ADDITIONAL VERSES THAT MAINSTREAMERS USE TO TRY TO MAKE YOU BELIEVE THAT THE SAFE MEAT, MOSTLY PREDICTIVE FESTIVAL, AND SOME OTHER OT LAWS HAVE BEEN DONE AWAY WITH

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Amazingly, going against all common sense, most mainstream Christian churches REFUSE to acknowledge the first, primary definitions of the original, critically important Greek words in too many of those sometimes, seemingly at first glance, ambiguous “controversial” law keeping verses! To make matters even worse, the vast majority of the English translations are slightly BIASED AGAINST OLD TESTAMENT LAW KEEPING!!

ROMANS 7:6: “But now we have been DELIVERED FROM THE LAW ……” This is another tricky verse that can be explained by the above explanation for Romans 6:14. The meaning of Romans 7:6 can logically also be discerned further through a simple process of elimination. This verse obviously CANNOT refer to all or even a majority of the Old Testament laws since the New Testament explicitly lists many of them by name, which when violated by a sinner, will result in eternal condemnation (death) according to the New Testament. Lying, murder, adultery, breaking any of the Ten Commandments, homosexuality, fornication, etc. are some examples. So you cannot say that Christians have been delivered from those laws. If you say that Romans 7:6 refers to all the Old Testament laws NOT mentioned in the New Testament, then you will need to admit that Christians have now been “delivered” from the laws prohibiting bestiality, prohibiting the prosecution of an innocent son for a crime committed by his father, prohibiting the destruction of property landmarks, prohibiting people from being members of a vandalizing mob, and prohibiting putting stumbling blocks in front of helpless blind people, etc., which of course makes no sense at all. This verse must therefore be about one or maybe several very specific Old Testament laws that should be able to be detected from the context of Romans 7 and nearby Romans 6 and Romans 8. Ezekiel 18:4: “…… The soul who sins shall die.” Ezekiel 18:20: “The soul who sins shall die. ……” The central, major subject in Romans 6 and 7 is DEATH, DEATH, DEATH and SIN. The word “death” appears in Romans 6 and 7 a tremendous number of times compared to the chapters in the other books of the Bible. Therefore the major law of sin and death most likely is the law that Christians have been delivered from in Romans 7:6. Romans 8:2 reveals that Christians are no longer under the law of sin and death. TRUE CHRISTIANS HAVE NOW BEEN DELIVERED FROM THE OLD PENALTY PART OF THE LAW, WHICH WAS DEATH. Our wonderful Savior, Jesus, paid that terrible price of death for OUR SINS (primarily our past sins, not future, un-repented of sins [Romans 3:24,25]), but He paid it ONLY FOR LAW KEEPING CHRISTIANS!! For additional study please read the page ROMANS 7:4-6 INDICATES THAT CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN DELIVERED FROM THE SPECIFIC LAW OF SIN AND DEATH, OR THE PENALTY OF THE LAW, NOT THE GENERAL LAW

COLOSSIANS 2:14: “having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having NAILED IT TO THE CROSS.” (NKJV) Even some mainstreamers admit that this verse does not prove beyond reasonable doubt, and there is plenty of quite reasonable doubt here, that all OT laws have been annulled. Too many mainstreamers, though, continue to use this verse to try to prove OT laws have been abolished. Again, the previous verse, verse 13, provides the proper context to understand verse 14. Colossians 2:13: “And you, being dead in your TRESPASSES and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all TRESPASSES.” VIOLATIONS of the law (called trespasses or sins), NOT THE LAW ITSELF is the subject matter here. Trespasses are mentioned not only once but TWICE, so past recorded sins is the only logical and most likely context in these verses. The Greek for “requirements” is dogma, a very rarely appearing word in the Bible that NEVER elsewhere in the Bible refers to divine, God given laws. In the Bible dogma ALWAYS refers to something man made. Sins are man made or created by man. Jesus’ death “nailed our past mistakes or sins to the cross.” The law itself, which Jesus repeatedly upheld elsewhere in the New Testament, was not “nailed.”

