Blood Bought 1953

17 hours ago, Starise said:

Even though I liked the OP I thought it leaned heavily toward  making it seem everything is "ok" and we have no responsibility

Everything” IS” Ok  ( in regard to Salvation) if you Believe and Rest in 1Cor15:1-4...... 

The only “ Responsibility” that WE have is to Believe in the Gospel to the Point that we REST in it for our Salvation. Anybody can HEAR the Gospel , but it takes the Holy Spirit to OPEN YOUR HEART  to receive it    and let it Save you ( check out how this Works by the example of Lydia, the Seller Of Purple Acts 16 ) 

 When it comes to Salvation, the Initiative belongs to God ....” NOBODY comes to God , lest the Spirit draw him” ) 

 If one is not a Believer, they should pray that God make them a “ Lydia”, But then , if they  are not a “ Believer” to begin with , are they going to pray that prayer?  Beats me.

32 minutes ago, Hopefully said:

@Blood Bought 1953 ok then then it appears I misunderstood you. My apologies.

No need to apologize..... I just hope it was a blessing to you in some small way , shape or form....God bless you....

1 hour ago, Hopefully said:

The spirit of God came to me and as my relationship with God developed I became more aware of my sin and through time he began removing my sins and it still continues to this day. That is how I am able to see myself growing spiritually by the changes he has made in me, but the original post which everyone so far has agreed with seems to state by being aware of sin and repenting from it is trying to be saved by works. That’s how I read it, and a number of similar posts have seem to multiply in the last day or two stating the same. I don’t believe I will ever be sin free nor anybody else, but I also cannot see myself advising people not to be sin conscious. 

What “ seems” to you to be the proper understanding of my post is an erroneous one.Be aware of Sin! I know that “ I”  am ( and HOW!  ) ........Repent ( be sorry for ) your sins until the cows come home! Sinner that “ I” am, I Repent several times a day....EVERY DAY! Be as Holy as you can be ! Be as obedient  as you can be ! These are All  GREAT things to do.....every one of them are Biblical 

Here is  the problem. God COMMANDS us in Heb 3 and 4 to REST in the Gospel Of Grace.....Those That are constantly under Duress about Sinning, repenting , trying to be “ Holy”  , etc.......are revealing they have a problem .....RESTING and being under DURESS  are not Compatable.....it may very well show that you do not really   Believe the  first half if the Gospel ( 1Cor15:1-4 ) —— The Part That says, “ JESUS DIED  FOR  YOUR SINS !!!  it’s supposed to be GOOD NEWS! And it is if you BELIEVE It.......It does  NOT mean we can now go out and “ sin up a storm” and think we can “ get away with it” because Grace always trump’s Sin, and the Blood  covers everything .....when one realizes and internalizes the great Favor that God has done for us , something we absolutely did  not deserve and something He did not HAVE to  do, it is not a human response to try to anger somebody that has done you an UNIMAGINABLE Favor.....

       If you are about to go to a certain death , finding yourself in a raging river and you can’t swim and a giant water fall is just ahead and somebody throws  you a life line that saves you .....what do you think your response will be? If you are a human being your response will be one of Love and Gratitude —- you will be EAGER to pay that guy back for what he did FOR you!  

Christianity kinda works that way....except the thing that “GOD” saved you From was not a waterfall.....He Saved you from an Eternity in Hell. An “ Eternity in Hell” that was well-deserved, incidentally.....The more you “SEE” what He did......the more you “ understand” what He did.....the more you “ TRUST” what He did the more Joy and Peace you will have in your life .......in short , the  more REST you will have .Just like you were “ Commanded” to do......

Do all of the good things that we mentioned .....they are Part Of The Christian Walk.....But so is  Joy .So is REST.They come naturally if you Trust the Good News....There is  no problem repenting From daily Sins  and trying to live right and Holy......but if you these things are done thinking you will be cast into the pits of Hell if you “ don’t” do them.....you have missed the Good News —- Jesus actually “ DID”  die for our Sins .Cant we RELOiCE, just a little bit? Smiles make for a better witness than frowns.....I suppose that is the essence of what I am saying....God Bless.... 

On 12/15/2020 at 5:20 AM, Hopefully said:

Because of all this I will control myself and be careful and I also will never stop trying just as scripture instructs. 

