The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Soft as an Oreo

Straw,

Applying your "emergent" philosophy to the Lord Christ's teaching, it would appear that He had it all wrong too and should have "mellowed out" a bit and cast off His "prescriptive" approach:

John 8:31-32 (ASV) "Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, If ye abide in my word, [then] are ye truly my disciples; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

John 8:39 (ASV) "They answered and said unto him, Our father is Abraham. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham."

John 17:6-8 (ASV) "I manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them to me; and they have kept thy word. Now they know that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are from thee: for the words which thou gavest me I have given unto them; and they received [them], and knew of a truth that I came forth from thee, and they believed that thou didst send me."

Revelation 3:8 (ASV) "I know thy works (behold, I have set before thee a door opened, which none can shut), that thou hast a little power, and didst keep my word, and didst not deny my name."

The disciple Luke wrote much of the history of the church and recorded:

Acts 2:42 (ASV) "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers."

Acts 15:35 (ASV) "But Paul and Barnabas tarried in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also."

Acts 18:11 (ASV) "And he dwelt [there] a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them."

Paul too was guilty of being a "Scriptualist" and heavily "prescriptive" with all he met and counseled, for example, he wrote:

2 Thessalonians 3:14 (ASV) "And if any man obeyeth not our word by this epistle, note that man, that ye have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed."

1 Timothy 4:16 (ASV) "Take heed to thyself, and to thy teaching. Continue in these things; for in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee."

2 Timothy 3:14-17 (ASV) "But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. And that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Every scripture inspired of God [is] also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work."

Titus 3:10-11 (KJV) "A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself."

The Apostle James likewise was a "prescriptionist" and wrote:

James 1:22-25 (ASV) "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves. For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But he that looketh into the perfect law, the [law] of liberty, and [so] continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing."

And although there are myriad other passages of God's inspired written Word which I could offer, I'll end with the words penned by the Apostle John when he was near the end of his earthly life:

1 John 2:3 (ASV) "And hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."

1 John 5:2-3 (ASV) "Hereby we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and do his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."

As is indisputably clear, the Scriptures contain myriad passages which teach that all men, but especially those who profess to be one with Christ to observe His commandments, the law, to continue in faithful obedience to the Law of God, to study the Scriptures and in so doing, repent of sin and live holy lives. In fact, to love God is to know His will as it is written and do conform one's life to it. Those who espouse and/or practice wrongly the truth and will of God are to be rebuked, disciplined and if necessary expelled from the assembly. As the Lord Christ taught His disciples,

John 14:15 (ASV) "If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments."

John 15:7-11 (ASV) "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and [so] shall ye be my disciples. Even as the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you: abide ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy may be in you, and [that] your joy may be made full."

In His grace,