Posted by PS on June 09, 2003 at 18:24:24:
In Reply to: Re: The Beatitudes rock hard - For SURE posted by Rob on June 09, 2003 at 17:13:57:
: I saw something in the writing that didn't sound like it would be a literal implication, however there are those who would argue otherwise.
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No doubt--they are everywhere. But why do they not live by their own teaching? Why have they not severed or gouged a few of their own body parts? If they claim to be so holy as to have no need to do so, you can devalue their theology based on that demonstrated arrogance alone. ;-)
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: The discussion that my associate here and I got into (that prompted my "in-depth...exposure" to this text) was about, specifically, the weightiness of the effects of sin.
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Good to realize. Too bad we often do not also grasp the weightiness and sufficiency of Jesus' victory, the price and the power that removed our sin. If we did, we would not be so prone to think it was our holy purpose to use His Word to reascribe sin to those he has called clean.
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: Literature was never my strong point, so I wanted to see an alternate view of what I was reading. I don't really expect that Jesus would want us all to mutilate ourselves, hence the comment about all the rolling torsos that would end up staining everything in sight. That's kind of a humorous thought, actually.
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Very picturesque it was, too. ;-) But yeah, I understood; I didn't think you were in the bathtub with a knife getting ready to get holy. ;-)
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: I know it's a deep subject. I have to learn how to study (hear?) AND know what the "Spirit says to the Churches". Paul says that we are to "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (yet another thing I misunderstand I am sure). Many times I do not know how to do that. I can read until my eyes fall out (I guess I wouldn't have to gouge them out at least :->) and I never seem to be able to see between the lines. Maybe that's why there are teachers, who know what these things mean, and there are perpetual students, like me, who never seem to get it. Thank God for His Grace, huh? Seriously.
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I am a perpetual student also. I believe any teacher must remain an active student in some way or their teaching becomes dangerously short-sighted tunnel vision. Most Christian teaching today represents the teacher's theology, agendas, and faith claims, rather than portraying truly objective, comprehensive, and multi-disciplinary perspectives. That is to say, it is theological, but not always scholarly; inspirational, but not always intelligent or well-informed.
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: Thank you for your perspective, I appreciate it immensely.
: Do you guys have tapes or anything of your teaching I could have mailed to me?
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Jason plans to start taping sermons soon (I believe next week). We are in the middle of Mark, so this will not be a complete tape series; we are just doing it for those who are requesting the tapes or must miss service sometimes, not for a public release thing (at least not yet--not on this series). The presentation is more like a class than a "preach" most of the time--we are striving to be both scholarly and relevant. Anyway, I would be happy to have them sent to you, if you'll just email me your mailing address. Please realize they will not be edited. Some may find our humor and casual flavor less than "reverent," but we just don't think God is all that uptight. Some will be offended at our willingness to question popular church doctrines, but we think God is more concerned with truth than the religious traditions of men. Jesus certainly was. (And we'll talk about that next Sunday.)