Still Some More on "Is the Law Really for Us?"
Q: I really need to study what u wrote but I thank you so very much for taking time to explain this. I am studying the Bible very slowly to get a masters degree in Divinity. I know very little about it all. I have never read the entire thing, (I read most of the NT though) but God is giving me prophecies about things that are in the Bible things I've never read.
And I also would like to know two things- Why then if all this were true, would Jesus not tell the disciples NOT to keep doing sacrifices- why would his closest disciples keep doing it, if we are considered only under grace-
It simply does not make sense-- I understand that the gentiles were to be saved, but where in the Bible does it say they do not have to partake in the Old Laws?
Not the parts that Paul has declared. I have already formed an opinion about his preaching. I want to know where does JESUS say that nobody will need to follow the Jewish way..u showed me the Samrian woman, but maybe I missed something-- when I lookthere it says that God will be worshipped in many places-- not that they will not follow Jewish traditions. God bless and thanks for writing.
A: You need to believe that whether it is Paul, Peter or Jesus in the New Testament, Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah or Jonah in the Old Testament, all of them were equally inspired by God to write and expound the Holy Scriptures. All carry the same weight of God's authority. Most importantly one Scripture will have another one to agree with it in some other part of the Bible (Isaiah 35:16). If a Scripture cannot back up another one in any other place, as there can be no discrepancy in the Word of God and it is without any error, so we must have taken the interpretation in a wrong way or out of context. All the word of God that has come out of His mouth carries the same power to fulfill what has been spoken by God and it will not return void without fulfilling its purpose (Isaiah 55:10-11).
Hear what the Scripture says, "16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Tim 3:16-17). Apostle Peter said the same thing in a different way by saying, "20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:20-21).
Jesus did not tell all the things in the Gospels itself because all the apostles and disciples were not born again at that time, as a result of it they did not have the Spiritual capacity to receive the spiritual messages of Jesus in to their heart. They were all born again only after Jesus rose from the dead (1 Cor 15:15-16; John 20:21-23). All the things that Jesus spoke in the Gospels He spoke it in a figurative language because of the lack of spiritual understanding in his disciples due to the lack of the internal ministry of the Holy Spirit in their heart (John 16:25; Matt 15:15; 1 Cor 2:10, 13-14). Hear what Jesus told His disciples before His death when they wanted Him to speak to them plainly, " 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." (John 16:12-14). In other words, many things that Jesus Himself desired to tell to His disciples were restrained because of lack of understanding in the spiritual hearing capacity of His disciples and therefore many revelations that Jesus spoke to them were not in the Four Gospels, but was revealed to them later of which Paul was one of the important person in it to receive (Gal 1:11-12).
Apostle Peter who is the foundation of the universal Church that God has built on earth, himself acknowledged it when he said, "15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures." (2 Peter 3:15-16). The bottom-line is, we ought to obey all the Scripture equally and not just the part we feel like is right.
From this we also understand that all the revelations that the apostles received was a progressive one. They were born again after Jesus rose from the dead (John 20:21-23), and received the Gift of the Holy Spirit exactly fifty days after this on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). They learned from the School of the Holy Spirit more and more, so we cannot expect all to be said in the first twenty years of the first century Church. But true to the words of Jesus which He spoke prophetically over John the Revelator (John 21:21-24), Jesus revealed the whole Scriptures and placed a full stop to the inspired Scripture before the first century could end with the Book of Revelation. So later all the Church historians took all the inspired ones and canonized the writings of the Apostles by the guidance of the Holy Spirit and here we have a beautiful New Testament in our hands which has been used for the last two thousand years. Praise the Lord!
Here is what the Bible says regarding partaking in the Old Laws, " 11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." (Heb 10:11-14). The Old Testament Laws could not take away the sins of people permanently, but through the one perfect sacrifice of Jesus, it was absolutely achieved for all humans alike. Now because it is all achieved by Jesus, He need not keep sacrificing Himself repeatedly like in the Old Laws which were only a copy and shadow of the reality of Jesus on the Cross, now Jesus sits at the right hand of God to disperse His blessings upon His followers on earth (Heb 9:24-26).
The first covenant was with faults (Heb 8:7), so God gave it as a temporary remedy until the perfect fulfillment could come through Jesus the Word of God who was made flesh (Gal 3:19; Heb 1:1-2; John 1:1-4, 14). The first covenant did not give a permanent remedy to sin problem of humans. God has made the first covenant obsolete by giving us the new covenant through Jesus, the old one is growing old and is ready to vanish away in at-least another thousand years time (Heb 8:13).
Apostle Paul clearly spelled it with out mincing words although he himself was a Jew then because of the revelation of God that he received from Jesus (Phil 3:4-6; Rom 11:1, 13). Here is what he said to all Christian, "16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. 18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. 20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh." (Col 2:16-23). In other words, Paul was saying if you could keep yourself out of this religious way of living based on the law, please do keep it for a living relationship with God. At the same time he did not discourage people who kept it by saying, " 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself." (Rom 14:4-7). In other words, here Paul was saying that if someone wants to keep the law let them keep it. The bottom line that Paul wants all Christians to understand was that, all should live to the Lord and die to our soulish ways to please the Lord by faith. We absolutely belong to the Lord when we are really born again, no matter what level of spiritual maturity we have reached in our spiritual lives.
All that God speaks will be within the framework of His Word and it is our responsibility as a Christian to search the Scripture and know what we feel as God speaking to us is really from Him or our soulish mind or from the devil (Acts 17:10-12; 1 Thes 5:20-21; James 3:14-16).
