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Author | Topic: Parables 101 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ringo Member (Idle past 442 days) Posts: 20940 From: frozen wasteland Joined: |
iano writes: he didn't asked the obvious question "How on earth is one to follow such an impossible law?" That's not an "obvious question" at all. It's dead wrong. The Samaritan did follow the law. He did love his neighbour as himself, thus demonstrating his love for God. The whole point of the parable is that it is possible to follow the law , by simple actions, and that everybody is your neighbour. Help scientific research in your spare time. No cost. No obligation. Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC
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ringo Member (Idle past 442 days) Posts: 20940 From: frozen wasteland Joined: |
iano writes: Tomorrow on your way into work. Keep your eyes peeled. And the next and the next... Cos as sure as night follows day, if you were in their shoes you would want it done unto you. Exactly. That is what Jesus told us to do - and if you don't do it, you're a goat. Help scientific research in your spare time. No cost. No obligation. Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC
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ringo Member (Idle past 442 days) Posts: 20940 From: frozen wasteland Joined: |
iano writes: So are you a goat? God will decide.
... some evidence of it. God has the evidence. Did you read the parable at all?
quote: Jesus was not setting an impossible task. He said very plainly that that is what we have to do to inherit eternal life. And that is all we have to do. Help scientific research in your spare time. No cost. No obligation. Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC
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ringo Member (Idle past 442 days) Posts: 20940 From: frozen wasteland Joined: |
iano writes: The parable doesn't tell us the whole Samaritans life, it doesn't tell us whether he was a sheep or a goat. It tell us he was a good neighbour. That's what Jesus requires of us. God alone decides who is a sheep and who is a goat. There is no "secret formula" that you can use - one missed chance and you're a goat. As Jesus said, some of the sheep will be surprized and some of the goats will be surprized. Jesus said "love thy neighbour as thyself. You are not required to be perfect in your treatment of yourself. Neither are you required to be perfect in your treatment of your neighbour. Help scientific research in your spare time. No cost. No obligation. Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC
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ringo Member (Idle past 442 days) Posts: 20940 From: frozen wasteland Joined: |
You're straying from the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Instead of trying to judge my standard of perfection, why don't you address the actual topic? According to Jesus, the Samaritan did treat the robbery victim as he would want to be treated himself. That is not an impossible standard. It is the standard Jesus holds us to. Address what the Samaritan did do, not what more he might have done. Help scientific research in your spare time. No cost. No obligation. Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC
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ringo Member (Idle past 442 days) Posts: 20940 From: frozen wasteland Joined: |
iano writes: I took it that obeying the law was the point. Loving thy neighbour was the point. The Samaritan did do the right thing, so Jesus certainly was implying that it is possible to do the right thing. Don't project your own shortcomings onto everybody else. Help scientific research in your spare time. No cost. No obligation. Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC
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ringo Member (Idle past 442 days) Posts: 20940 From: frozen wasteland Joined: |
iano writes: Jesus didn't say anything about possibility. Sure He did. How many other parables did He tell in which impossible actions occured? None? His parables were everyday events told in such a way as to parallel our relationship with God.
Whether it is possible or not for anyone is for them to decide. Nonsense. It's for God to decide.
Then he said go and do likewise. "This is the meaning of the law - now do it" Another indication that Jesus believed it was possible to obey the law. He didn't even say "Do your best." He flat-out said, "Do it." He knew it could be done. Why don't you believe Him? Help scientific research in your spare time. No cost. No obligation. Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC
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ringo Member (Idle past 442 days) Posts: 20940 From: frozen wasteland Joined: |
iano writes: A man was told what he must do if he wants to inherit the kingdom according to what the law says. The law doesn't state anything about the possibility of it being kept. So now you're claiming that it's impossible to inherit the kingdom? Don't be ridiculous. Jesus said what must be done. He was obviously talking about something that is possible.
