Delivered From the Law

[prism]

The law was not given as a system of merit, for salvation has never been by merit, it has always been by faith (Ge 15:6, Ro 4:1-5, Eph 2:8-9).

The law was given to reveal sin (Ro 3:20).

Ok, I had said, "To reject the imputation of Christ's righteousness puts one back under the law ( as a system of merit )".

When I said a system of merit, I was only clarifying my statement 'back under the law', which means a person is putting themselves under a system of merit if they return to the law as a means of justification. In other words, I believe we are saying the same thing.

 

[Eleanor]

Covenant Theology ~ by ReverendRV * March 2

Romans 4:5 KJV; And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

Jesus told the people that their Righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisee’s. Now this is no small task, as the Pharisees were a Jewish sect noted for their strong adherence to the Law of God. After the Ten Commandments were given to Israel through the Prophet Moses, God’s Law was refined by the people over the years, sometimes going too far in their devotion to it. Here’s an example; the Disciples of Jesus were eating the heads off wheat from a field on a Saturday, and some Pharisees claimed it was a violation of the Commandment to keep the Sabbath Holy. Jesus went on to explain to them why the Disciples had not broken God’s Law; ultimately it was because Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. This is an example of how legalistic the Pharisees were; but Jesus said our Righteousness must surpass their standard; how can any of us be that Good??

A young Pharisee came to Jesus and asked him what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him that he must keep the Ten Commandments; keeping the Law of God is Righteousness. This Pharisee kept many of the Ten Commandments since his childhood, but Jesus knew which one of these Commandments would cause this young Ruler to stumble; because he was also rich. Jesus said, ‘Thou shalt not Covet; go sell your possessions and give to the Poor’. Because of his Coveting, the rich young Pharisee ‘Kept’ his possessions; instead of God’s Commandment. The Commandments he actually Kept were now Counted as Sin instead of counted as Righteousness. Among all men, the Rich Young Pharisee actually had lived a more righteous life than almost anyone could ever live; but your Righteousness must surpass even that of the Pharisees. ~ I’m afraid that we would have Sinned far easier than this Pharisee did; he kept the Sabbath day Holy and perfectly honored his parents. Have you been THIS Good? Have you ever told a Lie? Then you will quickly be found guilty on the Day of Judgment and be sentenced to an eternity in Hell…

But Jesus said that your Righteousness MUST surpass that of the Pharisees; there has to be a way! There’s only been one person who ever had his personal Righteousness surpass that of a Pharisee’s; Jesus Christ himself. Covenant Theology teaches that as our Representative, Adam Sinned by not keeping the Covenant of Works. ‘Thou shalt not eat fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil’; but Adam did eat and thus Condemned us all. Jesus is the ‘Second Adam’ who never Sinned, thus keeping the Covenant of Works! He shares this accomplishment with all who put their Faith in him as their risen Lord and Savior; thus we keep the Covenant of Works through him!

The Law was not given to save, for salvation has always been by faith (Ge 15:6).

The Law was given to reveal sin (Ro 3:20).

Saint Paul tells us that through Faith, the Covenant of Grace transfers ‘Funds’ from the Covenant of Works to our personal accounts; Faith is ‘counted’ as Law keeping. ~ Christ’s Disciples asked Jesus what they must do to be able to perform the Works God requires; Jesus said, ‘This is the Work God requires - to Believe in the one whom he sent’. Through Faith, the Covenant of God’s Grace is counted as our having Kept the Covenant of Works. Repent of your Sin and believe on Jesus Christ, then you will be Forgiven; and your Righteousness will surpass that of the Pharisees. Find a Gospel Church and start reading the Bible. In it you will find out about an Old Covenant and the New Covenant; commonly known as “Testaments’ these days…

Romans 3:21 KJV; But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

 

[ReverendRV]

The Law was not given to save, for salvation has always been by faith (Ge 15:6).

The Law was given to reveal sin (Ro 3:20).

The Law was given to Adam; before he needed Salvation...

