Double Standard

[Delvianna]

I ran across this idea today and whats interesting is that most people hold to a double standard between us and Christ.

Matthew 3:7

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Pretty harsh coming from Christ right? But what about these verses?

1 Peter 3:15-16

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Or

2 Timothy 2:24

And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

Now we know we're allowed to be angry.

Ephesians 4:26

“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,

Soooooo the question is, can you be angry and repeat what Christ did against the pharisees and it be okay when dealing with other Christians? Because it seems like people hold a double standard that it was okay for Christ to do it, but we are never allowed to because "its wrong". But if it was wrong, then Jesus would have been wrong because either something is wrong or something is right and there is no double standard in Gods rules. Specially since we are supposed to imitate Christ.

My thought is that the verses talking about conduct is a general teaching. Not necessarily an all or nothing idea. Because if its all or nothing you would have to say then that Christ was in the wrong by just raising his voice and calling them vipers. So in general, here is the behavior but be slow to anger (James 1:19-20) and if angry, do not sin.

What do you guys think?

 

[St_Worm2]

I ran across this idea today and whats interesting is that most people hold to a double standard between us and Christ.

Hello Delvianna, this is an interesting topic. Thanks for broaching it

My thought about the above is this, if the Lord Jesus is doing something that we shy away from, perhaps the best thing to do is to figure out why (which I think is the point of this thread, yes? .. so again ).

Matthew 3:7 Pretty harsh coming from Christ right?

"Love" ("God is love") is one of the three nouns in the Bible that help us understand who God really is/what He is truly like. So, if our understanding of His love for us does not include Him being angry and harsh at times, then the problem isn't with Him, it's with us and our understanding of Him and His love, yes?

But what about these verses? 1 Peter 3:15-16 Or 2 Timothy 2:24

These two short passages (I'm including v25, 2 Timothy 2:24-25, that is) seem to be speaking (at least principally) about how to conduct ourselves in the presence of unbelievers (so that we can help them find Him). On the other hand, calling the Pharisees (the Jewish religious leaders) a "brood of vipers" (vipers are snakes that eat their own young) seems both fitting ~and~ necessary in this case, as the Pharisees were not only on the road to perdition themselves, they were also busy leading the people they served down the same road with them

The "loving" thing to do in this case (or so it seems to me) would have hardly been for the Lord to pat them on the back and thank them for their efforts on behalf of His people (and hope that being "nice" to them, instead of telling them what they needed to hear, might eventually change their way of thinking). Rather, He intervened (harshly), both for the sake of His people/their congregants, and for the sake of the Pharisees themselves, whose teachings were leading the people to Hell, instead of to Him .. e.g. Matthew 23:15.

Ephesians 4:26 Now we know we're allowed to be angry.

Not just "allowed", commanded. "Be angry" (orgizo/ὀργίζω) is in the imperative mood, as is its qualifying phrase in this case, "do not sin".

Whoops, gotta go right now, but I hope to be back later this evening. Again, a very interesting thread! Thanks

God bless you!!

--David

 

[Gregory Thompson]

What do you guys think?

I'm reminded that we need to "leave room for God's wrath"

If we do God's job for Him, there's no room for Him in our lives either.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

I ran across this idea today and whats interesting is that most people hold to a double standard between us and Christ.

Matthew 3:7

Pretty harsh coming from Christ right? But what about these verses?

1 Peter 3:15-16

Or

2 Timothy 2:24


Now we know we're allowed to be angry.

Ephesians 4:26


Soooooo the question is, can you be angry and repeat what Christ did against the pharisees and it be okay when dealing with other Christians? Because it seems like people hold a double standard that it was okay for Christ to do it, but we are never allowed to because "its wrong". But if it was wrong, then Jesus would have been wrong because either something is wrong or something is right and there is no double standard in Gods rules. Specially since we are supposed to imitate Christ.

My thought is that the verses talking about conduct is a general teaching. Not necessarily an all or nothing idea. Because if its all or nothing you would have to say then that Christ was in the wrong by just raising his voice and calling them vipers. So in general, here is the behavior but be slow to anger (James 1:19-20) and if angry, do not sin.

What do you guys think?

I think I generally agree with you.

 

[NBB]

John the baptist, said the same and he was not Christ.