Legalism and Salvation - Beware the Judaizers on this site

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Feb 1, 2014
733
33
0
#1
Here's a great article on Legalism and Salvation, by Cameron Buettel. It is very applicable to modern-day Judaizers such as Armstrongites, other cultists, and some within Hebrew Roots Movement. I was a fully committed Armstrongite as a young man. The truths of this article were involved in deprogramming me from their variant of the Galatians heresy.

Beware as there are such individuals here on this site. They use equivocation and obfuscation to avoid identifying their perspective, but the underlying mentality is one of being wrapped up in a variant of the Galatians heresy. Don't waste valuable time falling into the trap of individuals who are trapped in variants of the Galatians heresy. It is one of Satan's traps. If he can't snag people with liberal theology, he snags them with legalism.


{begin quote}

Legalism and Salvation

Have you ever been called a legalist? Or perhaps you’ve slapped that label on someone else? It’s a word that gets tossed around with alarming frequency in religious circles—always as a pejorative. But how well do we really understand legalism? Such a stinging indictment shouldn’t be used recklessly, or ignorantly.

In the days ahead we’ll examine three major strains of legalism and what Scripture has to say about them. They range from dangerous to damnable, but not all of them are obvious. You may be more prone to fall into one of them than you think.

Likewise, you could be throwing around the term inaccurately, accusing and impugning people who have done nothing wrong. Either way, legalism—true legalism—is a subject that demands our attention.

Today, we’ll consider the most familiar and heretical strain of legalism: works righteousness.

Scripture is explicitly clear regarding the relationship between our good works and our salvation—there isn’t one. We have a right, legal standing with God by grace, through faith in Christ, apart from any meritorious human works (Ephesians 2:8–9). But works-righteous legalism directly assaults that core gospel doctrine.

Self-Righteousness
The self-righteous, or works-righteous, legalist thinks that salvation hinges entirely on his ability to meet God’s legal requirements for right standing with Him. He insists that good works are either the sole cause of, or contribute to, justification before God.

That theology was central to the defective religious system devised by the Pharisees. They actually believed they could fulfill all the requirements of the Mosaic Law if they worked hard enough. Many of them took great pride in their dedicated efforts at self-righteousness.

Jesus accurately described their delusional beliefs in one of His parables, reciting a typical pharisaical prayer: “God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get” (Luke 18:11–12). That kind of self-righteousness was implicit in many of Christ’s encounters with the Pharisees. It’s why they couldn’t fathom the fact that Jesus hung out with sinners (Matthew 9:11).

Their fixation with earning salvation was exposed when one of their lawyers questioned Jesus: “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25, emphasis added). And Christ responded by telling him exactly what he needed to do if he wanted to earn eternal life through his own efforts: “Do this [keep all of God’s Law] and you will live” (Luke 10:28). John MacArthur explains the point Christ was actually making:

Jesus, of course, was not saying that there were some people somewhere who could be saved by keeping the law. On the contrary, He was pointing out the absolute impossibility of doing so, since the law demands the impossible—perfect and complete obedience (James 2:10), and promises physical, spiritual, and eternal death to those who disobey it (Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Romans 6:23). Those realities put sinners in a hopeless situation. They are required to keep the law perfectly, but are not able to do so, and as a consequence face death. The only way out of that frightening dilemma is to acknowledge one’s sin (Psalm 32:5; Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9), cry for mercy (Luke 18:13), and through faith alone (John 3:16, 36; 5:24; Acts 15:9; Romans 3:20–30; 4:5; 5:1; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8–9; Philippians 3:9; 1 Peter 1:9) embrace the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior and only sacrifice for sin (Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 9:24–28; 10:12). [SUP][1][/SUP] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Luke 6–10 (Chicago: Moody Press, 2011) 354.

