Post by tomdurst on Jul 5, 2015 19:49:13 GMT -5
THE SPIRIT GIVES LIFE
"who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”—2 Corinthians 3:6 ESV
The Law of Moses contained 613 commandments and many volumes were written with interpretations and details about the Law. All of this was swept away and a New Covenant was introduced in the Christ event. Yet, many Christians still live very much under an Old Covenant way of thinking.
The history of the church is replete with examples of those who’ve engaged in “Bible thumping” and yet have had very serious ethical issues that needed attention. The letter of the law will always kill people. The Bible is not given to be used as a club to beat others over the head with. Under careful scrutiny most of the so-called “black and white” issues have more facets to them than people want to admit. The church has been forced to modify its position in many areas because of the unfolding light of biblical studies and the complexity of human existence itself which a rigid interpretation cannot possibly address.
The gospel of Jesus Christ makes us more fully human and delivers us from being unthinking robots who are programmed to “follow the rules," no matter how much some of God’s precious children may be hurt. There is a growing consciousness that the dignity and worth of each person takes precedence over all else. Remember “the Spirit gives life.” There is absolutely NO WAY that we can hit others with the letter of some “the Bible says” rule without developing a self-righteous spirit that prevents us from addressing our own issues. We cannot point the finger of judgment at someone else without having three pointing back at ourself. Keeping our own spiritual house clean is more than enough to keep all of us busy if we are serious about serving God in truth and righteousness.
I invite you to read THE PURPOSES OF THE BIBLE which is on the link below:
PURPOSES OF THE BIBLE