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NASB | 1 Corinthians 9:25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Corinthians 9:25 Now every athlete who [goes into training and] competes in the games is disciplined and exercises self-control in all things. They do it to win a crown that withers, but we [do it to receive] an imperishable [crown that cannot wither]. |
Subject: self control / spirit control |
Bible Note: Shalom Joe; While most Christians see the moral laws of God as good and for them today, they draw the line at anything that is “jewish”. This is actually a result of the Bar Kockba revolt of 135 AD. Prior to this, as I believe it, Jews and Gentiles were following the Torah. When the Romans began killing the Jews because of the revolt, the Gentiles said, we are not Jewish and to show it stopped doing anything “Jewish”. These included the Shabbat, feasts and Kashrut (dietary laws). This resulted in the Christians observances of Sunday, Christian feasts such as Christmas and an elimination of Kashrut and began eating swine. You said; How do you think that is reconciled with Acts 15, in which the apostles did not require the Gentile converts to live as Jews The basic question in Acts 15 is are they to convert and be circumcised or not, they said no, they do not need to covert. The question about whether they were to put the yoke of burden on them which they themselves could not keep is referring to the oral torah, additional commands which are not found in the Bible. If you will notice that there descision included 4 things from the Torah. Torah is like a teaching of a parent, you do not teach a two year old how to clean the house, you start with little things and build on that. These Gentiles are babys and are told 4 things they should start doing (these were probably big problems in the communities they came from). Then it says that Moses is taught in the synagogues each Shabbat. It was understood that they would learn more about the Moses, and the Torah at the Shabbat services. You said; And what do you do with the book of Galatians, which is Paul's longest treatment of how the Judaizers are wrong to try and convince the Gentile converts to be circumcized and become subject to the covenant at Sinai? The problem that Paul was facing was that some Jews were still trying to live by the covenant that was given at Sinai which has ended. He is trying to explain to them that the covenant is over and that they do not follow the Torah according to the covenant at Sinai, but according to the new covenant. To many people make the Torah and the covenant at Sinai synonymous, they are not, the Torah is eternal and an intity to itself. The covenant at Sinai did incorporate the Torah but made it a binding contract rather than a teaching which is its original intent. You said; And the book of Hebrews, which seems to say that the Mosaic Covenant has served its purpose (namely, to prefigure the Messiah)? I think I have answered this one. Just because I follow Torah does not mean that I follow the covenant at Sinai, I follow the New covenant. Remember what Jer 31 which is quoted in Heb 8 that in the New covenant, God will write the Torah on the hearts. You said; And can't the word "Torah" also refer to general moral instruction and not specifically the Pentateuch? This is partially correct. The Torah are the teachings of God which include moral, civil, sacrificial, dietary, clothing, farming, etc. basically it is a whole lifestyle. Abraham knew the Torah (Gen 26:5 where the word laws is actually the Hebrew word Torah) He did not know the covenant at Sinai but he did follow the Torah including sacrifices. You said; Regarding the Trinity, according to you, how does the Kabbalah's notion of the Trinity differ from that of the Nicene and Athanasians Creeds? How does my view differ from the Creeds? To be honest, I think the trinity limits God, I do confine him to three but to many more. Also the Holy Spirit which is Ruach HaKodesh in Hebrew literally means the breath of the holy one. The spirit is synonymous with breath in Hebrew. It is his breath that moves us. All of the manifestations of God are just that. Manifestations of him in different forms and character. Shalom Joe and thanks for the discussion. Simchat Torah |