.......you would be a Fool to do otherwise.Your life will be blessed for  living this way ....you will become a 

“ moral man”.......

    unfortunately , God is not looking for “ moral men” .He is looking for men that are “ lost in trespasses and sin” and KNOW it......Men with Contrite hearts , given to them by a Visit from the Holy Spirit ......Salvation all starts with God. “ NOBODY comes to God , lest the Holy Spirit draw them”

  Its like Lydia, the “ seller of Purple ( Acts 16:11 )  She was like Cornelius, a Believer in the  God Of The Jews, but she had not  heard the Gospel Of Paul , Given to Paul by Jesus personally .Thousands heard Pauls  Gospel and rejected it .Lydia would have rejected it also, except “ God opened her heart” to the Truth of it .....She became the “ Good Soil” That Jesus spoke of .....

  “ God , make me “ good soil” was my second serious prayer.....only God Can can open the eyes and the ears and above all, the HEART to that is necessary to not only “ hear” the Gospel , But BELIEVE it enough to REST in it.....

I heard a preacher exclaim once—— “ Give me Lydias!” ......she had a Heart  made ready for the reception of the Gospel when she heard it...

Be Wise......ask God to give you the same “ break” he gave to Lydia.....ask God to make you “ Good Soil” ......I am the true “Chief Of Sinners” and God did it for me .....” Good Soil” spreads the Gospel .....what do you think I am doing here now? Lol......The Atheist That I was 40 years ago would not be in here right now trying to  awaken people to the Good News.....just “ Turn to God”...... Then watch Him go to work.....”IF” you Put Your Trust in Him.....God bless....

7 hours ago, johnthebaptist said:

To me, "repent" means to stop sinning. I didn't say it is easy. I just said, that is what "repent" means to me.

.......exactly......and THAT is the Problem.  It is NOT “ easy” .....it is IMPOSSIBLE ! ......Nobody can do it .....that was the ENTIRE PURPOSE of the 613 Laws that God  gave us in the OT .....it was given to “ close the mouth” —— in others words—- SHUT UP about “ keeping it” ....The Law  was given to show you your Lost Position and to show you that you needed a Savior ... 

   By the time that Jesus showed up, many had deluded themselves into thinking that they could keep it ....and they DID   Keep it to a large degree.....they kept the “letter of the Law, but not the “ Spirit Of The Law”.......Jesus had to set them straight with the hope that their hearts might become “ Contrite” ......he showed them that even though they may have fulfilled the Commandment, “ Thou shalt not commit Adultery”.....Jesus Added to that Commandment and told them that if they even harbored a  lustful  “ thought”.....they were in danger of being Damned....

Even If a person obeyed ALL of the Commandments , He still has a big problem remaining.....it’s something the Legalists and religionists NEVER want to discuss......the Sins Of Omission! Those would be all the Good things you SHOULD be doing , but you AINT Doing ! How many strangers have you invited into you house today to feed and clothe and offer shelter to this week? Yeah ......I thought so.....

 People need to see—- God  has got  us all Trapped for the rats that we are . There is no way to become “ fit for Heaven” other than to swallow our Pride , admit we are helpless and hopeless Sinners and cry out with a  contrite Heart like the Sinful Publican Of Luke 18:9-14 did......he got “ Justified”( viewed by God as if he had NEVER sinned )  the very day he cried out this prayer from a Repentant heart .....I suggest that YOU give it a whirl—- “ God, have Mercy on me, a Sinner!” Do That. Just that , It will get you Saved....it worked for me .God keeps His Promises.....” Anybody that asks for Mercy shall RECEIVE it”.......What kind of Perverted “ Mercy” would it be if God  Saved you and then “ Unsaved” you? It’s HIS Mercy and Grace from beginning to end.... He is  the one That will “ KEEP you from Falling”....HE is the One that will FINISH the work that HE started .....it May sound crude to say it this way, but when it comes to your Salvation, the “ monkey” is on HIS BACK!  Just the Way  He  wants it ! You see, this way , Jesus gets 100% of the Glory and you get exactly what you deserve—- ZERO. Just the Way He wants it..........God Bless .... 

I have only had one serious wreck ....  50 years ago.....was on back of a 175 Honda.....some old lady pulled out in front of me and my buddy.....he slammed on the front brake.....he went over the handle bars and I was right behind him.....we both landed on the very tops of our heads and were able to walk away.....had we not been wearing helmets....we would have both been killed.....helmets are a pain to wear ....wear them anyway....

