"And I often wonder to myself, as I travel through the Scriptures over and over again, is why God, in his providence and wisdom, knowing that we would get the wrong end of the stick, would still put verses like this, and “judge not lest you be judged,” in there at all. Wouldn’t it have been easier if he had just stopped at “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ?” That seems clear enough, but then he goes on with this peculiar declaration that, for so many, supports an ideological project of diversity, equity, and inclusion."
What comes to my mind while reading this passage is the following:
And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— 16speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction. (2nd Peter 3: 15-16)
This gem:"We have to endure unfair loss because the whole world is building bunkers of fairness that must be exposed and destroyed because they always separate us from the love of God." I am thinking of the "autonomous movement", if I may call it such. What an anti-Christ follower thing to strive to be. And strive we all do, with "bunkers of fairness" around us. Of course the bitter irony is the need for everyone else to be good with our autonomy, collectively. The mortification of sin/self is the true measure of a sanctified life and the only one that will bring us to unity in Christ.
Thanks. As I was reading your thoughtful commentary, the words of the hymn “Take my life and let it be, consecrated, Lord, to thee” came to mind. I need to be reminded daily.
Your words strike at the childish whine of our hearts, "But that's not fair." Jesus' words at the Last Supper frequently echo in my mind when I presume to think that God is slacking in being "fair" : John 21:22 NASB - Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!
"...my favorite ill-used Bible verse..." I chuckled to myself when I read this. The verse that popped into my mind is Jeremiah 29:11 NASB - For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." I'm not up on the latest misapplied verses.
"And I often wonder to myself, as I travel through the Scriptures over and over again, is why God, in his providence and wisdom, knowing that we would get the wrong end of the stick, would still put verses like this, and “judge not lest you be judged,” in there at all. Wouldn’t it have been easier if he had just stopped at “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ?” That seems clear enough, but then he goes on with this peculiar declaration that, for so many, supports an ideological project of diversity, equity, and inclusion."
What comes to my mind while reading this passage is the following:
And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— 16speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction. (2nd Peter 3: 15-16)
This gem:"We have to endure unfair loss because the whole world is building bunkers of fairness that must be exposed and destroyed because they always separate us from the love of God." I am thinking of the "autonomous movement", if I may call it such. What an anti-Christ follower thing to strive to be. And strive we all do, with "bunkers of fairness" around us. Of course the bitter irony is the need for everyone else to be good with our autonomy, collectively. The mortification of sin/self is the true measure of a sanctified life and the only one that will bring us to unity in Christ.
Thanks. As I was reading your thoughtful commentary, the words of the hymn “Take my life and let it be, consecrated, Lord, to thee” came to mind. I need to be reminded daily.
Your words strike at the childish whine of our hearts, "But that's not fair." Jesus' words at the Last Supper frequently echo in my mind when I presume to think that God is slacking in being "fair" : John 21:22 NASB - Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!
"...my favorite ill-used Bible verse..." I chuckled to myself when I read this. The verse that popped into my mind is Jeremiah 29:11 NASB - For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." I'm not up on the latest misapplied verses.