GALATIANS 3:19: “What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, TILL THE SEED SHOULD COME to whom the promise was made ……” (NKJV) The word “transgressions” in this verse automatically proves that some set of divine laws was violated, laws that must have been pre-existing. If there were no laws previously, then transgressions could not have occurred. There is rock solid evidence that the 10 Commandments, which contained the Saturday Sabbath, the dietary laws [Genesis 7:1,2,8, 8:20], and the tithing law [Genesis 14:20], for some examples, were in full force BEFORE the Mosaic laws were formally codified. Therefore these PRE-EXISTING laws such as the 10 Commandments and other laws could not possibly have been the laws abolished since only the ADDED laws became annulled after the sacrificial death of Jesus (“till the Seed should come”). Paul, the author of this verse, is logically talking about temporary offerings and sacrifice laws ADDED at Mount Sinai to teach the people obedience. Jeremiah 7:22 shows that these sacrifice laws did not previously exist when the Israelites first left Egypt. Hebrews 9:8-13 and 10:1 give the clues about which laws were added then removed. Those verses discuss the offerings and sacrifice laws with their rituals, which SPECIFICALLY PINPOINTS the offerings and sacrifice laws as the laws that were ADDED THEN REMOVED, because verse 10: “….. imposed until the time of reformation” reveals that those laws would be removed and when they would be removed which was also explained in the above Galatians 3:19: “….. till the Seed should come.” Hebrews 9:8-11: “The Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was (still) standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience- 10 concerned only with foods and drinks (food and drink offerings), various washings (purification rites), (and) fleshly ordinances IMPOSED UNTIL THE TIME OF REFORMATION. 11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come ……..” The word “reformation” refers to the arrival and sacrificial death of Jesus. The sacrificial and ceremonial laws of washings, purification rites and similar physical ordinances were most logically the things that ended when Jesus died, not other Mosaic laws.

MATTHEW 5:17: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to FULFILL.” (NKJV) Matthew 5:17: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to MORE FULLY FILL UP the Law.” (A Plainer, More Literal Translation [not an official translation]) The original Greek word for fulfill is pleroo, Strong’s number 4137, which does not mean to replace, abolish, substitute, or perform for other Christians. Its FIRST, PRIMARY definition means to “make replete, level up, be full, perfect, fully preach, complete, or to fill.” Fulfill means to fill to the full in verse 17, to fill full, or fill fuller. Pleroo means basically “to add to,” or “supplement.” Joseph H. Thayer, famous Bible word expert, includes the following words in his definition of pleroo: “to furnish or supply liberally,” “liberally supplied,” “to render full,” “to fill up to the top,” “so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim,” “to make complete in every particular,” and “to render perfect.”

The same pleroo word was used in Matthew 13:48 in which nets were filled up with fish! Yes, in other verses pleroo is often used to signify the prophetic fulfillment or consummation of a prophesied event. However, no prophesy ever even hinted that the law would be “fulfilled” by Jesus in a way in which Christians would no longer need to obey the law. A law continues to be a law only if that law or rule is supposed to be obeyed. If it no longer needs to be obeyed then the law ceases to exist. Context, simple verse structure, and supporting verses elsewhere in the Bible define and limit how pleroo is to be defined. The following verses contain the pleroo word used in a way in which it obviously refers to an increase in number: Matthew 23:32, Luke 2:40, Luke 3:5, John 12:3, 15:11, 16:6, 16:24, Acts 2:2, plus …… (editing, will be completed soon).

