Forums118
Topics9,232
Posts196,194
Members1,325
|
Most Online5,850 Feb 29th, 2020
|
|
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
28
|
29
|
30
|
|
Here is a link to show exactly where the Space Station is over earth right now: Click Here
|
|
5 registered members (Karen Y, dedication, Kevin H, 2 invisible),
2,445
guests, and 9
spiders. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Re: Not under the law but under grace
#9533
12/07/02 06:32 AM
12/07/02 06:32 AM
|
OP
Charter Member Active Member 2012
Dedicated Member
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,157
Jakarta, Indonesia
|
|
Part Seven
A good understanding of the purpose of the law given to mankind (Israel) will open our eyes and made us have a better understanding of the Gospel of Christ.
As many of you knew that the law (Torah) given to Moses at Sinai includes the Ten Commandment and also the Sacrificial law. These two kinds of law are the most important law in the whole Torah because these law being together leads law keepers to Christ, the would be Redeemer and Savior of the world that is going to come.
Why is the Torah a law that leads to Christ? Because:
1. The Ten Commandment reveals man’s sin and through obedience this sin increases all the more. It is easy to understand why obedience to the law increase a man transgression instead to decrease or lessening it and if possible to make an end to sin? Because obedience to the law is a man’s works, done by “self” that is under dominion of sin. Israel was obliged to keep and obey the law and that made a Jew lives in sins because his obedience was done by self, an obedience that came from a man own desire, a self-loving man. Since all men were under sin and fall short of the glory of God because of their self-love nature, their obedience to the law could not fulfil the law demands that was based on LOVE and thus, even though they obey the letter perfectly but they fall short to fulfil the spirit of the law. This made a law keeper is also a law-breaker at the same time as his nature transgressed the spirit of the law.
But although their sins in obeying the law increases all the more but it was not their fault since self-love is their nature that transgress the principle of the law. What is important for God is that they has kept the law as his instruction, they had performed an obedience he had asked them and their imperfection and their sins he didn’t count as it was the result of their nature. But what counts for him is that they must have faith in Him and the coming Savior, they should understand the purpose of the law and accepts it by faith. Therefore they knew and understood the need for their Redeemer and Savior and clings to the hope of salvation and redemption through faith in him that is to come by obeying the law that would lead them to him. They understood their need for the grace of God that justify them by their faith not counting their transgressions.
2. The Sacrificial law introduced the ministry of Christ, the coming Redeemer and Savior of the world that would be sacrificed as a propitiation of sin. To redeem them from the sin revealed by the law of the Ten Commandment and the sins of transgressions and to save them from death as the wages of sin.
Therefore, none of this law if standing alone would lead to Christ. The Ten Commandment is useless if no one knows who will save them and redeem them as introduced in the Sacrificial law, and without the Ten Commandment, there is no need to keep the Sacrificial law because there is no law that points out sin and condemn them for these sins.
Thus, Torah that includes both laws was a law that leads to Christ, and indeed it was exactly God purpose in giving the law to Israel. It was really not God intention that the law was given to be a standard for judgment and righteousness, because man’s nature could not perform a righteous life through obedience. Meanwhile God judgment that allows a man to enter heaven is based on the principle of heaven it self; love that is also the principle of the Ten Commandment but not the Ten Commandment it self.
In His love
James S
|
|
|
Re: Not under the law but under grace
#9534
12/07/02 06:34 AM
12/07/02 06:34 AM
|
OP
Charter Member Active Member 2012
Dedicated Member
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,157
Jakarta, Indonesia
|
|
Part Eight
The law could not condemn men since men were already under condemnation before it came in effect at Sinai, and the law could not make a man righteous because of the weakness of the sinful flesh and because men’s nature is against the principle of the law. All what the law can do is to reveal their sin and increase men’s transgressions. That’s why it was not God intention at all to make a law that will stand as a standard of judgement and righteousness in heaven but just a law that lead to Christ in order God might have a legal reason to save men.
