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Life Is a Gift from God

We hold from God the gift which includes all others. This gift is life — physical, intellectual, and moral life.

But life cannot maintain itself alone. The Creator of life has entrusted us with the responsibility of preserving, developing, and perfecting it. In order that we may accomplish this, He has provided us with a collection of marvelous faculties. And He has put us in the midst of a variety of natural resources. By the application of our faculties to these natural resources we convert them into products, and use them. This process is necessary in order that life may run its appointed course.

Life, faculties, production — in other words, individuality, liberty, property — this is man. And in spite of the cunning of artful political leaders, these three gifts from God precede all human legislation, and are superior to it. Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place.

Frederic Bastiat 1801-1850 “The Law”

Galatians 3:19-29

19Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

21Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

23Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

The part in bold is just not true:

Genesis24: 4"(A)I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and (B)by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws."

Josh22: 1(A)Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 2and said to them, "You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, (B)and have listened to my voice in all that I commanded you. 3"You have not forsaken your brothers these many days to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.

David said: 2 Sam22 22"For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not acted wickedly against my God. 23"For all His ordinances were before me, And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.

1 King 14:...(C)yet you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, (D)to do only that which was right in My sight;

Genesis6: 8But (A)Noah (B)found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 9These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a (C)righteous man, (D)blameless in his time; Noah (E)walked with God.

Psalm 15: 1O LORD, who may abide (A)in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your (B)holy hill? 2He who (C)walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And (D)speaks truth in his heart. 3He (E)does not slander with his tongue, Nor (F)does evil to his neighbor, Nor (G)takes up a reproach against his friend;

Solomon: Proverbs 11: 3The (A)integrity of the upright will guide them, But the (B)crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them. 4(C)Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But (D)righteousness delivers from death. 5The (E)righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way, But (F)the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.

2 King 18 5(G)He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; (H)so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. 6For he (I)clung to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses.

i kings 3Then Solomon said, "You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

Caleb:Josh14: 9"So Moses swore on that day, saying, 'Surely (J)the land on which your foot has trodden will be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God fully.'

Deut 3011For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. 12It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 13Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 14But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that you may do it. 16In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply:

So people have kept the commandments, not perfectly but G-d knew that we would be imperfect. Abraham kept the law, David, Hezekiah, etc...They are mentioned as righteous too. David mentions people being righteous a lot. We have always been justified by G-ds grace even before the law and after the law was given by the means of atonement G-d provided. Prayer, repentance, charity, fasting and for unintentional sins, sacrifices. G-d gave us the commandments (Deut 30 above) that "you may do it". He isnt going to give us something we cant do! There is not one scripture in the Tanakh (OT) that says the law will be replaced with a new law. New covenant does NOT mean new law and the new covenant has not arrived yet. This sermon is all wrong.