Oh No He Di’int!

Ok so we’ve laid some groundwork for the discussion…and have had some great feedback! I want to change gears for a moment and open a can of worms and insert a disclaimer **This post may ruffle your theological feathers – you may find yourself at complete odds with what is going to be asked – defensive and accusatory! Please respond with grace and love – and most of all don’t presume you know where other people are on these questions!**

Ok – let’s just jump in!

Why did Jesus die on the cross?

• To forgive our sins?
• Consider Jesus forgave sins before his death and resurrection (ie. – Mark 2.1-13)
• G_d forgave Israel’s sins before Jesus ever walked the earth (ie. – Isaiah 43.25)
• To overcome death?
• Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead! (John 11)
• Elijah never dies (2 Kings 2)
• Enoch never dies (Gen 5.24)
• Moses and Elijah appear at transfiguration (Mk. 9)
• Jesus argues against the Sadducees that the G_d of Israel is the G_d of the living  (Mk. 12)
• Fulfill the sacrificial system?
• G_d has alread had enough of the sacrificial system according to Isaiah (1.11)
• Psalm 51 [esp. 16,17] **(this Psalm actually also demonstrates a sense that G_d is also forgiving sins before Jesus)
• Hosea 6.6
• The apostles continued to go to the Temple Service daily (Lk. 24.50-53)

So if Jesus had to die and be raised in order for us to be declared righteous in the eyes of G_d – How did Abraham accomplish this? How did David?

It is important for us to remember that there are other passages in the Text that we must wrestle with (or maybe you feel that I must wrestle with) but we must wrestle with these as well! I have many thoughts on this subject and what I perceive to be a biblically sound concept – but I don’t want to color the conversation until I’ve had time to hear each of your reflective thoughts!

I’d also really like our discussion to remain (however loosely) around thoughts on sin! (forgiveness of sins – that’s easy; Death – Paul says the wages of sin is death; Sacrificial system – based on unintentional sins for individuals and corporately)

Thanks! Let’s have some good and fun discussions!

Matthew 25: “No Goat Left Behind!”…

…He says sheepishly!

In Matthew 25 there are a couple of parables (Ten Virgins & Parable of the Talents) – but following those two sections is a section that is taught often but not discussed beyond the surface implications of feeding the poor (of which I am a huge advocate). I want to ask – what does this tell us about the Final Judgment? (Matt. 25.31-46)

Evangelicals insist we are not saved by works – James says you can’t have faith without works (James 2.18) – we could argue those nuances…Abraham saved by faith – then entered covenant; Israel rescued (Saved) from Egypt – then entered covenant! Though the prevalent mindset throughout the church has often been an avoidance of good works in order to demonstrate in some twisted way that we are not saved by those works! BUT I digress…

I believe the Text proposes the concept that our interaction with others is based in whether or not we sin…consider; those who did not clothe the naked had sinned –> Why? What was their sin?

I want to assert that sin is the taking of the role of judge from the one True Judge – we, when we ate from the Tree of Knowledge, gained (maybe even stole) the role of Judge of Creation from G_d (Hence the Text declaring that we’d become more like Him)…He has spent the rest of history preparing to return as The Judge. We can see that return in this section of the Text.

The sin therefore in this section is that of poor judging – we didn’t perceive that we even needed to help – our judgment was off. It is the same as our ‘first’ sin – we judged that being naked was bad! We had always been naked – G_d even judged it to be very good.

Therefore – I would like to set before you the notion that the role of sin in humanity is that of an unjust judge (us) ruling over the creation of a Just Judge and G_d desperately wants us to return that role to Him!