I must add that Law came for several other reasons as well, as God killed several birds with one stone. But the most blessed one to me is what I described below. Law was a tool God used to make man aware of the principle that our desires to put our two cents' worth into making ourselves righteous, to say the least (!), cannot work. GOD has to build the house, or we labour in vain.
__________________ ...MY THOUGHTS, ANYWAY.
"Many Christians do not try to understand what was written in a verse in the Bible. Instead they approach the passage to prove what they already believe."
Mike - welcome to the Law forum. Always a pleasure to chew on your contributions.
So got your initial response in before I could get my additional notes posted. As usual, you are one step ahead of me!
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It makes no difference whether you study in the holy language, or in Arabic, or Aramaic [or in Greek or even in English]; it matters only whether it is done with understanding. - Moshe Maimonides.
Last edited by A.W. Bowman; 01-11-2011 at 08:34 AM.
OK, we can't obey the law sufficiently for our salvation. Fine. But isn't it still important to try to keep the law? At least the good laws?
Yes. But it is not a matter of whether or not we SHOULD keep law, but HOW to keep them. Many laws are actually typological object lessons of what is true in ACTUAL FORM in the Spirit. The feasts of Israel are typological of what we have in Christ without keeping any actual days, etc. Paul explained that in Gal 3:24-4:11. So those laws are in and of themselves, without true antitype understanding of them, not the point.
But generally speaking of laws that are simply telling us to love each other and love God, we cannot keep them through self-effort, but require the Spirit's empowerment. That is why Rom 7:6 says it is not enough to know we have to serve God. HOW we serve Him is the issue! Through oldness of the letter, which is self making self improve due to reading laws and forcing self to keep them, or consciously praying for and then allowing the Spirit to empower us?
__________________ ...MY THOUGHTS, ANYWAY.
"Many Christians do not try to understand what was written in a verse in the Bible. Instead they approach the passage to prove what they already believe."
Mike - welcome to the Law forum. Always a pleasure to chew on your contributions.
Thanks, bro., ditto. And like Cindy said, I thought you would be here, too!
__________________ ...MY THOUGHTS, ANYWAY.
"Many Christians do not try to understand what was written in a verse in the Bible. Instead they approach the passage to prove what they already believe."
Thanks, bro., ditto. And like Cindy said, I thought you would be here, too!
Well, you got here before I posted my reformat of Ivy's lead in post. As usual, your 'in my head'.
However, this time I am here as a student. Time to review and revisit some of the things I think I know.
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It makes no difference whether you study in the holy language, or in Arabic, or Aramaic [or in Greek or even in English]; it matters only whether it is done with understanding. - Moshe Maimonides.
There are 3,500 commandments in the bible.
On top of that, no transfats or salt in NYC and no irrigation in California. No trash in the recucling containers. etc. We are back in bondage.
The 10 Commandments were for the Nation of Israel. Was this the first covenant?
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If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8 KJV
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2 KJV
In the meantime, I found it interesting in a recent show I watched that discussed the purity rituals of the Jews. I'm not sure if all their rituals were from the Law or not -- but many of them did not help prevent disease, they worsened the contamination of disease! For example, the purification pools. They'd defecate and come there afterward to "purify." Or those who sicknesses would come wash and purify. The science that understands how easily parasites and disease spread in water wasn't quite up-to-date.
While the the old ceremonial law of ordinances have been nailed to the cross, Christ having fulfilled all, Jesus lifted the moral law out of the domain of the natural and carnal realm into that of the spiritual.
Paul called the moral law given to Moses on the mountain, holy, just and good. But then in Rom 7:14 he called it "spiritual." The law lifted from the carnal state, though holy, just and good is seen in a new light that Jesus brought to this law, making it spiritual.
Much can be said about this but this would not be the place to delve too deeply into it. However, David being both King and Prophet understood this "spiritual" concept of the carnal law. It occupied his thoughts continually. With each new discovery wrought in his mind from the marvelous light that burst forth as the horns of a rising sun, he was obsessed with going further into the unsearchable regions of the worth, value and expanse of the "spiritual law."
But, on the other hand, we are never too far away from the hiss of the serpent in the tree of knowledge...."sssss...thou shalt not surely die...." The wise man will turn from hearing the hiss and will turn to the tree of life and wonder at the life-giving powers in the fruit from it's tree...the law of the Lord.
"Thy Word, have I hid in my heart...."
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Staying Busy REPENTING and DOING THE FIRST WORKS
But the most blessed one to me is what I described below. Law was a tool God used to make man aware of the principle that our desires to put our two cents' worth into making ourselves righteous, to say the least (!), cannot work. GOD has to build the house, or we labour in vain.
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