Was Hebrews written to believers or unbelievers?

A oft repeated canard that is specifically denied of Paul:

Galatians 3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
Galatians 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

To quote Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

Ok, thank you for clarifying your position. Your previous points could have been taken out of a hyper-dispensationalist textbook, but alright. :Thumbsdown

 

There is more than one view of everything.

 

It should be understood the Galatians 3:11 quote cites from Habakkuk 2:4 which was during the Old Covenant Law.

 

True. But since I hold the Progressive Dipsy view, many if not all the cited flaws are not applicable.

 

What text book?

 

Which, according to Paul's own point was a prophecy of things to come, not a description of things as they were under the law:

Gal 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Gal 3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

V.12, the very next after v.11, shuts the door on the idea that Habakkuk was describing OT salvation.

Gal 3:13 Christ [NOW IN THE NT] hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
[...]
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4 as prophesying that things would one day change and therefore makes the point that his NOVEL teaching of salvation by faith alone was in line with scriptural prophecy.

There are nuances of justification involved but we can discuss that as it comes up in the conversation.

 

Have you ever read guys like Bullinger and Stam?

 

I have to disagree. It does not negate Paul arguements how faith was to replace the Law. Which you well cited.
See Galatians 3:16-17. . .

 

8, The principle of grace is just one principle that God has established as an operative principle of his divine dealing with men to further his end goal for men and to make himself known to us. This does not mean he had no grace at other times or that he did not on occasion act in grace when another principle was the operative principle.

I doubt that anyone could say that the law of God, which demanded the death penalty for a son in a family for being uncontrollable, is a measure of grace for the person being killed. If one compares that with true grace when God has lifted his death penalty for all kinds of crimes for all Israel and the rest of the world during this age when by his death he ended the principle of the Law of Moses as their operative principle and established another in it's place.

An example of grace extended by God under the law was God dealing with David after he had committed 2 sins for which the Law of Moses demanded death. Those were the sins of adultery and murder.

Now, by the cross of Christ, the law of Moses was taken away.

Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
2 Cor 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life
Hebrews 10:9

If he took the law away, what did it leave?

Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

Rom 5:13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law

2 Cor 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

John 1:29
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

He 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

He 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

There is no sin that can be imputed to men in the world at this time because Jesus has taken it away. This is why God has given believers the ministry of reconciliation to unbelievers.

Is this the greatest news any sinner can receive?? Yes, it is!

 

Precisely. NT faith replaces OT law. Soteriology changes, as had been prophesied by Habakkuk 2:4.

 

No, but give me some page numbers where i am agreeing with them and not with you and where you think it is hyper and maybe I can find it on line and see your point.

 

No. Faith was before the Law and continued during the Law. Hebrews 11.

Romans 3:19-20, ". . .Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. . . ."

1 John 3:4, ". . . Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. . . ."

 

Well of course. But Hebrews 11 is not about soteriology, which is what we are discussing.
The faith to subdue kingdoms, work righteousness, obtain promises, stop the mouth of lions (Heb.11:33, et al.) had no more to do with obtaining saving grace than it does now.

Does:

2Co 10:15 Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly,

have any bearing on salvation?
Of course not. Likewise Hebrews 11.

Paul is categorical in Galatians (and Romans) that salvation under the law was not by faith alone.

As as stated, as concerning justification, there are nuances involved between the OT and NT.

 

Soteriology has always been by grace through faith across all dispensations.

 

This is just falling back to repeating the initial propositional statement.

I guess that's it then.

 

Salvation in Dispensationalism

 

The Son of God has always been creation's sole access to God. John 14:6, John 1:18, John 1:1-3, Ephesians 3:9.

 

Again...of course. No one said anything else.

 

Is it proper in a debate to firmly claim BOTH sides of the argument? ;)

 

Strange. What were all those blood sacrifices before Jesus, the Son of God came, all about?

Luke 1:35
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Did you know that many in Israel believed his claim to be the Son of God, but not even his closest apostles believed he would die in Jerusalem, be buried, and rise from the dead three days later. If you had read the eye witness account of his earthly ministry recorded in the 4 gospels and believed what you read, you would agree. It was not until he had left Galilee for the last time to go to Jerusalem to keep the Passover, where he would accomplish redemption, that he began to make this known to them. None understood it. This was in the context of his kingdom, which he had just shown them on the mount of transfiguration. This event was an actual preview of the kingdom that the OT prophets had written about and it was the kingdom that these apostles and prophets that had ministered with him for these 3 1/2 years had been preaching about. It was to be a theocratic government of the whole world with the God Man on the throne and all the subjects saved. A study of this transfiguration and a correct application of the people involved, both on the mountain and below the mountain, as typical of the actual kingdom, will help to correct a lot of bad theology that is poured out here every day.

None of this could ever be realized if Jesus Christ had not submitted himself to that cross as the sinless Son of God, willingly dying for the citizens of that kingdom and paying their sin debt and making those who believe a new creature by giving them the Spirit, who was likewise on that mountain that day in the cloud. Preparing and equipping the citizens of this kingdom is what the New Testament is all about. The King has power to raise the dead and those through the centuries since that day that have believed will be raised with a new body and will enter that kingdom. Jesus said a man must be born again to enter it. Before he inaugurates it he will destroy all rebels off the earth. All the citizens who enter in will have chosen before to be there by choosing to believe the word of God and obeying it.

One thing is sure, that kingdom has not come yet, but it sure will come. There is much to know about this kingdom, but it is a theme of the scriptures from beginning to end and for most religious organizations it does not even rate as a topic of discussion, much less the end to which God in his providence is taking mankind.

Psalm 115:16
The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

His apostles, his preachers, were instructed by him not to make this kingdom event on the mountain known until after he rose from the dead. There was a reason for that and it was that Israel must believe in his person first before they could believe he is the anointed Christ, the King. They must believe that he is the Son of God and they must believe the Father. There is an order to the revelation of God for each of us.

He 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he (God) is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Lk 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.