Page 645 … knowing the Will of God
“Biblical instructions give us authoritative guidance on the will of God concerning how we should live and think and interact with one another.”
And here once again, I agree with you completely. Of course, as I have proven on a number of occasions earlier in this very thread, our challenge is to determine which Biblical instructions to follow – especially when the instructions relevant to our particular situation in life (e.g. in this case, how to interact with the supposed “mortal sinners” in our midst) are in direct contradiction with one another … Please consider the following:
*The Old Testament says quite clearly that we are to murder homosexuals (!) who express themselves sexually (see Leviticus 20:13), while Jesus says we are to deal with one another with humility (see Matthew 18:3-4 + Matthew 7:1-5) and LOVE (see Mathew 5:48 + John 13:15-17 & John 13:34-35) …
*Paul says that we are to openly shun and formally disown those who commit acts of “sexual immorality” (heterosexual & homosexual alike – see 1 Corinthians 6:9-10), and yet Jesus shows us that we are to spend our time cleaning our own cups (see Matthew 23:25-26) and being Kind to all those in our midst – especially those we least accept or least like or least admire (see Matthew 5:43-44 + Luke 6:27-28) …
*Revelation (most notably chapter 2 thereof) inspires us to openly lambast & condemn the sins of others, and yet Jesus Christ in the Gospels tells us quite plainly to continually keep our mouths shut & our Hearts open when dealing with others (see Matthew 23:12 + John 15:8-12).
So which of these rules & regulations are we to follow, my Friend? To which Biblical instructions are we to adhere? Well, once again the Bible itself tells us exactly what we are to do – namely, to abide by the verses and their interpretations that bear the Fruit of the Spirit when applied to our everyday lives (see Matthew 7:15-2 + Matthew 21:43) … In practical terms, this means that we are to err on the side of siding with Jesus (see Hebrews 8:6-13, John 1:17, 1 Corinthians 3:11 & Matthew 16:24 et al) and, at least in relation to dealing with the “mortal sinners” in our midst (which is the salient issue in this particular conversation), Jesus really couldn’t be more clear … Please hear his words:
“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged … Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own? … You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your neighbor’s … You hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup [of others], but inside are full of greed and self-indulgence … First clean the inside of your own cup, so that the outside might also become truly clean … Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this young child is the greatest in the Kingdom … Let [she] who is without sin cast the first stone.” ~ Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:1-2 + Matthew 23:25-26 + Matthew18:3-4 + John 8:7)
“For I have set you an example, that you also should DO as I have done to you … If you understand these things, you are blessed while you DO them.” ~ Jesus Christ (John 13:15-17)
;