Christmas is not pagan

[Amanah]

The ten commandments teach us how to love God
And love each other.

Matthew 22:36-40

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

[good samaritan]

Originally Posted by Amanah

The ten commandments teach us how to love God
And love each other.

Matthew 22:36-40

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

The law of love goes much further than the Ten Commandments.

#1) You shall have no other God's before me.

NT teaching: nothing can before God

Luke 9:61-62
61......And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
62......And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Matthew 6:24
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Matthew 10:37-38
37......He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38......And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

#2) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images.

NT teaching: There is none but our God, idols aren’t real.

1 Corinthians 8:4-6
4......As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
5......For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)
6......But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

1 Corinthians 10:19-20
19......What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?
20......But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

#3) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

NT teaching: the name Yahweh was seldom used because of fear, but we are instructed to freely call upon the name of Jesus

Luke 1:31
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

Acts 2:21
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 4:10-12
10......Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11......This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12......Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

#4) Remember the Sabbath day and keep it Holy.

NT teaching: everyday belongs to the Lord and we are not to judge one another regarding holidays. God now gives us rest for our souls.

Romans 14:4-5
4......Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
5......One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

Romans 14:10
But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Luke 9:23
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Acts 2:46
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

Acts 5:42
And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 3:13
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Hebrews 10:24-25
24......And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25......Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

#2) Honor your father and mother.

NT teaching: we are obligated to the care of our parents.

Ephesians 6:1-4
1......Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2......Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise
3......That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
4......And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

1 Timothy 5:8
But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

Continued————

[coksiw]

“This is not meaning we must go back to legalistically following the laws given at Sinai.” -> that portrays the OT so negatively that almost sound like Marcionite.

What “legalistically” means to you? Jesus didn’t use that term, nor the disciples. They used other terms which are not synonymous of “legalism”.

[good samaritan]

Originally Posted by coksiw

“This is not meaning we must go back to legalistically following the laws given at Sinai.” -> that portrays the OT so negatively that almost sound like Marcionite.

That is exactly how the old covenant is portrayed in the epistles.

Galatians 2:4
And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:

Galatians 4:22-25
22......For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
23......But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
24......Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
25......For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

What “legalistically” means to you? Jesus didn’t use that term, nor the disciples. They used other terms which are not synonymous of “legalism”.

When children are little we give them rules to follow and often they are not capable of understanding the purposes of the rules. In many cases they may ask,“why”?” Our response maybe, “because l said so”. That is very similar to the law at Sinai. There where no exceptions to the law, it simply must be obeyed. If they disobeyed, they became a transgressor of the law. In effect all have sinned come short of the glory of God.


Galatians 3:24-25
24......Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Note the past tense: the law “was” our schoolmaster.

We are no longer under a schoolmaster.

[votivesoul]

Originally Posted by good samaritan

Galatians 3:24-25

24......Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Note the past tense: the law “was” our schoolmaster.

We are no longer under a schoolmaster.

I draw your attention, and any other reader's as well, to the fact that the Greek text does not have a past tense verb equaling the word "was" in English. In fact, the verb in question is found in the present indicative active tense.

See here: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/galatians/3-24.htm

The sentence in Greek is:

ὥστε ὁ νόμος παιδαγωγὸς ἡμῶν γέγονεν εἰς Χριστόν ἵνα ἐκ πίστεως δικαιωθῶμεν

Transliterated:

hōste ho nomos paidagōgos hēmōn gegonen eis Christon hina ek pisteōs dikaiōthōmen

The verb in question is γέγονεν - gegonen.

The above is the conjugated form of γίνομαι - ginomai, meaning "to emerge, to become, or to come into being".

See: https://biblehub.com/greek/1096.htm

From the first link above, you can see that the present indicative action (3rd person singular) of γίνομαι - ginomai, that is, γέγονεν - gegonen, is best translated as "has become', which at first may seem to be "past tense", but in reality, and in context, is not.

Here's why:

The verse in question can (and I think should be) translated as follows:

Therefore, the Law [i.e. the Torah has become our tutor [in order to lead us] to Christ, in order that, by faith, we might be made righteous/justified

You can see in this context, the verb in question really has a present tense meaning, hence why it is present active indicative, which means it is present tense, continuously active in every sense of "the present" from each and every moment to the next, in order to stress the fact of the reality of, in this case, what the Law/Torah is to us, that is, the tutor that leads us to the Anointed One.