Covenant Theology...

 

[Eleanor]

Ok, I had said, "To reject the imputation of Christ's righteousness puts one back under the law ( as a system of merit )".

When I said a system of merit, I was only clarifying my statement 'back under the law', which means a person is putting themselves under a system of merit if they return to the law as a means of justification. In other words, I believe we are saying the same thing.

The law was not given as a system of merit for salvation.

You can't put yourself under what does not exist; i.e., a system of merit.
There is no merit to salvation in law-keeping.

 

[prism]

A young Pharisee came to Jesus and asked him what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him that he must keep the Ten Commandments; keeping the Law of God is Righteousness. This Pharisee kept many of the Ten Commandments since his childhood, but Jesus knew which one of these Commandments would cause this young Ruler to stumble; because he was also rich. Jesus said, ‘Thou shalt not Covet; go sell your possessions and give to the Poor’. Because of his Coveting, the rich young Pharisee ‘Kept’ his possessions; instead of God’s Commandment. The Commandments he actually Kept were now Counted as Sin instead of counted as Righteousness. Among all men, the Rich Young Pharisee actually had lived a more righteous life than almost anyone could ever live; but your Righteousness must surpass even that of the Pharisees. ~ I’m afraid that we would have Sinned far easier than this Pharisee did; he kept the Sabbath day Holy and perfectly honored his parents. Have you been THIS Good? Have you ever told a Lie? Then you will quickly be found guilty on the Day of Judgment and be sentenced to an eternity in Hell…

This story occurs in all three (synoptic) Gospels, with the question "Who then can be saved?"
Jesus' response?...
Matthew 19:25-26 KJV
When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? [26] But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Mark 10:26-27 KJV
And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? [27] And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
Luke 18:26-27 KJV
And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? [27] And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

 

[prism]

The law was not given as a system of merit for salvation.

You can't put yourself under what does not exist; i.e., a system of merit.
There is no merit to salvation in law-keeping.

I guess you did not read what I wrote.

 

[Eleanor]

The Law was given to Adam; before he needed Salvation...

Covenant Theology...

By Law I mean the Decalogue.

 

[ReverendRV]

By Law I mean the Decalogue.

Ask Presbyterians here; the Edenic Covenant of Works and the Mosaic Covenant of Works are one in the same...

Presbyterian Covenant Theology...

 

[Eleanor]

Ask Presbyterians here; the Edenic Covenant of Works and the Mosaic Covenant of Works are one in the same...

Presbyterian Covenant Theology...

Where do we find that in Scripture?

The Decalogue was given to reveal sin (Ro 3:20), not to make righteous.

The sinner born with the imputation of Adam's sin (Ro 5:17, 18-19) cannot be made righteous by law keeping.

 

[ReverendRV]

Where do we find that in Scripture?

You find it in Presbyterian Covenant Theology...

Look if you want; or not...

 

[Eleanor]

You find it in Presbyterian Covenant Theology...

Look if you want; or not...

My authority is Scripture.

 

[Soyeong]

The answer to this is our Widowhood from the Mosaic Law of God; we are now free to Marry another Law of God; IE the Royal Law of Christ. The Christian is never Lawless, as in Antinomian; we are now under a new Federal Head; the Lord God Jesus Christ...

This reminds me of an example. I watch reviews of mobile Power Supplies. One test is if the Power Supply can keep a Laptop Computer functioning without it shutting down, due to the Laptop's power changing from the Wall plug-in to the Power Station at the press of the button. The Power Station is plugged into the Wall, and the Laptop is plugged into the Power Station. The Laptop is running on 110 power from the wall through what is called a "Pass Through" function; bypassing the Power Station's internal battery. When you turn the Power Station on, there is a Lag that may occur as it starts powering the Laptop with it's Internal Battery only; this can cause the Laptop to cut off. But a good Power Station transitions so fast from 110 power to battery power, the Laptop can't tell the difference...