Tragically, the pharisaical lawyer failed to realize that he was actually talking with the One whose mission was to fulfill God’s law on behalf of sinners (Matthew 5:17; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Grace Plus Works
Christ’s resurrection and ascension didn’t put an end to Jewish legalism. Rather, it was re-packaged to infiltrate the early church. Instead of offering another gospel based solely on works righteousness, a new wave of legalists argued that the Christian gospel needed to be supplemented with added works.

That was the heresy Paul fought in his epistle to the Galatians. People who were zealous for the Mosaic law had infiltrated the church there. Rather than denying the gospel of grace apart from the works of the law, these Judaizers wanted to blend certain Mosaic legal requirements—especially circumcision—with the call to saving faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:3; 4:9).
It’s worth noting that Paul’s war was not against circumcision per se, but rather its use as a supplemental means of justification.

In fact, Paul was emphatic that adding anything to Christ’s finished work ultimately negates His finished work:
If you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. . . . every man who receives circumcision . . . is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law. (Galatians 5:2–4)

In short, human works do not blend together with Christ’s finished work to achieve salvation. It is not a collaborative effort. Short of perfectly fulfilling the entire Mosaic law, you and I cannot make a contribution to our right standing with God.

Roman Catholicism and the Galatian Heresy

Modern parallels abound to the situation in Galatia. Roman Catholicism bears a strong resemblance to the heresy of the Judaizers. The works they insist on may be different (as is their definition of grace) but the damnable equation is exactly the same—grace plus works equals salvation:

If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone, meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification, and that it is not in any way necessary that he be prepared and disposed by the action of his own will, let him be anathema. [SUP][2][/SUP]Council of Trent, Canons Concerning Justification, Canon IX.

They object to justification by faith alone, anathematizing anyone who says “nothing else is required” except faith. Their religious system demands additional works of righteousness, performed by the believer, that contribute to his justification:

If anyone says that the justice received is not preserved and also not increased before God through good works, but that those works are merely the fruits and signs of justification obtained, but not the cause of its increase, let him be anathema. [SUP][3][/SUP]Council of Trent, Canons Concerning Justification, Canon XXIV.

Roman Catholicism is hostile to any soteriology (doctrine of salvation) where good works aren’t required. And their legalism continues unabated into the present day. The Council of Trent may be almost 500 years old but it is still binding on all Catholics. Its doctrine highlights the sheer absurdity of any and every ecumenical overture towards them. The battle lines that the Reformers drew with Rome over the gospel haven’t moved in half a millennium.

In fact, Rome’s error was dealt with two thousand years ago when Paul returned to the church in Jerusalem after his first missionary journey. He brought news of many Gentile converts to Christ. That announcement triggered heated debate among the first disciples—who were Jewish—concerning which, if any, Mosaic laws should be enforced upon the new Gentile believers. Acts 15:1–29 is exclusively devoted to this matter. Peter’s counsel at that meeting should be heeded by anyone who believes in adding any works to the gospel:

Why do you put God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way that they also are. (Acts 15:10–11)

The yoke Peter referred to was the righteous demands of God’s law and Israel’s continual failure to keep it throughout its history.

What Is the Purpose of God’s Law?

All of the legalists discussed above share two critical pieces of common ground: They missed the point of God’s law and they were oblivious to the seriousness of sin.

Choosing any path of works righteousness is to subject oneself to the full scope and demands of God’s legal requirements (Galatians 5:2–4). Everyone who fails to fulfill the law in every point is under its curse (Galatians 3:10–12). Christ’s judgment on the Pharisees holds true for everyone who subscribes to any form of works-righteous legalism: “You will . . . die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come” (John 8:21).

What then should we make of God’s commands? Was the law given in the hope that it might be a viable option through which men could possibly meet its requirements and attain eternal life? Was the law a bad thing because no one could keep it? Paul answered both of these questions with an emphatic “no.”

What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.” (Romans 7:7)

God’s law plays the vital role of exposing our guilt. That, in turn, points us to our desperate need for a Savior (Galatians 3:19). Paul calls it “our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24).

