Hm. This is quite a different light for the Bible. I never really have that thought that Jesus is the Bible, but I know the Bible speaks of Jesus, and what happened. It's more like a love letter from God to us, telling about His relationship and to us and like most family, drama happens (especially in the old testaments).
Thus the "Word of God" narrative for me probably is very different from you have explained in many's thought.
It has "power" because it shows God's power, it has "life" because the Holy Spirit shows the life from the scriptures and renew us...
And the scriptures speaks about Jesus, all over the place. Haha.
Thank you for sharing this different angle to us, pastor lea.
upvoted and resteemed
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I learned that Jesus is the Word Incarnate and that the Bible is the written Word. It's not about believing the the Bible is God. Both can be true in the same way that Jesus was human and also God. It is not something that our human minds can properly understand. We are not meant to. We are to have childlike faith. It's also like free will and predestination. Both are true. Jesus also believed the scriptures to be the Word of God, so I don't have a problem believing it too. 😊
Sometimes we do not need to break it down and dissect it so deeply but let the Holy Spirit guide us through to all understanding.
1 Cor 2:10You have a point on there too @dmcamera
The important thing to remember is, it's the Holy Spirits commission to lead you in obedience to God's law.
“And I shall give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. And I shall take the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I shall give you a heart of flesh, and put My Spirit within you. And I shall cause you to walk in My laws and guard My right-rulings and shall do them.
Yehezqĕl (Ezekiel) 36:26-27 TS2009
God's law for us is found in Genesis-Deuteronomy. Those 5 books together in Hebrew are known as the Torah. If the spirit is telling you to do something to break one of the laws found in those 5 books then it's NOT the holy spirit guiding you.
I would encourage you, if you want to walk as Jesus walked and live as he lived, then you need to study the Torah as he studied the Torah. Remember the whole time he was here he didn't have the New Testament, his preaching and teaching was done solely from the Old Testament.
But he came to fulfill the law in the Old Testament! If we don't believe that, then we don't have Christianity! We were given a new covenant. "The New is in the Old concealed, The Old is in the New revealed - a basic Bible truth from St. Augustine to remember.
I was just reading this verse today and I thought it was very applicable.
You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”
Deuteronomy 4:40 NKJV
What many do not see, or do not realize is there are only 2 types of people in God's eyes, there are those who are in covenant him, who are Israel, who are his set apart people, and then there are those who are not his, who are not Israel, who are not in covenant with him.
Guarding and keeping his commands is a blessing, as he said. I love that. Jesus said if you love me, keep my commandments. This verse reaffirms that those who seek to obey his Torah will be blessed.
Sorry, I have been very busy with my business today. You asked me how I interpreted the word fulfill. Jesus came to accomplish the purpose of the law. He said he did not come to abolish the law, but to accomplish its purpose.
We are unable to keep the law. If you break one command in the law, you are breaking them all. There is no temple where we worship, we are not sacrificing animals and men, for example, do get their hair cut! So the law is broken right there before we even look at the other parts of it.
Mathew 5:18 is not saying that the law will not be done away with till the earth is done away with, It is saying that the law will not be abolished until its purpose is achieved. Jesus came to accomplish that. He said so Himself in Luke 22:202 "In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying,“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." (NIV) Animal sacrifices as required by the law were no longer necessary because Jesus' blood took the place of the blood of animals.
The New Covenant in the Old Testament was given to Israel, but in the New Testament (Covenant), Gentiles are now covered by the blood of Jesus" : 11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Gentiles who are Christians are now part of the Covenant because of Jesus' shed blood. Under the New Covenant we are given the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ by Faith and to accept salvation as a free gift through Grace. Jesus' sacrificial death abolished the need for the death of animals and the need for us to try to follow every detail of the law.
Hebrews 7:21-22 says it better than I can: 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:
“The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
‘You are a priest forever.’”[b]
22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.
Also Romans 6:14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
So, the New Testament is pretty clear about where the law now stands! It has its place, but we can't keep it. Our salvation is through faith in Christ alone.
Blessings!
Gentiles always had a place, even in the Old Covenant. Remember Rahab and Ruth as prime examples, but the scriptures are clear
One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
Exodus 12:49 KJV
Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 24:22 KJV
The scriptures make it clear, if you want to be in covenant with God you must accept his law and strive to obey it.
I agree that yes Jesus blood paid the penalty of sin but that does not mean we have a free pass to live as we please. God gave his law for a reason, to show us how to live, and to live a blessed life. I agree, no one can keep the law perfectly, only Jesus has been able to do that but again that does not mean we shouldn't strive to keep it as best as we can. I also agree there is no temple or Levitical priesthood so it's impossible to make any sacrifices BUT if we had both, then sacrifices and offerings would be required. There were more than just sacrifices for sin.
Now to address some of your specific statements. Me get their hair cut. There is no command that tells men not to cut their hair. That is a very common misinterpretation. The verse you reference instructs us not to burn or mutilate our hair or to pull it out by the roots.
In your interpretation of Matthew 5:18 your saying he said the law would not be done away with til it's purpose was fulfilled. I see the purpose of the law being, as I previously stated, to show us how to live. That would still apply today. So what do you see the purpose of the law being since you do not think it is for today?
Is everything permissible now because of Jesus blood? Are we allowed to live as we please doing whatever we want? I sure hope you say no to that, for what kind of Christian would you be if you think it's ok to murder, or steal, or commit adultery.
So then let me ask you, how do you go about picking and choosing which laws you follow? There is no list anywhere in the new testament that says these laws here no longer apply to you. So how do you say murder and stealing are wrong but say eating pork and not observing the Sabbath are ok, just to name a big few.
Before you go saying Acts 10 makes unclean animals clean, look at what Peter said the vision meant. It was about men, not food.
And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
Acts 10:28 KJV
He never once says it's about food. He had the vision 3 times and right after that 3 men show up looking for him.
How do you know then he is talking about the Torah?Also you did a great job at quoting the writings of Paul but you misinterpret what he is saying. First of all I want to point out that Paul is a man like you and me, and like you and me he does not have the authority to change that which God has established. Secondly I would also like to point out there are several laws Paul mentions in his writings.
Thirdly I would like to quote Peter again for you when he said this of Paul's writings.
And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
2 Peter 3:15-16 KJV
I am by no means discrediting Paul at all, I'm just saying he is grossly misunderstood as Peter predicted.
@dmcamera did you have a chance to read over my comments?
I did, thanks!
I'm curious on your thoughts about what the Bible says in those passages.
You are one of the only other people that I have heard that uses The Scriptures (2009) for study. I commend you! That's awesome!
Thank you sir. I use it as well as the KJV and NKJV. I like the scriptures because I think it gives us the best understanding of what the original texts said in their native language, plus it uses the actual names
Exactly! I actually have a whole post on Scripture Translation which goes pretty into detail into all of that (although there is so much more that could be said as well).
Jesus is the word of God, He is not the bible. That's the point here sweetie, we need to make the difference between both and go beyond the scriptures to encounter the true Jesus by the Spirit through the physical scriptures. The Word of God is God according to John 1v1-3 but the bible or the scriptures are not God!
Much love and appreciation dear @littlenewthings