Jesus added to, improved, and magnified the law. For example, in His famous Sermon on the Mount, He added to or refined (improved) the law at least eight times: 1) Matthew 5:22: refining further the law prohibiting murder, merely being angry with someone without a cause or seriously insulting someone is now a very serious sin, 2) 5:28: just looking at a woman lustfully is now equivalent to adultery, 3) 5:32: whoever marries a divorced woman now commits adultery (there may be one exception), 4) 5:34: never swear at all, 5) 5:39-42: if you are slapped on one cheek, let yourself be slapped on the other cheek and do not refuse to loan or give to others if they ask for a loan or help (there are obvious common sense exceptions since some people might argue that Jesus does not expect us to unnecessarily severely injure ourselves or damage or ruin ourselves financially giving to drug addicts, financial predators, etc.), 6) 5:44: instead of hating our enemies, we are now instructed to love, bless, pray for, and do good to our enemies, 7) 6:15: we must now forgive others instead of holding a permanent grudge, and 8) 7:1: do not judge others unless you want to be judged by the same criteria.

The following reputable translations help show that Jesus DID NOT “fulfill” the law in a way that clearly no longer required us to obey the law. He simply made the law better, adding to it, and refined it further. We still need to diligently observe many Mosaic laws.

Matthew 5:17: “You folks should not infer from customary presumption or from established supposition that I came to loosen-down or demolish the Law (or: Torah) or the Prophets. I did not come to loosen-down or demolish, but to the contrary, to fulfill (or: fill up) and make full.” — Jonathan Mitchell New Testament.

Matthew 5:17: “Do not think that I have come to set aside the law and the prophets; I have not come to set them aside, but to bring them to perfection.” — Knox New Testament.

Matthew 5:17: “Do not for a moment suppose that I have come to abrogate the Law or the Prophets: I have not come to abrogate them but to give them their completion.” — Weymouth New Testament. Mainstream Christians misinterpret pleroo to mean that Jesus has discharged Christians from the obligation to continue closely obeying the Mosaic laws.

God the Father is referring to His Son, Jesus Christ in Isaiah 42:1-4,6,7,19-21. Isaiah 42:21: “Jehovah is delighted for His righteousness’ sake; He WILL MAGNIFY the Law and make it honorable” — Green’s Literal Translation. Isaiah predicted that Jesus would MAGNIFY the law. No Old Testament prophet EVER even remotely hinted that Jesus would remove from each Christian the need to individually continue obeying the law. Other respected translations such as the John Nelson Darby Translation, A Conservative Version, English Jubilee 2000, New Heart English Bible, World English Bible, English Revised Version, American Standard Version with Strong’s, Updated King James Version, American King James Version, KJV Pure Cambridge Edition, Rotherham Emphasized Bible, Julia Smith Translation, Noah Webster’s KJV revision, Geneva Bible, Bishop’s Bible, Coverdale’s Translation, American Standard Version, Leeser Old Testament, Young’s Literal Translation, Concordant Literal Version, and the Interlinear Hebrew Old Testament also use the word “magnify” in Isaiah 42:21.