18 hours ago, Willa said:

Friend, Christian meant little Christs in Antioch where believers were first called Christians.  We can't be little Christs with out the Holy Spirit living in us.  I don't agree that it means a denominational believer alone but means all in whom Christ dwells, the invisible church.  At least that was my intent.  You should know me by now, my friend.

Wise and insightful as always......let me just add this.....something I heard years ago and it stuck with me....

 A Christian is somebody that has Christ “IN” them, and Christ is “Formed In Your Heart” by Faith....

6 hours ago, Hopefully said:

“After people have left the way of Christ, can you make them change their lives again? I am talking about people who once learned the truth, received God’s gift, and shared in the Holy Spirit. They were blessed to hear God’s good message and see the great power of his new world. But then they left it all behind, and it is not possible to make them change again. That’s because those who leave Christ are nailing him to the cross again, shaming him before everyone.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6:4-6‬ ‭

“People can be made free from the evil in the world. They can be made free by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But if they go back into those evil things and are controlled by them, then it is worse for them than it was before. Yes, it would be better for them to have never known the right way. That would be better than to know the right way and then to turn away from the holy teaching that was given to them.”
‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭2:20-21‬ ‭

““Now, maybe good people might stop being good. They might change their lives and begin to do all the terrible things that evil people have done in the past. (The evil people changed, so they can live.) So if those good people change and become bad, God will not remember all the good things they did. He will remember that they turned against him and began to sin. So they will die because of their sin. “You people might say, ‘The Lord isn’t fair!’ But listen, family of Israel. I am fair. You are the ones who are not fair! If good people change and become evil, they must die for the bad things they do. And if evil people change and become good and fair, they will save their lives. They will live! They saw how wicked they were and came back to me. They stopped doing the evil things they did in the past. So they will live! They will not die!” The people of Israel said, “That’s not fair! The Lord isn’t fair!” “I am fair! You are the ones who are not fair!”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭18:24-29‬ ‭
 

God is not Saving those “Trying”  to be Saved, much less those who are “ Fighting” to be Saved. God is saving all of those “ TRUSTING” to be Saved....

 Trying vs. Trusting.....the difference is Heaven or Hell.......Watchman Nee

 

 

 

 

Saving this

 

1 hour ago, Logostician said:

Outstanding statement of what repentance really is.  Repentance is a heart, soul, and mind change from self to Jesus.  It's not about what we do.  It's about what he did...The finished work of the cross, what he will always do.  The Law wasn't just given to convict us of sin and leave us in a hopeless state.  The bigger purpose of the Law was to show us that none of us can do it by ourselves.  We all sin and fall short of the glory of God.  And the wages of sin are death.  We need help.  We need Jesus.  He is the way.  There is no other way.  When we realize that, and give ourselves over to Jesus, his Spirit will help us to be better people.  We will sin less.  We will strive to perfect, but never acheive it in this world.  But when we stumble into sin, he is faithful to forgive us.  The relationship between us and Jesus stands, and will stand forever.  

Without Jesus and his indwelling Spirit, it is utterly futile to be pleasing to God.  No works of our own in trying to avoid sin, or trying to do the "right" things on our own will cause us to be justified by God.  To be justified by God, we need to be one with God, and do it his way.  And Jesus is that way.  With salvation, and the Spirit of God, which is given at that time, we become sons of God.

Nobody earns salvation.  It is a gift from God to anyone with eyes to see him, and a heart to give him.

Sir...... I have regained the WILL to live! Lol......Somebody else “ gets” it.....you have restored my faith in mankind... Great Post! 

4 hours ago, steve morrow said:

AND  GODS  TRUTH  IS 

JOHN 8:47  HE  THAT  IS  OF  GOD  HEARETH  GODS  WORDS  YOU  THEREFORE  HEAR  THEM  NOT  BECAUSE  YOU  ARE  NOT  OF  GOD

 

LUKE 13:3  I  TELL  YOU  NO  BUT  --EXCEPT  YOU  REPENT--  YOU  SHALL  ALL  LIKEWISE  PERISH 

 

LOVING  THE  LORD  JESUS  CHRIST

Only Faith in Jesus will Save.....to “repent” means to “ change  your mind “ about HIM —— who HE was and what HE did FOR us......which was to shed His Blood for our Sins....THAT is aRepentance that  will Save......

