Quote:
Originally Posted by Rhoni
Bro. Blume,
So many false religions are started by taking one scripture, or one portion of a scripture, and basing a whole philosophy/doctrine on it. That is why it is so important to study the word, in the correct context, and to rightly divide it.
Paul showed such awesome wisdom when repremanding the Jewish leaders/converts when they tried to make the Gentile converts follow the Jewish law they had been delivered from. To go back to the law with its regulations and traditions would render Christ's work on the cross to no avail.
I accept the grace of God in my life and I fight daily to keep myself free from those weights of judgmentalism, and works based traditions that kept me bound in shame and condemnation. No matter how hard I worked or how holy I looked - I never flet good enough. Now I just accept that I am not good enough - BUT HE is all I need. His grace covers my humanity.
Blessings, Rhoni
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I'm curious, specifically what laws, regulations and traditions do you mean here?
It's interesting to see the spiritual journey you have taken. How a life of rules, regulations, expectations, condemnation etc, pushed you away, only to
have God draw you back to start over with you. It's obvious that there are scars from where things were mishandled, mistaught, misunderstood and just plain done wrong. Its also awesome to see God take all of that and start working on the vessel again. Scars, hard spots, broken pieces and all.
He obviously saw some soft spots, some moldable clay, and a desire to just be close to him.
Over and over in your posts I see you stress a desire to just know God, and live up to the standards HE desires of you, not mans requirements.
I do believe that is genuine.
I also agree that is the right way, the biblical way, to approach holiness.
It is so easy for those who hold to the dress and adornment standards to misunderstand, and thereby completely get the wrong impression of a persons intent. Its easy for this type of person to fall into the trap of thinking that anyone who balks at "standards" of dress, adornment, entertainment etc, are simply trying to justify sin, or ignore biblical teachings, or seek a "lower commitment" etc.
But it is true, if someone is living "standards of holiness" because of the "law" or condemnation, or purely strict regulation, they are doing it for the wrong reason and their soul is in danger.
If standards are taught or required, but the focus is not on love, grace, desire to please God, and hunger for a likeness of Christ, then it can be very harmful indeed.
We must be careful to understand that God deals with each of us differently, at different paces and methods. We must be careful not to see someone who does not agree with strict "holiness standards" as backslidden, or compromisers, or just wanting to justify a lack of willingness to please God. While there certainly may be some of that, not all fit that bill.
It is also easy to fall into the trap of misunderstanding those who believe those same standards are important, or necessary.
It's easy to see them as simply, "living by the law", legalists, neocons, and discount their beliefs as mere traditions of men, or false doctrine.
Yes there are some, (maybe many) who fit that description, not all who follow those "Holiness standards" fit the bill.
We must understand that some churches/pastors/individuals teach and believe that our focus should be on loving God, drawing closer to him, seeking his favor and delighting in his grace. We must understand that some of those "standards people" couldn't care less about mans traditions, rules, regulations etc, and just feel personal callings that draw them to certain types of dress, lack of adornment, and not participating in some forms of entertainment. It as nothing to do with law or rules, or "works of men" its simply a personal belief that it pleases God.
Rhoni, please don't let yourself be trapped by past wounds, or allow those times when you experienced the overbearing, law like nature of churches going about things the wrong way make you close doors that God may want to have open for you.
Follow Gods will, not only forgetting mans traditions and laws, but also not allowing his wrongness prevent you from seeing things in a different light.
Just because wrong things were taught, and things were handled wrongly with the wrong intent or method, doesnt mean there may not be nuggets of truth buried in all the dirt somewhere. Let your mind be open to GOD's intervention on subjects that mans failures built walls around. There may be another light cast on some things.
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