Today, most people in our modern churches do not
recognize the change
that came at the close of the book of Acts. They believe
they are of
Abraham’s seed; and to a great extent, they still preach
and believe in
the Abrahamic blessings. That is why churches today preach
law and
commingle a little grace with it. To do this, the preachers
must spend
most of their preaching time in the Old Testament, the
Gospels, and the
book of Acts. This means most believers hear an earthly
gospel because
the kingdom message is strictly focused on restoration of
the earth,
with health and prosperity as the major themes.
The greatest harm is
the people are being denied the blessings of their
in-Christ position,
which supersedes any and all Judaistic blessings. Worse
still, because
the true gospel is not preached, they learn little or
nothing about the
birthing. It is sad because when grace is preached and
understood, the
born-again children of God come behind in no spiritual
blessing. There
is no lack in answered prayers; there are more healings and
miracles,
and you live unseparated from the Christ in you. Most of
all, the
believer under grace now has a new Father-son relationship
that cannot
be known in its entirety as long as one lives under the law,
not rightly
dividing the Word of Truth.
I am not sure what you are saying by having more, more.
There is the correct teaching of the law and the perverse teaching of the law, right?
When you refer to legalistic teachings, what you state is considered false teaching and also, on the part of those listening and defending such false teaching, laboring in vain?
Those teaching and those listening may not be familiar with all Scripture. NT Scripture has an example of Peter and another not knowing/understanding Scripture detailing The Risen Christ.
Luke 24:4-7, 44
And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
And as they were afraid, and bowed down
their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
Luke 24:44
And he said unto them, These
are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and
in the prophets, and
in the psalms, concerning me.
John 20:9
For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
False teaching is a serious violation of Jesus' Gospel. The Holy Spirit is our teacher and we search Scripture to conclude whether we are listening to the Spirit of Truth whenever we listen to our Pastors and teachers. For plain Ol' me, the following verses are helpful in all aspects of my life. For Pastors and teachers, these verses are helpful too.
Luke 22:39-40
And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.
And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
The challenge of looking up each listed Scripture Smith lists for each chapter of his book keeps me busy.
In
The Covenantal Structure of the Bible, author Ralph Allen Smith wrote what the law was and was not.
4. The law of Moses, like every other covenant administration, included the threat of the curse for disobedience and the promise of blessing for obedience, but it was not, nor could it have ever been, a “legalistic” covenant. The Pharisaic interpretation of the law was, as both Jesus and Paul taught clearly, a perversion of the law’s true meaning. The law was given as a blessing for Israel to lead her in the way of joy, prosperity, and peace (Deu. 6:10-11, 24; 8:7ff.;10:13; 12:7, 12, 18; 14:26; 16:11, 14, 15; 26:11; 29:9; 30:5, 9, 15). The greatest blessing of the law was the tabernacle, a God-given sanctuary, His dwelling place among His people. The promise of the covenant that God would be with His people found concrete fulfillment in the gift of the tabernacle sanctuary. However, this too was clearly temporary, since the law looked forward to a more permanent sanctuary to be established in the future in an unspecified location (Deu. 12:5, 11, 14, 18, 21, 26; 14:23-25; 16:11, 15, 16; 17:8, 10; etc.).
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