I know Calvinism competes with other religious sects for contributing members. This is the way of this world's religious system. If I had a JW preacher here, he would say the same thing about the evils of the cult of Calvinism, with the same zeal, justifying his adopted religion with the same tactic of twisting cherry-picked Scriptures into teaching something the Bible itself doesn't teach. There isn't a nickels worth of difference between Calvinism or JW's or any of this world's religious sects and businesses that make up the religious system we were born into. They all reject God's Judgments, and have created their own. They have all rejected/polluted God's Sabbaths and have created their own. They have all rejected, even despised the Feasts of the Lord, and have created and promoted their own high days. They have all created and promoted images of God in the Likeness of man. They all build their own manmade shrines of worship made of wood and stone, to be seen of men.
In this world's religious system, the tradition is to "Choose" between the smorgasbord of different religious sects and businesses, contribute to them, and promote their specific philosophies. Just as it was in Jesus Time to choose between the religious sects of the Sadducees or the Pharisees, and "live by" and promote their perspective philosophies. You have chosen Calvinism. Others choose Arminianism, or JW's philosophy, or Mormonism, or Catholicism. Each promoter calling the other a false cult teaching.
I don't connect you with this world's religious system Red, you have chosen to adopt its traditions as your own and are now promoting it.
Jesus said "Be ye not therefore like unto them".
Most all of them adopt ancient Catholic high days and traditions and philosophies. The Holy Scriptures as a whole, exposes this "Course of the world" as not from God. But if a man twists cherry-picked Scriptures and omits much of God's Word, he can defend JW's theology, Catholic theology, Mormon theology, and Calvinism. This is why both Jesus and Paul advocated living by "Every Word" of God. With this Armor, we can resist the influence of this world's religious system.
You also said you didn't preach "No, this is wrong, there's only one covenant". So please forgive me if I take your statements with a grain of salt.
But many, including you, preach to the world, the popular doctrine that God created Laws impossible to obey and placed them on the necks of men who trusted Him, and yet when they disobeyed, He slaughtered them by the thousands anyway. You also preach that God's Word cannot be trusted as to who God created His Laws for. You preach that God's Laws are really Israel's Laws. And when you are shown these evil falsehoods through the Scriptures, you deflect and distract away from your teaching and try to make it about me. The Pharisees did the same thing to the Prophets, the Church of God and Jesus, God's only begotten Son. This tactic you have adopted is as old as Cain and Abel.
I am happy to receive the blessing of being demeaned, simply because I believe what Jesus says, but that isn't why I'm here. I advocate turning away from this world's religious system, along with its many differing religious businesses, and seek God's Truth, not justification for a religious sect or philosophy of this world. To seek God's Truth through the Holy scriptures HE had written "for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works".
This is hard to discuss with someone who is only interested in promoting a specific religious philosophy.
Red baker said;
I posted 3 different Covenants, there are more. And you didn't even acknowledge them or offered to discuss them. Instead, you continued as if God's Words I posted didn't exist, then you declared me wrong, and then lied about your own words.
I asked you a question, an easy multiple-choice question, and you refused to answer it.
These are all your free will works Red. How would you expect me to respond to this kind of discourse? I can see how Jesus responded to same discourse used by the promoters of the religious sects of His Time. But I would be banned from this forum if I followed His Example of how HE dealt with the mainstream preachers of His Time.
I am hoping, in the quiet moments of your alone time, that you might consider the beam in your own eye and then set about to "Cast it out". After all, it isn't the knowledge of the Beam that causes blindness, it's the Beam itself.
Hebrews chapters 7-10 is exclusively speaking about the Levitical Priesthood sacrifices and offerings.
Heb. 7: 5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:
Heb. 8: 1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. 3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
Heb. 9: 1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. 2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. 3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Heb. 10: 1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
The deceiver, by separating these verses from the rest of the bible, tries to twist these verses to support the popular religious philosophy that God abolished His own Laws, at least the ones that are not popular with the religious system of this world. But there is no or if any, very little mention of God's Commandments, Judgments or Statutes in these Chapters. It is exclusively about the Priesthood Covenant with Levi, and the duties and Sacrificial "works of the Law" that became old and were ready to perish, and how Jesus ushered in a New Priesthood Covenant, with better Promise.
I already know your adopted understanding of Hebrews 7-10. It's the same as the JW's, Mormons, Armenians etc. You guys tie God's instruction in righteousness, His Judgments and Statutes, with the Priesthood Law that was "ADDED" because of Transgressions. Claiming that if the Sacrifices of the Priesthood covenant God made with Levi grew old and was ready to vanish, God's entire Law grew old and was ready to vanish. This is how this world's religious system justifies their rejection of God's Laws. This is why I referenced what is actually written concerning the New Covenant, because God's Law doesn't become obsolete, according to Him. Only the manner in which His Law is received and the manner in which forgiveness of transgression of God's Law was provided for. Also, the Levitical Priesthood was the first Covenant God made with Israel, prior to that, they were under God's Covenant with Abraham and his children.
Jer. 7: 22 For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: 23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. (God's covenant with Abraham) 24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
There was no instruction from God for a common man to take a goat to the Levite Priest and kill it, to provide forgiveness of his sins before the golden calf. This Law was "ADDED" because of transgressions, and was to be in place "Till the Seed Should Come".
This is true, but again, once a man starts accepting God's Truth, this world's religious system, with its 501 3 c's, its wealth generating high days and marketing strategies starts to unravel.
As it is written:
John 11: 46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. 47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.
All their wealth, no more selling salvation, all their praise of men, gone. And these things are more important to many, than God's Truth. So they don't believe in the Words of the Jesus "of the bible", although they call Him Lord, Lord. And they continue to contribute to and promote this world's religious system, even though Jesus said to "Come out of her" and "be ye therefore not like unto them".
And they still get angry at those who would love them enough to show them these things.
