===============================================David Miller wrote:
Matthew 5:19
(19) "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Therefore, some of us are interested in how to keep and teach Torah. This passage does confirm, however, that some will annul Torah and teach others to do the same. We acknowledge what Jesus acknowledges, that this will not prevent them from the kingdom of heaven because salvation is through faith in Christ, not through works of the Torah.
Peace be with you. David Miller.
Back from hunting.
You are a logical person David. Let me express what is logical to me, then you can point out where my logic may be flawed.
1. Lets start with the law. The book of the law, Leviticus, states very plainly, after laying out all these rules, that they are "For the children of Israel" (27:34). That not only leaves me out. It leaves out every non Jew everywhere on earth unless that person is a Jewish proselyte. With that one exception in mind, no Gentile has ever been under Torah. We had two thousand years before the law. The Jews then had two thousand years under the law. We have now had two thousand years since the end of the law, roughly speaking.
2. Even before the law was fulfilled, God became tired of meaningless sacrifices, no longer finding a sweet savor in burnt offerings or the blood of bulls. The end of the law was in sight then, but no one could see it.
3. Paul plainly states that if you fail to keep one law, you have failed to keep the whole law. With no temple and no levites and no alter it is now impossible to keep the whole law. Do you suppose that a loving God would demand that you do the impossible, and then find you guilty of not doing it? If the law/Torah was still in effect, would He have allowed the temple to be destroyed?
4. I find it interesting that right after Jesus spoke of keeping the law in Matt.five, that He said "If your righteousness does not exceed that of the Pharisees, you will never get to Heaven". If just doing your best to keep the law would make you pleasing to God, the Pharisees would have been a shoo in.
5. Jesus went on in the sermon on the mount to point out that what He required of His followers was far more than was required by Mosaic law, making hatred as serious as murder and the thought of adultery the same as the act, commanding us to turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, and give the shirt off our back. Those two commands He gave replace all the law, yet they completely cover our relationship with God and with other men. The only thing missing is the things God grew tired of, sacrifices and legalism.
6. When the judaizers tried to say that the Christians had to keep Torah, Paul made it plain that they were wrong.
Logic tells me that God never intended me to be circumcised, or to refrain from touching my wife when she had her period, or to stone my disobedient children, or to grow a beard. Logic also tells me that if I don't have to do those things, and He was tired of the Jews doing those things, then no believer has to do those things.
Like the Bible says, there is a time for everything. That would include a time to be dead to the law and alive in Christ.
How do you see it?
Terry
---------- "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
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