Concerning the Legalistic interpretation of Matthew 7:21-23,
Your theological summation of Matthew 7:21-23 is incorrect. None of the works performed by those rejected were “lawless” or sinful on their face…Matthew 7:21-23 is NOT about law keeping or works or human effort or quality of work done but Jesus is teaching the necessity of establishing divine, personal, intimate, RELATIONSHIP with the Father through faith in the Son…first.
First of all, what is the “will of the Father?” – the will of the Father “is to believe in the One He has sent into the World” (John 6:29).
Matthew 7:21-23 is about works done in the flesh, self-righteousness, void the Holy Spirit and these works are defined by the Father as a “filthy garment”…literally, in the Hebrew…”a bloody menstrual cloth” (Isaiah 64:6).
In Matthew 7, in context, Jesus is continuing His teaching on “fruit”…divine fruit…works-faithfulness-efforts of obedience that are done through the indwelling Holy Spirit given to all who trust in Jesus as Messiah (Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 1:13-14).
Jesus is teaching you that if you desire to please the Father through works of righteousness, FIRST establish New Covenant relationship with Him through faith in His Son, receive His Holy Spirit and walk by the Spirit, daily (Galatians 5:16), thereby producing fruits of righteousness that honor the Father as His child and thereby prove yourself to be an honorable disciple of Jesus (John 15:8) as you are a member of Elohim’s family through faith; this, lest your works of righteousness be in vain and you ultimately hear those tragic words, “Away from Me you workers of lawlessness, I NEVER KNEW YOU!”
What is the divine “IMPUTATION” that saves man’s soul from death in Hell?
Humanity IS certainly imperfect but the One who entered Time from Eternity and walked among us for 33.5-years was and IS perfect in His divinity and He gave Himself as blood atonement for your benefit in order that the mandates of forgiveness for sin could be made manifest in accordance with Leviticus 17:11 (1 Peter 1:18-19); this sacrifice provided you by Jesus initiates the IMPUTATION-gifting of the perfection of Jesus over your life and though YOU are not perfect in the flesh, our Heavenly Father declares you “perfect” – adjudicates you “not guilty” by New Covenant promise (Hebrews 8:12); this, not because of your own self-righteousness or behavior or work or efforts, but on account of Jesus’ faithfulness and HIS perfection…this is why Jesus is our “propitiation” for sin…Jesus is our “substitute” in that Jesus took upon HIMSELF what was due us for our sin i.e., death; therefore, in response to the faithfulness of Jesus, the Father’s New Covenant promise is to remember your sins no more (Hebrews 8:12) and from the moment you acknowledge-believe-confess Jesus as your Messiah who died for you (John 3:16), when the Father sees YOU, He only sees His dear Son IN YOU…not your sin but His Son’s perfection (perfection in flesh and in divinity), forever. Jesus, who knew no sin, became the object of sin for our benefit that we might become the righteousness-perfection of God through Jesus…this a divine gift-promise of the Father that cannot be earned by humanity – a Gift that can only be acknowledged-received by faith-trust in Jesus as one’s Messiah (John 3).
Perfection is required for salvation from death in Hell…How can we be “perfect?”
Our Heavenly Father requires absolute perfection in word, thought, deed, in order to enter His Kingdom; problem is, we’ve all failed (Romans 3:23) as we’re all sinners patterned after our first father, Adam (Romans 5:12)…but…the “good news (the Gospel) is…Jesus entered the Realm of Time and walked in perfection before the Father via the anointing of the indwelling Holy Spirit and Jesus gave Himself as blood atonement for our sin and the Father has entered into a New Covenant agreement with all of human kind that anyone who trusts-believes in what Jesus did for us on a Roman Cross by dying for our sin in our place, the Father forgives them of all sin…past-present-future…and the Father declares them not guilty (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 8:12) and the Father endows them with the indwelling Holy Spirit as Guarantor and Seal of New Covenant relationship with Him (Ephesians 1:13-14); this is made possible through the promise of the “imputation” or gifting of Jesus’ perfection/righteousness over the life of the one who believes Jesus is our Messiah; that is, the Father agrees to only see the perfection of His dear Son in the one who believes Jesus is Messiah; therefore, we can be made “positionally right” with our Heavenly Father through faith in the Son, Jesus our Messiah, believing in what Jesus has done for us and not we can do for ourselves…this is the KEY, the right-to-passage into God’s presence, offered each of us who exists in a body of flesh within the temporary Realm of Time (John 3:16).
