Author |
Message |
Maryann
| Posted on Monday, October 02, 2000 - 8:58 am: |    |
Hi Max, You said: "* Words written on the fleshy tablets of the heart are superior to words written on the stony tablets of Mt. Sinai." My Mom's BIG thunder is that God, with His OWN finger, wrote on stone the 10 C. She says it was written on stone because stone last forever unlike parchment. Next weekend I'll suggest to her that the only way that I can figure that the "words" can be written on the heart is with His finger in blood and that is a much bigger deal then being chisled on stone with His chisle finger. If one is saved and sure of their eternal salvation, something written on the heart is an eternity longer lasting then something written on stone. Remember, the first set of 10 C broke to smither-reenies. Hmmmmm, do you see any significance to the first set broken? If the first set broke, that shows that they were, in their stone form, not eternal and breakable?! My next question is; did God write the first set with His finger? I think the answer is yes. Did God or Moses write the second set? I don't remember and don't feel like looking it up right now. What ever the case, what significance if any do you put to this? Upward and onward.....Maryann |
Max
| Posted on Monday, October 02, 2000 - 1:06 pm: |    |
Hi, Maryann, The BIGGEST problem here is not "stone versus flesh." It is, Who is Jesus Christ? If it was the pre-Christmas Christ who was the Old Testament Yahweh who wrote on the tables of stone with his own finger, then there's no problem. The New Testament, particularly the gospel of John and the book of Hebrews, make it absolutely clear that the God Yahweh of the Old Testament, the Ten Commandment God of Mt. Sinai, was none other than God the Son, the pre-Christmas Jesus Christ. If you choose the unbiblical "low road" of making God the Father only the Old Testament God Yahweh -- as many mistakenly do -- then you've got real problems. For you end out pitting God the Father against God the Son, which is the mother of all no-noes. And that would constitute the heresy than which nothing could possibly be more heretical. But if you take the biblical "high road" of recognizing that the Old Testament God Yahweh was the pre-Christmas God the Son Jesus Christ (still perfectly united as one with his Father), then you stay on firm scriptural ground. Now if it was Jesus Christ who wrote on stone with his own finger, you have to know why he did so. He did so not because he was planning to change his mind after he was incarnated on the first Christmas as a human being. He did so: * because of the hardness of their hearts. * because that was the only way they could understand that they couldn't keep the law (by trial and error). * to prepare them for the new statement of commandments -- his own birth, life, teachings, actions, death on the cross, rest in the tomb, resurrection from the dead, ascension into heaven, and sitting down at the right hand of God the Father. So it's not that a changeless God changes HIMSELF. It is that a changeless God changes the WAY he deals with his created human beings. The plan of salvation in this sense is a changeless two-phase strategy: Phase One: Write a set of his commandments on stone on Mt. Sinai to give a stubborn people a chance to show themselves and the whole universe that they couldn't keep them. Phase Two: Write a superior set of his commandments on the "fleshy tablets" of our hearts on Mt. Blessings to give the same stubborn people a chance to show themselves and the whole universe that even though they can't keep them in and of themselves, they can keep them BY FAITH in a God-Man who DID keep them for us all and died for our inability to keep them. In so writing on "the fleshy tablets" of our hearts Jesus Christ left out the Sabbath commandments the circumcision commandments, the kosher commandments, the "tassels on the hems of your garments" commandments, the "don't shave your sideburns" commandments, the tithing commandments, the sacrificial commandments, etc., etc., etc. For these are not timeless moral essentials such as loving your neighbor as yourself, but only many shadows all pointing to the reality -- our God Jesus Christ. Make sense? Max of the Cross |
Max
| Posted on Monday, October 02, 2000 - 4:31 pm: |    |
Forgot to add: Phase One = Old Covenant (Old Testament) Phase Two = New Covenant (New Testament) |
Darrell
| Posted on Monday, October 02, 2000 - 5:42 pm: |    |
Good discussion. I would just add that it is important to understand that in both Phase One and Phase Two the way of salvation has always been the same: by faith in YHWH/Jesus, and even during Phase One, there were people who had God's law written on their hearts. King David is a good example. Even though he was called a "man after God's own heart" he had his failings, but he looked by faith to God saying "YHWH (the LORD) is my salvation". |
Max
| Posted on Monday, October 02, 2000 - 9:08 pm: |    |
Yes, Darrell, And Hebrews 11 backs your point to the hilt. |
Maryann
| Posted on Monday, October 02, 2000 - 9:37 pm: |    |
Hi Darrell, One thing about you, you don't have a lot of quantity, but you sure have a lot of quality?;-)) Maryann |
Maryann
| Posted on Monday, October 02, 2000 - 9:39 pm: |    |
Opppps, that was supposed to be quality!;-)) not quality?;-)) There is NO question about it!!!:):) ;-((......Maryann |
Denisegilmore
| Posted on Sunday, January 07, 2001 - 2:20 am: |    |
I was reading this thread and have the need to share what a pastor on 3abn said less than 12 months back regarding the cross and why it is a pagan symbol. He said it had to do with Tammuz (Ez. 8:14) The letter 'T' is what the cross derived from. Of course, at the time I didn't know what to think as I was making crosses, rugged ones out of pewter, to give away to folks. I stopped making them because of what that pastor said. I suppose that was less than a year ago and it was either do or don't for me. I was lost to the answer because that same month, another pastor came on 3abn and said that the cross came from the 'stakes in the ground that the sacrificial lambs would be tied to outside, while waiting to be sacrificed.' Anyhow, like I said, all that was less than a year ago or maybe just about one year ago and I've come to the conclusion that Jesus knows my heart and I'm going to start making those crosses again. God Bless all, Denise |
Max
| Posted on Sunday, January 07, 2001 - 5:07 am: |    |
Praise our sovereign Son God, Denise! |
Pheeki (Pheeki)
| Posted on Friday, January 10, 2003 - 7:47 am: |    |
I was reading the post about SDA's not having crosses on their churches...Here is what I have noticed they do have...ANGELS. Our churches focal point (behind the podium) is a stain glass of the 3 angels message. Also our christmas pagent was all about Michael the Archangel. Could there be some angel worship going on? Colossians 2:18 comes to mind: Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. |
Susan_2 (Susan_2)
| Posted on Friday, January 10, 2003 - 8:16 am: |    |
Think about the New Age movement with its focus on angels. The SDA had a jumpstart on the New Agers. The JW also totally believe tht Jesus was reincarned from Michael, the Archangel. |
Denisegilmore (Denisegilmore)
| Posted on Friday, January 10, 2003 - 8:30 am: |    |
And if the JWs had a symbol, it would be a single pole with a pointed tip. That's what they say Jesus was crucified on. True enough. Praising God for the Cross! Denise Gilmore |
Denisegilmore (Denisegilmore)
| Posted on Friday, January 10, 2003 - 8:47 am: |    |
And the JWs branched off of the SDAs...that's why they have many of the same beliefs. I have that somewhere here. Guess it should be posted and me thinks everyone would be amazed at so many similarities. Well, anyhow, I need to go to bed now (been up allllll night again). Nite John Boy, Nite Grandpa, Nite Mary Lou...ah heck..Nite everyone. Have a wonderful day for this is the day that the LORD hath made! Amen? Denise |
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