To: Steve_Seattle
Luke 22:36-38
Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end. And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.
A true child of Christ does not center his life on violence (two swords are enough) but is willing to use deadly force as needed in God's work (go and buy a sword). There are times and places in this world when Christians need to "sell their garments".
The Bible is much more than a single script for living our lives. It is a tapestry woven from the several Godly options we may face (as in Ecclesiastes 3: To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven). It is not always the time to reach for a sword, but there are times when that is the right answer. The trick is correctly identifying those times, and that is what prayer is for.
22 posted on
07/19/2014 5:51:41 PM PDT by
Pollster1
("Shall not be infringed" is unambiguous.)
To: Pollster1
25 posted on
07/19/2014 6:19:34 PM PDT by
WXRGina
(The Founding Fathers would be shooting by now.)
To: Pollster1
"The Bible is much more than a single script for living our lives. It is a tapestry woven from the several Godly options we may face (as in Ecclesiastes 3: To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven). It is not always the time to reach for a sword, but there are times when that is the right answer. The trick is correctly identifying those times, and that is what prayer is for."
I'll agree to that, and that is what I was suggesting in my original comment, i.e., that this is not the time for Christians to resort to violence to protect their right of conscience.
And your comment touches on something I was thinking about earlier today in another context, i.e., the variety of the Gospels, and their inconsistencies. It occurred to me that those inconsistencies were clearly apparent to those who composed the New Testament, and that they were left there ON PURPOSE, not because of carelessness or stupidity. Why? To try to prevent followers of Jesus from being obsessed by specific facts about His life, and to focus instead on the "big picture." But, of course, much of modern biblical scholarship does just that, endlessly disputing and dissecting specific facts or sayings while missing the big picture.
To: Pollster1; Steve_Seattle
Pollster, that is a beautiful post.
Steve, you know what? Ultimately, they are right. Prayerful, yes. But also more.
38 posted on
07/19/2014 8:08:40 PM PDT by
Finny
(Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. -- Psalm 119:105)
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