Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Proof in the Scripture that Jesus was rich? Really?

Proof in the Scripture that Jesus was rich? Really?

by Diane M. Hoffmann

Someone sent me an email saying that he had found the "proof" in scripture to confirm what some are saying, including apparently Dr. David Jeremiah in this case, about Jesus being rich when He came to minister the need for Salvation...

Here is my answer:

There is a modern school of evangelists who proclaim Jesus was a rich man... such as Oral Roberts, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth Hagin, John Avanzini, etc... They do this to support their claim of the gospel of prosperity by twisting and misinterpreting scriptures. As for David Jeremiah, he is usually pretty good in his teaching, so I don’t know why he got himself into this also.

However, in the scripture verse you quote, 2 Corinthians 8:9, Paul is speaking of spiritual matters - not financial or physical.

Again, one must read scriptures IN CONTEXT.

The passage is speaking of the rich grace of God given to the church:  "Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.” (2 Cor.8:1-2)

Jesus became poor by leaving his heavenly riches and by humbling himself to earth. He stripped Himself of all the glory of heaven to come down here among His creation and becoming a servant of all.

Yes Jesus IS rich…

He owns every beast of the forest and the cattle upon a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10)

"Hath in these last day spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by shom also he made the worlds..." (Hebrews 1:2)

"Who (Christ), being in the form of god, thought it not  robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself..." (Philippians 2:6-7)

But He left it all behind in order to come down to this sinful earth and become the ultimate example of humility for us to follow -  and the ultimate Sacrifice for our Redemption.

As for his so-called “wealthy family”, etc… what does the Word of God say?

Let’s look at just some of what we know from scripture:

1._"Behold, your King is coming to you; he is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zech. 9:9)

2._Jesus gave up all the riches that are his in heaven to become a man and was born to a poor family. His stepfather was a carpenter, if they had money from the gold given at his birth (as some claim) he would not have had to work. And from what we read in the story, Joseph passed away early in Jesus’ life for there is no more mention of him; he left behind a widow and children without a father to carry on.  We see Mary his mother, with other women friends and relatives, often following with him throughout His ministry.

3._Archeological excavations of Nazareth from the 1950’s show the village of Jesus' day were occupied by poor agricultural people.  As Jesus grew up he worked in the trade of a carpenter, not a trade known for its wealth.

4._When the birth of Jesus was announced to Mary, she said in her magnificat discourse (Luke 1:48,52, 53)

“For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. her praise say “He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty.”

“He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

“He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty

5._When Jesus was presented in the temple, his parents sacrificed two turtle doves which, according to the Book of Leviticus (12:2-8), was the sacrifice offered by poor people.

6._Jesus was born in a stable. His folks knew the approximate time of his birth, if they were a wealthy family they would have reserved a place. But there was no room and they were given a spot in a stable.

7._A certain scribe came to Jesus and said to Him:  "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus answered: "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." (Matthew 8:19-20).

Jesus himself had no place to lay his head, no permanent home, he constantly traveled. He dressed like everyone else, he even said to forsake this world in order to inherit His kingdom.  His kingdom is not of this world and he made it perfectly clear in His teachings.

As an itinerant preacher he depended on people like Lazarus and his family and well-to-do admirers to provide for him and his disciples, such as mentioned in Luke 8:1-3.

8._"Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward; Susanna; and many others which ministered unto him of their substance"

9._In the story of the miracle of the feeding of 5,000 people (Mark 6:32-44), Jesus asked the disciples to feed the hungry people who have sat all day listening to His teaching. They responded by saying that what they had in money was not enough to buy food. Hardly an indication of a ministry with lots of money as some proclaim.

10._When Jesus and Peter were asked about paying the Temple tax, they didn’t have the money. Matthew 17:24-27 says: “When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?"  Jesus said to Peter, “lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for me and you."
11._The Bible says Jesus was so poor that he couldn’t afford his own tomb for his burial.

He was buried in another man’s tomb, a rich man’s. If he or his family was rich they would have buried him in his own family tomb.  Neither did his family nor the apostles have the money to by such a burial, it was borrowed or actually, donated to be exact. Jesus in his ministry had borrowed often: He borrowed a manger, He borrowed boats, He borrowed a colt; He borrowed a room for Passover and He was  buried in a borrowed tomb.  He had been given most of everything He needed to live his humble life also.