This is the way it is for the new Christian; we are never without the Law of God, even though Federal Headship over the Law changes for Us. We graduate from the Law of Adam/Moses, and are now able to Keep the Law of Christ; which let's our new Consciences be our guide...

The Bible does not speak about multiple Laws of God, but rather the Law of Christ is the same as the Law of the Spirit and the Law of the Father, which was given to Moses. The Hebrew word "yada" refers to an intimate relationship/knowledge gained through experience, such as in Genesis 4:1, Adam knew (yada) Eve, she conceived, and gave birth to Cain. God's way is the way to know (yada) Him and Jesus by being in His likeness through being a doer of His character traits, which is the way to eternal life (John 17:3). For example, in Genesis 18:19, God knew (yada) Abraham and that he would teach his children and those of His household to walk in His way by being a doer of righteousness and justice that the Lord might bring to him all that He has promised. Again, according to Exodus 33:13, 1 Kings 2:1-3, and Matthew 7:23, the goal of the Mosaic Law is to teach us how to know God and Jesus by walking in His way, so the way to have an intimate relationship with Christ is not by becoming widowed to God's instructions for how to have an intimate relationship with Him and the way to become unified with God's word made flesh is not by becoming widowed to God's word.

In Matthew 4:15-23, Christ began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand, which was a light to the Gentiles, and the Law of Moses was how his audience knew what sin is (Romans 3:20), so repenting form our disobedience to it is a central part of the Gospel of the Kingdom. Christ also set a sinless example for us to follow of how to walk in obedience to the Law of Moses and as his followers we are told to follow his example (1 Peter 2:21-22) and that those who are in Christ are obligated to walk in the same way that he walked (1 John 2:6). So Christ spent his ministry teaching his followers to obey the Law of Moses by word and by example and the Royal Law of Christ is not something other than or contrary to anything that Christ taught.

The Law of Moses is perfect (Psalms 19:7), it is of liberty (Psalms 119:45), and it blesses those who obey it (Psalms 119:1-3), so when James 1:25 speaks about the perfect law of liberty that blesses those who obey it, he was not saying anything about the Law of Moses that wasn't already said in the Psalms and he was not speaking about a different Law of God.

Christ quoted three times from Deuteronomy in order to defeat the temptations of Satan, including saying that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God, so he affirmed Deuteronomy and everything that comes from the mouth of God. In Deuteronomy 12:32, it is a sin to add to or subtract from the law, so Jesus did not do that. In John 14:23, Jesus said that his teachings were not his own, but that of the Father, so he was not teaching his own set of laws. God's word made flesh having Federal Headship over us does not involve doing anything other than following God's word.

 

[Soyeong]

To reject the imputation of Christ's righteousness puts one back under the law ( as a system of merit ).

While the only way for someone to attain a character trait is through faith, what it means for them to attain a character trait is for them to become a doer of that trait. For example, the only way for someone to become courageous is through faith apart from being required to have first done enough courageous works in order to earn it as the result, but it would be contradictory for someone to become courageous apart from becoming a doer of courageous works, and the same is true for righteousness and every other character trait. This is why the same faith by which we are declared righteous apart from works does not abolish our need to be a doer of righteous works in obedience to God's law, but rather our faith upholds it (Romans 3:28-31). In other words, everyone who has faith will be declared righteous and everyone who has faith is a doer of God's law, which is how Paul can deny in Romans 4:1-5 that we can earn our righteousness as the result of our works while also affirming in Romans 2:13 that only the doers of the law will be declared righteous. Christ expressed His righteousness through his actions by being a dear of righteous works in obedience to God's law, so that is also the gift that we get to have when we are imputed with his righteousness.

I see a new law written on our hearts impelling us, but not forcing us as in ...

Jeremiah 31:33 KJV
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

I know we are not Israel, but the principle remains the same; the only difference is, we have remaining flesh (the old man) to contend with.

