Phoneman777
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- Jan 14, 2015
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Hi F2F, Paul said that salvation by works causes the offense of the Cross to cease. In that statement, we see the crux of the entire issue.face2face said:Greetings Phoneman
I surely believe the mocking and slanderous posts are less than helpful and go a long way in frustrating the purpose of God in this thread. Sadly, it is true that popular theology has almost obscured the principle of obedience as the basis of acceptance with God in Christ Jesus our Lord by its doctrine of "justification by faith" alone. However, a danger exists in going too far the other way. Can you speak to this danger?
The Son of Thunder knew a believer begins with keeping His commands to eventually keeping His Word (v5) - it's a process of the command working it's way from head to heart. The instruction here is speaking of the precepts found in the Lord Jesus Christ and nowhere else can they be found in their living form, perfectly.
Do you agree the Lord Jesus Christ is not a denomination? And no denomination is a wholesaler of absolute truth. None of us think as we ought and certainly don't obey as we ought though we use our hearts daily to find His ways.
You see a beauty in the Law and Commands of God, which all had their fulfillment in Jesus (well done). I also love the Law and the Prophets which subject matter has filled me with awe and wonder these past 20 years.
I could debate the Sabbath/ Law with you and maybe show you a thing or two, but I fear the contention in this thread is rather toxic and not a place of learning.
I will continue to read with interest.
In the Lords love
F2F
Why would one find the Cross offensive? Certainly not because of the idea that by it He paid our sin debt, for which one among us that recognizes our need for forgiveness would find that offensive? No, the offensiveness of the Cross is that it destroys the lie held as truth since time immemorial that we may continue to indulge the sins we love while atoning for them through whatever ritualistic means we concoct, all to the exclusion of character transformation. It is character transformation from that which has been marred by sin into that of the spotless Son of God which the world has always found so offensive because it is too demanding and too extreme - it's "going to far". Today, the church has joined in the fray with the tirelessly repeated excuses as to why Christians cannot be transformed by the renewing of their minds and made fit for the reasonable service of obedience to His commandments that God desires of us.
Today, the ritual of self atonement has taken on the form of illegitimately claiming the promise of salvation in Christ our Saviour while simultaneously rejecting His authority in our lives as Christ our Lord. Contrary to popular belief, God's mercy towards the sins we love is "long-suffering", not "eternal suffering" , which is the desire of those who want God's mercy to cripple His justice. The mercy held out to us as we struggle to overcome our character defects is expanded to cover those who stubbornly refuse to turn from sin and surrender to Him. They stand with shoulders square and jaw set and fists clenched ready to debate with the God they claim to love about the terms of what salvation should be, not realizing that the only thing they can possibly bring to the bargaining table is a lost soul. To me, friend, that's going to far.