12._As for Jesus' seamless garment in John chapter 19 that many also use as being a sign of wealth…

Tradition says that his mother had made it, however there is no scripture to confirm this. But there is an report in Acts 9:36-39 that tells of a disciple named Tabitha (also knows as Dorcas) who was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did, who died. She was very well known to the disciples, so much so that they called for Peter to come to them so they would all go and visit her death bed.

The Bible says: "Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. Now you put this all together, it is quite possible that she would have woven this garment for the  Lord.

In http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/john1923.htm we read: “This seamless garment was likely given to Jesus as a gift from his mother, since it was customary for Jewish mothers to make such a garment for their sons as a last gift before they entered the world on their own.”

Then it continues with some other details about a Messianic prophesy: “Cutting it into four pieces would have made it useless. John makes a special point to tell us that this was in fulfillment of a Messianic prophecy (Psalm 22:18 - They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture).  John was also likely making a reference to the seamless tunic worn by the high priest in the Temple service (Exodus 28:31-32; Exodus 39:27-29). The priest stood as mediator or liaison (the Hebrew word literally means "bridge-builder") between God and humankind. He offered sacrifice for the sins of the people.  Jesus is the perfect High Priest who opens the way for all to enter into the presence of God by offering the perfect sacrifice for the sin of the world (see Hebrews 5)”.

All of this was part of God’s plan and God provided what Jesus needed during His ministry on earth.

So the question is: Are we going to believe the Word of God or the words of a modern school of evangelists that proclaim that Jesus was a rich man by twisting, misinterpreting, and the carnal reading of the scriptures --

"For the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

We need to think like Jesus when we read the Word of God.\dmh

.-------------------------------------------------------------------

Diane M. Hoffmann, B.Th., M.Th., Ph.D./Th.
Author of "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"
Just released by Xulon Press, a div. of Salem Media.
To watch the Video Trailer:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=YLZYLGNX

web site: http://24hotpotatoes.blogspot.ca/


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.

Monday, March 14, 2016

More On The Jewish Sabbath And Feasts.

More On The Jewish Sabbath And Feasts.

by Diane M. Hoffmann

I received a response to my email that I shared with you on my previous post. I thought it important enough to share it with you also.

Here goes:

Re your “Are you saying that thanks to Jesus we need only keep the spirit of the commandments and not the letter of the instructions in the Old Testament in order to qualify for an immortal soul?

Well, I don’t put it in this way that we “need only keep the spirit of the commandments…”  We live in the Spirit, by faith… keeping the commandments to live as Christians in a physical world is quite a daily physical as well as spirit and soul effort.

Before we are born-again, we are missing the Spirit of God that was separated in the Garden of Eden, affecting all subsequent descendants of mankind … we only have a spirit of man until we receive the gift of the redemptive plan of God which re-connects us to the Spirit of God – and that, I might add, is through His wonderful, awesome, Grace and Mercy.

When we become born again (born of the Spirit, born from above as explained in John, chapter 3), everything becomes new, old things pass away (2 Corinthians 5:17), and God begins to transform us into the image of Jesus Christ. We are still in a physical body – we’re in this world but not of it.

So, to the second part of your question as to keeping the commandments “in order to qualify for an immortal soul”… we do not need to do anything to qualify to make it in heaven except to RECEIVE the gift of salvation.

We are born an eternal soul, all / each of us – when we die, we either go to hell or to heaven,  “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27)

As I often say, many only have a head knowledge of Christ… they will miss heaven by 18” – which is about the space between the head and the heart.

As for “keeping the Sabbath” on the original day or on a different day, that is not the issue, nor is it for keeping the holy days, etc… because all of the first testament was done away with as far as need for salvation goes. But there is nothing wrong with keeping the day of rest which was made for man on a certain 1 day out of 7 or observing the Jewish feasts in order to understand the meanings behind them and appreciate God’s plan throughout the ages.

