blackbelt1961
Legalism vs Grace
Posted on: 05/14/2014 19:25
Legalism vs Grace
So what is Grace and what is Legalism, we read and interpret and debate, we should obey God , yet I obey better that you as one pointed in another thread we should not play the lotto its worldly and we are relying on our self and not God to provide .
Legalism to my understanding can lead to cultish religion and Grace leads to freedom, as stated in
Galatians 1:6-9 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
Those are some pretty strong words , as Jesus had some strong words of the legalists of His day. Why do churched not see legalism as what it is, a sin, yet its preached.
So what is legalism and how do we obey Gods word without being legalistic and preaching it to others?
Comments
airclean33
Posted on: 05/20/2014 14:50
Hi kimmio-- your post--Reincarnation is just something I don't know but I can believe it's just as possible...because... if you only have current memory of the first time you are alive and going to die, you wouldn't know the difference would you? Would you know about the life you lived before? The same truthful values would apply to the life you're living each time regardless, wouldn't they?
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Airclean -- I wonder have you ever thought we all come from someone who lived befor us. We are a part of that person and the person befor them an so on.We sometime even look like or talk like them.They may have held there hand as you hold yours. I believe we are a part of those who came befor.And may even have memories of parts of there lifes.This could be why sin may follow even to the third generation.
blackbelt1961
Posted on: 05/20/2014 14:53
then why should God even incarnate to teach and speak truth then affirm it by the death and ressrection, you make it sound like spirtuial truth is not inportatnt , But according to God it is , why.
but not wanting my point to hang merly on reincatnaton vs one life, my point was that all religions contardict eachother, so hwo do we find truth in a mix of jungle beliefs, that is why we debate.
and scripture says that your what if is not true, there is no cycle
Hebrews 9:27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,
Kimmio
Posted on: 05/20/2014 15:18
Airclean: Hi. Yes. I have wondered that. I think it was Luke 3:23-38 that I posted yesterday on one of the threads. All the people Jesus was said to be "son of". Even someone who was a sorcerer and an idolater (Serug). It got me thinking (it was the first time it crossed my mind) because this doesn't really describe "purity", in the sense that some theologies teach. And yet he is and he represents the perfect human beginning and the perfect human at the end of our journey. So, then it occurred to me that Jesus connects us to the whole human family as we try to get it "right" generation after generation. The potential within and among us. Both literally, and spiritually we are all connected. It's Grace that allows us to keep trying.
Kimmio
Posted on: 05/20/2014 15:04
then why should God even incarnate to teach and speak truth then affirm it by the death and ressrection, you make it sound like spirtuial truth is not inportatnt , But according to God it is , why.
but not wanting my point to hang merly on reincatnaton vs one life, my point was that all religions contardict eachother, so hwo do we find truth in a mix of jungle beliefs, that is why we debate.
and scripture says that your what if is not true, there is no cycle
Hebrews 9:27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,
But don't you become a new person?
blackbelt1961
Posted on: 05/20/2014 15:17
then why should God even incarnate to teach and speak truth then affirm it by the death and ressrection, you make it sound like spirtuial truth is not inportatnt , But according to God it is , why.
but not wanting my point to hang merly on reincatnaton vs one life, my point was that all religions contardict eachother, so hwo do we find truth in a mix of jungle beliefs, that is why we debate.
and scripture says that your what if is not true, there is no cycle
Hebrews 9:27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,
not on this earth
chansen
Posted on: 05/20/2014 15:18
Different Earth?
