But you didn’t answer the questions.

(And I honestly think you should be more careful than to use phrases like “dead Jews.” That one is disrespectful at best, and a racially-charged epithet some might see as threat, at worst.)

I am literally forced to keep reminding myself that what took me more than a few years to understand–others may need that long or longer to get the idea.

In response–to point the need to better get a hold of this concept of studying by covenants and by the law that accompanies each covenant–I am going to add this text–

Mat 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
Mat 19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
Mat 19:18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Mat 19:19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 19:20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Mat 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

My observation–These are the words of Jesus–along with your observations and others–Now–when is the first time you taught that salvation comes from doing exactly what Jesus has taught here in the Mosaic law?

Now, more importantly, why is that?

So, who decides which part of the Mosaic law we use and which part we do not use? The way it has been is that man has been so doing and that does not work–But if we allow God to do so. Well, The Old Covenant ended at the cross–not at the birth of the Jewish Messiah. Where is each found in the gospels?

God has not been silent here..we just have trouble getting our minds around the issue because we have been taught differently..

There also needs to be an understanding of God’s moral law of sin and of death. And to keep in mind that God only governs men by the covenant they are under.

For instance, when God gave the Jews the Mosaic covenant–God never ever held the Gentile accountable to that law–since it was not theirs.

And with the New heart, New Spirit and New Covenant–On the Day of Pentecost forward every person not under this covenant is lost.
Those under this covenant will be judged by that covenant–not by the moral law of sin and death that the rest of the world stands condemned under.

Christians and Gentiles and Jews today are not under the Mosaic Law–And those who try to put us back under that law for what ever reason–are attempting to put us under a law that kills and not saves..

Everytime we use the gospel texts to illustrate how we are to be bound by that law–the folks so doing are teaching error.

Now, a very large issue is understanding that when we understand from scripture God’s plan for redeeming ALL MANKIND.. Then the gospels today or for that matter have never been null and void–even for Christians.

We can learn from the gospels but the gospels are written to four different christian churches–and what do each emphasize to their particular audience and even to us today?

As that question is answered–then how do I as a Christian see the gospels.

[1] As a Christian–I am not lost–Jesus had a specific message to the lost sheep of the house of Israel–why? Because they were lost–They had moved from the scriptures of God to their own and in doing so changed the meaning of God’s Word to suit.

A lot like the MDR folks or the IM folks do today.

[2] I use the gospels–as God does–to teach the lost about Jesus and who and what He was\is to the world today.

[3] I, as a Christian know and understand that When God makes a new Covenant–new means new–so when I see God’s moral law in the law of sin and death–I can find that moral law under the Mosaic law. This means that I can also find said moral law under the New Covenant

[4] Gentiles were never bound by the Mosaic Covenant and Christians are not bound by either the law of the Gentiles or the Mosaic law.
We see our authority for salvation and Christian living not from the gospels–directed at the dead Jews to bring them back in harmony with the Mosaic law but in Acts 2 where God has given a new spirit and heart and covenant and has provided the laws for that covenant.

[a] This does not mean that I as a Christian count up all the laws–line them up and then keep score as to whether or not I am keeping them.

[b] On the other hand as a priest of the most high God I have enough lessons from scripture to know that I do not want to ever offer up to God sacrifices that God has not authorized.

Richard GF

We are to ignore Jesus’ teaching that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath? We are to set aside His teaching to do unto others as we would have others do unto us? That’s all “Old Covenant,” null and void?

From what little I have read here–it does not matter what is given–It has and can be proven that God is not well-pleased with man’s use of Im in worship–but that is NOT WHAT IS DESIRED HERE..{emphasis only}so you guys are like broken records–so don’t expect me to get real interested in convincing you folks–you don’t want to be convinced.. You cannot see…

So what do you expect of me? To uselessly spin my wheels so to speak–Well, If I considered it totally useless I would already be gone..

I do choose to keep using theJews but in the end run folks never seem to learn from the past–but on the odd chance that some can–well, you just never know.

Richard GF

To be fair about it–the same exact claim can be made toward all men who attempt to take any part of the Mosaic law and bind it as law on men today. And, the gospels up to the cross are Old Covenant. Esp in the MDR arena.

Richard GF

You responded with generalizations rather than specific examples.

You responded with insults about ignorance rather than facts.

You repeated platitudes rather than quoting scripture.

You continue to maintain, “There is not a man living today who can prove from the new Covenant that God is well-pleased with the use of man made instruments in worship.”

And I continue to maintain, “There is not a man living today who can prove from the new Covenant that God is NOT STILL well-pleased with the use of man made instruments in worship.”

Stalemate.

You said, “If you want to talk about being united –you have to get back to allowing the texts–not your application of them to govern.”

I didn’t apply anything to the texts. I just quoted them – where God ordained instrumental praise in Deuteronomy and where He is surrounded by it in the Revelation to John. I didn’t apply any “law of silence to the texts.” I didn’t apply any kind of doctrine of implied liberty. God simply neither commands nor condemns the practice in the New Testament … but it is clearly exemplified in heaven through the Revelation to John. (That’s being honest with the text.)

There, creatures and elders and angels and men bow down, falling on their faces before Him. We don’t do that much, either. Maybe we should do it more. Wouldn’t that be allowing the texts to govern?

Law can’t save. (Galatians 2:21) It can’t impart life. (Galatians 3:21) It cannot make people perfect or take away sins. (Hebrews 10:1-3). We didn’t need more law; we needed Christ, His Spirit, His law written on our hearts (Hebrews 15:17). Yes, I understand covenants – and the new covenant is not full of law that damns one for doing something God did not specifically authorize … as if a life that follows Christ were no more than a cosmic game of “Simon Says.”

If God didn’t mention it, then it’s not something that He’s enacting law about. He hasn’t specifically authorized thousands of things that we do every day and Sunday too. You’re drawing a line God hasn’t drawn; dividing the body of Christ over that line; insulting brothers in that blood-bought fellowship … doesn’t that strike you as dangerous to do?

You said, “Man just cannot worship by faith and use IM in their worship.”

Chances are good that Jesus did, Peter did, Paul did, John did, generations before them did and the hosts of heaven do.

If a brother or sister in Christ worships God with a grateful heart, a glorifying voice and the accompaniment of a musical instrument from a pitch pipe or tuning fork that sounds the first note to a harp to an orchestra, I am not authorized – to use the language I have heard so much – to tell that person he/she is sinning.

God certainly doesn’t. Why should I?