Friday: Further Thoughts – Boasting in the Cross
Further Thought: “The cross of Calvary challenges, and will finally vanquish every earthly and hellish power. In the cross all influence centers, and from it all influence goes forth. It is the great center of attraction;
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
for on it Christ gave up His life for the human race. This sacrifice was offered for the purpose of restoring man to his original perfection. Yea, more, it was offered to give him an entire transformation of character, making him more than a conqueror.
“Those who in the strength of Christ overcome the great enemy of God and man, will occupy a position in the heavenly courts above angels who have never fallen.
Christ declares, ‘I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.’ If the cross does not find an influence in its favor, it creates an influence. Through generation succeeding generation, the truth for this time is revealed as present truth. Christ on the cross was the medium whereby mercy and truth met together, and righteousness and peace kissed each other. This is the means that is to move the world (MS 56, 1899) .” — Ellen G. White Comments, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1113.
Discussion Questions:
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Summary: True religion does not consist in outward behavior alone but in the condition of the heart. When the heart is surrendered to God, a person’s life will more and more reflect the character of Christ as he or she grows in faith. The heart must be subdued by Christ; when that happens, all else will follow.
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The Summary,True religion is a condition of the heart. I have been reading the Lords Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 carefully while applying the content and purpose or reason that Jesus gave it to those that first heard it. Even more important was the manner this prayer was to be offered,
Matthew 6:5. Luke 11:2-4 is the other place in the KJV that the model prayer is recorded. The question becomes then, why are there two different endings to each recorded prayer.? The word kingdom is mentioned twice in Matthew. This is referred as a Doxology by some. But is missing in Luke, Why? As important as the kingdom of Heaven is, where in our finite minds is the Kingdom of Heaven?
is the Kingdom of heaven?
"Based on what you have learned this quarter, how would you summarize Paul’s views on the following topics: the law, works of law, justification by faith, the old and new covenants, the work of Christ, sanctification, and the nature of the Christian life?"
The Law
According to Paul, the law has a specific purpose. There was nothing wrong with the law, (Rom 7:12, Rom 3:20) if you use it for its intended purpose. It was given to the Children of Israel because of their transgressions - Gal 3:19,25 - for the goal of bringing them to Christ, the only source of salvation and eternal life. The law cannot give life, nor give or yield righteousness. Gal 3:21. If we allow the law to do its job of leading us to Christ, we now have access to the fullness of the Holy Spirit, by whom we are sealed under the day of redemption. Eph 1:13;Eph 4:30.
Works of law
The works of the law do not bring justification - Gal 2:16. They do not result in righteousness - Gal 2:21. We do not receive the Holy Spirit from any works of the law - Gal 3:2. If we put any faith or credence in the works of the law, we are under a curse. Gal 3:10. The Israelites sought righteousness by the works of the law and failed. Rom 9:31,32.
Justification by faith
We are justified and made right with God by faith apart from the deeds of the law. Rom 3:28. Justification comes to both the circumcised and uncircumcised by faith, not by any works or circumcision. Rom 3:30. Justification by faith results in peace with God, which no law-keeping can do. Rom 4:5, Rom 5:1. The law leads us to Christ so that we can receive that justification. Gal 3:24.
The old and new covenants
Paul saw the covenant from Sinai as the old covenant, which he equated with bondage. Gal 4:21-25; Heb 8:13. He sees the new covenant as representing the full freedom we have in Christ - Christ in you. Col 1:27. Paul saw this old covenant, the law, as a ministry of death, written and engraved on stones. It had glory which faded and passed away under the light of the glory of the Holy Spirit. He saw the old covenant, the law, as a ministry of condemnation which had a glory that was exceeded by the Holy Spirit's ministry of righteousness. 2 Cor 3:6-18. Under the new covenant the Holy Spirit lives within the born again child of God, and empowers him/her to life a righteous life in harmony with God's eternal standard of righteousness.
Sanctification
Paul saw sanctification as a process that occurred with a new believer accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into his heart and life, and allowed the indwelling Holy Spirit to saturate and guide the life. 1 Cor 1:12. Paul never used the phrase "sanctification is the work of a lifetime." He spoke of sanctification as a past event. 1 Cor 1:12; 1 Cor 6:11; 1 Thes 5:23; 2 Tim 2:21; Heb 10:10. There is a daily surrender that must occur, daily growth in Christ and in the knowledge of our Lord, so in that sense we are continuing in the sanctification wrought by the power of God - 2 Thes 2:13.
The nature of the Christian Life
The one who has been born again has had his our old man crucified with Christ, such that he is no longer a slave of sin. He now lives by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit and is not under the law engraved and written in stone. Gal 5:18,25. This change does not produce lawless living, by a life through whom the fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit blossoms. That kind of Christian life does not come from law - Gal 5:23. He is kept by the Lord in his walk. Jude 24.
