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John writes > Christ . . .
speaks of perfection as the Heavenly Father
is perfect (substitute "maturity" -- it makes no
difference) and in so doing, presents an
impossibility.
Perhaps, but I rather think the tense and mood of this verb in
Matthew 5.48 is a future indicative and not a present imperative (i.e., it is
not a commandment at all, but a statement concerning his hearers'
prospective state); in other words, the verse should read, "Therefore, you
will be perfect," as opposed to "Be ye therefore perfect." Check it
out and see if you agree.
Bill
By the way, I'm back -- and about 600 messages behind. I'll try to
get caught up, but probably won't be doing much in the way of posting, as I am
perpetually swamped with papers to grade.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, November 11, 2005 7:43
AM
Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] Christ and the
Law
And you will never be as perfect as the Heavenly Father, you will not
pluck out your eye or tell others to do so, ditto for the cutting
off of the hand. The Sermon is still not used in Holy Writ as
a basis of legal or doctrinal argumentation and the Lord's prayer remains
unused even by Christ (John 17). What we do with this Sermon
is not my point. What was Christ's true point? I do much the same as you with
this Sermon. But I do have reasons for not doing some of it , as
well. And some of that reason effects what I tell
married/divorced/married couples. What I do not do is
go looking for the legalese of the
teaching because legalese is not the
point NT scripture. I do
not believe for a second that a man who molests his children or beats his wife
or lives of f the efforts of the woman in any way binds the spouse to a life-time of misery and
loneliness. New Testament scripture is not about
law. It can't be. If we could have been saved by the
law, if righteousness came by the law -- we wouldn't need a "new"
anything. The Old Law - which came directly from God
(and does He do anything half way ??) -- would have done the
trick. But we are led by the Spirit
------------- all men have this "ability" because it is tied to who they are as a creation of
God. Philip 2:12-13 is a statement of ontology regarding man. John 3:21 makes it clear that the
good works we do, any time in our lives, are the works of God within
us. We have always had this choice -- to live by
legalese or the Spirit. And so David says, it is not sac rifice
you desire but a broken and contrite heart !!!! Abraham is
the father of all who live by this
faith-exchanged-for-righteousness. Christ on the cross has made us
right ALREADY. So why the need for the deeds of the
law? Only as they represent an extension of faith, love and
the Spirit (they are all very much related) and for NO OTHER
REASON. One cannot command the ontological
!!!!!!!!! Start breathing
!!!!!!!!!!! Don't exhale !!!!!!!!! You must love
ME !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jd -----Original
Message----- From: Terry Clifton < wabbits1234@earthlink.net> To:
TruthTalk@mail.innglory.org Sent: Fri, 11 Nov 2005 07:10:17
-0600 Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] Christ and the Law
Jesus does not talk
just to make noise, John. Those who love Him hang on every word He
says. The sermon on the mount is most valuable to me. I believe
that those who divorce and remarry for reasons other than sexual sin are
living in adultery. I believe you will be blessed when you hunger and
thirst for righteousness or when you show mercy. I intend to keep going the
extra mile, giving the shirt off my back, and turning the other cheek.
Often it costs me to do this, but the price I pay is nothing compared to the
price Jesus paid for me. If it is legalism to follow His instructions, then I plead guilty to
being a legalist. Terry [EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
A few additional
comments -----Original
Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]To:
TruthTalk@mail.innglory.orgSent:
Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:04:45 -0500 Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] Christ and the
Law
Regarding the recent discussion about divorce and
remarriage:
My advice to couples finding themselves in impossible or difficult
situations includes admonitions to try to work things out. I do
not view the Sermon on the Mount as a legal document. My God is
not a legalist. And a
thorough going exegetical study of Romans 2 and 3 ( those comments
discussing "law" and "the Law") gives the student reason for resisting
the temptation to turn the Sermon into nothing more that a statement of the
"New Law."
"You have heard it said" is a passage of thought used in the
Sermon. It refers the listeners (and readers) to what was said in the Law of
Moses. "Eye for an eye" is a part of the law as found in
Leviticus. Divorce for reasons other than adultery was a part of
the Old Law. Walking the second mile was a change from accepted
cultural values. "Sin" in the
Law of Moses was not defined as a matter of the
heart - it was an event. Christ teaches us how we should pray, yet not a
single prayer in scripture is of the pattern example including the Lord's
prayer in John 17. He speaks of perfection as the Heavenly Father is perfect (substitute
"maturity" -- it makes no difference) and in so
doing, presents an impossibility. ;
; Christ challenges all of this and more.
In this sermon, Christ intensifies the burden of law -
knowing that in time and in Him we will not be called into account for law's
violations. Additionally, with
this Sermon, He establishes the radical nature of His thinking,
of His Lordship. The Sermon is never referred to as NT writers
seek to establish their teachings.
When was the last time you plucked your eye or cut off your hand or
gave your clothing to your enemy? He knows that no one under the law
is "holy" (7:11) and His teaching just makes things
worse. If you do not tie this Sermon to Paul's discussions on
The Law and law in general; if you do not accept the teaching
that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, that Spirit leadership frees us from the Law and
law in general -- then you will miss the point of the Sermon
entirely.
The time and content of this sermon is critical to understanding just
what the Master had in mind in terms of ultimate purpose.
Jd
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