<snip>
Men and women are still men and women, with a whole new playgroune, a whole new set of circumstances and the rules have to fit the times, not different rules....just flexible. Some rules are black and white, some are a bit flexible and some more flexible. If it we not so, we would be God's little robots. <snip>
I apologize if my thoughts were not clear. Please allow me to expound a bit further...
Your post suggested to me that we need to change with the times. We need to understand which of Gods precepts and ordinences we follow to the letter and which we need to bend..and which we need to contort. (black and white, flexible & more flexible) Your quote:
"The rules have to evolve with the creation"
Suggested to me that your thoughts are as we "evolve as believers" we need to, by our intellect and understanding of societal changes, take the words of God and "evolve" them to fit into our current society or we are God's little robots.
My thoughts regarding such ideology is:
We have choices...we can choose to follow the word of God which is eternal...or we can choose to follow society as it changes.<snip>
Nothing in this world belongs to us. Everything belongs to Him...including our very lives.
We can live our lives pleasing to Him according to His word...or not.
That would be between each of us and God.
Meaning we are not God's little robots...we all have choices. All God's creation has the choice to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior...to follow Him or not. As believers...we have the choice to obey His word or not...we can step outside of the Spirit at anytime and return to living our lives in the flesh rather than living in the Spirit.
(by making a choice to live outside the Spirit....this is where some would suggest one can lose their salvation. I personally believe OSAS and in making this choice we become liken to the prodigal son...living outside our Fathers will for us and by doing so...we suffer at the hands of the world and our lives no longer bring Him glory and honor. (ie: waste of time) Of note: I also believe the Good Shepherd will bring us back to the fold if we wander off...Nothing can pluck us from His hand) - small print indicates being off topic...not of less importance
God's word is eternal. His word does not change as the world's perception of society changes.
As we grow and mature in the Spirit...if anything...the
more we, as believers, desire to keep God's word and follow His precepts and ordinances to bring Him glory and honor.
Ecclesiastes is an excellent teaching regarding the "perception" of the changing world:
Ecc 1:9 That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.
v10 Is there anything of which it may be said "See, this is new"? It has already been in ancient times before us.
(Everything for the most part, all we see in life has been done and tried before. Things may seem different and new but life is the same old game only with new players.
Yes people will argue regarding technology and such but people basically act the same as people centuries before. Fashion changes, political leaders rise and fall, laws change, we all toil under the sun...some people become rich, some beomce poor, we chase after pleasure, get married, have children and die...it just keeps going round and round and round)
I totally agree...we should never waste the gifts of the Spirit or waste our time here in fruitless effort in our own strength but in all we do...do it to the glory of God.
Perhaps I could have more clear with this statement by saying:
Those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and who chose to live by the Spirit... should never waste the gifts of the Spirit as God calls and equips us for His good will and purpose. Not wasting our time as we walk through this world...as we are not of the world. We should not walk in our own strength and understanding but according to His word to bring Him all the glory, honor and praise.
I think I understand where I may have been unclear to the reader...in saying "We can live our lives pleasing to Him according to His word...
or not"
Meaning: Each of us have that choice (we are not little robots) and the choices we make are between the individual and God....not between you and me.
Our relationship with Him is between the Creator and the creation according to His good will and purpose.
I by no means intended to suggest that if we make the choice not to... that was just fine and dandy.
There are some things...I simply take for granted as being an absolute understanding between believers. My mistake and my apologies that I was not more explicit...