Here's the law:
Leviticus 24:16 Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.
This is exactly what they were quoting. He blasphemied the Lord by calling Himself like God. Except for the fact that He was God. They missed that point because their hearts were hardened to God. Once again they didn't want RELATIONSHIP with God so they turned to the law. This is how we fall from grace.
Exactly they resisted the Holy Ghost, this is the Spirit of God. They were uncircumcised in heart. They didn't want relationship so they killed the one's He sent. Yes they didn't keep it inwardly. And they probably didn't 100% keep it outwardly as well. But the point here is that they wouldn't turn to HIM.
You must remember the Law was to lead them to Him.
You can see that in v52 of the Scripture you quoted, "they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One".
Paul himself said he followed the laws blameless in the Scripture I quoted already. But also here's two more walking blameless before the Lord in regards to the law.
Luke 1:6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.
Of course blameless doesn't mean perfectly, but it does mean covered by the sacrifices of the temple. We see this same state of being said about Noah and Job in the OT. Yet we know this wasn't the better covenant we know have. Because WE have access to Christ in our very being. And they had access to Him through a Levite Priest.
But let's tackle the deeper question here.
Was Paul talking about a "false law" or was he talking about the law written on stones?
In answer to that question I point to this Scripture here:
2 Co 3:7 Now if the ministry of death, having been engraved in letters on stones, was produced in glory, so as for the sons of Israel not to be able to look intently into the face of Moses, on account of the glory of his face which is fading, 8how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more in glory?
Paul states the law written on stones was the ministry of death. And he also foreshadows a different ministry that has a greater glory.
10For even that having been made glorious has not been glorified in this respect, on account of the glory surpassing it. 11For if that which is fading away was through glory, much more is that remaining in glory!
The old law is fading away...
12Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness, 13and not as Moses would put a veil over his face for the sons of Israel not to look intently into the end of that fading away.
He put a veil over his face because the glory on his face was fading away... and he wanted to hide it from the Israelites.
14But their minds were hardened; for until the present day, the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant, not being lifted, which is being removed in Christ. 15But unto this day, when Moses shall be read, a veil lies over their heart. 16But whenever one shall have turned to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
The only way that veil is removed is TURNING to Christ... Not turning to the law. The old law is fading away, but we have a greater glory in the ministry of the Spirit of Christ.
Please notice that I have shown you in several Scriptures that the point is turning TO Christ. The Pharisees searched through Scriptures to get eternal life, but they wouldn't turn to Christ. Even though the LAW and the Scriptures and the Prophets and the Sacrifices and the Tabernacle and the Priesthood ALL pointed to Him.
17Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we all having been unveiled in face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.
Yes this Scripture actually means what it teaches. As we see Him we discover who we are becoming like. Another Scripture tells us the hope of glory is what purifies us. That we shall be like Him when we see Him.
But please notice it is by BEHOLDING Him that we are transformed it is not by beholding the law. Also notice that the Lord brings FREEDOM. This is a much longer topic, but basically we can't truly choose to love until we have true freedom.
[[Note unfortunately I had to remove the rest of what you wrote because of the post's maximum character limitations.]]
I believe I've adequately addressed your statements in this passage of text here. You asked for evidence that the Pharisees were trying to obey God. Well, I've shown you how Jesus said they were obeying the law, but they missed the most important parts. I've also shown you how Paul, Joseph, and Mary were considered blameless before the law. I could pull out more Scriptures that show other people who are blameless before the law, but that's not the main point. The law was never the Savior it shut people unto needing a Savior. Everything points to Christ.
Even Holy Spirit points us to Christ. He reveals what belongs to Christ. He declares what belongs to Christ. He reveals Christ. And HE is the ministry we are now under. I'll show you with an OT Scripture just so you know this was always God's plan:
Jeremiah 31:33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
This is the new covenant. His law is on our hearts. We love to follow Him. He is our God and we are His people.
And how then do we declare Christ if we don't follow the law written on stones?
Great question.
I leave you with this beautiful Scripture here:
2 Co 3:3 It is clear that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
God bless you.[/QUOTE]
Leviticus 24:16 Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.
