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Post by Once4all on Feb 25, 2012 16:40:47 GMT -5
A couple of quotes from a book I recently finished reading: Strangely, we have come to a moment in human history when the message of the Sermon on the Mount could indeed save us, but it can no longer be heard above the din of dueling doctrines. Consider this: there is not a single word in that sermon about what to believe, only words about what to do. It is a behavioral manifesto, not a propositional one. Yet three centuries later, when the Nicene Creed became the official oath of Christendom, there was not a single word in it about what to do, only words about what to believe! Christianity is now so fundamentally associated with the formula of fall and redemption, so focused on beliefs about Jesus instead of invitations to follow Jesus, that a new Reformation is needed. It will deal not with matters of doctrine and church order but with a recovery of the concept of transformation through the imitative wisdom of discipleship. Source: Saving Jesus from the Church: How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus by Robin R. Meyers |
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Post by Allyn on Feb 25, 2012 20:10:13 GMT -5
Bev. Thanks for those quotes. I'm not sure what you intended for us by sharing them, but I think I see what is the difference between the simple trust in Christ, despite all our personal shortcomings. He spoke softly but with the authority from the Father because He personally loves us. The other is what men make of it and with self-determination proposed to what men should be like and adhere to under the threat of human punishment.
I prefer the words of Christ.
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Post by Once4all on Feb 26, 2012 16:37:40 GMT -5
Hi Allyn. I was just seeing what, if any, discussion they might generate. That book they are from is very liberal with a lot in it I don't agree with, but there were a few things here and there I did agree with, such as the above. I've got another one from the book I'll probably quote, too. It's a little longer.
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Post by edwardgoodie on Feb 28, 2012 11:02:32 GMT -5
I tend to view the sermon on the mount as transitional in nature. All the "You have heard" (old covenant) quotes are now expressed in new covenant nature. The righteousness required now would have to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees (old covenant to new covenant). Early on in the sermon, reference is made to fulfilling the law in Matthew 5:17-18.
Just because the sermon on the mount indicates a "do" type of emphasis, does not necessitate a release of doctrinal beliefs. Christ is speaking in regard to the works of the Law, just as Ephesians 2:8-9 are...
The whole of the NT deals with the transition from old covenant to new covenant because it is the Jews that take precedence...This is the one thing I find lacking in much of today's exegesis.
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