Again.....notice Jesus did NOT say “ Repent from SINS” to get Saved..... 

6 hours ago, johnthebaptist said:

Jesus commanded us to repent of our sin (Matt 4:17). Is there some reason we SHOULDN'T repent of our sin?

Is there some reason to remove our hand  if we stick in a fire? Same thing.....

Every sin you commit will come back to haunt you.....you simply can not do wrong and “Get away with It”

Sinning  is foolishness.....you hurt yourself , more than likely you hurt somebody else and you displease your Heavenly Father......one can derive a lot of pleasure from sin —— “ For a Season” .....it’s going to ruin you in the end.....it can and will shipwreck your life.

The only way Repentance can be bad is to think that REPENTING OF SINS is God’s Way to get Saved......Salvation is not a “ Trade” ......saying, “ I’ll give up all of my Sinning in turn for your Salvation”   

Salvation is a “ GIFT” , GIVEN to those that don’t WORK for it.....We don’t “ Turn “ FROM” Sin” to get Saved .....we Turn “ TO” God with a Contrite Heart

When Jesus or anybody else says “ Repent” — Do It!  If Jesus or anybody else says “ Repent from your Sins”— Do It!

If Jesus says, “ Repent from your sins to be Saved”—- Do That also! 

The Vital thing is this—-   Jesus NEVER said “Stopping your Sinning is the Way to be Saved”. If you can find Anywhere in the KJV where He says that I will give you $1000...... it ain’t in there....

Here is what Jesus “ DID” say about the Way to get Saved.....He-used Paul to say it in 1cor15:1-4  AFTER THE CROSS ..... Believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose from the grave. Simple as that.Make sure you don’t ADD to that with ANYTHING or  you will “ Fall from Grace”.......TEACH Additions to that Gospel and you will be “ Accursed”..... that’s a polite way to say “ damned” .....one does not Trifle with God’s Gospel That Saves....

Some confused, poorly taught people agree with the Gospel.... BUT then they say you will be Saved by that Gospel only if  you understand that in Addition to simply Believing it,  you ALSO have to “ repent of all of your sins “ before you die. That is a FALSE gospel, a PERVERTED Gospel .The Repentance That Saves you is going from being an UNBELIEVER in the Gospel to becoming a BELIEVER in the Gospel..... That “ change of mind” ( metanoia) is what leads to Salvation.....once that is out of the way....then we can attend to the other things like Sanctification , etc....Don’t put the Cart before the horse...

7 hours ago, Omegaman 3.0 said:

As I recall when I read a report by professor Harry Hurt (what a name) who studied motorcycle involved accidents, his assessment was quite different than that. If my memory is right, he said that it is not those who are new that have accidents, it is those who after about 6 months, the newness has worn off and they get comfortable, and THAT is when the most accidents happen.

The only other thing that I recall from his study, was that 51% of motorcycle involved accidents, are at intersections, when the motorcyclist is going straight, and a car turns left in front of the bike.  The think I recall that was very common in that situation, was that the motorcycles "knows" that he had eye contact with the driver of the car, while the driver of the cars says they never even say the bike.

That fits well with your rules BB:

 

Yes! I think I remember hearing what you said about that AFTER 6 month thing.....I forgot about that! It makes PERFECT sense....thanks for that insightful reminder!

Here is something amazing.....I used to get INCENSED When somebody pulled out in front of me ! I seriously considered using a tie- down strap to carry a brick on my bike that I could use to smash the windshield of any car that endangered my life.I was dead serious about that...

Then one day it hit me ! Twice in my own life out  on the roads, I was guilty of the SAME  THING ! Yes! Now you wanna talk about feeling like a RAT ? I slumped WAY down in the car both times after I sheepishly waved and apologized .......Was I Guilty Of ANYthing? Nope.

People, including me , simply DO NOT SEE the bike and pull out .Or they “ see” and it just does not register.....o f course, the latter is the explanation, probably...

 Regardless, After my “ epiphany” I am a lot more  sympathetic to the guy that simply does  not see me.....

Nowadays I just whisper a little prayer before I get on the bike and the brick stays at home.....lol....