Men were saved from death because Christ has given their life back by dying for them to redeem them from the sin of self-love, which is their nature, a sin they were conceived and born with. Men died because Adam had sinned and the world became imperfect, they died because they inherit the death from Adam who was cut off from the Source of Life due to his sin. All who was born after Adam carried a death body and the sin of self-love nature that transgress God’s nature. All then were under sin and falls short of the glory of God. This made men have a dual condemnation, they were condemned to death that they carried in their bodies inherited from Adam and they were condemned to death by their sin of self-love nature. A sin that they didn’t deserve since they were conceived and born with it and nothing they can do to change it and along with it; the death as the wages of sin. The dead occurred in many ways because of the imperfection that was in the world due to sin, i.e.; aging, sickness, disease, earthquakes, flood, accident, war, murdered, etc.
But men were made alive because Christ by his grace through his work of redemption would recreate them again. Bones would be resurrected from the grave in their own bodies, ashes in the grave were recreated in their own bodies, ashes and bones scattered in the ocean, in dungeons, in the air, all would be recreated in their own bodies. It is the same work as when God formed men from dust and gives life to them. The only difference is that they who would be resurrected from the death at Christ Second Coming would be recreated in a new perfect flesh with no sin in it just as when God created Adam. But those who would be resurrected at Christ third coming to the world with all his saints and heaven it self, would be recreated in the same old body they once used to live. A sinful body that carried the death in it as the wages of their own sins because Christ had redeem them from the sin of self-love nature that they didn’t deserve as it was a nature inherited from Adam. They would be resurrected at Christ 3rd coming and would be placed at a different place than the first resurrected saints. The saints would be placed in heaven and the wicked would be placed in the old world, waiting the time for God to ignites the fire of hell where they all including Satan and his angels would be burned to nothing left.
Christ recreates men and gives their life back, because he has the right to do it to shows God mercy, love and grace in saving men. Adam’s sin caused imperfection and death to men and the world, but Christ’s righteousness caused perfection and life to men and the world. In Adam all die but in Christ Jesus all was made alive. By the grace of God, Christ redemption justified all men (sinners) from the sin they didn’t deserves; their self-love nature and gives their life back for the death they didn’t deserves as it was inherited from Adam. For this justification a man doesn’t need faith because it was the objective salvation as the result of Christ redemption, it was given freely to all men and all would be made alive no matter who. But to be in heaven and live eternally a man must have the principle of heaven in his heart otherwise he would not enter and lives in heaven. This principle is LOVE (agape) that could only be obtained through the work of the Spirit since this LOVE is fruit of the Spirit and not man’s own effort.
In His love
James S.
|
|
|
Re: Not under the law but under grace
#9535
12/07/02 06:36 AM
12/07/02 06:36 AM
|
OP
Charter Member Active Member 2012
Dedicated Member
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,157
Jakarta, Indonesia
|
|
Part Nine.
All this was done on the part of God that has the right to do so because he has a legal reason that comes through the law. The purpose of the law is not justifying sinful men through obedience since no one could do that because “ all have sinned and falls short of the glory of God”, all have a sinful nature that transgress the law principle and thus their obedience is polluted with self-love. The purpose of the law is not also for condemning men because men were already under condemnation of eternal death before the law came in effect. That’s why the law could never and is not designated to stands as a standard of judgment and righteousness, especially for those who wants to go to heaven. The law was given just simply “to lead its law keepers to Christ” in order God might have a legal reason to act in saving man.
Only Christ in man’s flesh that has fulfilled the law demands and obtained a justification by the law that gives life, which was shown that although he was murdered but he lived again within three days. This indicates that no man might get the same result through their obedience, otherwise they too will receive life because of their righteousness in keeping the law. They will be saved by their own works and not by the grace of God through Christ redemption, which made Christ died in vain.
Saved by grace means God saved sinners and not righteous men. God saved us through Christ dead that justify all men when we were still sinners and God justify us by faith in him even we were still sinning. It was Satan’s great lie that God only justifies those who reach a perfect obedience to the law. He spread this idea through his human agents. The intention is to build the law as a parallel way to heaven to match with the only way to the Father in heaven that is in Christ Jesus. But in fact this way would never bring those who walk in it to the Father in heaven, even it seems right.
