supdave98 on Nostr: “Morally repugnant” shows that you have a sense of right and wrong, you know some ...
“Morally repugnant” shows that you have a sense of right and wrong, you know some things are unjust. This is good. You know harming the innocent is wrong. We may disagree on what some of those things are, but you know there is a right and wrong. And frankly, the way you talk about being a good father is something I greatly respect. I try to be, as well.
The Christian response is that God defines what is good. He is that definition. Our morality is subjective, existing within the system. He is objective, existing outside the system He creates. He has power of life and death, not us. He is the offended party, not us.
No, the point of the law is not to just to highlight failure, but it is a mirror to show you what you are really like inside. We are not just broken, we’re selfish and even murderous if pushed. Regarding His children, as the story goes… in the beginning He gave us one rule, and we broke it. He gives us another chance to just live together with a few rules and we end up filling the Earth with violence (Gen 3-8). He creates human government and more rules to stem that violence (Gen 9) and we still kill each other. Maybe we just need an exact system to show us what God requires, hence the 10 Commandments and the Mosaic Law. Add in 600 laws and a detailed case law system with penalties, and still we failed. It’s not the laws, it’s not the amount of laws. Romans 7 tells us the law is good, it’s not the fault of the law. It’s us. We are the problem. Throughout the history in the OT, we get highlighted portraits of those who got that lesson. People who were changed from the inside out. Abraham is one, even with all his problems, his faith was credited to him as being righteous. The New Testament builds on that foundational truth, in Romans 3 through 5, that faith is the only way, and it is then reflected in your actions, chapters 6 through 8.
That is what the coming of Christ shows us, he could do all of that. He lives out that life in us and through us, all the credit goes to Him. He is the standard, and it really does matter what you are like internally…not just on the surface. Who you are inside comes out in your actions. That’s what He meant when He said you will know a tree by its fruits. That’s why his harshest words were for the hypocrite teaches who were like whitewashed tombs, looked good on the outside, but inside had dead men’s bones.
I hope I’ve been clear, but I’m not the standard of righteousness. I am not what God requires. I’m not even close. Christ is. And if your experience with Christians has been one of prideful hypocrisy, or the creation of endless sets of rules to change what only God can change, shame on them.
They have forgotten what they are: Rebellious enemies of God who had unfathomable mercy extended to them. They have been forgiven much, they should live with more grace towards others.
The Christian response is that God defines what is good. He is that definition. Our morality is subjective, existing within the system. He is objective, existing outside the system He creates. He has power of life and death, not us. He is the offended party, not us.
No, the point of the law is not to just to highlight failure, but it is a mirror to show you what you are really like inside. We are not just broken, we’re selfish and even murderous if pushed. Regarding His children, as the story goes… in the beginning He gave us one rule, and we broke it. He gives us another chance to just live together with a few rules and we end up filling the Earth with violence (Gen 3-8). He creates human government and more rules to stem that violence (Gen 9) and we still kill each other. Maybe we just need an exact system to show us what God requires, hence the 10 Commandments and the Mosaic Law. Add in 600 laws and a detailed case law system with penalties, and still we failed. It’s not the laws, it’s not the amount of laws. Romans 7 tells us the law is good, it’s not the fault of the law. It’s us. We are the problem. Throughout the history in the OT, we get highlighted portraits of those who got that lesson. People who were changed from the inside out. Abraham is one, even with all his problems, his faith was credited to him as being righteous. The New Testament builds on that foundational truth, in Romans 3 through 5, that faith is the only way, and it is then reflected in your actions, chapters 6 through 8.
That is what the coming of Christ shows us, he could do all of that. He lives out that life in us and through us, all the credit goes to Him. He is the standard, and it really does matter what you are like internally…not just on the surface. Who you are inside comes out in your actions. That’s what He meant when He said you will know a tree by its fruits. That’s why his harshest words were for the hypocrite teaches who were like whitewashed tombs, looked good on the outside, but inside had dead men’s bones.
I hope I’ve been clear, but I’m not the standard of righteousness. I am not what God requires. I’m not even close. Christ is. And if your experience with Christians has been one of prideful hypocrisy, or the creation of endless sets of rules to change what only God can change, shame on them.
They have forgotten what they are: Rebellious enemies of God who had unfathomable mercy extended to them. They have been forgiven much, they should live with more grace towards others.