In Deuteronomy 30, it gives the basis for the New Covenant, where the Israelites will return from exile, God will circumcise their hearts, and they will return to obedience to the Torah, which is what Jeremiah 31:33 and Ezekiel 33:26-27 are speaking in regard to, so they are not speaking about following a new law.

Ok, I had said, "To reject the imputation of Christ's righteousness puts one back under the law ( as a system of merit )".

When I said a system of merit, I was only clarifying my statement 'back under the law', which means a person is putting themselves under a system of merit if they return to the law as a means of justification. In other words, I believe we are saying the same thing.

Someone still would not earn their righteousness as the result of their obedience to God's law even if they managed to have perfect obedience to it (Romans 4:1-5), so that has always been a fundamental misunderstanding of why we should obey it.

 

[Dave]

Why is Jesus the end of the Law for righteousness for those who believe? Think of the implications of that passage alone. Those who do not believe are still under the Law and will be judged by it. The Law is still the standard. That never changed. The reason it isn't the standard for believers is because Jesus fulfilled it's requirements for us and became our righteousness, the righteousness of God, and with His atonement, 'In Him' He became our justification.

Matthew 5:17-17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
this was in the context of obeying the commandments.

 

[ReverendRV]

Why is Jesus the end of the Law for righteousness for those who believe? Think of the implications of that passage alone. Those who do not believe are still under the Law and will be judged by it. The Law is still the standard. That never changed. The reason it isn't the standard for believers is because Jesus fulfilled it's requirements for us and became our righteousness, the righteousness of God, and with His atonement, 'In Him' He became our justification.

Matthew 5:17-17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
this was in the context of obeying the commandments.

Deuteronomy 6:25 BSB; And if we are careful to observe every one of these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us, then that will be our righteousness.”

The Covenant of Works had to be able to do this even after the Fall, for Jesus to be able to Keep it. This is his Human Righteousness; and it is ours by Grace. Christ's Works Righteousness is credited to Us...

Yes, I'm a 5-Point Calvinist; I know the Law was given for the purpose of the Knowledge of Sin. But it still offers Righteousness to anyone who can Keep it. The only person who can do this is Jesus. It's both a Way, and a Warning...

 

[prism]

While the only way for someone to attain a character trait is through faith, what it means for them to attain a character trait is for them to become a doer of that trait.

How much of 'doing' must go on before one attains a character trait?

For example, the only way for someone to become courageous is through faith apart from being required to have first done enough courageous works in order to earn it as the result, but it would be contradictory for someone to become courageous apart from becoming a doer of courageous works, and the same is true for righteousness and every other character trait.

This sounds like a 'word salad' as well as unbiblical, i.e putting the cart before the horse.

This is why the same faith by which we are declared righteous apart from works does not abolish our need to be a doer of righteous works in obedience to God's law, but rather our faith upholds it (Romans 3:28-31).

Our faith in Jesus upholds the law when we proclaim ourselves as law breakers and Jesus, Who fully kept the law in our stead. We exalt Him as the Law keeper and confess ourselves as law breakers.

In other words, everyone who has faith will be declared righteous and everyone who has faith is a doer of God's law, which is how Paul can deny in Romans 4:1-5 that we can earn our righteousness as the result of our works while also affirming in Romans 2:13 that only the doers of the law will be declared righteous. Christ expressed His righteousness through his actions by being a dear of righteous works in obedience to God's law, so that is also the gift that we get to have when we are imputed with his righteousness.

Paul's remark in Romans 2:13, that the doers of the law shall be justified needs to be taken in context with the rest of Romans chaps. 1-3, if not Paul would be contradicting himself, e.g.
Romans 3:19 KJV
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
In Rom 2:13 Paul is building his case by inserting a hypothetical. Even here Paul made his conclusion...
Romans 3:10 KJV
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

In Deuteronomy 30, it gives the basis for the New Covenant, where the Israelites will return from exile, God will circumcise their hearts, and they will return to obedience to the Torah, which is what Jeremiah 31:33 and Ezekiel 33:26-27 are speaking in regard to, so they are not speaking about following a new law.

