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NASB | Luke 17:3 "Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Luke 17:3 "Pay attention and always be on guard [looking out for one another]! If your brother sins and disregards God's precepts, solemnly warn him; and if he repents and changes, forgive him. |
Bible Question:
Good answer Angel, brief and to the point. I feel somewhat guilty... me being an athiest and basically using you guys as researchers. I understand my form of justice, and please don't be offended, but the justice in the bible, so far, does not make sense. You have explained it's view well. It appears that I must disagree with the bible. Let me explain my justice, just so you will know where I am coming from. I believe that revenge is administrating justice for personal enjoyment. Only an evil person would enjoy hurting another, physically or psycologically. On the other hand, a person has to use retaliation to a guide a person to justice. What is the difference? When you spank a child and insist on remorse, when the child expresses remorse, they must be lovingly forgiven. You guide the child in 2 ways as a result. you punish for bad behavior and you reward them when they see it correctly. Society must operate in the same way. If on the other hand, your 2 year old comes over and kicks you in the knee and says "i'm sorry". You say, "you are forgiven". Then he kicks you in the knee again and says hes sorry. lol. Children are born uncivilized. If dicipline is not used, you will be rewarding bad behavior and you will get more of it. People learn limits as they age, but not the same limits. Your next door neighbor may think its just fine to park his non working car in his front yard on jacks. Would it be inapropriate to shun a fellow employee for touching people inapropriatly? 7 times in one day? As long as he expresses remorse each time? Mormons believe that they can not even hit someone if they are rapeing their wife. It is a good thing that there are those who are not mormons, to make it a safe world for them. They live in tight groups, they have to, they are not living in a way that works in many situations. |
Bible Answer: Hi Pete2, I get your argument, but there are minor questions which it does not answer: If there is no God, who decides what is 'good' and what is 'evil' at all? What is good for me might be considered bad for another person: eg. is prostitution okay? Secondly, who gives the authority to those who decide what is good and evil, on what basis? Thirdly, even if it can be decided, if there is no God, why is it bad to be consciously 'evil' (i.e. why can't I -morally- blow up the whole world right away, eg. in a nuclear war, who cares)? Fourthly, why would you care about it anyway if you know everyone perishes after their death? To me it seems that ignoring the existence of God makes the question irrelevant! Fortunately God has been gracious enough to give us the answers to those questions in the Bible... As for what Jesus was teaching, I believe the whole concept of justice can be understood the best from Micah 6:8: He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? DO JUSTLY: Tell if someone is going on the wrong track: tell him privately, then 2 or 3 together, then the church, and if he still doesn't listen, 'let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican' (Matt 18:15-17), that is, pray for them, turn the other cheek and let God do the rest: Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) LOVE MERCY: Forgive everyone, as the Father forgives you. Forgiveness means 'keeping in love', which is nevertheless not the same as approving of sin. God forgives but out of love He allows the consequences of our sin to take place. (Read 2Samuel 11 and 12 for God's response to David's affair - will help you!) Loving someone often means letting them know that they are doing something wrong. As for children, teach your child, for He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. (Prov 13:24) WALK HUMBLY WITH THY GOD: Remember that you are sinner saved by grace; check for the beam in your eye before you condemn someone else for a mote. (Matt 7:3) You MUST NOT abuse God's grace: the sin against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven! (Mt 12:31-32, Mk 32:29, Lk 12:10 - Jesus' reply to 'the Biblical Achilles Heel'!) Also accept with humility and without complaint when God teaches you by allowing the consequences of your sin to happen, for whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. (Prov 3:12) Yet, know that He has forgiven: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isa 55:7). All Jesus is saying is: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Mt 5:48) Be good to people, pray for them, want good to them, whatever they do to you: be merciful, i.e. forgive, but also just, i.e. teach, so that they may change. And walk humbly with God, and He will let you know what is right and what is wrong; The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility. (Prov 15:33) He will also teach you the correct balance between mercy and justice... Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. (Psalm 25:8) Psalm 101:1: I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing. Hosea 12:6: Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually. Reading the book of Proverbs, and the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5,6,7) would do you good. ;) Hope this helps. May my God, Whom you sadly don't believe in, bless you. I will pray for you. Yours in Christ, Zsuzsi |