When Jesus uttered the dying proclamation: “It is finished“….Jesus was speaking of His primary purpose for having entered the Realm of Time; that is, to fulfill Genesis 3:15 and Genesis 3:21 which were a proclamation of Elohim’s war and the battle strategy concerning defeating the works of Satan (death, Hell, the grave). This is why Messiah entered Time.
“the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8b (NASB)
The Holy Spirit disagrees with you. I trust in the power of the Spirit to seal me, keep me…as my sin has been covered by the imputed, gifted, righteousness of Jesus earned for me at Golgotha (2 Corinthians 5:21). My righteousness (right standing) with the Father is NOT my own, but the righteousness of Jesus in me through faith…this is my divine Guarantee of salvation, not my efforts, but HIS, alone (Galatians 2:16; Romans 4:4-5).
If I lived as you in your rejection of eternal security, if I did not trust in the Spirit to Guarantee my salvation and my relationship with the Father, I could not experience peace and assurance as I would wonder daily…have I done anything that bars me from salvation? Have I been sufficiently “good” to keep my salvation…you see, your perverse doctrine manifests inevitably into a “works doctrine” which is repulsive to the Father (Isaiah 64:6). You trust in you to be saved and redeemed and secure. That’s but one reason Catholicism is a works cult…it denies the sufficiency of Jesus to save and keep us saved through the Spirit, alone.
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Theological question: How can we recognize false teaching today? Justify, please.
You won’t automatically recognize “false teaching” lest the Holy Spirit indwells you (Ephesians 1:13-14; John 14:16) and He, the indwelling Holy Spirit, discerns for you the words of deceit; therefore, unless you are born again by faith in Jesus as your Messiah, you have no realistic hope of discerning what is true and what is false with consistency.
In order for the Spirit to guide you in Truth, you must first take the initiative to input that Truth into your mind and your spirit through reading, study, reciting, listening, to the Scriptures and this allows the Spirit to bring to your memory, to the forefront of cognition, what our LORD has said, its context, its relevance in your life (2 Timothy 2:15).
Much like a modern day computer’s hard drive and stored data; lest you input the data of Scripture, the Holy Spirit has nothing from which to draw upon and provide you insight and discernment.
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Actually, the Torah is but a mere fragment of the comprehensive spiritual law (Romans 2:14-15), the spiritual law having been infused within human kind on Day-6 as a bulwark against unrestrained narcissism as the spiritual law is arbitrated by the human conscience. It is that same spiritual law that judged Satan of covetousness before the creation of Time and that same law judged the Adamic and Noahic generations of defilement with the demonic resulting in the extinction of all mankind save eight.
When Elohim speaks of writing His laws on the heart of mankind, He speaks of the New Covenant where the indwelling Holy Spirit, given to all who trust in Messiah Jesus as Savior; these who have trusted, believed in Jesus are granted the Gift of the Spirit to dwell within them (Ephesians 1:13-14) and it is the indwelling Holy Spirit who becomes the Arbiter of the redeemed, enlivened, conscience, the new man (2 Corinthians 5:17), and the Spirit walks the new man and new woman in daily sanctification producing divine fruit through them that fulfills all law (Galatians 5:23); both, codified and spiritual, and this divine fruit (Galatians 5:16-23) actually pleases the Father and proves one to be a disciple of Jesus (John 15:8).
If Torah were written upon the heart void the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit to Arbitrate the redeemed conscience, Torah would be as impotent concerning righteousness with the Father as it was in the Old Covenant (Romans 8 ).
Hebrew Roots asked: “Why are those seeking to follow God’s laws called Judaizers?”
It’s theologically acceptable and a beautiful endeavor to seek to honor Elohim’s laws as long as that “attempt” to obey Torah does not convolute the purity of faith, alone, in Jesus, alone. Problem is; concerning Hebrew Roots and many Messianic Judaism parishioners, they place one foot in Torah Law and one foot in the New Covenant and this perversion of Elohim’s will concerning the sufficiency of the Son to redeemed apart from works results in death in Hell for the compromised.