Works-righteous legalism is antithetical to that. Rather than exposing their guilt, legalists believe that the law affirms their self-righteousness. That is a path to eternal destruction that we must avoid at all cost.

{end quote}

URL for full text:

https://www.gty.org/library/blog/B170320
 

Embankment

Senior Member
Feb 28, 2017
693
190
43
#2
Message is on target!

In addition, the law was only given to the Jews. Many people (non Jews) attempt to adopt the law as if it applies to them. Paul plainly says Gentiles have no law.
 
Feb 1, 2014
733
33
0
#3
I would also like to note that as a member of the Armstrongite movement, which includes such groups as Restored Church of God, United Church of God, Living Church of God, and Philadelphia Church of God, I noticed a lot of characteristics amongst them which are shared by "Torah Observers" and other individuals who would fit into the category of Judaizers.

One would be their abysmal ignorance of church history and their willingness to embrace conspiracy theories. In their mind, the Roman Catholic Church has contaminated the rest of Christianity, including Protestants, with "paganism". Their view is that Protestant Christians are not much more than neo-pagans. They see a Jesuit behind every bush.

Because I have been involved in discussions concerning the Sabbath, and whether it still applies, I have been called an undercover Jesuit, particularly by Seventh Day Adventists (not that I consider all SDAs to be Judaizers, but a significant number would fit that description).

And, a lot of these groups believe, in essence, the narrative of Alexander Hislop which is expressed in the book Two Babylons. Hislop's position was that all pagan religion, in which he grouped Roman Catholicism, was basically the worship of Nimrod, Semiramis, and Tammuz of ancient Babylon. Hislopites relate this system to the "Great Prostitute" of Revelation 17, who they claim represents Roman Catholicism. Usually, they claim that the "daughters of the harlot" are Sunday-observing Protestants, since Sabbathkeeping is their major claim to righteousness.

Hislop himself didn't fixate on Sabbathkeeping, but he was rabidly anti-Roman Catholic, and his book provided a lot of ammo for Sabbathkeepers. One of the founders of the SDA movement, Joseph Bates, began teaching that the Seal of God was Sabbathkeeping, and the Mark of the Beast was Sabbath-breaking. Armstrongites inherited this "understanding" (or more properly misunderstanding) from the SDAs, and added their own twists to it, which resulted in a paranoid, Satanic alienation from Christianity, claiming that they were the "true church" and excluding non-Armstrongites from being believers. Hebrew Roots Movement has absorbed elements of Armstrongism, as some of those involved with it were former Armstrongites.

The underlying mentality I describe is something that I notice in a lot of the "Torah observer" types that I have been in contact with..whether they will openly admit it or not. So, beware these guys in chat or forums.

I also find it amusing as it is common that some of them believe in discredited things such as finding secret meanings using the Hebrew pictographic alphabet. Christians with advanced degrees in Semitic languages laugh at using these methods to find secret meanings, yet Hebrew Roots Movement people continue to do it, and vehemently defend the practice. Additionally, many of them claim the New Testament (or significant parts of it) was first written in Hebrew then translated to Greek, despite the fact that there is NO MANUSCRIPT EVIDENCE to back their claims.

Thank God for liberating me from nonsense, and focusing me on Jesus Christ and justification by grace through faith alone. As for you, though, I highly suggest that you avoid such individuals. These individuals may sound like they are superb Bible scholars, but in reality they hold presuppositions which are very flawed. Some make bold claims to know Hebrew and Greek, when their knowledge is mostly coming from Strong's concordance..similar to the leader of the cult I was involved with, Herbert Armstrong.
 
F

FreeNChrist

Guest
#4
What about the even more insidious and prevalent form of legalism that is mixed with just enough grace so as to go virtually unnoticed??
 
