Have you ever wondered why Christ is referred as a stumbling stone of offense as found in Romans Romans 9:32 and 33?
Romans 9:32 �Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
Romans 9:33 �As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
I believe the reason so many people instead of only putting their faith and trust in what Christ has done for them by becoming guilty for their sins and paying the price for them, they want to add to it by being water baptized, doing good works, attending church faithfully, doing their tithes, following any kind of religious tom foolery instead of having a child like faith.
Mark 10:15 �Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
I Truly don�t believe you really care much what anyone here thinks�but since you asked�
No I don�t wonder about the verse you are quoting�But I do wonder why you wonder about it when you are admonishing other persons for not being of Child Like Faith�Hummmm�
We that are Christian�Are Children of God�He is OUR Father�as to the rest of your comments��{ by being water baptized, doing good works, attending church faithfully, doing their tithes, following any kind of religious TOM Foolery Instead of Having a Child Like Faith.) These are a conversation and subject all to own�and can be discussed on another thread�
I also think and believe people should read the entire chapter Rom 9:1-33 to understand the writing is about Hebrew / Israel / Jew Stumbling with the Acceptance and Belief of Jesus* being Whom He is�GOD�and comparing the Gentiles faith with the Jews�Please read�
9:30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness that is of faith.
9:31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
I am not sure that "him" was referring to Jesus as a stumblingstone. I agree with Jude, we might want to go to the root of language to find out who this "him" refers to..
Israel was depending on their own righteousness to save them, so when Jesus came and showed them how disgusting they were, they weren't very happy and they would not accept Him. He was a stumbling block to them. But I have to say, Jesus Himself says "If you love Me, keep my commandments". Works without faith are filthy rags, faith without works is dead. Faith comes first, then works. Claiming "just faith" is just as bad as claiming "just works". If you're not working and bearing fruit, then you're not changed into His likeness. What did Jesus do? Just preach the faith? Nope. He lived the faith.
I was water baptized, I go to church, I pay tithe, I try to do good works...why? Not to save myself, but because I love God and He asked me to.
It seems Christ is still as much a stumbling stone today as he was when He offered Israel their Messiah and was rejected by them.
There are no works involved to be saved or salvation would not be a free gift.
Ephesians 2:8 �For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 �Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 �For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Good works does not come from keeping the Sabbath, tithing, water baptism or of any other physical ordinance one can think of. Many professing believers I have found don't even know what an ordinance contained within the law is.
An ordinance is a regulation contained within the Mosaic Law that included, all different baptisms, the Passover, Tithing, animal sacrifices, traditions and rituals ordained by God for physical worship in a physical temple and these regulations included the home, and everything including cooking, how to prepare the food and what kinds of foods to eat, the list seems endless. Each and every good work under the Mosaic Law were abolished, nailed to the cross. That nullified any possible good work that could be done by any person today and be pleasing to God. Their works are dead if God since the Lord has come and kept everyone one of them for us. We need Christ in us not what Christ has already done.
We do still have God's moral laws for good works but not any religious rules for a believer to perform for good works for salvation or to please God after we saved. Once we are saved and have the peace of Christ in us as a free gift what need or what would it accomplish to continue striving what has already been done for us and added to our account just for having faith and taking God at his word?
Ephesians 2:13 �But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 �For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 �Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Colossians 2:14 �Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 �And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 �Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 �Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
God tells us in his word that ordinances under the law were types and shadows of Christ. But now we have Christ, and having Christ in us is a believers saving fruit today. It isn't what we do physically aside from God's moral laws but allowing Christ to work in us, by obeying His instructions for believers in the church. I'll list some of them at the end of this reply.
Here is God's word to tell us we worship by spirit and not with the physical.
John 4:23 �But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 �God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
If a person will read the scriptures before and after John 4:23-34 they will find Israel will one day worship God only in spirit and truth. That time has come. There are no more holy days, traditions, and only one baptism and that is spiritual.
Proof: Ephesians 4:5 �One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Colossians 2:12 �Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13 ��And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 �Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Galatians 4:9 �But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
10 �Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
11 �I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
I don't see how God's word can be any plainer than what is given.
Today God's will is to worship Him spiritually in truth and part of that truth is not found in man's philosophies and traditions.
Colossians 2:8 �Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Believers are commanded to be united spiritually and this can only be done by God and not by man's efforts.
1 Corinthians 1:10 �Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
18 �For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
2 Corinthians 5:7 �(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
Today a believers body is God's holy temple and His church is His people that are living stones that make up a spiritual house. There is no such thing as a holy temple made of stone, or a building made of wood that is God's house.
1 Peter 2:5 �Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
The bottom line for good works is once we are saved and we allow Christ to work through us in our new man, a new creation that is neither Jew or Gentile, and we allow God to teach us his spiritual will for us found only in His word then we will produce good works for service rendered. Good works were never intended or authorized by God for salvation but only for service once we are saved. Our good works then show others we belong to Christ.They also can see Christ working in us for Christ glory, not anything we can boast about.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Ephesians 6:7 �With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
8 �Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
Romans 10:17 �So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 14:23 �And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
