=Cee;3529425]
Before I leave this thread, I’ll quickly make a few comments.
The righteousness of God is Christ. Trying to follow the Law for your own righteousness is the stumbling block. It was given to show people their need for something greater; Christ. But those who think they can keep the Law perfectly have no need for Him. And are unwilling to submit to the only way to the Father.
According to the Bible Christ is God.
Christ created Righteousness. (John 1) David in the Spirit said:
172 My tongue shall speak of thy word:
for all thy commandments are righteousness.
They were not "TRYING to follow God's Law" on their own power Cee. That is what the Pope and "many" others who come in His Name preach, but the Bible doesn't teach that.
Matt. 15:
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with
their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Not God's Law as you teach) The verse says it plainly.
For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish
their own righteousness,
have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
These two scriptures say the same things and the Law and Prophets confirm it.
Jer. 5:
30 A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;
31 The prophets prophesy falsely,
and the priests bear rule by their means; (Not from God) and my people love
to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
I hope you might consider the implication of harboring this one lie in your mind, and how it effects the rest of your understanding.
Paul is actually addressing identification here. Notice his words their own righteousness, this is the ego of self, but in Christ we die to ourselves and we are reborn in Him. Now it is not I who live, but Christ in me. We live from righteousness, His righteousness.
If you have been convinced to reject the Word's of the Jesus of the Bible and the Prophets of Old regarding the Mainstream Preachers of His time, how can you be expected to consider His truth about anything? You say the "righteousness of the Pharisees is ego". Where is your scriptural support for this teaching?
And one last comment about a Scripture you posted.
You notice how it says “till...”? This is the word until. What did the Law serve... it was given UNTIL... the Seed should come.... this is Christ He is the Seed of Promise given to Abraham. We as Gentiles enter in through Abraham not Moses. The Law was not for us. It was given to Israel so that the world may be shut up in disobedience, so God may have mercy on all through Christ.
That is the Mainstream preaching of our time. But Jesus directly opposes it in many places.
Matt. 5:
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law,
till all be fulfilled.
So Paul said there is two Laws. "The Law of Works" which is the Levitical Priesthood, and the "Law of Faith" which we are judged by.
The Law of Works he speaks to in Gal. 3:
2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the
works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
This Law for
remission of sins performed by Levite Priests was ADDED "until" the Seed should come. Now Jesus is our High Priest and is still performing the Spiritual intent of this Priesthood in heaven, with His Blood not the blood of animals. It wasn't destroyed as Jesus said. "It was changed" as Jer. 31 and Heb. 7 teaches. Abraham didn't have this Priesthood as Levi wasn't even born yet. Abraham had God's Law of Faith and he obeyed it.
Gen. 26:
5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
The Law of faith was not ADDED, it was the Law Abraham obeyed that was being "Transgressed" which prompted the Levitical Priesthood "Law of Works" until the Seed should come..
If I say clean up the house until 9pm or until I come back, I have given the command a temporary nature. At 9pm you can stop. Or when I come back.
The Law served a purpose until the Promise was revealed. And Christ is the Promise of God. He is the better covenant. We have better promises in Him than the OT believers were given, which is why they join in with us. So why live undeca lesser covenant? Something to consider.
The Covenant that was changed is the Priesthood, not the Law of Faith. We are still to have the Faith of Abraham as it is written. At least that is what the Word which became Flesh teaches us.
We can go round and round. Respecting Jesus and His Word's is not a Lesser Covenant. You are wrong about the Pharisees Cee, and you are also wrong regarding the New covenant, if the Bible is the source for our information.
The New Covenant does two things according to God's Word. (Jer. 31:and Heb. 7)
#1. It changed the manner in which God administers His Instructions to His people. No longer do we hear the Word through the filter of corrupt man or an "carnal Priesthood", but Jesus will write GOD"S instructions directly on the hearts of the truly repentant.
#2. It changed the manner in which sins are forgiven. No more Levitical Priesthood ceremonial, sacrificial "Works of the Law" for remission of sins, Jesus, with His Own Blood forgives the repentant.
"I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
Nothing else changed according to the Word which became Flesh. Only man has changed the New Covenant to what you teach. Not God.
this is why Jesus said His Instructions are still here and will remain until "ALL" has been fulfilled. There is still His 2n Coming, the 1000 year reign and the Great throne judgment which were prophesied about Jesus but have not happened yet.
So the preaching that "ALL" has been fulfilled is another lie like the lie that the Jews were "Trying to earn Salvation by following God's Laws."
I understand what this means as I went through this 25 years ago. It is a tough pill to swallow as Jesus said it would be and it certainly caused divisions and the loss of much of what I held dear. But I understand what Paul meant when he said he counted what was lost as dung.
I am hoping you might consider, not my words, but "ALL" the Word's of the Word which became Flesh in this regard.
Thanks for the civil discussion.