We know that Jesus keep the law written in stone... After Jesus death we know that at least one of the commandments written in stone was kept because we read that they tested on the Sabbath in obedience
a to the (4th) commandment. After Jesus resurrection, Peter kept that same commandment from the law written in stone and later on we read in Paul's writings that Paul not only kept the Sabbath but also mentioned the other commencements from the law written in stone... I'd firstly take my council from Jesus Who Himself said that we should not think that He came to abolish the law but to fulfill it and this He did. He also told us that all the law and the prophets hang on the law written in stone, summarised in Deut and Lev as loving God and our fellow man and this remains the case, for in the end, Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats saying that whatever we do to your fellow man is what will reflect our love for Him!
The fact of the matter is this, the ten commandments read as follows:
1. If you love Me, you will not have any gods before Me.
2. If you love Me, it will be evident in the fact that you will not make idols to worship
3. If you love Me, you will respect My Holy Name
4...you will keep the 7th day Holy because I have given it to you as a gift and have given it not only to you but to everyone in the world and if you love Me, you will reflect that by the way you treat your fellow man and the animals that serve you as well by tempering that it is My Holy day for all to observe.
Etc... Not don'ts but because we Love Him 🙂
Annette
Thanks for sharing. A full and complete answer is beyond the available space for a post, but here are a few thoughts.
The principles outlined in the Ten Commandments are good and are eternal. Jesus amplified them to turn the minds of His hearers to the bigger picture God intended. The Ten commandments were the covenant God had with the Children of Israel, whose feeble minds could not grasp the depth of His principles. This is similar to a child to whom you would say “do not touch knives” probably with no explanation. Whereas, as the child matures he knows how to handle the knife, and as such the instructions may be different.
Jesus taught the disciples many things that He could not teach openly around the throngs and the Pharisees and Sadducees, and opened their understanding to amazing truths - Luke 24:44,45. Jesus spoke about giving "new" commandments - John 13:34. He also spoke about His Father's commandments versus HIS commandments. John 14:31, John 15:10. The Greek word for commandments used in the book of John, is not the word used for law. "Commandment" means general or specific instructions.
The point of Paul statements in 2 Cor 3:6-18 is not to remove the law on stone, but to show the greater and higher ministry of the Holy Spirit who is written in the hearts and works from the inside of us. Our direction does not come from the code written in stone, but from the Spirit within. That is the effect of the "law" written on the heart.
With an external law, human nature works to pattern behavior around the law and guarding or even exploring the fringes of the law. With the power coming from God Himself within us, there is total freedom to trust in His guiding power and His sustaining grace in fulfilling His ideal for us, and He keeps us in His will. Therefore with that kind of relationship with God, there is no chance we will go astray from God's will and God's standard of righteousness. We may still sin, but it is because we choose to not follow the prompting of the Spirit, then the Spirit draws us right back, and we are forgiven and cleansed.
All this is a concept that is very difficult for us to grasp when we have been immersed in a law-based mentality, and only becomes clear when we allow Jesus Christ to shine through the cobwebs that have been formed over years of teaching. Paul spoke about that when he referred to the veil that dims our view in 2 Cor 3:14-18.
Jesus came under the old and the stone based covenant. That's why He literally kept all the required feasts (which we do not do today), observed the Passover, wore the required tassels around his garments, recognized the requirement to "show oneself to the priests" - Matt 8:4, was circumcised according to the law, went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, etc. Remember, the Law of Moses and the Law of God are treated in scripture as synonymous.
Jesus said several times, “you have heard it said…” then He amplified, “BUT I say to you…” Matt 5.
Heb 1:1-4 teaches us that "God ... spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son."
Jesus fulfilled all the requirements of the old covenant - (that is a long and extended discussion which cannot fit into this post) and then at the end when He, "knowing that all things were now accomplished ... said, “It is finished!” John 19:28-30. (Compare Matt 5:17,18 and Luke 24:44,45 and Rom 10:4, John 1:17.)
To the comment - "I'd firstly take my council [sic] from Jesus," I would bring to attention the fact that Paul stated in Gal 1:11,12 that the gospel he preached, he received directly from Jesus Christ. Therefore, his teachings are in full harmony with what Jesus taught.
There is much more I can address in the post, but I do not want to make this too long. If there is a specific point I will address it.
please pray for my family, we're born Adventist, still Adventist but my bro is trying to leave the faith to another religion entirely (Islam), pls pray for Him, his blind, help us in prayers that our Lord and Savior will restore him,,, God Bless you all, Adventist family.