Wilt thou rejoice with me? Last night my understanding deepened in the scriptures. So many things opened up and clicked, of which I am about to share. May the Lord be glorified in all of this! Also, good post about Matthew 19:17, I never thought to use that.James Forthwright said:<span style='font-family: comic sans ms'>Raeneske, I highly commend your devotion to God's eternal Law. The Ten Commandments are the foundation of God's Law and were inscribed in stone by the Creator's own hand. I believe they are divinely arranged in a hierarchical fashion. The Sabbath at #4 is certainly high on that sacred list. How is it that NONE of the other nine commandments are ever disputed as still being relevant to Christians? It is not a demonstration of <em class='bbc'>"liberty"</em> in Christ to dismiss our obligations to obey our Heavenly Father's commandments. Jesus and His disciples certainly obeyed each and every one of the Ten Commandments.
<span style='font-size: 18px;'>Mat 19:16 <em class='bbc'>And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
Mat 19:17 And he said unto him, <span style='color: rgb(255,0,0)'>Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
I have prayed for you, and I hope this helps understanding. Not to embarrass you, or make you feel like an idiot, but because ye are bought with a price.Axehead said:I'm sorry Rae, I think you are inferring and assuming too many things prior to the Mosaic covenant. And I understand why you are doing it. However, I am not even sure you understand the Law of Liberty and the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus so at this point I think it is best that I back off and allow someone else who may be able to explain things in a better way, to you.
All the best,
Axehead
James 1:22-25 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
James 2:10-12 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
The 10 Commandments are like a mirror. It can only tell you how dirty you are. But why would we look at the dirt, and then not seek a way to be cleansed? This the Lord does for us, He cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
The 10 Commandments are also called, The Law of Liberty. So long as you are breaking those commandments, you are still a slave to sin. The Law of Liberty demonstrates the true freedom a Christian has, when one is able to keep it. It shows and lets the Christian know that Jesus Christ has in fact been working in your life, and works on your behalf.
John 8:32-36 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Even Jesus said himself, those who commit sin, are slaves to sin. Sin, is the Transgression of the Law of Liberty.
1 John 3:3-10 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
Jesus came, and took away that bondage from sin which we had. Was the law sin? Was the 10 Commandments that bondage? No, but sin, took occasion by the commandment, came and killed us. We know the Law, as does Satan. Satan has a problem with that law, therefore tries to bring all of mankind with him.
Romans 6:14-23 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 7: 1-4 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
I admit, I racked my brain going, "We are not under The Law (10 Commandments), but we still have to keep them?"
We are free from the Law, but we are not freed from obeying the Law as Romans 6:14-15 showed. So then, how can one be not under it? Well, we as Christians are supposed to be "dead" anyways. And while self dies, Christ lives. If Christ lives, you will be keeping that Law, because there is no sin in Christ. However, if self lives, you shall be continually breaking that law. We are carnal, but Christ is spiritual, and that law (10 Commandments) is spiritual.
Romans 7:5-14 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
So then, what are we freed from? The penalty of breaking the law.. This is absolute, as we are told we still must obey the law. Not in oldness of letter, but in newness of spirit. What is the spirit of the law? Ask Christ, who taught the spirit. It is inside your heart. The law, being spiritual, but we being carnal could not understand that before. The Spiritual Law, the 10 Commandments, said "Thou shalt not kill", and we obeyed by the letter not physically murdering anyone. But Jesus showed, that you kill when you have hate in your heart against your brother. The Law all along carried the spiritual qualities with it, however the understanding of men is and was carnal.
When God said, "6 days thou shalt labour and do all thy work, but the 7th Day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. In it thou shalt not do any work", He was serious. However, the law which is spiritual also included much of what men's understanding did not include. You are to keep the 7th Day Sabbath Holy, there have been no changes, and those who break God's Law after hearing the truth completely and they understand, shall be without excuse. That law never forbade Sacred Work to be done, nor the healing of those in danger, or withered up. In the oldness of letter, with carnal eyesight, we could not see past that. With the newness of Spirit, the Lord deepens that understanding. You are still to keep the Sabbath Day. It is a requirement, Jesus said not one jot or tittle should change. Not a single one did. Jesus himself, kept the Sabbath.
Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
Is anyone better than Christ? Are we better, that the same law if Christ broke would have been considered sin, but if we break it, we are considered "free"?
So, to recap my points:
You are not under the law, but under grace. However you shall not sin if you are under grace either. So then, what aren't we under? We aren't under the curse of the law, the penalty of transgression. If you are transgressing the law, you are a slave to sin. That is why the Law is called The Law of Liberty. While you are keeping the law, you are not a slave to sin, you are freed from the bondage of sin. The Spirit of the Law is a deeper understanding of the law. The law was already spiritual, but our carnal eyes could not see past what the letter had written. Jesus came to explain the law, and He magnified it. Not one jot or tittle changed. It is not freedom, not liberty, to break the 4th Commandment, It is written, rest the 7th Day. And if self has died, and Jesus lives, then you will be found keeping the 7th Day Holy. Will you be found doing secular work? Nay, but spiritual work. You will be found praying, teaching truth, gathering with brethern, etc. There is nothing against resting either, Sit back, and read scripture, or listen to real Christian music. Anything that glorifies the Lord.
Making this day unholy, by doing your secular manor of work, is not keeping the Sabbath. You are found guilty, a transgressor of the law. Keep the Commandments Axe. All 10.
This is the representation of a new man. You can't stamp the name "Christian" on someone who refuses to keep the Commandments of God. You are trying to put new wine in an old bottle. You must die of self, Jesus must live. You become a new man. Then, do the spiritual applications of the Law make sense.mjrhealth said:Before the cross it was all about the flesh after the cross it is all about the Spirit.
Luk_11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
Joh_3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
But again, there are many still trying to fit the new wine into the old wine skin. It doesnt work.
In all His Love
See my post for Axehead.