| Author | Message | ||
| Bskillet Registered user Username: Bskillet Post Number: 626 Registered: 8-2008 |
Something just hit me about Galatians 5:18. Paul says, "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." The thing that hit me about it came after replying to an SDA propagandist who has been posting on the Former Adventist page on Facebook. That realization is this: The contrapositive is always true. The word contrapositive is a logical term. When we say, "The contrapositive is always true," we mean this: Suppose that, if fact A is true, then fact B will be true. Or we might say fact A implies fact B. Then the contrapositive says, "If fact B is not true, then fact A is not true either." The contrapositive means I take the original statement, negative it, and switch it around. Think of it this way: If it is raining, the ground will get wet. This is true (absent some third factor like shade protecting the ground). Then obviously, if the ground is not wet, then it must not be raining. Or in mathematics, if I have two numbers 1 and 3, then their sum is four (i.e. 1 + 3 =4). But if the sum of any two numbers isn't four, then those two numbers cannot be 1 and 3. Think about this for just a second if you find it confusing: Obviously, if someone has two numbers behind their back, and they tell me the sum does not equal four, then I can be assured that the two numbers are not 1 and 3. One of the numbers might be 1. Or one of the numbers might be 3. But if one of the numbers is 1, then the other cannot be 3, and if one of the numbers is 3, the other cannot be 1. Anyway, when we apply this to Galatians 5:18, we find that if one is under the Law, he or she is not being led by the Spirit. But how do we apply this? Paul says in Galatians 5:4, "You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace." What the contrapositive implies, when we read it through the lense of Galatians 5:4, is this: Those who believe keeping the Law contributes to their rightness with God are not covered by grace and thus are not led by the Spirit. Similarly, Paul writes, "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! As we have said before, I now say again: if anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!" Anyone who teaches that the Christian must come under the Law's jurisdiction to have salvation is teaching a different Gospel from what Paul taught in Galatians (and in his other epistles). Such a person is accursed of God and is not being led by God's Spirit in what that person teaches. This is a very valuable means of discerning whether or not a teacher is or isn't of God. Incidently, Ellen White fails this test miserably. | ||
| Seekinglight Registered user Username: Seekinglight Post Number: 462 Registered: 3-2009 |
Ahh, modus tollens! Never heard it applied to theology before, but this makes complete sense. Of course, SDAs argue that they're not "under the law" but rather they obey it out of love and joy, yada, yada! | ||
| Hec Registered user Username: Hec Post Number: 695 Registered: 3-2009 |
SDA also argue that if you obey the law, you are not under the law. To be under the law is to have disobeyed the law and now be under its weight. Hec | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 10569 Registered: 12-2003  |
Brent, you are right. Yes, I know the SDA arguments...exhaustively, actually, as I know y'all do! But you know what? They are just double-speak!! For the Adventist arguments about not being under the law if you (need to) obey it, but being under the weight of the curse of the law is you're disobeying is just so much parsing. They have to totally ignore the plain words of Scripture to come up with that. Remember the conversation between Eve and the serpent? It sounds almost logical. The errors are subtle, merely hinted...but they were devastating. Only when we ask God to remove the SDA/Ellen blinders and teach us to read Scripture as it is written do we begin to perceive the awesome, liberating truth: we are FREE in Jesus. He is ALL we need! He predestines us, calls us, foreknows us, justifies us, and glorifies us. He is sufficient for everything we need for life and godliness. Praise God for Jesus! Colleen | ||
| Grace_alone Registered user Username: Grace_alone Post Number: 1590 Registered: 6-2006  |
Arguing is right! This same subject came up on a status James "freerain" posted on his page. He wrote that "Love teaches and instructs the Christian lifestyle without any help from the law." I believe Mary replied with Gal 5:18. It was amazing how angry and defensive some SDAs were about such a simple and true statement. It wasn't even as if James were out to attack anyone, but you would have thought he was listing names. One woman wrote "why are some people insisting that the law is bad and a curse?" and another person accused James and myself of "crass antinomianism". It was funny and sad at the same time. It finally got around to the Sabbath (as it always does) and one woman wrote "as for me I will continue to honor the God I love and lives in me and keep His commandments (all of them!) and if Commandment #4 is not important for salvation, it won't make a difference...if it is, I'll enjoy continuing to celebrate all the Sabbaths thru eternity with my loving, caring and forgiving Savior." (Good to know she's keeping all 613 laws!) There are 66 replies there and it still seems to be going strong. I'm amazed at the blatant preaching and defending of the law from these people. No grace or Spirit allowed!  Leigh Anne (Message edited by grace_alone on October 30, 2009) | ||
| Helovesme2 Registered user Username: Helovesme2 Post Number: 2249 Registered: 8-2004  |
yes, that thread is quite amazing. | ||
| Grace_alone Registered user Username: Grace_alone Post Number: 1591 Registered: 6-2006 |
Mary, that post goes nicely with your new profile picture. | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 5690 Registered: 9-2006  |
Mary has that new secretary look.She looks over her spectacles and says, "Yes, that is quite amazing!" Or the professor look. She looks over her spectacles and say, "Ahh hiem, ah, yes, that is so amazing! River | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 5691 Registered: 9-2006 |
It is contra negative to the extrapolation of a contra positive supposition of such magnitude as to render the question as spasmodic refrain that she has a look of a great queen of the socialistic realm. River | ||
| Animal Registered user Username: Animal Post Number: 696 Registered: 7-2008  |
huh?? | ||
| Hec Registered user Username: Hec Post Number: 699 Registered: 3-2009 |
River, is the possum affecting your brain? Hec | ||
| Psalm107v2 Registered user Username: Psalm107v2 Post Number: 469 Registered: 10-2008  |
Brent, when I heard the Foundations of Adventism tapes by Pastor Mark Martin and couldn't believe my ears and read Galatians for myself this verse is one of the thing head me spinning like a whirlie-whirl at the State fair. Lead by the Spirit---what a wonderful way to live Enoch | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 7664 Registered: 3-2004  |
While still a faux adventist, God got me a job here in Las Vegas with a phone interview. They held the job for me until I arrived here and started working the 1st of Dec 2002. In the meantime my condo, in VA, sold really fast. My friends wondered about how fast everything was going. At the time I told them that I felt like I was in the fastest military jet doing acrobatics and God was the pilot and I was the guy in back. When God moves it can be very fast and I just hang on and enjoy the ride. Diana L |
