by Jibreelk
I remember that on more than one occasion, while being engaged in some kind of debate, dialogue or just simple discussion with Christians, that the topic that they always seemed to bring up was that of being under the Grace of God and exempted from the law. They would begin quoting different passages from the New Testament, passages mostly attributed to Paul, passages that deal with salvation by grace and not work, abrogation of the Jewish law, and the opening of a new testament, that of salvation by grace.
God is love, God is good, God does not want to harm anyone. Jesus loves you, he died for you, why don't you accept him, would be amongst some of their most emotional discourses that they would make. Of course the Christians would echo in the background with Amens and cries of joy, but to no avail as the mind of a firm believer in God does not get swayed by irrational and emotional appeals. They would say Islam is evil, you waging war all the time, you are always to obey a law, you are always to be strict and there is no love and compassion. Islam is just laws, laws and more laws. Islam upholds laws that deal with stoning, killing, and other cruel treatments while Jesus brings only love, forgiveness and mercy. Turn the other cheek, is what Jesus teaches.
At this point most of the audience is either in tears (the Christians) or in doubts (the weak Muslims). Really? I say.
This is the point where I stand up and ask the audience to give me their ear for a second while at the same time to use their God given gift, which is the brain. Now this article does not deal with the position of wether Christians should still be under the law or not, that is something that can be debated, this article deals with a topic that can be divorced from scriptures, and that is common sense. The question that I have for such people is simple. Does not the trinity teach that Jesus is eternal, and was ever existent with the Father, and the Holy Spirit? Yes it does, or at least interpretations of the 1st Gospel of John tries to prove that theological point. Now the question is simple; if Jesus was eternal and existent as part of the trinity, did not Jesus the prince of Peace take part in the making of such laws which deal with very cruel punishments which leave no room for mercy for the perpetrator. Such punishments make the Shariah look small if one were to look at the magnitude and the strictness. It is not inappropriate here to give a few examples, as for those who want to know more, just read through Deuteronomy, Numbers, Judges, Exodus and you will get plenty.
- working on the Sabbath earns you death - Exodus 31;15
- magicians should be put to death - Exodus 22;18
- sacrificing for other than God so basically shirk earns you death - Exodus 22;19
- Moses is ordered to kill and take slaves - Numbers 31 - read the whole chapter it will give you a good idea of what I am talking about.
But Jesus the prince of peace was the one who gave these rules. He is the one who said to bash babies against stones, to kill every living being and animal and to save the virgins to be taken as slaves. Did he not? I mean let's put two and two together. Jesus is part of the trinity and eternal. The trinity existed when these laws and punishments were passed, therefore Jesus passed these harsh laws. The Christian will be fast to jump and say but we are not under the old testament anymore, we are under the new testament. That's fine and dandy but that does not change the argument, unless you are trying to say that Jesus past was not so merciful as Jesus present or that he somehow repented of the evil he did to the people (a concept not foreign to the Bible). No matter which way you want to take you cannot denny the obvious: 1. Christians as such have double standards, 2. Jesus as per Christian doctrine was the one who passed on the laws of killing and taking virgin slaves. 3. Christians change the laws and words of God to fit their own desires as disbelieving societies pressure them based on the ever changing norms of what is right or wrong.
One thing is for sure. A real believer submits to the laws of God and accepts them without trying to abrogate them, as he makes himself to be the lawmaker, indirectly claiming to be equal to God. A real believer is not worried about what people say but lives and dies to make sure the word of God is upheld. A real believer is the one who submits.
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3 comments:
With Love:
You have a very interesting post there. You must always remember who we are and in the light of what kind of God we stand. We are talking about a Perfect, Holy God who is above anything we could even conceive. Able to do whatever He pleases and who's ways are above ours. Therefore, we can see that transgressions against Him can receive whatever punishment He decrees and That decreed by Him was death to sin. We can also see that when God says Exodus 33:19: I will have mercy on whom I have mercy. It also puts the mercy to us transgressors (and I mean ALL of us that commit even one sin)in his hands. He decides who, when and how to apply His mercy through His justice in Jesus Christ. God promised a new covenant. Jeremiah 31:30-34. Read for yourself please.
This covenant He said was not going to be like the old one where everyone died for their own sin in verse 30 but we would have the opportunity to know Him personally like a husband and he would forgive our sins and remember them no more. This is interesting since God is explicitly saying here that He will make a covenant of grace with people so they can know Him. Does that sound familiar to you? I know it does. This is Old Testament btw. Did this happen? Yes it did. God gave the people of Israel laws that were for the people of Israel. It never said it was for the Gentiles. Now this is what He said about the gentiles when talking about the Messiah which are you and me (if you are not a Jew): "I, YHWH, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles. Isaiah 42:6. Again that word (Covenant) and this time speaking about a person who will be the covenant. Connecting dots? I hope so. This is still OT. We all deserve things that are much more severe than just stoning we all deserve eternal punishment in hell and this is exactly what God was showing by declaring through the people of Israel that "the person who sins shall die" to declare His Holiness in comparison to our sinfulness and the right fruits that should be reaped from that transgression against God: death. This is his will. He is holy and we are not. There is no willful abrogation to soothe our minds like you said. Right and wrong is defined by God to the person who has been regenerated by His Spirit. The New covenant was made to declare the Glory of God THROUGH which he exerts BOTH justice and Mercy through Jesus Christ to Jews and gentiles alike which DEFINITELY declares what kind of God He is.God can be both merciful and just through the Cross of Christ since He gives mercy on the base pf payment and He is able to give every law that He wants to. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares YHWH. Isaiah 55:8. So let's use our God-given gift of Our brain like you correctly stated to understand one thing: The Creator's point of view is not Ours and let us accept that we are nothing but His creation and He chooses to do as He pleases. Let us not exalt Ourselves above God and let us submit to His will revealed in Christ. No one can hate sin so fervently but love the sinner so much as it is expressed in His person. Ah, the wonderful and beautiful mystery of Christ. Sadly we cannot know God through our brains or common sense for: For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach[b] to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.1 Corinthians 1:18-23 Is the cross foolishness to you? With lots of love and peace! May you Be Blessed by God with his peace and Mercy. A big hug!
Romans were not mentioned in Isaiah 42 thus they cannot be relate to preaching to gentiles.
The meaning of the verse Isaiah 42:10-12 clearly say it will be the inhabitants of Arabia that will travel to far end of earth to proclaim His praise. Not Romans that spread Pauline-Christianity as can be seen today. And indeed inhabitants of Arabia have been travelling to spread New Song since 7th century till today spreading the message that is Islam. Muslims proclaim His praise everyday.
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