“The law was added so that trespasses might increase”, it doesn’t lessen transgression or make it come to an end, it increases transgression in order the need for God’s grace through Christ is absolute that made him the only way where our lives depends on him. Keeping the law doesn’t make a law keeper righteous, on the contrary it makes him a law-breaker, which is exactly God intention in order he might have a legal right to save men through Christ redemption. If the law imparts life, it is not a law that leads to Christ, even though who did keep the law will made alive as Christ did. But men are not Christ and would never be like him that’s why no man could obtain justification by the law as Christ did. They all were saved by the grace of God that justify them freely through Christ death and they all were justified by their faith without the deeds of the law that allows them to go to heaven.
Therefore the law was only designated for a specific period of time and not from the beginning till eternity. It came in effect at Sinai when it was given to Moses and it ended in Christ at the cross. It was given to Israel chosen among all nations on earth to carry out God’s great plan of salvation and when Christ was sacrificed, the law that lead to him was fulfilled and lost it functions.
But Christ when he went back to heaven didn’t left us alone, his mission to save men was accomplished but there is still thing he must do, which is to maintain this salvation for men. For that reason he sent his Spirit to continue what He had accomplished, not in saving men but to maintain the salvation already done by Christ and to recreate men back in to the image and likeness of God to all who believe.
If the law still binds and is a standard of judgment and righteousness and the Spirit empowers men to keep and fulfil the law demands through faith, the Spirit would make himself the Savior of man with the law as a mediator because now men might be justified by the law that gives life, just as Christ was justified by the law. This idea is true because law keepers believe that no man might keep the law perfectly and fulfill it demands unless he is empowered by the Spirit.
In His love
James S
|
|
|
Re: Not under the law but under grace
#9536
12/07/02 06:37 AM
12/07/02 06:37 AM
|
OP
Charter Member Active Member 2012
Dedicated Member
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,157
Jakarta, Indonesia
|
|
Part Ten.
But the fact is that the Spirit is not men’s Savior and men is not and would never be justified by the law just as Christ did and the Spirit would never empower men to keep and obey the law, he can not do that simply because to obey is work and to have the Spirit is through faith.
When a believer lives by faith and walks after the Spirit, he is no longer under control of his own desires but the Spirit works in him to carry out the Spirit desires. So, what the Spirit desires and what the believer desired are in contradiction. The believer desires to keep and obey the law but the Spirit desires to recreate him back in the image and likeness of God by changing his nature from a selfish heart to an unselfish heart. The Spirit desires to change the self-love nature of a believer to have the love of God that seeks no self. If the believer maintains his desires to keep and obey the law, the Spirit draws back and leaves the control to the believer, and you know the result when “self” is in control. The believer who thinks he is keeping the law with faith and empowers by the Spirit is in fact doing it all alone. His deeds then would be not better than the deeds of the flesh, polluted with self-love. That is the reason why the Scripture taught us that the law was added so that transgression might increase, because through obedience the results are only deeds of the flesh. But those who give the control of his life to the Spirit will have fruits of the Spirit, the love of God that was shed abroad in their hearts by the Spirit. This is the work of recreating in the image and likeness of God, done on the part of God and not ours.
Another truth is that was written in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 – “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The sting of death is sin, the power of sin is the law but victory over sin and death comes through Jesus Christ. What do we learn from this great truth and beautiful fact?
Death reigned because sin was already in the world even there is no law yet that might take sin into account (Romans 5:12-14). Next came the law that increases sins all the more because it empowers our selfish desire to obey the law. Sins now is taken into account with death as the wages of sin for transgression to the law. But God gives us victory over all this; over death, over sin and over the law that caused us to sin all the more. This victory came through Jesus Christ our Lord! With his death and resurrection of the death he gave men’s life back and with his Spirit given to those who believe him he gives them his love that change their self-love nature. Death, sin and the law was overruled and substituted with life, righteousness and the Spirit. The former was imperfect, condemnation and death are the results; the latter is perfect, freedom, love and life are the results.
Therefore, there is no other way to come to the Father in heaven excepts through Christ, which is the only “way, life and the truth.” For this reason, Christ has designated the law for just only a specific period of time and not eternal; “it was added because of transgressions UNTIL the Seed to whom the promise referred had come (Galatians 3:19). And the Seed did come, thus, the law stopped to exist!