Kimmio
Posted on: 05/20/2014 15:26
then why should God even incarnate to teach and speak truth then affirm it by the death and ressrection, you make it sound like spirtuial truth is not inportatnt , But according to God it is , why.
but not wanting my point to hang merly on reincatnaton vs one life, my point was that all religions contardict eachother, so hwo do we find truth in a mix of jungle beliefs, that is why we debate.
and scripture says that your what if is not true, there is no cycle
Hebrews 9:27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,
not on this earth
Not in this "world"/ age. It's a different world today than it was 2000 years ago, isn't it? It's a different world than it was 50 years ago. Even if we're destined for a future new "earth" we aren't supposed to lay waste to this earth and each other on it.
blackbelt1961
Posted on: 05/20/2014 15:27
then why should God even incarnate to teach and speak truth then affirm it by the death and ressrection, you make it sound like spirtuial truth is not inportatnt , But according to God it is , why.
but not wanting my point to hang merly on reincatnaton vs one life, my point was that all religions contardict eachother, so hwo do we find truth in a mix of jungle beliefs, that is why we debate.
and scripture says that your what if is not true, there is no cycle
Hebrews 9:27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,
not on this earth
dfferent times , same earth
airclean33
Posted on: 05/20/2014 15:32
According to Wikipedia, there are 41,000 different denominations of Christianity in the world. It seems we don't agree too often even within the ranks of Christianity. Trying to tell others what to believe when we can't even get ourselves on the same page, seems hypocritical doesn't it?
Unsafe, which Christian denominations are going to hell, IYO?
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Well many claim to follow Christ, but obviously they're following in different ways, otherwise they'd all be in the same denomination.
So are they all doing the will of God?
chansen
Posted on: 05/20/2014 15:37
Hi Waterfall --I will accept them if they say they follow christ Jesus. I know my Lord will sort it out in the end. There are enough in this world . Who will hate Christains . Just because they call them selfs christen . That being a fact, I think it brave to say your a christain. God Bless them if they are not . At least there on the right path.
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Well many claim to follow Christ, but obviously they're following in different ways, otherwise they'd all be in the same denomination.
So are they all doing the will of God?
As You Tell Them GOD Is Sending Them To Hell. So There.
Dcn. Jae
Posted on: 05/20/2014 15:47
Chansen: It does hurt people when they're told their beliefs are from Satan. It's a round about way of saying "you're an evil person so you deserve punishment- and we're okay". Even if it doesn't hurt individuals who see through it, en masse, it either pushes people away or is coercive through fear, instead of finding common ground for peace amongst people.
Sure it pushes people away from Christianity, but it's been a popular interpretation of Christianity for a long time, and groups like the UCCan have been ineffective at arguing against it, if they even care to.
I like it precisely because it does push people away from Christianity. I dislike it because it is attempted coercion. In the end, I don't care to silence it because most people don't give a crap about it any more. Besides, the more you seriously approach this way of thinking, and the more you try to silence them, the more legitimacy I think you give them.
They can't make a case without a series of baseless assertions. Of course, neither can more inclusive interpretations of Christianity, so it tries very hard not to make claims. Blackbelt and friends looooove to make claims. Blackbelt here gets to pass jusgement. Not on spelling and grammar, of course, but on beliefs. I can't make this stuff up, it's so good.
So, that's my approach. I have fun with it.
Nobody has a right to not be offended. People are going to be offended by what I write. People are going to be offended by what Blackbelt writes. So what? If someone attacks you with the idea that you deserve eternal torture, you have options available to you. One of which is to walk away.
Push people away? Hardly. Consider that the places where Christianity is currently growing fastest in the world are currently Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Further consider that the type of Christianity growing most fervently in those places is of the Pentecostal-charismatic variety, which includes in its methods the proclamation of hellfire and salvation. Meanwhile, the denominations dying the quickest right now in the world are the liberal, mainstream, inclusive ones.
Kimmio
Posted on: 05/20/2014 16:06
It pushes people away from one another rather than healing divisions. I'm not talking about the growth of institutions but about people caring less about those outside their own group.
Dcn. Jae
Posted on: 05/20/2014 16:20
Cousin, why do you think that the people who ascribe to this kind of theology care less about others? What they think is best for everyone may be different than those who have other beliefs hold to be true, but it doesn't necessarily make them any less caring.
unsafe
Posted on: 05/20/2014 16:30
waterfall your quote Well many claim to follow Christ, but obviously they're following in different ways, otherwise they'd all be in the same denomination.
