Hi dizerner,dizerner wrote:Hey Robby, what would you describe as "justification by Law", and what would you describe as "living after the flesh"?
Justification by The Law is trusting in the ceremonial works (shadows and types), for forgiveness of sins (works of the flesh) which Israel indulged themselves in constantly. We are to look to Christ (The Anti-Type) for deliverance and PRACTICE walking by The Spirit not the PRACTICE of fulfilling the lust of the flesh, then depending on rituals to cleanse us of our sins without any change of heart.
I agree. The Cross NOT ceremonial means is what justifies us.dizerner wrote:I think we have a new nature, but we have to learn how to live out of it, it's not fully automatic; living out of the new nature is acknowledging no good thing in the old nature, and it's having been dealt with on the Cross.
Your above statement starts to confuse things. The Cross promotes righteous living, righteous living is being obedient to God, being obedient to God requires doing what He says, therefore, doing what He says is keeping His Commands. Any breakdown in this line of thinking will fall under The Works of the Flesh. Christians are not replacing The Cross, they are exercising the validity of its power TO SAVE by being led by the Spirit of God unto GOOD WORKS.dizerner wrote:Otherwise, when we are attempting to actually keep the commands of NT or OT, we fall under the principle of law, and begin living out of Adam, attempting to replace work of the Cross with our own good actions. Do you think it matters exactly how we attempt to be righteous?
I think you are simply trying to separate a "cause and effect" of being obedient to God, which always produces GOOD WORKS.
God Bless.