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Abel's sacrifice better than Cain's? |
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Heb 11:4
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Heb. 11:4 says that Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain. That is a clear statement in Scripture. We next need to ask, "Why was Abel's offering better?" It is clear from the Gen 4 account that first each person's offering is described and then the text says the LORD had regard (or did not have regard) for that person AND their offering. So, the person was connected to the offering because -- as Hebrews points out -- the kind of offering brought was a clear demonstration of the person's faith. Finally, if one studies the nature of sacrifices made throughout Scripture, it is clear that God requires a blood sacrifice to atone for the sins of His people. It is completely a sound inference to say that Abel's offering was pleasing because it was a blood sacrifice. In the previous chapter, God kills an animal (blood) to get the skins for Adam and Eve's clothes. Later, Abraham is about to make a blood offering of his son Isaac, (though he substitutes a ram instead). This is the most important reason for understanding that - IN CONTEXT - Abel's offering was preferred was because it was a blood offering: because it was a type of the ultimate blood sacrifice and substitute, Jesus Christ. Abel's blood even cried out from the ground! Abel himself was a picture of Jesus Christ: though innocent he was killed, and the Lord replaced him, "resurrecting" the line of the promised Seed of the woman, by causing Eve to give birth to Seth. Just like the word "trinity" is not in the Bible but is clearly taught, so it is legitimate to infer the meaning of something like this when so much of the rest of Scripture in totality is in support of it.
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where was good hell b4 Abrahams bossom? |
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Not Specified
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The people that were "saved" before Abramham died and the other side of "hell" became Abrahams bossom where did they go? |
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where was good hell b4 Abrahams bossom? |
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Luke 16:19
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The people that were "saved" before Abramham died and the other side of "hell" became Abrahams bossom where did they go? |
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where was good hell b4 Abrahams bossom? |
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Luke 16:19
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The answer is found in Luke 16:19ff. The "hell" there is literally "hades" defined as "the place of the unseen." Evidently hades consists of two compartments or parts, one of which is torment and the other one paradise. The events depicted in Luke 16:19ff took place while the Law of Moses (the Old Covenant) was still in effect. Thus, the righteous entered the same place as Lazarus did and the wicked entered the same place the rich man did when they died. This is how it has been from the beginning of creation. |
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where was good hell b4 Abrahams bossom? |
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Luke 16:19
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The good hell? has been there since God created it. I believe only became Abraham's bossom after Abraham became the Father of the Jewish nation. That is what they call it. |
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Is Hades also the lake of fire? |
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Bible general Archive 1
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Hades is the Greek word for Hell. It is the realm in which the unsaved or unrighteous people were sent. In the old testament the Hades realm was part Hell part Paradise. When someone died if they were a sinner they went to the hell side (the lake of fire) if they were righteous they went to the paradise side (Moses, Abraham). In the new testament some scriptures refer to the lake as hell fire Mat. 5:22. So from what I see in the scriptures it is the same place. |
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who are Abraham's parents? |
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OT general
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who are Abraham's parents? |
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who are Abraham's parents? |
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OT general
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The scriptures are silent in regard to Abraham's mother. His father was Terah. Gen 11:26-27. Terah was a decendant of Shem, Noah's son. Gen 11:10-26 |
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God's promises are in Christ |
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Bible general Archive 1
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It is stated in the bible(NT) that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given unto our lord and savior Jesus Christ.And also,God has promised to watch over His word.We discover from the book of revelation and also from the gospel according to john that Jesus Christ is God's spoken word.In the same vein, we are told that God's promise was to Abraham and his seed and we are told in the bible that this seed is Christ Jesus.In this case, it is clear that we can only partake of God's promise if we are in Christ.Also when we embrace Christ, that is to say, if Christ lives in us as individuals,God will also watch over us and our affairs.
God bless! |
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"reckoned to him as righteousness"? |
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Gen 15:6
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God counted Abraham unto righteous, ; because Abraham believed God. Reference Romans 4:3
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Would you please give scripture evidence |
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1 Cor 13:12
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An indication of continuity between our present bodies and the bodies that we will have is seen in the fact that those believers who remain alive on the day Christ returns will "be changed" - yet their bodies will not be replaced: 1 Cor. 15:51-53.
