Subject: Hank - Doctrine from God or Man ? |
Bible Note: Hi Merv, Here is my brief answer to your question. I would look at 3 things: 1. We need to understand what the relationship of believers was prior to the cross: Eph. 2:11-13 says, "11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." 2. As I believe the cross to be the pivotal point in scripture, what did it do regarding our relationship to the law? Paul tells us in Romans 6:14, "For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace." And further, in Romans 7:6, "But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter." I think this is a key distinction to note. Also, in Col. 2:14 he writes, "having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." 3. I would submit Romans 14 in answer to you. We should note that the "kingdom of God is not food and drink". (vs. 17) The overriding principle is verse 14: "I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean." The operative word here is, "grace". I should show grace to you because, "we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another." I would accept you as a brother, regardless of out differences in how we view the law. I would hope you could do the same. Speaking the Truth in Love, BradK |