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Free, I know that you love our Lord, and very serious about it. I also believe you are doing your very best to imitate Christ in your everyday life. That is well pleasing to the Father of us all!
I'm supposing no one has ever explained to you the New Covenant, how the knowledge of the New Covenant came about and why it was hidden from man for so long, but yet seen in the writings of the prophets. As the apostle Paul unravels this Mystery for us, he pulls from the writings of these prophets in explanation. The book of Acts shows us how God began to first work in Peter to bring us this knowledge while at the same time He also was preparing a special vessel with a special calling to give us the understanding of that Mystery in writing. He is Paul of Tarsus, a chosen vessel by Christ (Acts 9:15-16) to evangelize the Gentiles and give the world the meaning of the New Covenant.
Volumes of books have been written on this subject because that's what it takes to explain it. The entire plan of God from before the foundation of the world is involved here. It covers thousands of years and countless people associated in the process. How can I explain it in this setting? I will have to condense it beginning with the first experiences of this plan presented to the apostles. But first there is something very important that must be known to understand this Mystery.
When Jesus came on the scene in Israel, He stood in the streets of Jerusalem and shouted out, "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." At that very moment the Kingdom was being offered to Israel. He was saying to them, your Messiah is here with the Kingdom for you!
If they had accepted Him there wouldn't have been this past 2000 years of the Church Age, the Kingdom of God would have descended then and there. What we read in scripture of the future reign of Christ on this earth would have begun there on the spot! But He was rejected as already known by God and the Kingdom did not come, so now the alternate plan of God, which He planned before man was created will go into effect. God will create the Church to bring Jesus Christ to the world in place of the Jews.
This is where the New Covenant is beginning to be revealed to man, the Mystery as Paul calls it. The Gentiles would become fellow heirs of the Kingdom of God with the Jews.
Eph. 3:2-6
"If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:"
The Jews believed and Christ confirmed it that salvation and the Kingdom was only for the Jews. But they didn't know the ultimate plan of God yet concerning the Gentiles. They were to accept their Messiah and introduce Him to the world, thereby evangelizing mankind. Christ confirmed this in Matt. 15:22-28, when the Gentile woman came to Him begging for her daughter to healed.
At first Christ ignored her, and then said, "I am only sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she called Him the son of David and worshiped Him, being a Gentile. Then Jesus said to her, "it is not proper to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs." He called her a dog because she was not a Jew!
But what does she do? She tells the Lord, "yet the dogs eat of the crumbs from their Master's table." Jesus said to her, "great is thy faith, be it unto you even as you will." Her daughter was healed from that great faith.
So we see later that Christ was rejected and thereby the Kingdom was also rejected. Now we are ready for the New Covenant in Christ's Blood to be introduced as given by the scripture!
This is just a short introduction, I will continue in a later post today as time permits.
“Only the one who comes from God has seen the Father.”
“No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born from above.”
“The one who comes from above is above all. He who belongs to the world thinks like the world and speaks in a worldly way. He who comes from heaven is above all he testifies to what he sees and hears but no one believes him. If anyone does believe they render the truth of God for the one who is sent by God he speaks the words of God, his gift of the spirit is not measured.”
We can determine that the moral tenets set forth by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount exemplify what Jesus made of the law...the grouping of moral tenets by which, if you keep those moral tenets with a greater righteousness than that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20) and are perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48), then you will have succeeded at obtaining your righteousness through the keeping of the law.
I will say that we receive the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:14); and that if we bear the fruit of the Spirit, there is no law that will condemn us for our behaviour (Galatians 5:22-23).
So, if we have the Holy Spirit and also bear the fruit of the Spirit, we will not be disobedient to any of the moral tenets that we find written in the Sermon on the Mount. At least, the spirit of what they teach (Romans 7:6).
This is accomplished not be attempting to obey a set of do's and don'ts; but by placing your faith in Jesus Christ, receiving His Spirit thereby, andd by walking according to that Spirit (rather than the flesh).
We all have our moments in which we fail. When those moments happen, God has given us a promise in His word (in 1 John 1:9). We can be forgiven through the shed blood of Christ if we confess our sins to the Lord and also forsake them (see Proverbs 28:13).
In response to the OP only...
We can determine that the moral tenets set forth by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount exemplify what Jesus made of the law...the grouping of moral tenets by which, if you keep those moral tenets with a greater righteousness than that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20) and are perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48), then you will have succeeded at obtaining your righteousness through the keeping of the law.
I will say that we receive the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:14); and that if we bear the fruit of the Spirit, there is no law that will condemn us for our behaviour (Galatians 5:22-23).
So, if we have the Holy Spirit and also bear the fruit of the Spirit, we will not be disobedient to any of the moral tenets that we find written in the Sermon on the Mount. At least, the spirit of what they teach (Romans 7:6).
This is accomplished not be attempting to obey a set of do's and don'ts; but by placing your faith in Jesus Christ, receiving His Spirit thereby, and by walking according to that Spirit (rather than the flesh).
We all have our moments in which we fail. When those moments happen, God has given us a promise in His word (in 1 John 1:9). We can be forgiven through the shed blood of Christ if (IF) we confess our sins to the Lord and also forsake them (see Proverbs 28:13).
