Thank you for stating your opinion.

slade

-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of David Miller
Sent: Saturday, 15 January, 2005 10.28
To: TruthTalk@mail.innglory.org
Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] Traditional Christian theology


Slade wrote:
> Sadly, some people will say that the saints in the Older
> Testament exercised their faith by keeping the Mosaic
> Law while we [the Renewed Covenant saints] exercise
> ours by obedience to Christ

I think you have to be careful not to project your approach to the law as
being the same way that Torah Observant Jews of the Older Testament
approached the law.  Paul contrasted the righteousness of the law and the
righteousness of faith with the following words:

Romans 10:5-10
(5) For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man
which doeth those things shall live by them.
(6) ** BUT ** the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise ...
The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the
word of faith, which we preach;
(9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved.
(10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation.

The point is that the Bible teaches two different ways of approaching
righteousness.  One approach is taught by Moses and the other approach is
taught by Jesus Christ.  They are not the same thing.

Now you might merge them together in your approach, and see a newer covenant
concealed within the older covenant, but that does not mean that those who
perceive two different approaches are misinterpreting Scripture or are
making it up in order to deride the older covenant.   As you can see in
Romans 10, Paul contrasts Moses and the law with faith in Jesus Christ.

John Smithson wrote:
> On a good day,   we are nothin like
> Him, right?   Nothing.
> ... I am sorry, but if we do thus and so,
> how close to Being Like God (Be ye
> perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect)
> are we?

If you are talking about us when we were outside of the covenant of Christ
and without the Holy Spirit, then I would agree with your words.  However,
if you are talking about us when we are inside Christ and he is living
through us by the power of the Holy Spirit, then our righteousness is
exactly like God's righteousness.  There is no difference because it is not
OUR righteousness, but HIS righteousness.  To say that the righteousness
that we manifest is somehow inferior to God's righteousness is to denigrate
God's righteousness (if we proclaim that we cannot be righteous apart from
God).

I have shared the following passage before with you numerous times, but it
seems to need to be repeated yet again.

1 John 3:7
(7) Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is
righteous, EVEN AS HE IS RIGHTEOUS.

So for those in Christ Jesus, who have received the power of the Holy
Spirit, when they have a good day, are they anything like Him?  YES!  Of
course they are.

Peace be with you.
David Miller.


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how you ought to answer every man."  (Colossians 4:6)
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