Have you ever thought of “learning” as an act of worship? Seeking to understand God’s truth by reading, wrestling with, praying for understanding, seeking the meaning of, and sharing with others this great truths that we have found in Christ……….I believe that this also is an act of worship. Jesus describes this as “new treasures as well as old”. Jesus continues with the kingdom parables by relating the parable of the dragnet (no, this has nothing to do with detective Joe Friday!) and the parable of treasures, new and old.
Matthew 13:47-52 (TNIV)
47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked. “Yes,” they replied. 52 He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” [emphasis added]
While the parable of the weeds highlighted the amount of time good and evil people must coexist before judgment, this parable focuses on the final judgment. Just as the net catches all kinds of fish, the Good News of Christ, the Good News of the kingdom of heaven/kingdom of God will be available to many different people. At the end of the age, angels will sort the “fish” or separate the evil from the righteous. I believe that “weeping and gnashing of teeth” indicates sorrow, remorse, anxiety, and pain. I find it interesting that Jesus continually keeps before our minds the fact that there will be a final judgment where evil will be separated out and cast away.
Let’s take a closer look at this last section of this parable, “Treasures New and Old” found in the Gospel of Matthew 13:51-52:
Matthew 13:51-52 (TNIV)
51 “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked. “Yes,” they replied. 52 He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” [emphasis added]
Jesus start’s out by asking if they (the disciples) understand what He has been saying. They reply that they do understand. Next, what I believe that Jesus tells us is that as we understand, accept and enter into the kingdom, as we teach others the joy’s of following Christ and knowing God, that we will be like the owner of a house. The treasures new, as well as old, that we bring out are the truths, new and old which God has so graciously provided through His Words to us, His people. All learning that enables us to better understand the Bible and communicate its truths are valuable. The disciples, and us, have been instructed about the kingdom of heaven. They understood God’s real purpose in the law as revealed in the Old Testament; therefore, they had a real treasure.
So, again, have you ever thought of “learning” as an act of worship? Seeking to understand God’s truth by reading, wrestling with, praying for understanding, seeking the meaning of, and sharing with others this great truths that we have found in Christ……….I believe that this also is an act of worship. Jesus describes this as “new treasures as well as old”. These treasures don’t sit in the storeroom of our mind somewhere, but are brought out and shared. Learning is also a way that we can serve God……and it’s a lifelong process
Today’s CLUE: While we see from Jesus’ other teachings about the kingdom of heaven/kingdom of God, that the kingdom is right here, right now, and we in this kingdom will coexist with evil, there will be a time when the evil will be separated out and cast away. Additionally, we have been given the keys to this kingdom. We should continue to learn and grow in Christ. In my mind, this is a form of worship. What we know (treasures old and new) about the kingdom should not be kept in the storeroom of our mind but should be shared with all.
What do you think?
Evowookiee commented: —-Have you ever thought of “learning” as an act of worship? Seeking to understand God’s truth by reading, wrestling with, praying for understanding, seeking the meaning of, and sharing with others this great truths that we have found in Christ..—
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Yes. I find that blind faith is dangerous not to the outside world…but to Christians. How many non-Christians/militant Athiests know the Bible better than we do? How many of these people study to simply find the loopholes just to hang us out to dry…when we stick with the easy stories and parables? How many of us have read Leviticus? (I haven’t…all the way through.) The more we learn, from the Bible, and from our peers, the more we can see the face of God.
Lane0129 commented: Yes…once again you are right on here and I could not agree more about Heaven on earth, or keeping our knowledge, as flawed as it might be, locked up in storeroom. It is when we read God’s word, reflect upon it, and discuss it with others, that we can begin to understand and define who we are. And, that is certainly a form of worship.
RonLawHouston commented: Jesus said that you have to be like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven. Learning and knowledge are means of dividing and separating. Look at the Pharisees. They were learned men knowledgeable in the law. They thought of themselves as righteous.
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Is the learned Christian who considers himself knowledgable and righteous any different from the Pharisee? I say that a child like faith is not one the relies on knowledge and learning.
I commented to RonLawHouston: I ask myself, what was it about the Pharisees that Jesus disagreed with? Was it their “knowledge” of the law? Or was it their “application” of that knowledge? Are your children in school? If so, why would you knowingly have them participate in something that will divide and separate them from God or other people? Concerning a childlike faith, do children instinctively have faith, or do they learn to trust?
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I submit that learning and knowledge are one thing and the application of what we learn is another. Indeed, life is impossible to live without knowledge and learning as we learn from the very moment we enter this world. Experience is knowledge.