The author of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah 31, and there is this...
2 Corinthians 3:3 KJV
Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the 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 fleshy tables of the heart.

Someone still would not earn their righteousness as the result of their obedience to God's law even if they managed to have perfect obedience to it (Romans 4:1-5), so that has always been a fundamental misunderstanding of why we should obey it.

Right, that's because it is impossible to fully keep the law...
James 2:10 KJV
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

 

[Soyeong]

@Eleanor

But you're speaking of people, us. We can't be saved by the Law because all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.

The reason why we can't earn our salvation as the result of obeying God's law is not because we fall short of perfect obedience, but because it was never given as a way of earning our salvation. Rather, Jesus graciously teaching us to be a doer of the law is intrinsically the way that he is giving us his gift of saving us from not being a doer of it.

The Law is a reflection of the very character of God.

Indeed, the way to know, love, glorify, believe in, and testify about God is by being in His likeness through experiencing being a doer of His character traits in obedience to His law.

Jesus didn't. He came to fulfill the Law, that's why He is the end of the Law for righteousness for all who believe.

In Matthew 5:17-19, Jesus said that he came to fulfill the law in contrast with saying that he came not to abolish it and he warned against relaxing the least part of it, so you should not interpret fulfilling the law as meaning the same thing as abolishing it. Rather, "to fulfill the law" means "to cause God's will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be" (NAS Greek Lexicon: pleroo). Jesus was not sent to end God's law so that we could be free to do what it reveals to be wickedness, but rather he was sent in fulfillment of the promise to bless us by turning us from our wickedness (Acts 3:25-26), so Jesus spent his ministry fulfilling the law by teaching how to correct obey it. According to Galatians 5:14, anyone who has ever loved their neighbor has fulfilled the entire law, so again in refers to correctly obeying it as it should be, moreover, it refers to something that countless people have done, not to something unique that only Jesus did. Likewise, in Galatians 6:2, bearing one another's burdens fulfills the Law of Christ, yet you do not consistently interpret that as ending the Law of Christ.

While the Greek word "telos" can be translated as "end", it can also be translated as "purpose" or "goal", though even "end" can mean "intention" or "aim" rather than "termination" depending upon the context of how it is used. In Exodus 33:13, Moses wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him to walk in His way, and in Matthew 7:23, Jesus said that he would tell those who are workers of lawlessness to depart from him because he never knew them, so the goal of the law is to know God and Jesus, which is eternal life (John 17:3).

In Romans 9:30-10:4, the had a zeal for God, but it was not based on knowing Him, so they failed to attain righteousness because they misunderstood the goal of the law by pursuing it as though righteousness were earned as the result of their works in order to establish their own instead of pursuing the law as through righteousness were by faith in Christ, for knowing Christ is the goal of the law for righteousness for everyone who has faith. In Romans 10:5-10, this faith refers to Deuteronomy 30 as the word of faith that we proclaim in regard to proclaiming that God's law is not too difficult for us to obey, that obedience to it brings life and a blessing, in regard to what we are agreeing to obey by confessing that Jesus is Lord, and in regard to the way to believe that God raised him from the dead for salvation. So nothing in this passage has anything to do with Christ terminating God's law, but just the opposite, and it wouldn't even make sense for God's word made flesh to terminate God's word.

He fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law on our behalf. The righteousness of God is the positive side of the atonement coin, if you will.

Nowhere does the Bible say that Jesus fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law on our behalf, but rather Jesus set us free from seen so that we could be free to meet the righteous requirement of the law (Romans 8:3-4). If Jesus had fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law on our behalf instead of graciously teaching us to be a doer of it, then he would have been preventing us from receiving salvation instead instead of graciously giving it to us. We should want the gift of actually being made to be like Christ rather than for Christ to be like him on our behalf.