Therefore…
If you desire this forgiveness, anointing, and eternal life, sincerely “believe in your heart” and “confess with your mouth” (Romans 10:9-10) that Jesus is Messiah who died for you…carefully read the “Gospel of John” and begin an eternal relationship with our Heavenly Father and daily walk by the indwelling Holy Spirit and enjoy a life of peace, assurance, contentment, purpose, love. Jesus IS our “perfection”…trust in Jesus as your Messiah and honor-receive-enjoy the Father’s promises of eternal life, eternal peace, eternal assurance, eternal completion and contentment.
Pleasing Elohim (Genesis 1:1) through works, behavior, obedience?
What is the KEY to pleasing our Creator and engendering New Covenant relationship with Him for Eternity?
Answer: RELATIONSHIP
The Biblical Truth is that mankind can strive, work, labor, to be sufficiently good, lawful, observant, and die in Hell in vain because until a man or woman initiates New Covenant RELATIONSHIP with the Father by faith in the Son (John 6:29), Jesus Christ, they are NOT family, they are not the recipient of New Covenant promise (Hebrews 8:12).
All that which humanity does and seeks and labors for concerning righteousness and appeasing the divine given conscience will ultimately culminate in vanity and chasing after the wind lest one becomes the Father’s child through faith, belief, in the Son and receives the indwelling Holy Spirit as Guarantor and the Seal of New Covenant relationship (John 3:5; Ephesians 1:13-14).
Jesus commands that we be “perfect” (Matthew 5:48); therefore, how does a sinner attain perfection and thereby please the Father?
If man was capable of keeping the Law unto perfection, Jesus died needlessly (Galatians 2:21); therefore, the only “perfection” offered mankind is the sinless perfection of Jesus gifted-imputed into the life of the one who “believes” by faith that Jesus is Messiah who died for them (John 3; 2 Corinthians 5:21) thereby initiating New Covenant promise of forgiveness (Hebrews 8:12) and subsequently a life lived through the indwelling Holy Spirit via daily Christian sanctification (Ephesians 1:13-14; Galatians 5:16), a life producing divine “fruit” that honors the Father (John 15:8) and fruit that will endure the BEMA Judgment of Messiah (Galatians 5:16-23; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15).
Divine Perfection is NOT attainable in this life via human effort as we’re all sinners under condemnation (Romans 3:23; Romans 8:1+); therefore, Jesus offers us His perfection via His blood atonement if we will trust in Him as our “perfect” “sinless” Messiah (1 Peter 1:18-19) and thereby find peace with our Heavenly Father via what Jesus did for us at Golgotha (Matthew 26:28), not what we can do for ourselves through vain attempts to keep laws, days, diets, traditions (Galatians 2:16; Romans 5:1).
Why the Millennial Kingdom? Why 1000-years of World-peace?
The short version is this: the previous 6000-years of horror, war, famine, murder, perversion, discord, hate, all stand as an example to the faithful angelic creation, those that did not follow Satan in the rebellion, and as an example for the faithful in Jesus who will spend eternity with Him in the New Jerusalem, the consequences of disregarding the divine moral law and the divine will of our Creator concerning Messiah and this previous 6000-years of Hell on Earth will act as a bulwark against future rebellion in the Kingdom where free will exists by necessity in the New Jerusalem. The Millennial Kingdom’s purpose extends far beyond the temporary Realm of Time and humanity and Elohim’s divine, intimate, relationship with His faithful angelic creation is at the eschatological root as Elohim restores holiness and peace to His eternal Kingdom disrupted by Satan’s coup d’état…that coup d’état as the root cause for the Genesis creation narrative.
The 1000-years of prevailing peace upon the Earth; this, while Satan is restrained and made impotent; this, during Messiah’s Millennial Kingdom, will provide a stark, undeniable, comparison/contrast to the previous 6000-years of sinful-suffering Hell on Earth; again, providing proof to the faithful angels and observant humanity that Satan is the demonic root of all horror (John 8:44) and it’s important to note that Jesus entered the temporary Realm of Time specifically “to destroy the works of Satan” (1 John 3:8b) via a battle strategy (Genesis 3:15) revealed as the Gospel first in Genesis 3:21 and through Jesus’ victory over Satan’s works (death-Hell-the grave) at Golgotha via the New Covenant (Matthew 26:28); this divine victory via the Gospel was ordained “before Time began” (2 Timothy 1:8-10).