Apparently , I saw something you didn’t ....I can’t read these verses or hear this opinion without thinking of Paul’s verses that seem to disagree with these items that were brought up ....I bet I wasn’t alone in that thinking....

 another side of the story needed to be told as part of a full discussion .....we-ARE having a discussion aren’t we......sorry If I stepped on anybody’s toes .....it wasn’t.....

 Is all of this Nit - Picking a part of my “ welcome back?”

19 minutes ago, Worship Warriors said:

@Blought Bought 1953

Which Law are you referring to in quoting all these scriptures?

The Law of sin and death which is referring to the carnal nature 

Or the oral Law which is a yoke of bondage

Or the Torah as perverted by the scribes and Pharisees so that they can keep it by their own without the grace of God

or the Torah as it is now written on the hearts of the believer by the Holy Spirit so that we can keep it.

Torah means instructions in righteousness.  Now that we have been saved by grace through faith. we have an obligation to keep God's righteous laws both OT and NT.  Keeping the perfect law of liberty does not determine our salvation but our eternal rewards.

 

“ Christ is the END of the Law for Righteousness”......... Paul never broke it down into a dozen different types of laws . The Law served its purpose ....it showed me that I  could not keep it and it lead me to Jesus....I’m done with it.....ALL of it.....I have something better now to guide my life .....the Holy Spirit .

After seeing at least 50 teachers over the years tie  themselves up in knots trying to make Paul and James comparable , I have come to the conclusion that they are simply NOT compatible .EVERY attempted explanation falls short and I have “ heard” them all.Why not just admit we can’t explain it  and just wait for  the Day  when ALL secrets will be revealed. In regard to This  so  - called “ contradiction”,  when God reveals  That we just “ thought” it was a contradiction.....I think we will slapping ourselves on the forehead saying “ wow! How obvious? Why didn’t “ I”  think of that ?”

 What is a Believer to do meanwhile , here on Earth? Well, Jesus never said , “ follow James as he follows Christ” . Jesus DID say for us  to “ Follow PAUL as he follows Christ”. Therefore I will go with what Paul said.... “ Faith alone,WITHOUT Works” for Salvation.....

  Works for me.....what do the rest of you guys think about my grand theory? Lol.... 

7 hours ago, Michael37 said:

I am reminded of a former congregation leader who had a bee in his bonnet about being religious. At first it was refreshing for the newly planted satellite congregation of a large denomination to hear his views about informal, spontaneous, open fellowship, which I am all for if godly guidance prevails, but unfortunately after ten years of raising this same topic in virtually every service, and defaulting to the same rhetoric in every message he bought no matter the subject, a bunch of us concluded he had become religious about not being religious.

Also, the informal, spontaneous, open mic situation yielded to some of the most abominable heresy and error I have had to confront. 

I suppose I “ DO” have a “ Bee in My Bonnet” when it comes to “ religion”.......So does God . Religion says “ Do” ......God says “ DONE” 

“Religion” is the Polar opposite of Christiany..... Religion is the all- encompassing  Umbrella that includes ALL of the things that God Hates ....Legalism, Rule- Keeping for Salvation instead of Nothing But The Blood, Adding to  the Gospel Of Pure Grace, Refusing to Rest in the finished Work Of The Cross as Commanded in Hebrews— in short , “ religion” is Leaven......it takes only a little to leaven the whole batch...

 It was “ religion”— LEAVEN—That destroyed many of Paul’s Churches that he founded ( “all of the churches in Asia-   Minor have deserted me”, he lamented to Timothy) 

The tragedy  Of the Modern Church is that they have taken Christianity and turned it into just another religion....” do do this and don’t do that” .Its like a Mongrel Mixture Of Judaism and Christianity —- “ JudaAnity” we could call it . God won’t  have it.....neither will I ....neither will the “ bee”...

People need to asks themselves —- are they religionists, TRYING to get to Heaven or are they Christians, TRUSTING to get to Heaven ? 

 The great Teacher Of God’s Word, Watchman Née said that the answer to that question was the difference between Heaven and Hell .Serious stuff . Mock me as the man who has that “ bee in his bonnet”....If there were more “ bees” flying around , maybe 90% of the Church World would not be “ Fallen from Grace” and not even be aware of it . Many great Bible Teachers believe that “ Fallen from Grace” means Damnation. I disagree with that.The religionists —- all of those Tares,  Those That add to the Gospel with ANYTHING , the Spreaders Of Leaven, etc. , had better pray that my “ take” is the correct one

Meanwhile, get accustomed to the “ bee” , the “ bonnet” and “ me”........I will be around trying to squash Leaven, aka “ religion” as long as I draw breath......just like Paul. God Bless ....