Jesus says that people will come from East and West and "sit at the table with Abraham, Issac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven": Matt. 8:11.
Matthew also tells us that when Jesus died, "the tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many": Matt. 27:52-53. The fact that these people's actual bodies were raised, and the fact that they appeared to many in Jerusalem,indicates again that there was some continuity between their dead bodies that were in the graves and the bodies that were raised up. Since they came out of the tombs "after his resurrection" we may assume that these also were saints who had recieved resurrection bodies as a kind of foretaste of the final day of glorification when Christ returns. The fact that these people "appeared to many" suggests that they were recognizable - that the people knew who they were.
The evidence is suggestive rather than conclusive, yet it points in the direction of continuity between the body that existed before the resurrection and the one that existed after it. When Elijah appears on the Mount he is recognised. Also significant continuity between Jesus' body before and after the resurrection is seen in the fact that even the nail prints in his hands and feet and the wound in his side remained in his resurrection body. John 20:20, 27. |
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Is "Paradise" the same as heaven? |
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Luke 23:43
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Paradise is not the same as heaven. Paradise was an underground compartment that was a place of comfort called Abraham's bosom (Luke 16:22) where all the Old Testament saints who had accepted the Lord were kept after death, awaiting the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Across from paradise was a place of agony, and between the two, God placed a chasm that was fixed so one could not pass over to the other. The good news is that when Jesus Christ died and was buried in the heart of the earth, he wasn't just lying there. He was conqueroring sin and death so that you and I may live with him in heaven for eternity. And when it was finished, I can just imagine Jesus handing the saints the keys to the kingdom of heaven just as he described to Peter in Matt. 16:19.
I suppose the theif on the cross didn't have a very long stay in paradise.
Revelation 1:18 says that Jesus Christ still holds the keys of death and Hades. Eventually, these people will be thrown into the lake of fire.
Say yes to Jesus Christ. He is a free gift. God is a God of love, but he is also just. |
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Just as if I had never sinned? |
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1 Cor 6:11
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I have to strongly disagree with your statement: "We of the NT can claim righteousness as an eternal reward of our faith..." . . . Righteousness is imputed to us when we are saved. And we are neither saved nor made righteous "as a reward of our faith." We are saved BY grace THROUGH faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 God's Word Translation: "God saved you through faith as an act of kindness. You had nothing to do with it. Being saved is a gift from God. It's not the result of anything you've done, so no one can brag about it." . . . We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Our faith does not save us or give us righteousness in the eyes of God. Only the grace provided by the shed blood of Jesus Christ can save us. See Rom 3:28 . . . Eph 2:9 Living Bible "Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done." Moreover, salvation is not a reward for ANYTHING we have done. . . . The only righteousness that we have is the righteousness of Christ Himself, which is IMPUTED (put into) us. Rom 4: 1-8 NASB What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." 4 Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 "BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. 8 "BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT."
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Do you have to be baptized to be saved? |
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Rom 6:3
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Would you then say that the thief on the cross was not saved because he was not baptized? And how about Abraham and David? And Moses. Is it not faith in God through His grace which saves (Ehesians 2: 8,9), as exemplified by Abraham?
Read Hebrews chapter eleven gives a list of heroes of the faith, and they are commended for believing God, not for being baptized.
Consider this: the records in Acts have people being saved, then being baptized. They are not saved because they are baptized, but baptized because they are saved. |
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ISREAL'S REJECTION OF THE MESSIAH |
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Romans
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God makes it pretty clear in ROM 11:1-2 "I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew."
God's promises to Israel are based upon God's faithfulness not Israel's. |
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How long did Adam and Eve live in Eden |
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Genesis
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This is a long posting. I'm not sure that you read my posting, Seven, except for a few words here and there that seem to have offended you and hindered (or colored) your reading of the remainder. The question that I was answering dealt with how long Adam and Eve were in the garden. I said that we don't know for sure. My impression is that you automatically assume that virtually no time transpired simply because events are not described. This is possible but speculative.