The 1000-years of pervasive peace during the Millennial Kingdom will provide an undeniable stark comparison/contrast relevant to obedience=peace/disobedience=suffering and to add a final evidentiary proof to all living creatures that Satan is the demonic author of all wickedness, Satan will be released from captivity at the culmination of the Millennial Kingdom and once again Satan will deceive the Nations and inspire mankind to rebel against Elohim (Revelation 20:7-9); this time, Elohim will destroy the aggressors by fire; hence, the “Judgment of the Condemned” that follows the final rebellion (Revelation 20:10-15) where Sheol-Hades/Torments will give up the dead via the “resurrection of the condemned” (John 5:29) and those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will suffer commensurate with their sin committed while in body and ultimately die the “second death” in Hell, the Lake of Fire as the Earth is purified by unconscionable heat (2 Peter 3:10), purified, from which a New Earth and New Heaven will manifest (Revelation 21).
Ultimately, finally, the entirety of the faithful angelic creation will concur with Elohim that their former “boss,” Satan, does indeed deserve suffering-torment forever in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10; Matthew 25:41); hence, Elohim will have destroyed evil and restored holiness to His eternal Kingdom via His own selfless love as demonstrated at Golgotha via Messiah (John 19:30).
~1 Peter 1: 19 ~ Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. ~ Revelation 13:8~ Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.
I continue to hear and see Christians intermingling obedience to Sinai’s Commandments as a prerequisite to pleasing Elohim in the New Covenant. The Christian needs to know their position in Messiah Jesus and the divine parameters of the New Covenant as opposed to Moses and the Law Covenant.
First of all, Sinai’s commandments consist of nine-moral laws and one-civil/ceremonial law (#4). Sinai was given solely to Israel’s children and those outsiders who sojourned with Israel’s Tribes seeking the benefits of that Theocracy; this, as Sinai was given to Israel for purely eschatological purposes concerning the coming Messiah; a thwarting of Israel’s compromise with paganism; the Messiah’s defeat of Satan at Golgotha via the Gospel; the Great Commission, the fulfillment of Elohim’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3b concerning Messiah as “a blessing to every family of the Earth.”
Dear Christian,
Dear Christian, if Sinai was a valid-divine path to righteousness (a right standing) with Elohim, Jesus died needlessly (Galatians 2:21). In the New Covenant, Elohim has reemphasized the eternal natural law (Romans 2:14-15) as written upon the human heart (Jeremiah 31; Ezekiel 36; Hebrews 10:16) which is eternally superior to Sinai’s nine-moral edicts as the natural law is comprehensive, complete, eternal, as an arbiter of free will and as an essential component of due process concerning divine Judgment.
Christian, you are not under Sinai or Moses or Torah or Leviticus or Deuteronomy; Christian, you are under grace (unmerited favor) through faith in Messiah Jesus (Romans 6:14) and your “law” is arbitrated by the indwelling Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14; Ezekiel 36:27; John 14:16; John 16:13; Galatians 5:16) who employs your redeemed conscience in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17) and works through you to produce divine fruit (Galatians 5:16-23), fruit which fulfills all law, the comprehensive law, the natural law, as written upon your heart on Day-6 of Creation (Galatians 5:23; Romans 2:14-15) and this divine fruit is actually what pleases Elohim the Father concerning your works of obedience (John 15:8) as His child; divine fruit that will pass the test for authenticity at the BEMA Judgment of Messiah (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).
Therefore dear Christian, we are free from enslavement to Sinai, days, diets, fabrics, traditions, concerning righteousness with Elohim as we serve the Father by obedience to the Holy Spirit who indwells us and Guarantees our redemption throughout Eternity (Romans 7:6; Ephesians 1:13-14), a redemption that brings peace with our Father through Jesus (Romans 5:1).
In closing,
Sinai’s commandments are beautiful, historical, divine, as they express the perfect Holiness and Righteousness of Elohim. Christian, Jesus our Messiah fulfilled Sinai’s commandments and the comprehensive natural law for us via His perfect obedience and the Father imputes-gifts the divine righteousness of Jesus over our life by faith in Him as our Messiah; this, by grace (unmerited favor) through faith-trust in Jesus as our Messiah; this, by New Covenant promise (Hebrews 8:12).
Walk in peace with Elohim through your daily walk in sanctification via the precious Holy Spirit and you will do well. The “work” for righteousness has been completed by Messiah; therefore, accept that completed work by trusting-believing in Jesus as your Messiah and receive the divine benefits of what Jesus earned for you, forever (1 Peter 1:18-19) a work you cannot perform or earn or deserve but can only humbly accept by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 4:4-5).
1) There is the “eternal law” that has been extant as an arbiter of free will subsequent the creation of the angels, this law judged Satan and the rebellious angels of treason/defilement (John 8:44).