And that is the way it should be ----- The Bible should be the only Denomination ----we should all be under --The Followers Of The Way ------there should be no division --all following Jesus Christ and God's Word ------in my opinion ----
Dcn. Jae
Posted on: 05/20/2014 16:38
waterfall your quote Well many claim to follow Christ, but obviously they're following in different ways, otherwise they'd all be in the same denomination.
And that is the way it should be ----- The Bible should be the only Denomination ----we should all be under --The Followers Of The Way ------there should be no division --all following Jesus Christ and God's Word ------in my opinion ----
There should only be one denomination - we should all be Fellowship Baptists ;)
chansen
Posted on: 05/20/2014 16:41
waterfall your quote Well many claim to follow Christ, but obviously they're following in different ways, otherwise they'd all be in the same denomination.
And that is the way it should be ----- The Bible should be the only Denomination ----we should all be under --The Followers Of The Way ------there should be no division --all following Jesus Christ and God's Word ------in my opinion ----
And then what happens when people disagree? The bible is contradictory on many things, so what now?
I know you'll say it's not, so I'm just going to point to the thousands of different denominations based on the bible and rest my argument on fact that while you jump up and down and tell me I'm wrong.
Face it, if you wanted to be part of a united movement, you picked a crappy book to base it on. So, again, what now? People are not going to join you. Your numbers are dwindling. You have few real leaders. Your fellow believers come across as some of the least educated and least credible people to those around you. This is the reality of your situation. If God is on your side, he's doing a hell of a job of concealing it.
What are you going to do about this, other than tell people they are of Satan and bound for hell?
waterfall
Posted on: 05/20/2014 16:56
I have to agree with unsafe and chansen on this. Why can't Christians get it togerher? We're all reading the same book.
Of courss even the apostles couldnt keep their stories about Jesus in sync so that might explain it.
chansen
Posted on: 05/20/2014 17:18
Because they aren't being arrogant assholes in foreign countries. When smoking became unpopular in North America and Europe, where did the tobacco companies focus their marketing efforts to replace declining sales? Africa and Asia.
Congratulations, Christianity. You're just like the tobacco industry. You target people who don't know enough to reject what you're selling.
Dcn. Jae
Posted on: 05/20/2014 17:25
Because they aren't being arrogant assholes in foreign countries. When smoking became unpopular in North America and Europe, where did the tobacco companies focus their marketing efforts to replace declining sales? Africa and Asia.
Congratulations, Christianity. You're just like the tobacco industry. You target people who don't know enough to reject what you're selling.
Ha, shows what you know. We target everybody
:P
chansen
Posted on: 05/20/2014 17:26
Because everyone wants different things. The great thing is, the bible can be anything to anyone. It's marvellously flexible, which is a nice way of saying it's all over the damn place.
There are really good, well-meaning Christians who use the bible to reinforce their good intentions. Then there are complete jerks who use the bible to reinforce their desire to be complete jerks. Thankfully, there are more and more of us who look at all this and realize that the bible is completely useless to point to as the source of any universal truths. It's got some good stuff, some bad stuff, and it's not believable for a moment as a work of non-fiction.
chansen
Posted on: 05/20/2014 17:28
Because they aren't being arrogant assholes in foreign countries. When smoking became unpopular in North America and Europe, where did the tobacco companies focus their marketing efforts to replace declining sales? Africa and Asia.
Congratulations, Christianity. You're just like the tobacco industry. You target people who don't know enough to reject what you're selling.
Ha, shows what you know. We target everybody :P
You target everybody, but you're firing intellectual blanks.
Dcn. Jae
Posted on: 05/20/2014 17:32
Because they aren't being arrogant assholes in foreign countries. When smoking became unpopular in North America and Europe, where did the tobacco companies focus their marketing efforts to replace declining sales? Africa and Asia.
Congratulations, Christianity. You're just like the tobacco industry. You target people who don't know enough to reject what you're selling.
