Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997
From: Rowland Croucher <
To: Robert Dawson <s328920
Newsgroups: aus.religion.christian

Robert Dawson wrote:
Hi.

And hi to you Rob

I just want to send a couple of different ideas about a topic that is coming pretty close to home at the moment. I just

A minor point to start with: employing the word 'just' like this is an interesting modern - mostly Pentecostal - phenomenon. I would encourage my preaching friends to avoid it :-)

want to get your views on what legalism actually is. Do you think that it is legalistic to look at values ideas and themes taught in the letters of the new testament, or is this simply using Gods word as intended.

Legalism is saying 'Go and sin no more' without _beginning_ with 'I do not condemn you.' The first injunction relates to law; the second to love.

If using these passages to rebuke teach and learn is legalism, what are they there for?

The whole of the NT teaches us that love takes precedence over law. But that doesn't mean law is not important: law is to love what the railway tracks are to the train. It gives direction: but all the propulsive power is in the train (preach it!)

Should we just throw out the bible and trust the spirit?

They are not in conflict...

Why did God give us his perfect word (which is where I am coming from) if he doesn't want us to use it?

I'm not sure I get the meaning of this: but a theological note: 'God's Word' is more than black marks on paper in a book. Sometime, study the dynamic meaning of 'Word' 'Word of the Lord' etc. in a concordance...

For that matter if parts of the bible are useless and irrelevant to today what makes Christianity what it is?

Good question. You start with Jesus, God's perfect revelation, then interpret the rest in the light of Jesus' life and teachings...

I mean a big part of the faith that I can profess to have is that God gave us his word, and his son to show us how to live. What happens if this is not truly the case?

Love,
A hurting Christian,
Rob

Rob, if you're hurting, that can be good or bad: your hurt may be the 'birth-pangs' to a new understanding or a new dimension of faith...

--

Shalom! Rowland Croucher