Claudia,
Let me state for the 3rd time on this tread alone what a legalists is.
It is not just one that keeps the LAW. You can be a legalists by not keeping the Law. A legalists is one that does what he does for he thinks it makes him holy. He then turns and points to others and says...DO AS I, AND YOU WILL BE JUST AS HOLY AS I.
You see, if we keep the law for the wrong reasons we will have pride. We are to do them in LOVE just as 1 John says. NOT TO BE HOLY.
We looked at 1 John before..lets look at chapter one.
Chapter 1..
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
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Notice .........
verse 6..IF we say we have followship..
Ok..this is clear that this is addressing the believer.
6 IF we say we have followship..and walk in darkness. YOU LIE!!
Now look at verse 8..
If we say we have no sin…THE TRUTH IS NOT IN US!!
Again..this is to the believer..right? What is a sin? A sin is a transgression of the Law of God. Right?
Verse 9..If we confess our sins…
Notice this…in order to confess our sins…means we SIN. I know yo do not say we can not sin. Stick with me..the point is coming next.
What we have up to this point is a believer SINNING. right?
ok..now comes the good part..
Notice also…the end of verse 9…our unrighteousness is CLEANSED. Now…if we are now clean..this makes us righteousness. Notice this cleaning did not come from our good deeds but from Gods CLEANSING. NOW THAT IS WHAT I"M TALKING ABOUT...((high 5)))
10….If we say we have no sin…YOU LIE!!!
Again..this is to believers. Believers sin too.
Notice also in verse 10…
If we say we have no sin…we are saying we have righteousness already..and we are trusting in OUR WORKS..and..His word is not in us. Now..this clearly shows we are not to trust in good works but Gods cleaning power.
Now..what do you trust in?
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Chapter 2..
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
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Notice verse 1..”My little children”…again this letter is address those in the Church..the believers.
Notice in 1..IF…meaning when…when we sin..we have a advocate. Yes we all sin. We break Gods Law.
Notice also in 1..when we sin..where does our righteousness come from? Jesus Christ….NOT our good deeds. (((HIGH 5)))
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you asked..
"and so? why do you have such an aversion to the commandments then and call us legalists if you believe in keeping them?
I called no one a legalist. I told you what one was. If you say you fit the bill...then it is YOU calling yourself a legalist.
You posted..
"8: Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
9: For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended (SUMMARIZED) in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10: Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."
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I have never said to any one at any time we shold not keep the Law. Again..it is the REASON why we keep it that makes it wrong or right. If you think this is your ticket to heaven..you got the wrong ticket. If you keep the Law because you LOVE GOD..now thats the ticket
(((high 5)))
you said..
""Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." Deuteronomy 6:4,5. "
Ok you get a (((high 5))) for this one. This is WHY we do His will. We worship Him..We love Him. Not because we want to find favor with God.
In Christ...James