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You asked, “Is the learned Christian who considers himself knowledgeable and righteous any different from the Pharisee?” It depends on their application of what they have learned. If they are legalistic and teach or believe that it is simply the “obeying” of the laws of God and not the “heart condition” surrounding the knowledge that God has given us, then they are no better than the Pharisee. I would guess that as a lawyer you would understand the difference between the “spirit” of the law and the actual law itself.
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Of course, we all have our opinions. I appreciate yours. There are certainly times that we disagree 🙂 That’s okay 🙂
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I do have to add one thought…….I believe that more than knowledge, ignorance divides and separates people. Just a thought……
Lane0129 commented: I believe that the biggest problem the Pharisee’s ran into was their judgement of others. I believe that God wants us to understand his laws, because his laws are perfect. Imagine if everyone treated others better then themselves. Not just when it was convenient; but, even when it was difficult. How great would the world be…
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I believe that is God’s plan for us, and we just put road blocks in the way. I also believe that God could have created the world without flaw; but, what joy would that bring Him. For example, if my children were waiting for me at the doorway, every evening when I came home from work, and jumped into my arms and told me how perfect they had behaved and that they loved me so much. That would be fun and make me feel good for about–a week. Then it would become a routine and then ultimately be unfulfilling. By the way, that is not how it works at my house. I am lucky if they even notice that I have arrived. But, when they do run down the stairs and jump into my arms, unsolicited, that is when I feel great joy and happiness. I believe God feels the same way!
I commented to Lane 0129: I agree Thank you for the insight. Well articulated. My youngest is 19 (she’s in Turkey in the Air Force) and my oldest is 21, graduates college next year and lives at home. Oh, how I long for those days when they came running into my arms! I’m anxious to be a grandpa 🙂 (comment made in 2006)
RonLawHouston commented: Hi Jan – Do you see the irony here? It is our knowledge that makes us “disagree.” Actually, we don’t disagree on much. Knowledge or learning is not in itself evil. It is the way it is used.
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Hmm, ignorance…. Another slippery concept. Is ignorance the opposite of knowledge? The question then becomes what “knowledge” are we ignorant of.
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I think the secret is to give up our knowledge and learning and just experience the holy spirit inside us.
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Oh, one other thought (where’s Bobblehead Ron when I need him?) – in many ways we ruin our children by educating them. We cram into them ideas of what God is like.
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To me why children show us the kingdom of God is that they love without “knowing.”
Lane 0129 commented: So, Jan and Ron, allow me to introduce myself–as I believe we will be entering into dialogue often. I’m Mike, I live in Michigan, I’m married, I have 2 kids, I sell cars for a living; however, my passion is being a children’s minister at our church. I did not grow up in a church going family; and, I have only been attending our church for about 3 years. So I dare to say that your knowledge of God and the bible is much deeper than mine. I am looking forward to reading your posts and learning more about God and life from both of you. Hopefully, I can add to the conversation from time to time.
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By the way Jan, you must be proud of your children–it sounds like you did a fine job pointing them in the right direction. The children in our children’s ministry have been corresponding with two different military units over in Iraq. If you would give me the mailing information for your child serving in the Air Force–they would love to write some letters and send some pictures.
I commented to RonLawHouston: ryc Ron: Thanks for the comments. I’m not sure that disagreeing is a bad thing. To many people, I agree, it is a bad thing because they must “be” right. I believe it is okay to take ownership of our thoughts and beliefs while allowing others ownership of theirs. I’m not sure I understand your concept of “giving up knowledge”. I have assumptions as to what you mean (as we have dialogued for a year or so now), but am not sure I understand. You see, I believe in the authority of Scripture. I believe that Jesus wanted us to know something, just as we want our children to know and understand that it is wrong to hurt, wrong to lie, etc at the same time wanting them to experience the joys of love, compassion and relationship. Just as we do not, by in large, come upon these things naturally, it involves our parents or someone teaching us, I believe that God gave us His Words and guidance in the same way through Jesus Christ. I suspect our main disagreement would be the authority that Jesus has in our lives, or maybe, it’s the authority of Scripture. If I am wrong, I apologize. There is certainly no offense intended. Again, we have dialogued for quite awhile and you have made it quite clear that you do not accept the Bible as authoritative teaching. Am I incorrect here? If so, I apologize, please set me straight. If so, that’s okay, we all believe what we believe.
