Exactly. So, does everyone here believe that God will not again change His mind about what He requires of people?
In context, the pharisees were accusing Jesus and his disciples of eating without washing their hands prior to eating.
Mark 7
1 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
See what Jesus said:
6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
Jesus' rebuke was AGAINST the tradition of men being UPHELD as the commandment of God.
That is the context of that scripture.
__________________
...Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ...(Acts 20:21)
As per God changing his mind, God did not change his mind. Under the old covenant, there were specific foods that were unclean for JEWS to eat.
The UNCLEAN FOODs were still unclean until the new covenant was enacted.
God did not change his mind. The gospel of Christ had always been the original intent of God. He enacted the law as a placeholder until the time when his original intent would be manifested.
Gal 3
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Notice that Paul is telling us that God already spoke about the gospel to Abraham (in thy "seed" that is Christ) even before the law was given.
Continuing...
Gal 3
16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
Paul is showing us God's original intent was to save man through the gospel of Christ Jesus and God had already preached to Abraham this gospel. (The law coming 430 years after CANNOT DISANNUL the promise that was already given)
Continuing... Gal 3
19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
Paul is telling us "why was the law given then since it cannot disannul the promise already made to Abraham?"
And he gives the answer right there: "till the seed should come to whom the promise was made"
The law was a placeholder until the time of reformation
Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
So we see that God did not change his mind.
In fact way back in Gen 3:15, he had spoken of the seed to come.
__________________
...Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ...(Acts 20:21)
As per God changing his mind, God did not change his mind. Under the old covenant, there were specific foods that were unclean for JEWS to eat.
The UNCLEAN FOODs were still unclean until the new covenant was enacted.
God did not change his mind. The gospel of Christ had always been the original intent of God. He enacted the law as a placeholder until the time when his original intent would be manifested.
Gal 3
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Notice that Paul is telling us that God already spoke about the gospel to Abraham (in thy "seed" that is Christ) even before the law was given.
Continuing...
Gal 3
16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
Paul is showing us God's original intent was to save man through the gospel of Christ Jesus and God had already preached to Abraham this gospel. (The law coming 430 years after CANNOT DISANNUL the promise that was already given)
Continuing... Gal 3
19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
Paul is telling us "why was the law given then since it cannot disannul the promise already made to Abraham?"
And he gives the answer right there: "till the seed should come to whom the promise was made"
The law was a placeholder until the time of reformation
Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
So we see that God did not change his mind.
In fact way back in Gen 3:15, he had spoken of the seed to come.
It certainly could have been God's intention all along to forbid (Jews only) to eat unclean animals, and to remove that prohibition at just the right time. So if that isn't changing His mind, it is changing His requirements. So OK, let me reword my question:
Will God never again change His requirements of man?
__________________
Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
As for the rules about eating unclean animals, is it your opinion that they were merely traditions of men, and not (originally) commandments of God?
Those rules were originally the comandments of God. The traditions of men was what Jesus was rebuking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Timmy
It certainly could have been God's intention all along to forbid (Jews only) to eat unclean animals, and to remove that prohibition at just the right time. So if that isn't changing His mind, it is changing His requirements.
I think this statement of yours also answer the above question...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Timmy
So OK, let me reword my question:
Will God never again change His requirements of man?
Good question.
Well, let's see. What is God's present requirement of man? Faith. What was his past requirement? Faith (Heb 11 stresses this point)
Now, how that faith is EXPRESSED (perhaps, this is what you're getting at?) is what has changed over time.
Before the law, men like Abraham and Isaac EXPRESSED their faith in God by offering sacrifices (building altars). Enoch walked with God by faith.
Under the law, the EXPRESSION of faith was still through offering of sacrifices. In the NT, the EXPRESSION of faith is by believing in the perfect SACRIFICIAL LAMB of God.
So the requirement is still the same, that is FAITH, but the EXPRESSION has changed depending on what period of time God is dealing with man.
Now, could the EXPRESSION of faith change again (I'm guessing that would be your question?)
To answer this question, we have to know what purpose the EXPRESSION of faith served in the past and presently.
In God's law, the penalty for sin is death and God has by his own counsel and sovereignty determined that blood is required for the atonement of sins.
The EXPRESSION of faith (OT lambs and Jesus the Lamb of God) were a means by which man's sins were atoned for. So we have to get the point that the whole purpose for the requirement was for the atonement of sins.
