A comment left on the site
This is a comment left in response to the "Todd Freil vs. Rob Bell" Post
"Just a warning not to throw the baby out with the bath water.
Jesus Christ and His love is the cure for our cursed world. Sin is a fatal sickness and requires God's love for healing.
A large problem with the modern church is that we are forcing the cure without explaning the sickness.
Imagine a doctor walking down the street with a big syringe. He's offering people a cure. People will think he's crazy or evil and walk right on by. However, if someone first explained that terrorists had attacked the city with biological germ warfare, people would be lining up for that shot.
It is a grave mistake not to tell people about God's love and the warmness of the message of Jesus, but it is most certainly also a big mistake to not tell people WHY they need the love. Most people are quite happy with their lives. If we wait for a death in their family, an emtional break up, bad grades, or other crisis to lead people to Christ they are going to think that our faith is nothing but a "feel good drug" that is supposed to make you happy all of the time and make bad things stop.
The wise man builds his house upon the rocks and the foolish upon sand. The most important message of that parable is that the rain and the storms come to both houses. Too often in America Christians are told that their faith exists just to make them happy.
I was "raised" Christian and believed in God my whole life. However, for the longest time I didn't actually understand the Gospel. I didn't know what I had been saved from. I didn't think that I was a sinner.
He who has been forgiven much, loves much.
There is much secular love and happiness in this world. If our sales pitch for the faith is love and happiness, people won't give it a second thought.
How many times do you hear the "that's good for you, but it's just not for me."
That's because people ARE happy and comfortable as they are without God. The WORD of God makes people uncomfortable and rattles them to true reptence and then true faith.
Reading the Bible shouldn't usually make us feel good about ourselves, it aught to be a call to action, it aught to rile our anger to our own sin, it aught to put a burden on our souls for the lost.
"Judge not lest ye be judged" is probably the most misquoted verse in the entire Bible. Please examine the context of the verse and the purpose of the passage. That verse teaches and warns against HYPOCRITICAL judgement. It's a call to be judged as well and not to seek self righteousness through judging, because we are often guilty of the same sin. The Bible tells us to judge, just never by our own standard (always use God's) and to judge ourselves first.
"The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment." (Psa 37:30)
"With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth." (Psa 119:13)
"Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy." (Prov 31:9)
Jesus commended Simon, "Thou hast rightly judged." (Luke 7:43)
"Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt show her all her abominations." (Ezek 22:2)
"But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man." (1 Cor 2:15)
"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?" (1 Cor 6:2)
"Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?" (1 Cor 6:3)
Again, keep all of this in light of 1st Corinthians 13:
1 Corinthians 13
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
How can you love someone who is on the path of destruction and not tell them that their sins are leading them unto death? If all you do is love them, they might think that you are approving of their sins. You might enable them. If someone you love is standing on a highway and is about to get hit by a truck you would have to warn them. Not warning someone of comming death is the same as not loving them."
"Just a warning not to throw the baby out with the bath water.
Jesus Christ and His love is the cure for our cursed world. Sin is a fatal sickness and requires God's love for healing.
A large problem with the modern church is that we are forcing the cure without explaning the sickness.
Imagine a doctor walking down the street with a big syringe. He's offering people a cure. People will think he's crazy or evil and walk right on by. However, if someone first explained that terrorists had attacked the city with biological germ warfare, people would be lining up for that shot.
It is a grave mistake not to tell people about God's love and the warmness of the message of Jesus, but it is most certainly also a big mistake to not tell people WHY they need the love. Most people are quite happy with their lives. If we wait for a death in their family, an emtional break up, bad grades, or other crisis to lead people to Christ they are going to think that our faith is nothing but a "feel good drug" that is supposed to make you happy all of the time and make bad things stop.
The wise man builds his house upon the rocks and the foolish upon sand. The most important message of that parable is that the rain and the storms come to both houses. Too often in America Christians are told that their faith exists just to make them happy.
I was "raised" Christian and believed in God my whole life. However, for the longest time I didn't actually understand the Gospel. I didn't know what I had been saved from. I didn't think that I was a sinner.
He who has been forgiven much, loves much.
There is much secular love and happiness in this world. If our sales pitch for the faith is love and happiness, people won't give it a second thought.
How many times do you hear the "that's good for you, but it's just not for me."
That's because people ARE happy and comfortable as they are without God. The WORD of God makes people uncomfortable and rattles them to true reptence and then true faith.
Reading the Bible shouldn't usually make us feel good about ourselves, it aught to be a call to action, it aught to rile our anger to our own sin, it aught to put a burden on our souls for the lost.
"Judge not lest ye be judged" is probably the most misquoted verse in the entire Bible. Please examine the context of the verse and the purpose of the passage. That verse teaches and warns against HYPOCRITICAL judgement. It's a call to be judged as well and not to seek self righteousness through judging, because we are often guilty of the same sin. The Bible tells us to judge, just never by our own standard (always use God's) and to judge ourselves first.
"The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment." (Psa 37:30)
"With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth." (Psa 119:13)
"Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy." (Prov 31:9)
Jesus commended Simon, "Thou hast rightly judged." (Luke 7:43)
"Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt show her all her abominations." (Ezek 22:2)
"But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man." (1 Cor 2:15)
"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?" (1 Cor 6:2)
"Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?" (1 Cor 6:3)
Again, keep all of this in light of 1st Corinthians 13:
1 Corinthians 13
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
How can you love someone who is on the path of destruction and not tell them that their sins are leading them unto death? If all you do is love them, they might think that you are approving of their sins. You might enable them. If someone you love is standing on a highway and is about to get hit by a truck you would have to warn them. Not warning someone of comming death is the same as not loving them."
posted by scuba at
6:22 AM
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