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I’m not sure that ignorance is the opposite of knowledge, however, it is surely the lack of it. I believe that actually what we are talking about is the “sin nature” of mankind and what is done with knowledge or with the lack of it. As this involves the application of knowledge. Now, as I recall, we have had this conversation before and that you do not believe in the “sin nature”, but rather believe in a “Buddha nature”. And also as I recall this is something that if you work hard enough at you can achieve which implies that you didn’t have it in the first place which brings us back to the “sin nature” (at least in my mind). In fact, I believe I recall that the way that one achieved this “Buddha nature” was through the teachings of Buddha (knowledge?).
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Perhaps the reason why children show us the kingdom of God is that they are dependent on their parents? I believe that God wants us to be dependent on Him.
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I Commented to Lane0129: Thank you for joining the discussion. You are certainly welcome here, as are all. Please do add to the conversation. I just subscribed to your Xanga as I have enjoyed your post. And thank you for your kind words, yes, I am very proud of my children. I would be happy to share my daughters address in Turkey and I am sure that she would be happy to receive correspondence. Her address is:
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Amn. Shannon N. Puterbaugh
(address removed)
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You can see pictures of her in Turkey on my personal blog at: http://www.xanga.com/janputerbaugh
RonLawHouston Commented: Hi Jan- I think one fundamental question is just how equipped we are from God. I don’t care at all for the concept of “original sin.” I feel that many concepts like original sin are created by organized religion to make mankind dependent on the church.
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It’s a similar thing with “knowledge.” If I have nothing to teach you, then you are not dependent on me for my teachings. Similarly, organized religion tells you that you must be discipled in order to be a disciple.
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“Giving up knowledge” means abandoning all the stuff we’ve been force fed over the years. The problem with scripture is that we must use our minds to interpret it. This has lead to all the perversion that has been done in the name of Scripture. After all many Christian “teachers” might tell you that “God hates fags.”
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Buddhism understands these problems. Although the Buddha taught a great deal, one of his last words was to “be a lamp unto yourself.” So, (and this is a paradox) the Buddha’s teaching was to not trust his teachings. In Christianity we are to test things by the spirit inside us, in Buddhism you test things by letting go of our thoughts, concepts and constructs and get in touch with your “Buddha-nature.”
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The Buddha likened his teachings to a raft. You use a raft to cross a river. Once you are to the other side, you no longer need the raft. Some people won’t want to let go of the raft. The problem then becomes that the raft burdens you and holds you back.
I commented to RonLawHouston: Hi Ron, I can appreciate your not caring for the concept of “original sin”, however, I find this to be an observable fact, not to mention Scriptural references. I know of no person who is with out sin of some sort. So, to say that organized religion created this concept to make mankind dependent on the church seems a stretch to me. I don’t even need the Scriptures to observe the sin nature of children as well as adults.
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All due respect Ron, and I sincerely mean this in a kind way, did someone persecute you in some way? You certainly look only at the dark side of the Christian faith and do not seem to even see the overwhelming side of “light”. What about the millions upon millions of Christians that abhor the thought that “God hates fags” is Biblical (which it is not). Not to mention the phenomenal numbers of people who have turned to God through the Scriptures and who’s lives have been changed in a phenomenaly positive way. I see Christians every day serving people in a real way, feeding the homeless and the poor, taking care of the elderly, the sick, the disabled and on and on. I would certainly agree that there are “bad” Christians (or people who describe themselves as Christians). However, I am primarily a bookkeeper by trade….and there are dishonest as well as honest ones….you are a lawyer…and there are ethical and not so ethical lawyers…so what’s up?
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While you believe that “organized religion” tells you this or that, I believe in the Scriptures, God tells us. The paradox is that in order to understand or “believe” what Buddha said….you had to take in his knowledge or allow your self to be “told”.
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I do not believe the Scriptures burdens me or holds me back, in fact, the Words of God have freed me. I guess I am achieving that Buddha nature. All due respect, but if Buddha himself taught not to trust his teaching……..maybe he was on to something? In all honesty, I say that in jest. All truth comes from God. If Buddha taught things that are true……cool!
RonLawHouston commented: Sure we have sin, but we also have good. Original sin says you are without goodness. God created us both with flesh and with spirit. If you really think about it, the flesh is not bad. God created us with that to insure our survival.
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No, honestly no one persecuted me in any way. I’ve just seen the evil thar organized religion has perpetrated on humanity. I’m with you, “God hates fags” is not Biblical. But many supposedly Christian leaders would tell you this.
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Jan, if you think about it. The scriptures freed you, but not before they totally enslaved you. I suspect that much of your “subsance problem” came from feeling that you were a wretched person. You medicated yourself to escape from your “wretchedness.”
