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NASB | Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above--spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us]. [Rom 1:20] |
Subject: Discovering the will of God |
Bible Note: To JKW. Maybe you could rethink your position evidenced by your statement that the Bible is intended to pertain to our lives today AS MUCH as it was the day it was written. Look again, carefully, at Heb 1:1,2. It tells us God speaks to us by his Son, not the O.T. prophets. In which case, the prophecy in Joel wouldn't pertain to you today. It's a good idea, whenever possible, to let the scriptures interpret themselves, and when Peter said "this is that" it pretty well closes the prophecy for me. I don't speculate that it means something further. The Old Testament has great value in helping us understand the New. In fact, Jesus said in John 5:47 "If you don't believe [Moses] writings, how will you believe my words?" There is a N.T. verse that says the Old is "written for our learning" (I can't find it). Heb 8:13 says the old law is obsolete. Gal 5:4 says we can't go back and be justified by the old law, else we're fallen from grace. Gal 3:23-27 speaks of it as being a schoolmaster/tutor to bring us (Jews?) to Christ. Our hope lies in the New Testament, where you find the doctrine of Christ. Tune in to the clear teachings, like the characteristics of the church and how to become a Christian (Acts), and how Christians are supposed to think and behave. (The epistles were written to folks in the church.) Keep watching out for the false teachers. I call to your mind Acts 19:11 where the Bereans "searched the scriptures daily to see if these things were so." And look at II Pet 3:16, where it suggests we can wrest (pervert) the scriptures to our own destruction. May God bless your search for the truth. As you "grow in grace and knowledge" the things hard to understand will become more clear. |