Bob,
You may be misunderstanding me, I believe everything I need to know about living in the Spirit, Loving my Neighbor and even what the bible says about immorality is all right there in the NT epistles.
I think that with the exception of the Sabbath all 10 commandments are universally applicable to all people for all time…and all of these are commanded to be followed even by Gentiles in the NT. I believe the Sabbath is the one exception because this specific command much like the sacrifices was foreshadowing the “day of rest” that Jesus accomplished for all, as the book of Hebrews talks about. Similar to the sacrifices.
I come across alot of people that want to go back to the words of Jesus in the Gospels almost exclusively, in order to understand how to live, and most people just sort of end with…love one another. Therefore as in this thread, people start to question when others make distinctions about what is right or wrong, or immoral or loving, as if Jesus statement of Loving one another (in the Gospels) and this sort of ambiguous meaning people are giving it, should take precedence over how Paul to the Gentiles defines that Love, when speaking through that same Spirit of Jesus himself.
I see a little bit of a problem with that approach. First of all Jesus specifically came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, not Gentiles. Secondly, Jesus spoke of the coming of the Holy Spirit which would lead the believers into all truth. When we read the book of Acts we see that the Holy Spirit was poured out as Jesus predicted and specifically set aside Paul as the Apostle to the Gentiles.We read that Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke by the Spirit. Peter, also tells us that Paul’s Writings were of the Spirit of God and specifically Pauls exhortations regarding living Holy and spotless lives. (2 peter 3:14-16).
So the revelation that Paul received through the Holy Spirit, intended for the gentiles, was written down. And what do we see in these writings of Paul? We see him telling us what is expected of the Gentiles (or as you called it binding) what love is, and how to live righteous lives before God…please notice the emphasis below on the 10 commandments.
As Mr Shepherd points out,
Paul gives us several of the Ten Commandments in the book of Ephesians:
Eph. 4:25 - Wherefore putting off the lie speak ye truth each man with the neighbor of him…
Eph. 4:28 - The one stealing no more let him steal.
Eph. 5:3 - But fornication and uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you…
Eph. 5:4 - no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Eph. 6:2,3 - “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
Aren’t these part of “THE commandments” that you were referring to?
Paul’s teachings are not his - he was given by revelation from Jesus
As some others have pointed out in Romans 13…
8To no one owe anything, except to love one another; for he who is loving the other – law he hath fulfilled,
9for, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false testimony, Thou shalt not covet;' and if there is any other command, in this word it is summed up, in this:
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself;’
10the love to the neighbor doth work no ill; the love, therefore, [is] the fulness of law.
11And this, knowing the time, that for us, the hour already [is] to be aroused out of sleep, for now nearer [is] our salvation than when we did believe;
12the night did advance, and the day came nigh; let us lay aside, therefore, the works of the darkness, and let us put on the armour of the light;
13as in day-time, let us walk becomingly; not in revellings and drunkennesses, not in chamberings and lasciviousnesses, not in strife and emulation;
14but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and for the flesh take no forethought – for desires.
In the NT (to Gentiles) we see that all 10 commandments (with the exception of the Sabbath) are reiterated…over and over. To be more specific, Paul under the Holy Spirit says to love one another and then proceeds to quote the 10 commandments to define for us How to love our Neighbor. Paul then goes on to tell us to walk in the Spirit (or in Romans 13:14 put on the Lord Jesus Christ) and not fulfill the lusts of the Flesh. He then goes on to detail the deeds of the flesh and what walking in the Spirit is, commonly asserting some of the 10 commandments once again. And always warning to avoid sexually immorality and Idolatry.
We are told not to judge each other regarding what we eat or what day we observe as Sabbath (Romans 14, Collosians 2:16) and in the book of Hebrews we learn that the old covenant (sacrificial system) is abolished.
Paul gets real heated in Romans emphasizing with great warning that we must uphold the law. He is clear that the law does not save. But he is clear that the law is to be upheld.
He tells us to live righteous not sinful lives and even tells us that it is the law that shows us how to live righteous lives before God.
Regarding your last statement…
The Holy Spirit through the Apostles not only tells us to avoid sexual immorality in Acts 15. It’s Romans, Timothy, Ephesians, Collosians, Galatians and many other epistles. It’s the unmistakable command of God’s Word to the Jews and Gentiles.
What the OT says regarding immorality is irrelevant if the NT addresses it, would you not agree?
Do you not agree that the NT addresses this? I am not even sure how this can be debated without a huge stretch of ones imagination and without a deep Bias to make it say what one wants it to say. Would you not agree?
I am open to differing opinions regarding what Romans 1 is talking about, and I pray God to show me if I am misunderstanding it, but is there anything unclear about what Paul under the Spirit of God says here:
Wherefore also God did give them up, in the desires of their hearts, to uncleanness, to dishonour their bodies among themselves;
25who did change the truth of God into a falsehood, and did honour and serve the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed to the ages. Amen.
26Because of this did God give them up to dishonourable affections, for even their females did change the natural use into that against nature;
27and in like manner also the males having left the natural use of the female, did burn in their longing toward one another; males with males working shame, and the recompense of their error that was fit, in themselves receiving.
28And, according as they did not approve of having God in knowledge, God gave them up to a disapproved mind, to do the things not seemly;
29having been filled with all unrighteousness, whoredom, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil dispositions; whisperers,
30evil-speakers, God-haters, insulting, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31unintelligent, faithless, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful;
32who the righteous judgment of God having known – that those practising such things are worthy of death – not only do them, but also have delight with those practising them.