Feb 1, 2014
733
33
0
#5
Just to be clear, I am not in support of Roman Catholicism, but nor do I consider it to be the "Babylonian Mystery Religion" like Hislopites. The fact that they deny justification by faith alone and sola Scriptura is a humungus issue.

However, more properly, Roman Catholicism is the result of the Roman bishopric becoming heretical. The Roman bishopric was only one of several bishoprics that were part of the true church.

Another thing that is amusing is many Judaizers say the Roman Catholic church "changed the Sabbath" but historical records indicate that the vast majority of Christians were observing the Lord's Day by AD140, long before the Roman Catholic Church began to exist. Christians in that time frame were not meeting in councils to determine doctrines as they were fighting for survival during massive persecution by both Jews and Romans.

It is true that Constantine mandated a rest day for soldiers and agricultural workers in about AD324 (prior to the council of Nicea), but this mandate did not prevent anyone from keeping the Sabbath. Later, in AD363, Judaizers were excluded from fellowship at the Council of Laodicea. I suspect it was because of a cluster of troublemakers much like those from Galatia who were disrupting the church claiming that all needed to observe elements of the Mosaic Covenant. Paul declared such individuals anathema, so I imagine the church acted in a similar manner toward a group of troublemakers.

These are some of the historical facts that Torah observer types will contort in order to produce their conspiracy theory view of church history which sought to undermine "God's law".

The real question is whether the Mosaic Covenant is in effect after the death of Christ. Acts 15, II Corinthians 3, Ephesians 2:13-15, Hebrews 7-8, Romans 7:1-7 and the whole book of Galatians indicates that it is NOT.

Specifically, the topic of argumentation relates to calendar observances (Sabbath) and food laws. Some oddballs will claim that physical circumcision also applies. Colossians 2:16-17 indicates that the Sabbath and festivals were "shadows" that pointed toward Christ as their "substance" or Reality. Christ is our spiritual rest according to Matthew 11:28-30. Hebrews 3-4 points to the "rest of God" which is the rest of faith in Jesus Christ, showing that some of the types of this spiritual rest included the seventh day of creation, the Sabbath day, and the promised land. John called the festivals the "feasts of the Jews" in his gospel, which does not indicate universal applicability.

Regarding food laws, Jesus said that things that go into a person don't defile them, but acts that proceed from an evil heart.

Romans 14 also addresses the subject of calendar observances and food laws, and how believers shouldn't be judging each other for either observance or non-observance. It's usually the Judaizers who are on the judging end though.

Finally, if one carefully compares Hebrews, Galatians, and Colossians, he can see the common factors that are involved in the discussions. The Mosaic Covenant taught the gospel in a rudimentary fashion, appropriate for the spiritually immature ancient Israelites. It's almost like pre-school children are taught some basic concepts to prepare them for learning in the higher grades. Unfortunately, Judaizers think that these pre-school level concepts are the advanced knowledge that is being dismissed by the rest of the church, whereas they are basically like adult babies walking around in diapers and sucking bottles while accusing others of being spiritually immature or even unconverted.
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#7
Here's a great article on Legalism and Salvation, by Cameron Buettel. It is very applicable to modern-day Judaizers such as Armstrongites, other cultists, and some within Hebrew Roots Movement. I was a fully committed Armstrongite as a young man. The truths of this article were involved in deprogramming me from their variant of the Galatians heresy.

Beware as there are such individuals here on this site. They use equivocation and obfuscation to avoid identifying their perspective, but the underlying mentality is one of being wrapped up in a variant of the Galatians heresy. Don't waste valuable time falling into the trap of individuals who are trapped in variants of the Galatians heresy. It is one of Satan's traps. If he can't snag people with liberal theology, he snags them with legalism.


{begin quote}

Legalism and Salvation

Have you ever been called a legalist? Or perhaps you’ve slapped that label on someone else? It’s a word that gets tossed around with alarming frequency in religious circles—always as a pejorative. But how well do we really understand legalism? Such a stinging indictment shouldn’t be used recklessly, or ignorantly.

