Asking Mart such tough/tricky questions will not help anyone, I don’t think. Mart did not write the bible. If I were in Charles’ shoes, I would turn to the Holy Spirit for help, or better still, just take it up with God Himself.

Bull offering!

I look at it as a new covenant and a new nation bearing the fruit Jesus spoke of which God longed for from his people. This is not a parenthetical age but a fulfillment age in Jesus the Messiah in whom all Jews and Gentiles are called to put their faith and obey; we in Jesus are the people of God, the new Israel, I believe. And as Hebrews says, the old covenant is gone as the new in Jesus has replaced it.

Of course there is continuity between the old and the new covenants as Jesus fulfills the old in himself. But in that fulfillment we now by the Spirit fulfill the requirements of the old covenant, which at its heart is loving God and others as you noted. And that does involve us obeying commands as given to us in the New Testament/new covenant (commands everywhere, not only principles to follow, like in Ephesians, Colossians, Romans, etc).

Just my take, Mart, and doesn’t directly address the issue as you so well do here. But I think it perhaps complements it, even though we are not in full agreement theologically, though probably closer than what some would think, practically speaking.

He came down in human form to tell us again to trust and look to Him He will supply all our needs. Do we do it, NO, not in our own strength. We have a creator who only asks us to look to Him and only Him and glorify Him and only Him. We tend to look at scriptures in light of who we are and not who HE is. His wisdom is not ours and when we try we mess things up. We fight and argue over things written in the Bible because it takes many years of study and looking at it as a whole book with the discernment of the Holy Spirit to guide us into HIS truth.

It is so easy to pick and choose scripture to fit whatever purpose WE have intended it to say. When there is strife over this wonderful revelation of God you can bet that it is not God’s will. His will is that we know what He has so graciously revealed to us about HIM and how He wants us to treat others. If we are so busy arguing over the Bible then we obviously are not keeping busy serving HIM and maybe want to take a look at who we are really serving and where our heart is.

1) “I just don’t answer”- because I choose to love the pervert and hate the perfect. Homosexual lifestyle can be likened to a lock trying to fit with a lock or a key fitting with a key. God has created us emotionally, anatomically, biochemically and genetically distinct as males and females to complement and perfectly function as ‘a key fitting with a lock’ to unlock the mysteries of God!
2) “I have tried to burn ‘a’ bull”- I would have to burn ‘bulls’ every year of my life (Heb 10:4)
3) “Contact with most women”- If you mean sexual, its obvious the woman is not your wife because you don’t have to “ask” or “tell” your own body… If its mere social contact at the workplace or church then you must be still living in that bygone Levitical era when feminine hygiene products were not available and today the implication of that impurity is not about the physical but the spiritual cleanliness for Christians (both men and women).
4) “Slaves”- Christians consider themselves as being enslaved to God because Christ came to serve and not to be served. In our secular jobs we gladly serve our earthly masters in our service to God and lovingly lead as ’servant-leaders’ in humility towards our heavenly Master.
5) “What is a fair price for her?”- Will have to ask my Dad about how much he had to spend on my education…. it cannot be estimated.
6) “Shellfish”- and other crustaceans are the natural filters (of oceans, rivers and lakes) whose bodies are created to accumulate toxic levels of heavy metals and other harmful substances. The ones being eaten and served today are farm-raised…so go enjoy a big yummy lobster or crab for dinner!

I think I need to stop here and let Charles work out his dilemma by seeking the wisdom of God whose Law and commandments are rigid, eternal, and unchangeable. Therefore, God( the only one without sin or defect) in the person of Jesus had to fulfill (not do away with) the law so that we don’t have to do these things anymore.

Wondering if Charles also frowns and despises the traffic rules too…just got hit the other day by a reckless guy driving at 110 on a 75 mph zone. (Note aside: Sometimes, I secretly wish for lightening to strike people when they break the road rules and hurt the innocent law abiding ones…however, I soon ask God to forgive my unloving “attitude”)

The Law was given to show mankind the standard of God’s Holiness vs. the unclean nature of mankind’s sin. It was given not to condemn but to preserve Life. In choosing to abide by it Christians are not being legalistic but living a discipled life of Christ. By meticulously pointing out the impossibility of keeping the “Law”, the writer must have gotten a sense of the ‘immeasurable love’ that led Jesus to bear the untold pain and suffering of the cross on our behalf.

How then can a Christian not believe in Jesus and the liberty He offers with love? How big must that mountain of unbelief be that prevents us to acknowledge our sins and accept the saving grace of Jesus Christ?! Praying for Charles and others like him…

I agree in your response…yet if we approach God in this age of grace with the works of the law…just as they failed in times past, we shall fail as well. The law pointed to the need of a savior which we have now through faith in the cross and Christ crusified. Cleaning the outside of the cup never works. God is concerned with our hearts. There are many religious folks out there still living a very frustrating life trying to earn right standing with God. Doing the right thing is always the right thing to do…but to place your faith in it is a recipe for disappointment.

Love, Agape Style
LisaG