Do you realise that the patriarchs, such as Abraham, were noted in Hebrews 11 because of their faith, not their works?
Well aware.
Per a man - belief comes first.
Per God - He gives FAITH, for a mans belief.
That has not changed.
Works -
Precepts...basically "what works" please God.
Precepts...OT were taught VIA Laws
Obey the Laws...you were fulfilling precepts.
Violate the Laws...you were not fulfillling ^.
Don't fulfill...effected a negative Consequence
A negative Consequence....ie a curse.
A curse...was the punishment for violation.
Curses were also written Laws.
Noting....in the OT, as in the NT, and NOW..
Belief is primary beginning with the man.
Faith follows as a Gift from God.
The LAW...VIA Jesus....WAS FULFILLED.
The curse LAWS become MOOT.
NT - Understanding -
The LAW was fulfilled.
The Curse Laws are Moot.
STOP being concerned with "THE LAW"!!
Focus ON belief, as Jesus repeatedly taught.
Receive Faith, as a BELIEVER.
Keep following/learning, & Faith is Increased
Faith Increased, leads to a mans Submission,
A mans Submission, leads to Conversion.
Conversion leads to, receiving more Gifts.
The Additional Gifts are given once & forever.
The man is now Spiritually prepared to Serve the Lord.
How a man serves the Lord that is pleasing;
Is by and according to His "precepts"!
How a man IS able, is via the Lords indwelling Spirit/Power.
IF a man DOES serve the Lord...more gifts.
IF a man DOES NOT serve ^..no additional ^.
It does NOT affect, the Once & Forever Gifts the man has aleady received.
Stop believing, stop receiving Faith, do not submit, "do not become converted" the Additional Gifts shall not be given or received.
The belief IS the beginning, for a "natural" man.
The gift of Faith, IS given a "natural" man.
As long as the "natural man" IS believing.
He receives "FAITH".
When a "natural man" stops believing.
He stops receiving "FAITH" & it's Increase.
SUCH a man CAN WALK away from Believing.
Such a man WILL stop receiving Faith.
Ie ..He falls from Faith.
The "CONVERSION" is the highlight.
The Conversion, IS the man submitting his life TO the Lord.
The Conversion, IS the Lord KEEPING the man IN BELIEF, and thus IN FAITH.
SUCH a man CAN NOT WALK away from Believing.
BOL teaches...a confusing mix.
Not under the Law, but yet under the Law.
Receive gifts, but not really, and gifts can be revoked, because they are conditional.
(Ie Salvation and born again via Gods Seed).
It was in the NT, that Forgiveness, was provided for all, Via Christ Jesus' BLOOD;
Once a man Believed, and became Converted.
It was in the NT, that Death of Bodily SIN, was provided for all, Via Jesus' Bodily crucifixion;
Once a man Beleived, and became Converted.
It was in the NT, that receiving the gift of Salvation was AFTER a man Submitted his Life to the "Lord";
the "Lord" Converted the man.
It was in the NT, that receiving the gift of Gods Seed was AFTER a man Submitted his Life to the "Lord";
The "Lord" Converted the man.
BOL teaches, HE didn't call on the "Lord" to Submit his Life to the "Lord" TO BECOME Converted.
BOL claims, his parents did it "FOR HIM".
When you review history ... men were the first to be taught...establish churches; few read; women did not attend; children did not attend; and men who were learning and believing; were teaching their families, who also were learning and believing; and what was accounted to the man in belief, was accounted to the whole family.
Then in the OT, we find WOMEN being involved in the Church.
Then a break, 400 yr lull, Jews displaced, etc.
And back to men being taught first, and slowly toward the end of the Gospels, of the 7 Churches women again being back in the Churches.
And individuals all throughout the NT, men and woman following, learning, individually choosing to SUBMIT to the Lord.
2,000 + years later...men, women, children all have the same opportunity, to hear, learn, & READ and individually choose to SUBMIT...
or not.
It is NO LONGER, forbidden for women and children to be taught Scripture and make their own choices.
It has been taught from the beginning...FOR parents to teach, encourage....and children to grow and leave mommy and daddy and DECIDE their own beliefs, and whether or not to COMMIT their own Life to the "Lord" and BECOME Converted.....or not.
BOL teaches, mommy and daddy made his choice...and that he "received" a PERMANENT GIFT of a quickened spirit, BUT NOT the permanent gift of SALVATION!
BOL teaches, HE MUST DO, what he calls "cooperate" with God, which is to say, MUST DO, what the WORKS the Law requires....THEN at his life's end....he will receive Salvation.
Additionally BOL teaches....EVERY violation of the LAW....."HAS' still in place...the Consequences; the curses of Sin, and the Consequences given for those curses/sin.
He's a mess, teaching a mess.