In the days ahead we’ll examine three major strains of legalism and what Scripture has to say about them. They range from dangerous to damnable, but not all of them are obvious. You may be more prone to fall into one of them than you think.

Likewise, you could be throwing around the term inaccurately, accusing and impugning people who have done nothing wrong. Either way, legalism—true legalism—is a subject that demands our attention.

Today, we’ll consider the most familiar and heretical strain of legalism: works righteousness.

Scripture is explicitly clear regarding the relationship between our good works and our salvation—there isn’t one. We have a right, legal standing with God by grace, through faith in Christ, apart from any meritorious human works (Ephesians 2:8–9). But works-righteous legalism directly assaults that core gospel doctrine.

Self-Righteousness
The self-righteous, or works-righteous, legalist thinks that salvation hinges entirely on his ability to meet God’s legal requirements for right standing with Him. He insists that good works are either the sole cause of, or contribute to, justification before God.

That theology was central to the defective religious system devised by the Pharisees. They actually believed they could fulfill all the requirements of the Mosaic Law if they worked hard enough. Many of them took great pride in their dedicated efforts at self-righteousness.

Jesus accurately described their delusional beliefs in one of His parables, reciting a typical pharisaical prayer: “God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get” (Luke 18:11–12). That kind of self-righteousness was implicit in many of Christ’s encounters with the Pharisees. It’s why they couldn’t fathom the fact that Jesus hung out with sinners (Matthew 9:11).

Their fixation with earning salvation was exposed when one of their lawyers questioned Jesus: “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25, emphasis added). And Christ responded by telling him exactly what he needed to do if he wanted to earn eternal life through his own efforts: “Do this [keep all of God’s Law] and you will live” (Luke 10:28). John MacArthur explains the point Christ was actually making:

Jesus, of course, was not saying that there were some people somewhere who could be saved by keeping the law. On the contrary, He was pointing out the absolute impossibility of doing so, since the law demands the impossible—perfect and complete obedience (James 2:10), and promises physical, spiritual, and eternal death to those who disobey it (Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Romans 6:23). Those realities put sinners in a hopeless situation. They are required to keep the law perfectly, but are not able to do so, and as a consequence face death. The only way out of that frightening dilemma is to acknowledge one’s sin (Psalm 32:5; Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9), cry for mercy (Luke 18:13), and through faith alone (John 3:16, 36; 5:24; Acts 15:9; Romans 3:20–30; 4:5; 5:1; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8–9; Philippians 3:9; 1 Peter 1:9) embrace the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior and only sacrifice for sin (Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 9:24–28; 10:12). [SUP][1][/SUP] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Luke 6–10 (Chicago: Moody Press, 2011) 354.

Tragically, the pharisaical lawyer failed to realize that he was actually talking with the One whose mission was to fulfill God’s law on behalf of sinners (Matthew 5:17; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Grace Plus Works
Christ’s resurrection and ascension didn’t put an end to Jewish legalism. Rather, it was re-packaged to infiltrate the early church. Instead of offering another gospel based solely on works righteousness, a new wave of legalists argued that the Christian gospel needed to be supplemented with added works.

That was the heresy Paul fought in his epistle to the Galatians. People who were zealous for the Mosaic law had infiltrated the church there. Rather than denying the gospel of grace apart from the works of the law, these Judaizers wanted to blend certain Mosaic legal requirements—especially circumcision—with the call to saving faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:3; 4:9).
It’s worth noting that Paul’s war was not against circumcision per se, but rather its use as a supplemental means of justification.

In fact, Paul was emphatic that adding anything to Christ’s finished work ultimately negates His finished work:
If you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. . . . every man who receives circumcision . . . is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law. (Galatians 5:2–4)

In short, human works do not blend together with Christ’s finished work to achieve salvation. It is not a collaborative effort. Short of perfectly fulfilling the entire Mosaic law, you and I cannot make a contribution to our right standing with God.