What this means is, you cannot come to the Christ without the Law/Torah constantly, presently, actively from moment to moment, leading you to Him, bringing you back to Him, returning you to Him, as a matter of spiritual fact, so that you can be made righteous/justified.

To be antinomian is to be unrighteous, to forsake the Christ, and to abandon the tutor that leads you to your salvation.

[good samaritan]

Originally Posted by votivesoul

I draw your attention, and any other reader's as well, to the fact that the Greek text does not have a past tense verb equaling the word "was" in English. In fact, the verb in question is found in the present indicative active tense.

See here: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/galatians/3-24.htm

The sentence in Greek is:

ὥστε ὁ νόμος παιδαγωγὸς ἡμῶν γέγονεν εἰς Χριστόν ἵνα ἐκ πίστεως δικαιωθῶμεν

Transliterated:

hōste ho nomos paidagōgos hēmōn gegonen eis Christon hina ek pisteōs dikaiōthōmen

The verb in question is γέγονεν - gegonen.

The above is the conjugated form of γίνομαι - ginomai, meaning "to emerge, to become, or to come into being".

See: https://biblehub.com/greek/1096.htm

From the first link above, you can see that the present indicative action (3rd person singular) of γίνομαι - ginomai, that is, γέγονεν - gegonen, is best translated as "has become', which at first may seem to be "past tense", but in reality, and in context, is not.

Here's why:

The verse in question can (and I think should be) translated as follows:



You can see in this context, the verb in question really has a present tense meaning, hence why it is present active indicative, which means it is present tense, continuously active in every sense of "the present" from each and every moment to the next, in order to stress the fact of the reality of, in this case, what the Law/Torah is to us, that is, the tutor that leads us to the Anointed One.

What this means is, you cannot come to the Christ without the Law/Torah constantly, presently, actively from moment to moment, leading you to Him, bringing you back to Him, returning you to Him, as a matter of spiritual fact, so that you can be made righteous/justified.

To be antinomian is to be unrighteous, to forsake the Christ, and to abandon the tutor that leads you to your salvation.

I understand that there is many complexities in translating languages, but I am very Leary people completely retranslating verse to fit their preconceived views.

If you you read verse Galations 3:23

Galatians 3:23
But beforefaith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

Note the word “before”, it creates the context for the useage of the past tense in vs 24.

Also I have looked at about a half a dozen popular translation and they all have the same past tense usage. I am content in the tense that is used in the KJV

[good samaritan]

Originally Posted by votivesoul

I draw your attention, and any other reader's as well, to the fact that the Greek text does not have a past tense verb equaling the word "was" in English. In fact, the verb in question is found in the present indicative active tense.

See here: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/galatians/3-24.htm

The sentence in Greek is:

ὥστε ὁ νόμος παιδαγωγὸς ἡμῶν γέγονεν εἰς Χριστόν ἵνα ἐκ πίστεως δικαιωθῶμεν

Transliterated:

hōste ho nomos paidagōgos hēmōn gegonen eis Christon hina ek pisteōs dikaiōthōmen

The verb in question is γέγονεν - gegonen.

The above is the conjugated form of γίνομαι - ginomai, meaning "to emerge, to become, or to come into being".

See: https://biblehub.com/greek/1096.htm

From the first link above, you can see that the present indicative action (3rd person singular) of γίνομαι - ginomai, that is, γέγονεν - gegonen, is best translated as "has become', which at first may seem to be "past tense", but in reality, and in context, is not.

Here's why:

The verse in question can (and I think should be) translated as follows:



You can see in this context, the verb in question really has a present tense meaning, hence why it is present active indicative, which means it is present tense, continuously active in every sense of "the present" from each and every moment to the next, in order to stress the fact of the reality of, in this case, what the Law/Torah is to us, that is, the tutor that leads us to the Anointed One.

What this means is, you cannot come to the Christ without the Law/Torah constantly, presently, actively from moment to moment, leading you to Him, bringing you back to Him, returning you to Him, as a matter of spiritual fact, so that you can be made righteous/justified.