This is exactly what they were quoting. He blasphemied the Lord by calling Himself like God. Except for the fact that He was God. They missed that point because their hearts were hardened to God. Once again they didn't want RELATIONSHIP with God so they turned to the law. This is how we fall from grace.
Exactly they resisted the Holy Ghost, this is the Spirit of God. They were uncircumcised in heart. They didn't want relationship so they killed the one's He sent. Yes they didn't keep it inwardly. And they probably didn't 100% keep it outwardly as well. But the point here is that they wouldn't turn to HIM.
You must remember the Law was to lead them to Him.
You can see that in v52 of the Scripture you quoted, "they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One".
Paul himself said he followed the laws blameless in the Scripture I quoted already. But also here's two more walking blameless before the Lord in regards to the law.
Luke 1:6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.
Of course blameless doesn't mean perfectly, but it does mean covered by the sacrifices of the temple. We see this same state of being said about Noah and Job in the OT. Yet we know this wasn't the better covenant we know have. Because WE have access to Christ in our very being. And they had access to Him through a Levite Priest.
But let's tackle the deeper question here.
Was Paul talking about a "false law" or was he talking about the law written on stones?
In answer to that question I point to this Scripture here:
2 Co 3:7 Now if the ministry of death, having been engraved in letters on stones, was produced in glory, so as for the sons of Israel not to be able to look intently into the face of Moses, on account of the glory of his face which is fading, 8how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more in glory?
Paul states the law written on stones was the ministry of death. And he also foreshadows a different ministry that has a greater glory.
10For even that having been made glorious has not been glorified in this respect, on account of the glory surpassing it. 11For if that which is fading away was through glory, much more is that remaining in glory!
The old law is fading away...
12Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness, 13and not as Moses would put a veil over his face for the sons of Israel not to look intently into the end of that fading away.
He put a veil over his face because the glory on his face was fading away... and he wanted to hide it from the Israelites.
14But their minds were hardened; for until the present day, the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant, not being lifted, which is being removed in Christ. 15But unto this day, when Moses shall be read, a veil lies over their heart. 16But whenever one shall have turned to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
The only way that veil is removed is TURNING to Christ... Not turning to the law. The old law is fading away, but we have a greater glory in the ministry of the Spirit of Christ.
Please notice that I have shown you in several Scriptures that the point is turning TO Christ. The Pharisees searched through Scriptures to get eternal life, but they wouldn't turn to Christ. Even though the LAW and the Scriptures and the Prophets and the Sacrifices and the Tabernacle and the Priesthood ALL pointed to Him.
17Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we all having been unveiled in face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.
Yes this Scripture actually means what it teaches. As we see Him we discover who we are becoming like. Another Scripture tells us the hope of glory is what purifies us. That we shall be like Him when we see Him.
But please notice it is by BEHOLDING Him that we are transformed it is not by beholding the law. Also notice that the Lord brings FREEDOM. This is a much longer topic, but basically we can't truly choose to love until we have true freedom.
[[Note unfortunately I had to remove the rest of what you wrote because of the post's maximum character limitations.]]
I believe I've adequately addressed your statements in this passage of text here. You asked for evidence that the Pharisees were trying to obey God. Well, I've shown you how Jesus said they were obeying the law, but they missed the most important parts. I've also shown you how Paul, Joseph, and Mary were considered blameless before the law. I could pull out more Scriptures that show other people who are blameless before the law, but that's not the main point. The law was never the Savior it shut people unto needing a Savior. Everything points to Christ.
Even Holy Spirit points us to Christ. He reveals what belongs to Christ. He declares what belongs to Christ. He reveals Christ. And HE is the ministry we are now under. I'll show you with an OT Scripture just so you know this was always God's plan:
Jeremiah 31:33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
This is the new covenant. His law is on our hearts. We love to follow Him. He is our God and we are His people.
And how then do we declare Christ if we don't follow the law written on stones?
Great question.
I leave you with this beautiful Scripture here:
2 Co 3:3 It is clear that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
God bless you.[/QUOTE]