Roman Catholicism and the Galatian Heresy

Modern parallels abound to the situation in Galatia. Roman Catholicism bears a strong resemblance to the heresy of the Judaizers. The works they insist on may be different (as is their definition of grace) but the damnable equation is exactly the same—grace plus works equals salvation:

If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone, meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification, and that it is not in any way necessary that he be prepared and disposed by the action of his own will, let him be anathema. [SUP][2][/SUP]Council of Trent, Canons Concerning Justification, Canon IX.

They object to justification by faith alone, anathematizing anyone who says “nothing else is required” except faith. Their religious system demands additional works of righteousness, performed by the believer, that contribute to his justification:

If anyone says that the justice received is not preserved and also not increased before God through good works, but that those works are merely the fruits and signs of justification obtained, but not the cause of its increase, let him be anathema. [SUP][3][/SUP]Council of Trent, Canons Concerning Justification, Canon XXIV.

Roman Catholicism is hostile to any soteriology (doctrine of salvation) where good works aren’t required. And their legalism continues unabated into the present day. The Council of Trent may be almost 500 years old but it is still binding on all Catholics. Its doctrine highlights the sheer absurdity of any and every ecumenical overture towards them. The battle lines that the Reformers drew with Rome over the gospel haven’t moved in half a millennium.

In fact, Rome’s error was dealt with two thousand years ago when Paul returned to the church in Jerusalem after his first missionary journey. He brought news of many Gentile converts to Christ. That announcement triggered heated debate among the first disciples—who were Jewish—concerning which, if any, Mosaic laws should be enforced upon the new Gentile believers. Acts 15:1–29 is exclusively devoted to this matter. Peter’s counsel at that meeting should be heeded by anyone who believes in adding any works to the gospel:

Why do you put God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way that they also are. (Acts 15:10–11)

The yoke Peter referred to was the righteous demands of God’s law and Israel’s continual failure to keep it throughout its history.

What Is the Purpose of God’s Law?

All of the legalists discussed above share two critical pieces of common ground: They missed the point of God’s law and they were oblivious to the seriousness of sin.

Choosing any path of works righteousness is to subject oneself to the full scope and demands of God’s legal requirements (Galatians 5:2–4). Everyone who fails to fulfill the law in every point is under its curse (Galatians 3:10–12). Christ’s judgment on the Pharisees holds true for everyone who subscribes to any form of works-righteous legalism: “You will . . . die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come” (John 8:21).

What then should we make of God’s commands? Was the law given in the hope that it might be a viable option through which men could possibly meet its requirements and attain eternal life? Was the law a bad thing because no one could keep it? Paul answered both of these questions with an emphatic “no.”

What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.” (Romans 7:7)

God’s law plays the vital role of exposing our guilt. That, in turn, points us to our desperate need for a Savior (Galatians 3:19). Paul calls it “our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24).

Works-righteous legalism is antithetical to that. Rather than exposing their guilt, legalists believe that the law affirms their self-righteousness. That is a path to eternal destruction that we must avoid at all cost.

{end quote}

URL for full text:

https://www.gty.org/library/blog/B170320
It's always others, isn't it?
http://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/149832-boy-mom-strawberry-jam-2-timothy-3-16-a.html
 

lastofall

Senior Member
Aug 26, 2014
609
38
28
#8
[for me anyway] it is evident that you are caught up in the snare of being wise in your own conceits, and have gone astray into thinking above that which is written by the exaggeration and over-estimation of scholastic achievement (the wise and prudent way), instead of bowing your mind and heart under the Word of God: justifying yourself before men is an abomination in the sight of God.

