God's Mission Statement

don · 09-01-09 7:25 am

don · 09-01-09 7:31 am

It has been pointed out that the Ten Commandments were at the very heart of Judaism. IMO, this cannot be denied.

However, Christianity can be viewed as an extreme makeover of Judaism. Some Christians believe that God's plan, including His "Mission Statement" is to be forwarded by the followers of Christ.

Imagine that God had chosen some obscure tribe and then gave them His own plan for their well-being as a society. No matter who made up that tribe, the communication from God would hold great value, for me; perhaps for you.

elaine · 09-01-09 3:59 pm

How easily we conflate what man says of himself and the facts. Many nations, and Christians on the Crusades, truly believed that were following God's divine plan to annihilate all the "infidels."

The Law was the center and most sacred of all Judaism. The NT clearly, and in many places, states that Christ has replaced the Law.

So which should be our standard: The Judaic Law or Christ, who said that Love fulfilled the Law.
He said "It was said of old--but I say unto you,"
clearly stating a new view.

don · 09-01-09 6:16 pm

Christ has replaced the Law.

What does that mean?

Christ has replaced "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery?"

With what?

If the principles of the Law remain the same, the Law remains the same, doesn't it?

elaine · 09-01-09 9:21 pm

All the Law is found in Love to one's neighbor. This makes all the civil laws still operational. The first four are only applicable in a theocracy, and the last is clearly unenforceable--as it is a matter of one's conscience.

Jesus explained and amplified the fourth commandment. As it was originally contained in the Exodus and Deuteronomy records, adultery only meant the taking of another man's wife, as she was his property. It did not cover taking another, or slave wife, as they were told to take virgins from the enemy and make them wives--likely a second or third one, as all Jewish males

If the Golden Rule were always followed, that covers the Law. No one today wants or would choose to live in a theocracy, as that was solely intended for the Israelites.

don · 09-01-09 10:24 pm

No one today wants or would choose to live in a theocracy, as that was solely intended for the Israelites.

Millions of people understand how to, and want to, love God even though they do not live in a theocracy.

Christ has replaced the Law?

The Ten Commandments have been explained for their deeper meaning by Jesus. Look over each of the times Jesus addressed the 10 Commandments. Not once does He minimize or reduce them; a new perspective, yes; replacing them, no evidence.

Love God and honour the "King" is possible even without a theocracy.

(Message edited by Don on September 01, 2009)

george · 09-02-09 3:47 am

Don,
If you tell a three-year-old to be careful and torture the kitty, and he lets go of the cat but then turns around and goes after the dog, he has fulfilled your wish about the cat but has missed the principle of being careful how he handles all living things.

The Ten Commandments were specific demands that were necessary for the throng as it emerged from slavery. They had been desensitized and had no idea how to live without mandates from a superior. God gave them the basic precepts for a community under His supervision. Those basics never change; but the specifics do. Jesus left it up to the HS to direct the Christian's life in ALL things, under the banner of love. Misunderstanding this leads to unspeakable situations where the letter of the law is followed meticulously while other kinds of atrocities are being committed.

Paul in his letters and the book of Hebrews, specifically, addresses this concept by pointing out that the law as given in the OT was a shadow and, like all other things in the OT theocracy, were replaced by Christ. The shadows in the OT spoke about specific situations, while in the NT Jesus gave the HS the job of "leading us to all truth" as to how to act and what to do as conduits of God's love. The way we love God is to love our fellow man. "Love one another. By this they will know you are mine."

The way Jesus replaces the commandments is that he becomes the motivating factor for our behavior, not a written code to be obeyed by rote. Our behavior in this world stems from an acknowledgment that we are to pass along to others the love that has forgiven our sins. This love looks different in different situations and can be monitored only by the HS working within us. That's not to say that we determine what is lawful and what is not. We still have the principles outlined in the Bible and in God's law as it was given, but we are no longer "slaves" to it.

george · 09-02-09 4:24 am

I might add - following the law focuses on the self and the consequences of our behavior to OURSELVES and is self-centered; while action stemming from love, focuses on the welfare of others - the ultimate mission program in which anyone can participate - and no committee planning involved.

(Message edited by sirje on September 02, 2009)

elaine · 09-02-09 12:28 pm

What about either the Golden Rule or loving our neighbors will ever allows us to break any of the civil laws of the Ten Commandments. They encompass much more than the specifics of the Ten and it is the Spirit, not the letter of the Law which is to guide the Christian's life.

Paul said that the letter engraved in stone is obsolete. What, possibly, could he have been rerferring to if not the Ten Commandments. As Sirje says, they were given to a slave people who had no rights or privileges and only had to obey orders. Freedom of conscience has been denied them. Today we have freedom to choose and are no longer children who must be given explicit demands.

don · 09-02-09 6:38 pm

The way Jesus replaces the commandments is that he becomes the motivating factor for our behavior, not a written code to be obeyed by rote.

