we keep the commandments and others do not); but our sufficiency is of God (because it is not by what we do or have done, but of Christ); 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter kills (brings death), but the spirit gives life (His life in us the expectation of glory).


7 But if the ministration of death (the sin consciousness brought on by the Law), written and engraved in stones (that is the 10 Commandments), was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance; which glory eventually faded (because by the commandments they were all guilty): 8 How shall the ministration of the Spirit not be even more glorious (who while we were yet sinners Christ dies for the ungodly…by love and grace)?


9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory (that righteousness which is by faith and not works).


10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excels (for it never ends). 11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more is that which remains glorious.


(In the Mosaic Old Covenant....You shall, you shall, you shall not, you shall not…it is all about “You” and the eye turns onto self)


(In Jesus New Covenant....And they went about preaching the wonderful works of God…they glorified Christ, and led them to salvation…it’s all about God and the eye turns to Christ…what He said and what He did and His gracious offer of love – 2:37-39)


Through the Law comes the knowledge of sin…though grace the love of God to-usward…the ministry of death was engraved on stone and the ministry of righteousness engraved on our hearts by the knowledge of salvation.


Romans 7: 6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.


7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.


8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.



9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.



Alive apart from the law…dead by the law! Alive through Christ’s sufficient and pleasing sacrifice alone plus nothing else.


Colossians 2 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all your trespasses;


14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us (the Law), which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.


So He not only nailed our sins to the cross but also the ordinances against us so they no longer have any effect…by grace we are SAVED.

No action no faith, your actions speaker louder than words, Faith is actions, to truly believe is to act in the way God's wants us to.

Jesus told us to teach others to observe what He had commaned. Note to OBSERVE means to DO something that Jesus wanted us to.

· Belief in Jesus must be combined with putting that belief into action—feeding the hungry, ministering to others, etc. Faith and work are both essential: ” Jesus declared: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” - Matthew 25:40.


· On another occasion Jesus referred to faith as lifetime work. He urged a crowd not to “Labour for the food that perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life.” They asked: “What must we do to be doing the works of God ?” He replied: “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom God has sent” -John 6:27-29.


· The most pleasing work to God is the continuous exercise of faith in Christ as Saviour and Lord throughout our lives. One can indeed “believe” in Christ and yet lead a life that betrays that belief. Hence belief alone is not sufficient : ”It is not everyone that says to me, 'My Lord, my Lord'', who enters the Kingdom of Heaven, but whoever does the will of my Father who is in Heaven.- Matthew 7:21.


· “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, Amen”- Matthew 28:20.



· “Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.” John 14:23-24.


· “But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him”- 1 John 2:5



· ” If you love me, keep my commandments”- John 14:15



· “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” -Revelation 3:10.



· “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”-John 3:3



· “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— Revelation 2:26.



· “Whoever has my commands and keeps them, he does love me, but he who loves me shall be loved from my Father and I shall love him, and I shall show myself to him.”-John 14:21





· “Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” Revelation 1:3.


· “God will render to every person according to his works; to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, God will give eternal life; but for those who . . . obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury”- Rom 2:6-8.


· “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God . . . [We are] created in Christ Jesus for good works”- Eph 2:8-10.

· “Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command you”- John 15:14

· “Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 21"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven”-Matthew 7:20-21.


· "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? 47Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great." - Luke 6:46-49


· 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”Matthew-7:24-27


· “18 A ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

· 19 “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good but One—God. 20 You know the commandments:

· Do not commit adultery;
do not murder;
do not steal;
do not bear false witness;
honour your father and mother.”-Luke 18:18-21


· “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”-James 1:22.


· “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. -Galatians 6:7-10.


· “ 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”-Ephesians 2:8-10.

· “18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore[a] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”- Matthew 28:18-20


· Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. -1Timothy 6:17-19.


· “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” Hebrews 10:26-31


· “14What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble! 20But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. 24You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. -James 2:14-26.



· “If you love me, you will keep my commandments . . . If a person loves me, He will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” -John 14:15-17, 23.


· "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." Revelation 20:12.



· "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."-Matthew 5:16.


· "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:12.