Now, Heb 10
1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
This scriptures tells us that, yes, the old testament atoned for the sins of the people (also Lev 16), however, the people themselves did not receive a NEW CONSCIENCE.
So the difference between the WORK of the old covenant and the new covenant is that the new covenant goes beyond just atoning for sins. It CHANGES man's conscience.
So, if a man's conscience is changed from satan oriented to God oriented, then God's purpose is achieved.
Hence, this new covenant has served the purpose of RECONCILING man back to God.
Since man is reconciled back to God, the new covenant has done it all and there is no need to change the formula (ergo: EXPRESSION of Faith)
So,
God will not change his requirement: Faith
God will not change the EXPRESSION of faith: Believe in Jesus Christ
God will not change his purpose: To reconcile man back to God
I hope I was able to answer your question...
__________________
...Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ...(Acts 20:21)
It certainly could have been God's intention all along to forbid (Jews only) to eat unclean animals, and to remove that prohibition at just the right time. So if that isn't changing His mind, it is changing His requirements. So OK, let me reword my question:
Will God never again change His requirements of man?
You know Timmy, God prohibited certain animals because they just are not good for our health to eat it. Certain animals are scavengers. They eat anything. Swine carries parasites and when we consume them, all the sodium in the meat messes with our blood chemistry...ya know...like raises our blood pressure for one thing. We can eat certain birds...turkey, chicken, quail etc but when it comes to buzzards/vultures and such... they are scavengers and eat smashed animals or animals that "die of itself" from the ground. God knows such meat is not good for us to eat...that it harms our bodies.
We can still take those food laws and follow them to our benefit, if we choose. God gave them for our benefit, not to deny them from us just because He is God and wants to. That's not the way God is.
Cattle are grass grazers. Clean food here. God designed the cow to be clean and gave it to us to eat for nourishment. Lamb is clean too.
But man has decided to add gmo grain and grind up downer cows, cats, dogs, horses and whatever they can to increase the feed trough and force cattle to eat it by locking them in stalls with just that to eat. Then they add antibiotics to keep them from getting infection from the rotten carcasses they grind up and hormones to fatten them faster. Then they go to the slaughterhouse and to the butcher to cut up and shrink wrap it at the store...and we go and buy it for consumption not giving a thought as to all the harm we are doing to our bodies because we are not aware of what kind of process the meat we are eating has been put through.
All processed foods contain many chemicals and preservatives, sodium and such and we humans gobble it down without giving it much thought. Then when we get diseased, we wonder why? God has nothing to do with this. It isn't His fault we are gluttonous and stupid for putting everything we see into our mouths.
Certain meat have always been clean food to eat until mankind got greedy. The GMO corn has a pesticide spliced into the genes. If pesticide kills worms and other pests that normally feed off corn, what do people think it does in our bodies? Pesticides such as Roundup is meant to kill.
The healthcare industry tells us not to eat red meat because it causes clogged arteries. But they do not tell you why. The above is one reason why. Antibiotics cause human blood pH to become acidic. That in turn, causes ridges inside our arteries to make cholesterol stick. Cholesterol is needed for proper brain function and nerve function. It's not really a boogeyman. Under normal circumstances our bodies would clean it right out.
Added hormones to the body is never good. God gave us the right amount of hormones for our bodies to function the way He designed it to function. So we eat and drink (milk) added hormones from the cow that man decided to alter to benefit his profits.
So you see, God's intentions toward humanity has always been pure. He's tried to keep us from disease and death. But man has always been hard-headed.
I don't blame God for anything that happens here on earth. Maybe God "changes His mind" in order to find ways to keep us from destroying ourselves? Maybe God just loves us enough to do that?
__________________
It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. (Psalms 118:8)
In context, the pharisees were accusing Jesus and his disciples of eating without washing their hands prior to eating.
Mark 7
1 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
See what Jesus said:
6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
Jesus' rebuke was AGAINST the tradition of men being UPHELD as the commandment of God.
That is the context of that scripture.
As for the rules about eating unclean animals, is it your opinion that they were merely traditions of men, and not (originally) commandments of God?
__________________
Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
Exactly. So, does everyone here believe that God will not again change His mind about what He requires of people?
I don't know that it is God changing His mind.
Under the dispensation of Law, certain foods were forbidden.
Since we are under grace, we no longer have to comply with the old Law.
Hybrid Mode
