I fail to see how my staunch belief in the inerrancy and the living nature of the word of God could be termed, "legalistic."
Who, for instance, was named as a replacement for Judas has only historical meaning and does not advance the Gospel. If you think it does, I'd be interested in why your think it does.
First of all, it sounds as if you believe "advancing the Gospel" is the believer's sole purpose in life. It's not. Regardless, the mere suggestion that one could have any sort of a litmus test to determine that a passage of Scripture is "superfluous" is absolutely disgusting.
Secondly, your personal pronouncement that anything found in God's word "does not advance the Gospel"much worse, that it has "only historical meaning"is terribly presumptuous. In doing so, you deny the divine authorship of the Bible, making it out to be nothing more than another simple, shallow, dead book written by just another bunch of simple human authors. If God the Holy Spirit wishes to use the account of choosing Matthias to advance His gospel, He can and will do it.
God gave us all a brain. I would assume He thinks we ought to use it.
Yes, but not to the extent of denying God His rightful place. The Bible contains a number of examples of people using their brains to do just that.
But, again, given how you previously denied the inerrancy of the Bible, there's really no point in my discussing its finer points with you. It seems we might as well be talking about the usefulness of the Koran.
I cal it legalistic when there is the demand to follow details unnecessary to spread the Gospel and it principles to humankind.
Regardless, the mere suggestion that one could have any sort of a litmus test to determine that a passage of Scripture is "superfluous" is absolutely disgusting.
Then what value is the passages that tell of who would succeed Judas have to teaching mankind the principles of thought, belief and behavior necessary to seek and find the kingdom of God and its salvation?
If God the Holy Spirit wishes to use the account of choosing Matthias to advance His gospel, He can and will do it.
OK, then how does it? Don't put all this on God. There is and has always been human agency.
Yes, but not to the extent of denying God His rightful place.
Who is denying God His rightful place? His kingdom is within as Jesus said. The Gospels contains, not consists of the way to seek and find that kingdom. The New Testament contains stories of man's efforts to spread the Gospel, and the principles of the Gospel, and the results in the lives of those people as they seek the kingdom and teach others.
The teachings related to the seeking and finding of God and his law are divinely inspired, not every "if", "and" and "the" used to tell the story of that of that seeking.