"But Christ being come a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

"For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

"And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

"For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

"Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

"For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

"For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.(Hebrews 9:11-28),

Re your comment “the early apostles switched to Sunday mainly because they were kicked out of the Jew’s Saturday services. What I actually said is, “The apostles did go into synagogues, where there were gathered Jews, to teach them the good news of Jesus Christ and ‘contend for the faith’. The Christians began to keep Sunday – Resurrection day – immediately (after Christ returned to heaven), and especially, later on, after they were forbidden to come into the synagogues.

Re your “That suggests it would have been better if the Jews back then had understood that they needed to adjust their thinking in light of Jesus's actions and teachings.” Well, that’s what the apostles were doing: preaching the gospel of Christ and many Jews came to the Lord during that time, by the thousands (Book of Acts). Remember Jesus had said He was sent “to the Jews first”…

Re your “So I shouldn't judge people who gather to worship on different days [which I don't because it's their choice] but I would still be free to worship God and Jesus on the original Sabbath [which I do].”

Correct, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17)

Re your “Meanwhile I feel a similar angst about Easter vs Passover and Trumpets and Tabernacles vs Christmas - do you have a similar explanation for those? Jeremiah 10 may be  germane  here.”

Yes, it is the same. As for the Jeremiah 10 … so they cut a tree and decked it with silver and gold and worshiped it… but they were doing this as a “pagan and vain” offering to idols.  Christmas, on the other hand is celebrated to worship the God of Creation, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Universe and everything in it, who came down to earth entering the human channel to give His temporary physical body as a ransom for all mankind who had turned from Him. Big difference… Satan steels from Godly ideas all the time -- it’s about time we reverse that!

Re your “So my feeling is that original Holy Days are still in force - indeed OT prophecies espy Zech. 14:16 suggest they will be revived after Jesus returns!”

Well, the original Holy Days are still in force as long as the New Covenant is not accepted individually… that’s why Jews still observe them, however they observe them in vain for they still need to receive Christ as their personal Saviour.  If all 7 billion + individuals received the free gift of salvation, there would be no more observing.

As for Zechariah 14, they will be revived after Jesus returns because there will still be ordinary people rolling over into the new millennium who will also be in need of salvation. Because we know that in the end of that thousand years, Satan will rise up again and lead people to disobey God’s commandments once more (Rev.207-8 – that’s when the Gog and Magog battle will take place). But that will be the last and final time (Rev.20:10).

Then the whole universe will be rolled up as a scroll, as predicted in Rev.6:14), and everything will be renewed (Rev. 21:1) as it was at the beginning of Genesis, where God pronounced His creation that “it was good”. And then the new Jerusalem will come down from God out of heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband… (Rev.21:2). Wow, something to look forward to.

Re your “the two translations of forever is quite new to me; maybe it all could become part of your next book. Olam vs ad eh?

It is not so much olam “VS” ad… both are used in numerous scriptures and both need to be understood by and within the context of the narrative. However, yes it would make a good chapter definitely because there is a lot to actually show the use of it in both the Hebrew and Greek.

As for your comments, “There are several places wherein the Bible indicates the covenants are to be forever or perpetual (Exodus 12, 24:7 and Deut. 7:9 [a thousand generations!] and Deut.11:19 re teach your children.) Do Olam vs ad appear there too?

Yes, these words and, as I said even others as well that mean long length of times as God determines according to His purpose.

Re, I still believe that God did mean "forever" to be "forever" in such things in the OT but on the other hand you make a good case that Jesus had the power to change such things, especially by personally paying the price to do so.”

These words are definitely to be read within the context of, not only the issue but also the time frame of the pronouncement, i.e.: “Which was a figure for the time then present“ (Hebrews 9:9).

As for Jesus having “the power to change such things”, we have to remember that Jesus is God, Jehovah, the One who created all things (Colossians 1:16), as well as the Plan of Redemption and the Old Covenant.  Even He could not just change the original Covenant unless He died to cancel it. So, He has the power to change anything He Created.

Some groups believe that Jesus was just a prophet, a good man, etc… some believe He worked Himself to Godhood… no, no, He IS the Godhead (Colossians 2:9). Some groups even teach that God the Father was a man once who also worked Himself to Godhood (The Mormons and other groups)…

He knows everything from the past to the future.  When God created Adam and Eve, He already knew they would fail… but He created them anyway.