Ha, shows what you know. We target everybody :P
You target everybody, but you're firing intellectual blanks.
Good comeback :)
waterfall
Posted on: 05/20/2014 17:40
Because they aren't being arrogant assholes in foreign countries. When smoking became unpopular in North America and Europe, where did the tobacco companies focus their marketing efforts to replace declining sales? Africa and Asia.
Congratulations, Christianity. You're just like the tobacco industry. You target people who don't know enough to reject what you're selling.
I believe Africa and Asia were aware of Christianity long before it came to North America.
dreamerman
Posted on: 05/20/2014 21:48
and what about His Truth statements? is that just a value to you or is it that Jesus actually spoke the truth ?
hmmmm, no,,, example , Neo believes in reincarnation , scripture says no you live die once and then the judgment comes
which is true ?
Why can't we just look at both claims, realize they are both made without evidence, and dismiss both of them?
hold on a sec, since you responed we can add a 3rd, atheisim
1) we reincarnate
2)we live die once then Judgement
3) nothing happends your dead
Number 3 sounds interesting but I would like to add a fourth which is we will all get to ride on a pink unicorn with purple pokadots. Anyone up for a ride?
blackbelt1961
Posted on: 05/20/2014 21:56
and what about His Truth statements? is that just a value to you or is it that Jesus actually spoke the truth ?
hmmmm, no,,, example , Neo believes in reincarnation , scripture says no you live die once and then the judgment comes
which is true ?
Why can't we just look at both claims, realize they are both made without evidence, and dismiss both of them?
hold on a sec, since you responed we can add a 3rd, atheisim
1) we reincarnate
2)we live die once then Judgement
3) nothing happends your dead
Number 3 sounds interesting but I would like to add a fourth which is we will all get to ride on a pink unicorn with purple pokadots. Anyone up for a ride?
we can add that
Dcn. Jae
Posted on: 05/20/2014 22:04
and what about His Truth statements? is that just a value to you or is it that Jesus actually spoke the truth ?
hmmmm, no,,, example , Neo believes in reincarnation , scripture says no you live die once and then the judgment comes
which is true ?
Why can't we just look at both claims, realize they are both made without evidence, and dismiss both of them?
hold on a sec, since you responed we can add a 3rd, atheisim
1) we reincarnate
2)we live die once then Judgement
3) nothing happends your dead
Number 3 sounds interesting but I would like to add a fourth which is we will all get to ride on a pink unicorn with purple pokadots. Anyone up for a ride?
we can add that
I would like to add a fifth. The afterlife consists of belonging to some kind of forum where one feels compelled to the slavish task of writing and reading post after post after post. The truly sinful are condemned to the roles of Admin, Mod, or even Treasurer.
chansen
Posted on: 05/20/2014 23:33
Psalms 23:4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of downtime, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy admin username and thy password they comfort me.
WaterBuoy
Posted on: 05/21/2014 07:03
Psalm 25:4 confirms things on the pluralized ways of God that are just d' evil, for those inclined to simplicity, to follow. Thus they tend to condemn all kinds of people to dance about de light of 'eLLe at the end (NDe) of a deep cave with many drifts (branches). Sort of like looking at the world from a vegetable state from within the tree of LOGOS (pathe in de Shadow?)! This is an alternate route of thought to say least for those that despise knowledge, thought and wisdom about all things (that would be God; both black & white and 40 shades).
Is that judgemental or non judgemental (a non mental function of decision making)? Such states of mind allow free wiles a space to do this and creation limited them to earth as a safety margin for all the rest of creation. Then that's meta physical or beyond your senses of volume and mass ... light cases like djinns in the arid spots ... some subtle wheting under the arch may be prerequisite in chi Valourus states ...
Did you know that the light of God is multifaceted? Even in Rome (a Deuce of a place) they had Janus and Caduces ... yet in modern languages no one knows these things because we turn our nose up at dead languages ... even though the bible tells us we should know all such alien things if we are to receive even a KISS of the infinite from a mortal position. What a damn spot to be in ...