I agree with your (possible) underlying concern that speculation about what is not there should never be used as a basis for doctrine or exposition; I noted this in my earlier posting. However, you seem to have gone beyond this in assuming that ONLY that which is explicitly stated could possibly have happened; in this you go too far. For reasons within God's all-knowing and sovereign nature, God has chosen to include some events while excluding the vast majority of human (and heavenly) events that happened from the beginning of creation until the completion of the canon (i.e. the Revelation of John). This is affirmed at the end of John's gospel (John 20:30-31; 21:25); there is much that has been left out. The events and timeframe of Adam and Eve's life together in the garden prior to Satan's possession of the serpent are left out of the Biblical account.
There is no benefit in defending my suggestions about possible (but completely speculative) children born BEFORE Adam ate of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil and what would have happened to them. Although I believe the ideas are easily defensible, they are irrelevant to the study of Scripture, since they are merely speculation. However, I do feel that I should address your apparent underlying assumptions that what is not there does -- by default -- not exist. For example, the vast majority of Bible scholars recognize Luke's and Matthew's genealogies to trace Jesus's lineage separately through Mary and Joseph, although Mary is not mentioned in either genealogy. The two genealogies trace Jesus through separate sons of King David all the way down to Jesus himself but agree prior to David; they are obviously not the same genealogy, so there is a question created. Furthermore, Matthew deliberately skips all generations prior to Abraham and many generations after that; yet we know that those generations really existed on both sides of Jesus's genealogy. Questions can make us feel pressed for answers, but not all of them have simple pat answers. The questions of 1) how long Adam and Eve were in the garden prior to the fall, and 2) what their lives and relationship(s) were like prior to the fall are left unanswered in the Scriptures. Any answers (either way) are fantasy and speculation and should be processed in this light. Opting for rejection of the possibility of anything not there is no less speculative than opting for the possibility of something more; it is simply tidier in that it generates less unanswered questions. |
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Covenant to Abraham revoked? |
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Gen 17:7
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Dear colleagues, Is the above 'everlasting covenant' to Abraham and his descendents nullified by the New Covenant? Did God renege the Old Covenant and revoke from Israel salvation from Hell? If He did take away this 'privilege' of salvation by faith (Abraham's descendents), when was it taken away? Please give specific Bible direction. |
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Covenant to Abraham revoked? |
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Gen 17:7
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There are many covenants between God and men
--Adam/Eve Genesis 3:15
--Noah (1-salvation) Genesis 6:18
--Noah (2-no flood) Genesis 9:8-17
--Abraham (1-land covenant)Genesis 15:18 and other texts
NOTE: this covenant was conditional based upon the Israelite's faithfulness.
--Abraham (2-everlasting Messianic covenant)Genesis 12:1-3;17:1-21
--Moses (Exodus 24:7,8) This Mosaic covenant with it's Levitical priesthood was never intended to be a permanent covanant but rather a "schoolmaster" to lead and prepare the world for Christ.
All of these great covenants are established by God for specific reasons. At times it may be easy to mix or confuse one with another resulting in a serious puzzle.
Jesus Christ established the new covenant/testament with His death. The Mosaic Covenant was fulfilled. The Abrahamic covanant is still very much in effect. Galatians 3:24-29 states that 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 here is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise. |
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How about faithful Jews? |
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John 14:6
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Dear SLSAltsman, I asked a question a while back, "Covenant to Abraham revoked?" what do you think? Is Genesis 17:7, the 'everlasting covenant' to Abraham and his descendents nullified by the New Covenant? Did God renege the Old Covenant and revoke from Israel salvation from Hell? If He did take away this 'privilege' of salvation by faith (Abraham's descendents), when was it taken away? Please give specific Bible direction.
In Christ Jesus. charis |
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How about faithful Jews? |
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John 14:6
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Dear charis,
What "New Covenant" would or could nullify the everlasting covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?
Hardly is the everlasting covenant God made with Abraham nullified by the covenant in Christ (or by anything else). Galatians 3:27,28 clearly states that those who are in Christ do indeed participate in the everlasting covenant with Abraham. This is the same covenant God promised to Adam and Eve when he said "in your seed" not "seeds" referring to Jesus Christ (Genesis 3:15). God has been consistent throughout the ages and remains consistent today.
