POTD 5/24/2010

[Stripe]

Which word? The one where he tells His theocracy how to run their unique government? If we had a theocracy, then I'd agree that application of the dp for adultery etc was the right thing to do. Since we have something far, far removed from it, we cannot take those commands, which were given for the running a theocracy, as applicable to our republic.

Why not? We have, "Do not murder" and "Do not steal". Why not one more?

Legalism takes our eyes off of our Savior, off of our own need for that Savior, off of forgiveness and its benefits, off of mercy. It makes us see people as sinners instead of people in the bonds of sin. It makes it hard to love them or to impress upon them the beauty of redemption and love and mercy.

And the law should point to the saviour.

 

[nicholsmom]

Why not? We have, "Do not murder" and "Do not steal". Why not one more?

I gave you the answer to this already, Stripe:

And if we name all sins as crimes punishable by law, we lose our free society, overcrowd our jails, overburden our justice system, and lose sight of doing the right thing simply because it is right.

And the law should point to the saviour.

No, we Christians should point to the Savior. The government is not a Christian, it's not even a person. It's an institution. It's cold and unfeeling. The law couldn't save the Jews even though they had a theocracy. The law of Israel only shows us that we are flawed - that we cannot get to God on our own steam.
The laws of governments that are not theocracies serve only to protect freedom. The government of the USA was designed "in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and ensure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity..." I don't read anything in there about pointing to a savior or setting up a theocracy.

 

[Stripe]

I gave you the answer to this already, Stripe:

How did you decide which laws were right to use from a theocracy and which were not?

No, we Christians should point to the Savior. The government is not a Christian, it's not even a person. It's an institution. It's cold and unfeeling. The law couldn't save the Jews even though they had a theocracy. The law of Israel only shows us that we are flawed - that we cannot get to God on our own steam.

And the law also points to Christ. That we have laws points to Christ. The only way to make rational laws is to write laws that point to Christ. "Do not commit adultery" is a good law. It should be enforced, just as "Do not murder" and "Do not steal" are enforced. They should all be enforced for the same reason.