Has anyone else noticed a sharp resurgence of the need to follow Jewish festivals, dietary wisdom ect?

I was not aware of this. 

According to Romans 7, the desire to keep the law is a problem arising from "the law of my mind"  (v.23) which decides to be "good" and keep the law.

Romans 7:23 But I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and making me a captive to the law of sin which is in my members.

This only arouses the "law of sin" in our flesh. The law is weak because it corresponds to the flesh.

Romans 8:3 For that which the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh,

God has not only sent His Son to redeem us, but has sent the Spirit of His Son into us, and He is now another law, the law of the Spirit of life in our spirit. 

Galatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father!

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death.

Now, we have the Spirit in our spirit, not to be law keepers, but to be the Body of Christ.

Romans 12: 5 So we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

   Yes, I'm seeing it increasingly here, and at a family reunion here in WNY last Sunday I was talking with good brethern from Missouri who said the same was happening among them.   You know how when we put on special glasses given to a certain perspective, everything can be made to fit that perspective. This has been the strength of debate, division, and strife.  This is also why our eye must be single on the living Word of GOD.

Amen Paul. Again, the only part of me that can keep the Sabbath, that is, do nothing on the seventh day, is my flesh. There is no rest for the soul, only the flesh. The soul is busy every Saturday worrying about the mistakes made on Friday and how to correct them on Sunday. When we have Jesus as the life-giving Spirit, and learn to walk by the spirit, only then will we find true rest, rest for the soul. This is to keep the Sabbath.

Matthew 11:28-29 Come to Me all who toil and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls

Romans 8:4 That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit.

    WOW Fred, that was revelatory to me :)  I know it's true, but never thought of it quite that way  :)  I'm so glad I posted these questions, I'm finding much help in hearing our Lord. 

I might add that the day which God has ordained for us to enter into His rest is TODAY!

Hebrews 3:11-13 So I swore in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

   Yes, the holiness of Christ is the rest of all in Him.

A huge and largely unresolved question is:

Is the "Law of Sin and Death" the same as the Law of God?

The Law of God describes how the character of God behaves, and since God does not change, neither does any description of His behavior.

The Law of God is just as eternal as He is.

The Law of Sin and Death ONLY came into existence when man fell in sin.

The Lord Jesus Christ was the fullness of the manifestation of the character of God on display in the earth.

And since the Lord Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, He does not change either, after all, He is Emmanuel.

We know that ALL of the Law of God was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, EVERY description of the character of God was made manifest in Him and through Him, and without Him we can do NOTHING.

Without Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) it is impossible to fulfill any part of the description of the character of God, BUT, WITH Him ALL things are possible, even the fullness of EVERY description of the character of God being made manifest in and through us.

Notice, this has NOTHING to do with our own abilities WITHOUT Him, and it has EVERYTHING to do with His power to manifest in and through us EVERYTHING that describes the character of God.

In other words, through the power of the Life of God that was in the blood of God that purchased the church, by THAT life dwelling within us, the Lord Jesus Christ CAN manifest the power of His Life, in and through us, to fulfill EVERY description of the character of God, and through Him manifesting THAT power in us, we are being transformed anew into the image and likeness of God and being made ready for THAT transformation to be made so real in us, that the mortal body will also have to be transformed.

What many people are experiencing is the transformation-in-progress.

To the Jew it will appear to be too Gentile, because it will not conform to any extra-Biblical creed, dogma or tradition.

But to the Gentile it will appear to be too Jewish, because it will fulfill EVERY Biblical description of the character of God.

But it is NOT either Jewish or Gentile, it is God putting His character on display, it is the beginning of the manifestation of the Sons of God, AND it is an integral part of us being so surrendered to God that our lives (that are hidden in Christ) can express the living reality of our Love for Christ, and that it can be made manifest in the way that He said shows Him that we love Him, by keeping His commandments through the power of His Life dwelling within us.

That which the letter of the Law could not achieve because of the weakness of the fallen flesh, the power of the Life of God dwelling within us CAN achieve, the full expression of the righteousness of God, in human flesh AGAIN.

In other words, WE become the Word-Made-Flesh and the living proof that it IS possible to walk perfect and upright before God through the power of His Life dwelling within us. Through THAT process Christ makes us to be the Glory of God and His living testimony in the earth, and that His blood DOES have the power to transform us - whosoever will.

How do we know that we have surrendered and humbled ourselves to Him enough? When He begins to manifest Himself through us.

We have a Wedding Supper (of the Lamb) that we are being invited to.

The Wife of the Lamb finds the fullness of Her rest (Shabbat) in HIM, Her Ishi, and in THAT rest, She escapes from ALL of the afflictions of the fallen condition and ALL of the results of the fall in sin (Her Shalom).

Those who do not believe that it is possible, ALSO have a supper that they WILL attend (by default), it is the supper of the great God, otherwise known as the Great Tribulation.

BOTH suppers happen at the same time, one in Heaven and the other on the earth, and they BOTH are spoken about in Revelations chapter 19.

Shalom,

JS5777

JS5777 said:

A huge and largely unresolved question is: Is the "Law of Sin and Death" the same as the Law of God?

Excellent post brother. The short answer to this question is "no". The long answer is a little complicated.

Romans 7:21-23 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

I see three laws in these verses.

1. The law of God, the commandments. v.22

2. The law of our mind, which agrees with the law of God and wants to do good. v.22

3. The law of sin which is n my members (body)

Plus, the is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

Romans 12:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

So, four laws, one outside of us, the law of God and three within us which correspond to the three parts of man.

1. The law of sin and death in our flesh.

2. The law of good in our mind, which is the leading part of our soul.

3. The law of the Spirit of life which is with our spirit. (Romans 8:16)

In our spirit we have the Spirit of life. In our flesh we have sin and death. ln between is our mind.

Romans 8:4-5 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Its complicated, because whenever our good mind determines to keep the law, it only stirs up the flesh, which in turn brings us into sin and death. This is the wretched condition of well meaning believers everywhere. What is the answer? We must learn that we have a spirit, and that the Spirit is with our spirit. When we turn in faith to our spirit, we experience the law of the Spirit of life and can walk in such a way that fulfills the law.

In my opinion brother, there are two great matters to be hashed out in Genesis 2. The tree of life which I believe corresponds to the law of the Spirit of life, and the fact that God formed a spirit in man (Zechariah 12:1)

JS5777 said:

We know that ALL of the Law of God was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, EVERY description of the character of God was made manifest in Him and through Him, and without Him we can do NOTHING.

Amen. Much as in Romans 7, Paul's testimony in Galatians is that when he tried to keep the law, the law killed him. 

Galatians 2:19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.

So now, it is not Christ helping Paul to keep the commandments, Paul is crucified, and Christ is living in him. Paul has learned the secret, do not try and keep the law, but enjoy God as grace in his spirit and Christ lives in him.

Galatians 2:20-21 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Galatians 6:18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.