Hello, everyone....
As most anyone who's read my posts will know, I am a Christian. I've been doing a lot of thinking about Christianity lately, and I would like to propose a set of points which I believe to be the beliefs that correspond most closely to the Bible, in comparison to many commonly-held ideas. There are two very important passages that I will be referencing in this post:
Galatians 3:19-25
Quote:
19What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. 20A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one.
21Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
23Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ[h] that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. |
Essentially, this passage explains that the Mosaic law is no longer applicable as it once was, because a new covenant has been made.
The second passage is a bit more well known:
Matthew 22:34-40
Quote:
34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
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This is more famously known as the "double love commandment", and basically presents two criteria for deciding whether an action is ethical under Christianity: Whether it is loving to the other person and whether it is loving towards God.
In light of these two passages, which I consider to be two of the most important passages in the Bible, I believe that I can come to several conclusions:
1) Christians are called to be a countercultural movement, showing the most love and compassion humanly possible to anyone and everyone. Hatred of anyone is in direct violation of the double love commandment. Therefore, we should not be condemning people who sin - rather, we should be accepting and supportive of them. This does not mean that we should compromise on what is sin and what is not - it merely means that we should treat everyone as Jesus Himself would treat them, keeping in mind that he treated prostitutes, thieves and murderers with dignity and respect.
2) Many things which are considered to be a sin are honestly not condemned by the Bible. Drunkenness, for instance, has been cited as a grave sin by many, but I'm not so entirely sure - it's not the smartest move, obviously, and the Proverbs speak against it, but it's never truly cited as a sin.
3) Christians are called to spread the Gospel - but not by using words. Instead, we should try to live our lives in the best possible fashion, and people will instead seek us out, and God will present an opportunity to discuss Christianity, should he see fit.
4) Christians should read the entire Bible at least once, to properly validate the claims of charlatans who would claim to be Christians. Jesus had an impeccable knowledge of scripture, and it was through this that he refuted the Sadducees and Pharisees.
Any thoughts?