Do you understand the new covenant promise
in Jeremiah 31:34 (and other places) that becomes activated by faith
in Christ?
No. What "activated" the New Covenant was the blood of Christ. Perhaps you should read Jeremiah 31:31-34. The New is totally different from the Old. Sins will not be a part of God's consideration. God will be known in a personal and individual way, not through the art form of preaching. Preaching can only tell you ABOUT God. With he new covenant, God is experiencially known. The law will become an inward passion (faith) as opposed to the Old and overt system of commands. That is what this Jeremiah passasges says. This passage is absolutely the most important Old Covenant scripture regarding the New Covenant. We should all read it, memorize it, and study the new scriptures in the context of this passage. The following is quoted from the New Living Bible, a translation of the Billy Graham people (and others).
" The day will come, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made wih their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of he land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife, says the Lord.
But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord. I will put my laws in heir minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to each their family saying "You should know the Lord," for everyone, from he least to the greatest, will already know me, says the Lord. And I will forgive their wickedness and will never again remember their sins.
How in the world do you explain "salvation by faith apart from works?"
I asked this question in the previous email. You did not deal with it at all.
john: And why is it necessary for God to continue accepting our faith
IN THE PLACE OF righteousness?
The biblical reference is Romans 4:5: But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. (Nestle/Aland English translation). Another question you decided to ignore.
You must be reading the non-inspired version (NIV); the second
part of that verse is also important. "there is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
Here, you completely misuse the reference. But, first, your characterization of the NIV -- actually you are right. It is uninspired as are all the other translation. Back Romans 8:1. Lets start with "therefore" shall we? That word means " in view of what I have just said." And what was that -- that we are involved in a war between good and evil. For a Christian, we serve the law of sin in our flesh and the law of God (faith) in our minds (Ro 7:25). All of this is present tense. Verse 25 is a problem, because death is the deserved consequence, so Paul solves the problem in 8:1 by saying "there is no problem (condemnation)," but this promise is offered to those who walk in the spirit, as you so aptly point out. And what is walking in the spirit? Your teaching would have us believe that "walking in the spirit" is a contradiction to the words of 7:25 -- that it is doing the right thing. Simply an impossible conclusion in view of the fact that Paul has JUST concluded that this warfare, the doing of sin, continues for all Christians. So what is "walking in the spirit?" Well, just read 8:5. Walking in the flesh is having YOUR MIND SET ON THINGS OF THE FLESH and walking in the spirit is HAVING YOUR MIND SET ON THINGS OF THE SPIRIT. Notice how this ties in with Jere 31 "I will put it in their minds and write it on their hearts." Ro 8:5 defines flesh and spirit in terms of a state of mind as opposed to an act of righteousness (or right living).
God Bless
John Smithson