· 15I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Revelation 3:15-16.


· But Jesus also demanded good works to go along with faith. A man came up to Him with a question about eternal salvation. “Teacher,” he asked, “what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?” Jesus did not send him away or correct him. He didn’t say: “You are asking the wrong question; you need only to believe in me and you will be saved.” Rather Jesus said to him: “Keep the commandments . . . You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honour your father and mother, and love your neighbour as yourself” (Mathew 19:16-19). Rather than separate faith and works, Jesus closely united the two as being definitive to Christian life. That’s the undeniable implication of His great discourse we call “Sermon on the Mount.” The Sermon contains a vast amount of teachings and exhortations Christ expected His followers to learn and live by (Mat. chaps. 5-7). “Do not bear false witness . . . Love your enemies . . . Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness . . . Judge not, that you be not judged” (Mat 5:33, 44; 6:33; 7:1). Jesus set down these teachings as the necessary standards of moral righteousness. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount He denounced the kind of faith that is only lip service. He said those who relied only on faith risked the loss of eternal salvation. He warned: “On that day many will call out to me ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy and cast out demons in your name?’ And then I will declare to them: ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers’” (Mat 7:21-23). Works of mercy!


The Scriptures plainly teach that whilst faith turns a sin-

ner into a saint, obedience is necessary to secure accep-

tance at the judgment seat of Christ. Amen.


· Belief in Jesus must be combined with putting that belief into action—feeding the hungry, ministering to others, etc. Faith and work are both essential: ” Jesus declared: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” - Matthew 25:40.


· On another occasion Jesus referred to faith as lifetime work. He urged a crowd not to “Labour for the food that perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life.” They asked: “What must we do to be doing the works of God ?” He replied: “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom God has sent” -John 6:27-29.


· The most pleasing work to God is the continuous exercise of faith in Christ as Saviour and Lord throughout our lives. One can indeed “believe” in Christ and yet lead a life that betrays that belief. Hence belief alone is not sufficient : ”It is not everyone that says to me, 'My Lord, my Lord'', who enters the Kingdom of Heaven, but whoever does the will of my Father who is in Heaven.- Matthew 7:21.


· “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, Amen”- Matthew 28:20.



· “Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.” John 14:23-24.


· “But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him”- 1 John 2:5



· ” If you love me, keep my commandments”- John 14:15



· “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” -Revelation 3:10.



· “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”-John 3:3



· “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— Revelation 2:26.



· “Whoever has my commands and keeps them, he does love me, but he who loves me shall be loved from my Father and I shall love him, and I shall show myself to him.”-John 14:21





· “Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” Revelation 1:3.


· “God will render to every person according to his works; to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, God will give eternal life; but for those who . . . obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury”- Rom 2:6-8.


· “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God . . . [We are] created in Christ Jesus for good works”- Eph 2:8-10.

· “Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command you”- John 15:14

· “Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 21"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven”-Matthew 7:20-21.


· "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? 47Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great." - Luke 6:46-49


· 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”Matthew-7:24-27


· “18 A ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

· 19 “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good but One—God. 20 You know the commandments:

· Do not commit adultery;
do not murder;
do not steal;
do not bear false witness;
honour your father and mother.”-Luke 18:18-21


· “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”-James 1:22.


· “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. -Galatians 6:7-10.


· “ 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”-Ephesians 2:8-10.

· “18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore[a] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”- Matthew 28:18-20


· Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. -1Timothy 6:17-19.


· “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” Hebrews 10:26-31


· “14What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble! 20But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. 24You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. -James 2:14-26.



· “If you love me, you will keep my commandments . . . If a person loves me, He will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” -John 14:15-17, 23.


· "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." Revelation 20:12.



· "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."-Matthew 5:16.


· "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:12.


· 15I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Revelation 3:15-16.


