Free At Last brought up very interesting point on the "Death Penalty" Thread
"Here is where doctrine goes wrong. You say God gave us commandments that we cannot keep. That is not true. Show me scripture that teaches we cannot keep them. We can keep them but we choose not to. If a person holds that they cannot keep the commandments then they are not responsible for our sin. If we are defects who cannot preform to the commandments we would not be held accountable any more then a baby would. We can keep them but we volitionally choose not to."
So, do you agree with Free? Did the Lord give us the commandments knowing we could not keep them?
Well, if we could have kept them, then there would have been no need for Jesus to die on the cross, either.
Galatians 3:
21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid:
for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24 Wherefore
the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come,
we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
The Law could never bring life, so even if you could keep the Law(commandments of God), it would have been fruitless to do so. The Law(God's commandments) brings us unto Christ when we are shown the vile sinners that we were when we were in the bonds of sin. So the commandments will show us how evil our deeds are, and that we need a Saviour to be restored unto Him. Or that's how I see it.
Galatians:
21 I do not frustrate the grace of God:
for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Again, it shows that the Law could not bring righteousness, only the shed blood of Jesus Christ can.
Galatians 3:12-14
12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
13
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Galatians 4:4-6
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman,
made under the law,
5
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
6 And because ye are sons,
God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
So, Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the Law, because it could not bring eternal life. Neither could the commandments. In the OT days, you had to keep the Law(and commandments), but now, under the Grace Covenant, we are kept by the power of God.
1 Peter 1:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Or, again, this is how
I see it to be.
i am I AM's!!
Willis