It is the eternal or “natural” law that is written upon the human heart at conception as human kind is created in the spiritual image of Elohim (Romans 2:14-15; Genesis 1:26-28) and therefore possesses certain divine communicable attributes of Elohim, one such example of a divine communicable attribute is the natural-eternal-moral law given humanity by necessity as a bulwark against unrestrained narcissism thereby thwarting societal implosion/extinction and this eternal law is also essential for “due process” at divine adjudication manifesting subsequent Messiah’s Millennial Reign (Revelation 20:10-15).
All of humanity is divinely aware of Elohim’s sovereignty and His moral, divine, will for humanity and all of humanity will be “without excuse” at divine Judgment (Romans 1:18-32).
The codified law given Israel – Sinai’s Commandments/603-Mosaic Laws
2) There is also the “codified law” given specifically to Israel’s children at Sinai as these divine laws are elements of the eternal-natural law written upon the human heart of mankind with a specific emphasis relevant to Elohim’s concerns for Jacob’s children and their propensity for compromise with paganism/the demonic as noted in their behavior at the foot of Sinai and their worship of the golden calf as instructed by Moses’ younger brother, Aaron (Exodus 32); this, while Moses was receiving the codified law etched in stone directly from the hand of Elohim.
Elohim had deep concerns relevant to Israel’s children repeating the moral failures of the Adamic/Noahic generations which mandated worldwide judgment and extinction of human kind save eight; therefore, Elohim codified, in stone, edicts-laws specifically aimed at providing a bulwark against those pagan-demonic behaviors that would promulgate destructive moral compromise; this, being essential as Jacob’s children were ordained a progenitors of Messiah via Judah which is eternally significant concerning Elohim’s eschatological plan relevant “to destroy[ing] the works of Satan” via Messiah (1 John 3:8b) and the divine battle strategy to be employed by Messiah, the Gospel, which was ordained “before Time began” (2 Timothy 1:8-10; Genesis 3:15-21).
The Holy Spirit also inspired Moses to codify 603 civil/ceremonial laws specifically for Israel’s children concerning approved modes of behavior between fellow tribesmen, families, neighbors, temple worship and construction, dietary laws, Sabbath mandates.
So yes, in response to your inquiry, there are TWO-MAJOR forms or formats of “law” articulated within the Holy Scriptures as ordained by Elohim, the Holy Spirit.
Should Christians consume alcoholic beverages or use products where the active ingredient is THC?
The indwelling Holy Spirit who is the Guarantor of New Covenant relationship with the Father subsequent faith in Jesus as Messiah (Ephesians 1:13-14) works through the redeemed conscience (2 Corinthians 5:17) concerning daily sanctification/obedience in the New Covenant.
Alcohol consumption and intoxicants such as Marijuana-Narcotics, in any relevant quantity, negatively diminishes the acuity of the human conscience and therefore diminishes the anointing and control of the indwelling Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian; therefore, the consumption of alcohol-THC-narcotics works directly against our Creator’s will for one’s life in the New Covenant as we are commanded to be holy as He is Holy (1 Peter 1:15-17).
Daily Christian sanctification is the incremental process by which divine holiness is taught-infused within the life of the Christian as the Holy Spirit prepares the Christian for service now in this fallen World and in the New Jerusalem and therefore it is logical and reasonable to conclude that the consumption of mind altering-conscience suppressing intoxicants by the Christian is not wise or prudent. Our daily walk IS our testimony that Jesus is Messiah over our life. Let each be convinced in his/her own mind (Romans 14).
No, “religion” (theologically speaking) is defined as a theological process by which a man or woman earns their way into relationship with a specific deity…religion is “works based” suggesting that mankind can work sufficiently or do something sufficiently pleasing, be sufficiently “good” to earn favor with God.
Christianity is “faith based” meaning that the Holy Bible/the Holy Spirit teaches that all of humanity is under the penalty of sin (Romans 3:23; 5:12), there is NOTHING we can do in and of ourselves to earn God’s forgiveness/acceptance but that Jesus, in HIS divine perfection, paid the required price for our sin on the Cross at Golgotha (1 Peter 1:18-19) and the Father declares that anyone who trusts in what Jesus has done for them will be declared “not guilty” (John 3:16; Hebrews 8:12) based solely on the work of Jesus on our behalf (Romans 4:4-5).
Man is not saved from sin and Hell by works or deeds or behavior but man is saved and enters into covenant relationship with Elohim by faith in the ONE, Jesus Christ, who did the work for us; therefore, the answer to your question is not “religion” but “Christianity” (Galatians 2:16).
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,
"RickeyD" Holtsclaw 