So what are you going to do about the contradiction your interpretation poses with other scripture? I say your interpretation because for instance, Rev.12:17 and 14:12 simpy says "commandments". They do not say "law". For that matter, why would we accept that they mean the ten commandments? We can see in 1John 3:23, that Jesus' commandments to the church were to believe on Him and love one another. In fact, if we were to link our works of law with salvation, this is the opposite of believing on Him for salvation. It becomes a disobedience to His commandment and His word given in John 3:16. It is also contrary to Rom.10:4, which says that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness for those who believe.
As for Acts 21, where do you get the nerve to reverse the message given? The passage reveals that it was the other disciples that were guilty of heaping the law upon those Gentiles, and they were corrected by Paul. Their conclusion in vs. 25 is this: " But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from (drinking) blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality"
Furthermore, there is no indication in this passage that these things were to be connected with their salvation or justification for life. These were merely given as good examples to follow. In fact in Rev.2:20-22, Jesus deals with who He calls His servants who were actually in sexual immorality and warned that He would send them into great tribulation if they did not repent of their deeds. This confirms His promise that whom He loves, He rebukes and chastens. He did not threaten them with banishment, but rather with chastening, as any Father deals with a disobedient son.
As for Math.5, it must be understood that Jesus came to the Jews while they were under the old covenant and He taught and convicted them under this covenant of law. However, the new covenant did not begin until His death and resurrection. It was explained in Gal.3:23..."But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would AFTERWARD be revealed..24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be JUSTIFIED BY FAITH ...25 But AFTER FAITH HAS COME, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER A TUTOR" Jesus did not reveal the covenant of faith to those under the law. He rather used the law as a tutor, to confine them under sin, as the law was meant to be used (Gal.3:22). Faith was not revealed until it's due time; not until after His sacrifice for sin. It was necessary for it to be kept a secret until the death of Jesus was accomplished. Otherwise they would not have killed Him.
These verses in Galatians 3 follow after the conclusion concerning the law, which is.....(vs.21) ....."if there had been a law given which could have given life, then truly righteousness would have been by the law".
I would advise anyone here and elsewhere to obey the commandment of Jesus and believe on Him for eternal life, and forsake any thought that life can come by the law. It cannot, it never did, and it never will.
