My response to Richard rives email “Most People Just Don’t Care.”

Back in May of 2011 rives sent the following email rant directed at those of us in Protestant Christianity.

“Most People Just Don’t Care”

Friday, May 13, 2011 9:04 AM

“Dear Friends and Fellow Servants,”

“Our Creator wrote Ten Commandments in stone. Most people just don’t care.”

“At the end of my commentaries I close with the words of Jude which exhorts us to earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints. Today, our Creators commandments are disregarded, and even disparaged. As a result, anything and everything can be labeled as Christian – but God has always preserved a faithful remnant who will stand for the truth. “

“Believers around the world are realizing that the faith once delivered to the saints is far from the faith espoused by contemporary Christianity. They — we are excited about what we have learned and want to tell everybody; but once again most people just don’t care. “

“I hear from people around the world that are heart broken. They realize the importance of returning to Biblical Christianity and want to share what they have learned with their friends and families only to be rejected and even ridiculed. It’s hard to accept, but the truth is that most people just don’t care. They don’t care because contemporary Christianity has taught them that they do not have to concern themselves with God’s commandments. They have been taught that Christianity is all about grace and there is no penalty for intentionally breaking the commandments of our Creator. That is simply not true. Those Ten Commandments define sin. According to the New Testament “sin is the transgression of the law.””

“In the book of Romans the Apostle Paul asks a question and makes a statement that is just as valid today as it was 2000 years ago: What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. “

 

“Paul concludes by stating that when the people were the servants of sin they were free from righteousness and that the end of those sinful things is death. He goes on to say that being made free from sin, and becoming servants of God, we have our fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

“Most people just don’t care.”

“Earnestly contending for the faith once delivered to the Saints: I’m Richard Rives with Just the Facts.”

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I don’t know about you my dear readers but making such arguments against rives Theonomy / Judaizing is getting redundant. But since no professional ministers or preachers online are paying any attention to this individuals teaching I feel led to correct his foolishness in order to argue against a probable heresy.

As I have been studying the Bible for 20 years or so I have tried to prove rives theories correct…  unfortunately for him I keep finding Scriptures and teachings for Jesus and his Disciples that are counter to rives philosophy.

My arguments against Rives in brief:

1) Gods Law from Moses is not only the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20:1-17. These also includes Exodus 20:1-26 through to Leviticus 27:1-34. The Entire Law of God and Moses was / IS a Theocratic Law that would run a ENTIRE COMMUNITY! How dare ANY Theonomy follower to assume that they are to keep only the Ten Commandments when in reality they Law Breakers. See James 2:8-13

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2) As a Jew Jesus kept the Law of Moses to fulfill it… not to destroy it. Matthew 5:17-48 He even changed the Law according to Matthew 22:36-40. And yet Jesus changed the Law since he is God.

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3) The Disciples of Christ wrote many things about the Law of Moses. These writings do not support rives theories nor Theonomy that rives seems to be following. Here is my current list.

Acts 15:1-30

Romans 2:11-16

Romans 3:9-31

Romans 8:1-10

Romans 10:4

Romans 13:8-10

Galatians 2:16

Galatians 5:1-18

Ephesians 2:15-22

Titus 3:9-11

Hebrews 7:18-19

Hebrews 10:1-10

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4 In using the Law of Moses and attempting to get Christians to go back to Judaism doesn’t that make rives right… it makes him a false teacher.

Galatians 1:8–9

Galatians 2:16

Colossians 2:8

2 Timothy 1:3-11

Titus 1:10-16

2 John 4-11

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5 Rives bases his ‘christianity’ on the First Century church. He seemingly ignores the writings of New Testament unless it fits his form of Theonomy and Judaizing.

We as Christians in the 21st century do have a morality… The morality comes from the Scriptures and our authority is from Jesus and to follow his teachings in the NT!

Too bad rives is utterly convinced that he is right and we are wrong.