Pretending someone other than himself made his choice; then having no clue what becoming convertED means; continuing to wag his finger, calling everyone WRONG; for them having become Converted, them having RECEIVED the Lords Gifts of Salvation and Quickening of their spriit; and them dead to sin;
And he wagging his tongue calling everyone committers of sin...BECAUSE they DO NOT agree with him and BECAUSE 'he" declares them committers of sin.
Do you realise that the NT admonition that the just shall live by faith, is an OT concept,
Of course. Do you realize OT men PROVED their Belief...BY and through ADHERING "TO" the LAW?
Do you realize OT MEN received increase in FAITH, for ADHERING "TO" the LAW?
Do you realize OT MEN whose FAITH was increased...."RECEIVED" their "FORGIVENESS" and "SALVATION" AND
That is WHY there was a Division in Hell, between Saved souls and Unsaved Souls....?
And they having also received the "PROMISE" OF A QUICKENED SPIRIT?
AND "THAT" was fulfilled?
and that the law on Sinai which was an obligation for all to keep and observe,
An obligation for ALL to keep and observe?
Do you realize NO MAN can KEEP or OBSERVE all LAWS? That was the FAIL, of a man being "SUBJECT" "TO" the Law.
Do you realize the WHOLE NT is revealing...
THE CONVERSION is the Highlight?
It is precisely BY and THROUGH the Conversion, that the POWER of God Dwelling IN A MAN...
WHO IS: Christ the Lord Jesus...IS PRECISELY
HOW, BY HIS POWER within a man, that ANY man can KEEP and OBSERVE ANY of Gods "precepts", to Glorify His Name.
It is the CONVERSION, that makes the LAW MOOT, and the Subjection of man 'TO" the LAW MOOT....and the Subjection of man "TO" the Lord; that makes a man ACCEPTABLE and PLEASING to God...that HIS POWER is overseeing WHAT the man does.
And HE DICTATES, via His Internal Power, the extent of WHAT each individual man does to please Him.
did not annul the promise that Abraham believed in?
Abraham received the SAME gifts any man does WHO begins in Belief, and is given Faith, and continues to believe, and continues to received Faith....and Receives Salvation.
And we KNOW When the day was, Abraham received His Salvation, and WAS Glad.
WE simply are revealed LATER, the terminology of WHAT to call those GIFTS, and EXACTLY HOW and WHEN they are given via the Lord, and received unto a man.
Obedience and works are the result, and always have been, of faith...not the means to salvation, but the fruits of salvation...for the Jew and the Greek...both OT and NT.
Bottom line. OT men subjected themselves TO "obedience and works" VIA the Law, and had Consequences for failing to be "obedient and doing works"
Bottom line. NT disciples/apostles were teaching men a NEW WAY.
Bottom line. The NEW WAY IS; without the Law, without the Consequences of the Law...
The Subjection is "TO" Christ the Lord Jesus.
His Grace forgives, His Power restores the soul, His Seed quickens the spirit, His Seed, His Spirit, ie His Power indwells FOREVER KEEPING and directing the mans life, TO the obedience and works according to the Precepts that Glorify Gods Name, and IS the ultimate that Pleases God.
A man who KEEPS an active relationship WITH the Lord...becomes a man whose "efforts" shall be given ADDITIONAL Gifts.
He shall be called "great" in the Kingdom.
And one WHO, does not put forth the "effort", shall be called "the least" in the Kingdom.
And we already have knowledge, of those called "great", and HOW they shall be acknowledged in the Kingdom (their positions, their additional crowns, names on pillars, etc.).
That is not however to suggest what you said of BOL is wrong. Not all, but
"the typical Catholic does certainly rely on his works, to get him to heaven"
I CLEARLY SEE THAT! ^^^
And totally DISAGREE. Works do NOT "get a man into heaven". Submission TO the Lord, and Conversion BY the Lord, "gets a man into HIS KINGDOM"...WORKS accomplished "gets a mans POSITION IN the Lords Kingdom".
JEWS, "who" do not Believe in Jesus as their "Lord", obviously DO NOT submit "TO" the Lord Jesus.
THEY Consinue UNDER THE LAW; being obedient TO the Law, doing WORKS according to the LAW, so they MAY at the end of their physical life, RECEIVE Salvation for BEING obedient TO the LAW.
And Precisely WHY Jesus did not DESTROY the Law.
Jesus fulfilled the Law...believe that...and the Law and it's consequences become MOOT, for a man to be UNDER.
Don't believe Jesus fulfilled the Law...and thus the man remains Subject TO the Law.
I was never subject to the Law.
I chose to subject myself TO Christ the Lord Jesus.
His fulfillment of the Law, and His offering, of His Body, His Blood, opened a WAY for me....
A Gentile, to receive His GIFTS and BECOME grafted INTO His acceptance, according to HIS WAY, and Gods Promises, to BE accounted AS His people, and He my Lord and my God.
God Bless,
Taken