Be a good Apostolic by Studying the Scriptures and Living Life in its abundance!
Much Blessings.......
And I also would like to know two things- Why then if all this were true, would Jesus not tell the disciples NOT to keep doing sacrifices- why would his closest disciples keep doing it, if we are considered only under grace-
It simply does not make sense-- I understand that the gentiles were to be saved, but where in the Bible does it say they do not have to partake in the Old Laws?
Not the parts that Paul has declared. I have already formed an opinion about his preaching. I want to know where does JESUS say that nobody will need to follow the Jewish way..u showed me the Samrian woman, but maybe I missed something-- when I lookthere it says that God will be worshipped in many places-- not that they will not follow Jewish traditions. God bless and thanks for writing.
A: You need to believe that whether it is Paul, Peter or Jesus in the New Testament, Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah or Jonah in the Old Testament, all of them were equally inspired by God to write and expound the Holy Scriptures. All carry the same weight of God's authority. Most importantly one Scripture will have another one to agree with it in some other part of the Bible (Isaiah 35:16). If a Scripture cannot back up another one in any other place, as there can be no discrepancy in the Word of God and it is without any error, so we must have taken the interpretation in a wrong way or out of context. All the word of God that has come out of His mouth carries the same power to fulfill what has been spoken by God and it will not return void without fulfilling its purpose (Isaiah 55:10-11).
Hear what the Scripture says, "16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Tim 3:16-17). Apostle Peter said the same thing in a different way by saying, "20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:20-21).
Jesus did not tell all the things in the Gospels itself because all the apostles and disciples were not born again at that time, as a result of it they did not have the Spiritual capacity to receive the spiritual messages of Jesus in to their heart. They were all born again only after Jesus rose from the dead (1 Cor 15:15-16; John 20:21-23). All the things that Jesus spoke in the Gospels He spoke it in a figurative language because of the lack of spiritual understanding in his disciples due to the lack of the internal ministry of the Holy Spirit in their heart (John 16:25; Matt 15:15; 1 Cor 2:10, 13-14). Hear what Jesus told His disciples before His death when they wanted Him to speak to them plainly, " 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." (John 16:12-14). In other words, many things that Jesus Himself desired to tell to His disciples were restrained because of lack of understanding in the spiritual hearing capacity of His disciples and therefore many revelations that Jesus spoke to them were not in the Four Gospels, but was revealed to them later of which Paul was one of the important person in it to receive (Gal 1:11-12).
Apostle Peter who is the foundation of the universal Church that God has built on earth, himself acknowledged it when he said, "15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures." (2 Peter 3:15-16). The bottom-line is, we ought to obey all the Scripture equally and not just the part we feel like is right.
From this we also understand that all the revelations that the apostles received was a progressive one. They were born again after Jesus rose from the dead (John 20:21-23), and received the Gift of the Holy Spirit exactly fifty days after this on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). They learned from the School of the Holy Spirit more and more, so we cannot expect all to be said in the first twenty years of the first century Church. But true to the words of Jesus which He spoke prophetically over John the Revelator (John 21:21-24), Jesus revealed the whole Scriptures and placed a full stop to the inspired Scripture before the first century could end with the Book of Revelation. So later all the Church historians took all the inspired ones and canonized the writings of the Apostles by the guidance of the Holy Spirit and here we have a beautiful New Testament in our hands which has been used for the last two thousand years. Praise the Lord!
Here is what the Bible says regarding partaking in the Old Laws, " 11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." (Heb 10:11-14). The Old Testament Laws could not take away the sins of people permanently, but through the one perfect sacrifice of Jesus, it was absolutely achieved for all humans alike. Now because it is all achieved by Jesus, He need not keep sacrificing Himself repeatedly like in the Old Laws which were only a copy and shadow of the reality of Jesus on the Cross, now Jesus sits at the right hand of God to disperse His blessings upon His followers on earth (Heb 9:24-26).
The first covenant was with faults (Heb 8:7), so God gave it as a temporary remedy until the perfect fulfillment could come through Jesus the Word of God who was made flesh (Gal 3:19; Heb 1:1-2; John 1:1-4, 14). The first covenant did not give a permanent remedy to sin problem of humans. God has made the first covenant obsolete by giving us the new covenant through Jesus, the old one is growing old and is ready to vanish away in at-least another thousand years time (Heb 8:13).
Apostle Paul clearly spelled it with out mincing words although he himself was a Jew then because of the revelation of God that he received from Jesus (Phil 3:4-6; Rom 11:1, 13). Here is what he said to all Christian, "16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. 18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. 20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh." (Col 2:16-23). In other words, Paul was saying if you could keep yourself out of this religious way of living based on the law, please do keep it for a living relationship with God. At the same time he did not discourage people who kept it by saying, " 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself." (Rom 14:4-7). In other words, here Paul was saying that if someone wants to keep the law let them keep it. The bottom line that Paul wants all Christians to understand was that, all should live to the Lord and die to our soulish ways to please the Lord by faith. We absolutely belong to the Lord when we are really born again, no matter what level of spiritual maturity we have reached in our spiritual lives.
All that God speaks will be within the framework of His Word and it is our responsibility as a Christian to search the Scripture and know what we feel as God speaking to us is really from Him or our soulish mind or from the devil (Acts 17:10-12; 1 Thes 5:20-21; James 3:14-16).
Be a good Apostolic by Studying the Scriptures and Living Life in its abundance!
Much Blessings.......
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment