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NASB | James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole Law but stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of [breaking] all of it. |
Subject: Moral, Ceremonial, and Civil law |
Bible Note: Joe, A legalist is not just someone who believes that he can earn his salvation. I've read enough of your posts to know that you don't believe that. A legalist can often be someone who believes with all their heart that they are saved by grace alone, but after that, it is up to them to live a life pleasing to God. "You're saved to serve," they'll say. They seek to win God's favor and approval by what they do. This can take many shapes and forms. Often, they substitute there own set of 10 commandments for the Mosaic law and it usually looks like this: If you want to be a good Christian (more than what Christ made you at new birth), then read your Bible, pray, go to church every time the doors are open, tithe on your gross, witness to everyone you see, confess your sins continually, etc. The list just goes on and on. Their basic theory is that God saves you to enable you to do things for Him. I agree with you that the NT writers quote alot of the OT. But the point remains, Joe, that nobody but Christ could ever keep the Law. And no one since Christ ever has. One of the reasons, brother, that we don't see eye-to-eye on these issues is that you don't see these commands as a result of the relationship we have with Christ. You see these commands as a validation of that relationship. You and I would both agree that the Law reflects the character of God, right? The Law was given to show man how far he is from God's character. That is why Jesus turned up the heat with the Sermon on the Mount. Here is where we differ, brother. You seem to think that the primary reason that God gave you the Holy Spirit is to help you conform to God's character. I agree that He does bring us in-line with God's desires for our lives. But what I can't seem to be able to get through to you is the fact that you are not who you were before salvation. You think that you are just a sinner saved by grace and that if you didn't have all these rules, why, you'd just go crazy sinning. "I need rules to function," is the mind set of a legalist. "Rules tell me how to act." And if someone like me comes along and says that you are supposed to live by abiding in Christ, letting God work through you, resting in Christ, trusting that Christ will live His life in and out of you, well, you think that that person has slipped a cog. And, this is not an insult, but you have no understanding of the kind of life I am talking about. All you hear is that I don't have rules and commands. You then brand me a antinomian and inform me that the church has condemned it down through the ages. Please try to understand what I am about to say. When you became a believer, your spirit was united with Christ's Spirit - 1 Cor 6:17. This passage is reflecting marriage concepts but the point is still union. Now, if God's Spirit is righteous and holy and it is united with your spirit, was does that make you? The Holy Spirit of God would never unite Himself with something sinful or less than perfect. God, at salvation, creates a new 'you', a new spirit born from above, born from God - 2 Cor 5:17. This new spirit in you is created in righteousness and holiness - Eph 4:24. Yes, Joe, Christ in you is righteous, but He indeed creates a new righteous, holy, blameless spirit in the core of your being. That old sinful 'in Adam' spirit was crucified and buried with Christ. As a result, brother, you are not just imputed righteousness. You're righteous in essence (not always in action). You are now a temple of God. The temple of God is holy and that is what you are. But you still have the same unredeemed soul and body. And, granted, it does take a while for our new identities to influence that old habits and patterns in our soul. But you are still a new creation in Christ, created in righteoness and holiness. "Why is Bill rambling on concerning all this 'goobledygook' without answering my questions?" Because until you understand what Christ has done in me and in you, you will not understand my answers. The sum of my answers is this - we adhere to God's moral law from within, from our spirits that are joined to Christ's Spirit. Out of the relationship, Christ in us, we in Christ, we will live up to God's moral character. Not in order to attain something from God, but because we have already obtained something from God. We have His Spirit indwelling our new spirit and the motivation is from within. We meet God's righteous standard because we are in union with Him. I will create another post to answer your questions. In Christ, Bill Mc |