Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
Romans 3 ... 19 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. 20 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.
The law condemns us ... By the law we are guilty.
Therefore the law cannot save us. Doing the law cannot save us for by the law we are guilty. That which makes us guilty cannot save us. By doing the law, we cannot save ourselves.
Like Abraham, we are justified by believing God. We are saved by the will of God as HE reveals himself to us.
So why try to obey God? Because we love God because HE saved us. And after HE reveals Himself to us we are changed. Then we want to know God and to please God. And we learn of God by experience with God and by the Word of God. And we obey because we want to please God.
How many times have I heard this testimony from people ... "I just walked out on my porch and something happened. I was changed. I didn't think much about it at the time." (David Baskin)
"Something happened. I didn't know what. I knew something had happened." (Barbara Preston)
"I knew something happened. I didn't know what." (Pam Padgett)
Barbara said after this "thing" happened to her, she wanted to hear people speak of God.
I, Joan Boney, hated scripture. I would go into someone's house and see a scripture on the wall and I hated it. I hated hymns. Then one night God said to me, "Joan, you know those mistakes you've been making all these years. Those weren't mistakes. Those were sin." I was shocked! I thought I was a Christian for I was baptized in water when I was 15. But after God spoke this to me, I wanted to read Bible. Changed by God, not of myself. It was the gift of God. Then I went forward wanting to know God and know things of God ... reading Bible.
Paul hated the cult that followed Jesus. Paul, having power from the high priest, went about capturing those of the sect who followed Jesus. Paul put them in bonds when he found them.
And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
And Paul said the following concerning himself:
Acts 26:11 And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.
Acts 9 ... 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus:and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest:it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
God appeared to a man named Ananias and told him to go to Paul and lay hands on Paul that he might receive his sight.
Acts 9 ... 13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way:for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.
17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales:and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Romans 3 ...21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe:for there is no difference:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by HIS grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness:that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
==========
After we are born again and given HIS spirit we are a new creature ... We begin building a new house based on scripture. Some never mature in God. Others seek God and build another way of life.
Paul explains it as follows:
I Cor. 3 ... Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? 6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one:and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
9 For we are labourers together with God:ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. 10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon.
But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man's work shall be made manifest:for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss:but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
==========
Galatians 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?