The Bible makes it plain that True Christians are to keep God�s commandments. The Apostle John wrote: "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:3�6).
But how can True Christians walk "just as He walked"? If Jesus Christ had to come and give His life because all have violated God�s law, how can anyone keep that law? Again, perhaps the most concise explanation was given by the Apostle Paul. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ LIVETH in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20, KJV).
A True Christian does not obey the law on his own, but through the power of Christ living in Him. Paul goes on to emphasize that law-keeping comes through the grace of God, and that law-keeping does NOT earn grace. "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain"(Galatians 2:21). With God�s grace, a converted Christian WILL keep the law; but without that grace, NO AMOUNT of effort will bring righteousness and salvation.
WHAT SHOULD A CHRISTIAN DO?
One can recognize a True Christian as someone striving, through Christ�s help, to live by every word of God (cf. Matthew 4:4)."Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect"(Matthew 5:48). By yielding to Jesus Christ, the fruits of the True Spirit will become more and more evident in a Christian�s life.
A True Christian is more than someone who "knows" the truth. The Gnostics believed that "knowledge" brought salvation, and some today would deny that one has to "do" anything as a True and faithful Christian. Yet Scripture gives a very different instruction: "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22).
True Christians are to DO as Christ did. In the "Great Commission" He instructed His followers: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations BAPTIZING them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe ALL THINGS that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19�20). True Christians are to take His message to "all the nations" and teach "all things" that He COMMANDED! They were NOT to CHANGE or alter His message so much that it is today almost unrecognizable!
Walter ~ I truly appreciate your reply and perspective pertaining to all discussed in this tread. The bottom line is I do not agree with your interpretations. I accept that You, I & Others have differences and it is as it is�
The question on this tread is�� How can a Christian live as Christ did ? My contribution an belief is�As best We can in these dark times an fallin world. By reading an studying His WORD, not mans interpretation. Allowing the Holy Spirit that is within an given us by Jesus to (ALL) Hebrew/Jew/Israel/Gentile, born again/converted. To teach Us in His (Jesus*) ways�.luv ya all�.xo
Mark, it is heresy to tell people that they are required to keep the Sabbath. That is presenting another gospel
mine here
mark just said it was his belief and he got his beliefs out the bible.. same as you did.. we all may intrepret things out the bible differently and believe differently here ..
no one else is runnin around calling you names such as heretic , a false gospel spreader ect. just because they believe differently than you...
your words to jude,,,
Now let me say this and please I hope no one is offended but it needs to be said just as Paul would and did in Galatians. Those who are believing and teaching that we have to "Keep the Mosaic Laws" is saying that Christ Jesus' sacrifice was not sufficient for salvation. This is presenting "Another gospel" and it is Heresy! You may not realize this but this is in essence what is transpiring.
I hope you see the seriousness in this. The real potential danger and why it is so important to have a firm foundation in the true Gospel so you will not be BEWITCHED into believing another Gospel that actually takes you away from Christ. This is of the Devil and you need to be on guard against it.
mine here
usually when one starts off with i hope no one is offended ,theres fixin to be an offence.. a premeditated offence id say..
your words to arch
Yes Steve perhaps it is time I change my focus for a while to expose the truth about the Roman Catholic Church, the "Harlot" of Revelation 17 and all the evil they have done and their Heretical teachings. It is time to compare the teachings of scripture to that of the Vatican and see if they line up with the truth.
mine here
i seen the word liers and harlot, evil,heretics in that same post walter..
when someone questions you or doesnt believe as you do or wont believe as you do... you tend to start using some very harsh words and lay claim to total truth ...
as the admin here has told you before your truth ,your facts may not be everyone elses facts or truth..
i need to ask you once again to please stop with insultin and name calling and antagonizing others and their churches and denominations here.. you called the mans church a harlot.. do you really believe that fits inside the rules laid out here? let me make it clear it dont.. and none of the other names and things do either..
so please stop with it.. thanks
marks words to you
I would also like to point out that I usually say "I believe", meaning...it's my belief. I'm not saying anyone needs to follow my belief. I'm just sharing it. So please lay off the heresy comments unless you want me to call you a hypocrite, Mr. Iamrightyouarewrong.
mine here
the mans got one heck of a point there.. you see what will happen if we stop discussing and start just name calling..
see thats all itll ever be is back and forth name callin if we just allow it to continue..
There is only one truth. Truth is not relative. Facts are also not relative. A fact is a fact which differs from an "opinion". History is history. If history is going to "offend" someone because it exposes the factual truth, then that is their issue. Is it wrong to state historical facts because it may be too difficult for some people to swallow?
