Is this the "book chapter and verse" that indemnifies the cafeteria christians and their Jesus lite take on their Abrahamic religion ?
Pastor Dan Steen, Prairie Lane Church, Omaha
In Matthew 15, Jesus gets frustrated with the Pharisees because they criticize the disciples about hand washing, but they are missing what really matters. They have mixed up their traditions with God’s words. It’s so mixed up that they don’t really know the difference anymore. Jesus says to them, “You nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.”
So, we see the Pharisees don’t really know the difference between what is important in their faith and what is not. This was a mostly a problem with their hearts. They wanted their external actions to cleanse their insides. They wanted their strict obedience to turn into righteousness and holiness. But it wasn’t working. Their hearts were still hard; and this is why they end up picking fights over the wrong things. Is it really such a big deal whether the disciples wash their hands or not?
So, Jesus changes the discussion from their hands to their hearts. First, allow God in. First, get your heart in tune with God. And this will happen when they accept the message and person of Jesus. Then, at least they would be heading in the right direction. A new heart and the experience of God’s grace will provide more wisdom to discern between important rules and their own made-up traditions.
Likewise, we also need to be able to distinguish between God’s word and tradition in our faith. We need to know what is important and what is not. We need to fight the right battles. A heart in tune with Jesus will bring wisdom and discernment with it. Being loved, forgiven and accepted by grace will change how we look at and treat others. The Gospel changes our hearts first, and then our actions follow.
Pastor Steen never uses the phrase 'scripture cherry picking' but it sure looks like this could be his weaselly way of justifying the practice. Or am I missing the point of his sermonette ??
Pastor Dan Steen, Prairie Lane Church, Omaha
In Matthew 15, Jesus gets frustrated with the Pharisees because they criticize the disciples about hand washing, but they are missing what really matters. They have mixed up their traditions with God’s words. It’s so mixed up that they don’t really know the difference anymore. Jesus says to them, “You nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.”
So, we see the Pharisees don’t really know the difference between what is important in their faith and what is not. This was a mostly a problem with their hearts. They wanted their external actions to cleanse their insides. They wanted their strict obedience to turn into righteousness and holiness. But it wasn’t working. Their hearts were still hard; and this is why they end up picking fights over the wrong things. Is it really such a big deal whether the disciples wash their hands or not?
So, Jesus changes the discussion from their hands to their hearts. First, allow God in. First, get your heart in tune with God. And this will happen when they accept the message and person of Jesus. Then, at least they would be heading in the right direction. A new heart and the experience of God’s grace will provide more wisdom to discern between important rules and their own made-up traditions.
Likewise, we also need to be able to distinguish between God’s word and tradition in our faith. We need to know what is important and what is not. We need to fight the right battles. A heart in tune with Jesus will bring wisdom and discernment with it. Being loved, forgiven and accepted by grace will change how we look at and treat others. The Gospel changes our hearts first, and then our actions follow.
Pastor Steen never uses the phrase 'scripture cherry picking' but it sure looks like this could be his weaselly way of justifying the practice. Or am I missing the point of his sermonette ??
The granting of a pardon is an imputation of guilt, and the acceptance a confession of it.