As He said, “I Am that I Am”

Cheers,
Diane

.------------------------------------

Diane M. Hoffmann, B.Th., M.Th., Ph.D./Th.
Author of "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"
Just released by Xulon Press, a div. of Salem Media.
To watch the Video Trailer:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=YLZYLGNX

web site: http://24hotpotatoes.blogspot.ca/


Order a copy of
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for yourself or as a gift for a friend,
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.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Does 2 Corinthians 3 replace the Law with a 'liberal spirit of a suggestion of Jesus'?


Does 2 Corinthians 3 replace the Law with a 'liberal spirit of a suggestion of Jesus'?

by Diane M. Hoffmann

Here is another of my replies to inquiries sent by someone who believes that the ordinances of the Old Testament are to be kept by Christians today…

The specific inquiry originally addressed to a group of British-Israelism believers was this:

“Do you have an analysis handy of 2 Corinthians 3, which I gather Donald Trump tried awkwardly to cite recently? This is the passage (as you probably know) in which some/many "Christians" claim does away with the Old Testament law and replaces it with a fuzzy liberal spirit of Jesus’ suggestion. My sense is that OT rules such as Sabbath-keeping were to be "signs forever throughout your generations" but I would appreciate receiving whatever commentaries you have on that point. “

My answer:

There is no argument about whether or not Christians are to keep the commandments… we are and we do – i.e.: we have no other gods, we honour our parents, we don’t kill our neighbour, etc… (unless we wilfully disobey of course).

 The difference is that in the Old Testament we see man as unable to keep the letter of the Law. In the New Testament – which was promised throughout the Old – man can now keep the commandments (all 10 of them) THROUGH CHRIST’S RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH HE OBTAINED FOR US ON THE CROSS.  In Christ we are now righteous. In Christ we now CAN keep the commandments! Before we could not.

 Jesus reduced the understanding of the 10 commandments into 2:

 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. 

 “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

 “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

 In other words, if we do these 2 commandments, we do ALL 10 commandments…

The first 4 commandments of the Old Testament have to do with God – so by keeping the first commandment Jesus gave in Matthew 22 we keep all four.

Then the next 6 commandments of the Old Testament have to do with man – so by keeping this second commandment Jesus gave in Matthew 22 we keep all 6.

The problem is that most Christians are not taught to understand this.

 As for the sabbath, it is part of the 10 commandments. No-one has taken it out of them. Only that Christians began to keep it on Sunday. What is important is that we know as Christians what it represents.

 That commandment says:

 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day:wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it (Exodus 20:8-11).

 It is a day of rest -- made for man not man made for the sabbath. (Mark 2:27).

 Yes, to Christians today, after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (God in the flesh), it represents His triumphant Resurrection to overcome life, death and judgment on our behalf.  But also the sabbath in the Old Testament represented God’s act of creation BEFORE man sinned.

 Jesus kept the sabbath, yes, and other Holy Days as well. He was a Jew, living among the Jews, but His atoning death had not yet been consummated. Remember on the cross He cried out “It is finished”. That’s when His ultimate sacrifice became in effect.

 During His ministry, he was constantly attacked on the issue of the sabbath where He responded that He was even the Lord of the sabbath (Matthew 12:8). But they didn’t understand this yet, for He was going to give His life for that “fulfilment” of the law requirements later on at the end of His ministry on earth.

 Jesus not only “liberalized” but He actually fulfilled all the demands of the law in His death and Resurrection. Otherwise, if He did not, why did He die a most humiliating death before His whole Creation.

By the way, to the scriptures used to support that the law was given as "a sign for ever" or a "perpetual covenant" as being the interpretation for believers today to still have to keep the law, a search of the word “perpetual” and "forever" shows that the Hebrew word used is ‘olam’ which means a thing concealed, a vanishing point, always as in continually, lasting, long time, etc.  It does not always refer to forever in the sense of never ever ending throughout eternity.

However in some scriptures, the same words, perpetual and forever, are from another Hebrew word. Based on the context of the scripture we can tell what the sense of it is. For example, when a scripture refers to God's eternal glory as in Psalm 104:5, the same word is used and we know that it means eternal.

