大學之道

Chinese classics sometimes have glimpses of Biblical truth. Here we have the first verse of "Great Learning 大學 (translated by A. Charles Muller)":

QUOTE
大學之道、在明明德、在親民、在止於至善。
The way of great learning consists in manifesting one's bright virtue, consists in loving the people, consists in stopping in perfect goodness.
知止而後有定、
When you know where to stop, you have stability.
定而後能靜、
When you have stability, you can be tranquil.
靜而後能安、
When you are tranquil, you can be at ease.
安而後能慮、
When you are at ease, you can deliberate.
慮而後能得。
When you can deliberate you can attain your aims.
物有本末、事有終始。知所先後則近道矣。
Things have their roots and branches, affairs have their end and beginning. When you know what comes first and what comes last, then you are near the Way.
UNQUOTE

I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: my plan will take place, and I will do all my will. (Isaiah 46:10 CSB)

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (Revelation 22:13 NIV)

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6 KJV)

Confucius, as usual, got the concepts more or less right. If you knew your end (知止), you would be near the way (近道). But what should the end be? Is it to end in perfect goodness (止於至善)? And what would the way be? Is it to manifest one's bright virtue (明明德), loving people (親民), ending in ultimate goodness (止於至善)? Confucius may not have the right answers since he was a mere mortal.

Let us think about this. If we know the ultimate beginning and the ultimate end (物有本末、事有終始。知所先後), we can frame our goals and ways within it. Jesus is the ultimate beginning and the ultimate end. He is also the Way. We know where we are going because Jesus is the Way. We know He is the right Way because He is also the Truth and the Life.

Jesus is the answer to Confucius. Jesus is your goal and your way.

The Chinese text without translation found in 禮記 : 大學 - 中國哲學書電子化計劃:
大學之道，在明明德，在親民，在止於至善。知止而後有定，定而後能靜，靜而後能安，安而後能慮，慮而後能得。物有本末，事有終始，知所先後，則近道矣。

Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. (Psalm 119:98-100 NIV)

Read the Bible. It will make you wiser than Confucius.

Objections To Paul's Argument

But if our unrighteousness highlights the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unjust to inflict His wrath on us? I am speaking in human terms. (Romans 3:5 BSB)

What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? (Romans 6:1 BSB)

What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have been mindful of sin if not for the law. For I would not have been aware of coveting if the law had not said, "Do not covet." (Romans 7:7 BSB)

With My Own Hand

I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. (1 Corinthians 16:21 ESV)

See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. (Galatians 6:11 ESV)

I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. (Colossians 4:18 ESV)

I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. (2 Thessalonians 3:17 ESV)

I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it - to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. (Philemon 1:19 ESV)

An interesting observation about the Apostle Paul by Joel Arnold in Lecture 4—What books belong in our Bible? - YouTube.

Jesus And The Law

Jesus fulfils the law

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18 BSB)

Jesus clarifies the law

You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28 BSB)

Jesus frees us from the law

For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:3-4 BSB)

What Is Legalism?

It is not wrong to love and obey the law of God. Neither is it legalism. What then is legalism? I found an interesting definition of legalism in this article "Jesus and the Law | Reformed Theological Seminary"

QUOTE (with minor changes to paragraph and spelling)
What then is legalism? Legalism comes in many shapes and forms. Let me mention four forms in which we still see legalism raising its ugly head today.

First of all, legalism is when someone teaches that salvation is by works. If somebody tells you that salvation is by law keeping, they are a legalist by Jesus' definition.

Secondly, legalism occurs when people attempt to add their own man-made human rules and traditions to the authoritative word of God. Mad-made rules added to the word of God take away from the authority of the word of God and they are one manifestation of legalism.

A third form of legalism is grudging obedience. Jesus is going to go into detail in Matthew chapter 6 about grudging obedience and His prime example of grudging obedience is going to be the Pharisees. These are the one who supposedly love the law, and yet He said they relate to God not as if He is their loving heavenly father, but they relate to God as if they're doing "x" so He will do "y". They'll do this so He'll do that. They're relating to God as if they can trap Him into being loving and kind towards them if they'll only do certain things. So that kind of grudging obedience is legalism.

And finally, legalism occurs when people confuse the weightier and lesser matters of the law and give great attention to the lesser matters of the law while ignoring the weightier matters of the law.
UNQUOTE

Law Cannot Save, Jesus Saves

The law cannot save.