Yes, "IF" we...., and "IF" we.... as also found at 1st John 1:7.
"IF" we follow Jesus' instruction as found at Matthew 24:14; Acts 1:8.
Declare to the nations the ' good news (gospel) of God's Kingdom ' (Daniel 2:44) as being mankind's solution.
We can determine that the moral tenets set forth by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount exemplify what Jesus made of the law...the grouping of moral tenets by which, if you keep those moral tenets with a greater righteousness than that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20) and are perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48), then you will have succeeded at obtaining your righteousness through the keeping of the law.
I will say that we receive the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:14); and that if we bear the fruit of the Spirit, there is no law that will condemn us for our behaviour (Galatians 5:22-23).
So, if we have the Holy Spirit and also bear the fruit of the Spirit, we will not be disobedient to any of the moral tenets that we find written in the Sermon on the Mount. At least, the spirit of what they teach (Romans 7:6).
This is accomplished not be attempting to obey a set of do's and don'ts; but by placing your faith in Jesus Christ, receiving His Spirit thereby, andd by walking according to that Spirit (rather than the flesh).
We all have our moments in which we fail. When those moments happen, God has given us a promise in His word (in 1 John 1:9). We can be forgiven through the shed blood of Christ if we confess our sins to the Lord and also forsake them (see Proverbs 28:13).
But Jesus disagrees according to HIS word. This goes to show how wrong Christianity is. They say it’s okay to fail as long as you repent but Jesus says to keep the commandments. There is no leeway. You can’t use Paul’s word to discount Jesus’ word.
But again keeping the commandments is not about do’s and don’ts.
“Seek and you shall find, ask and it will be given, knock and the door will open.”
“Follow me.”
“Anyone who is not willing to follow after me is not worthy of me.”
In other words if you do not want to do the time then the door will not open.
But Jesus disagrees according to HIS word. This goes to show how wrong Christianity is. They say it’s okay to fail as long as you repent but Jesus says to keep the commandments. There is no leeway. You can’t use Paul’s word to discount Jesus’ word.
What exactly is your source and standard for what is the actual and accurate God's word? Your simple-minded nonsense is that God created the entire human species for the express purpose of parroting His words. That would require you to at the very least have His accurate words to parrot. You really need to come to your senses and get real! God did not create human parrots.
Free, I know that you love our Lord, and very serious about it. I also believe you are doing your very best to imitate Christ in your everyday life. That is well pleasing to the Father of us all!
I'm supposing no one has ever explained to you the New Covenant, how the knowledge of the New Covenant came about and why it was hidden from man for so long, but yet seen in the writings of the prophets. As the apostle Paul unravels this Mystery for us, he pulls from the writings of these prophets in explanation. The book of Acts shows us how God began to first work in Peter to bring us this knowledge while at the same time He also was preparing a special vessel with a special calling to give us the understanding of that Mystery in writing. He is Paul of Tarsus, a chosen vessel by Christ (Acts 9:15-16) to evangelize the Gentiles and give the world the meaning of the New Covenant.
Volumes of books have been written on this subject because that's what it takes to explain it. The entire plan of God from before the foundation of the world is involved here. It covers thousands of years and countless people associated in the process. How can I explain it in this setting? I will have to condense it beginning with the first experiences of this plan presented to the apostles. But first there is something very important that must be known to understand this Mystery.
When Jesus came on the scene in Israel, He stood in the streets of Jerusalem and shouted out, "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." At that very moment the Kingdom was being offered to Israel. He was saying to them, your Messiah is here with the Kingdom for you!
If they had accepted Him there wouldn't have been this past 2000 years of the Church Age, the Kingdom of God would have descended then and there. What we read in scripture of the future reign of Christ on this earth would have begun there on the spot! But He was rejected as already known by God and the Kingdom did not come, so now the alternate plan of God, which He planned before man was created will go into effect. God will create the Church to bring Jesus Christ to the world in place of the Jews.
This is where the New Covenant is beginning to be revealed to man, the Mystery as Paul calls it. The Gentiles would become fellow heirs of the Kingdom of God with the Jews.
Eph. 3:2-6
"If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:"
The Jews believed and Christ confirmed it that salvation and the Kingdom was only for the Jews. But they didn't know the ultimate plan of God yet concerning the Gentiles. They were to accept their Messiah and introduce Him to the world, thereby evangelizing mankind. Christ confirmed this in Matt. 15:22-28, when the Gentile woman came to Him begging for her daughter to healed.
At first Christ ignored her, and then said, "I am only sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she called Him the son of David and worshiped Him, being a Gentile. Then Jesus said to her, "it is not proper to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs." He called her a dog because she was not a Jew!
But what does she do? She tells the Lord, "yet the dogs eat of the crumbs from their Master's table." Jesus said to her, "great is thy faith, be it unto you even as you will." Her daughter was healed from that great faith.
So we see later that Christ was rejected and thereby the Kingdom was also rejected. Now we are ready for the New Covenant in Christ's Blood to be introduced as given by the scripture!
