The Gospel according to Jesus

[Pilgrim7]

Welcome back Yod,

I am not here to answer for the SDA's. I am here to share the words of Jesus. The reason that we are talking about the Ten Commandments is that Jesus taught them. All has been shared in the posts. The reason the Ten Commandments are receiving attention is because most of the Professing Christain world has rejected them, even though Jesus Himself taught their necessity, not in being justified, but in Sanctification as part of being purified and made ready for heaven. I believe, as Jesus did, that we are to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

You see it was Jesus, on Sinai, that gave distinction to the Ten Commandments. He spoke them with His own mouth, for He is the 'Word of God', then He wrote then twice with His own finger, and then He had them placed them inside the 'Ark of the Testimony' for they were the direct testimony of God Himself. The 'Mercy seat', upon which God dwelt, was then placed above them where God would despense mercy and forgiveness for those who repented of their transgressions. So you see it was God Himself that placed more importance upon them, not me nor the SDA's.

The Ten Commandments have always been the will of God, from the very beginning. Please name me one thing contained in the Ten Commandments that was not the will of God from the beginning. It has always been His will. As Paul says, the Ten Commandments and the rest of the law was added (written down as commandments) because of transgressions, what transgressions if there was no law previously, transgressions of God's will which has been the same from the beginning.

Ga 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.

3:20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.

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.

3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Those who have put on Christ, in whom Christ lives and dwells don't need the Law as a threat to keep them in line, they have Christ living within who allways kept His Fathers Commandments to keep them from sin, the transgression of Gods Commandments. You see not being saved by the law, for no obedience can save from disobedience, does not mean that now that Christ lives within he is free to transgress God's law.

Even man is smarter that that. Just because I may get off from a speeding ticket because of whatever reason, does not mean that I am free to go out and speed again without any consequences. My being 'forgiven', does not free me up to transgress again. It just sets me free from the penalty of that transgression. What needs to happen is to receive a 'love to do what is right' and then I will love to drive the speed limit and will not come into comdemnation of the law anymore.

How can anyone believe that Christ will lead them to transgress His Fathers Commandments which are still sin to this day, and will remain sin until 'heaven and earth pass away'. God commandments are still a part of His will, not His whole will, but the part of His will that says 'sin not'. You see the 'Born again Christian', with the 'New Heart' doesn't need laws and penaltiles to keep him in line, that is legalism, His Love for God causes Him to diligently search the Scriptures for any and every way He can 'keep the will of God' and please Him in all things. Herein is the solution to the 'Lukewarm' church.

God bless,

Dennis

[Guest shiloh357]

I have only shared the Scriptures with you, especially the words of Jesus.

The problem is that you equate a simple "face-value" approach with "childlike" faith. Let me ask you something. If go and cut my right hand off on the grounds that "I was just obeying Jesus, and Jesus said that if my hand causes me to sin, I should cut it off, " would you agree with my approach? I took Jesus' words at face value and entirely missed the point he was trying to make. You are taking the teachings of Jesus at "face-value" mistakinginly thinking that you are taking a "literal" approach to what Jesus said.

According to you, Jesus told the rich young ruler that his eternal life was based on keeping the commandments, and you completely ignore WHY Jesus said that. Jesus was testing the young man's character. Jesus was not making the ten commandments a condition for salvation at all. Jesus exposed the man for the fraud he was. The young man wanted to know what he must "do" to inherit eternal life, but when the "doing" required him to pay a price that was higher than he wanted to pay, "eternal life" just became overrated.

The problem is that you think I am rejecting the words of Jesus. That is not true. I am approaching them differently. The fact that I arrive at a different conclusion than YOU do, does not mean that I am rejecting them. Again, your problem lies in the error of "face-value" approaches.

[billie]

I haven't rejected them.

[Guest yod]

How can anyone believe that Christ will lead them to transgress His Fathers Commandments which are still sin to this day, and will remain sin until 'heaven and earth pass away'.

Again....

There is a lot more to the Torah than the 10 Commandments. Which ones do you "keep" and why not the rest of them?

I believe the Law is the foundation of the New Covenant scriptures. I believe that every word of God is true and it is a shield to those who put their trust in Him (Prov 30:5)

Yet something new happened in Acts 15 when the Apostles ruled that gentiles did not have to live as jews. They seemed to recognize that the "nations" were out of their jurisdiction and the Holy Spirit had declared them "clean" apart from the Law of Moses through regeneration.

Righteousness has always been defined as selfless acts done for the benefit of others. It's not what we do for ourselves or of ourselves. In other words, serving others is more important to pleasing God than any (self) righteous thing we can do

And just a sidenote; I find it interesting that Yeshua said nothing about the Sabbath when asked in Mark 10:19"You know the commandments, 'DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.'"

He certainly observed the Sabbath...so why didn't He think it was worth mentioning here?

I think it is because all of the things He did mention in the above listed pertain to how we treat others.

[Pilgrim7]

Praise God 'billielovesdarin',

May He bless you richly as you allow Him to work in and through you to 'will and do of His good pleasure'.

