Terry wrote: > Are you claiming to be greater than the temple > (equal to Jesus), or are you saying that I can > tear all that stuff out of the new testament > about obeying the government if it is a minor > thing, because the sabbath was made for man and > the Pharisees did not understand that to be the case?
I don't think I understand your question well enough to answer it. Nobody should tear out either the New Testament or the Old Testament. What we should try and do is understand that both are spiritual. The law is spiritual, and good if one uses it correctly, but in the wrong hands, the law can wreak havoc. Jesus was not teaching believers to ignore the Sabbath laws. What he was doing was teaching what is truly righteous in God's eyes concerning Sabbath observance. The key point to understand here is that the law must be thrown out so to speak, with regard to how we work out righteousness through faith. This does not mean that we then transgress the law. Certainly not. Our method of obedience is simply changed, from one where we know the rules and try our best not to violate them, to one whereby we are led by the Holy Spirit and walk in love. What we will find is that when we are led by the Spirit and walk in love, we will fulfill the righteous requirements of the law. We might still have some, like the Pharisees, who strain at gnats and falsely accuse us of being guilty of breaking the law, but we will know through the Spirit and faith in Christ that we walk in love and obey all that Jesus commands us to do. Terry wrote: > This is all very confusing, and this confusion forces me > to keep all the rules or be a sinner, because I am not at > all certain which ones I can ignore. Being what you call > a legalist seems to be the only sane thing to do, unless > of course, you get direct revelations from above like some > of these prophets. Yes, divine revelation is necessary, and that is why when we believe in Christ Jesus we receive the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, it would be difficult to know right from wrong in all situations, unless, as you say, we were a legalist. We learn how to walk in the Spirit by giving close heed to the teachings of Jesus, just like the Matthew 12 passage that I quoted for you. Peace be with you. David Miller, Beverly Hills, Florida. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
