| Author | Message | ||
| Chyna |
i'm starting up all these different topics :), but they're all different, that's why. like evolution, i have constantly tried the same approach with my former sweetheart. with evolution, the question you ask is this (you don't mess with the other stuff), you ask, "do you believe life came from biotic life? or life came from abiotic life (proteins, lipids spontaneously forming). now the logic seems clear, and so does the distinction between creationism and evolution. so they just have to say which way they believe and you tell them what you believe. since I do believe my former sweetheart is a Christian, I would say, "What are the greatest commandments? They are love God with all your heart, soul, mind, strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." and I would try to reduce the Christian life to those principles. to which he would blithely reply with the verse: "if you love me you will keep My commandments" which he then ascribes to the decalogue (ten laws). of course now I realize I should have argued that God's example of loving Him is by loving your neighbor (a verse goes something like how can you love God who you cannot see, and do not love your brother who you can see?) hm, what do you all think? love in Christ, Chyna | ||
| Chyna |
To support their argument that a Christian must obey the commandments, Adventists and other Christian bodies cite such passages as the following: If ye love me, keep my commandments. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me (John 14:15, 21). And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. Ö And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. Ö He that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. Ö By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (1 John 2:3-4; 3:22, 24; 5:2-3). We, too, yield to the authority of those verses; but the fallacy of the position lies in the concept that the word "commandments" always refers to the Ten Commandments, which Adventists maintain are "the moral law of God." This claim cannot be substantiated from Scripture; in fact, it is contradicted by the Bible. Let us see how the Lord Jesus and the apostle John applied the words "commandments" and "law." First, consider the conversation of our Lord with the lawyer in Luke 10:25-28: And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. Clearly, the Lord Jesus did not subscribe to the Seventh-day Adventist view that "commandment-keeping means keeping all of the Ten Commandments," none of which He mentions in this passage. Christ did not say, "Keep the Ten Commandments, especially the fourth one, and thou shalt live." He said, in effect, "Obey the law of love upon which all the law and the prophets rest, and thou shalt live." This refutes the Adventist claim that when Jesus spoke of commandments He meant only the Decalogue. -Walter Martin on Law, Grace, & Salvation wow, God is awesome I must say again. no sooner do I ask the question it is answered :) *blush* maybe I am overeager to share with all of you :) :) :) in Christ, Chyna | ||
| Steve |
Hi Chyna (good to see you posting so much here, you're a delight to have around), When New Testament writers write of the the Law, IMHO they are usually referring to one of two things (there may be more than two uses, and I'd welcome correction on this, but for this discussion . . . ): 1) The Old Testament Law, with ALL its commandments (613 of them!), sacrifices and other institutions. 2) The New Testament Law, based on the person of Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus commanded different things than Moses. There were some commandments that Jesus specifically supported. Some commandments Jesus expanded to a degree greater than Moses did. Some commandments Jesus actually broke! The 7th day sabbath commandment is one of those that He broke. When your friend and others say that NT writers are referring to the ten commandments when they say "Law" they are not grasping the depth and weight of the Law that was laid on Israel. That Law was something that no one could keep. Why was it given if it could not be kept? It was given to point out our absolute sinfulness and need of a Savior. It prepared Israel for the revelation and great need of Messiah. Jesus said that not one jot or tittle of the law would pass. The purpose of the law still stands, but we would be wrong to point people to that OT law and tell them that they have to keep it. When Paul penned the incredible words of 1 Corinthians 13, (starting in the last verse of ch. 12) he said, "And I show you still a more excellent way." (NASB) If Moses' way was a more excellent way, why didn't Jesus, Paul and others say that? The fact is they didn't, they still had the more excellent way to reveal to us. And that was revealed in the person of Jesus Christ, and later in the other writings of the NT. The more excellent way is what we Christians are to reveal to the world. Not Moses, and the commandments that were intended for Israel (see Galatians 3:17-19). Steve |
