Thursday, July 28, 2005
Justice And The Law
Eternal Perspectives had what I consider to be a remarkable post yesterday. He takes on the age old question of the place of the Law in New Testament life. If you have studied much, nothing he says is revelatory, but how he says it may be the clearest and most concise I have read in a very long time. This post is mandatory reading for anyone that acts like God's grace is license to "kill."
I want to focus on one specific paragraph from that post. Something that Mike almost throws away.
I agree with Mike that the Bible makes this point obvious, but I am not sure many people today would agree. That paragraph deserves a strong Biblical justification. Would that my trip prep permitted me the opportunity to do it, but alas. Therefore, I want to throw that out there as a challenge to the blogosphere.
Needless to say, the ramifications of the statement are manifold. For starters what does that statement say about your church's ministry and mission priorities and goals? Or those of your personal life? How do we keep social reform in the proper perspective in our mission and ministry?
Then we need to stack that statement up against the recent writings of Ron Sider and Jim Wallis, and their ilk.
I would love to see this be a major discussion, because I think it is very important. Due to my travels(which begin this weekend), my blog reading will be highly curtailed, if you choose to tackle any of this -- please send me an email When I get back, I'll try and post links to all of it.
I want to focus on one specific paragraph from that post. Something that Mike almost throws away.
It is obvious throughout the Bible that God's ultimate priorities are not always what we would have them to be. Whereas we might question the justice of such a practice, God is not chiefly concerned with social reform. This is not to suggest that social justice and equality are not priorities, only that they do not appear to be His highest priorities.First of all, and just to take a poke at Mike -- for a man that claims to be an Arminian, that is one of the most Calvinist statements I have ever read.
I agree with Mike that the Bible makes this point obvious, but I am not sure many people today would agree. That paragraph deserves a strong Biblical justification. Would that my trip prep permitted me the opportunity to do it, but alas. Therefore, I want to throw that out there as a challenge to the blogosphere.
Needless to say, the ramifications of the statement are manifold. For starters what does that statement say about your church's ministry and mission priorities and goals? Or those of your personal life? How do we keep social reform in the proper perspective in our mission and ministry?
Then we need to stack that statement up against the recent writings of Ron Sider and Jim Wallis, and their ilk.
I would love to see this be a major discussion, because I think it is very important. Due to my travels(which begin this weekend), my blog reading will be highly curtailed, if you choose to tackle any of this -- please send me an email When I get back, I'll try and post links to all of it.