6 hours ago, Alive said:

BTW--I have two rules that I try to adhere to.

'Avoid Clusters'

'Don't ride at night'

I have some Rules also......ALWAYS wear a Helmet

                                           ALWAYS figure that the person that “ CAN” pull out in front of you—- “WILL” pull out in front of you ! 

                                           Act as if you believe that you are invisible and silent whenever you are on the road .....that is how the world perceives you 

                                           Never eat the Yellow Snow......

That’s it.......always remember that  90% of motorcycle fatalities happen to those riders that have been riding less than 6 months....they did not learn those lesson yet—- especially that second one..

6 hours ago, Alive said:

Actually it was late September and early October.

A brother from back home trailered his bike out here to Oklahoma. First we rode up to Trenton, MO to see some brothers and sisters and then I showed him around southwest MO and northwest AR. Then we rode to the OK panhandle, over to the Enchanted Circle in northern NM, up to Pueblo, CO, across 50 through Gunnison and Black Canyon, and down the  Million Dollar Hwy through Ouray and down to Durango, over to Bluff, Utah, then to Flagstaff and a visit to the Grand Canyon, then back east to the Petrified Forest, over to Roswell, up through Amarillo and over to Elk City, OK and on through OKC, Tulsa and back home to Grove, OK.

Not a cloud in the sky the entire trip. It was usually below freezing mornings in the mountains and warmed up real nice. The Pueblo Res was shut down for covid--NM is crazy. Pueblo was just plain nutz.

Our Lord did a wonderful job making this earth---fall notwithstanding.

The Lord and the 12 would ride Harleys and they would surely be Ultra Limiteds.

:-)

Sounds like a dream come true.....I would have loved every second of it.....Motorcycle  riding is like fishing, golfing, etc....it’s either in your blood or it isn’t.....it’s been in mine since I was 15..... unfortunately, golf is on my Blood also.....lol....it’s a lot easier to pull back on a throttle than it is to hit a golf ball straight....

I ride an ‘03 Heritage Soft Tail ....Some Of my friends have Ultras and I have borrowed them to check them out.....the “ check” went well.....those bikes are simply outstanding ....I told my friend that let me borrow his Ultra—— “ That’s it.....this is a bike that quite simply can NOT be improved upon —- The Power....the Smoothness ....Everything.....it’s Perfect”

And yes.....this Earth and it’s beauty are Amazing.....as I ride and look around at gorgeous scenery , it’s hard to believe that this world is “ cursed”..... if this is “ cursed”...... I can hardly wait to see what an uncursed  Heaven looks like !

2 hours ago, Walter and Deborah said:

Sunday 12-13-20 Kislev 27, 5781 1st. day of the weekly cycle,
83rd. Fall Day

 

The People Hear The Law 

 

◄ Nehemiah Eight ►

 

King James Bible  Par ▾ 

 

Ezra Reads the Law

 

1And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. 2And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. 3And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. 

 

4And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: 6And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground. 

 

7Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. 8So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

 

This Day is Holy

 

9And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. 

 

10Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. 

 

11So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. 12And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.

 

Leviticus 23:33-44)

 

13And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. 14And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month: 15And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written. 

 

16So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. 17And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness. 18Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.

 

Love always, Walter and Debbie

Before we get too carried away with “ The Law”....... it would be wise to keep the following in mind....

Many Christians give lip service to the fact they live in the New Covenant.

The truth however is that because they fail to realise they are no longer under the law they are really still living in an Old Covenant reality.

Here are 37 scriptures that prove that Christians are not under the law!

