There are TWO types of those who have forsaken Christ

This piece was posted in reply to a video saying that the problem with Lutheran preaching is soft antinomianism.

And my slowing evolving position is summarized in the title I append here, namely that there are TWO types of those who have forsaken Christ, and not just the one, namely the legalist

It is as follows:

 if the Lutherans preach the gospel the problem is NOT their teaching.

the thing is human nature has ONLY two alternatives,

legalism which is to forsake Christ for the Law, being fooled by the idea that their efforts do constitute  true law keeping ( they do not) and that these efforts  are obedience to the Holy Spirit ( they are not)

or lawlessness which is falsely called grace but which, in refusing to come to him personally in one on one relationship is no such thing. 

real grace TRANSFORMS the recipient and that as a process of renewal of the mind in one one one discipleship

to see no transformation even over years in an easy believer is to see that they have forsaken Christ for self indulgence

and to see only deterioration in the legalist over years -  and because law stirs up sin and makes it worse deterioration is the only possible outcome  - is to see that they  have  forsaken Christ for the law

the  problem is UNBELIEF, not the unbelief of failing to assent to proposition but the failure of coming to the Lord the spirit  IN PERSON to be changed,  healed and nurtured by Him:

IN PERSON

I come at this from the pole of an  extreme legalist. it is my besetting sin.

the dynamic of coming to the lord to be transformed in person  ( AND STAYING WITH HIM)  to become what the Law requires is TOTALLY DIFFERENT from that of the legalist vainly trying to keep a law he cannot keep and hoping for a help that never comes, or  that of the easy believer who thinks that merely being a Christian is the same thing as having a relationship with Christ

The lies in modern culture compared to the lies in the church

 An American Christian named Rosaria  Butterfield   has preached against some of lies that are permeating modern culture.

She does part of it here  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJaQYNrKaWI

and I have seen other videos of her on this

She is of course correct.

BUT I reply to her post below. For such denunciations barely scratch the surface

FWD

and I said . . .

This very good and necessary. Now i suggest she looks at the lies that have been the foundation of the church since almost the beginning.

and note i did say ALMOST. i never said these following lies were ever preached by the apostles. ND NEVER WILL

But the carnal mind, when it encounters the commandments of God will always twist them, corrupting them into something else entirely, namely lies and they include

1/ that forced obedience against one's own heart is genuine and that God both requires it and is pleased with it

2/that faith  can be engendered,  ie pumped up by willpower

3/ that love is actions  and has nothing to do with feeling

4/that doctrinal assent equals saving faith

5/ that we actually believe the gospel of Christ and are honest about it  when our lives show WE DO NOT

6/ that His yoke is hard  ( remember that He said it was EASY

we can preach  all we like against the lies she speaks about but until we look at the ones i list here we have NOTHING to counter these other lies with for we do NOT believe the gospel. After all the hypocrisy of us Christians  is proverbial and has been for CENTURIES

More on Cessationism

 In reply to a video on the subject:

God speaks to me directly.

this is the promise of having the Holy Spirit 

how do i know it is the Spirit who speaks? no other spirit convicts me  of sin in patience kindness and love.

any other would either tell me sin is not an issue, that i am ok

or have me writing in in agony  of condemnation on the floor

if the Spirit does not speak to us directly how does he Give life? Life is not a reified essence, life is relationship with Him, without this  is a law w cannot keep and we have forsaken him for the law

all the bible is is a book of law for it has things which  i as carnal find absurd.  so the commandments to believe certain things stand to me in the same relations as law does. so gazing at the book will only have me  more condemned than ever. for the letter kills the SPIRIT GIVES LIFE

and how does the Spirit work in me to do and will his good pleasure if he does not speak to me directly in one on one??

and where is the intimacy or abundant life or sabbath rest  if the Spirit does not speak to me one on one?

if i cannot choose, being sunk in sin and carnality, if he does not persuade me as a loving father  in one on one dialogue then nothing gets done and i am lost

i am sorry but if they refuse this they are in perilous danger.

i cannot regard them a brethren for they have forsaken christ for the law, as I did.

but it was the one on one dialogue with the Holy Spirit  OF CHRIST where by his grace ( for he is my wonderful coudsellor0 is persuading me to make choices I simply cannot do of my own 

and if they continue to reject this a time will com when the Spirit  will give up for they are too hardened to hear him. the warning of Hebrews 6:4 ff applies to us christians, and the warning is  to NOT reject the  Spirit for the law