· But Jesus also demanded good works to go along with faith. A man came up to Him with a question about eternal salvation. “Teacher,” he asked, “what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?” Jesus did not send him away or correct him. He didn’t say: “You are asking the wrong question; you need only to believe in me and you will be saved.” Rather Jesus said to him: “Keep the commandments . . . You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honour your father and mother, and love your neighbour as yourself” (Mathew 19:16-19). Rather than separate faith and works, Jesus closely united the two as being definitive to Christian life. That’s the undeniable implication of His great discourse we call “Sermon on the Mount.” The Sermon contains a vast amount of teachings and exhortations Christ expected His followers to learn and live by (Mat. chaps. 5-7). “Do not bear false witness . . . Love your enemies . . . Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness . . . Judge not, that you be not judged” (Mat 5:33, 44; 6:33; 7:1). Jesus set down these teachings as the necessary standards of moral righteousness. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount He denounced the kind of faith that is only lip service. He said those who relied only on faith risked the loss of eternal salvation. He warned: “On that day many will call out to me ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy and cast out demons in your name?’ And then I will declare to them: ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers’” (Mat 7:21-23). Works of mercy!


The Scriptures plainly teach that whilst faith turns a sin-

ner into a saint, obedience is necessary to secure accep-

tance at the judgment seat of Christ. Amen.

 

[Sundown]

Hi all,
can someone interpret me Mark 2:20-22:

"20 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

What is the meaning of this message in this passage?

Thank you.

If you read John 3:27 -28, John the baptist appears to be indicating that Christ is the bridegroom and if you cross reference with Mark 2 it must be talking about the death of Christ, he (the Christ the bridegroom) is departing them. He was always the bridegroom. Remember that the bridegroom is not a husband until he is married.

I really haven't looked into this, but hope this opens your eyes a little to go back allowing the Spirit of God to enlighten your mind. Check out my website www.biblicalencouragement.net

 

[ViaCrucis]

Hi all,
can someone interpret me Mark 2:20-22:

"20 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

What is the meaning of this message in this passage?

Thank you.

Let's add the context of what question Jesus is answering,

"Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, 'Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?' Jesus said to them, 'The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.'" - Mark 2:18-19

Jesus is the bridegroom, He's saying that there's no need to fast when the bridegroom is present, but when the bridegroom goes away (when He ascends, and returns to sit at the right hand of the Father) then they will fast.

The old wine is the teachings of the Pharisees, the new wine is the teachings of Jesus; Jesus is not pouring the new wine of His teachings into old wineskins (Jesus isn't merely giving a new version of Pharisaic Judaism) but as the Messiah brings about something new into the world, and so Jesus is preparing new wineskins to be the vessels of His teaching.

Jesus wasn't about merely reaffirming the current religion of the time, but as the Messiah was inaugurating the reign and rule of God, therefore preaching the kingdom of God which, through Him, was coming into the world--and He was raising up disciples to be His followers who would receive His teachings and would continue His kingdom mission and preaching to the world; that is the mission and purpose of the Church--to preach the Gospel. The Gospel of God's kingdom, of God's grace and redemption of the world through the Messiah, who would die, be raised up, ascend, and one day come again in glory at the consummation of all things.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[jacobs well]

No action no faith, your actions speaker louder than words, Faith is actions, to truly believe is to act in the way God's wants us to.

Jesus told us to teach others to observe what He had commaned. Note to OBSERVE means to DO something that Jesus wanted us to.

· Belief in Jesus must be combined with putting that belief into action—feeding the hungry, ministering to others, etc. Faith and work are both essential: ” Jesus declared: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” - Matthew 25:40.


· On another occasion Jesus referred to faith as lifetime work. He urged a crowd not to “Labour for the food that perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life.” They asked: “What must we do to be doing the works of God ?” He replied: “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom God has sent” -John 6:27-29.


· The most pleasing work to God is the continuous exercise of faith in Christ as Saviour and Lord throughout our lives. One can indeed “believe” in Christ and yet lead a life that betrays that belief. Hence belief alone is not sufficient : ”It is not everyone that says to me, 'My Lord, my Lord'', who enters the Kingdom of Heaven, but whoever does the will of my Father who is in Heaven.- Matthew 7:21.


· “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, Amen”- Matthew 28:20.



· “Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.” John 14:23-24.


· “But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him”- 1 John 2:5



· ” If you love me, keep my commandments”- John 14:15



· “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” -Revelation 3:10.