When some asked Jesus what must they do to be saved, He stringently laid out what it means to obey the Law perfectly. "What then can man do?" they asked. Jesus replied, what is impossible for man is possible for God. To be saved, one must not just not sin, but must also give the other side of that coin, perfect obedience, perfect righteousness. "It is finished" Jesus, as a man, fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law for us. The imputation by means of being in Him is all that we need. It's the whole reason, or at the very least, the main reason that He became incarnate. To do for us what we couldn't do.

Dave

Salvation has absolutely nothing to do with us needing to first have had perfect obedience. If we needed to have perfect obedience for some strange reason, then repentance would have no value, but the fact that repentance has value shows that we are not required to have perfect obedience. Jesus said nothing that hinted at the cross anywhere in Matthew 5, so you should seek to understand what he meant in the way that his audience would have understood him rather than anachronistically inserting the resurrection back into it. In Titus 2:14, Jesus gave himself to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people of his own possession who are zealous for doing good works, so the way to believe in what Jesus spent his ministry teaching by word and by example and in what he finished through the cross is by repenting and becoming zealous for doing good works in obedience to God's law (Acts 21:20).

For someone to have a character traits means that He is a doer of that trait, so the gift of imputed righteousness is the gift of getting to become a doer of righteous works in obedience to God's law.

 

[Soyeong]

How much of 'doing' must go on before one attains a character trait?

None. I directly said that the only way to attain a character trait is through faith and I gave an example of someone becoming courageous by faith apart from being required to have first done enough works in order to earn it as the result.

This sounds like a 'word salad' as well as unbiblical, i.e putting the cart before the horse.

Sorry for not being clear, I have not said anything that was unbiblical and did not put the cart before the horse. The way for someone to attain a character trait is not the same as what it means for them to attain a character trait. The only way for someone to attain a character trait is through faith and what it means for them to attain of character trait is for them to become a doer of that trait. Word salad would be thinking that someone can become courageous apart from becoming a doer of courageous works.

Our faith in Jesus upholds the law when we proclaim ourselves as law breakers and Jesus, Who fully kept the law in our stead. We exalt Him as the Law keeper and confess ourselves as law breakers.

That passage in Romans doesn't say anything along those lines and neither does the Bibles say anything about Jesus keeping the law in our stead.

Paul's remark in Romans 2:13, that the doers of the law shall be justified needs to be taken in context with the rest of Romans chaps. 1-3, if not Paul would be contradicting himself, e.g.
Romans 3:19 KJV
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
In Rom 2:13 Paul is building his case by inserting a hypothetical. Even here Paul made his conclusion...
Romans 3:10 KJV
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

There are many people who are described as righteous by the Bible, such as with Noah (Genesis 6:8-9) or Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:5-6), so it is false that no one is righteous, rather Romans 3:10 is quoting Psalms 14:1-3, which says that there is no one who is righteous among those who say that there is no God.

Another way to put it is that we become someone who will be declared righteous, someone who is a doer of the law, and someone who has faith all at the same time and anyone who is is not one is also not the others, but we do not become righteous as the result of having first obeyed God's law.

In Romans 2:6-7, Paul said that those who persist in doing good will be given eternal life, so that is in accordance with with Romans 2:13, and he did not follow it by saying that no one does this. Likewise, Paul did not follow Romans 2:13 by saying in verse 14 that no one is a doer of the law, but rather said that Gentiles by nature are doers of it. Likewise, in Romans 2:26-27, Paul said that if a Gentile keeps the law, then his uncircumcision will be regarded as circumcision and that Gentiles who keep the law will condemn those who are circumcised who do not keep it, which would be pointless to say if there were no Gentiles keeping it.

The author of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah 31, and there is this...
2 Corinthians 3:3 KJV
Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the 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 fleshy tables of the heart.

Those verses notably do not say anything about following a law or about the law being changed when it is written on our hearts instead of on stone.

Right, that's because it is impossible to fully keep the law...

James 2:10 KJV
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

In James 2:1-11, he was speaking to people who had already sinned by showing favoritism, so he was not telling them that they needed to have perfect obedience because that would have already been too late and he was not discouraging them from trying to keep the law by saying it is impossible, but rather he was encouraging them to repent and to do a better job of keeping it more consistently. Breaking any law makes us a law breaker, so we shouldn't pick and choose which laws to follow.