In Isaiah 57:15 where it speaks of God as the "lofty one that inhabits eternity"; here, the word in Hebrew for eternity is 'ad' which means a duration, everlasting, perpetuity throughout God’s eternity. And in another scripture, Isaiah 60:15, speaking of Zion, the Hebrew word for 'eternal' is 'olam'.

In the Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament, there is a whole page-and-a-half spent to explaining the varieties of meanings for this one word 'olam'.  One portion of it I quote: "(2) It more often refers to future time, in such a manner, that what is called the terminus ad quem (the goal, the object) is always defined from the nature of the thing itself. When it is applied to human affairs, and specially - (a) to individual men, it commonly signifies all the days of life, as a perpetual slave (not to be discharged as long as he lives)... poetically used as a beast, Job 40:28..." etc. The Lexicon goes on to show a multitude of examples to this effect.

 So, the scriptures referred to in the book of Exodus, in context, is actually saying:

 “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual (olam) covenant.” (i.e.: for a time concealed, till a vanishing point, always as in continually every day for a long time, etc. during their life time).

When did that time come to an end?  In the New Covenant when God, through the death of Jesus Christ His Son (God in the flesh) gave His life on the cross, as the ultimate sacrifice that the previous ordinances could not permanently cover.

This had been promised for over four thousand years, through the prophets and the shadows of the feasts and sabbaths of things to come.  To the people living at that time, that four thousands years was an eternity!  The explanation of all of this is given in the many books of the New Testament, especially Romans, Hebrews and others that specifically refer to the books of the Law in the Old Testament.

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Hebrews 1-3).

But, we have to remember though, that the Jews/Israelites who are not born-again, who have not yet received the work of Jesus Christ on the cross in the New Covenant, are still continuing to keep the sabbaths and holy feasts.  But these are not necessary for Salvation, because Salvation is by grace alone ONCE REPENTANCE AND ACCEPTANCE has taken place in the heart of the unsaved who wants to be saved.

 Re the idea that the keeping of the sabbath was changed centuries later by a corrupted church for political reasons, these issues are dealt with specifically in the book of Acts and Romans which were written just a few years after Christ’s death and resurrection. The apostles did go into synagogues, where there were gathered Jews, to teach them the good news of Jesus Christ and “contend for the faith”. The Christians began to keep Sunday – Resurrection day – immediately, and especially, later on, after they were forbidden to come into the synagogues.

As for the keeping of the Jewish Feasts, this idea is mostly prominent among people who believe themselves to be Israelites and as such need to keep them.  Some believe in Christ’s atonement but not in the true sense of the word. Atonement is received by grace, “lest any one should boats”, not by grace + works.

However, again, Christians need to know the meaning of the Jewish feasts in the Old Testament in order to understand and appreciate the meaning of the New Testament. And the Church should teach it.

As Daniel Fuchs said in Israel’s Holy Days-In Type and Prophecy , “As we study the calendar outlined in Leviticus 23, we will realize that we cannot understand the New Testament without understanding the Old Testament. The converse is also true. We cannot begin to appreciate the Old Testament until we accept the One who is revealed to us in the New Testament, the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is a free gift fully given by Jehovah God."

 The problem is that some people are stuck in the Old Testament still. We need to know it but we need to move into the full grace and mercy of the New Covenant promised in the Old -- otherwise what we’re saying is that Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice and His resurrection is not enough.

 As for “the popular teaching of mainstream Christianity that the law of God is done away” quoted by the Philadelphia Church -- who will we believe, the Christ and His apostles of two thousand years ago, or contemporary groups’ teachings of two hundred years ago?  The Word of God is true, it just needs to be interpreted in context.

 2 Corinthians 3:3-18

3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:

5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:

8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?

9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.

11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:

13 And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:

14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.

15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.

16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.

17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

We are now led by the Spirit of the Lord – not of the letter./dmh
.-------------------------------------------------------------------

 Diane M. Hoffmann, B.Th., M.Th., Ph.D./Th.
Author of "24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"
Just released by Xulon Press, a div. of Salem Media.
To watch the Video Trailer:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=YLZYLGNX

web site: http://24hotpotatoes.blogspot.ca/



Order a copy of
"24 Hot Potatoes in the Church Today"

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