God bless and keep you and Darin

Dennis

[Pilgrim7]

Yod,

A better question to ask would be why did He not say it was no longer a commandment. You see when you are going to remove a commandment out of the Ten Original, written by the finger of God, it would seem that it was appropriate to at least mention it. You see they all kept the Sabbath. It wasn't even a question that would have been discussed, it was a given, a Commandment of God, and sin to break it. Paul kept it until His death and instructed the Gentiles to gather on the 'Sabbath for instruction in righteousness' and in another place told the Gentiles to 'follow me as I follow Christ'. And the reason that Apostles in Acts said they need to add no more instruction was that they realized and recorded that the Gentiles have 'Moses' read to them each 'Sabbath'.

Acts 15:19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. (Question: does this mean that they could steal, murder, have false Gods, covet and lie for they are not mentioned either, or would they have learned that too as they listened to 'Moses each Sabbath day'.)

15:21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

Yet Jesus talked about it much as He corrected all the man made rules that had been added to it. It seems strange that He would correct their misunderstandings of it, and not tell them that it didn't matter anymore. He even said that He had created it for all mankind which kind of tells the story. Notice He didn't say that He just made it for the Jews, for a specific period of time and now all of a sudden it was superfluous. You see it is what He didn't say that really tells the story. When something is given in direct command, then it takes a direct command to rescind it. Yet God doesn't change His mind or His will for He cannot change, He is the same God today as He was then.

You see it was created for all of mankind as a blessing, not as a burden or a curse. Keeping the Sabbath is a blessed time for fellowship with God without any thing to get in the way. Those children of God who love Him with all their heart, mind, soul and strength look forward to it for they have unbroken communion without all the distractions of secular pursuits. Thus they receive an immeasurable blessing.

Enough of that, now back to the Gospel of Jesus:

Mt 23:1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

23:2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:

23:3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

23:5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

23:6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

23:7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. (Pastor, teacher, theologian)

23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

It would seem that Jesus is not teaching that what the Pharasees taught was wrong, as long as it was Scripture and not the words of man, but that they were hypocrites who said and did not. They drew near to God with their mouths, but their hearts were far from Him as their works or lack thereof demonstrated.

God Bless,

Dennis

[Guest shiloh357]

A better question to ask would be why did He not say it was no longer a commandment. You see when you are going to remove a commandment out of the Ten Original, written by the finger of God, it would seem that it was appropriate to at least mention it. You see they all kept the Sabbath. It wasn't even a question that would have been discussed, it was a given, a Commandment of God, and sin to break it. Paul kept it until His death and instructed the Gentiles to gather on the 'Sabbath for instruction in righteousness' and in another place told the Gentiles to 'follow me as I follow Christ'. And the reason that Apostles in Acts said they need to add no more instruction was that they realized and recorded that the Gentiles have 'Moses' read to them each 'Sabbath'.

No one is saying it is removed as a commandment. The commandment is met in the Messiah. He IS the Sabbath for the believer. That does not mean that we cannot keep the Seventh day Sabbath if we choose to do so. But it must be done with the realization that the Messiah IS the Sabbath. One keeps the 4th commandment by resting in Messiah. It really is that simple. What ever else you choose to of an external nature is purely up to you.

[solemntruth]

Amen! The gospel isn't being preached. Instead, pastors are preaching worldly sermons and it is scattering God's flock. I was raised in a full gospel church and heard nothing like what I am hearing today. Christians are becoming as cynical and hateful as the ungodly. I have visited many Christian community boards and been attacked for trying to spread the gospel.

I tend to stand fast with Paul and follow his ordinance.

Phil1

[5] For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

[7] Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

[12] But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;

[17] But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.

[27] Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

[Pilgrim7]

Shiloh,

He is my righteousness also, but that does not mean that I can choose to be unrighteous, for that would be willful, presumptive sin and Christ is not the minister of sin or disobedience. You see there is a positive righteousness that Jesus works out in the believer, a doing the will of God which is righteousness.

1jo 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

2:29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that every one that does righteousness is born of him.

1jo 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

3:8 He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (Sin)

3:9 Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin (known, willful presumptive sin such as disobeying a known commandment of God ); for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever does not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

Notice the emphasis on the doing of righteousness, doesn't seem that John thought it was optional.

You wrote:

What ever else you choose to of an external nature is purely up to you.

Do you really believe we are free to obey or disobey as we see fit. That makes us our own God. That would be breaking the 1st commandment, having another God. This is the prime reason that the Churches are in the Laodicean condition, with God standing on the outside knocking to get in. He is getting ready to vomit them out of His mouth for they draw near to Him with their lips in hollow praise, but have not the new heart that loves to please God in obedience and the doing of righteousness.

Now as to the optional keeping of the Sabbath, God's Holy Day, I wonder why those who make to heaven and the new earth will still worship on the Sabbath day. Don't they know that believing in Jesus released them from obedience.

Isa 66:22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.

66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.

66:24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

If Jesus is their Sabbath, and their obedience is optional, why do they all come and worship before God on the Sabbath Day? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it is God's Holy Day. Now we will leave the Sabbath controversy and return to more of the 'Gospel of Jesus'. It always amazes me how you love to bring up the Sabbath.

God Bless,

Dennis

[Pilgrim7]

Jesus said:

Mt 23:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites (religious leaders, teachers)! for you devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees (religious leaders and teachers), hypocrites! for you compass sea and land to make one proselyte (convert), and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Is everybody comfortable with the practice of the churches convincing the 'little old ladies' to leave their inheritance to the churches. History just repeating itself.

God bless,

Dennis