The Good Book.
Though the "Good Book" is the "Best Book" it is NOT to be used as a "Rule Book" for "Christian Living"..."Doctrine Defining"..."Denomination Forming"..."People Judging"...or...Sinner Condemning" reasoning.
Yet we find that most of the "Bible Thumpers" are "Jesus Trump-ers" in that they have IDOLIZED the Bible...the written word that points to Jesus to where it has trumped...Jesus the living "Word" that the Bible declares He is.
Though the Bible tells us in story of the history of God's dealing with mankind and every rule that the Israelites were expected to live by, they are not rules for Jesus followers to live by to prove they are Jesus followers.
The rule keeping of the law keeping gospel herald-ers has positioned the "Good Book" as the "Rule Book" to be the "Supreme Word" in directing spiritual living and doing. This has made the Bible their idle and is given more attention in forming their spirituality than Jesus the "Supreme Word"...the express image of God who came to reveal God to us...is.
This makes common sense to them because the first books ever considered as important were the first five, the Torah. For the most part if you read through this, it is full of rules and regulations that have been wrongly transferred from the pre-cross dealing of God with people to the post-cross dealings of God with people.
Understanding God and His purpose for the "Community of the Redeemed" the Bible shows us all these rules and then explains how those aren't the focal point. Jesus fully broke some of these rules but did He break them just to formulate some more of His own? Law keeping gospel herald-ers use the Bible to back up every moral claim they make. People don't need to use the Bible to tell them that murder is wrong, or stealing is wrong. They don't need the Bible to tell them that adultery is wrong. Yet the Bible is used to support every conviction and every different way of believing that people have. It is used to show us why it's wrong to date non-Christians, drink alcohol, play cards, dance with the opposite sex, go to the movies, to ride bikes on Sundays, and here is an ironic one...prepare the Sunday meal and shave on Saturday because Sunday was the Sabbath and one was not to work on the Sabbath. Yet the Bible itself doesn't make those kind of claims.
Head knowledge and the knowing of the Bible has elevated it...the "written word" (the letter)...to a place usurping the the experiential knowledge of the "living Word" (Jesus). This was exactly a practice of the Pharisees...the religious of Jesus day.
“You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify about me. Yet you will not come to me, that you may have life. (John 5:39-40)
Anyone who uses the Bible as a rule book for living, denominational forming, doctrine making...etc...does not understand the God-intended purpose of scripture, nor the intended purpose of God for the Community of Humanity. Whatever doctrines we hold to, if they do not point or lead is to an intimate knowledge of, and an intimate relationship with Christ it misses God's mark completely...and "sin" is missing the mark!
The scriptures were written that we might "believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God" and that believing we might have life in His name."
Let the scriptures do what they were meant to do...WITNESSES OF JESUS. Let them be the mirror that reflects His image, in turn we will see the correct image of God our loving Father.
Again I repeat...Though the "Good Book" is the "Best Book" it is NOT to be used as a "Rule Book" for "Christian Living"..."Doctrine Defining"..."Denomination Forming"..."People Judging"...or...Sinner Condemning" reasoning.
You say and I quote: Though the "Good Book" is the "Best Book" it is NOT to be used as a "Rule Book" for "Christian Living"..."Doctrine Defining"
ReplyDeleteYou must have your own brand of grace because it is far different than the grace gospel that Paul preached.
Here is what Paul preached.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Romans 15:4
4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
1 Corinthians 10:1-12
10 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Hubert, Paul did not have the "Good Book" that you know as the bible therefore, he did not use the bible as a "Rule Book" for "Christian Living" or "Doctrine Defining"! Paul taught the Doctrine of Christ and that is far from the man-made devil-inspired doctrines that people use the bible to validate the hog-wash. No matter how often you try to put the bible in the hands of Paul...you will fail every time.
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