If you’re a Hebrew Roots or Messianic Christian, your salvation and your walk in the Spirit is rooted solely in faith in Jesus, alone. Your works, your efforts at obedience to days, letters, diets, traditions, feasts, play ZERO role in your salvation…as salvation is by grace (unmerited favor apart from human input or works) through faith, trusting, believing, in Jesus as Messiah…this is the KEY to unlocking the door to salvation.
If you seek to enter New Covenant relationship with the Father through faith in Jesus and add water baptism or Torah Law obedience or speaking in tongues or church attendance or Mass participation or receiving the Sacraments or paying your indulgences or praying the rosary or seeking to venerate Mary or walking door-to-door spreading the doctrines of your particular religion…you have nullified the sufficiency of Jesus’ blood to atone for your sin by faith, alone…you are a Judaizer…you are a CULT…you are a deceiver of Truth concerning the Gospel (Romans 4:4-5).
Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,
Hebrew Roots, Works and Error of Interpretation…(See MEME below for information)
Jesus’ discourse with the “rich young ruler” (Matthew 19:16-24) is the anthesis of law keeping but is a lesson on faith in Messiah as a prerequisite to eternal life. The young man begins his discourse with Jesus by asking what he must “do” to inherit eternal life, Jesus responded with a question that would have ended the young man’s search for life. Jesus asked the young man why he was calling Jesus a “good Teacher” as there is no one good but God?
Had the young man recognized Jesus and acknowledged Him as God the Messiah, the young man’s faith would have saved Him and the subsequent discourse unnecessary. The young man’s lack of spiritual insight resulted in Jesus responding “keep the commandments,” to which the young man proudly proclaimed that he had kept the commandments…
From that point forward, Jesus proceeds to demonstrate to the young man that he had not kept the commandments by commanding him to “sell all that you have, give it to the poor, follow ME!” Had the young man trusted in Jesus sufficiently to obey his command and follow Jesus, the young man, like the majority of the disciples, would have found eternal life in Jesus by faith…but…
….the young man walked way sad and dejected as he loved his wealth more than God and thereby demonstrated that he had violated the two-greatest commandments, Love God with all your heart; love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34).
Jesus demonstrates that commandment keeping is NOT the path to righteousness (a right standing) with the Father (Galatians 2:16).
—————————————-
What is the “command of God” for all who live in the New Covenant?
28Then they inquired, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” 29 Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”
The KEY to honoring the will of God, His commands, is to “believe” in the Son, Jesus our Messiah, receive the Holy Spirit, walk daily in Christian sanctification and produce divine fruit (Galatians 5:16-23) by the anointing of the Spirit, divine fruit that pleases the Father and proves one to be a disciple of Jesus (John 15:8).
The key to New Covenant promise is faith in Jesus, alone (Romans 4:4-5)…this establishes New Covenant relationship and the receiving of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14); then, works of obedience that fulfills all law through the production of divine fruit, fruit that legitimizes one’s faith as true and honors the Father (John 15:8) and stands the test of authenticity concerning divine works at the BEMA Judgment of Messiah.
Islamist inquiry: My question is, Why Jesus himself can not do this but ask you humans to do so? No deflection.
If one understands causation for the Genesis creation narrative, they acknowledge the truism that WAR is the reason for our existence in this temporary realm of Time and the primary focus of Jesus having entered Time was to complete the declaration of war proclaimed in Genesis 3:15 via the battle strategy, the Gospel, first pictured in Genesis 3:21; in fact, the primary reason Jesus entered the temporary Realm of Time was “to destroy the works of Satan” (1 John 3:8b).
An overwhelming majority of human kind is blind, blatantly ignorant, to the war that rages around them and through them via the Spiritual Realm. The Old Testament of Scripture graphically articulates the horrors of this Spiritual War having manifest partially within the physical Realm of Time…what you see and what horrifies some readers of Scripture is the DEATH and suffering that extends across the pages of Torah. This horror and suffering is expected when one knows and understand the battle before us.