"I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." (Matthew 11:25)

"Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God." (Luke 16:15)

"Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's." (2 Corinthians 10:7)

"Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." (John 7:24)
 

lastofall

Senior Member
Aug 26, 2014
609
38
28
#9
In plain talk (referring to my previous comment) we ought to learn not to speak above that which is written, for that which is written is scripture, and what we say is not. As in Galatians so also in all scripture, it is the Holy Spirit of Truth speaking through them, and not they themselves: but as for us, if we begin to speak against that which is written, then we are not speaking by the Spirit of God, but by our own spirit.
 

Johnny_B

Senior Member
Mar 18, 2017
1,954
64
48
#10
Is this all from John MacArthur? I like his teaching. We need always remember if we do anything to meet salvation it's of works. Ephesians 2:4-9 "4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead inour trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Acts 15:11 "But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will."

Romans 11:5-6 "In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace."



It's grace and grace alone that saves us, faith justifies us.

Romans 5:1 "
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, but have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Justification is a forensic term, making us legally blameless before God and it's faith that justifies us, once justified then you can not be charge again with the same crime, in our case sin, other wise it would be double jeopardy and that is not legal not even in a human court of law. Grace saves us, it's God's unmerited favor and there is nothing we can do to earn it that includes faith. We are not saved by faith, that would be saved by faith through grace, grace comes first then faith. God makes us alive in Christ to seat in heavenly places Ephes 2:5-6. Why so He could show His grace toward us 2:7, grace leads us to the other side of faith our justification. It's not our faith that does it so that we can take credit for grace, nor is it the result of our faith, it's God's gift to us. It's not the sacraments, baptism or any method of it, it's by grace alone for salvation, through faith alone for justification, in Christ alone, from Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone.

The self righteous nature in us wants it to be us that does it, I remember my self righteous days as a new believer. Then when I realized the weight of sin, I realized that I couldn't come to God unless He opened my eyes to see the kingdom. John 3:3
"Jesus answered him,“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” That He loved me before I loved Him 1 John 4:19 "We love Him because He first loved us."

It's like the article said it's the small things that can be works and we don't even realize it. It really is a fine line, thank God for Luke 12:48 "
But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more." The more you know then more is required.
 

mailmandan

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2014
25,001
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#11
Roman Catholicism bears a strong resemblance to the heresy of the Judaizers. The works they insist on may be different (as is their definition of grace) but the damnable equation is exactly the same—grace plus works equals salvation:
Yes, difference in style, but same in substance - "works based" false gospel. I view the leaders of the Roman Catholic church as "modern day Pharisees" of Roman Catholicism.
 

MadebyHim

Senior Member
Dec 17, 2016
572
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#12
[SUP]23 [/SUP]But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
[SUP]24 [/SUP]God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:23-24


[SUP]31 [/SUP]In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
[SUP]32 [/SUP]But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
[SUP]33 [/SUP]Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
[SUP]34 [/SUP]Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
[SUP]35 [/SUP]Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
[SUP]36 [/SUP]And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
[SUP]37 [/SUP]And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
[SUP]38 [/SUP]I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. John 4:31-38
 

JaumeJ

Senior Member
Jul 2, 2011
21,195
6,508
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#13
By the title of this post one could derive that teaching against all of the law is recommended.
Thou shalt steal
Thou shal bear false witness

Get the idea.

All laws that will fit into the two great laws will always be in force. Jesus Christ tells us while there is sun and moon the law is, yet so very few bother to learn from Him, though He advises us to learn from Him, learn how the law is to be understood.

AS long as any individual considers all of the Lw of Moses as law according to Jesus Christ that person is a legalist interpreting the law without learning from Jesus Christ.

As our Master taught the hypocrites He declared they rued the tithe etc. yet they ignored the most important aspects in the law, they being faith, mercy and justice. Understand these three principles when reading the law, and you will know how it is applied lawfully after having received mercy and grace by the Blood of Yeshua. Hear Him, not a bundh of egghead legalists on the subject. Otherwise you are going to have a walk with much grief...

Praise Jesus Christ, believe Him (that would be learning from Him.) amen.