Tying it all together….
As I have written on several previous posts, although not a member of any GCC church, I have close relations who are very active, and I have been in the same room with several GCC pastors. Having said that, this blog has been a real blessing in a number of ways.
First, I am currently on the receiving end of a shunning campaign, and it really, really does hurt. Those doing the shunning have no idea, but someday they will give an account for it, and as Joel Osteen says: “I’ll let God settle my case” love that line! Had I not left, I would not experience the joy God has given me in my new church, the new opportunities to learn, and meeting many new friends. I believe this is called a “blessing in disguise”. I made a decision to take the high road and still engage the pastor and others, they pretty much ignore me, but it can be kind fun in a weird way watching the hot coals land on their heads.
MarriedWomanPHD, I think we all agree this was handled in a very creepy way, and I could give you some legal advice, but I won’t. Take the high road and move on, that may seem like a flip statement, but in the end, your conscience will be clear, and you can “heap those coals” knowing God will take care of it. You certainly have the right to confront those who wrote the letter, and the right to clear your good name, but I would step back, and prayerfully consider how you want to do that.
GPrince, I agree with you. Christianity is a religion of the mind, and we are called by Paul to “be renewed by the transforming of our minds, so we can discern the will of God, and what is good acceptable and perfect” Theology is for all, so we can study, analyze and come to the right conclusions. My question is this: Do you believe the Bible is the inspired word of God? Do you believe in Timothy 3:16, All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness? People will sometimes say: “Jesus never spoke against it” or “that was Paul’s opinion”, but where do we draw the line? Using that reasoning, can I now say, well that was John, or that was Isaiah, “I like the love part, but I don’t like the sin part”. If you don’t have a base line of reasoning and agreed upon set of ground rules, confusion reigns. Unfortunately, Google has allowed us to search for any point of view that agrees with our own!!! When that happens, it is time to step back, alone with God and scripture, and meditate on what it says. You’ll be amazed what enters your mind. Addressing your recent post, yes the Bible is an ancient book, and there are portions that our hard to relate to our modern society, but does that negate the things that do hold relevance to the standard of living we are called to in the NT?
Gender ID and Sexuality, etc… we will probably all either agree or disagree on this, and that’s OK. Judging sin with a righteous judgment is acceptable, but judging another person or playing eye doctor is not. Paul’s admonition in Romans is that we are all sinners. He uses strong language calling some sinners debased, but contrasting that with the Jew, who felt because of their “most favored nation” status they were saved. The so-called “respectable sinner.” That was in error, as he points out in Romans 2. We will all be called to give an account. Thankfully, as the verse goes, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
As I mentioned before, there are statements in the NT about who will and who will not inherit the Kingdom of God, and live in the heavenly city. Personally, I don’t want to try and justify the alternate positions when I stand before Christ. However, I hope that I can stand justified that I did not judge or condemn the individual person. Christ did neither on his way to the cross. “But for the Grace of God go I” as the saying goes.
The Law. I wanted to address the “loose talk” about the Law on some of the posts. I think it is appropriate to draw a distinction between the Law and legalism. There are churches that are highly legalistic, and love to point out flaws and missteps, or micro-manage your life. That is addressed in scripture, again playing eye doctor when you should be looking in the mirror.
However the Law will always be there. The best example I can give is one that I heard some time ago. The Law of Gravity is always with us, it’s here and never changes, but when you step on a plane the laws of aerodynamics take over, allowing the plane to take off. Open the door at any height and you will soon find out that the law of gravity is still in effect.
Yes we are under Grace, but the Law is still there. As believers the Law is something we now observe differently, it is written on our hearts, or our hearts are now circumcised, which is another way of putting it. The Law will never pass away, but Love of God and love of your neighbor will fulfill the Law.
I do love this back and forth...so I will sit back and watch the fireworks