Islam and Satan,
What I find rather comical is the fact that the Muslim, the Islamist, will take portions of the Old Testament documentation of this Spiritual War and attempt to blaspheme or disparage Elohim the Father, Elohim the Son, Elohim the Holy Spirit, for their tactics against our enemy, Satan, and his demons, when it is the Islamist that serves our enemy, Satan, who is Allah masquerading as an angel of light via the Arabic moon god and it is the Islamist that is Satan’s warriors within the Realm of Time. The false prophet Muhammad being a 7th-Century nomadic, demon possessed, child rapist, murdering, thief, who plagiarized the Torah to construct the Quran, Satan’s book of demonically rooted battle strategies.
Soon, Satan via Islam/Iran-Russia-China will come against Jerusalem, Israel in a limited nuclear war (the Book of Revelation) and this will trigger Messiah’s 2nd-Advent to Mount Olivette and the initiation of the Millennial Kingdom…this is simply a continuation of the spiritual war prophesied in Genesis 3:15 involving Satan v. Jesus…nothing new here…simply Elohim’s battle strategy to right the wrong initiated by an anointed cherub in the Kingdom of Elohim before the foundation of the World (Luke 10:18; Revelation 13:8; Revelation 12:3-9).
The Universe, specifically, this Earth, was created as a temporary repository for the Great Kingdom War initiated by a rebellious, covetous, anointed cherub angel (Luke 10:18; Revelation 12:3-9).
Elohim the Father initiated the creation narrative and delegated authority to Elohim the Son as Creator (Genesis 1; John 1; Hebrews 1; Colossians 1; John 3:35) who took elements from the unseen Spiritual Realm and fashioned those elements into matter, atoms, that can be apprehended by a life-form subject to Time and physics (Hebrews 11:3). It is also interesting to note that Elohim the Holy Spirit is first introduced as the Logistical Overseer of the Creation Narrative in Genesis 1:2.
This is but one reason why Satan, an anointed cherub angel (Ezekiel 28:11-15), is the first creature introduced subsequent Elohim forming Adam from the dust of the ground and Eve from the rib of Adam. This is why a formal declaration of war is proclaimed by Elohim in Genesis 3:15, a war that would involve Satan and an anointed One who would enter Time through the seed of the woman and do battle with Satan, Jesus our Messiah.
Immediately following this proclamation of war in Genesis 3:15, Elohim pictures His battle strategy, the Gospel, by which He would destroy the works of Satan (death-Hell-the grave); the Gospel is first pictured for human kind in Genesis 3:21 with the shedding of innocent blood by Elohim, Himself, to cover Adam and Eve in a gifted, imputed, robe of righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21) while Elohim rejected Adam’s self-righteous attempt to cover and conceal his sin with fig leaves of human righteousness (Ephesians 2:8-9); in fact, the primary reason the Son of God, Jesus our Messiah, entered Time was “to destroy the works of Satan” (1 John 3:8b). Jesus fulfilled the prophecy in Genesis 3:15 via the battle strategy pictured in Genesis 3:21 some 4000 years later on a Roman Cross outside of Jerusalem on a mount called “Golgotha.” Jesus, born of the seed of the woman (Not Adam’s seed via Joseph) destroyed the works of Satan via His own shed blood as atonement for sin (Matthew 26:28; 1 Peter 1:18-19) which harkens back to Genesis 3:21 and a Gospel that was ordained “before Time began” (2 Timothy 1:8-9).
The entire purpose for this temporary Universe and specifically this temporary Earth and our complex genome is as participants and as a temporary physical repository for an unfathomable Spiritual War that rages on around us, through us, as we choose to be a warrior for Jesus by faith or a warrior for Satan via submission to the lust of the flesh.