Acts

The law is an unbearable yoke. (Acts 15:10)

Romans

The law reveals sin but cannot fix it. (Romans 3:20)

If the law worked then faith would be irrelevant. (Romans 4:14)

The law brings wrath upon those who follow it. (Romans 4:15)

The purpose of the law was to increase sin. (Romans 5:20)

Christians are not under the law. (Romans 6:14)

Christians have been delivered from the law. (Romans 7:1-6)

The law is good, perfect and holy but cannot help you be good, perfect or holy. (Romans 7:7-12)

The law which promises life only brings death through sin. (Romans 7:10)

The law makes you sinful beyond measure. (Romans 7:13)

The law is weak. (Romans 8:2-3)

1 Corinthians

The strength of sin is the law (1 Corinthians 15:56)

2 Corinthians

The law is a ministry of death. (2 Corinthians 3:7)

The law is a ministry of condemnation. (2 Corinthians 3:9)

The law has no glory at all in comparison with the New Covenant. (2 Corinthians 3:10)

The law is fading away. (2 Corinthians 3:11)

Anywhere the law is preached it produces a mind-hardening and a heart-hardening veil. (2 Corinthians 3:14-15)

Galatians

The law justifies nobody. (Galatians 2:16)

Christians are dead to the law. (Galatians 2:19)

The law frustrates grace. (Galatians 2:21)

To go back to the law after embracing faith is “stupid”. (Galatians 3:1)

The law curses all who practice it and fail to do it perfectly. (Galatians 3:10)

The law has nothing to do with faith. (Galatians 3:11-12)

The law was a curse that Christ redeemed us from. (Galatians 3:13)

The law functioned in God’s purpose as a temporary covenant from Moses till John the Baptist announced Christ. (Galatians 3:16 & 19, also see… Matthew 11:12-13, Luke 16:16)

If the law worked God would have used it to save us. (Galatians 3:21)

The law was our prison. (Galatians 3:23)

The law makes you a slave like Hagar. (Galatians 4:24)

Ephesians

Christ has abolished the law which was a wall of hostility (Ephesians 2:15)

Philippians

Paul considered everything the law gained him as “skybalon” which is Greek for “poop”. (Philippians 3:4-8)

1 Timothy

The law is only good if used in the right context. (1 Timothy 1:8) (see next verse for the context)

It was made for the unrighteous but not for the righteous. (1 Timothy 1:9-10)

Hebrews

The law is weak, useless and makes nothing perfect. (Hebrews 7:18-19)

God has found fault with it and created a better covenant, enacted on better promises. (Hebrews 8:7-8)

It is obsolete, growing old and ready to vanish. (Hebrews 8:13)

It is only a shadow of good things to come and will never make someone perfect. (Hebrews 10:1)

Well there you have it… 37 scriptures that make a very convincing arguement.

3 hours ago, Omegaman 3.0 said:

Well BB, there a way in which we participate in our salvation. We contribute the sin which God saves us from.

The best example of “ preaching to the Choir” that I have seen for awhile....lol....thanks for the wise addition to my post....

2 hours ago, Michael37 said:

Weren't you throwing one?

No......if I decide to throw one someday.....would you like to be invited.....everyone is welcome— unless you are Relgious.....I can’t stand religious people.....I prefer Christians.....I don’t know you....which group do you belong to?

2 hours ago, Michael37 said:

@Blood Bought 1953 Alright, I'll join the party. We know from Scripture that the Finished Work of Redemption is a joy to our Lord and Saviour. 

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Not exactly what I am talking about.....and+what do you mean by  “ joining the party” 

God hates Sin. I would never promote it.....Sin for me has all the Allure Of a Trip to the Proctologist’s Office....My New Heart is the reason for that , so don’t be over-eager to get your panties in a knot. Here is the Point I am attempting to make:

God , indeed , Hates sin, but He has a Remedy For the Guilt and Fear it brings with it......The Bible tell us that when we sin we can Approach the “ THE THRONE OF GRACE!”........ how are we to Approach that Throne? With BOLDNESS! 

God  hates the Sin that caused you to make the trip to that Throne, no doubt about it .But......... I bet He is extremely happy to see His Children have the FAITH to turn to Him in their time of need , God recognizes  that the BOLDNESS you show is in DIRECT PROPORTION to the Faith you have in The Shed Blood Of His Son That more than adequately Covers ALL Sins....

God ain’t gonna be “ tricked” by all of this.....He is STILL going to chastise His Errant, Foolish Children when they Stray- COUNT ON IT— But ain’t it great to know that “where Sin abounds—- Grace abounds that much MORE!” He has shown us the Place to GET it! The Throne Of Grace! I spend a lot of time there—- I have the need to.How about you?