· “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”-John 3:3



· “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— Revelation 2:26.



· “Whoever has my commands and keeps them, he does love me, but he who loves me shall be loved from my Father and I shall love him, and I shall show myself to him.”-John 14:21





· “Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” Revelation 1:3.


· “God will render to every person according to his works; to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, God will give eternal life; but for those who . . . obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury”- Rom 2:6-8.


· “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God . . . [We are] created in Christ Jesus for good works”- Eph 2:8-10.

· “Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command you”- John 15:14

· “Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 21"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven”-Matthew 7:20-21.


· "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? 47Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great." - Luke 6:46-49


· 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”Matthew-7:24-27


· “18 A ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

· 19 “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good but One—God. 20 You know the commandments:

· Do not commit adultery;
do not murder;
do not steal;
do not bear false witness;
honour your father and mother.”-Luke 18:18-21


· “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”-James 1:22.


· “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. -Galatians 6:7-10.


· “ 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”-Ephesians 2:8-10.

· “18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore[a] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”- Matthew 28:18-20


· Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. -1Timothy 6:17-19.


· “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” Hebrews 10:26-31


· “14What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble! 20But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. 24You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. -James 2:14-26.



· “If you love me, you will keep my commandments . . . If a person loves me, He will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” -John 14:15-17, 23.


· "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." Revelation 20:12.



· "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."-Matthew 5:16.


· "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:12.


· 15I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Revelation 3:15-16.


· But Jesus also demanded good works to go along with faith. A man came up to Him with a question about eternal salvation. “Teacher,” he asked, “what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?” Jesus did not send him away or correct him. He didn’t say: “You are asking the wrong question; you need only to believe in me and you will be saved.” Rather Jesus said to him: “Keep the commandments . . . You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honour your father and mother, and love your neighbour as yourself” (Mathew 19:16-19). Rather than separate faith and works, Jesus closely united the two as being definitive to Christian life. That’s the undeniable implication of His great discourse we call “Sermon on the Mount.” The Sermon contains a vast amount of teachings and exhortations Christ expected His followers to learn and live by (Mat. chaps. 5-7). “Do not bear false witness . . . Love your enemies . . . Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness . . . Judge not, that you be not judged” (Mat 5:33, 44; 6:33; 7:1). Jesus set down these teachings as the necessary standards of moral righteousness. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount He denounced the kind of faith that is only lip service. He said those who relied only on faith risked the loss of eternal salvation. He warned: “On that day many will call out to me ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy and cast out demons in your name?’ And then I will declare to them: ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers’” (Mat 7:21-23). Works of mercy!


The Scriptures plainly teach that whilst faith turns a sin-

ner into a saint, obedience is necessary to secure accep-

tance at the judgment seat of Christ. Amen.


· Belief in Jesus must be combined with putting that belief into action—feeding the hungry, ministering to others, etc. Faith and work are both essential: ” Jesus declared: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” - Matthew 25:40.


· On another occasion Jesus referred to faith as lifetime work. He urged a crowd not to “Labour for the food that perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life.” They asked: “What must we do to be doing the works of God ?” He replied: “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom God has sent” -John 6:27-29.


· The most pleasing work to God is the continuous exercise of faith in Christ as Saviour and Lord throughout our lives. One can indeed “believe” in Christ and yet lead a life that betrays that belief. Hence belief alone is not sufficient : ”It is not everyone that says to me, 'My Lord, my Lord'', who enters the Kingdom of Heaven, but whoever does the will of my Father who is in Heaven.- Matthew 7:21.


· “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, Amen”- Matthew 28:20.



· “Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.” John 14:23-24.


· “But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him”- 1 John 2:5



· ” If you love me, keep my commandments”- John 14:15



· “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” -Revelation 3:10.



· “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”-John 3:3



· “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— Revelation 2:26.



· “Whoever has my commands and keeps them, he does love me, but he who loves me shall be loved from my Father and I shall love him, and I shall show myself to him.”-John 14:21





· “Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” Revelation 1:3.


· “God will render to every person according to his works; to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, God will give eternal life; but for those who . . . obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury”- Rom 2:6-8.