Christ knew that Satan would success in averting men’s view from him to the law, He knew that Satan would rebuilt what has been destroyed and sets up a parallel way to heaven through the law. Therefore, Christ through his apostles had given a clear message about the law, it functions and it purposes given to men. How a man is justified and how should he live to enter heaven. It is clearly and simple explained in the Gospel of Christ, but men like to hear what their preachers, pastors and the church told them instead to dig and study it all by themselves with the help of the Spirit.
Satan through his human agents has successfully built a parallel way to heaven that is not entering the gate of heaven at all, not even come close. This way is through the law, through obedience to the law, through making men came under the jurisdiction of the law by making the law as a standard of judgment and righteousness. The most sign of this lie and impurity is the Sabbath law, which is claimed as to be the true sign of the people of God at the end of time, his Remnant.
But those who were chosen would not submit to this iniquity that was and is still working within men. They trust God and anchored their faith in Christ, the only true way to heaven, and they would not be disappointed because they have chosen what is true. They have chosen to remain alive and be partakers “in Christ” through faith since this life is in him and since he is the only way that led us to heaven.
In His love
James S
|
|
|
Re: Not under the law but under grace
#9537
12/07/02 06:55 AM
12/07/02 06:55 AM
|
OP
Charter Member Active Member 2012
Dedicated Member
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,157
Jakarta, Indonesia
|
|
James,
You keep focusing on the fact that there wasn't any written laws of God prior to Sinai, and as a result God couldn't legally condemn anybody for breaking any unwritten laws.
What legal right did God, therefore, have to destroy the world in a great flood and only rescue Noah and his family in the ark?
What legal right did God, therefore, have to even cast the devil and a 3rd of the angels out of heaven?
What legal right did God, therefore, have to cast Adam and Eve and all of mankind out of the Garden of Eden?
What legal right did God, therefore, have to destroy Sodom and Gormorrah?
Were these acts of God against all of the above based on their breaking of His unwritten laws?
___________________ In His Love, Mercy & Grace
Daryl
= = = = = = = =
He hasn’t! God has no legal right for all those actions you mentioned above and if the Law is not made written there would be no salvation through Christ and if so is the case, God is a TYRANT and not a God that of love as he claims himself to be. This would made Satan superior!
In His love
James S [ December 07, 2002, 03:56 AM: Message edited by: James Saptenno ]
|
|
|
Re: Not under the law but under grace
#9538
12/07/02 11:35 AM
12/07/02 11:35 AM
|
|
James posted: quote:
He hasn’t! God has no legal right for all those actions you mentioned above and if the Law is not made written there would be no salvation through Christ and if so is the case, God is a TYRANT and not a God that of love as he claims himself to be. This would made Satan superior!
What do you mean by He hasn't?
|
|
|
Re: Not under the law but under grace
#9539
12/07/02 12:48 PM
12/07/02 12:48 PM
|
OP
Charter Member Active Member 2012
Dedicated Member
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,157
Jakarta, Indonesia
|
|
Daryl.
It is to reply to your question; what legal right that God had in doing those actions you mentioned.
I say, he has no legal right whatsoever in doing that IF the law didn't make written. So is the case with taking Enoch alive to heaven. It is all subject to make the law written and legal at the right time.
In His love
James S [ December 07, 2002, 09:50 AM: Message edited by: James Saptenno ]
|
|
|
Re: Not under the law but under grace
#9540
12/08/02 03:23 AM
12/08/02 03:23 AM
|
SDA Charter Member Active Member 2019
20000+ Member
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 22,256
Southwest USA
|
|
Romans 8:1-4 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
James, I'm sure you have some twisted way to tweak this passage to mean something entirely different than what it clearly says. But to me this scripture teaches that in Jesus we are able to fulfill the righteous requirements of the law and are therefore no longer under the condemnation of a broken law.
|
|
|
Re: Not under the law but under grace
#9541
12/07/02 10:53 PM
12/07/02 10:53 PM
|
Charter Member Active Member 2014
Most Dedicated Member
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 2,019
Northern CA
|
|
I just wanted to say that God has the right to do whatever it is He wants to do...He after all is GOD.
|
|
|
|
Here is the link to this week's Sabbath School Lesson Study and Discussion Material: Click Here
|
|
|