| Go back to previous topic | | Forum name | General Discussion | | Topic subject | I can respect that, but here's where it falls short for me @ the church. | | Topic URL | http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=4&topic_id=12746278&mesg_id=12747301 |
12747301, I can respect that, but here's where it falls short for me @ the church.
Posted by Case_One, Tue Mar-10-15 04:44 PM
>though i'm not a Xtian anymore i still attend church (not
>religiously) and i have a certain amount of respect for the
>faith (largely b/c some of the ppl i hold dearest are xtians).
>
>
>i was serious - if churches wanna get to the heart of what the
>Bible says Jesus was all about they'd focus on love for God
>and other ppl. i'm pretty sure Jesus' point there was that
>when one keeps one's eye on loving God and loving others it
>becomes easier to avoid sin. like, if we love God we'll want
>to make Him happy (ain't that love?). we know that He prizes
>our obedience and so we'd seek to obey b/c we want to please
>him and not just or primarily b/c we fear his retribution.
>similarly if we love others we'll avoid doing them wrong b/c
>we don't want to cause them hurt, not b/c we fear God's
>retribution.
>
>though Jesus did talk about God's punishment most of what he
>had to say wasn't about that, and indeed when he was asked
>about the most important commandment he answered - love. he
>didn't say anything there about punishment. he didn't even
>mention sin. he also didn't attempt to inspire fear. so,
>again, i think if churches really wanna get to the heart of
>Jesus' message they'd focus on love.
To not obey God is to sin and to fall short of truly loving God. Jesus Said that if you love me you will obey me. @ John 14:23 (Paraphrase). Jesus is God from the beginning of eternity past. So, we can't truly love our neighbor or our selves if we don't love God. And to fall short of loving God does result in Sin and punishment by default. The issue is that the Church has fallen short on preaching about Sin and punishment and all people know now is cheap grace. The church has fallen short on teaching, because although Jesus didn't mention sin in the passage about loving God, ones neighbors as we love ourselves, he didn't need to, because he was talking to a people that lived the Mosaic scriptures everyday. The knew the law and God's word. He was just repositioning their hearts to see the Love, purpose and meaning in the God's word.
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"Today is your day to have a better life -- it's your right."
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