Post by Shiloah on Jun 25, 2005 4:06:09 GMT -8
We have a friend who thinks that people who want to be observant must have to pick and choose which of the 613 they will be observant of, because of the verses that talk of not allowing a witch to live, stoning rebellious sons etc.
I kind of know what he is getting at. But I think that mainstream Christianity does a lot of picking and choosing itself. Start with Sabbath. Most Christians would say that they keep the ten commandments. But if you were to ask them about the seventh day, and remembering to keep it holy by doing no work, they would start saying something about it being changed to Sunday. Mind you, they still do work on Sunday, but give God a couple hours at church. Picking and choosing.
And then there is tithing. Ask pastors whether or not they believe in and preach tithing, and the answer will probably be a yes. (They know that there will be more money in the coffers that way). Why don't congregations turn around and say, "But we are living under grace, not the law!" By the way, I do believe in tithing. I am just saying that these same pastors will argue that we don't have to follow the law, but they like the one on tithing! Double standard? Picking and choosing.
I cannot say I understand what our response should be about the older testament prescription on how to deal with women caught in adultery, people involved in witchcraft, rebellious sons and other difficult situations. Except that we have the example of Yeshua, who whilst confronting the sin, loved the sinner and spoke directly to the hungry heart hiding behind the sin. I think Yeshua had more words of rebuke for those religious leaders who had a double standard. Just some thoughts. Any comments?
I kind of know what he is getting at. But I think that mainstream Christianity does a lot of picking and choosing itself. Start with Sabbath. Most Christians would say that they keep the ten commandments. But if you were to ask them about the seventh day, and remembering to keep it holy by doing no work, they would start saying something about it being changed to Sunday. Mind you, they still do work on Sunday, but give God a couple hours at church. Picking and choosing.
And then there is tithing. Ask pastors whether or not they believe in and preach tithing, and the answer will probably be a yes. (They know that there will be more money in the coffers that way). Why don't congregations turn around and say, "But we are living under grace, not the law!" By the way, I do believe in tithing. I am just saying that these same pastors will argue that we don't have to follow the law, but they like the one on tithing! Double standard? Picking and choosing.
I cannot say I understand what our response should be about the older testament prescription on how to deal with women caught in adultery, people involved in witchcraft, rebellious sons and other difficult situations. Except that we have the example of Yeshua, who whilst confronting the sin, loved the sinner and spoke directly to the hungry heart hiding behind the sin. I think Yeshua had more words of rebuke for those religious leaders who had a double standard. Just some thoughts. Any comments?