Such are things god's children don't wish to know ... get the darker forms are out there searching what god's children don't as anon-visible perspectives ... of para kinesis ... looking out for others? This opposes the inward concerns of self-centred egos ... sort of like superior egos ... causes one to expand ethereally and few of the lesser types can see etha or echenses/edensis ... I made the latter up to leave those that didn't wish to know in a state of citi (chaos)!
Some people find this abstract, meanin incomplete and telling us there is more to come ... CS Lewis: The Sory Goes on as Mind ... it's a myth of alternate cognizance ... as the many can't yet see IT! They're too quick to sloe down and look at what surpasses ... such is the subtle view of the worm before the burr'd get's eM! Sort of like the Piscine story about phesh'n about in the unknown ... careful you don't know what you could become alloyed to ... like edem-ite ... the underlying population that knows Eire (airy) things?
Mortal Christians don't accept things form beyond eM ... and they're very tough about it ...
airclean33
Posted on: 05/23/2014 08:51
Hi Waterfall --I will accept them if they say they follow christ Jesus. I know my Lord will sort it out in the end. There are enough in this world . Who will hate Christains . Just because they call them selfs christen . That being a fact, I think it brave to say your a christain. God Bless them if they are not . At least there on the right path.
_______________________________________
Well many claim to follow Christ, but obviously they're following in different ways, otherwise they'd all be in the same denomination.
So are they all doing the will of God?
As You Tell Them GOD Is Sending Them To Hell. So There.
waterfall
Posted on: 05/23/2014 09:40
Hi Waterfall --I will accept them if they say they follow christ Jesus. I know my Lord will sort it out in the end. There are enough in this world . Who will hate Christains . Just because they call them selfs christen . That being a fact, I think it brave to say your a christain. God Bless them if they are not . At least there on the right path.
_______________________________________
Well many claim to follow Christ, but obviously they're following in different ways, otherwise they'd all be in the same denomination.
So are they all doing the will of God?
As You Tell Them GOD Is Sending Them To Hell. So There.
That middle quote isnt mine. Also I think Chansen understands alot about the church....from a different perspective.
RitaTG
Posted on: 05/23/2014 09:50
Ok .... in response to the original post....
Is there not something written that the letter of the law kills and the spirit of the law brings life?
Why is there not more emphasis on the intent (spirit) of the law?
It would seem that there is a lot said in the New Testament warning against strict legalistic adherance. There is a trap even to this day to use such an approach regarding something we are uncomfortable with.
This is where I feel that a more progressive approach is far more useful.
Now in a "progressive" approach ... what would "the spirit of the law" mean? How do we go about determining that and how would we measure and apply something according to that spirit? In other words ... how do we overcome uncomfortableness and fear and see if something really can be a good thing?
Just my thoughts....
Rita
airclean33
Posted on: 05/23/2014 09:58
Hi waterfall --your post --
That middle quote isnt mine. Also I think Chansen understands alot about the church....from a different perspective.
_______________________________
Airclean --I would beg to differ on this waterfall. I agree chansen knows some of GODS word . I said he don't understand it.
chansen
Posted on: 05/23/2014 10:03
I would beg to differ on this waterfall. I agree chansen knows some of GODS word . I said he don't understand it.
I couldn't possibly write this stuff.
Rev. Steven Davis
Posted on: 05/23/2014 10:24
Ok .... in response to the original post....
Is there not something written that the letter of the law kills and the spirit of the law brings life?
Why is there not more emphasis on the intent (spirit) of the law?
It would seem that there is a lot said in the New Testament warning against strict legalistic adherance. There is a trap even to this day to use such an approach regarding something we are uncomfortable with.
This is where I feel that a more progressive approach is far more useful.
Now in a "progressive" approach ... what would "the spirit of the law" mean? How do we go about determining that and how would we measure and apply something according to that spirit? In other words ... how do we overcome uncomfortableness and fear and see if something really can be a good thing?