ROMANS 7:4-6: “……..you also have become DEAD TO THE LAW through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit TO DEATH. 6 But now we have been DELIVERED FROM THE LAW, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” To understand these verses other verses must be acknowledged as equally valid. Mainstreamers approach Romans 7:4-6 with a shallow, “knee jerk” reaction. These verses require a very close analysis to understand them correctly. Note that in Romans 7 MAJOR, MAJOR, one more time, MAJOR EMPHASIS is on DEATH, DEATH, DEATH which is the penalty part of the law for sinning, as shown in Romans 7:5,6,9,10,11,13, and 24, which is distinctly different from the obedience part of the law. What law have Christians become dead to and delivered from? Near the beginning of the very next chapter Romans 8:2 pinpoints the exact law that they have been delivered from, THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH. The specific law of sin and death, or the penalty part of the law (the second half of the law) for breaking the law, is different from the other part of the law, law keeping (the first half of the law). Romans 7:4 says that YOU, presumably a law keeping Christian, have become dead (or immune) to the law (the penalty part of the law). Verse 4 DOES NOT say that the law has become dead. A powerful clue that these Roman 7 verses DO NOT indicate that the obedience part of the law, law keeping itself, has ended is that the word “sin” occurs frequently throughout the entire NT, 127 times in the New International Version. 1 John 3:4 defines sin as the transgression of the law. The Greek in 1 John 3:4 shows that the law includes many still applicable OT laws such as the tithing, dietary, and festival laws. If Jesus abolished the law, sin then becomes non-existent because laws no longer exist to break. But since the Bible all the way to Revelation repeatedly warns Christians to avoid sin, defined Biblically as breaking the law, then the law is shown to still exist and be in full force. Also, if mainstreamers are correct that these Roman 7 verses provide permission to abandon law keeping then the Ten Commandments no longer need to be obeyed. The first Commandment is to worship only the one true God, not other gods. To interpret Romans 7:4-6 as proof that obedience to the law, which would include obeying the first Commandment, has become obsolete is absurd, of course. Look at Romans 7:7 and 7:12. “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law……..” The “oldness of the letter” in Romans 7:6 refers to the original, legal condemnation for breaking the law, which was the automatic death penalty part of the law for violating the law (Numbers 15:35, Mark 7:10, etc.). Romans 7:12: “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” Verses 7 and 12 emphasize that observing the majority of the Mosaic laws is still a necessary and integral part of Christianity. These verses are addressed to baptized Christians with the Holy Spirit faithfully obeying divine laws, thereby nullifying or suspending for themselves the penalty, AND ONLY the penalty, not the obedience part of the law, for violating Biblical laws. Verse 6: “But now we have been delivered from the law …..” The Greek word for “delivered” is katargeo, Strong’s number 2673, which means literally “to reduce to inactivity,” leaving open the interpretation that the law itself has not been abolished or destroyed, but that its potency or penalties have been rendered inactive. Loss of being is not implied, but loss of well being. Katargeo also appears in other verses such as Luke 13:7 in which a figless fig tree was making the ground it covered useless and inactive (but not abolishing or destroying the ground). Romans 7:4-6 merely reminds us that Christians, and only Christians, are no longer subject to the previously automatic death penalty for sinning. Since the context of a significant number of verses near Romans 7:4-6 involves DEATH, and since a relatively very large number of equally valid verses scattered throughout the entire New Testament clearly support the obedience part of the law, the most reasonable conclusion is that the context of Romans 7:4-6 involves only the penalty part of the law that Christians have now “died to.” Romans 7:4-6 therefore does not prove beyond reasonable doubt (especially since there is quite an abundance of doubt) that the obedience part of the law has been abolished.

GALATIANS 5:1-3,4: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and DO NOT BE ENTANGLED AGAIN WITH A YOKE OF BONDAGE. 2 …….. if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt TO BE JUSTIFIED BY LAW; you have fallen from grace.” These verses basically deal only with now abolished CIRCUMCISION, the MAIN SUBJECT of the ENTIRE book of Galatians. “Die hard” Jews or others trusting ONLY in the law to be justified, WITHOUT accepting the atoning sacrificial death of Jesus to cover their sins, are being reminded here that they are no longer under the bondage of the previous law of circumcision. For further study please read the lower one fourth of GALATIANS, WRITTEN ABOUT 5 YEARS AFTER CIRCUMCISION WAS ABOLISHED, REFERS OVERWHELMINGLY TO CIRCUMCISION, MENTIONED 15 TIMES, AND TO A LESSER EXTENT ABOLISHED SACRIFICES, NOT OTHER OT LAWS.

GALATIANS 5:4: “You have become estranged from Christ, you who ATTEMPT TO BE JUSTIFIED BY LAW; you have fallen from grace.” Briefly, this verse is addressed ONLY to people DELIBERATELY REJECTING the sacrificial death of Jesus to cover their sins. Such people trust ONLY their law keeping to save them. LAW KEEPING BY ITSELF CANNOT save people from the penalties of their past and current sins. The sacrificial death, an incalculably massive sacrifice, of Jesus Christ is needed to “wash away” those sins and their penalties. To be continued.