To be antinomian is to be unrighteous, to forsake the Christ, and to abandon the tutor that leads you to your salvation.

Greek has three tenses that describe the past: aorist, imperfect, and perfect. This allows a Greek writer to be specific about the three different types of action that can come into play: simple, continued, and completed.

I am sure Bible translaters where familiar with the Greek grammar when they used the verb tenses they used in the English bibles. Also when you read many translations in parallel and they all use the same tense, I would be comfortable to say that they probably got it right.

[votivesoul]

Originally Posted by good samaritan

I understand that there is many complexities in translating languages, but I am very Leary people completely retranslating verse to fit their preconceived views.

If you you read verse Galations 3:23

Galatians 3:23
But beforefaith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

Note the word “before”, it creates the context for the useage of the past tense in vs 24.

Also I have looked at about a half a dozen popular translation and they all have the same past tense usage. I am content in the tense that is used in the KJV

There is unequivocal translator bias in all translations of the Bible, or any text for that matter. All translation is interpretation first. And all English translations after the Reformation are biased toward the Protestant doctrine of grace, even if it means taking an unwarranted translational tack.

Originally Posted by good samaritan

What is an antinomian?

I can google it, but I just want be sure I am understanding what is meant when people are using it on AFF.

An antinomian is a person is thinks or believes no part of the Law is binding on the New Covenant believer in Christ, on account of the coming of the grace that saves.

Originally Posted by good samaritan

Greek has three tenses that describe the past: aorist, imperfect, and perfect. This allows a Greek writer to be specific about the three different types of action that can come into play: simple, continued, and completed.

I am sure Bible translaters where familiar with the Greek grammar when they used the verb tenses they used in the English bibles. Also when you read many translations in parallel and they all use the same tense, I would be comfortable to say that they probably got it right.

Thank you for the information. But, if you will go to the think I shared, you will see the verb in question, translated as "was" in the verse you originally shared from Galatians, is neither aorist, imperfect, or perfect, but is present active indicative.

So, why would any translator translate against the clear tense and mood of a verb to something equivalent to a different tense and mood, if not for translator bias?

[good samaritan]

We are not saved by the legislative branch (the law) of God’s government, but it is the judicial branch. The judgement of God fell upon on Christ for our sins, that we might go free. Trying to follow all of the laws contained in the first five books are is only going to bring condemnation and bondage be cause you will always have failure. Failure of the law is transgression and sin. Following after the Spirit brings about a life pleasing to the Lord and free of condemnation.

[votivesoul]

Now, some then argue, but the very next verse reads that we are no longer under the tutor, that is the Law/Torah, since we have come to saving faith, and that in fact, we are now all sons of God, and no longer need the tutor, and so, from such argumentation, they reason we can dispense with the Law/Torah, that is, the tutor, altogether.

But such reasoning is faulty. Here's why. To become or to be made a son of God means, according to Paul's particular theology, to be led by the Spirit of God.

Romans 8:14 (ESV),

14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

And what does it mean to be led by the Spirit?

Jesus said it this way:

John 16:13 (ESV),

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

The Greek word for "guide" as in "guide you into all truth" is ὁδηγήσει - hodēgēsei, from the Greek word ὁδηγέω - hodégeó, and means, to lead, to guide, to teach or instruct.

See:

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/john/16-13.htm
https://biblehub.com/greek/3594.htm

But, the suffix of the word for tutor in Galatians 3:24, which is παιδαγωγὸς - paidagōgos (hence, pedagogy in English) is from the same idea as it is in John 16:13, which means a leader or a guide.

See: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/-agogue

So, as far as the Lord Jesus is concerned, the Holy Spirit of Truth is given, in part, to lead us and guide us into all truth, which, in fact, is Jesus Himself (John 14:6) and the Word (John 17:17). In this way, the Holy Spirit is a tutor, a teacher, just as Paul says of the Law/Torah in Galatians 3:24.

And since Paul's idea of what it means to be a son of God means for us to be led by the Spirit, it's synonymous with Jesus' idea of the Spirit leading us into all truth.

Those, therefore, who have not submitted themselves to the apprenticeship of the tutor, i.e. to the Law/Torah, have not come to the faith which makes one righteous, because they are not sons of God because they have not been properly led by the Spirit of Truth.