1. It is not about "keeping" the law how we view the word today. Although we all fall short, its about guarding it, protecting it and doing our best to follow it..... definitely not disregarding it and teaching others to do the same. (Mat 5:19 again)
Thats not what Christianity is about man. You can still do your best, you will still fall short. Doing that causes you to be cursed.
How is a christian to be encouraged when he continues to look at the law. and if they are honest with themselves understand they fall short?
They can/t unless they water down the law or decieve themselves that they are keeping it.
God requires perfection. If you are not perfect. You have failed to keep the law. Those are moses words and pauls. Both who were inspired by God himself
Your argument is with them my friend, and God, not me
2. How do you define righteousness? Is it not righteous to follow gods instructions... aka follow law?
God defines righteousness. If you keep the whole law yet STUMBLE in one area, Your guilty.
For all have sinned and fall short.
To be righteous is to be PERFECT. as Jesus himself said. why do you call me good (righteous) no one is good but God. Your not God my friend. Neither am I!
3. A non-believer can not follow the law. That is the whole point of us needing The Messiah. The Pharisees were not following the law. either. Some may have been trying, but they ended up taking away and adding to it.... Like washing your hands before you eat. Again, we needed the Messiah to show us how we are REALLY supposed to keep law.
No one can follow the law. No one has and no one will. Mess up one time and your done. You have failed to keep the law.
But. Non believers can obey commands.
Thats your problem. your trying to mix commands with the law. CO0mmands are far above the law my friend.
4. I agree... The question is what did this grace provide? 1. It provided freedom from the penalties for sin (breaking the law) under the first covenant... E.G. animal sacrifice, stoning. 2. It provided a role model for us to learn how to follow God's instructions (law) how they were meant to be followed.... these two things gave us a second chance at life.
Or to put it in the words of scripture
Heb 10: 4 for by one offering he has
perfected forever those who are being sanctified
col 2: 14
having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
Gal 3: 13 Christ has
redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed
is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
I can continue but I hope you get the point
5. We follow the law because we respect, honor and love our creator and believe he knows what's best, not because we want to get something out of it. Our hearts being in the right place prevents us from going astray from the law like the Pharisees. Regardless of our reasons though, the Father still makes it clear that there have been and still are benefits for doing what He says and consequences for not.
BUT YOU CANT FOLLOW THE LAW!
Wake up man, You are decieved. Paul spent a lifetime apposing people like you who try to impose on others the burden that the jews could not handle. Obeying the law.
The law was not given to show you how to live I have proved that.
What you said Paul made clear is about "grace"... Yes, when we do receive grace it is free. We don't deserve it and its nothing that we did to get it. However grace does not apply to all of the blessings we receive from the Father. There are still conditional benefits and consequences.
Salvation is by Grace.
It is NOT OF WORKS
If you teaching we can lose salvation. or must maintain it by obeying the law then you are teaching works.
If you are not. and are teaching sanctification comes by the law. Your still wrong. The law was for the sinner, not the believer.