This is just a short introduction, I will continue in a later post today as time permits.
At this point Christ has been rejected, crucified and risen, and has ascended into heaven. Pentecost has taken place and the Holy Spirit has come to dwell in man as promised. The apostles are busy now preaching repentance and forgiveness of sins in the name of Christ.
Now God sees fit to advance the knowledge of the New Covenant. He begins as I mentioned earlier with Peter. The Jews including the apostles still believe salvation is only for the Jews, but a big surprise is on the way!
We find in Acts 10 that Peter went up on the housetop to pray and fell in a trance. In a vision he seen all manner of wild beasts, creeping things and fowls of the air. All these animals seemed to be unclean.
He hears a voice telling him, Peter, kill and eat. Peter tells the Lord, no Lord, I have never eaten anything common or unclean. This takes place three times, on the second time it happens the voice tells him, vs. 15, "what God has cleansed, do not call it common." Peter comes out of the trance and wonders what all this meant.
Little does Peter know that the Lord was speaking of the Gentiles being the unclean animals, and they have been accepted into the Kingdom of God.
While he was pondering these things the Holy Spirit reveals to Peter that three men have come looking for him and they are here now, don't doubt anything for I have sent them. These three men were Gentiles sent to bring Peter to the house of Cornelius a devout man who believed in God but had not been saved, knowing very little of Jesus. So Peter doubts nothing and goes with these men as the Holy Spirit instructed, bringing several Jews from the Church at Jerusalem with him.
When Peter comes to this Gentiles home he finds a crowd of Gentiles waiting for him. So Peter does what Peter always does when he finds a crowd, he begins to preach! Exactly what God knew and wanted him to do.
Right in the middle of his sermon, while he was yet speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on all the Gentiles listening. Acts 10:42-43 records the words Peter was speaking the instant they believed and the Holy Spirit fell on them.
"And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins."
They believed that "through His name whosoever believeth on Him shall receive remission of sins." That instant the Holy Spirit fell on them and they spoke in tongues.
Then the scripture says that the Jews that were with Peter were astonished, shocked that the Gentiles had received the Holy Spirit and been saved. Now the New Covenant is revealed to the Jews, they now know that God has also granted unto them salvation.
This salvation of the Gentiles sent shock waves throughout Israel and especially Jerusalem. The apostles now faced a problem they had never dreamed of, what do we do with these Gentiles that are being saved?
Some said the Gentiles must come under the Law by circumcision, some said no, they can't come under the Law. There was an uproar as what to do with the Gentiles. This occasioned the Council of Jerusalem, recorded in Acts 15. The apostles all gathered together to determine what would be done with the Gentiles.
After Peter gave his testimony of what happened when the Gentiles were saved, he said, "15:10-11, "Now therefore why do you tempt God to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our Fathers nor we were able to bear?
But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they."
Peter just told the other apostles why will you burden down these Gentiles with the Law, that our Fathers and we were not able to bear. We believe we are saved by grace not Law. Do you see that, Free? Peter just shot down the Law for Grace! That Grace is the New Covenant! The same exact thing that Paul taught!
Think about what you are doing, Free. Peter just told us they couldn't bear the Law, in other words, they couldn't keep it. Grace sets us free from the demands of the Law. By faith in Christ and His grace as Peter said, we are saved.
There are no more sacrifices to offer to God for sin as those under Law had to do because they couldn't keep the Law. The Sacrifice has now come, it was Jesus Christ. By faith in Him we are saved and considered by God to be Law-keepers.
What exactly is your source and standard for what is the actual and accurate God's word? Your simple-minded nonsense is that God created the entire human species for the express purpose of parroting His words. That would require you to at the very least have His accurate words to parrot. You really need to come to your senses and get real! God did not create human parrots.
Tell all the prophets that. I’m not saying God created man specifically for that but that is who He cherishes. David said so and He was God’s favorite.
“The LORD is near to everyone who calls upon Him, who calls upon Him in truth.”
Calling upon God in truth is using His word. Parroting.
“The son can only do what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does the son does likewise for the Father loves the son and whatever he does He shows him.”
Break it down and it is talking about using God’s word and He reveals it.
Of course God’s word is in the Bible but not all is God’s word.
Tell all the prophets that. I’m not saying God created man specifically for that but that is who He cherishes. David said so and He was God’s favorite.
“The LORD is near to everyone who calls upon Him, who calls upon Him in truth.”
Calling upon God in truth is using His word. Parroting.
“The son can only do what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does the son does likewise for the Father loves the son and whatever he does He shows him.”
Break it down and it is talking about using God’s word and He reveals it.
Of course God’s word is in the Bible but not all is God’s word.
You and mystic are doing/saying the same thing ..... but then get sidetracked and end up judging each others motives, and debating terminology, and it’s because you have both come to it from a different place/perspective and also it’s influenced by everyone else’s disputes about what the Scriptures mean and how they have been used in their “generations”
2000 years is a long time and we see great diversity in Christianity
This has to do with the processes that are in between the first and the last, the beginning and the end, the upper and the lower and has to do with the messy “building” processes that are required/necessary
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