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NASB | John 13:11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, "Not all of you are clean." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 13:11 For He knew who was going to betray Him; for that reason He said, "Not all of you are clean." |
Subject: Do you forgive Judas? |
Bible Note: Mommapbs, to you and others who seem to be persuaded that reproof must always be accompanied with gentleness, I invite you to examine some examples that the Bible provides in abundance. Consider, for example, how 'gentle' Jesus was in many of His dealings with the religious leaders of His day. Read Matthew 23: "woe to you, hypocrites ... fools and blind ... serpents, brood of vipers ..." -- how gentle do this words of Jesus sound to you, Mommapbs? Read Paul's letters, and Peter's, and John's. You will find strong words of rebuke, chastisement and denunciation of falsehood, of frivolous behavior, of idle chatter and speculation, of vain philosophy -- and these words are more likely than not to be served up with vigor and strong condemnation than with namby-pamby 'gentleness.' Yes, the ear-marks of a true disciple of Jesus Christ are -- among others -- love, humility, patience, kindness, and a forgiving spirit. Yet the examples for our behavior that the Bible sets before us for emulation do not suggest that gentleness should be synonymous with a passive and spineless acquiescence that leads us to allow ourselves to be blown about by every wind of doctrine. In saying that you felt I was being unfair to the original questioner, you failed to give reasons for your feelings. You say that questions are a prerequisite to discovery, and to a limited degree I agree with you that this can be true in certain situations, but discovery of truth is not always, without exemption, dependent upon questions. You further state that no question should ever be called inane or inept, and with this statement I disagree with vigor. As there can be foolish answers so can there be foolish questions. Our system of jurisprudence, in recognition of this fact, routinely prohibits improper questioning of witnesses in a court of law. Clearly a proper question should be given at least a measure of care and thought and so should the answer. One sees today, not only on this forum, but elsewhere in religious circles, a woeful lack of care and thought being given to either. --Hank |