Finally a good question.......
If you haven't noticed, let me make sure you're actually paying attention to what I have said here.
All men sin. We are of a less sort today than we were in first children of Adam were born. We have terrible pedigrees in our past. We are the product of lesser men..........
I've never insisted that anyone be perfect. However, I have pointed out the hypocrisy of whomever wrote "James".
No, you don't insist that you should strive to be perfect, in fact, you discourage others from pressing towards that High calling of God by telling them it's an impossible endeavor. But the Jesus "of the Bible" did insist, and Paul and James humbled themselves to that endeavor, as their Lord instructed. Truly they were "Doers" of the Sayings of God and not hearers only. This is undeniable Biblical Truth.
The writings of Paul are far superior to what is found in "James". In fact, if they are saying the same things like you insisting is happening.....
Then to lose James means nothing.
To lose Paul...... well you know that is a total different impact.
The Head of the Church of God is the Christ Jesus, not Paul, in my understanding. God's Church was growing and receiving the Spirit of God for their obedience long before Paul was knocked off his high horse. Paul helped the Pharisees murder those whose refuge was the Lord, like Stephen. These men were servants of God's Righteousness and had "Yielded themselves" a servant to obey God long before Paul instructed both Jew and Gentile to do the same. The impact of the removal of Paul's letters would affect the religions of this world who twist his words to justify their rejection of God's Laws and Judgments, this is true. But the Body of Christ grew and flourished long before the scales fell off of Paul's eyes, and for centuries before Paul's Letters were canonized. As he himself teaches, he was the least of the apostles.
Paul believed and taught "all that was written" in the Law and Prophets. He himself taught both Jew and Gentile "
that they should repent and turn to God and do works meet for repentance". In other words, to be renewed in the spirit of their mind, and become "doers" of God's Laws, not hearers only.
Both the Law and Prophets, and the High Priest of God, the Lord's Christ, teach the exact same thing.
And James too. For these reasons and more, I will not join with you in your judgment against Abraham, David or any of the Apostles God chose and gave to His Son, including James.
You are free to judge them if you want to. I am not their judge, but a servant of God, and Jesus, who HE sent, is my Lord and Savior.
God uses sinners, I ultimately judge all epistles by what they communicate. Internal Evidence.
Yes, men do judge the Holy Scriptures, and they pick and judge which Inspired Words of God are worthy of their honor and respect and which words are not worthy. The Pharisees, Catholics, Calvinists, Armenians, JW's, LDS, SDA, and all other religious sects and businesses of this world's religious system engage in the exact same practice. And so did I years ago. This is why, in my view, that the Jesus "of the Bible" teaches to "Come out of her" and "
Be not ye therefore like unto them". And to instead, "Live by" Every Word
of God, and
not "live by" the imaginations of our own heart, which is deceitful above all things. Or as you define it, "Internal Evidence".
I realize that canonicity is a weak subject for most Christians. Accept what I say or not but don't pretend I don't have a strong position relative to the revelation of God.
God didn't come down and reveal to you that James is a reprobate because he said the exact same thing Paul, Jesus, and the Entire Law and Prophets teach, which is to be a "Doer" of the Sayings of God, and not just a hearer. I pointed this out to you, but you seem to have judged the Scriptures I posted as unworthy of your respect. You have simply adopted the religious philosophy of someone else. There is nothing in the Holy Scriptures to back any of this foolishness against James or any of the faithful men in the Bible you call sinners. There is not one place where you are told to judge the Holy Scriptures, or the examples of Faithful men shown to us therein.
"Many" don't believe God is capable of preserving His Truth in Scriptures, and therefore men Seek Him from other venues. This is a widely held practice that you are engaging in. And is the reason why there are so many different philosophies and doctrines being promoted by this world's religious system. Truly it's chaos, confusion, or as it is called in the Holy Scriptures, "Babylon".
Civic believes he has a "strong position relative to the revelation of God". Jer15 believes the same, and Runningman as well. And yet all 4 of you promote exact opposite positions of each other on many issues, all believing you speak by revelation of God.
Even a child can see that God or Scriptures doesn't cause this chaos and division between the 4 of you. And each one would claim they are right, and the other 3 are wrong. This times 100's of millions IS this world's religious system.
What I advocate for is "Yielding ourselves" servants to obey the Same God of the Holy scriptures, and the "sayings" of the Jesus "of the Bible" who brought to us God's Words. In this way we all have ONE HEAD, and ONE God and Father of all.
Men who do this don't have time to judge the Faithful men in Scriptures, or the desire for that matter. They are too busy "putting on the New Man", which after God is created in righteousness and True Holiness, and ripping the mote out of their own eyes, to judge the Apostles or other examples of faithful men in the Scriptures.
Someday God promised to bring a new heaven and a new earth where this righteousness dwells. This is the world I and Abraham and James and Paul seek for.
Until then, I am a purchased possession, "pressing toward the High calling of God, which was in Christ Jesus", like James and Paul. Hoping that with the help of the Lord's Christ, we might overcome the temptation to transgress God's Commandments, and endure to the end of this life, that we might be found worthy of being granted repentance.
I invite you on the same journey. There is no praise of men on this narrow path, no business opportunity, you will be broken and humiliated, and shamed by this world's religions, called all manner of names, just as Jesus and the Church of God throughout history was.
But after 30 years on this journey, the blessings have outweighed the hardships. Clearly James and Abraham and David and "many" other Faithful men embarked on this journey. I will not join you in your judgments against them.
