“Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” (Hebrews 9:22, ESV)
In these days of quarantine I have seen a lot of webspace devoted to one side or the other—either to rigid adherence to calls for isolation or “back to the wind” come what may. I have always been somewhere in the middle. But it got me thinking about another kind of continuum.
In the world of Christianity there are two main extremes of thought. One says that we are under grace, not law, and we need not concern ourselves with a fight against sin. The other holds that we must do anything and everything in our power to remove sin from our thoughts and practices. And as with the COVID 19 crisis, both extremes have considerable adherents, with the majority of us finding our comfort somewhere in the middle.
There are a number of scriptures that stir up great conflict within me. And if I’m being honest, I believe that God always intended that to be the case—not just for me, but for everyone. With even a cursory reading of Scripture, the Holy Spirit speaks to us about our behavior relative to whatever part we are reading. Hebrews 9:22, our introductory text, is one such verse for me. It instantly reminds me of another to produce conflict in my heart: “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Hebrews 12:4, ESV).
We could debate for years, about the meaning of Hebrews 12:4. Is the author being literal of figurative? Are Hebrews 9:22 and Hebrews 12:4 to be interpreted in light of one another? Should they be linked to Matthew 5:29-30, where Jesus says “If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off”?
I don’t pretend to have the answer; and I am definitely not pointing fingers. I’m simply asking questions.
How far should we take our quarantine directives? How far are we expected to take our faith walk?
Obviously, we need to interpret scripture in light of context, continuity and condition (I’ll post about this next week!). But we must also take into consideration what we feel God is trying to tell us when scripture makes us uncomfortable.
I’d love to hear how you deal with scripture when it makes you uncomfortable. How do your endeavor to use that discomfort? How far are you willing to go when it comes to the Holy Spirit’s guidance? Let’s get a conversation going in the comments. Check back to see how others respond!
As always, these are the musings of a mindful disciple. Blessings on your week!
Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh from Pexels
Skipping Stones 
I believe it varies for all of us of faith.
How one is raised–the whens, wheres and hows–are the precursors of our walk (although His plan is mysteriously the foundation, VERY mysterious). We all are molded/shaped by the underlying. How we identify with the Lord and the Bible is, ultimately, defined by the underlying. The words/verses/translations/Spirit’s voice/ and, the voice we are born with (our own), all comes into play. I believe the Lord sent His Son to wash us clean of all of this confusing, never understood or absolutely defined, mess that we call the human experience. I do my best to love as He defined it, outside of an emotional understanding of the term. It is always evolving. We are so unbalanced; so unstable within our flesh. Yet, ego, or, the same pride of Lucifer himself, longs to claim what is right. What we see as individuals is usually always our, “go to”.
LikeLike
Great thoughts, Damon. For me, I have spent years refusing to embrace the underlying to allow God to mold me into who He wants me to be. But I suppose THAT is part of my underlying as well! I’m ever-learning to allow Him to shape me as He wants. And that includes the way I see. Thanks for your comments! I’m always encouraged and blessed by them. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person