Mulling over George Pope to Steve Asher 14 Nov 2005

 SA>  GP> And I take no notice of anyone but God, or those He grants
 SA>  GP> authority to. . .

 SA>  GP> And by giving the commandments to Noah, they are deemed binding
 SA>  GP> on all humanity, who all descend from Noah. . .

 SA> Do you feel that the "noahide laws" are binding on you?

 GP> Of course, as given by God, they are binding on everybody!

Not on me; I am free of the Law and its curse of death and hell.

 GP> Every Christian, too!

Nope.

 GP> Because Jesus only supposedly did away with the RITUALISTIC laws,
 GP> not the MORAL laws (do not murder, commit adultery, steal,
 GP> blaspheme, etc.) 

That is "another gospel"; that is anathema. Christians are not yoked
together with those who reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ in favour
of some form of works or law-keeping for righteousness; it is all
of grace.

Try this - read it, and ponder on it, if you are able.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
LAW AND GRACE, WORKS  AND CHRIST

What is the relationship of law to grace and how do we reconcile the
commands in the OT law with grace. So many say the grace is there to
keep the law, but the bible states in the NT that if you fail to keep
one of the laws you have broken them all. This is the very reason we
are under grace. In the OT there was grace under the surface of the
law in the NT grace rules over the law. If you failed in one of the
commands the way it was dealt with was by sacrifice. The NT we are not
under grace to keep the law of the OT because the scripture makes it
clear no one can. It is Jesus who kept the law where we could not he
kept it absolutely perfectly. Every requirement small or large was
kept in the absolute way God required it of man. So Christ lived a
perfect righteous life even to the point of his death on the cross. We
are under grace because of his righteousness that is imputed or given
to our account. So many people misunderstand which covenant they are
living under and because of this there is so much confusion that they
get condemned because they have not lived up to the perfect standard
the law requires. Not realizing the purpose of the law is to make one
guilty, so we are to go to the ultimate sacrifice found not in animals
without blemish but in Christ Jesus the lamb.

So many do good works because they think it is demanded of them,
instead of it flowing out of natural lifestyle of faith.

The old covenant was for the Jews only. For one to be under the Old
covenant they need to convert to Judaism. In the new covenant, it is
for both Jews and gentiles. In Eph.2 when we believe in Christ we
becomes part of the body of Christ, not Judaism. God made a whole new
entity called the church, the body of Christ, and filled it with his
spirit to operate in his ways.

Hebrews 8:6, "But now hath He (Jesus) obtained a more excellent
ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a "Better Covenant,
which was established upon "Better" Promises". The new covenant is Not
a covenant of works but rest in his work. By it all the Body of Christ
' is not under of the condemning ministry of the law (2 Cor. 3:9; Rom.
8:1-2 there is no condemnation), since believers are not under the law
they are beyond its grasp to condemn.(Rom. 3:19).

Paul states in Rom. 6:14..." for you are not under law but under
grace." He also makes it clear in Gal. 5:18 "if you are led by the
Spirit, you are not under the law."  The previous verses state "so
that you do not do the things that you wish." The Law is not given to
the Christian as the standard to live by, but to show the unbeliever
how below the standard we do live, as Paul states in 1 Tim.1:9 The Law
is for the unrighteous.

Paul states the LAW is Not of Faith. The ministry of the law working
in a Christian cannot please God, for it is not of faith yet the law
is not of faith, but "The man who does them shall live by them." Gal.
3:12

In the dispensation of grace, "the law is not of faith." Today faith
and law are mutually exclusive. In Israel's dispensation of law, faith
and law were equally beneficial, one needed both (Rom. 10:5-6,
10).without faith the requirements of the law would not be acceptable.
This is why The Lord said that he rejected their sacrifices because it
was not mixed with faith. Under law, faith is necessary. Under grace,
the OT law is prohibited. So today, "the law is not of faith." And
Paul states without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).
So if the Law is not of faith what do we live by? For a member of the
Body sins by putting himself under the requirements of the law.
Remember Paul said in Rom. 14:23 "whatever is not of faith is sin." (
he used the example of food to represent this concept).

Righteousness we need cannot come from the Law. For the law demands
perfect obedience. Gods standard is perfection, something we cannot
fathom since we never see it or experience it. It is impossible to
please God by following the law, because the law is not of faith.
Righteousness pleases God, but today righteousness cannot come from
doing the works of the law, but from faith alone. Faith which shows
that it is alive and active.

Rom. 4:5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who
justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. Paul
further makes it clear in Gal. 3:21 "For if there had been a law given
which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by
the law." In the past, with Israel under the law, righteousness and
the law went together (Rom, 10: 5-6, 10), but now Paul writes, the
righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed... Rom. 3:21 We
know that today, Christ is "the end of the law for righteousness." Any
requirement any command all that God asked Christ fulfilled.

So there must have been a time in the past, when Christ was not "the
end of the law for righteousness."

Gal 3:23-25 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the
law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore
the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be
justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a
tutor (teacher for the immature)."

This time was Israel's, as a whole nation under the law. But when God
moved from law to grace, Israel resisted that move, preferring the old
program of rules and regulations from Moses, illustrating the danger
of law. The law looks appealing today, but it separates those who
embrace it from the Spirit of grace.

For [Israel] being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to
establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the
righteousness of God. For ' Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to everyone who believes. Rom. 10:3-4

[...]

Source: http://www.letusreason.org/Doct31.htm

Google Law and Grace for other examples

Cheers, Steve..

---