Temporal Justification

[S.T.Ranger]

Sorry. I know you want to use the term 'temporal' as it is involved in the subject of this thread. But I disagree with what you are trying to do with it.

You reject Temporal Justification? So you believe that James is stating that Abraham was eternally redeemed because he offered up his son? That is the example he gives to underscore his point:


James 2:21-24 King James Version (KJV)

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.


You are rejecting a very simple statement of Scripture. You answer James' question with "...no, Abraham was not justified by works, and no, we do not see that a man is justified by works and not by faith only."

Abraham was able to offer up Isaac because he believed God's promise-which I will point out he did not receive-(Hebrews 11:17-19). Again, that did not negate his need to be eternally redeemed through Jesus Christ.

And the popular notion is that the Atonement was applied to the Old Testament Saints prior to the Cross. Yet not a single person will present a Scriptural basis for that.

"Temporal" is used to distinguish between Justification among men and justification that has eternal value. It is simply a term used to designate those who do keep the Law. You reject that men did keep the Law when we see that they did:


Luke 1:5-6 King James Version (KJV)

5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.


The reason your system cannot acknowledge this Scripture is because you are imposing into it a perfect keeping of the Law. Here we see they "walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless," but that does not mean they never transgressed the Law, or that they would never again transgress the Law, or that their separation from God on an eternal basis was remedied according to how they walked before God.

If you reject Temporal Justification I would ask you to explain why James states Abraham was justified by works and not faith only.

If you reject Temporal Justification I would ask you to explain why Scripture testifies of Zecharias and Elisabeth walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. What does this mean?

I can tell you it does not mean...

They were not righteous before God because they never broke the Law. They were righteous before God because they saw they could not keep the Law and in faith would bring the correct sacrifice.

You change what Scripture states from "walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless," to "not walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless but righteous because they had faith to bring sacrifices."

On that point you are not justified.

And I will continue this because for some reason I have had trouble getting on the forum and don't want to spend too much time if I am not going to be able to post.


Continued...

 

[S.T.Ranger]

The Israelites were never able to keep the Law.

I would agree, but you present a picture that they were never at any time able to keep the Law. This is bogus. But before I go any further I would like to point out that "The Law" was a formalized Covenant of God's will already expressed prior to the establishment of the Law. Sacrifice for sins is the best example. The first was performed by God when Adam and Eve's sin was covered. Then Abel, Noah, Abraham, Job, and Jacob. God's will was revealed to men prior to there being Jew and Gentile.

Regardless of a formalized Covenant we still see Noah...righteous:


Genesis 6:7-9 King James Version (KJV)

7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.


He was just, not because he never sinned, but just according to his walk with, and before God.

That did not negate Noah's need for Eternal Redemption. He was not Justified through the REdemption which is in Christ Jesus, because if he were...he need not have offered up sacrifice for sin:


Genesis 8:18-20 King James Version (KJV)

18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him:

19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.

20 And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.


This is further supported here:


Hebrews 10:1-4 King James Version (KJV)

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.


Animal sacrifice could not take away sins. The Sacrifice of Christ did, and this on an eternal basis:


Hebrews 10:10-14 King James Version (KJV)

10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.


Note that Scripture states "...after He had offered one sacrifice." After.

After.

Again, His Sacrifice accomplished Eternal Redemption and remission of the sins of the Old Testament Saints:


Hebrews 9:12 and 15 King James Version (KJV)

12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.


15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.


Romans 3, which has an eternal context regarding Justification, also testifies of the sins of the Old Testament Saints being redeemed by His offering of HImself:


Romans 3:24-25 King James Version (KJV)

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;


Continued...