God issues commands. He can issue possible ones or impossible ones. He is under no obligation to make laws we can keep God is not an idiot. Help scientific research in your spare time. No cost. No obligation. Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC
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ringo Member (Idle past 442 days) Posts: 20940 From: frozen wasteland Joined: |
iano writes: The nature of Law is that it is to be obeyed - not questioned as to whether is is possible, fair, a good idea or idiotic. Even human laws must be "obeyable", or they are worthless. Why do you have a lower opinion of God's laws? A parable, by its very nature, describes events that supposedly did happen - therefore, the events could happen. Jesus specifically chose an unlikely event - helping one's worst enemy - to underline the fact that God's law is obeyable. A parable, by its very nature, also parallels our lives and our relationships with God. By using a parable to make His point, Jesus was demonstrating that we can obey the law. The plain text does plainly refer to the possibility of obeying the law and no amount of hand-waving on your part will make that go away. The plain test does not refer to 100% compliance with the law and no amount of hand-waving on your part will add to the text what is not there. Help scientific research in your spare time. No cost. No obligation. Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC
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ringo Member (Idle past 442 days) Posts: 20940 From: frozen wasteland Joined: |
Phat writes: I believe that acknowledgement of the authority of the teacher (Jesus) and the realization that we do not usually do likewise are indicative of our need for a savior. I believe that "acknowledgement of the authority of the teacher" and "our need for a savior" are secondary to the message that Jesus brought. He would not have had to use parables at all if His mission here was only to die. Dying is easy. Accomplishing something during One's life is considerably harder. For our part, learning something from His teachings is considerably harder than professing a "belief" in Him. Help scientific research in your spare time. No cost. No obligation. Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC
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ringo Member (Idle past 442 days) Posts: 20940 From: frozen wasteland Joined: |
Phat writes: I view God as my rescuer and reedemer and not a good teacher who expects me to do it all. In the parable, the Samaritan didn't "do it all". He only did one little thing. It cost him a little time and money, but it was nothing that any other passer-by could not have done. Instead of thinking of God as your "rescuer", think of all the times that you have been rescued by ordinary human "Samaritans". Then go out and be the Samaritan. Help scientific research in your spare time. No cost. No obligation. Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC
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ringo Member (Idle past 442 days) Posts: 20940 From: frozen wasteland Joined: |
I look at parables as lessons that draw parallels between our relationship with God and our relationships with people.
Here, we are God's servants. He tells us that He is not happy with our performance and - in His best imitation of Donald Trump - He says, "You're fired!" In order to cut our losses, we buddy up to the other people who owe Him. Without our employer/employee relationship with God, at least we'll have good old human relationships to fall back on. But strangely enough, He tells us that we've done wisely. Cultivating human relationships - doing unto others - is what God wants us to do. I have always said that God's laws are for our benefit, not His. If we love our neighbours as ourselves, we are loving God. It is better to pray in your own closet than to bray "Lord! Lord!" in public. It is better to give what little you have than to brag about the bags and bags of gold you give - i.e. how valuable you are to God. The parable simply confirms that by making friends with our fellow man, we are doing the work of God. Help scientific research in your spare time. No cost. No obligation. Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC
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ringo Member (Idle past 442 days) Posts: 20940 From: frozen wasteland Joined: |
jaywill writes: Why then did Jesus pray in public on a number of occasions? I said, "It is better to pray in your own closet...." - I didn't say it is always wrong to pray in public. Jesus, being the Son of God, knew when the occasion was appropriate.
How do we know that your objection of saying "Lord, Lord" in public is not just your reluctance to confess before men that Jesus Christ is your Lord? You don't know, and you don't need to know. This is not the "Judging Ringo" forum. So, what does any of that have to do with the parable? Help scientific research in your spare time. No cost. No obligation. Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC
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ringo Member (Idle past 442 days) Posts: 20940 From: frozen wasteland Joined: |
jaywill writes: That was your way of rediculing those who call "Lord, Lord, Lord Jesus". No, that was my way of quoting Jesus:
quote: So, what does any of that have to do with the parable? Help scientific research in your spare time. No cost. No obligation. Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC
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ringo Member (Idle past 442 days) Posts: 20940 From: frozen wasteland Joined: |
jaywill writes: For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. On the contrary:
quote: Now, the TOPIC here is the parable of "The Shrewd Manager". Removing all extraneous details and speculations from the story, we have:
Let's continue beyond Phat's reference:
quote: If we don't treat each other right, how can we treat God right?
quote: Why would God reward us if we don't reward each other?
quote: Help scientific research in your spare time. No cost. No obligation. Join the World Community Grid with Team EvC
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