| Author | Message | ||
| Lindylou Registered user Username: Lindylou Post Number: 148 Registered: 1-2005  |
Hi, I just got home to find someone had visited and dropped off a Signs pamphlet titled, "Taking a Stand for the 10 Commandments" along with Danny Shelton's book, "Ten Commandments Twice Removed." I have to shake my head at the assumptions folks make about New Covenant believers who say that Jesus fulfilled the law at the cross. A quote from the pamphlet reads: "any Christian who declares that salvation by grace makes obedience unnecessary misunderstands the gospel." It is such a subtle misleading statement to make. Danny's book adds to this by saying, Was God's promise of grace conditional upon obedience? Does righteousness by faith require a work?...... Righteousness defined is to practice God's right way of doing all things. In other words , YES to all the above questions. The book goes on to "show" how the 10 Commandments were in effect and known to humans well before Mt. Sinai. First, why is it assumed that when the word commandment(s) is/are used in the Bible that it is talking about "The 10" which were written on stone? The applying of the word commandment to only mean the Mosiac law is a very broad reach. Why do legalists assume "cheap grace" when someone shares how it is all about Jesus and nothing about us! When we say that the 10 Commandments were fulfilled by Christ and that we are no longer under the law of Moses - the next assumption is made that we are going to go out and rabblerouse and commit every carnal sin because we can with no consequence. Another quote: "God's last-day believers will take a stand for obedience. Believers saved by grace willingly obey His commandments......so today in Him take a stand for His commandments." Another point of cognitive dissonance. The phrase "willingly" and "so take a stand" - contradict each other! This is a difficult statement to rebuke. I know in my heart what I believe about God's grace - but sometimes have a hard time with a succinct comeback that clearly refutes the above statement. How can I explain Grace simply in response to the above? When I hear someone admonishing me to obedience -- telling me that I'm not a true Christian if I don't have the 10 commandment checklist in hand, I want to have a ready answer, but sometimes find myself fumbling for words. My mom, "Dd" and I were discussing this the other night - that the real battle we face is staying the course of Grace in a quickly dividing country - New Covenant believers are misunderstood by nonChristians and legalists alike. If we don't stand up and fight to keep the 10 Commandments posted in our buildings - or prayers in our schools, we will be labled a godless liberal. But when we want to share the Gospel of Grace to others, some will tell us to shut up because they don't want to hear Jesus's name mentioned. It is just this battle that helps me see the importance of staying in God's word - to keep the true meaning of the gospel ever before me! | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 3906 Registered: 12-2003  |
Linda, I so agree with you. What I have come to see is that a Christian obeysóbut it's no longer the law he obeys. He obeys Jesus Hmselfóthe law of Christóand in case there's any doubt what that includes, the entire text of the New Testament clarifies it. McGregor Wright pointed out in his Proclamation article a few issues back, "The Unity of the Law", that the Hebrew word for Torah and the Greek word for Word (as in "In the beginning was the Word...logos) has the same meaning. He said that Jesus as the living Torah took a perfectly fulfilled law to the cross in His own self. He, the living Torah, was nailed to the cross and was resurrected from death. He fulfilled the law in Himself, and in His body the law was nailed to the cross, and now He Himself is whom we obey and honor. This obedience is possible because of our new birth by the Holy Spirit's residing in us. Now we obey Christ, the One of Whom the law was merely a shadow. Somehow Wright's identification of Jesus as the living Torah and the statement that He took a perfectly fulfilled Torah to the cross was really helpful to me in understanding "what happened". Colleen | ||
| 91steps Registered user Username: 91steps Post Number: 40 Registered: 8-2005 |
I think the Adventist Church should change their name to "The Fourth Commandment Keepers"! My wife came home from her SDA church yesterday and had the same garbage. I laughed when I saw Mr. Shelton's book and asked her how many quotes were from EG White. Seems like the Adventists were making fun of a Christian group and their effort to get people to obey the 10 Commandments. | ||
| Pheeki Registered user Username: Pheeki Post Number: 803 Registered: 1-2003 |
My in-law have the title of the book posted on their church's LCD scrolling sign...I was like "What does that mean?" I didn't realize it was a book!! My daughter (who I allowed to go to church last week with them said...)"It's a book!" I guess it is in wide spread promotion!!!! |
