Religious Disaffiliation in the US

#201
#201
BearCat204 said:
The Book of Acts serves as a transition from the Old Covenant (Law) to the New Covenant of grace and faith. Tithing was law in the OC, but in the NC an individual offers a tithe out of faith. At least thats how I understand it.
Click to expand...

What is the difference? A "tithe" is a tenth, and if you were obeying in the OC, it was out of faith. I don't get the distinction.
 
#203
#203
BearCat204 said:
No, it was law in the OC
Click to expand...

I guess what I'm asking is do you think it's a commandment? It was obviously an old testament commandment (and a law, but that doesn't matter for our interpretation, since we don't live under a theocracy). Is it not a commandment because it's no longer law, or it's still a commandment, just not a law enforced by temporal means?
 
#204
#204
Mtntrout said:
I had never heard this before. Been a long time since I read it, but wasn't tithing featured in the Book of Acts, including a couple who got struck down for faking a full tithe?
Click to expand...

No. Had nothing to do with tithing. Tithing was a system of support for the Levitical priests. It had nothing to do with currency, but goods (livestock, grains, oil) The whole tithing aspect today is a lie. If any church or leader tells you that giving 10% or more will result in you getting financial blessing, run the other way. It doesn't matter how subtle. It is a false teaching.

Giving is NT, and each one should give what he has decided to give, and not under compulsion.

when A & S died, Israel was still the method God was operating through apostolic authority (Peter and the 12). The concept of a Gentile church had yet to be addressed. So, that economy isn't in effect today.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#205
#205
n_huffhines said:
I guess what I'm asking is do you think it's a commandment? It was obviously an old testament commandment (and a law, but that doesn't matter for our interpretation, since we don't live under a theocracy). Is it not a commandment because it's no longer law, or it's still a commandment, just not a law enforced by temporal means?
Click to expand...

The way I understand it.....keep in mind, I am always growing and learning more about my faith (if that makes sense) is that the commandments were abolished in Hebrews.....they were laws from Moses to Israel in the first place. All that was replaced by a NC which was Christ and we should live by his teachings. Hope that was enough of an answer and again keep in mind, I'm an amatuer when it comes to this and I am just studying, praying, and growing in this.
 
#206
#206
n_huffhines said:
I've never understood this. First of all, accepting Christ and professing your faith is a deed. Second, "faith without works is dead". I know people explain this by saying, "yeah if you have faith then the works will be there" and to that I say, "so then you do need works?"
Click to expand...

It's definitely a circular argument, but I think the key isn't whether you need works for salvation really. The point is that just being a good person alone isn't enough and is going about things in reverse as it pertains to salvation. If you truly accept Christ and his teachings, you'll follow his example and do good works, so... yes, you do need good works to follow the example , hence the "dead faith" statement.

This is the kind of thing I was talking about earlier. All these side issues need to be framed properly and not espoused like the rules for getting ejected from a football game. In my simpleton opinion, when it comes down to it, good works, tithing etc are all work in progress kind of issues but not salvation issues so long as you are efforting toward Jesus' example. Luckily, Jesus boiled salvation way down for me.
 
#207
#207
GAVol said:
It's definitely a circular argument, but I think the key isn't whether you need works for salvation really. The point is that just being a good person alone isn't enough and is going about things in reverse as it pertains to salvation. If you truly accept Christ and his teachings, you'll follow his example and do good works, so... yes, you do need good works to follow the example , hence the "dead faith" statement.

In other words, the works are a work in progress kind of thing, but the key is to accept Christ.
Click to expand...

It really interests me how one can hold the belief that being a good person holds no bearing on whether they receive salvation. Essentially, when your deity desires your faith in him over being a good person, it should make you very suspicious about the supposed nature of that deity. It should make you very suspicious about the motives behind creation, and it should make you very suspicious about the benevolence of a deity which would differentiate between Person A, who believes and does good works, over person B, who does not believe but also does good works.
 
#208
#208
First of all, anybody who says they're not at least slightly suspicious at times is lying to you. I reconcile the good works thing in my own mind because I don't believe I can earn my way into heaven all by myself. I'm just not good or perfect enough.