· “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God . . . [We are] created in Christ Jesus for good works”- Eph 2:8-10.

· “Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command you”- John 15:14

· “Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 21"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven”-Matthew 7:20-21.


· "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? 47Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great." - Luke 6:46-49


· 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”Matthew-7:24-27


· “18 A ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

· 19 “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good but One—God. 20 You know the commandments:

· Do not commit adultery;
do not murder;
do not steal;
do not bear false witness;
honour your father and mother.”-Luke 18:18-21


· “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”-James 1:22.


· “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. -Galatians 6:7-10.


· “ 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”-Ephesians 2:8-10.

· “18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore[a] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”- Matthew 28:18-20


· Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. -1Timothy 6:17-19.


· “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” Hebrews 10:26-31


· “14What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble! 20But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. 24You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. -James 2:14-26.



· “If you love me, you will keep my commandments . . . If a person loves me, He will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” -John 14:15-17, 23.


· "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." Revelation 20:12.



· "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."-Matthew 5:16.


· "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:12.


· 15I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Revelation 3:15-16.


· But Jesus also demanded good works to go along with faith. A man came up to Him with a question about eternal salvation. “Teacher,” he asked, “what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?” Jesus did not send him away or correct him. He didn’t say: “You are asking the wrong question; you need only to believe in me and you will be saved.” Rather Jesus said to him: “Keep the commandments . . . You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honour your father and mother, and love your neighbour as yourself” (Mathew 19:16-19). Rather than separate faith and works, Jesus closely united the two as being definitive to Christian life. That’s the undeniable implication of His great discourse we call “Sermon on the Mount.” The Sermon contains a vast amount of teachings and exhortations Christ expected His followers to learn and live by (Mat. chaps. 5-7). “Do not bear false witness . . . Love your enemies . . . Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness . . . Judge not, that you be not judged” (Mat 5:33, 44; 6:33; 7:1). Jesus set down these teachings as the necessary standards of moral righteousness. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount He denounced the kind of faith that is only lip service. He said those who relied only on faith risked the loss of eternal salvation. He warned: “On that day many will call out to me ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy and cast out demons in your name?’ And then I will declare to them: ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers’” (Mat 7:21-23). Works of mercy!


The Scriptures plainly teach that whilst faith turns a sin-

ner into a saint, obedience is necessary to secure accep-

tance at the judgment seat of Christ. Amen.

That was the best compilation of proof text that I have seen in defense of the Law, works and obedience. Well done.

 

[andrewlya]

That was the best compilation of proof text that I have seen in defense of the Law, works and obedience. Well done.

Oh thank you very much for appreciation.

I just find it odd when people say all you need is a belief and nothing else, you almost MUST NOT do any work. Jesus did command to oberve His word, observing means following what He had taught us. If we say we believe and don't follow and conduct ourselves ina Christian way, then how can we say that we believe.

The real belief is manifested in one's actions and God's observance of what He had taught us. That is the real beleif.

 

[andrewlya]

Let's add the context of what question Jesus is answering,

"Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, 'Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?' Jesus said to them, 'The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.'" - Mark 2:18-19

Jesus is the bridegroom, He's saying that there's no need to fast when the bridegroom is present, but when the bridegroom goes away (when He ascends, and returns to sit at the right hand of the Father) then they will fast.

The old wine is the teachings of the Pharisees, the new wine is the teachings of Jesus; Jesus is not pouring the new wine of His teachings into old wineskins (Jesus isn't merely giving a new version of Pharisaic Judaism) but as the Messiah brings about something new into the world, and so Jesus is preparing new wineskins to be the vessels of His teaching.

Jesus wasn't about merely reaffirming the current religion of the time, but as the Messiah was inaugurating the reign and rule of God, therefore preaching the kingdom of God which, through Him, was coming into the world--and He was raising up disciples to be His followers who would receive His teachings and would continue His kingdom mission and preaching to the world; that is the mission and purpose of the Church--to preach the Gospel. The Gospel of God's kingdom, of God's grace and redemption of the world through the Messiah, who would die, be raised up, ascend, and one day come again in glory at the consummation of all things.