 

[Soyeong]

Yes; if Man Keeps the Law, he will be Saved. The Law still Justifies; it Justified Jesus. The problem is that other Men cannot Keep it since we're Fallen...

In Titus 2:11-13, our salvation is described as being trained by grace to do what is godly, righteous, and good, and to renounce doing what is ungodly, so doing those works has nothing to do with trying to earn our salvation as the result even through perfect obedience, but rather God graciously teaching us to be a doer of those works is part of His gift of salvation.

In Romans 10:5-10, Paul referred to Deuteronomy 30 as the word of faith that we proclaim in regard to proclaiming that the Law of Moses is not too difficult for us to obey and that obedience to it brings life and blessing while disobedience brings death and a curse, so choose life! So it was presented as a possibility and as a choice, not as something that we can't keep. Moreover, they are many examples in the Bible of people who did keep God's law, such as those in Joshua 22:1-3, Luke 1:5-6, Revelation 14:12, and Revelation 22:14.

It's an Everlasting Covenant; unless it's Fulfilled, then it passed away. For those in Christ's Fulfilled Covenant of Works, it's passed away...

The Bible says that the Mosaic Covenant is eternal (Exodus 31:14-17, Leviticus 24:8) and nowhere does it add the stipulations that it is eternal...unless it is fulfilled.

Covenant Theology ~ by ReverendRV * March 2

Romans 4:5 KJV; And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

Jesus told the people that their Righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisee’s.

Jesus proceeded to correct things that they were teaching.

God’s Law was refined by the people over the years, sometimes going too far in their devotion to it.

In Deuteronomy 4:2, it is a sin to add to or subtract from the law.

Here’s an example; the Disciples of Jesus were eating the heads off wheat from a field on a Saturday, and some Pharisees claimed it was a violation of the Commandment to keep the Sabbath Holy. Jesus went on to explain to them why the Disciples had not broken God’s Law; ultimately it was because Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. This is an example of how legalistic the Pharisees were; but

God's law prohibits work on the Sabbath and healing is work, so it is pretty straightforward and not at all legalistic for someone to think that healing is therefore prohibited on the Sabbath. The issue is about priority. Some of God's laws appear to conflict with each other, such as when God commanded to rest on the Sabbath while also commanding priests to make offerings on the Sabbath (Numbers 28:9-10), however, it was not the case that priests were forced to sin by breaking one of the two commands no matter what they chose to do, but that the lesser command was never intended to be understood as preventing the greater command from being obeyed. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 12:5-7 that priests who did their duties on the Sabbath were held innocent, why David and his men were held innocent, and why he defended his disciples as being innocent.

Then you will quickly be found guilty on the Day of Judgment and be sentenced to an eternity in Hell…

That is unless you repent.

But Jesus said that your Righteousness MUST surpass that of the Pharisees; there has to be a way! There’s only been one person who ever had his personal Righteousness surpass that of a Pharisee’s;

In Matthew 7:24, Jesus did not end the Sermon on the Mouth by saying that he was just kidding and that we can't actually do as he said, but rather he said that everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

thus we keep the Covenant of Works through him!

Nowhere does the Bible say this.

! Saint Paul tells us that through Faith, the Covenant of Grace transfers ‘Funds’ from the Covenant of Works to our personal accounts; Faith is ‘counted’ as Law keeping.

In Psalms 119:29-30, he wanted to put false ways far from him, for God to be gracious to him by teaching him to obey His law, and he chose the way of faith, so this has always been the one and only way of salvation by grace through faith, and the Mosaic Covenant is a covenants of works and grace. Likewise, in Jeremiah 31:33, the New Covenant involves God putting His law sin our minds and writing it on our hearts, so it is also a covenant of grace and works along with all of God's other covenants.

