Ray12614 Posted February 1 Group: Senior Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 9 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 669 Content Per Day: 0.43 Reputation: 751 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/22/2020 Status: Offline Share Posted February 1 Depends on what 'kind' of rules they are I suppose. IF they are bible rules, then, yes we need to conform to them. IF they are man's rules based on personal likes and dislikes, then we have no responsibility to follow them. IF the rules are biblical commands, and IF the brother has issues with conforming to them, then Maybe he should be informed that the same Lord who lovingly died for him, also wants obedience to Him and His commands. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. M Posted February 1 Group: Royal Member Followers: 8 Topic Count: 743 Topics Per Day: 1.32 Content Count: 3,893 Content Per Day: 6.90 Reputation: 1,802 Days Won: 12 Joined: 10/28/2022 Status: Offline Birthday: 02/18/1956 Share Posted February 1 (edited) 1 hour ago, Vine Abider said: In my Tuesday men's fellowship, a brother said this. So is this what the Christian life is about? Galatians 3: 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 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. 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. A clear distinction is made in this instruction between believing, and having the faith of Christ necessary to walk in the Spirit, and be free from Law. Best description I have ever found in scripture is "instruction in righteousness", which every new believer must obtain. 2 Timothy 3: 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (definition of Torah) 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Edited February 1 by Mr. M 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. M Posted February 1 Group: Royal Member Followers: 8 Topic Count: 743 Topics Per Day: 1.32 Content Count: 3,893 Content Per Day: 6.90 Reputation: 1,802 Days Won: 12 Joined: 10/28/2022 Status: Offline Birthday: 02/18/1956 Share Posted February 1 18 minutes ago, Ray12614 said: Depends on what 'kind' of rules they are I suppose. IF they are bible rules, then, yes we need to conform to them. IF they are man's rules based on personal likes and dislikes, then we have no responsibility to follow them. IF the rules are biblical commands, and IF the brother has issues with conforming to them, then Maybe he should be informed that the same Lord who lovingly died for him, also wants obedience to Him and His commands. Instructions given by the elders for the orderly activity of an Ecclesia are by definition "biblical rules", unless they contradict sound biblical doctrine. Members of the church, particularly new believers must be careful in their responsibility to follow the leadership of the church that they believe the Lord has placed them. That would put them in the place of obeying based on "personal likes and dislikes". In other words, knowledge from the tree of Good and Evil, by which we form many contrary opinions. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdHoc Posted February 1 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 4 Topic Count: 10 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 3,060 Content Per Day: 3.30 Reputation: 1,464 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/29/2021 Status: Offline Share Posted February 1 2 hours ago, FJK said: We only had one rule to follow in the Garden of Eden, and we ignored it. You can see the result to this day, so maybe those rules are a good thing to follow and a bad thing to ignore. There just may be a purpose for them that is beyond our immediate understanding. 2 hours ago, FJK said: So what do you say that means? I took your statement in context of the OP. If that was not what you meant please scratch my answer. But if you think that applying rules and restrictions to Christians will work, we can discuss why the Law of Moses was not achievable, why Galatians is so strong against Law, and why Ephesians tells us that Christ took the Law onto the cross with Him. I understand, for what its worth, that the solution for a failed Law is a new nature - a new life. This is what the new birth imparts, and what the Holy Spirit works into us during our years of sanctification. Romans 7 presents a God-given, spiritual and good Law and a zealous man who wants to keep them - but can't. The opening verses of Chapter 8 introduce another Law - that of the Life of Jesus. I would say that we should care for the direction of the Holy Spirit in Acts 15 around verse 28 where those who were trained by the Lord know that it won't work. You can see that those brothers even got another 35% wrong when they developed a replacement of just three Laws. Paul must later, in 1st Corinthians, correct the matter of food for idols. I am not advocating wanton living or lawlessness for Christians. I am aware that whereas the Law of Moses had about 615 laws, that thee are over 2,400 commands in the New Testament. Our Lord Jesus kept them all because He possessed the divine nature. Let us do that too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FJK Posted February 1 Group: Royal Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 43 Topics Per Day: 0.10 Content Count: 3,349 Content Per Day: 7.61 Reputation: 1,305 Days Won: 1 Joined: 03/01/2023 Status: Offline Share Posted February 1 10 minutes ago, AdHoc said: Our Lord Jesus kept them all because He possessed the divine nature. Let us do that too. It is a bit hard to keep them all if we don't acknowledge that they are laws to be kept. FWIW, many of those laws of Moses -actually most of them- are civil, social and cultural laws that pertain to Israel and not meant for anyone else. You have to look back to the days of Noah and the laws given him to find the basic laws that all men are meant to live by. My thinking, my understanding. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
other one Posted February 1 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 29 Topic Count: 599 Topics Per Day: 0.08 Content Count: 56,260 Content Per Day: 7.56 Reputation: 27,988 Days Won: 271 Joined: 12/29/2003 Status: Offline Share Posted February 1 Other than the repent and be baptized, we really only have two. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neighbor Posted February 1 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 18 Topic Count: 962 Topics Per Day: 0.35 Content Count: 13,708 Content Per Day: 5.04 Reputation: 9,106 Days Won: 6 Joined: 12/04/2016 Status: Offline Birthday: 03/03/1885 Share Posted February 1 Them that do not like rules tend to make a lot of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyn C Posted February 1 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 30 Topic Count: 268 Topics Per Day: 0.07 Content Count: 13,229 Content Per Day: 3.48 Reputation: 8,517 Days Won: 12 Joined: 12/21/2013 Status: Offline Birthday: 10/06/1947 Share Posted February 1 8 hours ago, Vine Abider said: In my Tuesday men's fellowship, a brother said this. So is this what the Christian life is about? Hi VA, Perhaps the bro was meaning the rules for meeting in a building owned by a religious organization. As the meetings there are public, then the law of the land requires certain behaviors when gathering and insurance taken out for the building etc. Could you give us a list of what that bro meant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vine Abider Posted February 1 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 6 Topic Count: 206 Topics Per Day: 0.36 Content Count: 3,485 Content Per Day: 6.15 Reputation: 2,334 Days Won: 3 Joined: 10/25/2022 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/01/2024 Author Share Posted February 1 @Neighbor @AdHoc @FJK @Marilyn C @Mr. M @Ray12614 @Starise Let me put the brother's statement into a fuller context. He said, "Many Christians believe that first we accept Christ and then we get a bunch of rules to follow . . . but they aren't taught to realize the real Christian life comes from the new life of Christ that's been placed into them!" 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
other one Posted February 1 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 29 Topic Count: 599 Topics Per Day: 0.08 Content Count: 56,260 Content Per Day: 7.56 Reputation: 27,988 Days Won: 271 Joined: 12/29/2003 Status: Offline Share Posted February 1 6 minutes ago, Vine Abider said: @Neighbor @AdHoc @FJK @Marilyn C @Mr. M @Ray12614 Let me put the brother's statement into a fuller context. He said, "Many Christians believe that first we accept Christ and then we get a bunch of rules to follow . . . but they aren't taught to realize the real Christian life comes from the new life of Christ that's been placed into them!" I have to ask, are those Christians he's speaking of with that attitude, really Christians? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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