-CryptoLutheran

Very well put, thank you!

 

[Job8]

can someone interpret me Mark 2:20-22:

One needs to take the entire chapter as the context. The enemies of Christ wanted to find fault with Him at every turn. First they questioned His deity, then they questioned His disciples' practices which were at variance with the letter of the Law as interpreted by the scribes and Pharisees. Christ would therefore establish His Divine authority in this chapter.

In that context Jesus made it clear that (1) He was the Divine Bridegroom on earth, therefore rejoicing rather than fasting was in order, (2) He would mingle with those considered unclean since they needed salvation, (3) the laws of the Mosaic Covenant would be replaced with New Covenant (the Law of Christ), hence it would be new wine needing new bottles, (4) and because He was the Lord of the sabbath, He would determine what was acceptable and what was not. Jesus re-interpreted the Ten Commandments and elevated them to their highest level as spiritual laws which could only be obeyed through the Holy Spirit. Therefore the righteousness of His disciples must exceed the outward righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, and God demanded perfection. As we know from the rest of the NT, those who are justified by grace through faith receive the robe of Christ's righteousness as a gift, and are therefore deemed to be perfect.

 

[hedrick]

The question that started this passage was about fasting. People asked Jesus why his disciples weren’t fasting.

His first answer is that the disciples weren’t fasting because he was with them. He compared his presence to being at a wedding, where you’d celebrate, not fast. However vs 20 suggests that when Jesus is taken away, there would be fasting. Presumably as part of mourning for his death. This makes it the first prediction of his death in Mark, though a somewhat oblique one.

His second answer is that you can’t put new wine in old wineskins or new cloth on old. The obvious assumption is that he’s speaking about the way of life he’s teaching. You can’t put his new life in the old religious forms. And the new way doesn’t involve fasting.

This much is pretty clear from the story. Now what implications are there for us? Well, of course Christ being with us is something to rejoice about like being at a wedding party.

But how about the rest? He’s saying that his followers will live a new way of life, and many of the old ways will no longer be appropriate. But exactly which ones?

The most obvious implication would be that fasting isn’t appropriate. Given the mention of John’s disciples in vs 18, the kind of ascetic life he lived would be part of the old. While I think you could read this passage as saying that Christians won’t fast, that’s not a typical interpretation. Most interpreters seem to think there is a contrast between John’s fasting and Jesus’. (Note that fasting is referred to in Mat 6, though apparently not in Mark or Luke, except for Jesus’ own fasting after his baptism.)

It’s probably not fair to expect this passage to tell us everything about life in the Kingdom of God. It’s mostly says there’s a contrast, and that the new way of life is joyful because it’s based on Christ’s presence. For specifics about the difference with the Pharisees’ life style and Jesus’, we have to see the rest of the Gospel.

Based on the context from chapter 1, the Hermeneia commentary says “he was challenging the current modes of interpreting scripture, the current applications of the Torah, and the current structure of leadership.” This is based on 1:27, where he claims the authority to determine teaching, and 1:14, where he announces a new time, the time when the Kingdom is present.

 

[Razare]

"20 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.

The Bridegroom is Jesus Christ.

He was taken away at the cross, and then also taken away from us when he went to heaven 40 days after the resurrection. This means believers have a reason to fast.

21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.

Spirit Filled Life Bibles will put a commentary to this something like, "Old spiritual principles cannot be applied to new spiritual principles." But they phrase it better than this, because sometimes they do apply.

The Old Cloth is the old covenant with Israel.

The New Cloth is the new covenant in Christ.

Jesus is saying if the new cloth, tries to fit into the old cloth, it will tear and not work. Those born of the spirit, cannot fit into the Mosaic Law system. It ruins the Mosaic Law, and it ruins what that New Covenant Desciple is supposed to be.

22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

The New Wine is the Holy Spirit given at Pentecoast. This new system where men and women are God's temple on the Earth differs from the old wine, where the Temple was in a building, and God's spirit dwelt in that building.

This is similar to old cloth and new cloth, it is talking about the new covenant vs. the old covenant.

The bridegroom leaving plays into this because he leaves as part of the new covenant fulfillment.