LUKE 16:16: “The law and the prophets WERE until John: from that time the kingdom of God is announced ……” (Analytical Literal Translation) The word “were” is artificially inserted by translators and is not in the original Greek. This verse is basically repeated in Matthew 11:13 below and explained.

MATTHEW 11:13: “For all the prophets and the law prophesied UNTIL John.” In both Luke 16:16 and Matthew 11:13 the original Greek word for the pivotally important word “until” is heos, Strong’s number 2193. It is often translated as “until,” but is translated about as often as “unto.” Other translations are “to,” “while,” and “whilst.” In the following 12 different translations you can see that there is no indication at all that the law was abolished in this verse: The New Living Translation, New Century Version, New Life Bible, The Darby Translation, Goodspeed New Testament, Knox New Testament, Living Oracles New Testament, Williams New Testament, Worsley New Testament, and An Understandable Version. Therefore this verse is not conclusively anti-Mosaic law. The “until” word usually does not even appear in these translations. Easy to Read Version: “All the prophets and the law {of Moses} spoke until the time John came. They told about the things that would happen.” The Message: “But if you read the books of the Prophets and God’s Law closely, you will see them culminate in John, teaming up with him in preparing the way for the Messiah of the kingdom.” These Matthew and Luke verses essentially just state that John the Baptist learned Old Testament laws and prophecies, which was the only religious material available to learn since the New Testament did not exist when he was alive. After John arrived he announced the soon coming kingdom of God. That announcement in itself was not a clear statement, beyond reasonable doubt, that OT laws then became abolished.

ACTS 15:10-11: “……… why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which NEITHER OUR FATHERS NOR WE WERE ABLE TO BEAR? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” The overall context or main topic of Acts 15 was a ministerial conference in Jerusalem to decide if the law of circumcision, not the other Mosaic laws, should still be obeyed. The disciples concluded that requiring Gentile Christian males to be circumcised would have been an unnecessarily burdensome yoke on them, and that circumcision therefore was no longer required. Luke’s use of the Greek word ischuo, Strong’s number 2480, translated into the English “were able” in Acts 15:10 shows or suggests that the fathers and their descendants were actually able to bear such a yoke, but not in a “forceful” or “robust” or “strong” or “extraordinary” way. Ischuo indicates a more forceful strength or ability to prevail than the Greek word dunamai, Strong’s number 1410 which simply means “to be able” or just “be possible,” “can,” or “may.” For many hundreds of years the tribes of Judah (the Jews), Benjamin, and the other tribes of Israel did observe circumcision which did not seem to significantly harm their physical or mental health, so in a sense they were able to bear circumcision. Visit ucg.org/un/un0608/treasure/digest and read the bottom one eighth of that page for additional study of these verses.

ROMANS 8:1-2: “There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION TO THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST JESUS, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” These verses do not say that law keeping Christians are free from the law, which is the law in general, but are now free from a more specific law, the law of sin and death (the penalty), which is the penalty part of breaking the law. Jesus repeatedly said in other verses that Christians must obey the law. There is now no condemnation FOR PAST, PRE-BAPTISMAL SINS since Jesus paid the price, which was His own death, for those old sins (Romans 3:24,25). 1 Corinthians 9:27 indicates that Christians (even Paul when he was alive) CAN still be condemned to the “lake of fire” for deliberate post-baptismal sins that are not later repented of.