Long story short…we’re in an unfathomable spiritual war, we are warriors for one of two parties, Jesus or Satan. This IS the “purpose” for the Universe, a temporary physical repository for war as Elohim restores order, peace, holiness, to His eternal Kingdom, a Holy Kingdom disrupted by a rebellion, a mutiny, initiated by an anointed cherub before Time began.
Innocent substitute. Replaced fig leave of human righteousness.
Why did Jesus point out Israel’s failures, the hypocrisy of religious leadership/the Law Covenant, repeatedly, during His ministry?
The focus on the Old Covenant by Jesus was integral with His efforts to incrementally move His ministry, initiated in Law as He was born under the Law, into a ministry of grace that is actuated by faith, alone, in Him as Messiah, alone. A New Covenant where obedience is made possible through the indwelling Holy Spirit and the production of divine fruit as opposed to keeping arduous rules and regulations that the sin-nature was not able to uphold.
Jesus points out the failures of the Old Covenant and its representatives, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the Council members…these represented the worst of what the Law had to offer; that is, through these religious leaders, Jesus demonstrated the perils of law via subjectivity, rationalization, hypocrisy. These are resultants of the Adamic sin-nature seeking righteousness through law keeping.
The sin-nature, integral with the pride and arrogance of man, easily and quiet effectively, rationalizes away, justifies away, obfuscates, what the conscience seeks to arbitrate toward holiness and righteousness. Moral relativism is a huge failure of codified law and spiritual law.
Jesus’ ministry, the New Covenant, the Gospel, is oriented toward a New and LIVING Way to walk in obedience to the Father’s will as we are prepared for service in the New Jerusalem via daily Christian sanctification (Galatians 5:16); that is, in the New Covenant, the focus is upon the indwelling Holy Spirit who is given to the redeemed in Jesus as their personal Guarantor and Seal of New Covenant promise (Ephesians 1:13-14; Hebrews 8:12).
It is through the Spirit’s work in daily Christian sanctification where He anoints the redeemed in Jesus with a new and enlivened/sensitive conscience, the “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17), it is the new man that is made exponentially aware of the Father’s will and that will is expressed and satiated through the production of divine fruit (Galatians 5:16-23) and it is this fruit that wonderfully and successfully fulfills all law; both, codified and spiritual (Galatians 5:23); this divine fruit of the Spirit actually pleases the Father and proves one to be a disciple of Jesus (John 15:8). This divine fruit will also stand the test of authenticity at the BEMA Judgment of Messiah.
If you study Messiah’s ministry carefully, you will see a subtle, incremental, steady, transition from “keep my commandments” (John 14:15) to “produce much fruit” (John 15:8) and Jesus also teaches that it is “fruit” that differentiates between teachers of divine truth and wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:16).
This subtle move in Jesus’ ministry is further expounded upon by Jesus’ minister of the Gospel to the Gentiles, Paul…who teaches that the redeemed are no longer under letters of condemnation weakened by the sin nature (Romans 8), but the redeemed are led by the Spirit to produce divine fruit (Romans 7:6).
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, what was it, what is it? (Matthew 12:22-32)
Blasphemy against the Spirit, a condemnation to the Pharisees who had suggested that Jesus exorcised demons by the power of the chief of the demonic; namely, Beelzebul, is a divine condemnation that cannot be repeated subsequent this unique scenario, why?
The reason Jesus condemned the Pharisees to Hell without hope of a pardon is due the fact that they had been eyewitnesses to the miracles of Jesus which were performed by the power of the Holy Spirit who indwelt Jesus during His Earthly ministry. For this reason, their blasphemy would never be forgiven in this age (Law) or the age to come (Grace).
Today, subsequent Messiah’s ascension, this particular form of “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” is not possible though there is one form of blasphemy of the Spirit that remains relevant; that is, a rejection of the Holy Spirit’s call upon one’s life to repent and believe the Gospel. If one dies in an unredeemed state having rejected Jesus as their Messiah, there remains only Judgment, there is no hope of eternal life, forgiveness of sin, for that individual (Hebrews 9:27).
to believe in the One He has sent.”
"RickeyD" Holtsclaw 