Please note that I'm speaking first person because I don't want to be disrespectful. You ask valid questions but we're back to the old nature of God argument that inevitably happens in these threads.
 
#209
#209
GAVol said:
First of all, anybody who says they're not at least slightly suspicious at times is lying to you. I reconcile the good works thing in my own mind because I don't believe I can earn my way into heaven all by myself. I'm just not good or perfect enough.

Please note that I'm speaking first person because I don't want to be disrespectful. You ask valid questions.
Click to expand...

I don't have that problem. I'm pretty amazing.
 
#210
#210
Yeah, I've never really understood the reason as to why a perfect being feels the need to be worshiped and believed in. Why does God care that His people do that?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#212
#212
n_huffhines said:
Yeah, I've never really understood the reason as to why a perfect being feels the need to be worshiped and believed in. Why does God care that His people do that?
Click to expand...

Yes, he's self centered, but the only way he receives glorification is in return for the gifts he gives to us. It's symbiotic in many ways. God is the only entity I can think of that can be self centered and benevolent at the same time.
 
#213
#213
n_huffhines said:
Yeah, I've never really understood the reason as to why a perfect being feels the need to be worshiped and believed in. Why does God care that His people do that?
Click to expand...

At the same time, I bounce my own beliefs (that I posted earlier in this thread) with the fact that if there is an all controlling God, how can we expect him to be fair, just and humane? It seems more likely that he'd toy with us any time he wants, as much as he wants and there's nothing we can do about it.

It's a conflicting thing to ponder.
 
#214
#214
hog88 said:
I tried Long Hollow and all it took was 1 visit for me to decide this is not the place for me. To each their own but that is not the place for me.

I'm all for casual services but allowing men to wear hats crosses the line for me.
Click to expand...

Yeah better to make someone stay home and not get saved than to allow them to wear a hat.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#215
#215
NEOCON said:
Yeah better to make someone stay home and not get saved than to allow them to wear a hat.
Click to expand...

Just my old fashioned ways. A man doesn't wear a hat at the table, during prayer, the national anthem and damn sure not at church.

And one thing I have noticed over my 20 some years in TN is that hat etiquette is not taught in this state.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 people
#216
#216
hog88 said:
Just my old fashioned ways. A man doesn't wear a hat at the table, during prayer, the national anthem and damn sure not at church.

And one thing I have noticed over my 20 some years in TN is that hat etiquette is not taught in this state.
Click to expand...

Hat etiquette is really dying off. I was at a funeral earlier this year and I spotted at least 6 or 7 people sporting flat bills. They were black flat bills, given. But still.

I'm old school in that way, too. This is coming from someone with a receding hairline and big forehead. I wear hats most of the time, but never at the table or anything that isn't casual.
 
#217
#217
I learned hat etiquette from books and movies. It just isn't in the culture anymore I guess.
 
#218
#218
DinkinFlicka said:
Hat etiquette is really dying off. I was at a funeral earlier this year and I spotted at least 6 or 7 people sporting flat bills. They were black flat bills, given. But still.

I'm old school in that way, too. This is coming from someone with a receding hairline and big forehead. I wear hats most of the time, but never at the table or anything that isn't casual.
Click to expand...

From a fellow hair challenged individual I salute you.
 
#219
#219
BearCat204 said:
The way I understand it.....keep in mind, I am always growing and learning more about my faith (if that makes sense) is that the commandments were abolished in Hebrews.....they were laws from Moses to Israel in the first place. All that was replaced by a NC which was Christ and we should live by his teachings. Hope that was enough of an answer and again keep in mind, I'm an amatuer when it comes to this and I am just studying, praying, and growing in this.
Click to expand...

this. anyone that has it "figured out" is lying. like someone saying they have "figured out" their wife.
 
#223
#223
DinkinFlicka said:
I honestly hope I just have a big forehead. I come from a line of big foreheads but no baldness on my mother's side. Isn't that where the bald gene comes from?
Click to expand...

I'm screwed on both sides, so I haven't researched it.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.
Advertisement





Back
Top