The site demands that I break this post into some parts.
I was talking specifically about the idea of whether Paul when he says the law of faith means a set of rules or the principal of faith. Paul begins the letter to Romans by talking about how getting right with God is all about faith from start to finish. A righteous person lives by faith. For I shame not the gospel, for it is the virtue of God into health to each man that believeth, to the Jew first, and to the Greek. For the rightwiseness of God is showed in it, of faith into faith, as it is written, For a just man liveth of faith.
What is Faith? Believing in things we can not see?
How did Eve show her Faith VS. How did Abraham show his Faith. Neither one could possibly have "SEEN" the reason or justification, or purpose of the instruction. Yet one believed enough to adhere to His Word, while the other was convinced in their own mind to reject it.
Paul explains the difference in Rom 1.
21 Because that, when
they knew God,
they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in
their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
This is in part, the summary of the Law and Prophets. Abraham "glorified God as God,
"Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." (Not his own)
while Eve Glorified her own vision as god and rejected the instruction.
"And when the
woman saw that the tree
was good for food, and that it
was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make
one wise,
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
If we can come to terms with what
God's Definition of Faith is, and the people who He attributed it to, and use these examples which were written for our admonition, it changes how we look at God and His Word's.
to say then that Paul is advocating merely setting aside The Works of one set of rules and instead doing the works or activities of a different set of rules to me seem strange.
It's not strange at all to accept that God placed rules
for the remission of sins until the time was right, in His Eyes, to send what the "works of the Law" foreshadowed.
And it's perfectly understanding how a religion which had created their own doctrines, had lost sight of the meaning of these "works of the Law". But Paul still had to deal with this Mainstream religion which had been in power for centuries. And it's not like the Law and Prophets didn't prepare him for these preachers. It was all prophesied and happened exactly as the Word, through His Prophets, said it would happen.
Because most of your knowledge of the Word comes through organized religion, at least this is what I have gathered given the content of your posts, it does seem strange to you. Just like the Law and Prophets true teaching was "Heresy" to the Mainstream Preachers of Christ's time. You might consider this for a moment.
It doesn't seem to follow. so when we come to Romans 3: 27, to me it's obvious that the law of Faith refers to principal of faith.
How can I have the Faith of Abraham, without the Works of Abraham? Like the Bible says, I can't.
This is fully in keeping with the Greek word which is translated law, because in the Greek it does not have a definite article with it. this indicates it most likely refers to the idea of principle, rather than a set of rules. the whole idea is that no one's activities are suitable for making a person right with God. so instead, it's based on believing.
To men who don't trust God enough to "take a leap of Faith" and do as He says, this may be true. But the whole lesson of the Bible is the difference between following God, or following our own mind. The Bible says we will be judged by our activities. If we "Practice iniquity" which means to transgress God's "rules", then we will be judged one way. If we submit to God and His Righteousness (repent) with all our hearts and with all our minds, we are judged another way.
There is only one reason why we are not right with God. "Our Activities"!!!
I'm not sure how you can not see this, yet Jesus Him Self said it would be this way.
this brings us to the idea of keeping Jesus' Commandments because we love him. every Christian is in favor of this, because everyone would agree that we ought to do what Jesus tells us to do, and telling someone to do something would be a commandment. of course some people will say that they want to follow Jesus and do what he says, but they don't really. But I'm not talking about them.
Well you should be. Jesus warned over and over about this very thing. It was very important to Him for us to understand the inclination for men to desire the Gift of immortality without denying our self as Jesus instructed. "Many" call Him Lord, yet don't do what He says, choosing the traditions of religious man instead. The idea that you have somehow been convinced that you don't need to worry about these things, or "Take Heed" as the Christ instructed is dangerous in my view, given how "many" are said to be on the broad path.
These on the broad path to destruction, do you believe they know they are on the path to destruction? Or have they been deceived as Eve was, they will surely not be destroyed?
I'm talking about people who are serious about following Christ. the only difference is come about because people disagree on of the things that Jesus talked about, which of them does he want us today to keep
.
This may be true with you, but not with me. What I see are major deceptions which are the foundation of mainstream doctrines. To keep this day or that Law isn't the focus of my posts. To reveal the foundational lies that religious men are held in bondage to is why I spend my time on this forum.
The teaching that the Jews were trying to earn Salvation by obeying God's Law to the letter is an insidious lie that creates a false foundation for so many mainstream Christian doctrines, and your as well Dan. This religious doctrine, created by man, is the foundation of the belief that God's Laws are a burden and a Yoke of Bondage. That Jesus saved us from God's Commandments because "look what keeping them did for the Pharisees"? If a man comes to terms with the Biblical Truth that the Mainstream Preachers of Christ's Time did not have "Faith" in God as Abraham did. That they did not believe in God as Zechariahs did. Then your entire belief changes. When a man harbors lies about God's Word it does not make them see, rather, it blinds them.
And God sends the truth to anyone who asks for it, but the truth isn't pleasant sometimes so man prefers the lie. It's all there in the Bible.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And
changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
there was actually a broad-spectrum to choose from. Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples, 2 saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sat on Moses’ seat. 3 All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don’t do their works; for they say, and don’t do.
He said the same thing He has always said. Listen and follow the instructions of God, not religious man.
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