Posted on 11/02/2005 8:41:18 AM PST by kingattax
Also, the attempt to divide the law into neat distinguishable categories of "civil ceremonial, and moral" wind up a hopeless mess if you truly try to parse the law in this manner.
Finally, the OT law never proscribed any intoxicating substances, be they alcoholic beverages or drugs. The closest you can come to that is the proscription for witches "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" and then jumping to the description of sorcerers in Revelation as "pharmakeia," pointing to the drug use of shamans to enter an altered state of conciousness and then communicate with the spirit world. That is a big jump to demanding that one outlaw marijuana or alcohol on the basis of OT law.
Would you outlaw building a church on a mountaintop? If you want to institute OT law as normative today you would. The "high places" were associated with Ba'al worship and were forbidden as a spot for a place of worship in OT. Do you demand that a parapet be built around the roof of ever habitation? That is OT civil code. How about mandating a yearly trip to Jerusalem? Again, OT law. I don't think you want to go there.
Jesus said "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished". So which is right? That what He has said does not apply to us because of cross culturalism and time differences, or does His word stand for all time and all cultures and for Eternity?
Indeed, I tell you, that the Lord shall judge the nations according to His law. Before the great white throne he will apply the Law to each man individually. To all without the atonement of Christ, it doesn't matter how few laws were broken, it will be tragically devastating.
For those in Christ, those hours in dissipation and frittered away in sin, will mean vast treasures lost. For even two minutes meditating on scripture give vast benefits beyond our comprehension. What will we have lost due to sin? It is incalculable!
As to what would happen in a society who took seriously God's word about Dissipation and dealt with Adultery according to what God has said? Would the divorce rate be less than one percent? Would the thought of drunk daddy's and stoned mommies abusing their children be unheard of in America? Children without Daddies, single mommies being easy prey - No more! Oh, how I pray it would be so.
I know you would argue your rights, but if you could only see the devastation on the children already. If you could only see the wretchedness sin has wrought on mankind. For if you could see it all, and the millions who have died for the sake of false pleasures and what pitiful things these are in comparison with true riches; you would shout from the housetops - Over here, Over here - Look! Denver has made it's decision. Many more will be ensnared and miss the joy of God's love and presence in their hearts. More will become progressively degenerated on the downward spiral.
To which God in Christ says "Come Away my Beloved", "Come and Follow Me"
to which I respond that God issues those invitations to INDIVIDUALS, not to POLITICAL ENTITIES. You falsely state that my objections are based on my "rights" to do this or that. This is called "bearing false witness" as I never claimed this was due to my "rights." Indeed, I don't even want to smoke pot, much less argue about it being a "right" (of which I have none before God). The objection I have is that you infer that a society free of divorce would occur if we just listened to the law of God in our culture. This is simply a false statement, as the law of God permitted divorce, even as we know that God hates it. So, with the one theocracy justified in scripture, God did not require demand legal adherence to His revealed will. Let me state that again for you. So, with the one theocracy justified in scripture, God did not require demand legal adherence to His revealed will. That should tell you that MEN SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO USE THE LAW TO PROMOTE GOOD BEHAVIOR, BUT RATHER TO RESTRAIN EVIL BEHAVIOR. All the flowery pious talk about the wonders of God's goodness (and it is wonderful!)and how blessed we would all be if we just submitted (and we would if we did) is NOT the same as arguing that a society would be better off if it just enacted a civil code that contained all of the known will of God. The only thing a claim like that shows is that you really don't understand the nature of sinful man when confronted with the law. Law cannot save, nor can it motivate to goodness. It can (if accompanied by force) restrain evil to some extent, and it can show the true nature of rebellious hearts, but it is powerless to change men or societies.
It was never meant to do that.
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