~ Christ’s Disciples asked Jesus what they must do to be able to perform the Works God requires; Jesus said, ‘This is the Work God requires - to Believe in the one whom he sent’.

The way to believe in God is by being in His likeness through being a doer of His character traits. For example, by being a doer of good works in obedience to God's law we are testifying about His goodness, which is why our good works bring glory to Him (Matthew 5:16), and by testifying about God's goodness we are also expressing the belief that God is good. Likewise, the way to believe that God is a doer of justice is by being in His likeness through being a doer of justice in obedience to His law, the way to believe that God is holy is by being a doer of His instructions for how to be holy as He is holy, and so forth. This is exactly the same as the way to believe in the Son, who is the radiance of God's glory and the exact likeness of His character (Hebrews 1:3), which he expressed through his works by setting a sinless example for us to follow of how to walk in obedience to God's law. This is also why there are many verses that connect our belief in God with our obedience to Him, such as in Revelation 14:12, those who kept faith in Jesus are the same as those who kept God's commandments, so it is contradictory to believe in the one whom He sent instead of obeying His commandments. In other words, God's word is His instructions for how to believe in God's word made flesh. It is also by this faith that we attain the character traits of God.

 

[prism]

None. I directly said that the only way to attain a character trait is through faith and I gave an example of someone becoming courageous by faith apart from being required to have first done enough works in order to earn it as the result.

It seems though, you are turning faith into a work

Sorry for not being clear, I have not said anything that was unbiblical and did not put the cart before the horse. The way for someone to attain a character trait is not the same as what it means for them to attain a character trait. The only way for someone to attain a character trait is through faith and what it means for them to attain of character trait is for them to become a doer of that trait. Word salad would be thinking that someone can become courageous apart from becoming a doer of courageous works.

Why not say, "The only way for someone to attain a character trait is through the new birth"?
2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

That passage in Romans doesn't say anything along those lines and neither does the Bibles say anything about Jesus keeping the law in our stead.

Try this…
Matthew 5:18 NKJV
For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
How was the law fulfilled?You?Me? Hope not.

There are many people who are described as righteous by the Bible, such as with Noah (Genesis 6:8-9) or Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:5-6), so it is false that no one is righteous, rather Romans 3:10 is quoting Psalms 14:1-3, which says that there is no one who is righteous among those who say that there is no God.

Another way to put it is that we become someone who will be declared righteous, someone who is a doer of the law, and someone who has faith all at the same time and anyone who is is not one is also not the others, but we do not become righteous as the result of having first obeyed God's law.

In Romans 2:6-7, Paul said that those who persist in doing good will be given eternal life, so that is in accordance with with Romans 2:13, and he did not follow it by saying that no one does this. Likewise, Paul did not follow Romans 2:13 by saying in verse 14 that no one is a doer of the law, but rather said that Gentiles by nature are doers of it. Likewise, in Romans 2:26-27, Paul said that if a Gentile keeps the law, then his uncircumcision will be regarded as circumcision and that Gentiles who keep the law will condemn those who are circumcised who do not keep it, which would be pointless to say if there were no Gentiles keeping it.

many people in the Bible are also called good, but…
Matthew 19:17 NKJV
So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."

Those verses notably do not say anything about following a law or about the law being changed when it is written on our hearts instead of on stone.

I never said it did. It’s what happens when one is born again.

In James 2:1-11, he was speaking to people who had already sinned by showing favoritism, so he was not telling them that they needed to have perfect obedience because that would have already been too late and he was not discouraging them from trying to keep the law by saying it is impossible, but rather he was encouraging them to repent and to do a better job of keeping it more consistently. Breaking any law makes us a law breaker, so we shouldn't pick and choose which laws to follow.

Are you telling me you have never sinned, or are you still trying to reach perfection through the law?
Without a Leviticus priesthood and a Temple etc., perfection through the law is a pipe dream.
Galatians 3:11 NKJV
But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."
Romans 4:5 NKJV
But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,

Are you Roman Catholic?