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Only once you felt salvation as opposed to condemnation were you finally free. I submit that salvation was always there. You just chose to focus on condemnation. That was because someone told you that you were “sinful” since birth. (What an awful construct!)
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The Buddha taught to give up what you’ve been taught. Original sin brought you to see that salvation and not condemnation was the message of Christ. Are you ready to abandon the raft of original sin and experience the freedom of Christ without the guilt?
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I want you to know that all I said was with the utmost love and respect for you. I’ve seen the fruits of your spirit. I honor and respect your fruits. I know that your total being is focused on Christ.
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My only point is that God created you as good. You just focus way too much on the sinful nature of mankind. I tend to believe that this is just the way God created us.
I replied to RonLawHouston: Hello Ron 🙂 First. I’ll start from the bottom up. My focus……my focus is not on sin, but on Christ. When Jesus speaks of sin, or Satan, or the Devil….well, I have to deal with that. I do not believe that it is healthy to “sugar coat” life. Rather I believe it is healthy to hit problems and hard understandings head on. I agree with you, “this is just the way God created us”.
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The doctrine of “original sin” : I see your point, however, just because I follow Christ does not mean that I agree with all doctrines. I do tend to agree with the thought that as humans we have a sin nature. I see this as very observable as I have mentioned before. I have no problem recognizing that in my self. I agree that God created us with flesh and spirit. However, I observe that in my life, when I consider myself first (the flesh) that I am always left wanting or I hurt others. When I choose the Spirit…I am in a warm place. This is not easy to articulate in words.
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I reject the notion that Scripture totals enslaved me in any way, shape or form. My addiction was due solely to a combination of a broken family, the 60’s/70’s and seeking enlightenment through substances…….it turned out that those substances enslaved me. Scripture freed me, God freed me from those bonds. It wasn’t until I turned to God that had even the strength to rip away those chains that were weighing me down as the water rose. I never felt I was a wretched person, I felt at one point that I had made a wretched mistake as I lost control of my will, of my life. Again, Jesus saved me from that. It was then that I started making decisions based on Jesus’ teaching that my life changed. And again…I was freed. I never felt enslaved by Scripture. This is why I asked if you had been persecuted in some way. I have never for one second in my life, that I can remember, felt enslaved by God’s Words. Had I chosen earlier on to follow God rather than my own pleasures………I would never have been enslaved.
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I would suggest that rather than read doctrines…..read the Bible. I have no problem whatsoever in accepting that I am a sinner (Hell, I observe it in my life). However, in all your discourse above………you fail to even mention the doctrine of grace, you fail to even see the arms of the Father. You fail to even mention the love that God has for each of us individually. One side of the story…choose your side: SIN, condemnation or GRACE, love…………either side by itself is an incomplete picture and leads the wrong way. Understand the complete picture and all that bad feeling you describe (enslavement, wretchedness, condemnation) washes away (at least in my world.)
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All due respect, but I here you talk often about “I’ve just seen the evil that organized religion has perpetrated on humanity.”….why don’t you do a study of the good that the Christian faith and Christian people have done. I don’t focus on the bad……but I see it…….I focus on the good and I try to live it. While many Christian leaders would say “God hates fags”…..I submit that the overwhelming majority would reject that statement. I know of no one in my life, maybe one whom I ran from years ago when I discovered this, that would embrace that statement. The actions of a few should never define us. You know, many supposed Christian leaders may believe that…..I reject them and their understanding of God’s Word. Many people reject lawyers……but I still talk to you. (I say that with good intentions). I don’t rally against lawyers because there have been some bad seeds.
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The only guilt I have to get rid of is the guilt I have created. I take ownership for my actions, I always have. I do not believe that the best way to deal with sin in our lives is to ignore it. I have never seen the message of Jesus as condemnation…however, I do see very clearly in His Words the message of salvation….the message of the kingdom of heaven…..it is right here…we have only to choose it, and follow.
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As always, I appreciate the discussion.
RonLawHouston commented: Jan – I’ve read the Bible cover to cover several times. The problem I have with people who are big Bible people is that they pick and choose in order to make sense of it all. They quote passages that support their world view while totally neglecting others. I could give you numerous scriptural quotes that totally and completely negate the doctrine of original sin. Does it matter? Not to me. I don’t have to rely on the Bible to experience God.
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Please understand that I don’t condemn the Christian church. I don’t condemn anyone’s path to experience God. No matter how you arrive at “truth” – so long as it brings God’s love in the world, it’s OK by me. The Catholic church fed my wife when she was a refugee. They clothed her and tended to her needs. They did this solely because of the love of Christ.
