Greetings Dear Reader,
When we consider the things that Jesus did say, we are often
required to filter out the things that have been said about what he said. I think that we have been adding to the
things that God says since he began speaking to us.
We can find the first example of this in Genesis. The Father instructs Adam and Eve to tend the
garden; to care for it. They are allowed
to eat from any tree except the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. When Eve is speaking with the serpent, she
says they are not to eat the fruit, or even touch the tree. Either she or Adam added a hedge to the
Father’s instruction. One cannot tend a
tree that one does not touch.
I can picture this. I
can see the reasoning. If we do not touch
it, we will not eat the fruit. The
Pharisees built two hedges around the Law.
The rules they established prevented people from reaching the place
where the Law could be violated. The
Talmud served to keep the people safe but it also put them in bondage.
Jesus wishes for us to follow in freedom. He does not want us to set up rules to keep
us from following with our hearts. We do
set them up. Worse, we impose them on
others. We tell people how they must
dress, what they can eat and drink, and even how they are allowed to pray and
worship. None of this reflects the
freedom that we have in Christ.
Here is a simple modern example. There are those who will say it is wrong to
drink any alcohol whatsoever. They will
even bend and twist Bible verses to prove the point. Mike Winger, a pastor in
California has an excellent online study about this. The truth is that the Father gives permission
to use strong drink as a form of celebration.
I agree that if drinking in front of someone will cause them difficulty,
we must be cautious out of love.
Creating rules and a prohibition around alcohol, however, is to deny the
freedom we have in Christ to make choices based on our love.
When we build a hedge around the truth, we fail to educate
others of the proper way to follow Jesus.
The rules become more important than loving the Father and following the
Son. The fact is that Jesus turned water
into good wine. My Grandfather used to
say that Christians have been trying to turn it back into water for two
thousand years. You see, Dear Reader, we
cannot follow in faith if we make up laws that limit our freedom in
Christ. We have to follow in faith,
believing that if we act out of love and grace toward everyone, we do not have
to say things that Jesus did not say.
We do not have to build hedges around the Gospel in order to protect
others. We can educate and exemplify. We can live in love toward others. That is where we find the way to love others without
trying to control their lives or limit their freedom. The Holy Spirit will teach them what they
need to know. He will teach us too if we
let him.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every
writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a
homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Every human story is part of the great story that leads
to the Father getting everything back to Good.
Contacts for Aramis
Thorn:
#aramisthorn
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