If you take Thou Shalt Not Kill and instill the principle of love for all life have you replaced "Thou Shalt Not Kill". I don't think so. The letter is way too limiting, I agree. But the letter doesn't need replacing. The truth of the "letter" needs to be written on the heart. If "Thou Shalt Not Kill" resides in my heart, has it been replaced? Of course not. But I need grand principles not just legal statements.

elaine · 09-02-09 7:39 pm

"No one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for the righteous man shall live by faith. However, the Law is not of faith, on the contrary, He who practices them shall live by them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law" (Gal. 3:11-12).

"But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor...For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'...Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal. 5-6).

"Until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifed, because it is removed in Christ...but wheneer a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away" (2 Cor. 14-16).

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful fesh and asn offering for sine...in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us."

"But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound."

It is certainly true that Jesus was born, lived, and died a Jew, and therefore kept ALL the Law as all good Jews did.

Paul was called by God to abrogate one of the oldest Jewish laws: circumcision--and the unclean category that was always part of their religious belief, and he never, never, commanded a day of worship or rest to the new Christian church. Focusing on Jesus as the Last Word for Christian behavior, would mean that everyone who is Christian must follow all his practice. Yet, no one advocates circumcision as a religious practice, nor sacrifices, nor keeping separate from the "unclean" gentiles. We look to Paul for the establishment of the Christian church.

george · 09-02-09 8:40 pm

Well Don, the law has been replaced as a means of obtaining favor with God - in obtaining salvation. The Jews were after blessings and trying to avoid curses if they broke the law; people who's lives still revolve around keeping that law, are still looking for blessings and avoiding curses, only now the blessing is SALVATION and the curse is ETERNAL DEATH. What has changed? That kind of life is honorable enough and does make the neighbors safe from harm from you, but it does not buy salvation.

The fact is, Jesus did replace the law that says not to kill. He magnified it to include even anger, which is a type of murder when hurled at another. Words, spoken in anger, can kill a life. What Jesus did was take the law the Jews were so meticulous in keeping and pointing out that they hadn't actually kept it at all because their motivations were wrong (turned inward where the law-keeping was for their own benefit), and pointed them to keeping the law in such a way that it was focused at your neighbor - never mind if that leads to salvation or not. It just isn't relevant.

The law-keeping that is preached from SDA pulpits is focused on the one keeping the law - because it's portrayed as something we need to do if we are to "vindicate God, demonstrating to the universe that God's law can be kept". That has nothing to do with loving your neighbor. It's all about "the me" being one of the elite who is able to keep the law of God (as opposed to all those poor misguided people who don't understand, or worse, who rebel and just don't obey.) This type of law keeping leads to arrogance and elitism. No matter how one twists the story, the bottom line is that this type of law keeping is not what Jesus was talking about in his Sermon on the Mount.

(Message edited by sirje on September 02, 2009)

renie · 09-03-09 3:13 pm

When have you heard a sermon or bible study on any of the commandments other than the 4th commandment?

It's been a LOOOOOOONG time.

elaine · 09-03-09 3:44 pm

Renie, surely, you know that it's only the fourth commandment that is ever broken!

dcb · 09-03-09 8:22 pm

Going to a gospel church preaching the seventh-day has as much reality as going to a fight and watching a hockey game.

don · 09-04-09 6:58 am

When have you heard a sermon or bible study on any of the commandments other than the 4th commandment?

This seems to suggest that Adventists have a narrow list of topics on which they preach. To some extent, they do. But, what did the SDA pastor in your area preach about last Sabbath?

pilgrim99 · 09-04-09 8:25 pm

My one suggestion is that all Christians should attend a fellowship that practices expository teaching through each book off the Bible. Maybe alternating OT and NT books.

This ensures that the whole counsel of the Word is delivered and prevents the Pastor from dwelling on his pet topics. It also prevents individual texts and passages from being taken out of context.

Although I have been out of it for over 35 years, I think that the SDA denomination, along with other churches, would experience truly radical transformation if this approach was instituted.

don · 09-04-09 9:33 pm

I think that the SDA denomination, along with other churches, would experience truly radical transformation if this approach was instituted.

I agree.

I recall reading a report, I think from W. W. Prescott where he relates this "new" way of studying. Part of his report was how spiritually exciting it was to read the Bible in this manner. (Book focus rather than topical focus.)

I believe that once a person is acquainted with the Books then a topical study is interesting and useful. I have come to view the topical study as a thematic study. As one reads the full book and then the next full book, etc. certain themes become obvious. Eg. God cares for the poor; how people pray; how the prophets report God's prompting; etc; and of course, the key theme as to how the writers viewed the Messianic age.

pilgrim99 · 09-04-09 11:29 pm

Don,

Thanks for your comments.

These are sermons from our local fellowship that mostly follow the format. Audio Sermons.

I have participated in this fellowship for close to 15 years and the Word still touches my heart each time I hear it. There is always some personal change required, even after hearing passages that are familiar.

The church that I used to attend was theme oriented, and as a result, there were occasional distortions, which sometimes left me uncomfortable with what was being taught.

I recently spent some time with an old friend who grew up with me in the SDA denomination; like most of our contemporaries, she no longer attends any church. List oriented religion left her feeling hopeless, as it does to all who practice this form of religion. How sad.

I am encouraging her to attend an expository teaching church, so far without any success. Please pray that God will guide her to the right congregation.

Peace

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#1 09-01-09 7:25 am

God's Mission Statement

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