Bob,
"1. You have a tendency of putting the house beneath the foundation. The simple
New Testament Gospel you refer to is actually the simple Old Testament Gospel.
The OT is first, while there were Levitical Laws in place, it was fully understood in
the OT by the big guns (David, Job, Jacob ...etc) that they were sinners who were
saved by faith in their Redeemer (We happen to know the Name of the Redeemer
now) and not by their adherence to the Law."
Kind of cocky for you to make that statement since I've been preaching this for many years. There is no problems with the faith of Abraham and others in the Old Testament. Their faith was counted as righteouness.
That is not what this discussion is all about. Jesus Christ the Messiah has come and no one can be saved without faith in the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus. We are no living in the day of the Old Testament when men of faith could look forward to their redemption. The redemption has alreadyoccurred.
That redemption is Jesus Christ and the New Testament is the inspired record of that redemption. You are subtly reducing the New Testament and the Church to some by note or parenthesis. You can't pretend that you are living back in the days before Jesus. Jesus has already come and he is the only door to salvation.
"The New Testament is not needed to prove that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.
If the New Testament is not your source, then you tell me what is your source for the inspired historical account of the incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension and the baptism of the Holy Spirit? To my knowledge, there are no other reliable sources for this saving information but the New Testament.
John 1
6: There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7: The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
You declare that
For the Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.1John 1:17
The NT is not the only vehicle to 'prove' that Jesus is the Messiah.
Outside of a special revelation from the Holy Spirit, the written New Testament is the only vehicle to 'prove' that Jesus is the Messiah.
In fact, the New Testament is just that--a revelation by the Holy Spirit. You read the New Testament and then you bring that knowledge to the Old Testament and witness to Jews. Just because you don't carry a NT or read from a NT does not mean you are not using the NT.
That is precisely what you are doing because you have no other reliable inspired source for the Life, Curcifixion and Resurrection of Jesus. What puzzles me is why are you trying to deny this simple fact. Are you trying to take the glory away from God's inspired NT or away from the Holy Spirit. Today, 2000 years after the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus, the OT cannot stand on its on for mens salvation; it has to have the full revelation of God which means the NT
"The New Testament is not needed to prove that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. If the NT is needed to prove that Jesus is the Messiah,
THEN HE IS NOT."
This is the same as saying that if the Incarnation, Crucifixion and Resurrection and the baptism of the Holy Spirit are not needed to prove that Jesus is the Messiah in l998 then he is not the Messiah.
Your are treating the NT as if it is some optional book in God's plan of salvation through Jesus. The NT is central to the salvation of men removed from the historical period of those evenat. The NT is the only Holy Spirit inspired record of those historical and spiritual events, their is no other.
The Holy Spirit inspired the Apostles and disciples to write these words for the very reason that they might believe on Jesus and believing that they might inherit eternal life.
May the will of God be done on these matters and may his truth and love prevail as we seek for the fullness of his truth.
I have witnessed strange things in my years of evanglizing so I do not discount things easily. The fact that your method was successful with Steve is very important and impressive to me. This is why I listen and discuss this with you. Otherwise, I would simply |
