Creation vs. Evolution

[redacted]

Any "God" who would demand this demonstration of faith isn't mentally solid in my book and I wouldn't worship Him. It's Jim Jones like.

Sounds like the same god that would have someone wrap themselves in explosives and walk into a crowded market. It strikes me as something man might conceive, not a god.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Jesus said that there was one commandment:

love God above all else and love your neighbor as yourself

my position is that to love God means to love your neighbor. everything else is empty ritual and lip service.

Where does Jesus say that there is one commandment?

 

[H2Andy]

Luke 10:25-28

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?"

And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."

And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live."

(this also proves that at least ONE lawyer went to heaven)

 

[MikeFerrara]

It's a nice story but I don't see anything good in it. If God asked you to do the same, would you do it? I can't even think about it. Seeing the terror in my son's eyes....no fricken way.
Any "God" who would demand this demonstration of faith isn't mentally solid in my book and I wouldn't worship Him. It's Jim Jones like.

Hank, the good in it is that God Himself provides the payment and the means that we are unable to provide.

Any "terror" is something that you are reading into it. Abraham already knew that he could absolutely trust God. The very fact that Isaac was born was proof of that. Abraham had already made the mistake of not trusting God (Hagar and Ishmael) and seems to have learned from it.

 

[redacted]

(this also proves that at least ONE lawyer went to heaven)

Perhaps something was lost in the translation.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Luke 10:25-28

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?"

And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."

And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live."

(this also proves that at least ONE lawyer went to heaven)

Jesus described these as the greates commandments. It says love god and your neighbor. It does not say that Loveing God = Loving your neighbor. Why leave out everything else that he said (see my last few posts)? By reducing it to love your neighbor you leave out the parts about loving God...confessing Christ before men, believing in the name of the Son of God and being reborn in the spirit.

 

[H2Andy]

i'm just saying what Jesus said

he said "do this and you shall live." to me, that means "this is it. this is what you have to do and nothing else." if that is not what it means, then he lied to the lawyer.

and "this" comes down to loving God above all else and loving your neighbor as yourself, as the lawyer had just stated

like i said, i'm just going by what Jesus said. seems pretty plain and straightforward to me

so i ask myself, how do i love God? not by going to church, not by saying i love God, but by actual action.

and what is that action? loving my neighbor as myself.

if i do that, I am doing God's work and thus am loving God above all else

 

[MikeFerrara]

Sounds like the same god that would have someone wrap themselves in explosives and walk into a crowded market. It strikes me as something man might conceive, not a god.

I guess that Hank does make it sound that way. The Bible is the account of man's ongoing arrogance, pride, the blatant rebellion that results and God's limitless grace in having a plan to save at least some of us despite our best efforts to short circuit the whole deal.

 

[MikeFerrara]

i'm just saying what Jesus said

he said "do this and you shall live." to me, that means "this is it. this is what you have to do and nothing else." if that is not what it means, then he lied to the lawyer.

and "this" comes down to loving God above all else and loving your neighbor as yourself, as the lawyer had just stated

like i said, i'm just going by what Jesus said. seems pretty plain and straightforward to me

so i ask myself, how do i love God? not by going to church, not by saying i love God, but by actual action.

and what is that action? loving my neighbor as myself.

if i do that, I am doing God's work and thus am loving God above all else

There's nothing straightforward about takaing a couple of verses alone. Wouldn't you agree that "loving God" and "Loving your neighbor" could be expanded on just a bit?

To get that expansion we look at the rest of what Jesus said as well as the rest of the Bible.

 

[H2Andy]

but the lawyer didn't have the benefit of that (no New Testament at the time).

he just had the Jewish scriptures and what Jesus said.

he was told to do these two things and he'd have everlasting life

right?

either Jesus meant it, or he was lying to the lawyer