Just my thoughts....
Rita
I think you've nailed it, Rita. Jesus himself seemed to choose the spirit over the letter. It's why he summed up the law in a total of two commandments: love God and love neighbour. So, to Jesus, strict adherence to the details of the law was far less important than acting lovingly. Of course, the issue gets further complicated by the fact that as Gentiles we are not under the law, although Paul suggests that we have the law written in our hearts. In other words, even those without the written law know how to live by the law - which, again, I would sum up as living and acting with love for God and neighbours. In fact, one could make the argument that one acts with love for God by acting with love for neighbours. ("Whatever you do for the least of these you do for me.")
Neo
Posted on: 05/23/2014 10:42
Loving thy neighbour is what happens when we recognize humanity as One. It's all about awareness.
revjohn
Posted on: 05/23/2014 10:57
Hi RitaTG,
Why is there not more emphasis on the intent (spirit) of the law?
Because literalism doesn't give a damn about what was meant. It only cares about how it interprets what was said.
It would seem that there is a lot said in the New Testament warning against strict legalistic adherance. There is a trap even to this day to use such an approach regarding something we are uncomfortable with.
The tendency towards strict leglaistic adherence is a trap and those in it tend to find themselves unable to escape it.
That being the case how do we help folk stuck in that specific trap?
This is where I feel that a more progressive approach is far more useful.
Except that progressive can be just as much a trap as strict legalistic adherence.
Where strict legalistic adherence cares nothing about intent to the point of idolizing the text. It is possible to ignore the text to the point of idolizing comfortable meanings. The Spirit of the law is remade in our image.
In other words ... how do we overcome uncomfortableness and fear and see if something really can be a good thing?
A very helpful and valuable question.
I don't have a problem with being uncomfortable.
To be perfectly candid if I am honest with myself, about my self I should probably be more uncomfortable than I am. I'm not perfect and sometimes I'm very okay with the fact that I am not perfect almost to the point of embracing and accepting my imperfection while I resist embracing and accepting the imperfection of others.
That may just be everyday, run of the mill hypocirsy. It is still not a fruit of the Spirit so I find myself, like Paul, doing the things that I don't want to do and know that I should not do while at the same time avoiding doing the things I really want to do and know I should do.
Seeing that struggle in myself and others I cannot return to legalism. It is a dead and desperate faith expression. So I continue to be a beggar for grace. I cannot earn it yet I am dead in my sin without it. Unless God is merciful to me, a sinner I will be condemned.
Being uncomfortable is precisely what opens my eyes, mind and heart to the necessity and sufficiency of God's grace. It is also what motivates me to strive and be a conduit of God's grace to others.
I am not okay with fear.
It does not drive me closer to God by any stretch. It either sets me to running (flight) and forces my panic to build or, it turns me to conflict (fight) and drains me of all strength.
I am aware that even exhausted from fight or flight God's grace can find me and be a wonderful salvation. I am also aware that all the time and energy expended in the futile exercise of fighting against God or running away from God only pays off if my testimony is so profound and my metamorphosis so improbable that it sticks in the memory of any who hear it.
My personal arc is from an uptight legalist to a more relaxed graceist. No trouble with the law, no personal tragedies to overcome. My faith story is as exciting as flipping a light switch once I was in the dark and now I see much better.
Riveting stuff.
Living my faith has been more of a struggle and that only because you meet a lot of screwed up folks reaping all that they have sown and you know, deep in your heart, what a waste all of that has been and how it will only be redeemed if they have somebody else flip the light-switch for them.
Legalism has no interest in flipping light-switches it is happy to tell people that darkness is all that they deserve and that it will continue unless they do the following . . .
Grace and peace to you.
John
WaterBuoy
Posted on: 05/24/2014 06:30
Who was it that scattered god's children?
Was this the strict law of onanism, or own'n-ism where mortals believe they own things that can't be taken to ethereal places ... except in illuminated visions?
