Now that I've listened to the entire teaching I see that Jim's point is more focused
on when the author of Hebrews uses the word "the law" Jim is saying that within the
context of this letter "the law" simply means one specific section of God's Law.
So I wanted to see if the author indeed meant one specific law.
The actual Greek work the author uses is the word νόμος so I wanted to see if this word was used in any other contexts throughout the new testament.
νόμος is used 34 times in the new testament.
Matthew
01) Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
02) For before John came, all the prophets and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time.
03) The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.
Luke
04) Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in.
John
05) For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.
06) For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath?
07) "Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked.
Romans
08) Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it.
09) Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God.
10&11) For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)
12) God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.
13) Now, dear brothers and sisters—you who are familiar with the law—don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living?
14&15) Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”
16) But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.
17) So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.
18) And because you belong to him, the law of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the law of sin that leads to death.
1 Corinthians
19) Am I expressing merely a human opinion, or does the law say the same thing?
20) Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says.
21) For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.
Galatians
22) This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”
23) This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise.
24) Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people.
25&26) Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it.
27) Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.
28) For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
29) gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
1 Timothy
30) We know that the law is good when used correctly.
31) For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders.
Hebrews
32) For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
33) The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.
34) The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship.
It seems like every time the word νόμος is used it refers to the entire law of Moses. There isn't away to tell if the author meant one specific law or the entire old wineskins. Jim talks about America's law system and how if we swear a new president in to office it doesn't neglect the rest of the laws of America. He also talks about changing a speed limit. I have no idea how those sorts of examples have any comparison to the νόμος. Your ways are higher than our ways.
Because America's law system is like that does not mean Your system is anything like that. It seems like a very weak argument. I feel as if Jim is grasping at straws. It's awesome that he has a passion for truth but He hasn't fully experienced Your grace.
Jesus when you told the parable of the prodigal father Did the son keep any of his father's laws? Did the son do anything pleasing and honoring to the father? He simply came broken and sinful in need of a savior, a doctor. And thus the Father ran to him though grace and unconditional love.
Jesus when you forgave the thief on the cross Did he keep any of the law of Moses? Did he do anything obedient to You? He simply came desperate and hopeless in need of a savior, a love without strings attached.
Jesus when you forgave the disgusting whore Did she earn Your forgiveness did she first make herself ceremonially clean? She crawled to You she pursued through the embarrassment, through the shame, through the sin and she clung to her savior. Through that faith she was set free from her past.
Your love isn't fair it isn't just. You can't just let sinners and sluts into the Holiest of Holies! We must have to do something! We must make ourselves clean or follow some sort of requirements or restrictions right?
Jesus You paid it all. Your love has no conditions no requirements no limits. Jim needs to stop and simply rest in your presence and feel worthless feel useless feel Your grace. We can't do anything and it isn't fair it isn't just. But praise be to You that Jim isn't the judge. He isn't the one who determines what is fair or what it takes to be with You.
Your grace is so difficult to comprehend. When I stop to think of the sins of the Murderer Saul turned apostle Paul or the adulterer, murderer, thief, petty, failure David and I see Your love for them my heart turns violently inside of my chest and I realize that it is through You and You alone that I am clean, loveable, acceptable, nothing else, nothing more.
..Wow, what the heck Abba? What can I say? What can I do?
on when the author of Hebrews uses the word "the law" Jim is saying that within the
context of this letter "the law" simply means one specific section of God's Law.
So I wanted to see if the author indeed meant one specific law.
The actual Greek work the author uses is the word νόμος so I wanted to see if this word was used in any other contexts throughout the new testament.
νόμος is used 34 times in the new testament.
Matthew
01) Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
02) For before John came, all the prophets and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time.
03) The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.
Luke
04) Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in.
John
05) For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.
06) For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath?
07) "Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked.
Romans
08) Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it.
09) Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God.
10&11) For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)
12) God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.
13) Now, dear brothers and sisters—you who are familiar with the law—don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living?
14&15) Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”
16) But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.
17) So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.
18) And because you belong to him, the law of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the law of sin that leads to death.
1 Corinthians
19) Am I expressing merely a human opinion, or does the law say the same thing?
20) Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says.
21) For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.
Galatians
22) This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”
23) This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise.
24) Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people.
25&26) Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it.
27) Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.
28) For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
29) gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
1 Timothy
30) We know that the law is good when used correctly.
31) For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders.
Hebrews
32) For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
33) The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.
34) The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship.
It seems like every time the word νόμος is used it refers to the entire law of Moses. There isn't away to tell if the author meant one specific law or the entire old wineskins. Jim talks about America's law system and how if we swear a new president in to office it doesn't neglect the rest of the laws of America. He also talks about changing a speed limit. I have no idea how those sorts of examples have any comparison to the νόμος. Your ways are higher than our ways.
Because America's law system is like that does not mean Your system is anything like that. It seems like a very weak argument. I feel as if Jim is grasping at straws. It's awesome that he has a passion for truth but He hasn't fully experienced Your grace.
Jesus when you told the parable of the prodigal father Did the son keep any of his father's laws? Did the son do anything pleasing and honoring to the father? He simply came broken and sinful in need of a savior, a doctor. And thus the Father ran to him though grace and unconditional love.
Jesus when you forgave the thief on the cross Did he keep any of the law of Moses? Did he do anything obedient to You? He simply came desperate and hopeless in need of a savior, a love without strings attached.
Jesus when you forgave the disgusting whore Did she earn Your forgiveness did she first make herself ceremonially clean? She crawled to You she pursued through the embarrassment, through the shame, through the sin and she clung to her savior. Through that faith she was set free from her past.
Your love isn't fair it isn't just. You can't just let sinners and sluts into the Holiest of Holies! We must have to do something! We must make ourselves clean or follow some sort of requirements or restrictions right?
Jesus You paid it all. Your love has no conditions no requirements no limits. Jim needs to stop and simply rest in your presence and feel worthless feel useless feel Your grace. We can't do anything and it isn't fair it isn't just. But praise be to You that Jim isn't the judge. He isn't the one who determines what is fair or what it takes to be with You.
Your grace is so difficult to comprehend. When I stop to think of the sins of the Murderer Saul turned apostle Paul or the adulterer, murderer, thief, petty, failure David and I see Your love for them my heart turns violently inside of my chest and I realize that it is through You and You alone that I am clean, loveable, acceptable, nothing else, nothing more.
..Wow, what the heck Abba? What can I say? What can I do?