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If this is so, then why should we bother reading the Bible at all? If all we need is two sentences, and the Bible merely sets up an empire for men, why bother with it at all?
And sure enough when living amongst tribal mentality someone or other will eventually sway the whole lot, not always in the right direction. In any flock of sheep there are only a few brave enough to wander off. Threat of violence and punishment kept the flock close to home for centuries until one day many realized it was their human shepherd that would eventually eat them or sacrifice them.
You had me until you diminished the value of monks and hermits. While there isn't an advantage to such a lifestyle over the ordinary living of Christian laity, monks and hermits are needed in the community at large and provide a valuable service to the body. Hermitage isn't about spiritual isolation, but is a thoroughly communal reality where the hermit escapes worldly political systems in order to gain knowledge of God to convey to those who toil with the ordinary challenges of life. The hermit desires community and human companionship, but denies himself such pleasures for the higher good of deep dependance upon God for communion.
Because some people can't see what is in front of them, the blind having been teaching the blind since birth for so long. Tt simply shows how we constantly put our will first and the results because we fail to put God's will first thus doing for others first what we expect of Him for ourselves. If that doesn't have us realize how stupid we are and cause us to repent of our backwards way, then all God can hope for is that we at least treat each other as we would want to be treated. But even something that simple is too much to comprehend for most. A few try to show throughout history that point by way of the pen, giving us a backstory in the process, but most take it and use it and God to turn them into just another self serving empire in man's image. We really don't deserve salvation and yet God offers it anyway for those willing to transcend the backwards ways of mankind.
This doesn't really answer my question, since there's no need for readding the Bible if all we need is two sentences. All we need is a post it note, the Bible becomse superfluous. In fact, it would seem that you are accusing Biblical authors like Paul of sinfulness in writing their letters of instruction since all they would have needed to write was two sentences.
Paul wrote on how to build a religion, even fighting with the Apostles on how the churches should be run. Handy for gentile empire builders to use. Must be why they chose to include only those few epistles. when there must have been more of those actual teachings if he taught the Gospel of the Kingdom as he claimed. Man chose what to include for man's purposes. The Bible is a mixture of truth but also examples of failure to follow that truth and a whole lot of how to use God to build human empires. God simply asked us to follow those two commandments. He would take care of the rest. Righting adversarial ways goes way beyond just mankind. But man prefers our own empires over that of His Kingdom so we keep the focus on ourselves. Salvation in all its forms is given to others first if we want to receive it from Him.
Every member of the body serves a different function, what serves one is not what serves another. Monks are the ultimate form of living in community with fellow believers, as Acts speaks of some being set apart from the community to dedicate themselves to full time prayer on behalf of the rest of the body. The life of the monk is complete dedication to God and trust of the rest of the Christian community to support them. Hermits are a development of the ascetic life, which while not explicitely discussed in the Bible are recognized as serving the community as a whole. The notion that the Biblical corpus is exhaustive of what is appropriate isn't something that I find within either the Bible itself or the documents of those who followed in the faith.
I'm not certain you understand which premise I am referring to.
What makes you believe it was exhaustive?
Seems awfully presumptuous to declare what God's will is for people you've never met.
Again, your premise of Biblical sufficiency doesn't appear supportable to me either from the Bible itself or from the writings of those taught by the apostles. So your reply is non-responsive to my question.
You are adding to the Scripture a prohibition that doesn't exist within Scripture, by inferring a lack of comment on monastic life and hermitage as being equivalent with condemnation or opposition. You are doing things outside of Scripture in making such a declaration. So yes, it is quite presumptuous of you to declare what the will of God is for people you've never met.
I understand you just fine. Your reply doesn't respond to my question, it just asserts your position.
Where does the Bible authorize you to judge who is and isn't a Christian?
