Sai
Well-Known Member
Are you claiming atpollard to be a sheep? When did you become a sheep? Is "sheep" a metaphor for a born again Christian? Is it a metaphor for the Christian church that is founded upon the death , burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ? If you will accept the fact that the apostle Paul is given the revelation and doctrines of the NT church of Jesus Christ, which I am almost sure you will not,, why does he not present the church as a sheepfold and born again Christians as sheep? He wrote 13 letters to teach and explain the church. You would think that he would have used the terminology that you are forcing upon the church, sheep and sheepfold and the like. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the subsequent pouring out from heaven of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God and of Christ in a particular time in history to indwell men and assure them of the new birth means little to nothing to Calvinists, especially the hyper ones. It is tragic that the most important and wonderful thing that ever happened in history has to take second place to some kind of ethereal election of a few special people who fancy themselves as sheep of God.
It amazes me that Paul only uses the term "sheep" one time in his 13 letters and that is in the context of his addressing Jews in this present time, after God had ended the Law of Moses as his operative principle of divine dealing with the Jews and gentiles were accepted now equally with them, not by becoming proselytes to Israel but by becoming children of God through the spiritual new birth. This was written in AD 58, twenty eight years after Chris,t through his death, had ended the law by fulfilling all of it's requirements and was the Lamb that took away the sin of the world, according to God, but not according to Calvinists, who are not only ignorant of the scope of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ but are also deniers of it. This kind of false teaching is not something that God is tolerant of. What one says about this wonderful person had better be the same thing that God the Father says about him in his record, the Holy Scriptures, the one and only standard of truth by which all teaching must be compared. The lake of fire is going to be populated by the deceived.It is one thing to quietly reject God's offer of salvation and quite another to replace it with something else and then to teach it to others as truth.
Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Heb 10:9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
Heb 9:16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
2 Cor 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life
Some Reformed here have actually suggested in their comments that men had the Spirit of life before Christ died on the cross. Makes one wonder why he died if that were true.
Gal 3:15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.
16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. (in the Abrahamic Covenant) He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after (after the Abrahamic covenant of promise) , cannot disannul, (The Moses Covenant does not disannul the promise of the Abrahamic Covenant) that it should make the promise of none effect.
18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
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.(What is the promise? It is Life. What is life? This chapter identifies it as the Spirit of Christ).
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.
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
The Jews did not get the Spirit by being drawn to Jesus by the Father in John 6. Neither did they become sheep because of it. They were already sheep and they belonged to the Father. The Lord Jesus became their shepherd when they willingly obeyed the Father. Gentiles never become sheep. They become children of God by faith in Jesus Christ.
I hope you will consider these things.
David, the prophets, Melchizedek, had the Spirit of God.
