Seeking A Certain Kind of Voice

[aiki]

...the actual issue is confusion over who had the right to decide we didn't have to follow all of the rules, and which rules were "ok" to ignore and which ones weren't. I'm not questioning the authority of God who inspired the Bible; I'm questioning the multitudes of people who came after who said "oh wait, pork is ok" and "oh, well I guess you don't have to exile lepers anymore" and "yikes, maybe it's not a good idea to stone people to death"... Yet a thing many of us view as completely harmless is still a horrible, awful sin.

As Ephraimanesti has noted, only God changes His rules. You can read about how and why in both the Book of Romans and the Book of Hebrews. In them, the divinely-inspired apostle Paul explains in detail why Christians today are held to a different standard than were the Jews of the OT.

For the last 2000 + years, however, God has not "updated" His commands. What God required of the earliest Christians, He requires of us today: holiness, love, faith, wisdom, and obedience.

Peace.

 

[Van]

Hi Ufire,

"I think I have the same problem many adult non-Christians do... who got to decide which parts of the Bible we didn't have to follow anymore?"

How about if I say you can decide to follow the Commands of Christ, to commit to deny yourself and follow Him. According to Christianity, folks who believe in Him, which is to say believe in His name (what is known about Him as revealed in the Bible) shall not perish but have eternal life. The grace of God is a gift, but you must accept it. If you choose not to follow Christ, that is your choice, but remember that those who do not believe are condemned already, John 3:18. If you want to reject Christ because you want to continue as you are, rather than strive to be conformed to the image of Christ, do not delude yourself that you made that choice because you did not know which parts of the Bible to believe in. If you study the Bible it will tell you that God replaced the Old Covenant with the New Covenant.

Well what did Christ say about sexual activity? For one thing He said after our physical life is over, we will not have a reproduction drive. No need to reproduce when you live forever. See Matthew 22:30.

Ok, you might say, but what about during my life as a committed Christian? The first thing is to understand the general commands, also in Matthew 22, but in verses 37-40. You are commanded to love God completely. If you say, "I want to do this or that so if God says for me to deny myself and not do this or that, then I will turn from God" you are not following Christ.

In summary you must be willing to follow God wherever He leads, even it means denying yourself. My prayer is that someday you will face that reality and choose the grace of God.

May God Bless.

 

[Ufire]

So, are you willing to engage in a conversation with a Christian who might disagree with you? I find that many times when people post that they don't want to talk to someone "preachy" or who will "bite their head off," what they really mean is that they don't want anyone telling them they are wrong. Is this what you mean?

Peace.

I think I am, but I really don't know. I do know not all Christians agree with each other on many things, including the subjugation of women (thank goodness, in my opinion). So do you believe that the only "right" Christians are the ones who believe the Bible to the letter and cover their hair (for the ladies) and all of that? I just wish there was a list of specific rules that you are still supposed to follow, excluding the ones erased by the New Covenant, because at this point people seem to just be making it up as they go, as far as I can tell.

 

[Ufire]

As Ephraimanesti has noted, only God changes His rules. You can read about how and why in both the Book of Romans and the Book of Hebrews. In them, the divinely-inspired apostle Paul explains in detail why Christians today are held to a different standard than were the Jews of the OT.

For the last 2000 + years, however, God has not "updated" His commands. What God required of the earliest Christians, He requires of us today: holiness, love, faith, wisdom, and obedience.

Peace.

Thank you; I will check those Books out for sure, since that's my main confusion at the moment.