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The problem I have, is that many people (probably some in your church) will say that the Catholic church is “wrong” They are idolaters. Their Marian theology is heresy. Why? Because of organized religion. Because someone told them that their Bible says this.
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To me, it’s about abandoning dogma, abandoning doctrine, abandoning knowledge. The Kingdom of God is truly within. The only way to truly find it is to surrender all these things and become like a child. We have let our concepts of “self” die in order to truly be born again. How can anyone be born again when they still cling to their old self?
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The solution to sin is not to ignore it. You have to see your sin clearly. See your anger, see your fear and acknowledge them for what they are. Only when we see these things clearly can we give them to God. Jesus and Buddha had a similar message. “Hey Folks, wake up!” “The Kingdom of God is inside if you just try to experience it.
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I was reading Velvet Elvis at Border’s today. I’m curious what you think about that one.
I replied to RonLawHouston: In my opinion, Rob Bell hits some nails right on the head (who we are in Christ; his concern for poverty, ecology, etc; ) while he totally misses the mark on others. The one thing that I like about the Emergent church is the passion and love for Christ. I believe that it is important, as Bell points out, to look closely at the context of the first century world when interpreting Scripture (understanding the Jewishness of Christ and the apostles). I believe the Scriptures to be inspired by God. I believe in the virgin birth, I believe the trinity, and Rob Bell affirms that he does also, however, he makes it sound like they are unimportant at times, I would disagree with this. I believe that these understandings are vitally important, not from a judgmental standpoint but from a standpoint of who Jesus/God is. I do not for a minute believe that I can fully understand God or put Him in a box of understanding…. however, it is perfectly clear to me that there are things that God does want us to understand. Similar to the book by Brian McLaren, “The Secret Message of Jesus”, “The Velvet Elvis” has many good things to say and the author’s passion’s are evident, however, they seem to “dance around” allot with an almost “anything goes” attitude at times (while reaffirming that their feet are set firmly in place). I believe that both these books add greatly to the discussion, however, in my mind, the discussion does not end there.
RonLawHouston commented: Hehe – seeing how intelligence and learning only divides and separates once again!
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All I know is that Rob Bell must be doing a lot of things right.
I replied to RonLawHouston: It’s odd to me that you seem to saw my comment as “dividing and separating”. You ask questions, I answer, and you consider that dividing and separating? My question becomes, when you disagree with something I write on my blog (which I certainly have never tried to stop you from doing, in fact, I believe that I have encouraged you to state your belief and encourage all who enter into the discussion to do), who is dividing and separating, you or me? Remember that your comments do not come from a void of knowledge or intelligence. You got it from somewhere. I do not consider disagreeing “dividing and separating”. I do agree that Rob Bell must be doing something right. You should read the rest of the book
RonLawHouston commented: Let me see if I can even explain it….
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When you think that someone “misses” the mark, it means that you believe that you possess truth. Now while I may not like the concepts of “original sin” or “blood sacrifice,” I can never say they are not true. They are means that people use to come to understand the divine. You see “original sin” and you understand it on an experiential level. It makes you move closer to the holy spirit inside. Is it true? Only God would know that. Is it true for you? Absolutely. It is the raft the moves you closer to the divine. However the concept of original sin can harm people. It divides. It separates. It moves them further from the divine and allows them to condemn their fellow man. Those unsaved people filled with original sin will surely go to hell! Do you see what I’m saying? It is a learned construct that can be used in destructive manners.
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So when you say that Rob Bell misses the mark, you are saying that he is wrong and you are right. My comment was to show you that even if he misses the mark (which I wouldn’t say he does), he is “doing” things right. (BTW – you don’t miss the mark – you do understand the message – you just think there is only one message that is right – although I’ve seen you struggle with this.)
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I have many beliefs. Are my beliefs true? Honestly, maybe none of them are. However, my spiritual struggle is to give up my attachment to believing that I possess some truth. To me the only truth is God and my mind is incapable of grasping God’s truth. I’m not right and you’re not wrong. I dialog with you so that I can show you a very different view of the world. A view that embraces Christ but also honors every other belief. (Yes evan Wiccans and earth religions.)
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I believe everyone is born with the holy spirit. This is no different from Buddha nature. It is God within. It is the internal kingdom that Jesus talks about. Buddhism says abandon the concept of the self. Christianity says die a spiritual death so that you can be born again. This is the same concept expressed in different ways. If “born again” rather than Buddha nature moves you closer to God, embrace it. Neither to me is really more true. In many ways they are the same.
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Did any of those ramblings make any sense?