If someone teaches that we have to keep the Mosaic Covenant in addition to having Faith in Christ, Paul made it abundantly clear that that is Heresy. There is no escaping that "label". False Teaching and Heresy means the same thing. Do you not see the danger my Brother? Do you not understand how baby Christians who read these boards can be led down the wrong path that could affect their salvation?
Gal 1: 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
Those are pretty strong words from Paul. He was not being gentle.
I didn't call Mark a heretic. I said that what was being taught is Heresy. That is my belief, clearly supported by scriptures which I have a right to express. If someone wants to call what I teach as being heretical, then let them have at it. It doesn't offend me. But I will just say...let them prove it.
Cattle do you understand that the Roman Catholic Church is not a true Christian faith? Do you understand the various False teachings that are fundamentally in direct contradiction to scriptures? Do you understand that this once noble local church in Rome later drifted away and became Apostate?
what you say here " I said that what was being taught is Heresy. That is my belief, clearly supported by scriptures "
ya see the problem lies within that the others who disagree with your interpretations.. they believe the same as you that theyre giving you their belief and clearly supported by scripture to them as well.. so then you have two sides both believeing they have given scripture to clearly show they got it right..
thats havin a discussion.. but when you stop discussing and turn to name calling the other side its not a discussion anymore..
its very possible to speak ones beliefs without goin to calling those who disagree with us names.. and even bashing their denomination or churches.. and most folks here can and do so without the name callin...
its a very few who choose to name call .. see most folks understand that its against the rules here to do so .. so they respect the sites rules and they dont name call ect..
and if they do then once spoken to they tend to stop usually..theres only a few that wanna keep on name calling ect..
and specially after the admin has had to speak to em and ask em to please stop.. and explained to em that their truth and their facts may not be everyone elses here..
i dont know how much plainer than that one can get..
weve been over this again and again.. and yet it continues..it ought not be so.. it just needs to stop..
:rolleyes: That's kinda the definition of a heretic isn't it? Someone that speaks heresy? Anyway...I do not believe we are under the mosaic covenant. Jesus never said..."if you love me, be circumcised" or "If you love me, sacrifice sheep" or "if you live me, keep all the feasts"...but He did say "No adultery, no stealing, no lying, no coveting, no murder, honor you father and mother, don't worship other Gods" and His apostles said "no idolatry, don't take God's name in vain". It should be very clear that Gods moral law was the ten commandments because all of the stuff Christians have to do are from the ten commandments!:dunce: And as far as the 4th one...if God kept it in the garden of Eden then it puts it before the mosaic covenant and into God's moral law. I believe everyone in heaven was keeping the 7th day before the earth was created, and I believe we'll be keeping it again in heaven. If the sabbath wasn't part of Gods moral law it would not have been in the 10 commandments, and it only makes perfect sense that God would put His moral law into the first covenant. It would have been kinda dumb not too...but that doesn't mean it disappears when God removed the first covenant at the cross. If the 10 commandments were done away with...then why are Jesus's apostles teaching them after His death? Shouldn't they all be gone and new commandments being taught? And if only 9 of them apply to gentiles...what happened to the 4th? Anyway...it just seems like poor reasoning to me...
4th Commandment OT: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." (Ex 20:8-11)
"For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day." (Mt12:8/Lk 6:5) (So the Sabbath is the real Lord's Day)
"But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day." Mt 24:20 (speaking of the time of tribulation just before His second coming)
"And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath." (Mk 2:27,28)(Jesus didn't say the Sabbath was made for the Jews)
"And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath." (Acts13:42) (the Gentiles wanted to hear the word of God on the next Sabbath. Paul didn't tell them, "Come back tomorrow")
"And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God." (Acts 13:44)
"And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made." (Acts16:13)
"And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures." (Acts17:2)
"And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks." (Acts18:4)
Hebrews 4:4 "For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. 5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. 6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: 7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day? 9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
"For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 66:22,23)
So...by using your reasoning, there are only 7 commandments now...and because we're "gentiles" we can now worship idols because Jesus didn't give the "command". Because we're "gentiles" we get to supersede God's commands? :devil:
"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, :stop:nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:stop: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." (Ex 20:8-11)
I guess it's not really that relevant, but I just thought it was kinda funny for some reason...:dunce: You know...the old testament definition of a "stranger" is an outsider(non-Jew).
That would fall under good stuff. Like I said, I would even feel like it was ok to "work" as long as your were really helping someone and not just doing it for the money. Adventists have the second largest christian medical system in the world, and we don't shut it down on Saturday. It is lawful to do good, and especially to help/heal people on the Sabbath.