2 CORINTHIANS 3:5,6: “…… God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, NOT OF THE LETTER but of the Spirit; FOR THE LETTER KILLS, but the Spirit gives life.” Since the principles of the Ten Commandments formed the basis of the civil statutes and judgments, a violation of these PRINCIPLES WAS punished by Old Covenant civil authority. The administration of death was the civil execution of punishment for violation of certain laws in the civil law code which Moses spoke to the people. Such sins as murder, kidnaping and adultery were punishable by death. Sinners were thus made to realize fully that they had transgressed the law of God. They were made to realize how woefully they had failed to measure up to the keeping of the law. Israel sinned constantly, and was constantly reminded of it. Their history is a lesson to us, today (1 Corinthians 10:11), to make us also realize our weakness and need of divine power in overcoming our natures. This is why the ministration of death was glorious. It accomplished a glorious purpose. Old Covenant Israel did not have God’s Holy Spirit of love with which to keep the law of God in its spiritual intent. All they could possibly do was try to keep the law in the letter by their own human power. Had the Israelites kept the law in the letter, God would have fulfilled His part of the Old Covenant and given them all the material promises of this material covenant. But they would never have received eternal life by keeping this covenant. One would still ultimately die eternal death because there was absolutely no promise of eternal life in the old covenant! For it is only the Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God, that will give “life,” eternal life! (2 Corinthians 3:6.) The following discussion provides additional insight as to why “the letter kills or can kill.” Matthew 5:17: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets, I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Verse 17 is explained in item 8 above. Verse 17 means that Jesus came to EXPAND (fill the Law more fully), MAGNIFY, and GO BEYOND THE “LETTER” OF THE LAW. Matthew 5:20: “…… unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” The scribes and Pharisees prided themselves on obeying ONLY the literal letter of the law, not the FULL INTENT and SPIRIT OF THE LAW. Verse 20 obviously and of course means that the letter of the law itself needs to be obeyed. THE STANDARDS FOR TRUE CHRISTIAN CONDUCT NEED TO NOT ONLY INCLUDE OBEYING THE LETTER OF THE LAW BUT ALSO NEED TO EXCEED AND BE EVEN HIGHER THAN THE CONDUCT EXPRESSED IN THE LITERAL WORDS OF THE LAW (THE “LETTER” OF THE LAWS) THAT WERE RECORDED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. The “letter” of the law by itself is sometimes too spiritually limiting and not inclusive enough, and that is why it can lead to or later allow sin which can ultimately “kill” (Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death ……”). The spirit of the law (the law’s spiritual intent) is much broader than the letter of the law and even encompasses our thoughts toward other people. The wrong thoughts can later lead to sin (breaking the law) if only the letter of the law (which is deficient in the spiritual intent of the law) is observed. For further study please visit https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-study-course/bible-study-course-lesson-9/the-letter-and-spirit-of-the-law.

2 CORINTHIANS 3:7,11: “But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious …… which glory was passing away, …….. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. ……..” Briefly, what was passing away was the eternal death penalty for righteous Christians, the lack of certain promises, and certain Apostle itemized OT laws, ESPECIALLY the sacrifices which were still going on in the Temple when this epistle was written. Mainstreamers mistakenly assume ALL OR MOST OT laws were abolished, too, when the Old Covenant, which was separate from OT laws, was replaced with the New Covenant. The Old Covenant DID NOT offer the promises of 1) eternal life, 2) the Holy Spirit, or the complete forgiveness of sins. It did offer earthly protection and physical blessings for obedience, but it required the DEATH PENALTY, often automatic, for sinning, so the phrase “ministry of death” appropriately describes that now abolished part of the Old Covenant. Romans 8:2 reveals that righteous, law keeping Christians have been freed from the automatic death penalty (which temporarily killed Adam and Eve who will be given a second chance at salvation in the second resurrection), which is now part of the much improved Old Covenant, now called the New Covenant.