Thats light and delsuion in errs of para Lax ... the trend of people who don't think of all things, everything ... meta phor ic Allah ... God ... as sects of travellers?
Thoughts and emotions seem to trade hoesis from time to time ... mrtal-spiritual connections and hybrids being known as Centaurs.
But hoo in eLLe would know such a Classic Beast as a sign or icon of something else again? Such is a sight unseen by those without abstract portions of sole ... sort of a soma of sorts ... like a spirit loched up in a cell ... it's ain'tz teven ... crossing the Shadow! Like looking at black holes ina coal bin ... kohl monor's daughter ... those wee lasses that fathers sell off for a bride price? Good god the father of prostitution ... and then they were reined upon ... just to cool ID ... so emotions and intelligenge form sows or whirled po'eLs ... the lesser light under the torch some people carry! They like to burn the whole thing and thus it smartens up as sharper ... whetted? And the second time around?
RitaTG
Posted on: 05/25/2014 14:59
Rev Steven ... Rev John ......blackbelt ..... thank you for your posts....
Rev John .... just to further address a few of you points .... well put indeed by the way..
I certainly agree that a too "progressive" theology is as big a trap as a too legalistic a theology. There are a number of scriptures that address that very thing.
For me progressive means progressing closer to what the scriptures actually mean. The spirit of the scriptures so to speak. That is very much like any field of study .... progressively going deeper and discovering more. Sometimes that means that simplistic interpretations have to be expanded or even discarded in light of the newly discovered more complex picture. This is why our understandings and beliefs should be open to critical reexamination at all times ..... even though that is uncomfortable.
Such an appropriately progressive approach challenges the very notion of legalism.
For myself, I find the legalistic approach is a dead application of scripture. There is no life it ... it condemns rather than inspire. On the other hand I find a living approach that strives to understand and use scripture as a help in living a more loving and wholesome life far more in keeping with what I see as the character of Jesus. His interpretations were quite radical and quite unorthodox..... even moreso ... his interpretations were so personal and usually so specific to an individual.
I will strive for the living approach ............
Regards
Rita
WaterBuoy
Posted on: 05/26/2014 07:17
That is why the Light (lambda) is free as a Gael (gae Lam) to hop around in dark areas to lesson the load of those venturing out to teach the common people (God's?) some levity without too much emotional baggage.
This fits in well with Isaiah 52:7 ... thus giving a foundation (feet) for light to fall upon ... and thus speed them on their way out of the dark spot we're in ... created by a huge table of roué's ... but if you don't know the words you might miss the chi (qhe) to the whole broad-based thing as a larger ephraim of psyche. Some Eastern types call this vasti ... a very large "i", or eye that is opposite orienteering ... that may be an accident of occidental bit of mis chief-in, or improper leadership for all! Isle advised exegetes, because of their teaching that God's wee folk shouldn't learn such stuff?
This sort of attitude almost got Erasmus burned at the stake in a modern Christianity debate on the nature of corruption of power. This couldn't happen in a delucian Eire realm could it? One must determine which is more durable emotional output or solid thoughts. Some say thoughts are nut'n ... so that sharper sorts can make something out of nothing ... thus the fringe sect-auras of reality glows in NDE's ...
All this from reading dark icons ... of mental constructs over (aL) time? Those presently stuck can't see it ... they must be rewound or Rae cycled ... as in-Lightenement of Dark Voids and Rapturous Spots as God's dotres ... close to angels that shadow delight? Maybe just imaginary sun spots ... holes in the fires of 'eLLe as po' ethic just Isis? Many exeges believe justice a self-centred thing that blinds knowledge of outer knowledge as wisdom; afar side thoughts?
WaterBuoy
Posted on: 05/26/2014 07:20
If you don't believe in the foundation of psyche ... will your mind speak to yah? There's a mover!
Some motivational speakers say if "IT" speaks to you ... you're crazy. That's how pervasive naivete is at creeping up on the powers that be ... thus their head mon are silent ans numbed by the experience ...
I don't need to point to examples of the experience in narrative ... do I?