Origin of Gods word

You'd think that with the new sign in method, I could remember to sign in as the right person.I've been busy just about every minute from April 1 till last week. I'm out of practice!

I agree with this, but I don't think it addresses my point. I was objecting to the idea that the NT is about accepting Jesus while the OT is about obeying God at any cost. I don't think there's any indication the NT ever loses sight of obeying God at any cost.That was my only point.

Hopefully, this isn't a totally off topic point. Help me out here. Are you just saying this from what you've seen reading the NT writings, or are you reacting to what Christians have said about the NT.I think the OT writings and NT writings have two focuses. One is on there being a people for God, and the other is obeying God at all costs, as you aptly put it. I think both sets of writings maintain those focuses throughout pretty well.Admittedly, modern Christians, mostly since Luther, have changed the focus to accepting Jesus, but Christ's purpose, according to the NT writings, was to create a new people for God, and for that people to know and do his will.Do you see something different? Is there some point at stake for you in all this that I am missing?

Hmm, I can't say I believe this. Do you have any references for such a thing?I've looked at almost all the Pseudipigrapha (sp?), and I don't think any of them were left out of the canon for an emphasis on works. Admittedly, I haven't read much from the Dead Sea Scrolls, but I understand those are likely Essene, not gnostic.The disagreements the churches had with the gnostics were not over works. In fact, some sects of gnosticism were much like modern Christianity, saying that works don't matter at all, although the reason those gnostics gave is that all material creation didn't matter (sheesh, I didn't mean to make a dumb pun there, I was purposely avoiding saying "all material creatian was immaterial"). Right, I agree with this. But the point is that the strenuous obedience to God required by the Old Covenant was beyond men, so faith is offered by the New Covenant as an entrance into a new life in the Spirit in which strenuous obedience to God can indeed be lived out.As the anonymous author of the Letter to Diognetus put it, "After giving us time to see that we were not able in our own power, he sent his Son to make us able."