The covenant that was changed was the Mosaic covanant. With Christ Jesus (from the tribe of Judah) as our High Priest, there was of necessity a change in the Law. The covenant with Abraham pre-dated the covenant established at Mt. Sinai. It remains intact. Hebrews 12:18-29.
Note: The covenant with Noah also will remain till the end of time.
God did not take away salvation by faith. Faith is the only way anyone has ever been or ever will be saved. "Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." (Romans 4:1-15)
The first gospel message proclaimed salvation by faith (Acts 2:21,37,38)
God bless you with His abundant grace.
Sincerely yours by His grace and mercy,
SLSaltsman |
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How about faithful Jews? |
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John 14:6
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Dear SLSalsman, I thank you for answering with such clarity. I am now sharing with a brother regarding this issue, and your thoughts mirror mine. The above scripture, John 14:6 and others in the same vein, are often used to exclude the Jews from salvation. I do not think that 'Jews in the flesh' are automatically saved from Hell by birthright, but a covenant of faith has been made with Abraham, and I cannot believe God would 'renege' on a promise.
Blessings to you in Christ Jesus. charis |
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Why was Abraham called the friend of God |
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Not Specified
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Why was Abraham called the friend of God? |
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Why was Abraham called the friend of God |
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James 2:23
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Why was Abraham called the friend of God? |
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Why was Abraham called the friend of God |
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James 2:23
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This is another way of saying that he was right with God. He acted as a friend of God should act and thus showed that he was in reality God's friend. |
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Why was Abraham called the friend of God |
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James 2:23
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Matt. 1:1 "The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:NASB Why was Jesus called the son of Abraham? |
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To capitalize or not to capitalize? |
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Bible general Archive 1
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Dear JVH, Thank you for replying to me for I know that I am not the only one that you are sharing thoughts with. I've been thinking of 1 Cor 4:16 and 1 Cor 14:19 today and also wondered about the correlation between Abraham being the friend of God and Jesus being the son (Son?) of Abraham. |
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GEt back up |
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Revelation
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I believe in Christians backsliding....for instance, Noah got drunk after the flood--Peter denied Christ--David had an affair--Abraham had a wife after his handmaiden. I do not, however, believe that any of these lost their salvation. I fully expect to see them in glory. Christ said of His sheep that He gave them "eternal life, and they shall NEVER perish."(Jhn. 10:28)
God bless. |
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Steward of the mysteries of God? |
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1 Cor 4:1
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Hi wdc, An excellent writing here. I was looking at your references and read in I Cor 3:22b,"For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to (Christ) ;and Christ belongs to God." Sorry, parenthesis is mine.
Compare that with Gal l:22 and Gal 3:29,"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to (Christ), then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise."
Also, Eph 3:lb,"the prisoner of (Christ) Jesus...if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace which was given to me for you;"
All believers are stewards and we all have something to contribute. Later, Ray |
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Why the 7th day bent? |
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Col 2:16
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Dear fliha, You are correct that Jesus rebuked the hypocrisy of the oral law, but He also rebuked the attitude of Israel toward the written law. Our Lord spoke repeatedly to discern and obey the intent of the Law. Indeed, as a Jew living in Israel, He was obliged to obey the Law, but this was a matter of His heart. Look at the case of the adulterous woman; by Law, He should have been throwing stones at her. In fact, his words to the hypocrites saved her, and gave her new life. As the only sinless Person present, He had every right to 'cast the first stone,' and by Law, was bound to do so. He taught us a new law under a new covenant. A superior covenant. Even if you are a Jew living in Israel today, the majority of the Law has been done away with. He is the Lord of the Sabbath, giving us a new rest and a new peace. This comes not from satisfaction of the Law, but from a heart toward God, like David. The ultimate law of grace was active by faith since Abraham, and is now poured forth in the fulness of Christ. As Paul said, why would we want to return to be bound by something that no person was able to keep. Pride in keeping the Sabbath and a few other select laws does not make anyone righteous. If you feel better going to church on Saturday, convinced that your form of Christianity is superior, wonderful! Please remember, though, that attempting to 'keep' one portion of the Law binds you to the whole of it.
We are free to obey His commandments and to live in them.
Blessings and peace upon you in Jesus' name, charis |
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