Our free time from lunch until the evening meeting was spent at Meeks Bay. The weather was perfect, but the sand was burning and the water was freezing. However, if you alternate between them it's quite bearable and enjoyable. Some of the guys set up a makeshift volleyball court, and held a tourny.

At night, a few of us walked to the restrooms as a group and had a toothbrushing party.

Morning meeting:

Sin is lawlessness and is not a property inherent to the act itself. An example of this is how eating bacon was a sin under the old covenant but not under the new covenant. The act is identical, but under the new covenant it is not rebelling against God's will. As long as God's law is not violated, other laws by authority are also sin when broken. You cannot look at sin and attempt to reason intellectually. If sin is inherent in the act itself, why is God's word even necessary?

Justification is the forgiveness through which we are accepted by God and receive eternal life. Sacrificing allowed the sin of the Israelites to go unpunished, but the sacrifice of Jesus Christ punished sun completely. Jesus exhausted eternal condemnation over the course of three days. Justifying faith is faith in Jesus. This is accepting, receiving, and resting upon Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Repentance is inseparably joined to faith that justifies.

God is kind, patient and long-suffering. This is to lead sinners to repentance. It is inconceivable that justifying faith is not a penitent faith. It is impossible to turn to Christ without first turning your back on what he detests. God demands both faith and repentance because they are inseparable. Repentance is a change of will and deed. The way to be faithful to Moses is to say farewell to him and embrace Jesus Christ. Adhering to Jewish law and tradition will save neither Jew nor Gentile. What the law commands is repentance and obedience.

What is righteousness? Many people consider righteousness as not breaking rules. However, any tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down. Self-focused ritual legalism is often mistaken for righteousness. Therefore, we need to stop judging by mere appearances. Judge instead by the word of God. Internal obedience to God's will showing forth in action.

Evening meeting:

We cannot appreciate Paul or James' teachings unless we understand Jesus' teachings. Jesus preaches the forgiveness of sins. The sacrificial system introduced Israel to this idea. The Jews knew that only God can forgive sins, but did not believe that Jesus was God. We are justified in faith in the blood of the covenant. Repentance is necessary for the forgiveness of sin, and therefore it is necessary to teach the necessity of repentance. We cannot be satisfied with being righteous the way the Pharisees thought they were. Seed that is swen on good soil produces an abundant harvest. We tend to hold to faith but ignore repentance and obedience. Hear, take to heart, then practice the instructions of the scriptures.