follower of Christ said:
Drew said:
Well,since you seem to be an expert in the scriptures can you identify one teaching that Jesus made that was not specifically addressing the situation of some person or set of persons from 2000 years ago?
Please accept the consequences of your line of reasoning - using your thinking we can claim that nothing Jesus said about "how to live" is relevant to us, since each such teaching was clearly directed at a specific set of persons, distinct from us?
JESUS COMMANDED this, Drew....no exceptions provided
(Mat 5:42 KJV) Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
(Luk 6:30 KJV) Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
Im ASKING you for $5000, Drew.
You can pay me thru my Paypal account right now.
Lets see if you OBEY Jesus' CLEAR commands....or if you CONTEXT your way out of it because Jesus somehow doesnt mean YOU here and NOW ;)
I have already addressed this question, but I will address it again.
It is true that Jesus' statement about "giving to whoever asks you" should not be taken as a universal edict, without qualification. So, of course, the last thing that would be sensible for me to do is to give you $5000, which would, in all likelihood, be used to promote your manifestly incorrect views about the nature of the Kingdom of God, or to buy ammunition.
Now, I suggest that that this issue is resolved by this teaching:
Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[c] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments
Jesus is teaching us about that which is fundamental, essential, non-negotiable. Notice how Jesus does not add a third element here – such as the statement that we need to give to whoever asks. If he did, then perhaps I would be obliged to give you the $5000. In any event, when Jesus identifies “love of neighbour†as foundational to “the lawâ€, He effectively elevates “love of neighbour†to exceptionless status. As is the case with the command to love God.
Regardless of all else, we are being commanded to love God and love neighbour. The fact that these are set apart as the
underpinning of what otherwise is a system of law with some exceptions – as Jesus indeed shows with his illustration about how David and his followers were “guiltless†when broke the letter of the law about the showbread – shows that these are non-negotiable fundamental principles. The law may have exceptions, but these principles do not.
So when you can make a case about how
killing your neighbour is an act of
love, perhaps we can advance the discussion.