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. (Galatians 2:16 KJV)

Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith. (Galatians 3:11 CSB)

For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20 ESV)

The law brings condemnation.

For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. (Romans 4:15 ESV)

Jesus saves by fulfilling the law on our behalf.

For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, in order that the law's requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:3-4 CSB)

For the law is only a shadow of the good things to come, not the realities themselves. (Hebrews 10:1a BSB)

So the law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24 BSB)

When we are saved, our lives will reflect the law.

What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. (Romans 6:15 KJV)

This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commands. (1 John 2:3 CSB)

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. (John 14:15 BSB)

And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Corinthians 5:15 NIV)

Law, Sin And Grace

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. (1 Corinthians 15:56 BSB CSB ESV NIV)

for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. (2 Corinthians 3:6b KJV)

For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. (Romans 3:20 NLT)

What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have been mindful of sin if not for the law. For I would not have been aware of coveting if the law had not said, "Do not covet." But sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from the law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. So I discovered that the very commandment that was meant to bring life actually brought death. (Romans 7:7-10 BSB)

Some preachers claimed that according to Apostle Paul in Romans 7:9, when you introduce the law, there will be a REVIVAL OF SIN! And that's not all. Apart from reviving sin, the law also kills and brings death!

Am I saying something good caused my death? Certainly not! It was sin that killed me by using something good. Now we can see how terrible and evil sin really is. (Romans 7:13 CEV)

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. (1 John 3:4 NIV)

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17 BSB ESV NIV)

The law does not bring death. Actually, the law magnifies grace by showing how evil sin is and how much we have been forgiven from.

God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21 NLT)

Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that's why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little." (Luke 7:47 CSB)

Separation To God

Do not be yoked together with those who do not believe. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? And what agreement does the temple of God have with idols?
For we are the temple of the living God, as God said:
I will dwell and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord; do not touch any unclean thing, and I will welcome you. And I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18 CSB)

I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. I did not mean the immoral people of this world or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world. But actually, I wrote you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister and is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don't you judge those who are inside? God judges outsiders. Remove the evil person from among you. (1 Corinthians 5:9-13 CSB)

See "Biblical Separation" for a full list.

Do What They Liked

Before entering the promised land:
"You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes, for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 12:8-9 ESV)

After entering the promised land:
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25 ESV)

Reaping What You Did Not Sow

He gave his people the lands of pagan nations, and they harvested crops that others had planted. All this happened so they would follow his decrees and obey his instructions. Praise the LORD! (Psalm 105:44-45 NLT)

"When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give you - a land with large and beautiful cities that you did not build, houses full of every good thing that you did not fill them with, cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant - and when you eat and are satisfied, be careful not to forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. (Deuteronomy 6:10-12 CSB)

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His inheritance! (Psalm 33:12 BSB)

God chose the English people to conquer the world, to shame the wise, the strong and the ancient, and to spread the gospel. He also handed over the wealth of the heathens to them. The passing of Queen Elizabeth II is the symbolic end of an era, where the Bible was still considered, even though very faintly, as a code of conduct.

With the new King who has woke left ideas, the so-call West that we know today, based loosely on Christ, will end. A new West, based on anti-Christ, will be welcomed by the world. And the ten-horned beast will be the last empire.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast in His presence. (1 Corinthians 1:27-29 BSB)

And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads were blasphemous names. The beast I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority. One of its heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but its fatal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against it?" (Revelation 13:1-4 CSB)

Do Not Follow Wisdom Of The World

You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, "Don't handle! Don't taste! Don't touch!"? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person's evil desires. (Colossians 2:20-23 NLT)

If you died with Christ to the way the world thinks and acts, why do you submit to rules and regulations as though you were living in the world? "Don't handle!" "Don't taste!" "Don't touch!" All these things cease to exist when they are used. Such rules are human commandments and teachings. They look like they are wise with this self-made religion and their self-denial by the harsh treatment of the body, but they are no help against indulging in selfish immoral behavior. (Colossians 2:20-23 CEB)

Therefore, if you died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you subject yourself to legalistic rules? "Do not touch! Do not taste! Do not handle!" These all are to perish with use and are aligned with the commandments and doctrines of men. These things have indeed a show of wisdom in self-imposed worship and humility and neglecting of the body, but are worthless against the indulgence of the flesh. (Colossians 2:20-23 MEV)