JOHN 10:27-29: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” Jesus is stating that no EXTERNAL power such as Satan, religious leaders, or other people could “snatch them out of His hand.” Jesus DID NOT say that His followers would live forever regardless of their own future behavior and actions. Many mainstream Christians believe in the man concocted “once saved, always saved, and law keeping is not necessary” idea, but the Bible does not support that belief. A number of verses reveal that baptized Christians CAN ultimately fail to be given eternal life if they deliberately continue to knowingly sin and do not later sincerely repent of those sins (Hebrews 6:4-6). The Bible says that salvation is guaranteed to righteous Christians, but that salvation is a CONDITIONAL salvation. Christians must put forth reasonable effort to remain righteous up to the very day of their death. 1 Corinthians 15:2:”By which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you; unless you believed in vain.” Hebrews 10:36: “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have DONE the will of God, you may receive the promise.” Also, there are many itemized NT sins, of course, such as fornication, murder, theft, adultery, homosexuality, lying, disrespect for parents, working on the Sabbath (“keep the Sabbath”), coveting, drunkenness, and so on, which can in no uncertain terms jeopardize the salvation of a Christian. 1 CORINTHIANS 9:27: “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become DISQUALIFIED.” Paul admits that he himself could fail to be saved! The Greek word for “DISQUALIFIED” is adokimos, Strong’s 96, defined as unapproved, rejected, worthless, castaway, and reprobate.

EPHESIANS 2:8,9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Unless you believe (incorrectly) in a self contradictory Bible, you cannot just lift this verse up and make it stand on its own, ignoring what the rest of the New Testament reveals. Remember, grace requires the presence of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:18), but to acquire the Holy Spirit in the first place you must repent, sincerely, of your past sins (Acts 2:38). Sins are violations of the law (the Torah and NT magnified Torah laws) according to 1 John 3:4. So you must stop sinning to obtain the Holy Spirit, and obviously the only way to stop breaking God’s laws is to start obeying His laws. Ephesians 2:8,9 above does not directly or indirectly say that Christians can abandon law keeping. It does say that works, or law keeping, BY ITSELF, is not the main engine of salvation. Verses 8 and 9 are merely an observation, or a comparison of the 2 elements required for salvation, which are faith and works. Many dozens of other verses quite emphatically assert that law keeping is an integral part of the salvation process. As a reminder, in the NT two frequently mentioned failures to keep the law involve deliberate, repeated LYING and HOMOSEXUAL behavior. The Bible in no uncertain terms warns us that either one of those sins can cause a Christian to lose his salvation, if they are not later sincerely repented of. Lying homosexuals will not be saved, no matter how much “faith” they have! Therefore Christians must continue to obey the law. Paul apparently also wanted to remind or explain to hard core, “die hard” Jews that they cannot rely only on their own law keeping to save them from eternal death.

So how much longer are you going to continue to “suck up” mainstreamers’ BIG LIE that the law has been “abolished”? How much longer are you going to continue to believe that the majority must always be right 100 percent of the time with no exceptions, and that the handful of verses mainstream Christians twist out of context claiming to prove that the Old Testament laws have been abolished, is correct???? Long ago the majority of people believed the earth was flat. Hundreds of years ago the majority of British people believed it was safe to decorate the interior of their homes with arsenic laden wallpaper. In the 1950’s the majority of doctors smoked cigarettes believing they were safe to smoke. In recent decades the majority of Americans assumed it was safe to use leaded gasoline. And now the majority of Americans believe it is safe to ingest cholesterol lowering statin drugs, while the number of people succumbing to Alzheimer’s Disease has been rising sharply ever since statins were introduced. (The brain is composed mostly of cholesterol, and it needs a steady and healthy supply of cholesterol. Without sufficient cholesterol the brain begins to slowly deteriorate. Inflammation and high blood pressure can be the initial causes of clogged arteries [CriticalHealthNews.com]). To comply with certain laws the following statement is needed. The last 4 sentences about statin drugs are for general information purposes only and are not necessarily intended to prevent, diagnose, or treat any ailment or dispense medical advice. Consult a licensed medical professional if expert advice is desired.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.