The Function of the Law in the New Covenant..pt2

As do I, but I think you miss Paul's point concerning Gentiles...

We do by nature the things CONTAINED in the law...as a Law unto ourselves...

What he is saying here, we are so devoid of spiritual life that even when we make our own laws, we break even them!

We make a law...

Wear a seat belt or get a ticket--we break it
Don't drive over 75--we break it
Don't forget to pay your taxes--we break it
Don't make moonshine--we break it

If there were laws to "Do" good--visit nursing homes once a week--we'd break it!

It's simple really.

 

It is you who doesn't get it. The Moral Law is the law of love.
We express our love to God by not putting other gods before Him, by not worshipping idols or images, by not misusing His name and by giving one day in seven wholly to His worship and to rest.
We express our love to our neighbours by honouring our parents, not hating or killing, not committing adultery, not stealing, not lying and by not coveting their possessions. If we are Christians, these laws are written on our hearts, and if we love Christ, we keep them.

 

'Truly, this only I have found: God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes' (Eccl. 7:29).

'For when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law , are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written on their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them' (Romans 2:14-15).

 

Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Now, I know some people on this board will quote Matthew 22:37-38, which says, "37 And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Jesus ends this passage by saying, "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets". Jesus is saying that it is love for God, and sacrificial love towards our neighbor (each other), that binds the Law together. Because I love God I can love others. I am able to love God (and others) because I have the Holy Spirit and my heart has been changed. Because I love God, and because I have the Holy Spirit, I have the ability to obey God, whereas in my previous sinful state I could only disobey God (Romans 3). So, I am motivated by love to obey God's commandments, which includes His eternal moral law which is not bound to tablets of stone but are written on my heart.

 

ROFL!!!!

Your imagination is as bad as the Reformed clique.

 

The Ten Commandments were not for believers like Abraham. God did not need to tell the faithful not to steal. But they were for wicked people as Paul says. If they were good, they would not have needed the Ten Commandments.

But, believers of all time have the Two Great Commandments in their hearts. Love of God and neighbor as your equal. The Ten Commandments hung from the Two at a level Al Capone could obey, provided there was something in it for him.

Under the Ten, bad people do good things for the wrong reasons. Under the Two, people do good things for the right reasons, because of their Born Again nature.

 

As I said, what an imagination. I challenge you to make this stretch from Eccl 7:29 to change the rest of the context of Romans 2 concerning the law.

12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without the law: and as many as have sinned under the law shall be judged by the law;
13 for not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified:
14 (for when Gentiles that have not the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are the law unto themselves;
15 in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing them);
16 in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men, according to my gospel, by Jesus Christ.
17 But if thou bearest the name of a Jew, and restest upon the law, and gloriest in God,
18 and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law,
19 and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them that are in darkness,
20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having in the law the form of knowledge and of the truth;
21 thou therefore that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
22 thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou rob temples?
23 thou who gloriest in the law, through thy transgression of the law dishonorest thou God?
24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you, even as it is written.
25 For circumcision indeed profiteth, if thou be a doer of the law: but if thou be a transgressor of the law, thy circumcision is become uncircumcision.
26 If therefore the uncircumcision keep the ordinances of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be reckoned for circumcision?
27 and shall not the uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who with the letter and circumcision art a transgressor of the law?

 

Except externally Pharisees could keep them...and ignored the weightier things...like Faith and Mercy and Judgment.

 

Instead of making this stretch between two unrelated passages, what hinders you from accepting the obvious scriptural interpretation? What sort of precious sacred cow of your Reformed dogma gets bashed if you accept the obvious scriptural interpretation?

13 for not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified:
14 (for when Gentiles that have not the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are the law unto themselves;
15 in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing them); Ro 2

16 This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, saith the Lord: I will put my laws on their heart, And upon their mind also will I write them; then saith he, Heb 10

33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: Jer 31

3 being made manifest that ye are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in tables that are hearts of flesh. 2 Cor 3

 

You've about worn that one out Icon. So all you need do to ignore the obvious is to 'imagine' ceremonial law anywhere you want it to be in the text of Romans 2?

I'll ask you the same question, what hinders you from accepting the obvious scriptural interpretation? What sort of precious sacred cow of your Reformed dogma gets bashed if you accept the obvious scriptural interpretation?

13 for not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified:
14 (for when Gentiles that have not the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are the law unto themselves;
15 in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing them); Ro 2

16 This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, saith the Lord: I will put my laws on their heart, And upon their mind also will I write them; then saith he, Heb 10

33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: Jer 31

3 being made manifest that ye are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in tables that are hearts of flesh. 2 Cor 3

 

That is why our Lord preached the sermon on the mount.
The law is spiritual (Romans 7:14), and must be understood so. That is why our righteousness must exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees. We need the imputed righteousness of Christ.

 

I do accept the obvious Scriptural interpretation. What I don't do is make a stretch between two unrelated passages.

We all know unsaved people who do the things contained in any individual law. Not every reprobate commits adultery, steals, kills etc. When such people behave like that they show the work of the law written on their hearts. They know deep down what's right and what isn't. When they sin, their consciences accuse or excuse them (unless those consciences are totally insensitive, 'seared with a hot iron.' 1 Tim. 4:2). Their righteousness doesn't save them because it is only partial at best. That is the meaning of Romans 2:14-15 and it goes very well with Ecclesiastes 7:29. People know what right and wrong because God's law was written on the heart of Adam although that knowledge has been largely defaced by the Fall.
When people are born again, the law is re-written on their hearts, something wonderfully adumbrated in Scripture by God writing His laws a second time (Exodus 34:1-4).

 

Which is why i say Love exceeds the Law (because love requires the Spirit as well as desires to be godly).

 

Maybe we are talking passed each other?

Love Seeks God. The Law "restricts evil". Love creates desires. Law suppresses evil desires. Love has proper motivation. It's all about Christ in us--the hope of Glory. Many people (including on this thread) have yet to speak of Christ living in them for any aspect of practical righteousness--which the law cannot produce.

 

BUT the law does not cause obedience...THE SPIRIT Does...

Galatians 5
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy,[d] drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do[e] such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

 

First, my affections are towards God and His Christ--by the power of the Spirit. This is not produced by the law in and of itself.