Sunday, September 07, 2008
Moses, Jesus and Billy Graham have all identified two general areas where each of us should direct our being in two step fashion. Simply, they are these:
First - Vertical; towards God! (The First and Greatest Commandment)
a. First give Him our Heart (Christian Piety)
b. Second, our minds (Christian Study)
c. Third, our hands and feet (Christian service)
Jesus, said, “…with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.”
Second - Horizontal, towards humanity (the 2nd Commandmant)
This Blog was created because a brother in Christ conducted his own analysis of the Bible (mostly from Christ’s sayings) and concluded that everything is reduced to the horizontal –or - #2, above.
A group of us spent more than one year, one day a week for two hours, reviewing and hashing-out his perspective and everyone concluded that God’s highest priority is the soul of everyone he creates.
Yet the member we met with found himself at the James’ passage which emphasizes works. We found that we went full circle with our friend, however, he revealed that he is obsessed with his own failure and inadequacy to perform sufficient works, and he began to place ours under his microscope.
We pointed to the thief on the cross, a believer who went to Paradise; but one who had no opportunity to perform any works. He couldn’t be water-baptized, couldn’t distribute a Bible or a sandwich…he just believed.
So the blog was started with an effort to illustrate, through scripture and images from religious art, that the action role is entirely God’s – as it pertains to Redemption; hence Isaac’s Redemption. The progressive examples of individuals and groups taking no action of their own, yet being redeemed, continue to be featured on this site.
Yet, as I reviewed it last week, I found an anymous post from someone who wanted to counter the faith redemption Bible examples [God-only redemption stories] and try to empower man with his own control by citing James.
The thief on the cross and Isaac stand as Biblical examples of two men who did not save themselves. Each was spared. At the moment of their redemption, neither is recorded as having done anything with regard to the second commandment espoused by Moses and Jesus.
My redemption came 2,000 years ago through the blood of a blameless Lamb of God, through nothing I did. As I strive to attend to the requirements of the First and Greatest Commandment, I am mindful of the second.
But as to redemption, man is incapable of saving himself!
First - Vertical; towards God! (The First and Greatest Commandment)
a. First give Him our Heart (Christian Piety)
b. Second, our minds (Christian Study)
c. Third, our hands and feet (Christian service)
Jesus, said, “…with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.”
Second - Horizontal, towards humanity (the 2nd Commandmant)
This Blog was created because a brother in Christ conducted his own analysis of the Bible (mostly from Christ’s sayings) and concluded that everything is reduced to the horizontal –or - #2, above.
A group of us spent more than one year, one day a week for two hours, reviewing and hashing-out his perspective and everyone concluded that God’s highest priority is the soul of everyone he creates.
Yet the member we met with found himself at the James’ passage which emphasizes works. We found that we went full circle with our friend, however, he revealed that he is obsessed with his own failure and inadequacy to perform sufficient works, and he began to place ours under his microscope.
We pointed to the thief on the cross, a believer who went to Paradise; but one who had no opportunity to perform any works. He couldn’t be water-baptized, couldn’t distribute a Bible or a sandwich…he just believed.
So the blog was started with an effort to illustrate, through scripture and images from religious art, that the action role is entirely God’s – as it pertains to Redemption; hence Isaac’s Redemption. The progressive examples of individuals and groups taking no action of their own, yet being redeemed, continue to be featured on this site.
Yet, as I reviewed it last week, I found an anymous post from someone who wanted to counter the faith redemption Bible examples [God-only redemption stories] and try to empower man with his own control by citing James.
The thief on the cross and Isaac stand as Biblical examples of two men who did not save themselves. Each was spared. At the moment of their redemption, neither is recorded as having done anything with regard to the second commandment espoused by Moses and Jesus.
My redemption came 2,000 years ago through the blood of a blameless Lamb of God, through nothing I did. As I strive to attend to the requirements of the First and Greatest Commandment, I am mindful of the second.
But as to redemption, man is incapable of saving himself!
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