Results 1 - 3 of 3
|
|
|||||
Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | abide | 1 John 2:3 | stjohn | 216903 | ||
Hi Asis, First we need to understand what it means to abide in Christ. --"What does it mean to "abide" in Christ? Answer: Jesus defined "Abiding in Christ" when He likened Himself to a grapevine and believers to its branches: "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me" (John 15:4). That picture illustrates the vital union existing between Christians and Jesus Christ. The word "abide" basically means "to remain." Every Christian remains inseparably linked to Christ in all areas of life. We depend on Him for grace and power to obey. We look obediently to His Word for instruction on how to live. We offer Him our deepest adoration and praise and we submit ourselves to His authority over our lives. In short, Christians gratefully know Jesus Christ is the source and sustainer of their lives. Abiding in Christ evidences genuine salvation. The Apostle John alluded to that when he referred to defected professors who "went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us" (1 John 2:19). People with genuine faith will remain--they won't defect; they won't deny Christ or abandon His truth. Jesus reiterated the importance of abiding as a sign of real faith when He said, "If you abide in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine" (John 8:31)."-- John Macarthur, http://www.gty.org/Resources/Questions/QA161 Jesus fulfilled not only the moral law but also the ceremonial law. As Christians we are commanded to obey the moral law as this is part of God's unchanging character, but the ceremonial law was part of the Old Covenant, that has been fulfilled and done away with by the work of Christ. Because we are now under the New Covenant we are no longer under obligation to keep the Old Covenant, particularly the sign of the Old Covenant. The writer to the Hebrews remarked, "When He said, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear" (Heb. 8:13). The Apostle Paul rebuked the Galatians for attempting to add the observance of days to the sufficiency of Christ’s work for salvation or sanctification (Gal. 4:9-11). This shows us that a new order had been erected with the resurrection of Christ (Jn. 20:1, 19). Moreover, note that there was no ceremonial law pryer to when it was given specifically to the nation Israel. Many believers in the coming Christ for redemption of sin and salvation were not required to obey such laws because they simply did not exist. They were justified as we are justified by faith and faith alone, and not by works, especially works of the ceremonial law, e.g. diet restrictions, feast days, etc. The Apostle Paul soundly rebuked the Galatians for there desire to go back to the Old Covenant system, and also said to the Corinthians to: "Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ." 1 Cor 11:1, and Paul sure didn't follow the Old Covenant system of ceremonial law. I pray that helped John |
||||||
2 | abide | 1 John 2:3 | Asis | 216905 | ||
John I thank you for your words they contain much truth. The thing I am wondering about is this. Jesus is the word made flesh. The word that was made flesh was what we call the Old Testament. So if Jesus is that word made flesh and he annulled part of the old then He annulled part of Himself. When a thing is fulfilled it is not done away with it is complete or perfected. The law or more appropriately the Torah was never meant to save but is God's instruction for living. I have heard many a preacher call the Bible "God's instruction manual." Are some of the instructions to be followed and others not? Galatians is and instruction to those people that they do not have to follow the rabbinical law to be saved. Circumcision of the flesh does not save. Salvation is only obtained through faith in Jesus. His substitution on the cross gives us the gift of God. We are free. Free to follow God's instructions because we want to not because we have to. Not a jot or tittle will pass away, so how can we follow some but not others. Is there really two covenants. I am not sure. God made a covenant with Noah and we didn't start a new book, He made a covenant with Abraham and we didn't start a new book, He made a covenant with David and we didn't start a new book. But when He restores His covenant through the work of Jesus and the giving of the Holy Spirit to give us the ability to follow His instructions, now we make a new book and say that the part of the old book is annulled. I have to believe that God wants us to follow all His instructions. All the sacrifices have been substituted by the awesome sacrifice of Jesus. Once and for all. I want to understand how God wants us to worship him in truth. His word is the truth and that word is all the Bible both books, it seems to me. I am just a man living for God, following Jesus, loving and being loved. Jeff |
||||||
3 | abide | 1 John 2:3 | grafted in | 216906 | ||
Very well stated Jeff. Those who obey the Torah, do so because we understand it was an instruction for living given to an already redeemed people. They were saved out of Egypt, then given the Torah. It was never intended for salvation. None of the sacrifices were for salvation. Salvation has always been by grace through faith. :o) |
||||||